#TheMemory#NetGalley#
Reviewed by: I Love To Read/Librarian
Thank you NetGalley for providing this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

A dark story with many characters who appear to be struggling to make their lives work despite traumatic events leaving psychological scars. A bully unbalanced instructor shoots at a group of his innocent students. His bullets aren''t the lethal kind, but the children aren't aware of this. Their fear haunts them the rest of their lives. 0ne of the narrator's daughter, a shooting victim, becomes an emotional cripple dealing her mother, Eve, a desperate life. The house Eve and her daughter live in is old to the point of being ancient. Over some hundreds of years the house, Fox Cottage, has been many things, a pub, a shop, etc. Eve wants to sell and is fortunate to find a buyer forced to buy the creepy place by his father seemingly rescuing his son who's squandered his wife's money on a business deal gone bad.
The house doesn't want the new family. Unsettling events happen to frighten them away. The story revolves around Eve and her daughter and Claire, the new house owner. Author goes in detail in both women's lives cementing their motivations.
The story moves along and does capture reader's attention, but It was a book I could put down and read another day. The mystery is which character is causing the haunting at the house and why.
The ending explained everything and the person responsible for the mayhem is logical. An interesting read.

2018 Goodreads Choice Awards
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Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones's Reviews > The Memory
The Memory by Lucy Dawson
The Memory
by Lucy Dawson (Goodreads Author)
30817744
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones's review Dec 19, 2018 · edit
really liked it
bookshelves: 2018, netgalley-arc, 4-star, contemporary-fiction, family-drama, mystery, psychological-thriller

EXCERPT: There was a car some distance behind, the headlights tracking us. I stared at them, getting closer, as we drove past the iron-gated entrance to a lonely farm; the otherwise deserted road on one side lined with tall foreboding pine trees, and the other giving way to a steep drop off down into the valley. This could be the start of a film. Someone following us, an unknown threatening presence in the car. . .

ABOUT THIS BOOK: She’ll never forget… I’ll never forgive.

People always notice my daughter, Isobel. How could they not? Extraordinarily beautiful... until she speaks.

An unsettling, little-girl voice, exactly like a child’s, but from the mouth of a full-grown woman.

Izzie might look grown-up, but inside she’s trapped. Caught in the day it happened… the day that broke her from within. Our family fell apart that day, and we never could pick up the pieces.

MY THOUGHTS: "I have no idea what is going on.....so why am I reading with a thumping heart that is sitting somewhere in my throat, rather than where it is supposed to be?" This is the comment I made at just over 25% into The Memory by Lucy Dawson.

Did you ever play blind man's buff as a child? You were blindfolded, spun around until totally disoriented, then had to stumble about trying to find someone to tag. Reading The Memory was a similar experience for me. Lucy Dawson is very good at leading her readers up the garden path. She had me expecting to end up in one place, but the twists and turns (and there was a glaring clue that struck a chord at the time, but which I quickly dismissed) took me somewhere entirely different.

I am not going to talk about the plot, because I don't want to give anything away, but if you like a book filled with secrets, lies and manipulative characters, then The Memory is definitely a read that you will love.

🎅🎅🎅🎅

THE AUTHOR: Lucy studied Psychology at Warwick University before becoming a children’s magazine editor. Her first bestselling book – His Other Lover – was published in 2008. Since then she has published four other novels and her work has been translated into numerous other languages. She lives in Exeter with her husband and children. Lucy finds writing in the third person uncomfortable.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Memory by Lucy Dawson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

This was an ok read. It has an interesting plot that is unusual but I could not warm to any of the characters.

The Memory by Lucy Dawson is not what I expected. The story of Fox Cottage is told from the perspective of two women Eve & Claire.

Although I liked this book, to me it had two many themes running through it, it made it a little hard to keep up and a little messy to read. I thought the ending was great however there needed to be more throughout the story to make the ending make more sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy!

This book was not what I expected. I definitely enjoyed it and would give it 3.5 stars. I never would have guessed the ending. The book was not predictable. It was full of suspense with some added supernatural drama. Honestly, I would have never slept alone in the house, it was too scary and I would have been afraid of what ever ghost or monster lived there. Luckily, the monster was finally revealed. I loved the story and writing style. The characters fit the story perfectly. Claire ended up being my favorite and pretty much the only character I liked. Adam was a distant second.

The incident at the beginning was awful. I understand how Isobel, Tim and Adam would be traumatized from what happened when they were younger. It was a scary situation and extremely crazy that someone would do that. I don't think any of them ever got the helped they needed to deal with what occurred. Isobel was so child-like and at times seemed like an actual grownup. I'm not sure Eve really got her the care she needed. Plus there were so many secrets Isobel kept from her mother. Then there's Tim. Tim is so lucky that Claire is forgiving. He just wanted his parents to fix his messes.

Definitely recommend this book. I kept wondering what was going to jump out at Tim, Claire and their daughter while they slept. The book definitely had me hooked from the beginning and I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, Lucy Dawson, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

I usually love Lucy Dawson books, but was not so keen on this one. I loved the early part of the book. It was creepy and intriguing and I was easily hooked into the story, but during the second half I started to lost interest, in part because I had an idea what was coming.

The book is still worth a read for psychological thriller lovers and, as always with Lucy Dawson, it is well written with strong characters and a few good twists, but just not one of my favourites by her.

I was a little disappointed with this book, it started so well, full of promise but just didn’t deliver for me. The story is told from two women’s point of view. Eve and her daughter Rosie have been living in Fox Cottage for a number of years and are both still suffering from the after effects of a traumatic event that happened when Isabel was 7 years old and Claire, her partner Tim and daughter Rosie who are buying Fox Cottage. Tim was also witnessed the traumatic event and him and his parents have history with Eve and Isabel. Once Claire and her family move into the cottage unexplained weird events start taking place which are linked to both families. I persevered with the reading of this book even though I didn’t like the supernatural twist to it but I did enjoy the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Memory by Lucy Dawson will be in my memory for a very long time. I want to thank Netgalley and all parties involved for my arc of this awesome read. I wish this didn’t spend so much time on my kindle because it is something you can devour in one day like one good meal and the last few pages are dessert because you get a satisfying ending. She’ll never forget… I’ll never forgive. When a class turns to death the implications of what happens will last a lifetime.
People always notice my daughter, Isobel. How could they not? Extraordinarily beautiful... until she speaks. Little girls voice coming from a woman. This is a very dark haunting read that everyone should read. The story starts with a dark traumatic scene that I won’t repeat because when you pick it up, I want it to pack a punch for you. As the story continues you find out that Izzie has a secret not even her mother knows that is attached to the house that they live in. When Izzie’s past meets her future, you find out that everything that happen with Izzie and the little boy Tim in the beginning is all connected. I know that this review is very cryptic but it is very hard to write a review for this book without giving it away. I found this book a dark adventure that is part edge of your seat and part depression because it is so sad the way things unfold. So fellow readers I wish you a fun journey on this dark ride.

I enjoyed this book, but the ending was a bit of a disappointment. You had a sense throughout that something was building and a big revelation was coming, and so the ending fell a little flat for me.
But overall an enjoyable read on the most part.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have enjoyed all this authors previous books and this was probably the best I have read, it was so dark and unsettling. I absolutely loved it.

The Memory is n edge of your seat thriller that is worthy of a 4.5 stars.
This book does do a bit of timeline jumping but it does work. We bounce from twenty and ten years ago to present time. The chapters are told from Eve and Claire’s perspective which also worked well for me. Eve is selling the house she and her daughter Isobel have lived in for years, Isobel had an awful event happen to her when she was seven years old and has had an effect on her that has lasted all her life. Claire is buying Eve’s house and bringing her partner who used to live in the area and her young daughter. As you go through this book I thought it was going to be a ghostly thriller but I was wrong. The twists that happened I never saw coming and it was quite an eerie read but i always wanted to read for longer as this was a page turner. All the characters were real so I did become invested in their outcomes.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a creepy, chilling read. What happened to Izzie is heartbreaking. Her mother Eve protects her as much as possible but there are things she doesn't know. The secrets and the shocks come out eventually. This is a very well written story which I will remember for a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Wow, really enjoyed this book. A fabulous dark Psychological Thriller. Well researched and written exceptionally well. As the book progressed so too did my reading, with so many excellent books I rarely say that one is a page turner more than another - this though is the exception from about 70% I have not wanted anything to interupt my reading.

Highly recommended. Will certainly be looking out for more books by Lucy Dawson.

What a book! It's so chilling and creepy and disturbing! You don't know what's happening and why, until you do and it's not what you'll expect at all. Definitely a 5 star read, especially if you love books with some very creepy, chilling, and twists & turns. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not have the ending figured out at all!
Will be highly recommending to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

The author wrote a great psychological thriller that spanned several decades and was told via different character views. The twists kept coming and had me wanting to keep reading!

This is a dark, suspenseful story that is full of surprises. Just when you think you know what's going on, you get handed yet another piece of the puzzle which results in rethinking your entire theory.

This is the first book I've read by this author, but I'm sure it won't be the right. She has a way of writing that feels almost like the characters are sitting next to you, telling you their story. It makes the story easy to read, even when some of the topics are not-so-easy to deal with, for the characters or the reader.

You will be quickly swept up into the rollercoaster ride of secrets, lies, and manipulation. If that's the kind of story that appeals to you, this is one you won't want to miss.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.

After an unfortunate tragedy strikes, Evie along with her daughter Isobel move to an isolated town. Many years later though when Evie decides to sell to another family and move to a smaller house, secrets come tumbling out that can have a drastic effect on everybody involved

Told from alternating point of views The Memory is a dark psychological thriller that gripped me from the start. I don’t want to give away too much so will just say it’s a fast read with a twist that I didn't see coming

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
If I had to use one word to describe this book, I would say "Creepy".
When reading, I don't often get that "edge of your seat" or "jumpy" feeling, like when watching a film, but the descriptions and build up were crafted so carefully that they did do just that.
The story took time to weave itself together, and I couldn't see exactly what it was building up to, and I certainly wouldn't have guessed the outcome.
I would stangely describe the ending as slow burning. As although of course there is a conclusion, you find yourself mulling back over the story and realising how it all came together.

The Memory starts off with a bang and keeps the pace throughout the book! Eve's daughter, Isobel, is a child when the book starts to give you the background of her life. A traumatic event that changes Isobel tremendously as she grows into a woman but is yet still childlike.

Years later, Eve decides to her the house, Fox Cottage, to Claire and her husband who happens to be a childhood friend of Isobel. Then the chapters alternate between Eve and Claire's points of view on living in the house.

This is a psychological thriller with a very dark feel to it. The author even wrote some supernatural into the book, Ouija boards and voodoo dolls will add to the creepiness.

It's a book that is very well written and will have you hooked with all the twists and turns. Some of the secrets you learn about this house and families you'll never see coming. I recommend it as an excellent thriller!

* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book

Lucy Dawson is an author whose books I have always enjoyed. The Memory turned out to be different from anything that I have read by her. The story mainly revolves around Isobel and her mom, Eve and Timothy and his wife, Claire.

This was an atmospheric read with an interesting setting. Fox Cottage, where most of the story is set, is a huge, old house. I still can’t tell you exactly how many rooms it had. The house is kinda falling apart with musty, old carpets, a door that sticks. I can tell it had a smell even if the author didn’t out rightly say so. This house had such a creepy vibe to it that added to the tension in the narrative. At the same time, there was something charming about it.

The Memory is a slow burn thriller. The suspense took time to build though it did lead to an explosive ending. There were mysteries that held my attention especially surrounding Izzie. Some of the events had my scratching my head wondering whether there was something supernatural going on. Another thing that I loved was the descriptive writing. I feel like I can recognize Isobel if I ever met her. I can imagine her child-like voice and the long hair. The author also gave the old house a personality. It was so vividly described that I can still picture some of the rooms. The descriptive writing wasn’t just in the main things but other smaller details such as Adam’s Van. I always appreciate writing that everything come alive like that.

Although I loved the writing and especially the descriptiveness, the pace and parts of the dialogue did bother me a bit and I found myself frequently checking how many pages were left on my kindle. In the end, I liked this story but I didn’t love it like I thought I would.