We are so happy to be part of the blog tour for Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski that is put on by the lovely The Fantastic Flying Book Club.  To see the full schedule, go HERE.  Also be sure to check out the playlist, favorite quotes and US contest after the review!

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Genre: YA Paranormal
Pages: 336
Pacing: Normal
Publisher: Feiwel Friends
Published: August 6th, 2019

Trigger Warnings: Forced Marriage, Abusive Spouse, Physical Abuse, Mental Illness, Gun Violence, Death of a Loved One, Grief.

In this eerie and suspenseful YA, a teen girl discovers what connects her to the hotel she calls home as horrifying visions lead her to the truth.

Nell Martin is moving again, this time to the Winslow Grand Hotel, built in 1878. As Nell is settling in, strange things begin to happen. Doors lock of their own accord, writing appears on bathroom walls–and most horrifying of all–visions of a dead boy permeate her waking life. Thinking it was her mind playing tricks on her, she soon finds the past and the present colliding as she learns horrific details of a murder that happened at the hotel in 1905 involving a girl named Lea.

Nell and a mysterious bellboy must relive that day in hopes of finally breaking a curse that imprisons them both. And Nell discovers what truly links her to the history of the Winslow Grand Hotel.

When I saw a creepy looking cover and even spookier sound synopsis I knew that I had to sign up for this blog tour, so I could read an early copy of this book.  Did it live up to my expectations? Was it spooky? Let’s get into that.

Remember Me stars out going back and forth between two characters: Lea (Set in 1905) – a young girl who is being forced to marry someone who she doesn’t love and isn’t turning out to be a nice man.  Our second POV is another young girl, Nell (set in current time) – who recently lost her mother and has moved to the hotel that Lea stayed at so many years prior.  I though both Nell and Lea were extremely likable – I did enjoy hearing about Lea’s story a little more but that is probably because for the first half, it gets a little more focus and depth.  We see Lea miserable and her soon-to-be-dick-husband ordering her about and saying disgustingly sexist and abusive things to her.  Lea, also ends up falling for a handyman guy that works for the hotel and they have a summer romance (completely falling madly in love, of course), while all the turmoil is happening in her life.  I connected more to Lea because I felt her story was more thought out and the pieces connected.

I can’t say the same for Nell’s story.  We find out that Lea and her finance were murdered a little before their wedding and no one knows the truth (not a spoiler, this is revealed at the very beginning).  Nell seems to have a connection to Lea, and while she is doing a summer job working in the basement sorting out old articles and items from the hotel’s history (how convenient), she starts to piece together the story of what happened to Lea.  Of course, we also have to have a brooding love interest who seems very familiar.  Nell also starts having nightmares and sleepwalking – she is being chased by someone that she can’t really see clearly.  We get some creepy scenes of her wandering around the hotel and some weird shit happening around her and some whispering and music that seems to be coming on out thin air.

I’m keeping this really vague because this is the kind of story that would be easy to figure things out if I went into it too deeply.  What I did really like about this story was the non-creepy parts, just watching the story unfold – particularly Lea’s.  She was easy to follow and root her.  I wanted her to be happy and safe.  I also enjoyed the setting, who doesn’t love the a big fancy hotel setting?  It gave me all the summer vibes and was easy to slip into the summer romance that Lea was in.

Unfortunately, there were things that I didn’t really enjoy.  I thought near the middle the story started to get shaky – I had figured out what was going on but I wasn’t sure how the author was going to take us there and I’m not positive she was either.  There were a lot of things that never get explained and needed it.  When the reveal happens, things get way too rushed and we have to believe that characters are accepting things very fast and it was a stretch at best.  The very last was also kind of anti-climatic, I was left with the feeling unsatisfied.  It’s like when you wait for a big fight in an epic adventure movie and they just punch each other a couple times and it’s over.

I know I was a little hard on that second half but it really did let me down some.  I think the book was worth a read, I’m not sure it’s something that people would read over and over again.  It might be one you want to request from you library (that helps support the author as well).  It’s a bit spooky but I don’t think most people will have too much trouble with it but it does have some creepy scenes, so go in knowing that.

Remember Me Playlist 

I was asked to create a playlist for this awesome book and here are my choices.  You can also find the playlist over on Spotify by clicking HERE  or by searching for Remember Me Playlist.

You Don’t Own Me – Grace & G Easy
Love – Lana Del Rey
Leave Your Lover – Sam Smith
Bubbly – Dia Frampton
Gravity – Sara Bareilles
A Thousand Years – Jasmine Thompson
Tomorrow Will Be Kinder – The Secret Sisters
Somewhere Only We Know – Lilly Allen

Favorite Quotes

“It is hello and goodbye and eternity all wrapped up into one. It is everything we should have had, if only our destinies had not already been decided for us.”

“I can feel myself losing something as I stare up at him, but I have no idea what it is.  It terrifies and fascinates me in equal measure .”

“Here, in this moment moment, time has no hold on us.”

Chelsea Bobulski was born in Columbus, Ohio, and raised on Disney movies, classic musicals, and Buckeye pride. She’s always had a penchant for the fantastical, the stories that teach us there is more to this world than meets the eye. She has a soft spot for characters with broken pasts, strange talents, and a dash of destiny in their bones. After graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in history, she promptly married her high school sweetheart and settled down in Northwest Ohio with her notebooks and daydreams and copious amounts of chocolate. THE WOOD is her debut novel.

Laura’s Social Media Links

Website/ Twitter / Instagram

Places you can purchase Remember Me

Amazon / Barnes and Noble/ Book Depository / Indigo