Forget Me Not

Wedding Planner's Daughter #4

by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

Willa returns in this new stand-alone novel in the WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER series.

Willa returns in this new adventure for the tween set! It is summer on Cape Cod, where Willa Havisham and Joey Kennelly are enjoying their status as most compatible couple. What does the summer hold? New friends, more books, lazy afternoons, and of course Willa will be busy planning more weddings with her mother, Stella Havisham, the Cape's most famous wedding planner to date!

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Childrens

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

I majored in English at The College of Saint Rose, in Albany, and after two internships in advertising and public relations, decided to enter the communications field, which is a place where writers can write and make a living too. I got married three months after graduation (my husband Tony and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary next August ), and we moved to Connecticut. I worked at a large advertising/pr firm during the day and got my master's in English at Trinity College nights. When we moved back to the Albany, New York area a few years later, I took a job as a publicist for Russell Sage College in Troy and soon became Director of Communications for the Sage Colleges. Our son, Christopher, was born in 1989. Two years later I took out a small-business loan, left my "safe job" and founded Books Worth Writing, to develop and publish The Remembering Book, an heirloom-quality tribute to a loved one's life (created after losing my best friend to cancer and wanting to be sure the story of her life was remembered and celebrated). This book-product is now in its 3rd printing, 10,000 copies sold. Around that same time, I began teaching as an adjunct instructor in the English Department at Russell Sage, doing freelance public relations assignments for business and nonprofit clients, and leading public-speaking workshops for women. Our son, Connor, was born in 1992 and then our third son, Dylan, in 1994.
After Dylan was born, I hopped off the career train for a few years to chase after three boys under the age of 5. I wrote a song for each of my sons and sang their special songs to them as bedtime lullabies. I kept a journal (I have on and off since college), wrote poems, and "roasts" for friends' birthdays, planted a perennial garden, a vegetable garden, read tons of books, started a book club, cleared a walking trail in the woods behind our house…and with my three young sons in tow, I returned to my "library days."
We devoured books together, morning, noon and night. We'd fill an L.L. Bean sack full of picture books every week, snuggle up on the couch, and read, read, read. I didn't know it at the time, but in addition to it being enormously FUN, this was fabulous research. As I was devoting my best creative energy to my children and sharing my love of books with them, I was soaking in lessons in characterization and plot and structure and language... feeding my writer's voice in happy hibernation.
I still didn't know that I would write children's books, yet everything in my life was leading me on that path. Ironically, I'd meet former business colleagues out and about and they'd say, "you're writing children's books, right?" I can't tell you how many people asked me that. It wasn't my goal or my intention.
Breaking into this business was the hardest and longest race I've ever run. I wrote stories for four years before I felt the work was ready. And then, once my writing was of publishable quality, it took two years of submitting before I got a contract. 179 rejections later. You've got to want it badly. You've got to read, read, read, and write, write, write and revise, revise, revise, and listen to people who are wiser than you, and learn from your rejections, and take comments from editors very seriously, and be willing to catch the fireflies of inspiration before they fly off forgotten, and, most of all, you've got to BELIEVE in yourself. Believe, believe, believe.
Emerson said "nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Write on.

Reviews

[Sarah BT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Willa, you always make me smile. No matter what her adventures or schemes, Willa is always up to something and it’s a trip you want to take with her. This was another read for the 48 Hour Book Challenge, and although it was a short light read, it was lots of fun!

With Forget Me Not as the fourth book in this series, Willa is growing up and author Colleen Murtagh Paratore takes us through Willa’s maturity with a graceful ease. Willa is still relatable to tween readers, but I think the series could appeal to teen readers as Willa herself grows older. Compare this cover to the previous three and you can see the push towards appealing older readers. Lucky for us long time fans, Willa does not lose any of her charm with this makeover.

There’s a lot packed into this short book, but I think that’s one of Ms. Paratore’s strengths-her characters are well developed and the story is well told that she can make a short story so filling to the reader. The only thing I didn't like was that this one felt a little like a placeholder in the series instead of moving the series ahead-and the ending totally left me hanging-so not fair!!!

I’m eager to see where Willa’s story takes her next and where the author is leading us. The ending will leave you wanting more and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next Willa book. I’ll always be happy for a trip to Cape Cod with my favorite wedding planner and book lover!

*Funny side note: Last summer as part of my library's summer reading program I organized book chats with authors via our library's conference phone. One of those authors was the delightful Colleen Murtagh Paratore-(if you ever get a chance to talk to her/go to a book signing I highly recommend it-she truly is a kindred spirit.) As we were chatting, she mentioned they recently did a photo shoot for the new Willa books and the new covers which would feature actual models posing as Willa and JFK. At the idea of a real live boy being JFK the girls mouth's dropped open and maybe even started to slightly drool. Sadly, JFK was in the background on the cover of this one, so hopefully we'll get to see him more close up-I know my girls would be thrilled!

[Margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was overall just a really nice story. It was the kind of book that makes you happy even if you're having a bad day. :)

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOW HOLD ON…… this is like the ending of infinity war because that cliffhanger… GOBSMACKED



Willa is like a real adult 😭 no she can’t grow up 😭 *tok tok voice* MY SHAYLAAAAAA

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really disliked this book. I thought that the more books I read from the Wedding Planner's Daughter series, the better it was becoming, but this book for me was a let down, slightly. I don't think I'll be continuing to read the series.

In the fourth instalment of Willa's life, Willa is going through a dramatic and awkward time in her life. Willa's best friend, Tina, seems to be leaving her for Ruby, Tina's old friend. Willa's new friend, Mariel, seems to be attached to Willa's boyfriend, making Willa jealous. Whereas, Willa's boyfriend, JFK, seems to be getting everything wrong or Willa seems to be getting everything wrong. As well as the friendship mishaps, Willa is still going through the torment of her mothers miscarriage and the upset over her recent friend leaving town. However, things start to look better for Willa as she is planning a wedding on her own as well as finding a stray dog which could be something of a comfort to her.

I feel like this book was kinda pointless in Willa's life and development as a character. It just seemed to highlight more issues of her town, Cape Cod, and seemed to just portray a trouble-ahead feeling for the characters Willa loves. Maybe this book is there to merely tempt readers to buy the next book and read it, however - I didn't feel like it was worth it and was in no way tempted to purchase the next book. It wasn't appealing enough to make me want to read on, let alone purchase another book that I may or may not enjoy.

Willa's character had been developing nicely in the previous book I had read on the series, and had made me warm to her through her new achievements and her hopes, however the previous books seemed too romance-based. Whereas, this book just seems to be based on nothing but the start of something, but as I have said - it just wasn't tempting enough. I understand that it's a light read that you can just kinda read and then let go of, but it seems to drag on and constantly repeat things. I found with this book there were a lot of repetitions of the previous books, a little bit more detailed compared to the previous books where they just touched on past events. I also felt like this book was a lot more sad and a lot more 'woe is me' when I was reading it. Things were going wrong and Willa's world was crumbling around her, but it seems like there wasn't enough drama. It just made it seem like Willa was having a silly little sulk over nothing.

A younger reader may enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me. I feel like the previous book was a lot stronger. And I believe that a die hard fan of the series may find this book interesting as I believe it's designed to be a part one of the next book, however it just wasn't tempting enough for me.

[Destiny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forget Me Not
By Coleen Murtagh Paratore
pp.178
ISBN: 978-0-545-09404-7

This book is about a girl named Willa that feels like she is losing everything that is close to her. For example her best friend Tina, is beginning to replace Willa with Willa's "rival" Ruby. But despite that Willa is a wrtiter and a reader and always gains confidence in herself when she goes to beach everyday to watch the sunrise and writes in her journal to try and capture its beauty. She gains confidence in herself when she hangs out with her "perfect" boyfriend and she gains confidence in herself when she helps out her community. Overall Willa is a great character and is a role model to many children.

In this book Willa develops into a very responsible woman and Coleen M. paratore did a great job showing this maturity in Willa. Willa is beginning to kick her jealous feeling and when she does this, it allows her to see things she couldn't see before. This book was a quick read and a great book. I recommend this book to anyone.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Willa Books. This one was no exception. I didn't think it was as strong as the previous three, but liked the way the author brought in only the pertinent details for new readers (without telling the plots and outcomes of each of the previous books) and how the story opened up possibilities for new characters in future sequels.

[Ramazah Razvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww. Such an interesting read. Loved it. Sweet and Simple. Sumptous and Classy. Can't wait to read more of the series :) ♥

[Isabelle | Nine Tale Vixen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow. That ending? So not cool. “TBC” following possibly the most cliched plot twist possible reads like the author ran up against a deadline and/or writer’s block and had to publish the book before it was ready. And the plot was really just a series of tropes; I could probably predict exactly how everything plays out in the next book. It sucks to be left out and drift apart from your BFs (best friend and boyfriend), but the way it was written just felt juvenile and melodramatic.

Look, I loved these books when I was younger, which surprised me because I wouldn’t have picked them out myself — I got the first one for Christmas from family friends (we love them, but they don’t always “get” our tastes) and found the next two in the elementary school library. I’m not sure what reminded me to see if there were more, but here we are. And I am so disappointed.

In a nutshell, despite Willa’s YA-typical age, these still read like middle grade novels. Her “voice” (aside: using quotation marks in your comments on something so mundane as a writer’s “voice” or use of “first person” feels incredibly pretentious, but Willa does it. so. much) reads exactly the same as her middle school days, which is far too young for a rising high school sophomore, particularly an alleged sophisticated thinker. She wears her heart on her sleeve (“I found that dog. He’s mine. Not getting to adopt him makes me sad”), tells rather than shows; the good/bad (rich/not-rich, environmentally conscious/oblivious) binary is off-putting in its borderline preachy obviousness.

Maybe I’ll give the first few books another try and/or skip to the last book? I don’t know yet.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt rushed.

Willa's planning her first wedding by herself, and the bride is described as a "bridezilla" but...she's honestly not. Everything is already planned out, Ruthie is a tad bit annoying, but the wedding goes smoothly. I thought it was going to be way more dramatic but it wasn't. I didn't like Tina and Ruby at all. They were beyond entitled and acting like Karens-in-training in this book.

I liked that we saw more of Mariel. I have a soft spot for her, especially when she told the residents that the beach actually belongs to the Natives, whose land these people stole. +1000 for Mariel.

Willa says she and Mariel are friends now, yet she secretly still harbors a bit of resentment towards her, which is so not cool. All because she thinks there is something going on between her friend and boyfriend. Sweetie, get real. Women hating on other women is so last century.

The ending felt especially rushed, but I'm intrigued.

[Elena DelMastro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Willa that feels like she is losing everything that is close to her. For example, her best friend Tina is hanging out with a new friend named Ruby and spending more time with her than Willa despite that Willa is a writer and a reader and always gains confidence in herself when she goes to the beach every day to watch the sunrise and writes in her journal to try and capture its beauty. She gains confidence in herself when she hangs out with her "perfect" boyfriend and she gains confidence in herself when she helps out her community. I would rate this book a 5 out of 10 and a 2 out of 5 some parts of the book were a little slow and it didn't grab my attention like I thought it would, but overall I really liked the characters and how they go about things. This book is apart of the Wedding Planner Daughter series.

[Carley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forget Me Not
By: Coleen Murtagh Paratore; Published in 2009
This book fits into the realistic fiction genre.I recommend this book to any young adult. It is heartwarming and a great read. It is a book about an only child, 14 year old girl named Willa. Summer is getting started and she has weddings to plan. Half way through the summer a dog is found on the beach, alone with no collar. The dog goes to the pound and her mother allows her to get the dog. As soon as she goes to adopt the dog, his owner picks him up. She wanted the dog to be hers. She becomes depressed and walks the beach alone, until the dog was there with his owner. The owner is her brother. The main characters are Willa and her immediate family and friends. They are all interesting and different people. Any unique young adult would love this book.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of COURSE this is the one in the series that I don’t have the next book for - such a cliffhanger!!! It wasn’t my favorite of the series, though. I don’t know if I just had it in my mind that this book would be different because the cover is different from the first 3 as well as the font? But it didn’t quite feel the same. Not as much whimsy or magic. And there were just a lot of politically forward plot lines which felt more contrived than in the other books. But I still love Willa & her cast of characters!

[Ida Bruun · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing read. It brings attention to many simple, yet relatable situations, problems, and feelings that many people, especially teenagers, go through.
I loved the support towards being eco-friendly. Paratore created reasonable arguments for the growing importance of being aware of our environment without stressing them to the point of being the main theme of the story.
Overall, a wonderful short read that still managed to spark curiosity and inspire.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book because I thought it was interesting. It is a book you would not really expect to have "plot twists" you could say. My favorite part was when Willa found the dog, Salty, and he was following her as she was riding her bike. I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a good book you can't put down. It is not too long, just like a book on "Willa's Skinny Punch Books". I would rate this a 5 out of 5 stars.

[Hclem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coleen Murtagh Paratore tells the story of teenage Willa Havisham and her mother, the most famous wedding planner in Cape Cod. Willa and her boyfriend, JFK, are the most popular couple at school. What will Willa’s summer bring her? New mysteries, heartbreak, more books, and planning her first wedding!

[Elizabeth Pecoraro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, easy read. It was a bit more childish than I expected (seen as though the main character is 15) but I generally liked it. I think I will read the books following this in the series, but not before. I just wasn't expecting a middle-grade book, but it was good and adorable. Not a life-changer or anything, but I like the main character; she has some traits to strive for.

[Hadley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book but I hate book series!! I didn't know it was series and then I was so mad when the ending was just TO BE CONTINUED. It drives me crazy and doesn't make me want to read the other books. I don't have enough time to go digging around and searching everywhere for a hard to find book!!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book back when I was about 12 years old and I absolutely loved it I just recently started thinking about it again and want to read it again so bad so I think I may just do that. It was definitely one of my favorite books as a kid and I read it time and time again hoping it will still give me that magic once again…

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is soooo ahead of its time. Coleen is really a visionary.

Also JFK and Willa are literally soulmates….they are also marinette and adrien as I’ve mentioned before…but also soulmates. However that being said Tina becoming a villain did not sit quite right with me. My girl Tina would never abandon Willa like that

[milana waller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I️ really didn’t enjoy this book. There went a direct conflict, and there wasn’t really a plot. It was really boring, though it had an interesting ending (the last page) but I️ was too relieved that I️ finished the book to appreciate the end

[Magic Shop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book done! Definitely liked this better than the previous book. The ending though, I remember when I read this book almost 9 years ago and I still remember the ending! Now I can finally find out what happens next.

[èowyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite book of all the time. read it in i think 5th grade and still anytime someone asks me my favorite book, this book is my answer. honestly might just be nostalgia but i don't think ill ever stop loving this book.

[Karol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Willa so much as she continues to grow as a person with responsibilities and reads books that are great to add to one’s TBR.
This book (#4) ends with a bit of a cliffhanger! It’s best to read the series in order.

[Lucy McDowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is amazing. When i first started reading it, it confused me a little bit. I did not know this had a sequel. I am now super exited to read the next book!

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh gosh, I read this book in 5th grade. I actually loved this book. It was a cute romance and I want to read it again.

[kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE CLIFF HANGER!!!!!!
I FORGOT ABOUT IT OMG!!!!!!

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, that is not gonna happen. This fake "I am her broher" sort of thing is going to need to stop. Like with JFK coming back ughh. Willa just better not cheat on him, that is my one rule.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many random plot lines… it says it can be standalone from the series but I felt like there was a lot of missing information for it to be a true stand alone. Not great but a quick easy read

[Sue Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good book
love the characters
looking forward to more books in the series

[Sera S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from school because I won a contest and I instantly loved it! Even with out reading the other books in the series you could understand what was going on.Over all I LOVED this book the main character Willa is just like me! My favorite part was the cliffhanger at the end.