How to be Remembered is about Tommy Lewellyn, a boy who is forgotten every year on his birthday. While this instantly brings to mind The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, these two books could not be more dissimilar. 

 

After his first birthday, Tommy is placed into a group home for children without families. It is a loving place that accepts Tommy year after year. Then when he is fourteen years old, he falls in love with another resident, one that forgets him after his next birthday. Tommy is determined to make a place for himself in a world that forgets him. 

 

The book is, for the most part, very well written. The characters are vivid, and the settings stick in your mind. Except for the unnecessary, random, and frequent POV changes, I loved the writing style. 

 

Tommy is what you could call a cinnamon roll character. You can’t help but love him, and everyone does love him. Year after year after year. This brings me to my main problem with the novel. It has no conflict. Everything is so easy. I wish my life is as easy as Tommy’s, and I am not forgotten over and over again. Also…in the end of the novel, there is a situation (I won’t spoil it) that makes no sense considering that Tommy’s own parents forgot about him on his first birthday. The very people who contributed to his genetic makeup. 

 

I am also not a fan of writing fantastical elements into books and just expecting readers not to question them or take them at face value. Why was the fact that Tommy forgotten never really more than a passing question? I think exploring this would have been more interesting. 

 

I do think that a lot of people will love How to be Remembered. It is great if you want a light, fun fantasy read. I, however, was left wanting a bit more.