Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

So Barnes and Noble is shipping out copies of Miranda Kenneally's new book again!!! :)  Yay, and I got my copy of Things I Can't Forget last week, and just knew I had to devour it asap! :)

It's not supposed to be released until March 1st! :)

From Goodreads:

 

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Read an excerpt here.

Note: Mature themes, sexual situations, religious discussions.

My thoughts:

First off, I LOVE Miranda Kenneally's books!  Catching Jordan is one of my all time favorites, and Stealing Parker was absolutely great too! 

I will say though with Things I Can't Forget, there was a point where I was thinking, "Oh, no..." This book has a main character who believes more than anything in God and in her faith.  Which believe, I respect entirely.  Now what my problem was, was having a character...heck even in real life...especially in real life actually, push his/her religion on everyone around me.  That bothers me so much!  Christians and Catholics, and other religious groups are supposed to not be judgemental, and forgiving...so why try pushing people into believing something they don't?

Anyway, I was worried there for a second...but then everything changed!

This book is honestly about Kate's beginning journey to self-discovery.  She learns that people each have their beliefs and that being judgemental isn't hurting them, it's only hurting yourself.  She makes friends, after losing her best friend, because of a deep dark secret (you find out about it pretty much right away into the book what the secret is).

What I LOVE about Miranda Kenneally's books the most I think is no matter how different each character is from one another, the readers will find themselves finding similarities to that main character.   While I may not share Jordan's athleticism, Parker's go-getter attitude, and Kate's views in the end Miranda is able to bring to life these characters that are going through the same thing every single teenager in the world will most likely have gone through, will go through, or are currently going through!

She's pretty much the Judy Blume of my generation! Or at least getting there! :)

Overall rating:

While I didn't share Kate's religious views, I absolutely loved how she evolved throughout this story!  In fact, not only was it getting to know Kate, but also getting to know other characters, such as Matt...and even getting reacquainted to Parker and Will (who appear a LOT!), and Jordan and Sam (who make a couple of smaller appearances throughout).  

I love Miranda's Hundred Oaks Series, because while she introduces to new main characters each time, we still get to revisit out old favorites! :)

Up next...well, not until December...Racing Savannah!

The Romance Bookie :)