Portobello Book Blog

I have loved all of Mhairi McFarlane’s previous novels so when I had the chance to read this new one, it wooshed straight to the top of my reading list. And it most certainly didn’t disappoint! The author has a chatty, easy to read style and creates lead characters you take to just as soon as you start reading.

We meet Georgina first at sixth form college, twelve years ago. She’s not one of the most popular girls in the school but well enough liked. Her English teacher sees her potential and encourages her by matching her with quiet student Lucas. As they study Wuthering Heights together, friendship and more grows between them. Twelve years on and Georgina has just been fired from a dire restaurant. With her brother-in-law’s assistance she gets another job at a pub and is taken aback to realise that Lucas is her boss and rather surprisingly, doesn’t seem to remember her at all.

By now being totally invested in Georgina’s character, I wondered what had happened to all the promise Georgina had shown at school? Not that there’s anything wrong with waitressing or working in a pub of course. But Georgina was very clever at school – voted most likely to go far and get a first – yet she dropped out of uni in first term. And what had happened to that budding romance with Lucas? Having recently lost my own dad, I found the portrayal of how Georgina’s dad’s death had affected her very moving and could really relate to her emotions and thoughts. Throughout the book, you are very aware that something has happened back in school which has had a huge impact Georgina’s life from that point on and affected her attitude to work and relationships.

For much of the book, Lucas is a rather taciturn though broodingly handsome character in the background. As Georgina discovers though, there are many reasons for his closed off facade. I wonder if any reader will not be completely in love with Lucas after THAT epic speech? You’ll know which one I mean when you get to it. It’s the most romantic scene I’ve read in a novel for ages. It’s well worthy of any romcom film, where it would be the scene making you well up with happy tears. In fact, I think I may start a campaign for this book to be made into a film. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to spend some quality time thinking about who to cast…

I absolutely loved this book which as well as being funny and wise, also has some serious messages about dealing with difficult relationships, growing in self-confidence and having the courage to stand-up for what you believe in. Could this be Mhairi McFarlane’s best book yet? Well, I’m not sure I could pick one book as they are all just brilliant and I urge you to find that out for yourself if you haven’t already.

My thanks to the publishers Harper Collins for my review copy of this book via NetGalley. It is available as an ebook now with the paperback to follow early March. You can order a Kindle copy online here: Don’t You Forget About Me

From the back of the book

You always remember your first love. Don’t you…?

It began with four words.

‘I love your laugh. x’

But that was twelve years ago. It really began the day Georgina was fired from The Worst Restaurant in Sheffield (© Tripadvisor) and found The Worst Boyfriend in the World (© Georgina’s best friends) in bed with someone else.

So when her new boss, Lucas McCarthy, turns out to be the boy who wrote those words to her all that time ago, it feels like the start of something.

The only problem? He doesn’t seem to remember Georgina – at all…

About the author

(Author photo and bio from Amazon)

Sunday Times bestselling author Mhairi McFarlane was born in Scotland in 1976 and her unnecessarily confusing name is pronounced Vah-Ree.

After some efforts at journalism, she started writing novels and her first book, You Had Me At Hello, was an instant success. She’s now written five books and she lives in Nottingham with a man and a cat.