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Say You’ll Remember Me is heartbreaking, beautiful and just hits you in the right places.
Say You’ll Remember Me follows Drix a convicted teen who is now part of the Second Chance Program. When Drix was convicted of a crime that he didn’t commit he thought his life was over. But with this second chance, he wants to take. He wants to do something right with this life. Then he meets Elle and something about her changes Drix. But he also changed Elle. Elle’s a governor’s daughter and has had her life handed to her, but when she wants to do something more.
Say You’ll Remember Me had a really interesting concept. A lot of Katie McGarry’s novels deal with teens that are on the outside, that are pushed away by society. Drix has been convicted a crime that he didn’t commit, but no one knows that. It was really hard throughout the novel to see the hardship that Drix had to go through. He wants to do so well, but society is pushing him away. They want him to fail.
I really enjoyed Drix as a protagonist in Say You’ll Remember Me. His not the usual protagonist that you see in young adult novels and I think that’s why I really enjoyed him. Throughout the novel, the reader is able to see that Drix will do anything for his family, for those that he loves. He will even tear himself apart so that his family can get what he wants. I loved Drix’s honesty throughout the book as well. Not so much with his family, but with himself.
I thought I wasn’t going to like Elle. I thought she was going to be a spoilt rich kid – but she wasn’t. Getting to know Elle’s story was fascinating. I loved that she was into coding and wanting to follow her own path. But she had this pressure not only from her family but the public around her. She was a ‘star’ and ‘beauty’ in their eyes. It was hard to see Elle try and be another person, while also trying to do the things that she loves. A lot of teens have pressure to look a certain way because of society and Elle is full of that. She wants to make everyone happy, just like Drix.
I really enjoyed the romance between Drix and Elle. While it was slow, from the start the reader is able to see that they enjoy each other company and like each other. But, there is so much standing in their way. It was really hard seeing Drix and Elle push each other away for various reasons. You could see that they cared for one another, but understood that sometimes life gets in the way.
Family is a massive theme in Say You’ll Remember Me. Both of Drix and Elle don’t have the best family life and it really shows throughout the book. Drix’s relationship with his parents is barely there, they do more bad than good. Now the only family he has is with his brother and sister. I really enjoyed seeing them bond and rebuild their relationship with one another. Elle’s relationship with her parents is very stressed. They expect so much from her, without asking Elle want she wants.
Overall, Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry is intense and takes you on a journey. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting. It explores family, social standards and second chances. With classic Katie McGarry romance Say You’ll Remember Me is an exploration of teen love and it’s ups and downs. - Angelique (QBD)
Guest, 18/02/2018
