04/04/2016
McMillan (Who Asked You?) revs up middle age in a rambunctious showcase of the bestselling author’s keen ear for language, clear eye for the give-and-take of sex, love, and commitment, and heartfelt faith in happy endings. Here, 54-year-old optometrist Georgia Young, bored with her work and romantically adrift after two failed marriages, sets out to reinvent herself by examining the loves she left behind—providing a nifty three-step guide for finding “the Right One,” and then moving on when it turns out wrong—taking a train trip to Vancouver and turning a knack for design into a career. Meanwhile, the real work of Georgia’s life bustles all around her: her crazy-in-love 81-year-old mother, two best and brutally honest friends, and two daughters tentatively embarking on their own complicated lives—an expertly drawn cast of characters that includes the perfect foils for the alternately quixotic and practical Georgia. “Love doesn’t have an age limit, and it can find you at any time in your life,” she tells her 22-year-old daughter. “It can also just as soon leave you in a ditch... You can be a woman and be happy without a man and without love.” There’s no better guide than McMillan for this excursion through early-, middle-, and old-age crises, and no better creator of female characters who refuse to give up on dreaming, or looking back to find the way forward in their noisy, messy, joyous lives. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Literary Agency. (June)
Praise for I Almost Forgot About You
ABC Summer 2016 "Must Read"
Library Journal Best Genre Fiction of 2016/African-American Fiction
“The novel is immensely companionable, and Georgia is as alive, complex, inquiring, motivated and sexy as any 25-year-old. Maybe more so.”
– New York Times Book Review
“McMillan paints relationships in joyous primary colors; her novel brims with sexy repartee, caustic humor, and a fluent, assured prose that shines a bright light on her memorable characters. Her very best since Waiting to Exhale.”
– O Magazine
“After almost three decades of success and celebrity, McMillan still knows how to please… Self-discovery, second chances and the importance of family are thematic hallmarks of McMillan’s novels, as is the rich and colorful dialogue that make her books so much fun to read. I Almost Forgot About You checks all the boxes... By novel’s end, you’ll realize what a clever title McMillan has chosen. Georgia’s choices will have readers of a certain age looking at their own lives and agreeing with her that ‘sometimes you know in your heart it’s time for a change.’”
– Washington Post
“McMillan is funny and frank about men, women and sex. Her summaries of Georgia’s marriages and major love connections — 'this is what he gave me' — are powerful and poetic.”
– USA Today
"Reading a Terry McMillan book feels like catching up with an old friend... Displaying a range of emotions, I Almost Forgot About You is a book that is important for readers of every age. Before reading this novel, the “you” in the title may be up for discussion, but in the end, it’s clear McMillan wants readers to look within to find the answers they needed all along."
– Ebony
"McMillan is a gifted storyteller… The cast of characters enriches the narrative, bringing nuance and clarity to scenes and moving the plot along…. Georgia’s story reminds readers who have clocked a lot of living that it’s never too late to reconnect and reflect on the past as they craft the future they want."
– Fort Worth Star Telegram
"The ripple effects from Terry McMillan’s breakthrough in contemporary African-American fiction still influence our daily lives... [I Almost Forgot About You is] much in the same vein of McMillan’s other novels that track Black women’s journeys through self-discovery."
– BLAC Detroit
"McMillan is a master at her craft. Without a doubt, this book will be a hit with anyone who feels stuck in life and is ready to make a move. McMillan has done it again. Get this book and read about Georgia’s journey. This is another book that should be on everyone’s reading list."
– The Baton Rouge Advocate
“In I Almost Forgot About You, McMillan gives us a story about the possibility of change at any age couched in her customary vivacious prose and lush portrayals of character and relationships. Watching 50-something Georgia slowly reinvent herself and find lasting love along the way is a joy to behold. Here is a deeply felt, deeply courageous novel about the courage to face yourself and your past to discover—and create—the future you want for yourself.”
– The Root
"The reader finds herself torn between gritting her teeth at how right McMillan gets the relationships between best friends, ex-spouses, ex-lovers, parents and children and putting the book down to laugh out loud. Run, don't walk and pick up this exuberant summer read."
– BookPage
“Nobody does female reinvention better than McMillan… another winner for McMillan’s groaning bookshelf of hits.”
– AARP magazine
“McMillan has written an engaging novel with an appealing cast of women... This near-perfect choice for women’s book club discussions will prompt arguments of what makes a guy too good to be true. Stock up with multiple copies.”
–Library Journal, starred review
A rambunctious showcase of the bestselling author’s keen ear for language, clear eye for the give-and-take of sex, love, and commitment, and heartfelt faith in happy endings...There’s no better guide than McMillan for this excursion through early-, middle-, and old-age crises, and no better creator of female characters who refuse to give up on dreaming, or looking back to find the way forward in their noisy, messy, joyous lives.”
–Publishers Weekly
“Fans of McMillan will welcome this new addition to her oeuvre. Here is McMillan's trademark style in full, feisty effect: strong, complicated female characters, energetic prose, and an entertaining, seductive narrative. A heartwarming story that reminds us of the pure joy of believing in love.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“In her signature mode, McMillan has a casual, conversational style that makes her determined female lead warmly engaging and relatable. With humor and a feel-good tone, McMillan reminds readers that it is never too late for love or new possibilities.”
–Booklist
“Terry McMillan's novels have always been about telling the uncensored truth about friends, family, lovers, and oneself. Through addictively revealing conversations – including an instructive one about the sexual prowess of men who made the A list – McMillan's narrator is the ideal running commentator on what smart women do to reach the pinnacle of success and what they must do to get the hell out before it's too late. It's a story about both reinvention and acceptance, told in McMillan's quintessential voice, now even more expansive, prismatically perceptive, and laugh-aloud generous in how we talk about love and all its wonders.”
– Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and The Valley of Amazement
“One of my favorite authors since I read Waiting to Exhale in college, Terry McMillan has done it again with this one. Overflowing with her trademark heart and humor, I Almost Forgot About You will inspire you to live a little bigger. I wish Georgia weren’t fictional—I would find her and befriend her.”
—Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of First Comes Love and Something Borrowed
“The warmth and wisdom we have come to expect from Terry McMillan are on full display and you won’t be able to walk away from Georgia and her exuberant life. This is that thrilling kind of novel that reminds us how sometimes, fairy tales happen when we least expect them, if only we open ourselves to possibility.”
– Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Feminist and An Untamed State
