Forget Me Not (From the Life of Willa Havisham) by Colleen Murtagh Paratore

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Release Date: 5/1/09

Genre: Contemporary

Also Reviewed for TeensReadToo.com!

About the Book: It’s another summer on Cape Cod and Willa’s summer is full of adventures. Her Aunt Ruthie is coming to the inn and Willa gets to plan the entire wedding. Ruthie can be a little headstrong though, and her all green wedding turns into quite an affair for Willa the wedding planner.

Willa also feels like she might be drifting apart from her best friend Tina and JFK is heading off to spend the summer at a sports internship. There’s also a mysterious dog who shows up on the beach and Willa is trying to convince her mom she’s ready for a pet. One things for sure, Willa’s summer is going to be full of surprises!

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: 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!