I wasn't impressed with the storyline of this book. It was okay, but I honestly felt like the ending was thrown together randomly just to finish the book.

Walking up in the hospital after hitting her head Lucy discovers that life is no longer as she knew it. In fact, it is totally upside down! Matt, her sweet co-worker, is actually her live-in boyfriend, and Daniel, who Lucy vividly remembers as her brand-new husband, isn't her husband at all! In fact, she and Daniel broke up four years ago and haven't spoken since!

These shocking revelations lead Lucy down a dangerous path of regrets and trying to revisit the past while ignoring the man who has been there for her all along.

Although it has been done before, I enjoyed the premise of this book. Waking up in the hospital believing that your life is very different from what it actually is would be unimaginably scary and confusing, and Brown conveys that well through her writing and through the situations that Lucy finds herself in. I liked the fact that Brown decides to take an unconventional route with her plot, as Lucy is determined to make her remembered way of life become a reality instead of focusing on the life right in front of her.

Well-written and thought-provoking, with an ending that I wasn't really expecting but really enjoyed, the latest book by Karma Brown is absolutely worth picking up.

The Life Lucy Knew is a novel about a woman that is in a relationship with a man named Matt, slips and hits her head, and wakes with what they called false memories - believing that she is married to her ex, Daniel. Recalling the wedding, the dress, and the details of this happy union, she struggles to understand that they have been apart for years and that she actually lives with Matt (whom she recalls as a friend and co-worker).

The premise of the novel was unique and engaging, but I did find myself frustrated several times wishing everyone would just spill the beans and I hated the situation that Matt was in. I realize he didn't want to push and that Lucy supposedly felt love and loyalty towards Daniel, but I still wished things could have been spelled out for her earlier.

Although I sympathized with Lucy's situation and her internal struggles, I was more invested in Matt and cared more about a positive outcome for him. A good novel, but not fabulous.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I found this book to be just okay. I didn't feel that I connected with the main character and felt that I had read better versions of this story.

I’m a big fan of Karma Brown’s books and I didn’t even know the premise of this book when I requested it. I’m happy to say I loved this book!! Lucy wakes up in the hospital with a coworker and her parents at her bedside. She doesn’t know why she’s there or what happened and she’s confused about Matt being there and not her husband Daniel. As Lucy begins to learn more about her medical situation she is even more confused. She realizes her memory has definitely been compromised and there are big portions of her life she has no recall of. Even more confusing is the fact that some of the memories she has are actually wrong. She was never married to Daniel and Matt has been her boyfriend for years. She remembers Matt as a coworker but doesn’t remember their life together. As Lucy tries to regain her memory she relearns many aspects of her relationships that she just can’t recall. While Lucy struggles with her new reality she has to decide what she wants her new life to look like going forward and also decide if Matt fits into it. It was an interesting journey following along with Lucy as she tries to adjust to her new normal and to learn that some of her assumptions of herself and others are not what they seem. Another great book written by Karma. The characters are engaging and the story is captivating.

Must-read women’s fiction: Books by Molly Harper, Karen White, Emily Giffin, Karma Brown and more
By: Leigh Davis | July 26, 2018 12:00 am
So little time — so many books! This month we have double coverage of women’s fiction recommendations with both June and July books. So let’s dive in!
Little Big Love by Katy Regan
What it’s about:
Ten-year-old Zac Hutchinson collects facts: Octopuses have three hearts, Usain Bolt is the fastest man on earth.But no one will tell him the one thing he wants to know most: who his father is and where he went.
When Zac’s mother, Juliet, inadvertently admits that his dad is the only man she’s ever loved, Zac decides he is going to find him and deliver his mom the happily ever after she deserves.
But Liam Jones left for a reason, and as Zac searches for clues of his father, Juliet begins to rebuild what shattered on the day that was at once the happiest and most heartbreaking of her life.
Told through the eyes of Zac, Juliet, and grandfather Mick, Little Big Love is a layered, heartfelt, utterly satisfying story about family, love, and the secrets that can define who we are.
The right stuff: Zac is adorable! Complex family relationship is compelling, and point of view creates an ideal story. A winner!
The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
What it’s about:
Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never, ever show you.
Into her hiding place – the bookstore where she works — come a poet, a lover, and three suspicious deliveries.
Someone has found out about her mysterious past. Will Loveday survive her own heartbreaking secrets?
The right stuff: Marketed as a bibliophile delight, and it is true! Loveday will capture your heart as you become engrossed in the story of her guarding her own heart — from disappointment and betrayal. Wonderful backdrop romance as her Prince Charming helps break down the walls.
The Lido by Libby Page
What it’s about:
Rosemary Peterson has lived in Brixton, London, all her life but everything is changing.
The library where she used to work has closed. The family grocery store has become a trendy bar. And now the lido, an outdoor pool where she’s swum daily since its opening, is threatened with closure by a local housing developer. It was at the lido that Rosemary escaped the devastation of World War II; here she fell in love with her husband, George; here she found community during her marriage and since George’s death.
Twentysomething Kate Matthews has moved to Brixton and feels desperately alone. A once promising writer, she now covers forgettable stories for her local paper. That is, until she’s assigned to write about the lido’s closing. Soon Kate’s portrait of the pool focuses on a singular woman: Rosemary. And as Rosemary slowly opens up to Kate, both women are nourished and transformed in ways they never thought possible.
The right stuff: This book has been compared to Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove because of its heartwarming theme of multigenerational relationships. It’s a marvelous flashback romance and features a developing one. There’s also a Goliath theme — a little guy against big business.
Ain’t She a Peach by Molly Harper
What it’s about:
An Atlanta ex-cop comes to sleepy Lake Sackett, Georgia, seeking peace and quiet—but he hasn’t bargained on falling for Frankie, the cutest coroner he’s ever met.
Frankie McCready talks to dead people. Not like a ghost whisperer or anything—but it seems rude to embalm them and not at least say hello.
Fortunately, at the McCready Family Funeral Home & Bait Shop, Frankie’s eccentricities fit right in. Lake Sackett’s embalmer and county coroner, Frankie’s goth styling and passion for nerd culture mean she’s not your typical Southern girl, but the McCreadys are hardly your typical Southern family.
The right stuff: The funeral home and bait shop combo is pure quirkiness, and it works! Frankie’s eccentricity is too droll. Plenty of romance. Southern idiosyncrasies at their most amusing.
The Late Bloomers’ Club by Louise Miller
What it’s about:
Nora, the owner of the Miss Guthrie Diner, is perfectly happy serving up apple cider donuts, coffee, and eggs-any-way-you-like-em to her regulars, and she takes great pleasure in knowing exactly what’s “the usual.” But her life is soon shaken when she discovers she and her free-spirited, younger sister Kit stand to inherit the home and land of the town’s beloved cake lady, Peggy Johnson.
Kit, an aspiring—and broke—filmmaker thinks her problems are solved when she and Nora find out Peggy was in the process of selling the land to a big-box developer before her death. The people of Guthrie are divided—some want the opportunities the development will bring, while others are staunchly against any change—and they aren’t afraid to leave their opinions with their tips.
Time is running out, and the sisters need to make a decision soon. But Nora isn’t quite ready to let go of the land, complete with a charming farmhouse, an ancient apple orchard and the clues to a secret life that no one knew Peggy had. Troubled by the conflicting needs of the town, and confused by her growing feelings towards Elliot, the big-box developer’s rep, Nora throws herself into solving the one problem that everyone in town can agree on—finding Peggy’s missing dog, Freckles.
The right stuff: Miller does a wonderful job of showcasing the complex relationships we have with our siblings and how to lose the judgment and accept differences. Great sense of community, too!
The Lost Queen of Crocker County by Elizabeth Leiknes
What it’s about:
Crocker County crowns a new Corn Queen every year, but Jane Willow’s the one you would remember. She can’t forget Iowa, either. Even though she fled to LA to become a film critic years ago, home was always there behind her.
But when a family tragedy happens, she’s forced to drive back to Crocker County. The rolling farmlands can’t much hide the things she left behind: the best friend she abandoned who now runs a meatloaf hotline, the childhood front porch that sits hauntingly empty, and that fiasco of a Corn Fest that spun her life in a different direction.
Before Jane can escape her past a second time, disaster strikes, and she will have to find a way to right her mistakes and save herself from her regrets. An unflinchingly love letter to the Midwest that unfolds through a celebration of movies, this ferociously endearing novel brings home the saving grace of second chances.
The right stuff: Pure delight for film buffs. Riveting story of small-town girl transformed into mocking, skeptical sophisticate until she returns home and finds the courage to forgive herself and “make it right.” Strong multifaceted heroine. Wonderful “Believe So” theme.
All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
What it’s about:
Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton.
Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.
Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.
Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenaged girl, happy and thriving.
Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.
At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.
The right stuff: Giffin combines today’s relevant themes of boys will be boys, the impact of social media and the MeToo movement into a compelling read.
Dreams of Falling by Karen White
What it’s about:
On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree’s trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping—including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.
But life can waylay the best of intentions….
Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads—and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.
Ivy, Larkin’s mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years—whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal—that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.
The right stuff: This one is everything you’ve come to expect from a Karen White book. Strong female friendships, a second chance at love and a great family mystery! (See an excerpt on HEA from Dreams of Falling.)
The Life Lucy Knew by Karma Brown
What it’s about:
After hitting her head, Lucy Sparks awakens in the hospital to a shocking revelation: the man she’s known and loved for years—the man she recently married—is not actually her husband. In fact, they haven’t even spoken since their breakup four years earlier. The happily-ever-after she remembers in vivid detail—right down to the dress she wore to their wedding—is only one example of what her doctors call a false memory: recollections Lucy’s mind made up to fill in the blanks from the coma.
Her psychologist explains the condition as honest lying, because while Lucy’s memories are false, they still feel incredibly real. Now she has no idea which memories she can trust—a devastating experience not only for Lucy, but also for her family, friends and especially her devoted boyfriend, Matt, whom Lucy remembers merely as a work colleague.
When the life Lucy believes she had slams against the reality she’s been living for the past four years, she must make a difficult choice about which life she wants to lead, and who she really is.
The right stuff: An imaginative (and horrifying) plot of memories that are not truly memories. Strong romance and a true happy ending!
Leigh Davis is a former contributor to Heroes and Heartbreakers. When she is not reading, she’s usually outside throwing balls to her insatiable dogs. She loves hearing and talking about great books. You can connect with her on Twitter and Goodreads.
MORE ON HEA: See more posts by Leigh
Elizabeth Leiknes, Emily Giffin, Karen White, Karma Brown, Kate Regan, Libby Page, Louise Miller, Molly Harper, Stephanie Butland, women's fiction, Recommended reads, Top stories

I enjoy this Author very much and am always looking forward to her writing a new book. She hits it out of the park again. What a story. Just read it!!!

I loved this story as I do with all of Karma's books.
Set in Toronto where the author lives and I grew up, made the story exceptionally appealing being familiar with the streets and various locations mentioned.
An original and interesting premise has Lucy Sparks waking up from a coma after falling and hitting her head, only to have false memories. She knows who she is but the life she recalls living is not the life she has led. Healing and moving on becomes complicated as she isn't sure which memories are real and which are false.
Engaging characters, a clever storyline, an emotional read.
I highly recommend "The Life Lucy Knew" by Karma Brown.

Thank you to Karma Brown, NetGalley and Park Row Publishers for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

interesting entertaining and unique. I really enjoyed this story. It was quite the story. I highly recommend it. I was given a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley , the opinion is my own

THE LIFE LUCY KNEW takes us on the adventurous journey of examining our closest connections and what would happen if YOUR truth is not THE truth. When Lucy awakens after being in a coma, she firmly believes that she is married to her old boyfriend, not the man she actually lives with. She remembers the wedding, her dress, the first dance, everything. As for her current boyfriend, Matt, she views him fondly (he was her work husband) but the spark of attraction and the three years of memories are gone. Karma Brown will make you examine your own memories and wonder how much of them you have created yourself, rather than having truly lived them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from Karma Brown!

While I found The Life Lucy Knew to be entertaining, I felt at times I was reading two separate stories. It a story of amnesia and false memories, and the premise and synopsis were compelling. I really was entranced by the first half of the book. The tension was palpable as the story unfolded and the twists began. I thought I had a handle on Lucy but as the second half unfolded, her actions were so contrary to the character portrait I had drawn based on my reading that I was quite confused. i went back to see if there was something I had missed that made Lucy's actions contrary. I never did reconcile her actions, which made the conclusion of the book less than stellar for me. I began to wonder if the author was doing to me what had been done to Lucy...

3 stars.

I have read and loved every one of Karma Brown’s books. She is one of my favourite authors! Unfortunately, this novel fell shy of my hopes and expectations.

Lucy Sparks wakes up from a coma after falling and hitting her head. She has lost most of her memory from the last four years. She also discovers that she has what her doctors call, ‘false memories’ or ‘honest lying’. Her brain has created memories that feel real but are not real. Through therapy sessions along with the help of her friends and family, Lucy works to unravel the details of her life that seem scattered and broken.
I found the premise of the story intriguing, however, the execution didn’t quite work for me. I couldn’t connect with Lucy. As devastating as her situation was, I didn’t “feel” anything for her. For me, the storyline seemed to take on a less serious tone than Brown’s previous novels.

Even though this novel didn’t live up to my love of her previous books, I still look forward to what Karma Brown has in store for us next. I remain a huge fan of her work.

This was a Traveling Sister read with my lovely Norma.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin and Karma Brown for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lucy Sparks had a wonderful wedding and a handsome husband....or did she? Lucy wakes up in the hospital after an icy fall and is confused. She's full of memories that never happened. Life that she thinks she knows....isn't real life.

This is a story about a woman trying to piece her life back together. She's trying to find the life that she was living - and not the life that she thinks she's had. Lucy is on the journey of self discovery and dealing with the truth about herself.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Karma Brown for the opportunity to read this lovely book.

3.5 Stars!

THE LIFE LUCY KNEW by KARMA BROWN was an enjoyable, interesting, quick and easy read that had an extremely interesting and fascinating premise to it. I absolutely love books with an amnesia component to the storyline and whereas I did really enjoy this one I was a little disappointed with the ending. I normally thoroughly enjoy Epilogues and all that they reveal to us but with this one I would have liked to have had a little more insight into the inbetween of our main characters relationship, therefore lowering my overall rating.

KARMA BROWN delivers a well-written read here with an engaging and unique storyline that has us following along with Lucy and her heartbreaking journey. Our main character, Lucy is suffering from a head injury where her brain has re-written her memories causing false memory. I really felt strong emotions for Lucy and what she endured. I can’t even imagine how I would feel or how I would react in a similar situation.

Overall, it was an enjoyable, entertaining, and quick read with an ending that I wasn’t completely satisfied with. Karma Brown is an author that I thoroughly enjoy as she always delivers a reliable, heartwarming, and emotional read. Would recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Karma Brown, and Harlequin - Hanover Square Press (U.S. & Canada)/Park Row for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Lucy fell and she can't remember certain events in her life and she has false memories too. My problem was her friends and family surrounding her that lied to her instead of telling her truthfully about her life from the beginning after she awoke from the accident. They spent so much time telling her quite not the truth how are you suppose to believer them when they say they're finally telling the whole truth. Daniel is a sh*t, why Lucy could not see that was beyond me. I think if Matt had told Lucy the big stuff she might have recovered some memories quicker. The story was just a bit frustrating.

Fascinating. Lucy wakes up in hospital not understanding what has happened to her or where her husband Daniel is or why her work colleague Matt is thee. Hah! This lovely novel is all about memories and rebuilding lives, loves, and trust. Lucy can't trust anything she knows because she's never sure if its real or not. I was impressed by how Brown managed to keep a slight level of menace going underneath it all - I was never certain of what would happen and whether I should be afraid for her life. At first I wasn't sure Daniel really existed but then the question was what exactly happened with Daniel? Matt is clearly a hero and Lucy can't see it. Some might find her selfish but she's real stuck in her own mind. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I very much enjoyed this because it was different, suspenseful, and very well written.

This was another take on the amnesiac forgetting the love of her life and everything that she ever knew. Lucy believes that her ex fiancee is her husband, and the man she truly loves is just her faithfully responsible co-worker. The author poignantly tells the story of what happens when everything you know is not what is true. Lucy must deal with the conflicting emotions as she struggles to remember the true memories in her mind, and not the ones that she has created as a result of her head injury - some of her memories have been implicitly altered so that she believes she actually married a man she broke up with. The reader follows Lucy and is kept in suspense about what her next move might be - will she continue her romance with faithful Matt or return to Daniel - who she believes is the love of her life? Fans of romance will enjoy the extra twist to a standard romantic tale because there is a dash of suspense and uncertainty that will keep them guessing about the life Lucy knew.

I have loved all of Karma Brown's books. All I've given 5 stars. But this one fell short. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. It just seemed to drag to me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this book early. All opinions are my own.

"I think normal is what life looked like five minutes before I slipped on the ice."

How horrible it had to be to wake up with false memories! This is exactly what happened to Lucy Sparks.

Lucy had everything going for her. She had a great relationship with her boyfriend Matt Newman. She had a great job and she was happy with her life. Then she falls on the ice and suffers a severe trauma to her head and in one second she losses it all.

When Lucy wakes up in the hospital, she discovers that the man next to her bed, her friend and co-worker Matt is actually her live-in boyfriend but she doesn't remember anything about her relationship with him. Instead, she remembers her ex-fiancee Daniel London but she remembers him as her husband. She remembers everything about her wedding even though, her parents assured her it never happened. She hasn't even seen him in four years!

Lucy feels so confused and every time, she is close to Matt she feels like she's cheating on Daniel. It breaks her heart and Matt's too.

For his part, Matt is determined to help her try to remember by recreating some of their special moments.

The Life Lucy Knew broke my heart. I felt bad for both Lucy and Matt. They were served with a rotten deal. Matt was so sweet and patient but I also understood how terrible it was for Lucy. She was feeling a sense of loyalty towards Daniel, a man whom she believed to be her husband. She had trouble recognizing which of her memories were true and which were false and created by her own mind.

"Feeling like you're a passenger in a car, versus the driver."

I couldn't put down The Life Lucy Knew, I HAD to know how the story was going to unfold. Her unique situation forced her to make new choices. I NEEDED to know which road she was going to follow. I won't lie, I was rooting for Lucy and Matt the whole way through. He was so easy to like and fall for. Rooting for Lucy was not difficult. She had to question everything in her life and have the courage to continue onward with her new life since she wasn't sure her memories will ever come back.

With the Life Lucy Knew, Karma Brown has created a new fan in me.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Harlequin via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy wakes up in a hospital bed with no idea how she got there. It turns out she slipped on some ice and hit her head on the sidewalk. The good news is that she is ok physically. The bad news is that she can't remember the last 4 years of her life, and some of the memories she does have are false, a condition her therapist calls honest lying. Lucy does everything in her power to remember, while everyone she loves tries to help her recover those memories.
This book was so heartbreaking at times. I was really rooting for Lucy to remember and was frustrated right along with her when nothing seemed to work. I love every book I have read by this talented author, and this one was no exception. This is definitely a must-read!