Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski

In Chelsea Bobulski's Remember Me, an eerie and suspenseful YA novel, a teen girl discovers what connects her to the hotel she calls home as horrifying visions lead her to the truth. Nell Martin is moving again, this time to the Winslow Grand Hotel, built in 1878. As Nell is settling in, strange things begin to happen. Doors lock of their own accord, writing appears on bathroom walls—and most horrifying of all—visions of a dead boy permeate her waking life. Thinking it was her mind playing tricks on her, she soon finds the past and the present colliding as she learns horrific details of a murder that happened at the hotel in 1907 involving a girl named Lea. Nell and a mysterious bellboy must relive that day in hopes of finally breaking a curse that imprisons them both. And Nell discovers what truly links her to the history of the Winslow Grand Hotel.

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I was not, honestly, expecting this book to be creepy. In my experience most YA books that try to be “horror” or even just plain mystery are usually only vaguely so. I am thrilled to report that Remember Me was better than most! I actually felt the hair on my arms raising at points. It was awesome! It did have a little trouble getting off the ground, in my opinion, but once the settings (yes, plural, as the POV alternates with a modern day one and a historical one) were established I absolutely couldn't put it down. Highly recommend if you enjoy both YA and mystery/paranormal type books! Check out my blog for some awesome quotes from the book (no spoilers).

My one caveat: mental illness is somewhat used as a plot device. Treatment is given respect and not made fun of, and Nell's feelings about her mother's death and her subsequent therapy and very common, but I didn't like the way it was made to be just a result of a THING in the plot. Terribly vague to avoid spoiling.

This is a very hard book to review because of the risk of spoiling, which really would ruin a lot of the story...so here are some quotes to whet your appetite! It really is an amazing, multi-layered tale and I strongly recommend it. Also, there's a good bit of sweet, swoon-worthy romance.

Oh man, what a ride! I'm not sure what I was expecting to find between the pages of Remember Me, but what I did find was such a pleasant surprise. This book is an excellent example of a mixture between historical fiction and horror. Nell's story has just enough intrigue, and just enough of a creep factor, to really make things interesting. To say that I was upset every time I had to set this down is absolutely a fair statement. I had a ton of fun reading this.

First off, thank you so much to Bobulski for writing a character who is infinitely likable. Nell is kind, funny, and her love for her father shines off the page. Her past is haunted, and her present isn't all sunshine and roses either, but she's a strong character who makes you want her to succeed. I loved following Nell, as the Winslow Grand Hotel slowly pulled her further and further in. Even when things got darker, and her sanity was stretched to the breaking point, she was still a beacon of light. I appreciated that so much.

Pairing Nell's story with her former counterpart, Lea, was a brilliant move as well. I loved flipping back and forth between the two of them, while the connection between these women was slowly revealed. It was so easy to picture the Winslow Grand Hotel in my mind, in both time periods. The inclusion of little snippets of history, and descriptions of the building, really helped me achieve falling right into the story as progressed. Lea and Nell. Nell and Lea. They led me on a thrilling adventure, complete with illicit love, and I ate up every bit of it.

So why a four star, rather than a five star rating? My only qualm was the ending. This book swept along so grandly for the first three-quarters. It built things up to a breaking point, and amped up the tension to the point that I couldn't stop thinking about this book when I set it down. Then the ending just flew by in a few chapters, and felt a little anti-climactic overall. I would have loved just a bit more time with Nell as she fought for the life she wanted. She was so brave, and I just wanted her fight to be a bit more worth it.

Still, this was a solid read and I highly recommend it!