Book Review: The One You Can’t Forget by Roni Loren

Fortuitously, I started reading “The One You Can’t Forget” the same day that the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas happened. Having read “The Ones Who Got Away” previously, I had an idea that Rebecca Lindt’s story would be heart wrenching. What I did not realize was that the real-life horror that I was watching on TV would be reflected in “The One You Can’t Forget.”

One of the survivors of the bloodiest school shooting in history, Rebecca Lindt had become a successful divorce lawyer in Austin. With therapy and a support group composed of other survivors, Rebecca believed that she had put the past behind her. Except that she had become numb inside. She did not date nor even find any man attractive enough.

But, things changed when she met Wes Garrett. For the first time in a very long time, Rebecca found herself interested in a man. And the feeling is mutual. Though their past history should have made Wes and Rebecca hate each other, they found themselves unable to resist the attraction they have for each other.

Meeting at divorce court with Rebecca as the lawyer of Wes’ ex wife was bad enough. Their present was also getting in the way. Suffering from survivor’s guilt, Rebecca continues to relive the moment of the Long Acre school shooting. And this is crux of the matter of “The One You Can’t Forget.”

Rebecca’s inner monologues will tug at your heartstrings. And because the Santa Fe school shooting was in the headlines when I was reading this book, there was a real-life pain in my chest as I thought of those who lost their lives and those who survived. Rebecca Lindt might be a fictional character, but her suffering was as real as it could be.

This was a hard subject to write about even in fiction form. Roni Loren captured the anguish, the horror and the hope that young survivors can overcome the suffering with time.

The One You Can’t Forget” is Rated T for Teens. Parental guidance strongly advised due to subject matter.

  • One You Can't Forget
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Description

Most days Rebecca Lindt feels like an imposter…

The world admires her as a survivor. But that impression would crumble if people knew her secret. She didn’t deserve to be the one who got away. But nothing can change the past, so she’s thrown herself into her work. She can’t dwell if she never slows down.

Wes Garrett is trying to get back on his feet after losing his dream restaurant, his money, and half his damn mind in a vicious divorce. But when he intervenes in a mugging and saves Rebecca—the attorney who helped his ex ruin him—his simple life gets complicated.

Their attraction is inconvenient and neither wants more than a fling. But when Rebecca’s secret is put at risk, both discover they could lose everything, including what they never realized they needed: each other

She laughed and kissed him. This morning she’d melted down. But somehow this man had her laughing and turned on only a few hours later. Everything inside her felt buoyed.
She felt…light.
She’d forgotten what that felt like.

The Ones Who Got Away Series:
The Ones Who Got Away (Book 1)
The One You Can’t Forget (Book 2)


Austin skyline, food trucks and black dog photos on Pixabay