2.5
I wanted more. This was an ok read and was headed towards a really good one but it veered off. I liked the opening, it was a good start. The problem, it went to such a strange, dark and sad place.

There was a lot going on, many side plots. There were surprises and the characters, on the whole, weren’t very likable. The writing was solid, alternating voices and timelines deftly.

The conclusion was not what I expected. It was pretty tragic and the actions and reactions after the fact were just as sad. The story is told well, it just left me a bit unsettled.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
Wonderful thriller. Keeps you wondering what else could possibly happen for the whole book. A mother who has devoted her life to helping her daughter recover from a horrifying experience she had at 5 years old.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have enjoyed several of Lucy Dawson's books and her latest one The Memory does not disappoint. Isobel had a traumatic experience with her martial arts teacher shooting a pellet gun at her as a child. She is now in her 30's and still speaks like a 7 year old girl. Is she trying to protect or harm her ex boyfriend's family now that they have moved into her former childhood home? This book was riveting and just when you think you know what's going on, Lucy throws in a plot twist that leaves you saying wtf?! #lucydawson #netgalley #bookouture #thememory #litsy #goodreads #tea_sipping_bookworm

This book was an enjoyable read but had some dull moments. I liked the beginning of the book, where the readers learn about the main characters daughter who survived a extremely traumatic event as a child and never recovered. I felt like some parts though were all over the place and confusing while others were exciting. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5 stars

I love Lucy Dawsons' writing. I find her books are descriptive, easy to read and follow and utterly gripping.
Having read most of her previous books and thoroughly enjoyed them, I knew I would enjoy this, and I did.

The Memory is a dark compelling read with unexpected twists and kept me gripped all the way until the end.
Another very good read and one I would highly recommend.

oh boy! This book! It was so dark, disturbing, and unsettling! And SO GOOD!

This book was one wild and crazy ride that took me places I was not expecting! A creepy story that completely draws you in, and you are convinced you know what direction you are headed, but boy was I wrong! Secrets and lies and deceit all leaving me completely bewildered! This is the third book I’ve read this year from Lucy Dawson all have been spectacular and unique... not only unique from one another, but different from all other psychological thrillers....

This book starts with a bang! a tragic event that will change the lives of Yves, Isabel,Adam and Tim forever... the tragedy appears to have impacted Isabell the most, leaving her permanently trapped in a childlike state... this also greatly impacts the lives of eve, Isabel’s mother and Adam, the man who is in love with her... when Isabel’s life is completely upheaved, a move and the return of a blast from the past... secrets start to spill out!

Told from the alternating points of view of eve and Clare... I thought this was brilliant Eve obviously has been in the midst of all the drama from day one... but Claire is a unwitting newcomer.... can only imagine how disconcerting it would be to meet Isabell, this stunning woman with the voice of a child and perhaps the mind.... then to find out that this woman has ties to your significant other... so much manipulation and deceit running throughout the pages of this book! So hard to write this review I want to convey how much I loved this book and I don’t want to give a single thing away.... just know you will need to buckle your seatbelt for this rollercoaster... the ride to the top of the hill may take some time... but once you get there watch out! The other side is one crazy twisted ride that will leave you breathless!

Absolutely recommend to anyone who enjoys a well done perfectly paced thrill of a story!

*** huge thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

Eve Parkes has been a widow for just six months. She is still grieving and trying to care for her 7-year-old daughter, Isobel. In an effort to keep the child busy with extracurricular activities, Eve has signed Isobel up to take a self-defense class. There are just a few children in the class, including Adam and Tim. The instructor, Paul Jones, comes across as a bully and Eve notices that Isobel is intimidated by him. During the class, Paul’s assistant brings in a pellet gun and begins shooting the children, terrifying them. Adam protects Isobel from the pellets the best he can. Eve grabs Isobel, running away and calling the police telling them the man is armed. The police arrive and when he refuses to give them the gun, they shoot Paul dead.

Twenty-seven years later, Eve and Isobel are still living in the same town, in a large home called Fox Cottage. It is quite old and has many problems so Eve has decided she needs to sell it and move into something smaller and more modern. Isobel still lives with her and is now 34-years-old. She has never really grown up and still talks using a baby voice. She has moods and Eve walks on eggs trying to placate her believing she is deeply disturbed by the shooting years ago.

Claire and Tim have been together for many years and have a two-year-old daughter named Rosie. Unbeknownst to Claire, Tim took 250,000 pounds from their account from the sale of her mother’s house and put it an investment with his friend that has now failed. Thus, they are without money and are going to live with Tim’s parents in the same town where the shooting occurred. Tim’s parents ask Claire to view Fox Cottage to see if she likes it and, if so, they will buy it for them to fix up and live in. She does and the sale goes through. After that is when Claire realizes that Tim and Isobel had been in love in the past and sees potential problems.

This is a dark and depressing book. There are elements of hauntings and the occult via a Ouija Board. There is what could be described as a love triangle as well. While I would not like to live in that house as they author describes it, I felt that parts of the story were somewhat contrived. I really liked the author’s book, “The Daughter,” but did not really care for this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was not my first book by this author, but when looking back at previous books I had read I saw how much I enjoyed them all. So, based on that I already had very high expectations for this one! Based in the beautiful Welsh border town of Oswestry, this book tells the story of Eve and her daughter Isobel. Initially the story is set 30 years previously when Isobel is 7 years old, but after the opening chapters it moves forward to present day. This review is really hard to do without giving away too much, but I’ll give it a try!

The blurb doesn’t really give anything away as to what this book is really about! This book is definitely one of those stories that the least you know about it the better! It’s not just about Isobel, a fully grown woman with the voice of a young child, but it’s also about the devastation caused by one man and the repercussions it has throughout so many lives. It is a psychological thriller but there also is a ‘spooky’ feel to the whole story, which certainly made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

As I started reading the book, I had my own opinions as to how the storyline was going to play out. By a quarter of the way through the book, I had it all worked out! By half way through, I’d worked out I was wrong and had another go at guessing what was going on. By the end I was just….wow! I was still completely wrong, but the ending was way better than any ending I had already guessed! The twists and turns towards the conclusion of the book made me feel dizzy and I genuinely did not see the ending coming at all. The ending makes you look back over the book and the characters and it changes your opinion of them.

I usually would now say about how I liked this character and how I didn’t like this, but I honestly don’t think I can do that with this book! My opinions on each character changed as the book moved on. Some I believed in, some I didn’t trust and others didn’t even peak on my radar, and this was constantly changing. The book made me feel very uneasy at times, but in an exhilarating kind of way!

It also surprised me to see the topic of Sudden Adult Death being brought up in the book. I suffer from Long QT Syndrome, which is an electrical problem with the heart, which is one of the causes of Sudden Adult Death. Thankfully mine is known about and I'm treated and monitored, but it's not a topic you see broached very often in books! Great move by the author for promoting awareness of this condition!

Whilst I haven’t told you much about the storyline of the book, trust me this is something you definitely want to read. It’s chilling, spooky, gripping, mesmerising, sad and emotional. It has a lot of mistrust, lies and deceit, and it shows that even the people you trust the most have the biggest secrets! It got under my skin so much I woke up in the night just to read it and certainly couldn't let it go until I'd finished it! Like all the author’s other books, I absolutely LOVED it, although I will be checking the bedroom at night from now on….just to make sure!

Good book, really enjoyed it. Will recommend this book to others. And will read it more than one 5******

What a book! The Memory is everything I had hoped it would be and more. I was gripped from the start reading in a page-turning frenzy to get to the concluding pages. Lucy Dawson really knows how to weave a web of wonder with spine tingling moments that turned my blood ice cold and where I found myself reading that little bit further under the duvet for safe keeping. I won't delve into any kind of descriptions regarding the plot as I don't want to give away any hints or spoilers but the blurb explains everything you need to know before diving into this thrilling story.

The characters created in this book are vivid and real and each play their part extremely well, pulling you into the storyline one chapter at a time. The mysteriously beautiful Isobel is by far the shining glory of the piece and her character took me on a rollercoaster of emotions from frustration to empathy and straight through to tears creating an emotional journey through the book which I loved every minute of.

If you're looking for something that captivates you from the start, that pulls you in and doesn't let go then look no further than The Memory. I absolutely loved everything about this hair-raising book and couldn't recommend it more.

This book is about a man that moves his family back to his hometown, where he and some other kids went through a tragic event when they were attending a sports class. Moving back stirs up memories, and then other things start to happen.

Wow...this book was creepy! I was nervous for Claire and Rosie almost the entire time! You start out feeling one way about certain characters, but by the end...you just really don't know how to feel about it. It was definitely a twisted ending that I did not see coming!

Thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #TheMemory

This was the first book I have read by Lucy Dawson. After reading the description of this book I was excited to read this book.

The Memory is an addictive thriller of a book from the very beginning and I found myself flying through the chapters to see what would happen next. I was hooked from the very beginning of this book and I enjoyed reading about the various characters that we are introduced to throughout the story.

The story is told in two different timelines by two different points of view. The book starts off from Eve’s point of view. She takes her daughter Isobel to a martial arts class and something dramatic happens that leaves everyone there scarred with awful memories of that tragic, awful day. Isobel is never quite the same afterwards. Fast forward about 30 years later and we are introduced to a woman named Claire, and her family. They move into the home that Claire and Isobel shared.

Strange things happen, that are dark and creepy, and you are left to wonder if these things are actually happening or are they imagining it. A great story that was a pleasure to read through to the end.

I look forward to reading more books by Lucy Dawson.

This is a twisted story mixing two families, something happened which changed the past of both of them and now it’s time to confront the past and tell the truth… ready to discover The Memory?
I have to say that I was a little bit confused with this story, it was slow paced and didn’t happen much in the beginning, and in the last pages everything happened too quickly… I was a little bit in shock with the ending, not that I didn’t like but it was a little bit rushed.
The story is told between Eve and Claire; Eve is selling her house and starts a new life with her grown up daughter. On the other side is Claire, she is buying Eve’s house, but doesn’t know her or her links with her husband… She will discover a lot of secrets and lies that will make her to see her husband and his family with new eyes.
I didn’t like much either of the two protagonists, one is too compliant and the other is too much obsessive, this makes the story a little bit weird, I would like to think that if I am too controlling with my son someone would say something to me, like Eve has done all her life to her daughter… On the other hand, if my husband loses all our money gambling I would not move to another city to keep him happy, sorry, neither of the situations are like something I would believe, but I suppose in this story they worked.
What really surprised me of the book was the magic that was involved in it, there was nothing too explicit, but you never knew what was really happening involving bad luck or something else, that made the story darker and gripping.
This is a different story to read, I am sure you’ll be glued since the first page and want to know more about the characters and what they are hiding!

I have enjoyed previous books by this author, so I had high hopes for this one. Lucy did not disappoint me however, this is slightly different to previous book I have read by her.

Brilliantly written, brilliant story. However, I did find some of the chapters were a bit too long for my personal liking. An easy read which picks up quite quickly.

The Memory is a story told through different views, but all relate. Dont want to give anything away… I was hooked. This book has it all. It is easily a book you can sit and devour in one sitting. I awarded a fair four stars and would highly recommend! Who will you be routing for?

When I saw there was going to be a blog tour for The Memory by Lucy Dawson, of course I was going to jump on. After all Lucy Dawson is one of my go-to favourite authors for a twisty, jarring read.

First Line of The Memory by Lucy Dawson

"He asked me out again as the class was about to start, while kids were taking their shoes and socks off."

My thoughts on The Memory by Lucy Dawson

I was a little nervous when I started reading this book, as I didn't immediately take to the characters. And that is a strange experience for me with Lucy Dawson, as I usually find her characters relatable and I instantly click. However the more I read, the more I realised that due to events in the past, I scarcely knew the characters, and I had to give them a chance.

The plot is a lovely slow burn, that had me flipping pages quickly to get to the bottom of the strange events. In particular I was intrigued to see what memory the title was referring to, as I was sure it wasn't the obvious contender. The setting is dark, eerie and very, very ominous . We're talking Ouija boards, Voodoo dolls and all kinds of ghoulish elements and I was a little jumpy at times reading it.

Like most of this author's books, I can't say much about the actual plot, as it's a huge spoiler. But I loved the direction it ending up taking, and the ending was hugely satisfying.

The bottom line: It took a while to settle in to it, but then I loved it!

Who should read The Memory by Lucy Dawson

I’d recommend this to you if you like creepy domestic-noir type thrillers, clever plotlines, and hints of paranormal activity. Fans of Shalini Boland, Liz Nugent and Paula Hawkins should also enjoy this one.

Thanks to Bookouture for giving me for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.

The Memory by Lucy Dawson is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis:
When Isobel was seven years old, a shooting event traumatized her,  and she never fully recovered. At 34, she still speaks in a child-like voice, and her mother Eve caters to her. Eve has been so protective of her daughter, that she never really allowed Isobel the freedom to grow up. They moved to Fox Cottage, and there they have remained. But the “Cottage” is much too big and costly, and Eve finally sells it. She’s afraid to tell Isobel, and when she realizes who has bought the property, her fears grow. But Isobel has her own secrets, and some of them may be revealed when the new owners take possession.

Claire has been with Timothy for years, and they have a small daughter named Rosie. With circumstances beyond her control, they are forced to move closer to Tim's parents, and Claire agrees to purchase Fox Cottage with the aim of sprucing it up over the next year. But Claire has been kept in the dark about a number of things, including the relationship between Isobel and Timothy. Nor is she aware of the relationship between Eve and Timothy’s parents.

Eve thinks Claire is aware of everything, and she tells her that she will not be happy in Fox Cottage. If only she knew.

It seems the house itself is trying to force the family out…..or is it human intervention that is forcing the issue.

My Opinions:
The book is about loss, and love, families, and secrets. Part of it was very sad, part of it a little dark.

Most of the characters were initially very hard to like. Timothy and his parents seemed to be very manipulative. Both Claire and Eve came across as naïve. However, on the whole, they are all just trying to protect their children, and after a while you started to feel their pain.

I like the way the author used both Eve’s and Claire’s perspectives to tell the story. The alternating chapters kept the reader informed and interested. Dawson provided both human and supernatural options to keep the reader guessing, and it was done well. The twists at the end were really good.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book.

You can always rely on Lucy Dawson to come up with an intriguing story that will hook you from the first page to the last. Her books don't tend to be the regular run-of-the-mill psychological thrillers, in the sense that even if you do see the twists coming, there's always this incredible layer of emotion woven throughout the story that almost wraps itself around your heart in a vice-like kind of way.

I'm not telling you anything about the plot. The description is a nicely vague one and I prefer leaving it like that. Suffice to say Izzie is indeed a most unsettling character and one that is very hard to connect to. You never quite know what she'll do or say next. Yet, she's also someone to feel sorry for and that feeling only grows throughout the story.

The Memory is one of those books that lends itself perfectly to be read in one sitting. One of those utterly addictive page-turners that has you reading one more chapter and then another one and before you know it, it's way past your bed time but hey, who cares, right? With lots of strange things happening, I was left to wonder if this was a case of paranoia or hallucinations. Yet, I found I was utterly convinced I knew exactly what was going on and couldn't put it down until I reached the conclusion. As it turns out ... I was completely wrong.

This is a tense and gripping tale of secrets, unrequited love and a mother's fierce attempts to protect her vulnerable daughter. It's dark, sometimes creepy, sometimes disturbing but intensely compelling and delves into quite a few traumatic and important themes. An unnerving read that has desperately left me wanting more from Lucy Dawson.

The Memory by Lucy Dawson was my first read by the author. After reading the blurb, I wanted to read it! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first chapter had me sitting on the edge of my seat with only one thought: This is going to be an amazing read! I couldn't stop reading, until the story jumped some 20 years later. I feel like that was a big let down. Then came the supernatural and my interest spiralled downward from there. This novel is a slow burning mystery and I personally prefer more of a fast paced story. I had a hard time getting into the story, but I know it's only because it didn't quite meet my interests. For someone who likes a good supernatural story, this one would be a great pick.

The characters are strong, the dialogue and scenes were fantastically written and described but the general feel of the book didn't quite win me over.

This is a brilliant book.
The story revolves around two families - Eve and her daughter Isobel, - and Claire, Tim and Rosie.
Tim grew up with Isobel but moved away many years ago.
Tim’s circumstances change and he has to move back home with his parents along with Claire and Rosie.
It’s clear there’s history between him and Isobel but Claire is more worried about Isobel’s state of mind. She struggles with being an adult and has emotional outbursts which her mum, Eve has difficulty coping with.
Claire and Tim move into a house near his parents but Tim starts to hear things and see things that frighten the life out of him. He’s scared to live there but Claire can’t see what the problem is.
Soon events escalate and someone is fighting for their life.
This is a real page turner and I was desperate to know how it would all turn out.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is fantastic and is on my mind even days after I've finished it. The twist is mind blowing. 10/10 - brilliant.