Hayley ☾ (TheVillainousReader)'s Reviews > Don't You Forget About Me

I'm eighteen years old again, and Lucas McCarthy is staring across a room, eyes penetrating, expression unreadable.

Am I writing this while blasting In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel? Why, yes. Yes, I am. (Long live John Cusack).

This was seriously so brilliant. One of the best "romances" I've ever read, but I really wouldn't even call it a romance because the romance, in and of itself, is not what made it so phenomenal (though this was to die for as well). Don't You Forget About Me is such a love letter to discovering yourself. A journey of overcoming past trauma and coming to terms with life factors that aren't so great, but that you have no control over (view spoiler)[(GEOFFREY THAT FUCK) (hide spoiler)]. A story of face masks and treating yo'self and having a strong (even if it's small) tribe of ride or die friends, with a little bit of falling in love on the side. Ultimately a message of self love and empowerment, and that it's never too late to reinvent yourself, make changes and take life by the metaphorical balls.

A very powerful and important message told through the quirky and very Bridget Jones-y eyes of our heroine, Georgina.

Georgina was a riot, to say the least. She was a bit of a mess, but aren't we all, and her inner monologues and interactions had me howling with laughter. She was quick-witted, genuine and vibrant, but being slowly suffocated by societal and familial expectations, again, aren't we all. In this, and many aspects, she was so relatable and I could see myself in so many of her situations. She was resilient and strong, but the quiet kind of strength that grows and blossoms over time, that comes from being your own cheerleader, from kicking self-doubt in the teeth and forever trying to make lemons into lemonade. I loved that G fought to love herself, developed on her own and 100% for herself and BY herself, with no help from Lucas. He was just a yummy bonus.

Don't You Forget About Me's romance was sweet and slowly unfurling, told through bits of self-reflection and flashbacks. It's a tale of miscommunication, and second chances, of teenage hormones and hurt and how we, as people, carry that hurt and how it shapes our lives and perspectives.

This book is so much more than a hilarious and fun romcom. It challenges societal norms of what one's life "should" be and how one "should" act. It's a toast to being quirky and weird, to wearing pink fur (faux of course) coats and marching to the beat of your own drum. An encouragement of self-love, female empowerment and strong, supportive relationships. It bursts with the message that it's okay to fuck it up as long as you don't give up, life is messy and a bit of chaos and losing one's way is to be expected. With perfectly placed literary, and pop culture, references and a declaration of love that was of Austentian proportions, Don't You Forget About Me has become one of my favorite romances.

"Liking yourself is a radical act"