Book synopsis

‘Forgive or Forget’ a what-why-wheredunit, tells the story of 28-year-old Alice, freshly released from prison after serving a sentence for a horrific crime and struggling to readjust to the outside world. Weaving back and forth between the past and the present, the fast-paced and thought-provoking narrative reveals the truth behind the events years ago and accompanies Alice on her quest for closure so that she can begin anew. Filled with suspense, this story about family, crime and the question of how far we are willing to go for those we love will keep you guessing until the end.

About the Author

Elisabeth Krauel was born in 2001 as the youngest of four children in a bicultural Anglo-German family. She grew up in a village near Munich where she completed her Abitur (A-levels) at the local grammar school in 2018. From a young age she expressed an interest in reading, which was further inspired by her German grandmother who was a collector of antiquarian children’s books, and her English grandfather who ran a bookshop in a Harry Potter-esque arcade near Trafalgar Square.

After school Elisabeth spent a year working in local hospitals as a nursing intern, training with the ambulance service, and teaching English to children in Bolivia. In 2019, she enrolled at the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen, Germany, to study medicine and is now in her third year there. She completed her first novel, ‘Forgive or Forget’, at the age of 20 during the height of lockdown and it reached the Finalist stage of the 2021 Page Turner Awards.

My review

I really didn’t know much about this book going into it and I think thats good with some books. Alice, our main character has determination and is resilient throughout the book. Her character goes through a lot and you want to urge her to keep going. The time lines are alternated within each chapter and you want to read more to find out what happens in the past and the future.

I absolutely loved this and it was a real page turner, I couldn’t wait to get reading it again it was so addictive. The ending and the twists to it absolutely made the book brilliant for me.

I could not believe this is the authors first book as it is so good and I will be recommending it to everyone.

A definite 5 star read for me! If I could give it more I would as it deserves it.

Disclaimer – Thank you to the publishers for my gifted copy of this book for my honest review.