Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks, #3)

by Miranda Kenneally

“A must read...I couldn’t put it down.” —Simone Elkeles on Catching Jordan
From the bestselling author of Catching Jordan comes a new teen romance sure to appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen.
SOME RULES WERE MEANT TO BE BROKEN.
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 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...
Praise for Miranda Keaneally:
"Fresh, fearless, and totally romantic."—Sarah Ockler, bestselling author of the Twenty Boy Summer
"Catching Jordan is the romantic comedy I've been waiting for. I loved it!"—Jennifer Echols, author of Such a Rush
"An incredibly well-written, beautiful story that balances romance, drama, and comedy perfectly."—Bookish, on Stealing Parker

• ISBN10: 1402271905
• ISBN13: 9781402271908
• Publish Date: 5 April 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Kate had always adhered to the teachings of her church, but does some real soul searching after realizing that her "truth isn't everybody else's truth."

Kate's whole belief system was being challenged. Friends, who she thought shared all the church teachings with her, were partaking in "sinful" things. It was difficult for her to reconcile what they were doing with her belief system, but then Kate was reunited with Matt.

Matt gave Kate her first kiss many years ago, and now he was grown-up-man Matt. Kate found that this Matt awakened a different side of her. She also became friends with Parker at camp. Kate had harshly judged Parker, and sort of abandoned her, when Parker was in need of friends. Both Parker and Matt played huge roles in Kate's journey, and I loved the different perspectives they brought to the table.

I found Kate's struggle realistic and appreciated the messiness of it all. This was Kate starting to see that the world was not black and white, but rather, shades of grey, and this was an honest exploration of her trying to find that balance between her religious and personal beliefs, while respecting other people's viewpoints.

Though this book was written several years ago and focuses primarily on Kate's religious beliefs, I could help but see how relevant it is today and how it can apply to belief systems in general. This idea, that we can have different "truths", but still co-exist is getting lost these days, and I was happy to get a gentle fictional reminder, that each side is entitled to their voice and their choice.

Lots of food for thought, wrapped up in a swoony romance with a nice helping of family, friendship, and summer camp fun.

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[liz089]

I really liked this one too !! I'm kind of binge-reading this series..

So this one was great as well, I really liked the MC Kate and was quickly invested in her story. Even though she is not at all like me, she had something about her that made me really like her and root for her. I enjoyed her innocence en struggles, how she developed throughout the story.

I loved the role Parker played in this part, because even though she got her man in the last part, she was still kind of friendless. Kate really needed a friend, and so did Parker.. and I loved how they developed a good friendship in this part.

Matt was also really cute, and even though this one was more instalove-ish, I did like their romance. They already knew each other from before, so that made it a little better too.

Once again a great combination of romance, friendship and family !! Onto the next one !!

[KitsuneBae]

ACTUAL: 3.5 stars

There's a lot of teasing that left me annoyed. >,> Overall, it felt so realistic that I can forgive Miranda for being such a tease.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Things I Can't Forget is one of those young adult romance novels, that deals with heavy issues that every girl faces in such a realistic and relatable way. Kennally does a wonderful job at bringing these issues to light, in such a way that readers are able to connect with the characters and the stories they have to tell. This novel, is a little bit different from her prior two novels. There are deeper issues and new territory to explore, but she does it in such a way that readers won't want to put this novel down until the last page has been turned.

It's easy to understand her characters, because Kennally writes them in such a way that you can get inside their head and see their situation from their perspective. It makes the characters more likable and enjoyable to read about. Kate has a multitude of tough choices to make throughout this book and has to live with the secret that she keeps, from the choices she made regarding her best friend. She's the type of girl who is strong, steady, and always good. So, when things happen, and life seems like it's getting a bit too chaotic for her - she figures out just exactly what she's made of as she begins to shuffle some things around in her life. One of the best elements of the book, is that through her writing and the eyes of Kate, Kennally shows readers that life isn't always as black and white as they think it might be.

Intensely gripping and emotional, Things I Can't Forget, will have leave readers churning. It has every element that a mature contemporary young adult novel should have, plus a few surprises along the way. The friendship and romance aspect, was brilliantly written and beautifully fleshed out. This is a novel that will dare readers to step outside of their comfort zone, much in the same way that Kate had to, and discover things about themselves they may not have discovered before. It's definitely a do not miss!