Remembrance by Michelle Madow

Remembrance by Michelle Madow

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Source: Author for review
Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing
Format: Paperback, 314 pages
Release Date: July 27, 2011

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

Based on the music video for Taylor Swift's "Love Story," Remembrance is easily an enjoyable read.

Lizzie is a fairly regular high school student when we're introduced to her at the beginning of the book. There have been some problems with her boyfriend, Jeremy, but for the most part, things are going well. I had trouble connecting with Lizzie as a character, personally. She is clearly unhappy in her relationship with Jeremy based on the careless, insensitive things he says and does and yet she never does anything about it. I spent most of the book hoping that she would just end it, regardless of how he "used to be" before being made co-captain of the soccer team.

Drew was also kind of weird for me. He had his moments of sweetness where a bright personality shined but then he was also a complete jerk at other points. His motives are explained in the novel but his erratic behaviour still doesn't really add up for me.

Despite the problems I had with the characters (all of the characters) I was still able to enjoy the romance. It's easy and quick -- something that can put a smile on your face, if nothing else. There's the insta love factor too which was something that I kind of just had to let go while reading.

The flashes to the past in Remembrance were probably my favourite part of the book. There aren't many and huge revelations don't come until near the end, but I thought they were integrated well into the story and just intriguing in general. There were a surprising amount of Jane Austen references which I thought was pretty interesting even though I've... never read Jane Austen. I wish there had been more of a focus on the reincarnation but I can see why it might have been seen as unnecessary too.

All in all, I liked the book even though I had a few issues with it.

Cover Comments: The mask is obviously the focal point of the cover and I like that. It reminds me a lot of the original "Love Story" video actually, and seeing as that was my original basis for wanting to read the book, I like that aspect.

3 stars