Review: An Emotional Collision of Past and Present
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 16, 2014
In After Tuesday, readers experienced the beginning of Ruby and Brent's relationship; we were with them for all of Brent's "surprise" excursions and all of the "firsts" that they had together.  We also endured with them the lows of their connection due to outside forces and bad choices. Despite those times, though, Ruby and Brent were ready to take on the world together at the same college for their freshman year.Fast forward five years, and readers are introduced to an older but now single Ruby in Renee Ericson's novella Forgotten Yesterday. Right from the start, readers can tell that this is a different Ruby; one who perhaps did not get the happily ever after she sought with Brent at the end of After Tuesday.  Slowly, as the switch from present to past begins, we are left wondering what happened to their relationship.  When they first meet up in the present in the restaurant where Ruby works, there's awkwardness and tension in their reunion.  But despite their discomfort and Ruby's need to flee, the connection between them is still there. As the exchange of the past and present continues, it is unclear what happened to cause their separation. Most of Ruby's early memories/flashbacks clearly show the love between her and Brent. But it's clear that something happened to cause their disconnect all those years ago.One fated meeting five years later is all it takes for Ruby's time with Brent to flood her mind, and as she relives their time, the puzzle of their break up starts to fall in place and all of her old feelings begin to consume her once again. But, how do they get past all that has occurred between them? How do they let go of the pain and move forward?  But, how can they let this second chance  go without even trying to mend what broke them in the first place? I can't wait to see what happens next for this couple that has already endured so much in the following story Deciding Tomorrow!Forgotten Yesterday is such a great story! I'll admit, I felt like in After Tuesday, Brent and Ruby's relationship was rushed; I didn't feel their connection or any of the other feelings that they endured throughout the beginning of their relationship. I'm not sure why....I just didn't, but in this text, I felt the pain of their past colliding with the slight hope of their future. Renee Ericson did a fantastic job of meshing Ruby's flashbacks with her current life and meetings with Brent. I love the fact that this story did not simply continue with their freshman year in college. The way that it was written left me wanting to find out what happened to them...where it went wrong, and this writing strategy brilliantly heightened my need to keep reading so my questions would be answered.  Sometimes getting one's happily ever after comes with huge obstacles and a lot of pain but perhaps those are the relationships that endure; for Ruby and Brent, I truly hope that is the case.Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.4 poison apples! (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)