Review of “Remember Me” by Rachel Vogel

​Score: 91/100 (9.1 out of 10)

Remember Me: Loved and Lost But Never Forgotten is an incredibly touching, emotionally-charged book by Rachel Vogel. The book reflects on the inspiration, experiences, and lessons that the author gained from her late mother. This book leaves no question that she left an undeniable impact on her life.

This book also contains the reflections of Kevin (the father of Rachel's child) in regard to his mother, Diane. This is a very personal and sentimental book.

However, if you're expecting this book to be all doom, gloom, mourning, and sadness, then you'd fortunately be mistaken! This book is full of light, life, joy, and even humor. This is such a humorous—if not hilarious—book at times!

Think back to some of the wild and wacky things that you and your parents got yourselves into. Think back to all the strange, funny, inappropriate, and out-of-place things they may have said. It's like what Dr. Scott Flagg said in Real Psychology: humor is a way of perspective shifting. Perspective shifting, in turn, is one of the key necessities in life.

In a manner of speaking, Vogel's mother was/is quite a character in this book! She was the author's “wingwoman”--their helper, their supporter, their “biggest defender.”

She was also spunky and a bit sassy! There were even times when she was a bit raunchy and flirtatious, which we found very amusing and entertaining, particularly when it came to the ski instructor whom Bandit (the star raccoon in Vogel's children's book series) is based on.

So, what are some of these wild, wacky, and fun memories the author has of her mother? Well, surprisingly, a lot of them have to do—of all things—with bovines (cow-like animals)!

There's one story in which the mother gets all frazzled and a bit hysterical over an apparent stampede of cows that also left manure all over the driveway. To be fair, we all would've been a bit frazzled and a bit hysterical. But the way that the mother expresses herself is so funny and entertaining!

Likewise, there's a scene in this book involving a bull-like animal called a watusi at a petting zoo in which the creature seems to get pretty upset and angry about the family turning their attention to feed a nearby reindeer. Now, this is probably the tensest and even scariest scene in the book, but the mother quickly diffuses and makes light of the situation with the hilarious way she interprets it!

There's another adorable, hilarious story in which the author collects frogs, one of her mother's greatest fears, because of misinterpreting what someone said. This leads to some hilarious shenanigans!

This is a book, along the lines of Are You Ready? by Dr. Kimberly Harms, about legacies and memories—the things we leave behind for those we love (and the things they leave behind for us). It's also about reflecting on the past while carrying on into the future. There's actually a section at the end of this book in which you can actually write different notes, letters, and reflections based on the prompts. That's right: this book invites YOU, the reader, to reflect and think about your loved one. We appreciate that.

One of our favorite passages from this book reads:

“Beyond all else, hold family close and love them dearly. Do not let a night go by without saying (and meaning) 'I love you.' Resolve any quarrels and do not let them linger. Remember the most important thing in life is love. Love without limit as I love you, forever and always, in life and beyond.”

If that doesn't give you the feels, we don't know what will.

Check it out on Amazon!