Don't Forget Me

Ridgewater High #2

by Judy Corry

Eliana Costa has never kissed a guy. Her best guy friend, Jess, is more than willing to help her out. He has plenty of experience, since he finds a new girlfriend every other week. But when a practice kiss brings on feelings Eliana hadn't bargained for, her already messy life is thrown into a new level of chaos. 

Life is already more than she can handle after her dad's disappearance. Eliana worries that if she admits her feelings to Jess, she just might lose her best friend. And right now, a best friend is all she needs. But when another girl tries to date Jess, Eliana is forced to decide if taking a chance on love is worth the risk.

Don't Forget Me is a standalone novel in The Ridgewater High series, a collection of simmering YA contemporary romances. If you like sweet romance with ballad-worthy chemistry, and endearing characters then you'll love Judy Corry's latest romance series.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Audiobook, High School, Clean Romance

Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2022

About the author

Judy Corry is the USA Today Bestselling Author of YA and Contemporary Romance. She writes romance because she can't get enough of the feeling of falling in love. She's known for writing heart-pounding kisses, endearing characters, and hard-won happily ever afters.

She lives in Southern Utah with the boy who took her to Prom, their four amazing kids, and two dogs. She's addicted to love stories, chai latte's and dark chocolate.

She is represented by Lane Heymont at The Tobias Agency.

Keep updated with Judy and her books here ➜ https://subscribepage.com/judycorry

Find her on Instagram and TikTok: @authorjudycorry

Reviews

[Elena Salvatore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eliana's life has turned upside down in a matter of days.
Her father whom she adored, fled the country leaving only a note behind. Now the FBI is on them demending answers and freezing their bank accounts.
Beeing broke, Eliana and her mother are forced to move in with her estranged uncle and take on low paying jobs to cover their bills.
Her mother who was a recovering alcoholic has fell of the wagon again and has become even more abusive than the last time.
And if all that wasn't enough, now she also has to deal with all those feelings for her best (male) friend.
What else can go wrong?

This is a cute story and I enjoyed it whilst reading it but I feel like something was missing. The ending was rushed and I felt like the theme of the book never strayed to much, too many times in it.


I didn't really like the main character. She came of to flat for me. She kept secrets from her best friend who did everything for her, she kept whinning that nobody wanted to date her and even tho she was never interested in Jess in the slightest,she suddenly was in love with him and that was the only thing she could think about.

Then we have Jess, the boy next door that was in love with Eliana for a long time but was to afraid to do anything about it.
I liked him alot but I have to agree with Eliana, he lied to her and then overreacted.

Ashlyn was a really sh*tty friend most of the time.
All she cared about was her boyfriend.

Which reminds me....
Eliana's mother was just terrible. She acted like one of those teenagers who say they love the boy they just started dating and then when he breaks up with them they want to die.
Just pull your sh*t together woman! You have a daughter that needs you to fight this together.



Basically all the female character's life orbited around their male counterparts and because Eliana didn't have one, she was miserable.

[*❆ Kαɾҽɳ ❆* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my! This had so much emotion and heartbreak!! RTC

[Zøe Haslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

· “Jess was the sun in my life and I wondered if I would ever make it out of the darkness now that he was gone.” ·

A few weeks ago I got this book for free from Amazon and… Well, being a sucker for the best-friends falling in love sort plot, I absolutely loved this!

Jess and Eliana have lived next door their entire lives. They grew up playing together and they came to develop a very unique sort of bond—they really, reaaaally get one another. But, being a womanizer, Jess is too bussy dating other girls (and breaking up with them) to do anything about his feelings for Eliana. Until Eliana asks him to kiss her, you know, just for practice, “to get it over and done with”. And then, everything changes.




To begin with, for Eliana, things at home are “rocky” to put it very mildly. And Jess is soon going away to college, which is not that far away, but it’s not exactly next door either… Not to mention that anything they do about their feelings could change their friendship for good…




But, some things are impossible to avoid… Like love! And when Eliana and Jess face their feelings, they get to know one their best-friend in a whole new level.

However, fate still has some obstacles in the way for these two… And it will be up to them to overcome their fears, predujice, self-esteem issues and pride in order to be with the one they love.




All in all, it was a deleightful story. I loved the characters and felt like Eliana went a long way from the beginning till the end. The plot is fast-paced, things are happening all the time and it’s really easy to follow. The ending felt a bit rushed (in terms of solving the family conflict), and as for the love story, there’s something I really didn’t agree with (but I won’t spoil it for you!) Finally, the book fell in a few clichés that were great to add conflict to it and keep it moving, but clichés nonetheless.

[Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

-‘This was the moment I would look back on as the one where I decided to change my life. I was stronger now than I had been a year ago. I refused to let other people’s choices affect my life so much. I would be the one to decide how my path went from now on. And I would be okay .’-

Lots of twists and turns, surprises galore. Great, clean YA romance. First time reading this author’s work and I’m looking forward to reading more. Highly recommended.

[Sara (A Gingerly Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adorable story in this series. Now I need to find the rest of the books

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

I had a feeling this one would be good . . . It totally was, and I really enjoyed it. To make this review easier to write, here’s a list of what I liked (as well as a few brief critiques):

Likes:

- Smooth writing. Judy Corry has such a great writing style that’s easy to read; her talent really shown throughout the book. I didn’t mind that it was written from only Eliana’s POV. In fact, I actually prefer one POV, because then there’s more tension since you don’t know exactly what the other person is thinking/feeling.

- Eliana Costa. What a great protagonist! And she had a personality, too, which is, sadly, very rare in books. But Eliana was so likeable and sweet, while also being incredibly strong and intelligent. I don’t think I ever got annoying vibes from her, so that’s a huge plus. Also, I thought her Italian heritage was pretty neat.

- Jess Brooks. What can I say about him? Man, he was great. So compassionate and caring toward Eliana. I really liked him. Not to mention those dreamy green eyes . . .

- Jess and Eliana’s relationship. Yes! I loved those two together. They had such a good relationship. The advantage of the best-friends-to-lovers romance is that the two characters already know each other really well, so their eventual relationship is based off of solid friendship and (hopefully) mutual trust. Jess and Eliana definitely had that. I was always cheering them on and loving their interactions. (That cooking scene at the cabin, though . . .)

- Heavy themes. I think Ms. Corry did really well with Eliana’s background history and current situation. Overall, they seemed pretty realistic, and I was happy to read about a main character who was going through a really rough time (mainly because it’s like that for a lot of people, especially in this day and age). I had tears in my eyes at several points while reading because it touched me so much. I felt like I really connected to the story and Eliana.

Critiques:

(Not much here at all, thank goodness!)

- I didn’t really like how the whole situation with Eliana’s dad ended. I thought that her and her mom forgave him a little too easily, especially after all they went through when he disappeared. I understand that forgiveness is really important, but trust is really valuable, too.

- I kinda wish Jess and Eliana would’ve cleared up that misunderstanding with Kelsie and Jess at the ball. It was barely talked about after their fight, and I wish we could’ve seen more of the story from Jess’s point of view.

- Ashlyn’s character. I’m not against Ashlyn in general, but I don’t think she was the greatest friend to Eliana. She was too caught up in her boyfriend and wasn’t really there for Eliana.

Overall thoughts:

I really liked Don’t Forget Me. Thanks for a great book, Judy Corry!

[Fridey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a roller coaster.

If I would rate it only based on my liking then it will have to be one star... or two. 😂 I have no idea, I won't be reading this one again for sure. If I had the actual book I'll hide or stash it somewhere.

I'm wondering if Judy Corry just wanted to mess with her readers like Emily Bronte did with Wuthering Heights, by creating so much drama and emotions. Not that the two novels have anything in common. Except for one thing, now when I think of it.

Both novels had too many characters acting like jerks or making dumb choices all at the same time. This is where I thought Judy Corry went wrong. I felt I needed a break from it all but at the same time needed to know the ending, why I kept listening. But it just escalated the further I listened until only 40 min of the audiobook was left.

But Judy Corry is a very good writer and this is not badly written. It's for those who enjoy a heartbreaking, emotional tear-jerker. And that ain't me. 😂

(I don't know about you, but I wanted to bury Wuthering Heights after I read it because I thought it needed a prayer. 😄)

Anyhow, I wish I had skipped this one. Now I need hot chocolate!!! Badly. 😂

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!!!

This book had more twists than I thought when going into it. I actually loved the unexpected turns it took, and even though certain aspects of it didn't turn out as happily-ever-after as I thought, I actually loved it more because of that fact. Such a cute YA book. I can't wait to read the prequel!!!!!!

[ضحى الحداد · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really boring and the pacing was really annoying for me .. I liked Jess and Elianna from the first book but this turned out to be a soap opera I had no interest in, the only part I liked was the ' pick up lines game ' I wish if there was more moments like that, the ending was nice I guess but I was really bored through out the book

[Hallie (Hallie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Tayo · Rating 1 out of 5]

So if the rating didn't give it away, let me clear up any confusion and unequivocally state, that I hated this. So much.

Not a single thing in this book worked for me. And I'm going to loosely break in down with full spoilers, and not very coherently.

The Writing
I've read other books by Corry before and liked them so I was really surprised by how disengaged I felt by the writing. Upon further thought I think I can explain why. This story never felt grounded.
The first 15% or so swept through massive life changes for Eliana. We're introduced to her parents, and immediately her Dad runs away to escape embezzlement charges, we find out her mum used to be an alcoholic. She moves in with an uncle she barely knows. Her mum gets a job as a waitress. All of this happens in that first little bit of the book. And it's told that way, in sweeping statements, very bare bones, no depth.

At first I assumed that this was necessary to set up the narrative of the book. I thought that once these story blocks were set up, the plot would settle into Eliana - and it never happened. The whole book was told in jump forwards and sweeps and brief brushes of story.

This is a problem.

Why am I reading a book that's told as though it was a really rushed retelling by a friend of a friend who sort of knew what happened. Because it never felt like the story got into any sort of rhythm I ended up mainly skim reading this. And I could! Because there was no meat in the storytelling, so I could read every other line and get the exact same experience. Not good. And this obviously affected my perception of the....


Characters
I went from feeling pretty apathetic towards these characters up to about the 60% to pure hatred (maybe that's a little strong) by the close of the book.

As I've complained about, this book covers about a year and a half of Eliana's life and it felt like that. Everything was rushed. So there was no connection. I felt objectively bad about the things that were happening to her but nothing deeper than that because her character was NEVER developed. At all. She finishes the book the same way she started (albeit with a boyfriend). Don't let this book fool you into thinking that just because Eliana went through things, she grew - because she didn't.

She starts off the book with absolutely no agency, no sense of self, no backbone and she ends it the same way, with sporadic (but unsustained) bursts of confidence and self worth. Not a book I want to read.

The other characters are either complete caricatures or....no, yep, all the characters in this were 2D. And not even likable 2D.

Let's talk about...
The Ship
Not shippy at all! Jess (and I keep having to look back at the blurb to remember these characters' names) has apparently liked Eliana (his best friend) for ages but hasn't done anything about it. What he does do is date absolutely everyone else, and not for very long, even dating a girl that terrorises Eliana.

Eliana had no feelings towards Jess until they kiss (so that she can experience her first kiss) and then suddenly she likes him, but doesn't do anything about it except literally push him into the arms of another girl, then feels devastated that that ploy works. I hope you're sensing my strong strong disdain about all of this.

Anyway, Jess starts dating this other girl, goes off to college and nothing happens for months and months.

So again, I ask the question, why am I reading this book. It isn't about anything.

It's not about Eliana and her family because not enough focus is placed there beyond the extremes of plot devices. It's also not about Jess and Eliana because they spend more than half the book literally apart which no progression towards a relationship, except for some weird emotional cheating on occasion that everyone was okay with.

This has to be THE most unfocused book I have every read. Truly.

So then about just over halfway, Jess comes back into the picture (yes they had been texting but that does not count), and gets together with Eliana. Happy days? End of story? NOPE.

We then got through this interesting phase of Eliana's mum (who has since reverted to alcoholism) trying to psychologically break down her daughter and seed doubt about this new relationship and Jess's ex bullying Eliana. Incidentally, Eliana doesn't tell Jess about these attacks, or that her mother is an abusive alcoholic which begs the question of how great this "friendship" is let alone relationship. I hated this so much.

So then through persistent sabotage Jess and Eliana break up when she catches him in a lie about kissing his ex, which he takes zero accountability for, and they go their separate ways - even as friends!

You would think this was near the end of the book but NOPE. We still have about 20% to go. And that's when my apathy truly turned to rage.

The last bit of the book is textbook plot convenience for the sake of it. Jess refuses to hear Eliana's apology (about being upset he kissed someone else and lied to her about it) and cuts off all contact. He goes further in playing an excellent part of jerk when he does happen to see her. Eliana goes back and forth between feeling like she needs to make it right with him and "win" him back and finding very very brief moment of self worth and respect.

Finally they sort things out, not with a conversation about trust and forgiveness but with a kiss.

Wonderful.

Then Eliana's Dad (who embezzled money and left his family, including an alcoholic wife and dependedent daughter for over a year) comes back into the wide open arms of Eliana and her mum, with nothing but two sentences max about the hurt he caused.

And that was it.

This was not a fun fluffy read, it was completely bleak and miserable with no moments of levity. It was overwrought and dramatic for no reason. All the characters lack depth, and the writing style read like a cliff notes summary.

So no, didn't like this one, hated it, makes me question if I would risk reading more by Corry - it's that serious.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, my heart!

This series has rooted itself in a place in my heart and although I read the books out of order, they were each so good with a depth that always surprised me. In this story, Eliana and Jess are best friends who deal with a lot of blows to their long relationship, causing it to capsize in the storm of life. Eliana, especially, has a lot to deal with, as her personal life has blown up, changing everything she's known, yet she still remains the sweet, loyal, and kind person she's always been.

Honestly, Jess was pretty much a jerk for most of the book, allowing misunderstandings and pride to cloud his view. I was so worked up over him and it forced me to realize just how good of an author Ms. Corry is to evoke those strong emotions in me.

The relationships are complicated and tightly woven together in a tangled up ball of yarn, making it difficult, but not impossible, to unravel and I enjoyed the process. I love how these young adult stories have substance to them, yet aren't whiny and too angsty.

Content: mild romance; alcohol abuse, very mild physical abuse and neglect

[Charissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super sweet YA romance. Eliana is the MC, and she is best friends with Ashlyn and her older brother, Jess, who she secretly crushes on. Jess doesn’t have a good record with dating. He never stays with a girl for long, which is okay with Eliana since she doesn’t want him to give his heart to another and lose her best friend in the process. When her life turns upside down overnight and she loses her dad literally, and mom emotionally, Eliana is on her own. Except for her two best friends. Jess keeps her head above water as the craziness of her life tries to drown her. I really loved Eliana and Jess. They were characters I connected with and wanted to see get together eventually. The book tugged my heart all over the place as I cheered, then hissed and booed at times because the plot didn’t go where I wanted it to. This author did an excellent job of holding my attention. My only hang up was that when the crisis moments hits, I felt the two characters were super immature about everything and held grudges longer than felt normal or true to me. I felt they acted like babies. But they were only 18-19 years old, and young adults don’t have mature brains yet.

Overall this really made my reader heart happy overall. I kept thinking about it when I’d sleep at night, wondering what would happen next between them. How they would overcome a certain obstacle, etc. That’s great writing. Though the plot didn’t go the exact way I wanted, I still have to rate it high for holding me captive all the way through and making me love the characters enough to care about what happens to them.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many emotions over this book. Eliana'a story is one that I will remember forever since I can relate to it in so many ways. This is not a typical light teen romance between best friends, but one that digs deeper and builds up in so many layers. The love story is beautiful on its own, but it is made even sweeter after everything Eliana and Jess (boy) had to go through to get there. ❤️❤️❤️

[Teya Teya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a deep book. It addressed pain and dealing with hard things. I got a bit frustrated with the whole childish peddy crap, but I guess it's what made the book conflicts move. I did enjoy it. It was a sweet and swoon worthy ending.

[Cindy Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Sweet YA Romance

This was such a cute read. My favorite part was the end! I don’t want to spoil anything, but I totally swooned big time. I love all of Judy’s books and this one doesn’t disappoint either!

[Rose | Adventurous Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this one had some turns that I wasn't expecting (yes, I mean that in a good way). Also, the ending was perfect.

Tropes: best friends to more

Content: parent on the run from law, alcoholism, parent hitting child, kissing

4 Stars

[Lenni Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5

Awww! That ending was so cute and unexpected! It’s a good ending and I’m happy with it. The rest of the book was kind of depressing, though. I actually cried sometimes! This book is very dramatic and Eliana has some not great things happen to her. If you’re not one for lots of drama, it’s better that you skip this book.

One thing that bothered me was how bad of a friend Ashlyn seemed to me. Jess was waaay better at being there for Eliana. I was very disappointed with Ashlyn in this book.

That’s all I’ve really got to say. This book was very long and the main character really didn’t have a great last half of high school. I did think the romance was cute, and I loved the last 100 pages.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!! I read it in one day!!

Eliana has been best friends with Ashlyn and her older brother Jess for years, and has a mom and dad that love her. Life is great until her dad leaves with no warning and the FBI show up looking for him. Jess is always there for Eliana when her mom starts to shut down and becomes withdrawn, even when Eliana and her mom moves out of the school boundaries Jess offers to take her to school so she doesn't have to switch schools. At a bonfire with people at school Eliana states that she has never been kissed and is mocked. Eliana, Jess, Ashlyn and Ashlyns boyfriend Luke leave the bonfire. Instead of leaving leaving Eliana and Jess take a walk to the lake. Eliana wishes she could just get it over with and suggests Jess be her first kiss because he has so many girlfriends he must be an expert at it. He agrees and once he does everything changes, but not in a good way.

I loved the book and can't wait for her next book to come out!

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't Forget Me starts off looking like a typical teen romance, but quickly begins to develop layers and levels that distinguish it from the rest.

Eliana Costa's life seems ideal until her dad doesn't show up and the FBI come asking questions. Her best friends Jess and Ashlyn are there for her as vicious rumors circulate through the school, her standard of living takes a nose dive, and her mother descends into an old addiction that leaves Eliana feeling she has lost both her parents.

Jess has been known to have continuous short-lifespan relationships. What is he looking for that he can't find among all those girls at school? Has it been right in front of him all along?

Judy Corry gives a story with depth and dimension as well as all the feels.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Judy Corry book but I intend to read more of her work. I'm a huge YA fan and this was a great book. I loved the swooniness of it without the teenage language and sex that many YA books feel they have to add. I really enjoyed these characters that had depth despite their age. Lots of difficult topics in this book but each handled in great way.

[InLoveWithLit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book! This was a sweet read about coming into young adulthood and recognizing that friendships can turn into love. The love story occurs over a couple of years, which feels very true to life. Highly recommended!

[Anjie · Rating 5 out of 5]

how super freaking cute

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was ok

[Beyond the Pages with Eva K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Summary: A hand clap and an ugly cry YA/NA romance

My Review: Don't Forget Me by Judy Corry is book #2 in the Ridgewater High series.

About the Book: Eliana and Jess were the best of friends. From early on, they shared a special bond. Once they crossed the friendship line with a first kiss, stolen in a secret moment, their relationship was never the same. It was a kiss that opened both of their eyes to the possibility of having more. Unfortunately, family drama, jealous manipulations, distance, parental expectations, and more all played a part in tearing them apart. Would they ever find their way back to each other after everything that was lost?

My Final Say: If I were ever fortunate enough to meet the author of this book, I would definitely shake her hand. This book! This story is exactly why I love reading YA/NA stories. It had everything that makes a story good and memorable and meaningful. It was clean. It was sweet. It was emotional. It was heavy. It was brilliant. It was simply beautiful.

Other: This one goes in the vault. Lovers of YA/NA novels and series will adore this book. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA/NA
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Series: Yes
Status: Clean
Level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#libraryread

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't Forget Me is one of those rare general market YA romances that doesn't include any sex or foul language, which was a pleasant surprise. Eliana and Jess have loads of chemistry, and, overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I mean, I read it all in one sitting, so that says something, right?

A few things did bother me about the book, though. 1). Jess was a jerk when it came to dealing with his feelings for Eliana. He stayed in a dysfunctional relationship far too long, and then he acted more like a 7th grader than a college freshman when Elaina hurt him. 2). There are sooooooo many twists in this novel that it really felt like it should've been twice the length or split into two books.

Those gripes aside, I did enjoy the novel. It's deeper than many YA romances, yet it never becomes dark or depressing. Corry is a good writer, and I'll definitely be looking for more of her books. She (along with others like Kasie West, Shari Tapscott, and a bunch of Christian YA writers) proves that YA romance can sizzle without the sex and profanity, and I so appreciate that.

[Mariela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Jess and eliana are best friends since they were kids. Jess dates everyone and eliana wishes that she could tell him how she feels but she doesn’t want to be just another girl. But little does she know that he had feelings for her! When they finally make their feelings know she finds out his mother doesn’t like her much. And her mother making a scene at dinner doesn’t help. He’s got an ex that still wants him and the drama doesn’t stop. Can they put everyone else to the side and just focus on themselves? Or will they let others tear them apart? Loved!!!!!! I even cried at one point

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this as much as Meet Me There - I think the dual POV works well for these sweet romances, and I hope it comes back in the other books in the series. I did not find either main character terribly likeable. I felt sorry for Eliana's circumstances but couldn't empathize with her; and we didn't know much about Jess to feel much of anything for him. I thought the romantic ending was a little over the top, as well.

[Lyla Mobley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book literally broke me. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A JERK JESS! Anyway, I did love the end! Ashlyn was so hilarious! So as Luke who did whatever Ashlyn wanted him to do. I still don’t like Jess. I also can’t believe Eliana forgave him. I just don’t think I would do that. Age rating: 12+ probably :). So far I’m loving the ridge water series!

[laura cabezas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars :))