Вспомни меня

by Stacy Stokes, Стейси Стоукс

История про власть воспоминаний над человеческой душой.
Идеально подходит для поклонников фильма «Вечное сияние чистого разума» и книг Нила Шустермана.

Со всего света люди приезжают в город Тамбл-Три. В нем живет отец Люси, обладающий особым даром: он освобождает от душевной боли, стирая трагические воспоминания. Девушке тоже не терпится избавить людей от их страданий. Отец обещал обучить ее семейному ремеслу, когда дочери исполнится шестнадцать. Наконец этот момент настал. Но все оказалось не так просто. Когда Люси пробует впервые стереть воспоминание отца, у нее ничего не выходит. Но девушка обнаруживает другое видение, из-за которого отец терзается чувством вины, — маму в день ее смерти.
На следующее утро Люси просыпается с ушибом, горстью земли в кармане и ничего не помнит о случившемся. У нее нет другого выбора, кроме как довериться Марко Ворману — племяннику мэра, который знает больше, чем следует.
Люси и Марко пытаются выяснить, почему в их собственных воспоминаниях так много пробелов и какую страшную тайну их города скрывают мэр и отец Люси. Но по мере того, как загадок становится все больше, одна вещь остается очевидной. Есть секреты, ради сохранения которых люди пойдут на все.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy, Thriller, Contemporary, Science Fiction, Mystery Thriller

Hardcover

First published March 22, 2022

Reviews

[Colleen Scidmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover for Remember Me Gone caught my attention but it was the synopsis that reeled me in. How could I not be interested in a book where the character can take away unwanted memories?! Haven’t we all wanted to forget something in our lives? I know I have!

16 year old Lucy Miller will do anything to get out of Tumble Tree Texas. A town so small and out the way that phone companies don’t even bother putting in towers making cell phones obsolete. But it still gets it’s share of visitors thanks to her father. Lucy’s dad has a gift of taking away sad, painful memories and folks come from all over the country to visit The Memory House and get help with their problems.

Lucy is learning the trade and plans on taking this show on the road once she graduates. But after her first lesson with her dad she’s having difficulties taking away his memories. But she is able to get inside his head and see something in his past thoughts that seemed to be guilt. It’s about her Mama on her last day before she died.

Lucy wakes up the next morning with some bruising and a pocketful of sand with no memory of how she got either. The day just keeps getting weirder as she runs into Marco, one of her classmates and he tells her things he shouldn’t know, about her, about her room that he’s never set foot in. As they keep talking both Lucy and Marco discover there’s missing pieces in both of their memories.
They team up to find out what the gaps are about and they find an even bigger mystery and it involves the whole town. But someone else is working against them to keep their secrets buried and they will do whatever it takes.

Story:

Remember Me Gone was a pretty interesting read. It’s a YA Speculative Thriller..well really more of a Speculative Mystery to me. It has lot’s of emotional parts especially when it comes to Lucy’s mom and also betrayal. I can’t go into detail or I will ruin the book but Lucy was up against a lot. I liked the out of the way small town feel. It definitely worked for the story line. And I’m partial to small town settings.

There is quite a bit of mystery and I have to say I really wasn’t sure what was going on for awhile. I don’t know if I liked the outcome behind the whole mystery. It was kind of flimsy but I could see it happening. It just needed a little reshaping I think.

I wasn’t thrilled with the ending though. It was a little to vague and open to me. But that might just be me. If you like your stories wrapped up in a neat package this will irk you too! 😂
But overall I was captured by the story, it was intriguing and held my interest the whole time.

Characters:

Lucy the main character misses her mom terribly and then to find out that everything may not be exactly as her dad said surrounding her death really hurt and confused her. I had a lot of sympathy for her pain. She was also a scrappy character. I like that in a main character. Weak wimpy girls are a pet peeve. I also loved that she wanted to branch out and get out of her little town and see the world. She had a map and everything all set up for when she was ready to get her explorations going. Yay for adventurous girls!

Marco was really not much of a character to me. I feel like there wasn’t enough about him to make him feel real. Yup that’s all I got..lol.

I have to say Manuela, even though a side character was one of my fav’s. She is a tough mean girl that actually has a heart of gold and turns out to be be a big part of figuring out what’s going on in town. She loves her family and is fiercely loyal to those she cares about.

I think this book will interest anyone who enjoys well written, plot driven YA mysteries mixed with magical realism elements.

Stacy Stokes is a new author to me but she will be on my radar after reading this wonderful, original book.

[Booktastically Amazing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy,
Mother of weasels.

[Ellie Blackwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This YA thriller with a speculative twist follows Lucy, whose dad can take away unwanted memories. People come from far and wide to Tumble Tree, Texas to have their burdens removed. But when Lucy notices gaps in her own memory, she must work with a boy she only vaguely remembers to find out what’s really going on in Tumble Tree …

This book is everything I want in a thriller: atmospheric, twisted, emotional, and impossible to put down! There were times when I could sort of guess what was coming next, but the biggest twists caught me completely off guard and left me shocked to my core.

Lucy’s emotional journey hit me right in the gut. I also liked Marco, but I have a particularly soft spot for Manuela, because I do adore a mean girl redemption arc!

I especially enjoyed the threads of moral grayness woven throughout the story. Is it ethical to take people’s memories even if they ask for it? Can bad memories still make us better people?

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an emotional read with a speculative twist, especially if you like small town settings.

Thanks to Penguin Teen for sending me a finished copy!

CWs: parent death, manipulation/gaslighting, amnesia, violence (inc. police violence), captivity, drugging, fatal car accident mention.

[Quill&Queer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladybug, one day we'll fly away from here. We'll leave this place to the dust and the lizards.

This is such a character driven novel and I connected with Luce, Marco and Manuela very quickly, and while the plot wasn't the strongest, there was a magic and mystery to the story of a girl grapping with her town's lost memories that kept me racing through the pages.

I liked that although there is a romance in this story, it wasn't center stage. In fact, half way into the book, Marco takes a step back, and Manuela helps Luce finally solve the mystery. I like Marco, but I love Manuela, she's smart, sarcastic and driven, making her the perfect person to finally discover the town's secrets.

The magic of Luce's family bring able to take memories is not fully explained, but I never felt that it was needed to be. This is such a descriptive novel of a dry, small Texas town that constantly felt on the brink of collapse, but the ending gave me hope for it's future.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not amazing, but enjoyable. I wish there had been more relationship development between the heroine and her love interest.

[Lisa Ramée · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked by this book from the first sentence and the concept is so compelling. The idea of there being someone who could take an unwanted memory away? What would you choose to forget if you could? This question haunted me constantly as I read. The idea is such a knockout! I like everything about memory and wondering about how our memories might conflict with someone else's so this hit all the right buttons for me, plus there is a romance so YES, please. The main character's desire to find meaning in the life she's living and the choice her mother made...it's tricky to talk about the book without giving too much away but I think anyone who enjoys a good mystery with fantasy elements and romance sprinkled in will love this.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Them: “What kind of YA fiction are you into, Laura?”

Me: “Abso-f*ing-lutely this kind.”

Why am I a sucker for amnesia stories? Why am I a sucker for light magical realism?

4.5, rounded up because I couldn’t put this one down. I was listening to it on audio in my car for my commute to and from work. But, basically, by the end I was like “if I don’t finish this tonight I might spontaneously combust.”

And that’s the best kind of YA. The YA that makes me grin while reading and causes me a heart attack and makes me forget (pun? maybe.) who I am and what I’m doing while I’m in the story.

[Whitney Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a solid 4 stars for me until the revelation of what was going on. It was a little weak to me and I didn’t enjoy it as much.

[Xavier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember Me Gone is a speculative YA contemporary that omits fully fleshing out the world and the power that our heroine wields to simplify the narrative.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is exactly as promised, a teen thriller with elements from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Set in the remote, desert town of Tumble Tree, Texas, Lucy and her father work at the Memory House, a place where people go to forget. Lucy's father has the ability to take away people's painful memories, and Lucy is about to begin her training to follow in the family footsteps...except she can't seem to take the memories. She can only see her father's guilty memories of her mother's disappearance. Then, later that night, she catches him sneaking out of the house with the mayor and she follows them to the mines, where she runs into Marco, the Mayor's nephew, and learns she may have a whole other life that's been taken from her.

I honestly had a hard time putting this down. As secrets unravel, this small, desert town turns into a corrupt cage, where Lucy realizes she's been held her entire life by secrets and lies. One of the hardest things to do as an author is keep track of what you, the author knows, what the characters know, and what the reader knows. Couple that with stolen memories, and it would be easy to mix things up, but Stacy wrote this with expert level authoring, never losing sight of the plot. If you are looking for a contemporary thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, this is it.

[Emily,Ms.AuthorGirlie-Jacks,Keefe,Thorne’s Version · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surprised me. I didn’t think it would be as good as it was. It was actually really good! The characters, plot, everything! Sure, the ending was cheesy, but the rest was 5 star worthy :)

[Starr ❇✌❇ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received ARC from Edelweiss
TW: mentioned fatal car accident, drugging
3.5

Lucy has witnessed the family business all her life- and she wants badly to start learning the trade herself. Seeing people line up to have their worst memories taken, and the unburdened way they leave, seems wonderful. But when Lucy finds herself witnessing something confusing and definitely dangerous, she realizes her father may do a lot more than just unburden paying customers. And he may have even done it to her.

I think this book takes a well known trope of memory deletion and gives it a nice YA spin as well as moving it out of it's own well worn groove a bit by playing up the mystery.
This book also has a good voice, which helps lead you into a story with otherwise little exposition. There's a small, Southern town feeling to the town from the start as well as to Lucy herself. Stokes does a great job creating the atmosphere for this book to live in.

I do also think the mystery aspect is done well. It's the kind of mystery I think younger teens in particular will love, and overall did compel me. I'm sure the mystery of the romance- and then the blossoming of it- will also hook plenty of readers. It's easy to get invested in an unreliable narrator, especially when you're discovering the truth together, and that's certainly the case here.

This is a fairly straight forward book that does well with what it is, though it doesn't really do anything new with the trope. Those newer to these types of stories, and romantics who enjoy a star crossed love, will like this book.

[Karis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so interesting and engaging for the first two-thirds. The writing is really fast-paced, so I easily flew through this book. The mystery really kept me questioning and needing answers, but when the reveal came it was . . . a letdown, to say the least. So Charlie, Lucy's dad, worked for the mayor, explicitly nonconsensually erasing the town's memories of them mining the memories, along with anyone investigating the mayor's scheme, all because he didn't want Lucy to remember that her mom left them? It just felt so weak. I was so adamant that the mom died horribly, that the dad or the mayor murdered her or something. But it turns out the mayor used the sad juice to make her depressed so she would leave thinking her family was better off without her. I don't know, the things Charlie did were really fucked up and I felt like Lucy and the rest of the town let him off too easily. Granted, the mayor was the true manipulator and Charlie was just his tool, but it still doesn't sit right with me.

Overall, the thrills were really thrilling but the who-dun-it reveal at the end was rather weak. Still, the questions and themes brought up about memories, about if they make a person, were interesting. I would still recommend this to someone if they want a thriller, but it won't have a place on my shelf.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this YA mystery with a dystopian/magical realism twist! It was fast paced and easy to fly through in just one day. I really liked the main character Lucy but I felt like the world and her family's power was not fleshed out enough. The author could have done some truly unique things with their memory deletion power, but instead the twist at the end felt a little predictable.

All in all, it was a fun read but not one that will stick with me. Thanks to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oops, I had this loan for ages and am only reading this now since it now had a hold and I probably won’t renew it.

I loved the narrator and all the different voices she did to really sound like different people. Sometimes when female narrators do male voices, it’s pretty evident they’re lowering their voice an octave or a few, but it was so done well here.

I feel like the pacing of this book was weird. The beginning was great, nothing important happened until halfway through, and then it became the mystery I signed up to read.

[Sofia Rojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded to 4

WTF. Honestly, it left me speechless. Two main plot twists were happening but one of them was extremely underwhelming. However, THE SECOND PLOT TWIST literally left me with a pounding headache.

[Abigail Singrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I want to tell her that what my dad does is beautiful. I want to tell her that people go home looking like they might just float straight up to the clouds, as if the burdens they brought with them were anvils that my dad snipped away, one by one."

Lucy's dad is in the business of making people forget. At the Memory House in the tiny town of Tumble Tree in the middle of the desert, he can pull out a person's most painful memories, bringing them peace. People travel from all over, seeking his services. Lucy is proud to help run the Memory House along with her mom's best friend Vivi, who took over after Lucy's mom died in a tragic accident. Lucy cannot wait for her dad to train her to help people forget, but every time she digs into someone's memories, it doesn't seem to work quite right. She sees things inside her dad's head that she doesn't understand, like intense guilt every time he thinks of her mom.

When Lucy follows her dad and the mayor to the mines in the middle of the night, she discovers that the mayor is having her dad wipe people's memories without their permission at gunpoint, and she begins to find gaps in her own memories. She feels emotions she cannot explain, like why she feels drawn to Vivi's son Marco, and she can describe places she has no memory of having been. Something sinister is going on in their town, and Lucy and Marco are determined to find out what. But how can you solve a mystery when you can't trust your own memory?

The author is at her best when she's describing Marco and Lucy's relationship, waxing lyrical and poetic. "Our love is not just a flash of gold or a whisper of silver. Our love is the tangerine burn of a desert sunset." She uses the desert setting to great effect, bringing in the sinister side of being isolated in a small town with people you can't trust. This book plays with the concept of memories and self: who are we without our memories? And how do we redeem ourselves after bad actions? The author brings this story of betrayal and deceit to a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

For years, Lucy Miller’s family has had the ability to cleanse people of painful memories. Her father runs the Memory House in a small town in Texas, and people travel from all over the country to have him clear the burdens of their pasts. However, after sneaking out one night and waking up with no memory of the evening before, Lucy knows that something is not right. Together with Marco, the mayor’s nephew, the two attempt to figure out what’s really going on in their town, and what secrets those around them are concealing.

I found this YA novel to be incredibly unique, with a bit of a dystopian-vibe. I really enjoyed following Lucy’s story as she attempted to solve the mystery behind her town, the memory taking, and the death of her mother. Lucy was a strong lead character, and I appreciated the relationships with both her father and her peers, Marco and Manuela. Overall, this was an outstanding, thought-provoking book that is perfect for both teens and adults.

[E.C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

REMEMBER ME GONE is a tale about a girl who can return memories, her father who can take them, and the truths that threaten to destroy her world ... set in the dry, vivid state of Texas.

I must say: if you love the blurb, you'll probably love this book. The writing style carries all the fast-paced, heart-racing impact of the blurb. And while I was daunted by its sheer length, the story itself was so intriguing that I actually didn't mind. In fact, I wanted more.

My favorite part about this book was the deep and thought-provoking questions it explored. How do memories define us? What are the consequences of choosing to bury bad memories, in pursuit of being a happier and more fulfilled person? What happens when memories are stolen?

While there were parts I didn't exactly prefer—the "new" romance between Lucy and Marco was stilted and came across as insta-love, the writing style seemed a bit fast, and some of the characters could've been better developed—in all, I'd say the good in this novel outweighed the bad. The only thing that made me hesitate to recommend this book on Quill of Hope is the unnecessary profanity. There was quite a bit of it, too, as well as underage drinking. However, I did enjoy this read because I felt the good/thought-provoking content outweighed the bad.

So overall, while I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to everyone, REMEMBER ME GONE is a beautiful and thought-provoking thriller with a gritty setting and interesting family dynamics.

[Megan W. (pnwbookworm)]

Remember Me Gone takes the memory deletion trope and gives it a fresh spin. The setting for this one, a small dusty southern town, was really brought to life through the writing and it set up the atmosphere nicely. The writing was easy to read and sink into. I loved the added mystery and the twists the book took. I also really enjoyed the morally grey aspects of the book that presented ethical questions about taking memories and how our bad memories still have an impact on us. The story had great characters and was a more emotional read than I was expecting.

[Kaya Lynch]

i’m crying at this paranormal mystery-thriller with southern charm and idk why? pls send more tissues and rtc

thank you penguin teen for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to @penguinteen for the eARC and @prha for the complementary audiobook.

I’ve been meaning to read this book for months and I finally did.
I’m so upset that it took me this long.
This book was so good, I couldn’t put it down!

A YA mystery with a touch of magical realism. I love YA thrillers but when there’s a hint of magic it somehow makes it that much more amazing!

At the Memory House, in Tumble Tree, Texas, Lucy’s father can literally erase folks’ heartache and tragic memories. Lucy can’t wait to learn the family trade and help alleviate others’ pain, and now, at sixteen, she finally can. But everything is not as it seems.

The concept of Remember Me Gone was like nothing I had ever read before. Lucy’s journey was an emotional ride, I could feel her grief so deeply.
The author did a fantastic job with the characters and the small town of Tumble Tree. I could literally picture myself there.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book!
The audiobook was fantastic, read by Catherine Taber. I will definitely be listening to other audiobooks read by her.

I highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good mystery.

[Brynn | readyourworriesaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

People travel from all over to Memory House in Tumble Tree, Texas, where Lucy Miller’s family has the ability to remove people’s painful memories. Lucy is excited to follow in her family’s footsteps, until she realizes that everything isn’t what it seems.

I loved the concept of this book — memory deletion + its consequences. Is there something you would choose to forget? The main character had a lot of growth throughout the book. She took risks to find answers, even though there were powerful people from her town involved in the sketchy behavior. I liked how she banded together with Marco and Manuela to stand up for what was right. Stacy Stokes’s writing is easy to get lost in, and the mystery left secrets to be uncovered all the way up until the end.

[Pastels Passions · Rating 4 out of 5]

paranormal southern mysteries are totally my jam. this one had me wondering what the truth was with its twists and turns right up until the end. was it a hard to get a hang of at first? yes, but once i was hooked, I had to know what was up.

I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own

[MaRee Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA book, listened to it cause my child is reading it at school and you never know these days what may be appropriate or not. Cute story and creative approach to themes of grief, loss, and a hint of mental health issues. A little romance but nothing physical. Overall decent and appropriate for younger readers.

[Jacks' Apple · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐

[Surupa Cuffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Kind of a mix of Inside Out, Holes, and a bit of Occlumency from Harry Potter. A wholesome mystery that takes a dive into understanding joy and sadness and your need for both.

[Kaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 13+
Over All: 4 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and storygram for providing me with a copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

This was a very strong debut. It’s a YA speculative mystery/thriller, and it was just enough creepy to keep you on the edge of your seat without keeping you up all night after you’ve finished it. (It may keep you up all night because you can’t put it down though).
I honestly don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this. The magic, the characters, the plot. I mean, small town secrets, corrupt leaders, those tropes are common—but they’re popular for a reason, and Stacy Stokes executed them flawlessly, using them to weave a unique story that truly kept me guessing from page one.
It’s twisty. It’s fun. It’s even got some romance and female friendships.
There’s not much I can say about this book, because I think it’s one you need to go into without knowing too much, but I definitely recommend, and I can’t wait to see what Stokes comes out with next.

[Lindsay Zrull · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully atmospheric novel brings readers to rural Texas in such a vivid way, you can almost feel the desert dust on your shoes. Stokes kept me guessing about this small town’s mystery up until the very end.

Remember Me Gone is a must-read for anyone who loves books about southern small towns with big secrets.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very engaging story about a girl whose family can take away memories, but where there seems to something sinister happening with the mayor… Entertaining and quick