(Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

Blurb from Goodreads
Welcome to Gardnerville.

A place where no one gets sick. And no one ever dies.

Except...
There’s a price to pay for paradise. Every fourth year, the strange power that fuels the town exacts its payment by infecting teens with deadly urges. In a normal year in Gardnerville, teens might stop talking to their best friends. In a fourth year, they’d kill them.

Four years ago, Skylar’s sister, Piper, was locked away after leading sixteen of her classmates to a watery grave. Since then, Skylar has lived in a numb haze, struggling to forget her past and dull the pain of losing her sister. But the secrets and memories Piper left behind keep taunting Skylar—whispering that the only way to get her sister back is to stop Gardnerville’s murderous cycle once and for all.

4/5 stars
I really enjoyed the narrator voice. It was rich and complex, full of little wisdom nuggets, and unique. I can't say that I have ever encountered a narrator quite like Skylar. No spoilers, but I will say that up becomes down in the end. It was beautifully written, and the anticipation builds sweetly and slowly. I liked that the romance played a minimal amount. The true love story here is between two sisters who have been separated. Piper has been sent away, and Skylar is left to mourn. Quinn does a great job of showing Skylar's grief and her desire to forget everything. The narration pivots between first person and second person. I think second person is tricky to write, but clearly we are in the hands of a master as it is so well done. The irony is that as hard as Skylar is trying to forget, the more clear and precise her memories of Piper are. The second person chapters are always flashbacks to their time together.

I also enjoyed the seamless way the songs and The Wizard of Oz were integrated into the story.  They weren't necessary, but they certainly added a nice touch.  Each chapter that is a flashback is the title of an eighties song.  Of course, they dovetail perfectly for what happens in that chapter and are important for another reason that is revealed in the end.

The mystery builds so deliciously that I just wanted to tear through the pages faster and faster, but the words were so beautiful that I wanted to stop and savor them. I have a feeling that this will definitely be a second read for me. I also appreciated that this is a stand alone novel. I will absolutely be checking out more works by this author. 

There is a fair amount of language in this book.  No sex scenes although it is hinted that sex is traded for favors.