Novel Review: Say You'll Remember Me by Katie McGarry

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Release Date: January 2018

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Drix was convicted of a crime--one he didn't commit--he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the new Second Chance Program, the governor's newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.

Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor's daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn't may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.

When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle's parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix's messy life.

But sometimes love can breach all barriers.

Fighting against a society that can't imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves--Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence--and each other to finally get what they deserve.

The Cover:

I really like this cover. I don't remember the Ferris wheel being important to the story, and perhaps the story itself could be portrayed better, but it's still a very pretty cover. I like the simplistic beauty of it, the colors are so pretty, and the font and title and image would definitely catch my eye in the store.

Review:

Elle has grown up with a politician father, and she's learned to put on a good face, to be a good daughter in front of cameras. She hasn't realized quite what all of it has done to her, or what all her parents are doing.

Drix was framed for a crime he didn't commit, and did the juvenile time for it. Now he's out, because of a special program made by Elle's father, and chosen as the face of it. He was in a bad situation, and he got out of it, and now he's trying to balance his old life with his new self and his new commitments.

This book took a little while to get going for me, but I did like the dynamic between Elle and Drix from the beginning. They meet without knowing each other at first, and they keep bumping into each other while trying not to, and then they form a friendship during it.

I really like how Elle's struggle is done. She believes that she's only doing what she is supposed to, to support her father, and what she's agreed to. She doesn't want to see what her father is really doing, and what they're actually doing to her. It bothered me how they were using her, and it only made the way she finally stands up for herself more worth it. And I really appreciated the way she stayed firm in her decision. After everything, she doesn't just let them apologize and ignore it; they have to show her. It made me really happy for her, how she dealt with it.

I had a guess for what was behind Drix's issue, but there were still some surprises thrown in there. The conclusion to that was both good and very sad. But overall I really liked how the book ended.

This one took a little while to get me, but I really enjoyed it by the end.