From the very beginning this book cruises along and will draw you in to the wonderful world of teenage drama and angst. Lizzie has it almost too good, or at least it appears she does. However, her awesome boyfriend isn't all that fabulous given the way he treats her, which borders on the mentally abusive. At the very least, his words and behaviors are unhealthy for Lizzie. BUT, given their history, it's hard for her to break away even though her gut is telling her it's time. Some might think Lizzie is a bit pathetic by this point, but lets face it, many, many young girls go through or find themselves putting up with more than they should in young relationships -- either from lack of comparison, experience, example or peer pressure. What I like is that what Lizzie is experiencing isn't all-in-out ugly, but a more subtle alarm sounding that things aren't right. This is undoubtedly difficult to deal with both internally and externally because others aren't usually very sympathetic. Unfortunately, Lizzie's epiphany tangles with bad timing, which makes things look worse than they would be, cluster-$^#*ing the whole dramatic scene! In Lizzie and Drew's effort to do the right thing and protect relationships, they make a mess. Bring in the back loader, they're going to need it to get out of this one! *beep, beep, beep!Coupled with the fresh idea of reincarnation, Remembrance strengths the depth of the novel by introducing the question of fate, destiny, loyalty and inevitability -- not to mention love. It got me thinking, "Can we avoid the inevitable?" Perhaps, changing or preventing history doesn't always guarantee a less complicated outcome -- just different. Remembrance proves with every action there is a reaction, and that each choice we make sets something in motion. Sometimes for the better, but never without a cost or sacrifice. So what are the drawbacks? The characters are fairly cliche and typical. Natural, awkward, pure beauty has two gorgeous boys fighting over her. Then, we've got the beautiful, popular, best-friend who is kind of a bitch coupled with the jock and brooding bad boy love interest. You get the picture. Perhaps, my ho-hum, less-than-impressed opinion about the character craftsmanship comes from reading a string of teen/YA novels in a row. I've had my fill of these cardboard, Twilight inspired, type-casted characters (Yep, I dared to go there). Where it may have been original or slightly quirky in the past -- it no longer is (go ahead and hate me for saying it lol). I'm honestly praying this cycle breaks soon!
