Remember Me

by Syd Parker

When Samantha Adams learns that her grandmother has passed away, she feels little sadness for the woman she can’t remember. The only thing she knows about her is that she turned her back on her family years before. So it’s a bit of a surprise when a package arrives bearing Samantha’s name, containing letters to her and mementos that belonged to her grandmother. She discovers that her grandmother has included her in the will…with one caveat.
Growing up in the seedier parts of Boston, Ellis Hudson knows her way around the lowlifes she defends. She fills her life with one night stands, since the woman she loves is straight and completely unavailable. Instead, she settles for best friends. She’s struggling with her own doubts about her career and what she wants to do with her life.
With nothing more than some letters, a map and a few names, they set out on the road trip of a lifetime. Along the way, they meet different people who knew Samantha’s grandmother. Samantha realizes that each memento is a piece of her grandmother’s memory of those people and she starts to return them. Along the way, Samantha realizes her attraction to Ellis was more than just a drunken thing. The journey also challenges Ellis’ will to remain just friends. Will they take the life lessons that Samantha’s grandmother teaches them and finally follow their hearts?

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT

ebook

First published December 30, 2013

About the author

Syd Parker was born in 1975 in California and now lives in Indiana with her partner. Syd loves to reminisce about growing up the oldest of seven kids. There were plenty of shenanigans with that many kids, many of which have ended up in Syd's novels. In school, Syd loved all things English, but put dreams of writing aside to concentrate on her studies. She set off for college with the goal of being a nurse, but ultimately opted for a much more sexy and debonair day job in financing. Not picking up a pen again until she was thirty-four, Syd hit the ground running, penning six novels in three years. She has finally realized her lifelong dream of being an author and telling her stories to the masses.

Having long realized her dream of playing pro golf will probably not happen with a wicked slice, Syd spends her free time three-putting on the golf course, riding her road bike Hammer or training to be a professional runner. The moments in between are sprinkled with a gaggle of nieces and nephews that she adores and spoils all the time. She fancies herself a down home gourmet chef and has an unnatural addiction to Doritos. She loves to read a good love story and thoroughly enjoys writing them as well. "It isn't just about writing a story, it's about creating a world and having the reader climb into it, experiencing it in first person.That's my goal...that's why I write." (from the author's website)

Reviews

[Agirlcandream · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and very likeable characters. A good review of the Women's professional baseball league in the Forties. The plot twist was obvious from the start which took a lot away from the story.
Even with the obvious direction the book takes, this was a fast and enjoyable read.
3.5 Stars

[XR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story. ☺️

I want a Grandma Lou and Charlie in my life. Old people are cute as. Heheh.

For being the best of friends, Ellis and Samantha sure don’t know, nor communicate very well with, each other. They really needed this road trip to get their sh*t together.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family and friends...there are very few things in day-to-day life more uplifting yet frustrating? I enjoyed this read. Vivian is quite the pretentious character. I thought the relationship anguish between Ellis and Samantha was rather sweet. You meet someone, grow to care about them, fall in love and plan a future together. Okay, not as smooth as that because this is life in a storybook and there must be issues. One more thing, if you enjoy baseball, you will enjoy this story even more.

[moxieBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember Me — Syd Parker (16 chapters + epilogue) Jan. 16-17, 2017

“Have you ever been so unsure of yourself before that you refused to give voice to something you’re thinking because you know the second you open your mouth, it will just confirm that whatever it is you thought was a good idea suddenly seems so moronic that you wished you could unsay it?” —Ellis Hudson, chapter 9

A hold over from last year’s “To-Read,” I was excited to finally get to this book. It had a fantastic start by hooking me in. This is the second book that I have read by this author, and though I think it is better than the first one I read, there are still some issues I have with it. Namely, the author has a tendency to bonk me over the head with obvious observations. And there tends to be too much time spent with the “no-I-won’t” vs. “yes-I-will” yo-yo of one of the main protagonists. And then when the one who is yo-yoing with emotions realizes what is going on, she thinks the other is not interested in her…then the cycle starts all over again! I know that’s suppose to make a delicious conflict, this is a lesbian romance after all, but it got a little too much at times. These “events” are suppose to build up until the climax (figuratively and literally,) but too much emphasis kind of squashed the outcome for me. It was a foregone conclusion from the outset, but deflated somewhat because of the way it was written. (As an example, the quote at the beginning of this review is the epitome of the theme that runs throughout the entire book.) However, the dialog in chapters nine and ten are probably one of the strongest in the entire book. When the author writes this kind of dialog, the plot shines the brightest. Another nugget in chapter nine: “The trip was about self-discovery.” This whole book/plot is about this very thing. This theme is repeated over and over again. There are so many great nuggets of wisdom that Sunny gives out the whole book could have been focused on her! Pay attention to what she says. She speaks like the very wise woman that she is.

I did like how this main plot of story was written. The whole adventure with map, letters, and trinkets…like a treasure hunt…was a really cool story idea. Some of the foreshadowing (the dog’s name being the grandma’s partner name, and the same sex, for example,) was well placed, but of course, the main protagonists wouldn’t tumble to that.

Maybe because I was reading this whilst listening to deep ambient music, the story itself, in the core, is very sad. I mean, a woman who doesn’t remember meeting her GMa, and only has lies about her for memories from her mother about the reason she left. For goodness sake: the GMa would send letters to her that were never answered. That’s sad. I found myself feeling sorry for all the characters involved in this story. They all had deep heartaches, and insecurities. On the ending: it was too unrealistic. I have been around people long enough to know that even women can hold onto fears long after the end. It was hard for me to believe that this particular woman could make an about face in a few month’s time.

So, in that way, this was a great book to read, not for just the romantic fiction value, but for some honest inspirational content. It’s really too bad this is listed as lesbian romance, because no matter what your sexual proclivities are, everyone can learn something from this story…as long as the reader is able to read over (or through) the overemphasized sexual tension, and then, of course, the sexy bits.

Four stars.

[Mirtha Siblesz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story!

I started this story and could not put it down. The love development between Sam and her best friend Ellis was sweet and intense. The reconnection between Sam and her Grandma Lou was sweet and poignant. The backdrop of the Women’s Professional Baseball League back in the 40s and early 50s was totally enthralling. All the details were wonderful. The love story between Lou and Charlie was sweet and lovely. So was the story between Sam and Ellis. Overall, well done.

[Heather Henkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story

I really enjoyed the story. It was a nice mix of historical references in modern-day romance. I enjoyed the fact that the two main characters continually danced around each other not wanting to admit what they were to each other and finally figured it out. I really enjoyed all the talk about the women's baseball from the 40s and 50s.

[Grace Bostic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how the book was written about the two women. They were best friends, Samantha wasn’t sure about her feelings for Ellis, she get a letter from her grandma Lou who she doesn’t remember and goes on the trip her grandma sent her on to find herself and learn more about grandma Lou. She find herself with her best friend and how they fall in love. I love how it grew and explain everything.

[Monna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. The reader follows an interesting journey as Sam tries to get to know her grandma after her death. This is interesting and informative if you're a baseball fan.

[Velvet Lounger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha Adams is a lawyer working in her fathers firm. When she hears her Grandmother has passed away she feels little except some residual anger that the woman she barely remembers left them all behind when she was three. She is shocked and surprised when a parcel arrives and she finds that her Gran has recognized her in her will and left her letters and mementos. As far as she is aware her Gran left and never looked back.

To help her decide whether to honor her Grans last request for a trip down memory lane she turns to lesbian BFF, Ellis Hudson. Also a lawyer working for Sam’s Dad, Ellis harbors more than friendship for Sam, but with her background on the wrong side of the tracks and her fear of losing what contact she has, Ellis has never told Sam just how she feels. Instead she keeps her feelijgs locked away and poses as a player on the scene.

They decide to take the road trip across country, visiting Grandma Lou’s memories. Ellis can’t imagine a month without Sam and secretly hopes her friend will finally notice her. Sam knows she needs Ellis with her, but isn’t prepared to face up to why. The trip will make both of them confront their own fears and could be the make-or-break of their relationship.

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This is an interesting story of love and loss. It is a thoughtful exploration of how one woman’s homophobia and anger can rip apart a family and the loss such hatred can cause.

Sam and El are wonderful characters. Intelligent, successful, warm and loving, yet humanized and made real by their inner battles and fear. Sam is scared of acknowledging who she is because the cost could be so high. Ellis is afraid to let go of her history and recognize who she has become in case she isn’t good enough for the woman she loves. The journey cross country shows both women that they need to let go of their past in order to really live their ‘now’ and to build their future.

The story is charmingly filled with memories of women’s baseball during the war years, a common thread which brought the earlier generation together and fills the trip with meaning. It gives a continuity of feel to our meetings with Sunny, Charlie and Lou. These three wonderful women barely take a backseat to Sam and Ellis, their presence is so strong. We meet Sunny and Charlie, but it is Lou that dominates the book. The strength of her character, warmth of her love and heartache of her loss, is the life story that makes Sam and Ellis finally understand what is at stake in their own lives.

Syd Parkers writing is always hugely enjoyable. She is a master of character and creates people we really engage with. They are then set in a plot well researched and thought through which adds a realism to the story. As always this is well written and a joy to read.

Every book Syd writes is on my re-read pile and this is no exception. Her writing just gets better with each new book.

[J.S. Frankel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not knowing what to expect, I started this novel with an open mind and kept it there. The story concerns Samantha ("Sam") Adams, a thirty-ish woman whose grandmother has just died and left her something of a mystery to unravel, the reason why she left her family and all that she had behind. Sam never really knew her grandmother, doesn't know why her own mother cut her out of her life as well, and needs to find out.

Sam decides to take a road trip to the baseball Hall of Fame along with Ellis, a woman she's interested in, but cannot quite commit to. It seems that Sam's grandmother was a star player during the war years when the women's baseball league was ultra popular. (If you ever see the movie A League of Their Own with Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell, you'll get the idea.) This novel conveys an excellent sense of that time period and through dialogue and description, is probably the best part of the story.

Sam eventually finds out that her grandmother was a lesbian and could not deny her feelings for another player called Charlie (short for Charlotte). Although the ways and mores of that time period more or less demanded that women get married and have children--and they did--it seems that they never lost their love for each other. And thereby hangs the mystery that Sam eventually sorts out with her parents and makes a committment to Ellis as well.

Now, to the pros of the story. As mentioned before, the description of the baseball league back then through dialogue and the letters of the grandmother evokes a different and yet so familiar period of time in our history. The author also employs clever dialogue more often than not, and the characters, main and peripheral, are very likeable.

The drawback was the suddenly shifting point of view. I realize the author's intention, but in my opinion it might have worked better from Sam's sole POV. The shifting made it a bit uncomfortable for me to read; it was that jarring in some cases. The last thing is the narrative. For the most part, it had an awful lot of descriptive passages which could have been broken up with dialogue or something else happening. More show and less tell. And the revelation that Granny Louise was gay came as no revelation at all.

Still, the book's strengths--the snappy patter between Sam and Ellis, the time capsule presented by Granny Louise's letters to Sam--make up for a lot. Recommended.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A straight forward romance novel

There no surprises here. Everything that happens in this book is predictable from the start, but I say that not really meaning it as a criticism. This is a great story seasoned with bits of history. I enjoyed the slow burn between the two main characters. I though it was pretty cute that everyone could tell they should be together when they themselves were plagued by fear and denial.

My only real critic is one that concerns Lou's attempts to contact Sam. If she so desperately wanted to be a part of Sam's life why not try to contact her when she turned 18? At 18 Samantha would have been free to make her own decisions about her grandmother. I'm reading and thinking " they could have had at least 10 years together. wth?"

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A road trip of learning and remembrance ... Enjoyed the back story of the grandmother and her life... Wasn't surprised at all by the story, but it was nicely told.

[Jill Gibson]

Slow

Incredibly slow with too much pointless dialogue. The main character was annoying and transparent with no sincere depth. I was very disappointed.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very touching - hopeful ...

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun read with some real history of Women's professional baseball mixed in. Definitely worth your time!