Lost? - My Review of REGRET ME NOT by Danielle Sibarium

Title: Regret Me Not

Author: Danielle Sibarium

Self-Published

Publication Date: 5/2014

Source: Review Copy from Author

For Mackenzie Green life is full of regrets; regrets from choices she made in the past, regrets for the things she’ll never see in her future. She regrets letting her grades slip while her sister was in rehab, ensuring she’ll never break away from the rumor-run, small town she lives in. She regrets breaking up with her future All American football playing boyfriend, Brayden Turner out of fear of getting hurt. Most of all she regrets every decision she made leading up to the night that changed her life forever. 

It’s only after Brayden cuts her off completely that Mackenzie realizes how much she wants him in her life. 

Can Mackenzie find the courage to learn from her mistakes and move forward or will she spend her days consumed with regrets? Is it too late to convince Brayden she wants him in her life and that she’s in it for the long haul? Most of all, can she accept that sometimes bad things happen no matter how hard you try to protect yourself from them? Can she put it all behind her or will she live an unfulfilled life full of regrets?

I write because my soul would shrivel up and die if I didn't!
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If you've been around here at all then you know that I do not like summarizing books in my reviews.  That's been done by the author or publisher above and  I just don't have the words to say it differently than they do up there.

This was a very angsty/heartbreaky type of story.  Mackenzie and Brayden meet and fall in love in high school. Because the story is told in both the present and the past, we get to witness Brayden wooing his girl and her turning all gooey and mushy for him. However, we are watching this take place, all the while knowing that there is trouble in paradise.  I really enjoyed the way it was written.  Because we were looking back on the past from a point in the future, it was a little like we were let in on a secret, or that we were watching through a crystal ball, knowing what the outcome would be.  Many times I wanted to shout at Mackenzie to remove her head from her behind because I've seen the future and it doesn't look pretty for her.

Mackenzie and Brayden had an awesome friendship in high school.  They were super fun to watch and it reminded me of some sweet moments from before my husband and I ever dated. The progression of their relationship, while not taking up a lot of space as far as the number of pages is concerned, did show incredible growth between Brayden and Mackenzie.  I love that it felt mature and ripe even though it only covered relatively few pages in the book.

The characters were very well done and I love that even though they were young, I fully believed their actions and reactions.  Often when I read a New Adult story, I feel like maybe I'm too old to understand their behavior. REGRET ME NOT didn't make me feel that way at all.  Mackenzie had some very real and rational fears.  While I wish she hadn't acted the way she did, I really can't fault her for it.  The same goes for Brayden.  He was super swoony and sweet, but there came a time when Mackenzie had pushed him too far and he completely shut her out. I like that he was perfect, but not too perfect.

REGRET ME NOT is perfect for fans of the New Adult genre.  It's also a great fit for anyone who likes stories about friends-to-lovers, first love, and/or second chances.

4 out of 5 stars

My song choice for REGRET ME NOT it Lost? by Coldplay

Thank you to the author for providing a playlist.  It helps me so much when I am able to surround myself with the songs as I think about the book. Music helps me catch the feel of books sometimes so much better than words ever could.

1.      Only Human by Christina Perry http://www.youtube.com/watch?vr5yaoMj...
 
2. The Story of My Life by One Direction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-TE_Y...
 
3. All of My by John Legend http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=450p7g...
 
4. Sky Full of Stars by ColdPlay http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp7NtW...
 
5. She’s such a temptation by Billy Joel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f12aJz...
 
6. Wake Me Up by Lonel Istrati http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2hVuH...
 
7. Lullaby by Billy Joel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcnd55...
 
8. Let me Hold You by Josh Krajcik http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwSq17...
 
9. Close Your Eyes by Michael Buble http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoEWmc...