Forget Me Not

by Isabel Wolff

After the sudden death of her mother, 36-year-old Anna Temple is forced to re-evaluate her life. She swaps hedge funds in the City for herbaceous borders and takes up garden designing. At the same time, she must cope with another dramatic change -- the arrival of her daughter, Milly, the result of an uncharacteristic one-night stand. As Anna struggles with magnolias, not to mention motherhood and men, she must also face up to family skeletons tumbling out of the closet.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Womens Fiction, London, Ebooks, Adult

341 pages

First published March 31, 2007

About the author

Isabel Wolff's ten bestselling novels are published worldwide. 'Ghostwritten', set in present day Cornwall and on wartime Java, was published in the UK in March 2014 and will be published in the US in February 2015 as 'Shadows Over Paradise'. 'The Very Picture of You' was published in the UK and the US in October 2011. 'A Vintage Affair', was an Amazon.co.uk 'Best of 2009' title and was shortlisted by the American Library Assocation for their Reading List awards (Women's Fiction). Isabel lives in west London with her family. Visit her 'Isabel Wolff Author' Page on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @IsabelWolff or visit her website, IsabelWolff.com. Thank you...

Reviews

[Adam.ant Bookeater]

Dnf at 10% Guess chick lit is not my genre, I found this book utterly boring

[Sharla Carter]

Isabel Wolf researches her heroine's field of interest like a ravenous bookworm. "Vintage Affair" taught us a lot about vintage fashion. This book gave me a sense -- albeit a false sense, hahaha -- that I could design gardens by the final chapter. Admittedly I found and anticipated her formula while reading the second (for me) book, but I like her strong heroine characters and will gladly pick up another one after taking a brief respite.

[Jen]

I really really appreciated the strength of the female characters in choosing life for their babies.

[Karen Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book to read for two reasons: 1) I had three days of train travel left for the year and wanted to be sure to finish whichever book I started (because I knew I wouldn’t do any reading over the holidays), and, 2) I wanted to read something light and fun. Before I go any further, I will admit that I’m not a big chic fic fan.

Having made that admission, I honestly did enjoy Forget Me Not. It was a bit predictable, but it did speak to the heart regarding relationships and the decisions we make in life. The story was well written and easy to read. The characters were complex and likeable. And, of course, there was the required “everyone lived happily ever after” ending, which was perfect for this time of year.

Chic fic doesn’t have the fast pace and loads of action to fall back on, so the story relies on characters that can be related to. I guessed the outcome for many of the characters early on, but I didn’t mind reading on because of the natural flow of the words. I do remember thinking how difficult such a book must be to write, because of the lack of fast paced action, yet the author did extremely well.

My complaint about this book was the in-depth descriptions about gardening, about how certain flowers can reflect a person’s personality and about seeing a “space” through a landscaper’s eye. I found that side of the book boring, to be honest. I skipped over some of the long paragraphs that went on a bit too long for my liking.

However, taking that small thing out of the equation, I enjoyed the experience and would recommend the book to anyone wanting a peaceful, easy read that makes you feel good when you put the book down. Sometimes we all need that feeling.

[Cláudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

2007 was the year I discovered Isabel Wolff and what a great discovery that was. I thought she was just another chick lit author but her books are much more than that. Her heroines are brave, strong, intelligent women who lead ordinary lives and laugh and suffer just like the rest of us, and the male caracters have flaws like everyone else.
Anna Temple has gone through some difficult times, her mother dies suddenly and then she finds herself pregnant of a man who decides not to stay with her. The book is the story of how she deals with all that, through tears and laughter.

More of Ms Wolff, please!

[.सोनिया. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book quickly became one of my favourites. I loved the idea of incorporating different types of flowers so it made for a really interesting read. This book ticked all the elements of romance and drama. It was perfect!

[Margi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good heart warming read with a very likeable protagonist which gave me hours of reading pleasure.

[Helin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow. I'm stunned for words and I'm not exaggerating. This book is just pure escapism. A very light and swift read with carefully constructed characters. What brings out this book the most is actually the characters. Their strong personalities make up the book. Anna was such a great protagonist with reason and maturity. She was a great mother towards Milly and even if most say that the book was predictable, what harm can that do? Isabel Wolff has now become one of my fave writers along with a few more. I will definitely try to read all her books and I'm planning to purchase her book called 'Trials of Tiffany Trott'.

[Nav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forget Me Not by Isabel Wolff is a heartfelt novel that explores themes of memory, love, family, and healing. The story follows Anna the main protagonist, a garden designer whose work with plants and flowers often serves as an escape from her own, less-than-ideal life. After a traumatic event from her childhood resurfaces, Anna begins to grapple with past relationships, family secrets, and unresolved grief. It a very casual read and just okish not so great not too bad either !
Lots of descriptions about flowers and gardens which I found myself skimming through.

Picked this from a charity shop in Spain 🇪🇸 a light read and an easy one!

[۶ৎ• · Rating 3 out of 5]

just okay. quick read. engaging story and the author has definitely done some research on the main topic of the book which is about gardening m. intriguing issues and such. got caught up in this story as i somehow relates to Anna as a single mother, but like the rest is everything in reverse. good read.. 💯

[Beverly Freese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't sure when I first started this book but after a couple of chapters found myself engrossed and had to finish it. It was nice that although it had a happy ending Anna didn't end up with who you thought she would which would have been the typical ending

[Lisa van Zyl-Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun quick read. Not bad, not great.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 2.5 than a 3.

[Marianne S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il se lit très vite ! Une lecture agréable pour se détendre

[Carol Manhire · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good light read but predictable

[Rosalee 'Leah' Thrum · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice easy read, with the main character a garden designer. (just up my alley).

[Chane Esterhuizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing little romance. It'll have you reading and reading. Also very informative on flowers. Love that.

[ornella · Rating 2 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé ce récit long, j'ai réellement apprécié ma lecture que sur les 100 dernières pages..

[Charlotte Wilgos · Rating 4 out of 5]

C’est l’histoire d’une femme élevant seule sa fille. C’est l’histoire de chagrins d’amour et d’amours naissants. C’est l’histoire de passions et de sentiments fanants. Mais surtout, c’est l’histoire de liens familiaux, de sagesse, de plantes et d’espoir !

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forget Me Not was one of my favourite reads by Isabel Wolff. I’ve enjoyed most of the books I’ve read by her but Forget Me Not was brilliant. I love when a book is written in first-person style it’s so easier to follow a story, I think.

Anna Temple’s mother has just died and that’s where the story starts: they’re clearing out her parents’ old house as her dad is moving closer to Anna. I loved all the flower references even if I’m no way flower-worldly.

The book not only explores bereavement but also family secrets, a single mother struggling to bring up her baby as well as starting her new business and also finding love again. I guessed, along with Anna that it was her sister who wasn’t her full-sister and was surprised when I found out it wasn’t and who it actually was.

I loved the Milly/Anna parts and thought Xan was irritating at first, flitting in and out at will but I liked that he did eventually come to realise how much he loved Milly even if he also irritated with how protective he became of Anna when he realised she had a new boyfriend.

I thought Jamie was more of a background character at the beginning before becoming more involved, I would have liked a bit more interaction between himself and Anna before they got together but I can’t complain.

I thought Patrick, Anna’s new boyfriend was dodgy and the incident near the end of the book definitely proved that. Also I was so curious as to who was the father of Jenny’s baby, Anna’s friend, and I didn’t see it coming. Luisa was also hilarious teaching Milly Spanish…the characters were just so diverse and so great.

It was a pageturner of high quality and I just love Isabel Wolff’s writing.

Rating: 5/5

[Putri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Mom gave this book to me months ago but at first I wasn't interested bcs lately I've been loving science fiction and fantasy novels. Just after I finished The 5th Wave, I decided to pick this up.
Well, it started just okay and it begins to build up with conflict and more conflicts. I read it and really enjoyed every chapters.

The story is about Anna Temple in her 30s, single, and about to challenge her career in the city. She met a charming man and things start to shaken up. The man she loves leaves her with his baby.

This book is not just about Anna. It's also about her family and it's secret. Her passion about her work, her new boyfriend, her bestfriend, her daughter, and her "unexpected" love of her life.

This book made me cry at least 3 times and I love how the ending is so unexpected. I was like "Awww niceee didn't see it comin"

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, I took the book cause it was cheap and the summary at the back didn't sound bad.

Somehow I got hooked right from the start.
The main character, Anna Temple, is going through some turbulences in her life. The book jumps from present to past and then back again. Somehow I would have prefered to have these changes in time more visible in the book, if just by paragraph but it flows together. That's something to get used to.

The story itself was cute. Although someone neither interested in children nor plants might get bored and lost as they couldn't relate. There was some nice twists and turns which might be predictable if you really analyze and not just enjoy the book as is.

All in all, I enjoyed myself and will probably pick up another book by this author.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabel Wolff's, Forget Me Not was written in 2007 and is the story of Anna Temple who gives up a successful career in the City to start her own garden design company after she re-evaluates her life following the shock of her mother's sudden death. At the very beginning of her new venture she meets and falls for a gorgeous guy, Xan, who is very dedicated to his own career. When Anna discovers she is pregnant Xan bolts through the stable door and life for Anna is forever changed, especially once her lovely daughter, Milly, arrives on the scene. All kinds of family secrets begin to come to the fore as Anna struggles to balance her new business, being a single parent and managing the grief of her mothers sudden death.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sparkling new novel from the bestselling author of ‘A Question of Love.’ Perfect for fans of Jane Green. After the sudden death of her mother, Anna Temple realises she needs to live for the moment and pursue her dream of becoming a garden designer. Swapping hedge funds for herbaceous borders, she says goodbye to City life for a fresh start in the country. But on the eve of her sparkling new future she meets the gorgeous Xan and their chance encounter changes her world in more ways than she could ever imagined – enter baby Milly. Juggling her new business with the joys and fears of motherhood alone is a struggle, and when Anna unearths a long-buried family secret, skeletons tumble from the closet. Suddenly nothing is as it seems, past or present...

[Paleomichi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un romanzo rosa secondo me deve essere leggero e frizzante. Se voglio pensare e farmi problemi leggo Hannah Arendt, non Isabel Wolff.
In molto dei suoi romanzi compaiono temi "delicati" come l'adozione, un rapporto difficile con i genitori eccetera. Ma qui esagera, c'è un pieno di drammi da far impallidire "La vita in diretta". La morte della madre, essere madre single, il tizio violento, la ragazza alla pari immigrata che nasconde qualcosa, l'amica superproblematica e i suoi drammi, i rapporti fra fratelli, il passato segreto dei genitori... no, non mi piace. Il finale, naturalmente melenso e alla "volemose bene" non riaggiusta il tutto.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheer reading pleasure a real feel good romance, just what I needed to chase away the winter blues, a nice easy read but not too light and fluffy or schmaltzy.

Following the sudden death of her Mum, thirtysomething Anna leaves a successful city career to become a garden designer, even so juggling work and a lively toddler the irrepressible Milly is never easy and finding true love even less so.

With a great cast of characters and a great balance of light and dark moments I thoroughly enjoyed this and will read more by this author.

[Clarabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

En quelques 400 pages, nous suivons les déboires d'une jeune maman célibataire qui tente de porter plusieurs casquettes, avec succès, en même temps qu'elle cherche à s'occuper de sa vie sentimentale et pense avoir dégoté un secret familial. Cela se lit vite, mais ça manque clairement de romantisme. Pas un instant je n'ai rêvé, souri ou tourné les pages avec avidité, j'étais en demande, en peine aussi, parce que rien ne collait à mes attentes, et j'ai terminé le roman sur une pointe d'amertume. Ce n'était pas franchement à la hauteur de mes espoirs !

[Karschtl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly nice chick-lit with protagonist Anna having very a nice job (Garden designer, and it's obviously quite easy in London to acquire wealthy clients who want to have their garden redesigned for thousands of pounds!) and a complicated love-life. Or none at all, for that matter. At least after her daughter Milly is born. But of course, men enter her life at a later point and bring some trouble. Plus, she discovers a family secret her parents have always kept from their children!
Very joyous read.

[Kathy Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed at : Mama Kucing Books : Forget Me Not by Isabel Wolff

Not a bad read. Not your typical Chit-lit also. However, there is room for improvement. Wish she had elaborate more on the part of her father and about Anna's brother, Mark. The explanation at the end was quite abrupt. There was not really anything much that build up to the grand finish.

[littleprettybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Isabel Wolff m’avait habitué à une chick-lit beaucoup plus originale et passionnante, et Accroche-toi Anna! s’est révélé être une déception. Une lecture monotone, à l’image de son héroïne, sans aucun sujet réellement approfondi. J’ai cru que je ne le terminerai jamais!

Ma chronique : http://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/20...