Forget Me Not

This was a late addition to my NetGalley request. When I read the synopsis, I was intrigued enough to want to see how this story will develop. I love a good mystery. That said, don't expect a typical mystery or thriller; this one dances to the beat of its own drum. The story takes place in the not-too-far distant future. Characters wear arm-wrapping “sheaths” that, I suppose, replace the cell phones, GPS trackers, and such that we know and love; SocialHub has replaced Facebook, Instagram and all the other popular online gathering places we know and the COVID-19 pandemic is a thing of the past. Artificial intelligence and virtual reality are explored well in this novel and at times it left me intrigued and at times I was confused.
the story surrounds a mid-twenties woman named Linda, although it's not her real name. She's better known as Clone Girl - a child created by a mother who lost her beloved daughter years earlier and ever since has been trying to create an exact replacement. For a dozen years, Linda lived in secret, held behind walls at a remote Washington location, and for the most part left to forage for herself. One day, something bad happens and she runs away - managing to scale the wall and escape. Suddenly, she's in a whole new world - one filled with people who may or may not have her best interests at heart. She tries to live in seclusion, but keeping her location secret is difficult in this time of enhanced social media.

Then, Linda gets an unwanted knock on her door by a rather kooky-looking young woman named Anvi and her dog Nibbler. Her neibor in the new apartment building she is living in Even though Anvi doesn't seem to have an ulterior motive, Linda is reluctant to strike up any kind of friendship because she trusts no one and doesn't know the first thing about being a friend. This was a bit of a departure for me because I have a hard time finding my footing with science fiction novels and even though I am new to the genre I found this well written and easy to follow which I was grateful for.

Where the novel falls slightly short for me and why it is getting a three-star review from me is because I had a very hard time connecting with Linda as a character. I was able to follow the tech-talk in the book I wanted to know the mystery behind the “Clone Girl” but I could not get myself to like Linda. I would be interested to see what comes next if this will be a series or if the writer will create a new magical story for us to unfold.