Don't You Forget About Me

Starred review from July 22, 2019
McFarlane (Who’s That Girl?) strikes romantic comedy gold with this tale of reunited sweethearts who have to grapple with the past. During their last term of high school, popular Georgina Horspool and loner Lucas McCarthy fell in love. They planned to become each other’s first lover after the end-of-year party—but a traumatic event derailed that plan. Twelve years later, Georgina’s life is in a downward spiral. After being publicly fired from a dead-end waitressing job, catching her comedian boyfriend in bed with his assistant, and dealing with her critical family, she gets a job working for Lucas, who shows no signs of recognizing her. This is no standard lost-love-reunited tale; McFarlane builds it into a powerful exploration of grief and the way incomplete information can shape a narrative. As Georgina’s background is carefully revealed, readers will continually revise their ideas of who she is and gain a better understanding of her closest relationships, especially with her father and with Lucas. As a result, the ending, while not unexpected, is deeply satisfying on several levels, and Lucas’s final romantic speech is one for the ages. McFarlane strikes a beautiful balance of tenderness, wry humor, and deep emotion. Agent: Doug Kean, Gunn Media (U.K.).

September 1, 2019

After being sacked from her waitressing job at a terrible restaurant, Georgina Horspool heads to her boyfriend's place, where she catches him in the act of cheating. As if things couldn't get worse, she takes a gig as a bartender at a new pub only to discover it's owned by Lucas McCarthy, her first love from when she was a teenager--and he doesn't remember her. Meanwhile, Georgina is still grieving her dad's death, she feels like a disappointment to her mum for not having a more successful career, and she's constantly having to deal with conniving men. Amazingly, Georgina continues to view the world with warmth and humor, which is apparent through her smart, light-hearted, first-person narration. Her interactions with a lovely group of supportive friends add levity to this second-chance romance. VERDICT McFarlane (After Hello) uses Georgina's voice to explore how humor is used to mask pain as well as to help understand and get through it. Successful as both a romantic comedy and an insightful look into finding one's voice, this is a story readers will flock to for the laughs and remember for its realness.--Jenna Friebel, Oak Park P.L., IL

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
Georgina Horspool has seen better days. Never having graduated from high school, she is making ends meet in her thirties by working as a waitress until the day she gets fired?in front of a food critic. Afterwards, she runs to her boyfriend's house to tell him and ends up walking in on him in bed with his personal assistant. To add salt to the wound, she is constantly catching grief from her highly critical family at their weekly Sunday dinners. Fortunately, her brother-in-law sets her up with a bartender job at a new pub. The catch: it's co-owned by her first love, Lucas McCarthy. The second catch: he doesn't remember her. McFarlane (It's Not Me, It's You, 2015) delivers a novel with heart and humor, comprised of laugh-out-loud one liners, outrageous comedic scenes, and a Nana who deserves a medal for her non-filtered tongue. Meanwhile, she isn't afraid to explore the grief process as Georgina processes her father's death, and a mixture of emotions are evoked as Georgina goes on a journey of self-discovery, complete with her hot pink fur coat.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)