Category: Tour-Willow Morrow

Title: Forgotten
Author: Catherine McKenzie
Pub Date: October 2012 (USA) April 2012 (Canada)
Pages: 376
Publisher: William Morrow

Source: I purchased the book

About The Book:
Emma Tupper is a dedicated lawyer with a bright future. But when she takes a month-long leave of absence to go on an African vacation, she ends up facing unexpected consequences. After she falls ill and spends six months trapped in a remote village thanks to a devastating earthquake, Emma returns home to discover that her friends, boyfriend, and colleagues thought she was dead—and that her life has moved on without her.
As she struggles to re-create her old life, throwing herself into solving a big case for a client and trying to reclaim her beloved apartment from the handsome photographer who assumed her lease, everyone around her thinks she should take the opportunity to change. But is she willing to sacrifice her job, her relationships, and everything else she worked so hard to build?
In Forgotten, Catherine McKenzie tweaks a classic tale of discovering who we really are when everything that brings meaning to our lives is lost.

I bought the Canadian copy of this book when it came out in April and actually only read it on my way to BEA in June this year. As you can see I was late in posting a review (actually I had a rough draft sitting in a post) so when Catherine contacted me asking if I would want to be part of the tour for Forgotten I quickly said yes. I have been a part of Catherine’s previous two book tours ( SPIN and ARRANGED ) so I am happy to finally review her third book and help her promote it.

I am going to admit that it was a little slow for me to begin with and I think that was because I was distracted by reading this on the train on my way to NYC but once I got into the book I started to enjoy it.

Emma Tupper is a young lawyer on the fast track to becoming partner in the law firm she works in. Things are going good until her mother get ills and dies. Emma’s world is rocked and she is forced to make a tough decision, continue working or accept the gift her mother has left her.

Emma’s mother has left Emma a plane ticket to Africa, a place her mother has always wanted to go to but never got the chance. When she approaches the law firm with this they are not very happy and discourage her leaving because she is just what the firm needs. In the end Emma decides to go on this month long journey.

Not long into her trip Emma gets sick on the tour (so much so that she can’t continue) and is left behind in a little remote village to recouperate. Then as she is getting better and is trying to get back home they are hit with an earthquake. Her little one month adventure ends up turning into a six month adventure.

She is finally able to get back home but soon realizes that her bank account is frozen and that is because she was presumed dead since she never returned on her return date and the tour company never reported that Emma was sick so when the village was struck with the earthquake they all presumed Emma died in that. If that doesn’t make things worse her apartment has been rented out to another person (Dominic), all her friends (even her boyfriend) have moved on and all her belongs are now gone.  Life as Emma knows it has changed drastically. Will she be able to get back on track?

If you were given the chance to live your life over again would you do it the same way or make changes? Emma wants her old life back (even her boyfriend) and tries hard to do that but eventually realizes that perhaps she should go with the changes people around her suggest. I know as I was reading this I wanted Emma to see Dominic in a new way and not just as a friend.

I am always fascinated with these kinds of storylines because I always wonder if I was given the chance to do a do over would I? I guess it would depend, would you?

Thanks Catherine for asking me to be a part of this book tour. I am anxiously awaiting your next book which I hope comes out soon.

Check back a little later for my interview with Catherine.