You Won’t Forget Me - Mazey Eddings

You Won’t Forget Me is a sapphic romance that fits in the world of Mazey’s YA book, Tilly in Technicolor – this is definitely not YA though.

Cubby and Darcy are in a band, Tea Time Tantrum, and have been friends since school. While Darcy doesn’t really date, Cubby has been on and off with fellow band member Connor, for years. He has just done the dirty in a massive way - by going solo and betraying Cubby. Now the band are watching his success from afar and restarting without him.

It’s coming of age for both Cubby and Darcy, along with pan- and bi- awakening. They slowly learn that there is not one way, or a right way to be queer - and that queerness is not all of who you are. So good.

The band's music, and Cubby's songwriting, threads through the whole story, with lyrics scribbled on the pages - I bet there is an amazing playlist out there! It’s a slow burn, with a focus on the band and its fall and rise, along with a fake-dating love triangle that develops because a viral pic of Cubby and Harry, another band member.

I really liked how this dived into the impact of social media. Cubby gets fixated on likes and comments and the fandom and it’s really visceral to see how she struggles - it’s unhealthy and obsessive, and so authentic. These young people have a lot to manage with their own feelings, family dynamics in the background, and Cubby’s stardom rising, and it's all happening in the glare – and intensity – of social media and the pressure of the music industry.

I love all of Mazey’s writing. This is some excellent competition for my fave, The Plus One. If you loved Alicia Thompson’s Never Been Shipped and you know that feeling where the music is everything, and relationships are entwined in all that emotion, this is for you. Cubby and Darcy learn how to be each other's safe place in all the craziness and it's wonderful to read.

Thank you Mazey Eddings and Headline Eternal for the ARC. Available on Amazon and in all the good places.