Keep Me in Mind 12+

About this book

A girl who doesn’t remember. A boy who can’t forget her.

Ellia Dawson doesn’t recognize the handsome boy who sits in tears by her hospital bed. But he’s telling her that he’s Liam McPherson, her boyfriend. Boyfriend? Ellia thinks in shock. She has no clue who Liam is, let alone whether or not she once loved him. She remembers her family, her friends, and the fact that she wants to be a fashion designer. But Liam is a big blank in her life.

Meanwhile, Liam is devastated that Ellia, the love of his life, who suffered an accident while they were running together on the beach, has lost her memory. He is desperate to win her back, rebuild what they once had, but Ellia keeps him at arm’s length. She’s much more comfortable with a new boy she meets at the hospital, who understands more of what she’s going through. So Liam begins writing the story of the two of them, piecing together the past in the hopes of having a future with the girl he loves.

Told from alternating perspectives, this is a lyrical, clever, and surprising novel from Jaime Reed.

Reviews

Praise for Keep Me in Mind:
* "Reed delivers solid high school romance with a twist. It is refreshing to see two characters that are both realistic and stray from the starry-eyed, misunderstood-WASP-youth trope.... Examining the power of memory and shifting the perceptions of teenage love, this novel delivers a powerful journey of self-discovery and rebirth." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Reed develops her teen characters with style as well as substance; Ellia and Liam are given distinct, believable first-person voices in alternating chapters, and their friends vary between playfully goofy and helpfully pushy in realistic succession.... what Reed pulls off here is far more interesting than a clichéd love triangle: a scenario where a mature reflection on an immature first love makes plot sense and still leaves room for seeing a path forward." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Reed's superb dialogue highlights lost love and lost memories, and she deftly uses humor to keep the narrative well paced and refreshing. An effective open window into the lives of two teens as they struggle to discover who they are and how they love." -- Booklist

"The writing style is engaging and well-done, and the characters are memorable; young adults will be rooting for the interracial couple. This tearjerker will have emotions running -- high and low." -- School Library Journal