Review: Things I Can't Forget

Things I Can't Forget
By: Miranda Kenneally
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Series: Hundred Oaks #3

Description:
Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt--with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Review:

This is not necessarily the book I expected. I’ve taken to glancing at the blurbs and thinking if I want to read this or not.  I didn’t know this book was so deep in religion and even though it was I can honestly say it didn’t bother me as much, as much.  This is especially true because really it showed that in general you have to respect your own beliefs but at the same time you have to respect everyone else’s as well, and sometimes that's just not an easy thing to do.

We meet Kate as she is embarking on her first job being a camp counselor at a religious camp, one she herself attended when she was younger, she’s eighteen now and just graduated high school.  Recently she had a very hard situation happen with her and her best firmed to the point they stop talking.  The situation was a serious one but I can’t help but be irritated by the way Kate acted about it, because it seemed as if she was pushing not only her beliefs on her best friend but was also just completely impervious to the world around her.  Times are not as simple as she thinks them to be and it irritates me the way she believes in things so strongly, yes I know I myself am not respecting her views, but to me it’s almost close-mindedness.

At camp she runs into a boy who gave her, her first kiss, Matt and there seems to be an immediate attraction to one another.  But remember, Kate is very religious; she doesn’t even want to sleep in the same place as other boys.  Their relationship is cute though, it’s fun to watch it blossoming and for her to loosen up a little.  The both help each other in a way, kind of the same way they did when they were younger.  Again it’s very sweet, and I really enjoyed watching him flirt with her and her reactions to him and his friends.  Their relationship is so innocent and just relaxing and you would almost think they were younger not out of high school yet. 

Throughout the book Kate still struggles with the incident that happened with her best friend Emily.   She wants to help her but doesn’t know how if she can’t ask for forgiveness from God, again, with the pushing of the values.   It's hard but Kate starts to learn more about other people that attend the camp with her, she realizes everything really is not just so black and white.  Even with her family at home she learns new things and her beliefs are turned for a loop.  She still sticks to her morals but is more accepting of others. 

The story was interesting and I didn't mind it so much, I couldn't wait to continue reading it between the moments I could steal away and read the book.  It's a great addition to the series and I really can't wait to read the next one but I hope that religion doesn't play a major role in it as this one did, because I don't remember that being an issue in Stealing Parker.  Which by the way Jordan totally makes an appearance in this book and what a thrill it was to see her again!