Tar Heel Bibliobabe: Review: Remembrance by Michelle Madow

Remembrance by: Michelle Madow

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

A review copy was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is a series that I had been so excited to read, and I am so glad that the author gave me a chance to review this book, so thanks Michelle! I love books dealing with reincarnation and soul mates, and I thought this was an amazing tribute to a sometimes hard-to-pull-off subject.

Lizzie is a regular girl in high school, dealing with normal issues such as best friends, love and difficult classes. When Drew Carmichael walks into her class, her whole life is shaken immediately. She is drawn to him, but she is faced with a couple obstacles in her way. She has a boyfriend, Jeremy, but their relationship has changed drastically, and her best friend Chelsea has a humongous crush on Drew. Drew and Lizzie can’t seem to stay away from each other, but this seems to be a problem since Drew and Chelsea are dating. Drew and Lizzie have been reincarnated, but can what happened in the past impact their present lives and loves?

Lizzie is a very ordinary high school girl with very ordinary problems. How well she masters French is pretty much the highest priority in her life until she meets Drew. I really liked Lizzie as a heroine. She’s smart, and I loved how she is always wanting to be more in life. She doesn’t want to settle for mundane feelings; she wants to be extraordinary. She’s very sweet to everyone and never wants to hurt anyone.

Drew was a gorgeous, gorgeous boy with a heart of gold. Well for the most part. At first, this boy is the epitome of hot and cold. He will talk to Lizzie and then completely ignore her the next day. Oh how I wished to get into his mind and see what he was thinking. I couldn’t see his logic behind some of his decisions. Despite this, I loved him with all my heart.

Chelsea took some getting used to, and even then I never fully warmed up to her. I thought that although she was a good friend, she was shallow. Her only basis for starting to like Drew was the fact that he was hot. Other than that, I felt no real emotional connection from her. Likewise, I really didn’t think much of Jeremy either. He wasn’t aware that Lizzie and his relationship had no emotional attachment. I liken that to someone not being aware the Titanic was sinking. Kinda obvious.

Sometimes I feel that focus of reincarnation in a novel can be done extremely well or it can go terribly wrong. This is one of the times it was executed perfectly. Clearly they felt a connection when they first met, but I felt that it was not annoyingly insta-lovey. I was very very happy about that fact. I only wish that there was a smidgen more action. The romance was supa supa cute when it finally happened. They had some very sweet moments together, especially when they were on the water with each other. I loved seeing flashbacks of their previous life as well.

This book was a fabulous portrayal of long loves and reincarnation, and I enjoyed every second of it. I am really looking forward getting into Chelsea’s mind in the novella between Remembrance and Timeless, the final book.

Favorite Swoon-worthy Quote: The kiss was soft and tender, and I allowed the undeniable pull between us to take over, savoring the electricity that passed between us. I wrapped my arms around him and he pulled me closer, pressing his body against mine as the kiss became more urgent. Being with Drew was the only thing that felt right since the beginning of the school year, and I knew that it was too late to turn back.