Today's Read & Giveaway: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

The Book Hot off the press this month is a book I've been waiting for: Cat Patrick's debut novel Forgotten, which is contemporary young adult fiction mixed with a bit of mystery and a splash of teen romance. Put this title on your list of great summer reads; I think you're going to like it.

Read the publisher's summary to get a sense of Forgotten:

What if every day when you woke up, you had no recollection of the days before?

Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you’d easily forget, but try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come.

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it’s time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting--before it destroys her future.

What happens, though, when London doesn't have a handy reminder note and her mother is asking her and Luke what happened on their date? London has to wait until Luke gives a recap, then she thinks:

I can't believe I missed what might have been my best date ever.

I turn to my mom, mouth still slightly ajar, and the ice melts. I see in her eyes the realization. She understands now that I don't remember the evening. Keeping up the facade for Luke's benefit, she asks, "Is that true, London?" Her look tells me to agree. (p. 103)

Yikes, you've got to feel sorry for London. She can't remember eating pizza and talking and looking at the stars with this gorgeous hunk of a guy. Heck, she doesn't even remember his name!

Here's another look at how London copes with her messed-up memory:

Currently there are four entries in London's video diary, and you can see them all on the Little, Brown young adult site. New videos are added periodically, so don't forget (ha!) to check the site for more.

Giveaway

I'm really pleased to be able to offer two (yep, two!) of my readers a chance to win a copy of Forgotten by Cat Patrick. Because the books will be mailed by the publicist, this giveaway is open only to those who have a U.S. or Canadian mailing address. Just fill out the form to enter, and I'll use a random-number generator to pick two winners on June 27. Good luck!



For more information about Forgotten by Cat Patrick (Little, Brown, June 2011), be sure to visit the publisher's website.

MizB at Should Be Reading hosts Teaser Tuesdays. Here's how it works: Grab your current read; let the book fall open to a random page; and share 2 "teaser" sentences from that page. For more teasers, click on through to MizB's blog.