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An F/F amnesia romance with all the tropes, plus a nicely done mystery and more emotional realism than I expected.
Cara wakes up in a hospital with a bunch of people she doesn’t recognize, including one very hot woman, calling her “Care,” a nickname she despises. The last thing she remembers is prom. But they tell her she’s been in college for three years. Apparently she got retrograde amnesia after jogging into a tree. (I give Logan points for making the accident both ridiculous and the sort of ridiculous thing many of us have actually done. I have not jogged into a tree. But I have walked into a lightpost.)
Cara had intended to come out when she went to college, so she jumps to the not-unnatural conclusion that she did and that Bibi, the sexy woman she lives with who is very concerned and also handsy, is her girlfriend. But she’s baffled by a number of other things: how did she change from a shy bookworm to an outgoing party girl? Why does she now drink and party (and jog!) when she remembers hating all those things? Why is her family being so weirdly cagey about the last three years? And when will Bibi stop being so standoffish and get back to having the awesome sex they must have been enjoying for years?
You will not be surprised that, as we immediately learn from Bibi’s POV, she and Cara are roommates, not girlfriends. Also, Cara was not out, and Bibi is straight (she thinks). But Cara is so devastated by the amnesia (which is likely to force her to drop out of school, among other things), it seems cruel to immediately drop what will feel like a breakup on her. Surely it would be better to just be extra-affectionate for a little while, until she’s stronger, of course without doing anything actually sexual…
This leads exactly where you expect: once Bibi steps into the role, she finds it surprisingly comfortable and tempting, and Cara herself surprisingly desirable. Meanwhile, Cara is more and more disturbed by the changes from the person she was to the person she apparently became. Everyone says college changes you, but this much?
The writing is clunky (though some of the dialogue is pretty funny) but the story is well-done. The mystery aspect makes it a page-turner, and it has a satisfying resolution. (Not involving sexual assault, just FYI.) Bibi’s sexual awakening is believable and hot, the minor characters all have just a little more depth and complexity than you’d expect, and tropes aside, the character interactions and emotions feel real. Cara is naturally upset when Bibi finally confesses all, but is most bothered by the question of why she’s still in the closet.
I want a tropey amnesia romance to be hot, play out certain tropes, and explore some questions of identity. This isn’t great literature but it does do all that, and I enjoyed it more than some more polished books that don’t follow through on their own premises.
I Remember You
Cara wakes up in a hospital with a bunch of people she doesn’t recognize, including one very hot woman, calling her “Care,” a nickname she despises. The last thing she remembers is prom. But they tell her she’s been in college for three years. Apparently she got retrograde amnesia after jogging into a tree. (I give Logan points for making the accident both ridiculous and the sort of ridiculous thing many of us have actually done. I have not jogged into a tree. But I have walked into a lightpost.)
Cara had intended to come out when she went to college, so she jumps to the not-unnatural conclusion that she did and that Bibi, the sexy woman she lives with who is very concerned and also handsy, is her girlfriend. But she’s baffled by a number of other things: how did she change from a shy bookworm to an outgoing party girl? Why does she now drink and party (and jog!) when she remembers hating all those things? Why is her family being so weirdly cagey about the last three years? And when will Bibi stop being so standoffish and get back to having the awesome sex they must have been enjoying for years?
You will not be surprised that, as we immediately learn from Bibi’s POV, she and Cara are roommates, not girlfriends. Also, Cara was not out, and Bibi is straight (she thinks). But Cara is so devastated by the amnesia (which is likely to force her to drop out of school, among other things), it seems cruel to immediately drop what will feel like a breakup on her. Surely it would be better to just be extra-affectionate for a little while, until she’s stronger, of course without doing anything actually sexual…
This leads exactly where you expect: once Bibi steps into the role, she finds it surprisingly comfortable and tempting, and Cara herself surprisingly desirable. Meanwhile, Cara is more and more disturbed by the changes from the person she was to the person she apparently became. Everyone says college changes you, but this much?
The writing is clunky (though some of the dialogue is pretty funny) but the story is well-done. The mystery aspect makes it a page-turner, and it has a satisfying resolution. (Not involving sexual assault, just FYI.) Bibi’s sexual awakening is believable and hot, the minor characters all have just a little more depth and complexity than you’d expect, and tropes aside, the character interactions and emotions feel real. Cara is naturally upset when Bibi finally confesses all, but is most bothered by the question of why she’s still in the closet.
I want a tropey amnesia romance to be hot, play out certain tropes, and explore some questions of identity. This isn’t great literature but it does do all that, and I enjoyed it more than some more polished books that don’t follow through on their own premises.
I Remember You
