The Good Parts, Evann Normandin (Review by Stephanie Rowitz)
Rating: 5.0/5 Stars
When Landon receives a letter from Rose stating that she’s taken a memory-erasing pill, he knows he has to act. He’s lost her once, but he can’t bear to lose her again. He thinks that maybe this time they’ll be able to have a fresh start and leave the pain and sadness of their relationship behind. As Landon reintegrates himself into Rose’s life, he can’t help feeling that their past isn’t gone forever, just buried under the memory-forgetting pill’s effects. Can they ever get back to what they were before tragedy struck? And what kind of life awaits them if she does remember?
It’s always harder for me to write reviews for books I loved over ones I didn’t, and I truly loved this book. The writing was fantastic and carefully crafted. The novel is told in alternating timelines, where Landon’s is told from the present, and Rose’s is told from the past. We get to see them meet, fall in love, and navigate the difficulties of young adulthood together, and then see the devastating aftermath, with the middle parts carefully revealed throughout the narrative. The chapters of the past beautifully complement the chapters of the present, resulting in a heartbreaking dance between the two timelines.
Normandin also does a wonderful job at revealing crucial parts of the plot at just the right time. You’re at the edge of your seat the whole time reading this book, watching the narrative unfold in a way that is equal parts satisfying and heart-wrenching. It’s extremely well-balanced and will have you devouring pages long after you should’ve gone to bed.
It’s one of those books you wish you could rediscover for the first time again. I recommend it to anyone who has ever been in a complicated romantic relationship or anyone who simply loves storytelling at its finest. The only downside is that this is Normandin’s first novel, so I can’t go read her other novels! I suppose I’ll just have to wait patiently until her next book arrives.