Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn Series: Forget Tomorrow #1
Also in this series: Remember Yesterday
Published by Entangled Teen on 11/3/15
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 400
Source: NetGalley
My content rating: YA (Nothing more than kissing)
My rating:
Imagine a world where your destiny has already been decided...by your future self.
It's Callie’s seventeenth birthday and, like everyone else, she's eagerly awaiting her vision―a memory sent back in time to sculpt each citizen into the person they're meant to be. A world-class swimmer. A renowned scientist.
Or in Callie's case, a criminal.
In her vision, she sees herself murdering her gifted younger sister. Before she can process what it means, Callie is arrested and placed in Limbo―a hellish prison for those destined to break the law. With the help of her childhood crush, Logan, a boy she hasn’t spoken to in five years, she escapes.
But on the run from her future, as well as the government, Callie sets in motion a chain of events that she hopes will change her fate. If not, she must figure out how to protect her sister from the biggest threat of all—Callie, herself.
Forget Tomorrow is an exhilarating new sci-fi dystopian set in a world where everyone knows the future – at least a snippet of it. Callie’s spent her life waiting to turn seventeen so she can see with absolute certainty what she’ll make of herself. This is because, in her society, when a person turns seventeen they receive a memory from their future selves – the memory that Callie’s future self believes will best guide her toward her fate. But Callie’s memory is of something she will do anything to avoid. The question is, can she thwart fate or will all of her actions inevitably end in a tragic result no matter what she does?
What fed my addiction:
- Fate vs. free will. As you can probably guess based on the synopsis, the question of fate versus free will plays a huge role in this book. People in Callie’s society put complete faith in the memory that’s sent to them – it takes a lot of the stress off of people, when they know ahead of time what their future career will be and how they can be successful at it, so everyone thrives. They’ve been told that it’s impossible to change the fate set out for you because you’ve been sent the vision from the future, so that is what will happen. If you get a pleasant vision from the future (as most people do), this is very comforting. But, in some people’s cases, the memory they receive is horrendous – what would you do to avoid doing something terrible or having something terrible happen to you? Is fate truly set in stone, or can it be changed? How far would you be willing to go to change it? Callie faces all of these questions and more. It seems that her only two choices are to resign herself to her fate or live her life in fear of somehow fulfilling it no matter how hard she tries not to – neither of which are options that Callie is satisfied with. The whole question of fate (or future memories) versus free will is enough to make your head spin – and it’s impossible to know how it will all turn out!
- The “villains.” This was the type of story where it was difficult to tell, especially at first who the villains are, or if there even are any villains. Maybe Callie herself is the only villain we need to worry about, and she just needs to overcome the side of herself that would do something terrible. As the book went on, though, certain seemingly well-meaning characters show their true colors, and we begin to piece together what is truly happening in Callie’s society – and the lengths that people will go to for “the greater good.” I found this aspect of the book fascinating and was further drawn in with each new reveal.
- Future stories. Each time I learned an individual’s future story in the book, I was more and more drawn in. I found myself wholly engaged with each character who was fighting their fate, and I was rooting for them all! Callie showed bravery and self-sacrifice, but she wasn’t the only one. This book was filled with characters who were struggling against fate – and not always winning the battle.
- The ending. Throughout a lot of this book, I thought I knew generally where it was heading, but the actual ending was a complete surprise! I can’t wait to see what Dunn decides to do in book #2. (Based on the synopsis, I’m already hooked – but don’t even read the synopsis for the second book until you’ve finished this one!!)
What left me wanting more:
- Bit of instalove. There were reasons that Callie and Logan fell for each other quickly based on their past, but I still couldn’t help but feel like it was still a little too close to instalove. I didn’t feel the connection between these two quite as strongly as I would have liked, but luckily the romance wasn’t the sole (or even most important) focus of the book, so I was okay with that. Logan was a nice diversion for me instead of an epic romance, so that made the parts of the book that focused on the romance move a little slower for me.
Dunn is definitely a debut author to watch – her thoughtful intelligence shines through in her writing. So, now the only question is, how am I supposed to wait for the next one? I give this book 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: This book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
Pintip Dunn’s Top Ten Addictions
1. Rubber duckies. The plastic ones that come dressed in different costumes. My kids and I collect them — I use them as rewards or prizes — and they are the cutest things ever!
2. I am addicted to big, chunky, dramatic jewelry — the more dramatic, the better. Statement pieces, in other words. My fav stores for said jewelry are BCBG and Swarovski.
3. Speaking of which, I’ve recently found a new obsession on Etsy: Two Pliers and Some Wire, which specializes in turquoise and copper jewelry. I bought a pendant, couldn’t stop thinking about the other pieces, and then had to go back and buy another necklace. Not only is the jewelry stunning, but the colors reminded me of Forget Tomorrow’s book cover. So, I asked the owner if she would consider designing a piece inspired by the book cover. To my delight, she said “yes”!
4. Oreo Thins. I don’t each much junk food. I don’t even really like candy, and I never have. But I’ve always been a big fan of Oreo’s, so when they came out with Oreo Thins, I had to try them. The verdict? To die for.
5. Reality TV – but only the competition ones. So I’ve managed to wean myself from most reality TV these last few years, but back in the day, I used to watch them all: Survivor, Amazing Race, Top Chef, American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Next Top Model, The Bachelor, The Biggest Loser, The Apprentice… and of course, when I discovered unREAL earlier this summer, I binge-watched the entire season in a single night.
6. “What-if” games. I have always loved indulging in hypothetical thought experiments. What if you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? What if you had to live in your car? What if you had to choose between killing your father or the one that you loved? Friends and family never understood the point of these games (“That would never happen!”), but I make them play, anyway. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I love being a writer.
7. Oysters. Mussels and frites. Beef fondue. Steak tartare. Foie gras. Toro salmon sashimi. Ramen. Peking Duck. Okay, maybe we should just say that I am completely obsessed with food. (Which is probably why Callie, heroine of Forget Tomorrow, wants to be a Manual Chef when she grows up).
8. Hikes in the woods with my family. This isn’t quite an addiction yet — but I hope it will become one. Trees, roots, dirt, sunshine. The quiet in the air. The company of the people I love best. Some of my happiest moments are during these hikes.
9. Blow-outs (for my hair, that is)! I don’t get blow-outs often — but I’d like to. Every day if I could. I have difficult hair. It is thick and puffy and unruly. I wear it in a ponytail almost every day. The only time it looks nice is when I get a blow-out. I am particularly fond of The Dry Bar, to which my Aussie friend and YA author, Vanessa Barneveld, introduced me.
And last, but certainly not least…
10. Books. Of course books. All books and all genres, especially YA science fiction and contemporary. In particular, I love stories where the protagonist is faced with an impossible moral decision. That’s why I’m addicted to Hunger Games and The Host. That’s why I write the novels I do.
About the Author
Pintip Dunn graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B. in English Literature and Language. She received her J.D. at Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the YALE LAW JOURNAL. She also published an article in the YALE LAW JOURNAL, entitled, “How Judges Overrule: Speech Act Theory and the Doctrine of Stare Decisis,”
Pintip is represented by literary agent Beth Miller of Writers House. She is a 2012 RWA Golden Heart® finalist and a 2014 double-finalist. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Washington Romance Writers, YARWA, and The Golden Network.
She lives with her husband and children in Maryland.
Author Links:
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16 responses to “Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dunn – Review & Dunn’s Top Ten Addictions”
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Love the premise of the book. Sounds really interesting and engaging. Plus the author love unREAL – one of my favorite shows so there is that. The cover is gorgeous as well. Great review!!
Hi Grace! Ha – I’m glad to meet another unREAL fan! Isn’t that show the best??? Talk about an addiction! Thanks for your kind words about the book!
I haven’t actually heard of unREAL, but now you guys have piqued my interest. I’ll have to check it out!
Thanks so much for hosting me, Nicole! It’s an honor to be on your blog! ?
You’re very welcome! Thanks for the fun top ten list!!
Oooh consider me definitely intrigued!! I shall be dashing to goodreads to mark this one after I finish this comment. XD Although the insta-love is a bit annoying. >_> I just read a book with insta love and it definitely had me grinding my teeth….BUT the premise of Forget Tomorrow sounds entirely wonderful (and I haven’t read anything like that before!!) ALSO THAT COVER. LOVE THOSE COLOURS.
I know – I love it when I find a book that’s different!!
oh is this another one that blurs the lines between whats really good and bad? at least when it comes to characters. I think I got this but I didn’t realize this was a book 1, oops
Yes, there are definitely some blurry lines there!
Oh this one sounds interesting with the whole vision from the future thing and then finding out she’ll kill her sister, which makes me really curious about the why and if in the end she does end up killing her sister or not. It sounds very interesting with the whole aspect who is a villain and havig them only show their true colors later on. I am sorry to hear the romance didn’t fully work for you due to the bit of insta-love, but it sounds like the rest of the book makes more than up for. I’ll have to check this one out!
Besides the romance this one was definitely a winner. I recommend it!
Oh wow, the concept for this one is so interesting. The premise has me snagged, of that I am sure. I am already curious to know whether or not she does actually end up killing her gifted sister, and in that case, why? I also know a lot of people go through the debate of fate vs free will in their mind. I am interested to see how that translates into this book.
Yes, the concept really hooks you, right? I was really intrigued just after reading the synopsis!
So basically what you are saying is that I need to go out and buy this book right now? It sounds so good. I guess you are right and I NEED this book. Stellar review!
Yep, you should definitely read it!
The premise sounds really interesting! And the cover is gorgeous! My brains starts to get a little crazy though, trying to figure out the future-present thing. If Callie is actually able to change her future, her future self wouldn’t send the memory to Callie and if that doesn’t happen than Callie has no reason to change her future… I’m going in circles and it won’t stop, haha.
Or it turns out there is no other way than killing her sister? (Perhaps her sisters turns out to be super evil?), so she actually isn’t going to change her destiny?
Lol, this one really has me speculating. I need to read this book to figure out what happens!