For the last ten years or so the psychological thriller market has revolved around troubled and/or troublesome characters. These unreliable narrators set the pace for our story, keeping the reader on an uneven footing, causing us to stumble in surprise or stagger in shock as we race to discover exactly what is going on. The Last Thing She Remembers attempts to add a different twist to that formula – with mixed results.

She arrives at the doorstep tired and confused. She can’t find the key to her house. Worse, when she looks in the window she sees there are people standing in her kitchen, cooking and laughing and behaving perfectly at home. She knocks on the door but the man who answers assures her this is most definitely not her abode. He and his wife own it, and have the deed to prove it. She passes out on the step.

The home owners, Laura and Tony, are beyond gracious. They bring her in and convince a friend who is a doctor to take a look at her. She spins a simple story: she has just arrived back from overseas and had only realized at the train station that her purse has been stolen, and along with it her identification and important electronics like her laptop and phone. She can’t remember her name or anything about herself except that her friend Fleur is dead – and this house. She knows it in detail; the layout of the upstairs bedrooms, the brick outbuilding at the bottom of the garden, the shower in the downstairs bathroom. The doctor finds nothing physically wrong to explain the amnesia but promises to look into it. Needing something to call her Tony decides on the name “Jemma”. And he and Laura invite her to spend the night, hoping a good sleep is all she needs to jog her memory.

The next day ‘Jemma’ (who hasn’t regained her memory), Tony and Laura receive a nasty surprise. The doctor’s research revealed that there really is a Jemma who once lived in this cute little bungalow in this charming Wiltshire village, Jemma Huish. That Jemma is infamous in their small community, which might explain why our mystery woman looked familiar to some of those who had seen her the night before. That Jemma murdered her best friend and went to prison. She’s out now and has disappeared off the grid, although the police are very interested in knowing where she is.

Much of the rest of the story circles around the simple question of determining whether our mystery women really is Jemma Huish. The issue is compounded by the fact that Jemma H’s police photo is blurry and her fingerprints have gone missing from the system. Jemma H’s DNA profile is available but our Jemma is reluctant to give anyone her DNA for testing. Tony backs her up on this point; he believes it’s dangerous to trust the police. As the days pass, with increasing police presence and pressure, it becomes clear that ‘Jemma’ isn’t the only one in the village who has a history they might want forgotten.

This story alternates focus on the characters from chapter to chapter, with each chapter concentrating on the activities of a single person. The author handles this deftly, making it very clear whom we are fixed upon and why. These vignettes should have provided readers with the opportunity to understand the dramatis personae and either sympathize or be horrified by them. That works in a few cases, such as Laura and her friend Luke, who are behaving in perfectly rational ways, but it doesn’t work with several of the others, such as Tony and ‘Jemma’, because they are acting so far outside the bounds of human norms that being with them only creates confusion. The fact that these scenes aren’t drawn in first person means that we don’t connect with the character’s feelings or inner workings; we’re just privy to a few of their disjointed thoughts and inexplicable behaviors, which was frustrating. I found myself spending a lot of time with people I cared nothing about who were acting in ways I just didn’t understand. This begins to clear up about 60% of the way through the book, when the author begins to let us know what’s actually happening but by that point, Mr. Monroe had lost the opportunity to truly reel me in. I was curious enough to find out how the tale was going to end but I wasn’t invested enough to lose even a few minutes of sleep for it. Where I normally have to force myself to set down what I am reading and go to bed, it was quite easy to set this on the night stand and wait till the next day to pick it up again.

The very things that made this book difficult to invest in – lack of character formation and the peculiar nature of the mystery in the first half – also make the novel difficult to discuss. The story simply doesn’t advance beyond its surface aspects for the bulk of the page-count. As far as characterization goes, our mystery woman doesn’t evolve from a frightened, fragile and odd creature till we are past the halfway point. Then she becomes just odd and a bit stupid. Tony’s peculiarities are often laid at the door of his being American, but being an American myself, I knew that wasn’t why he was acting so strangely. We don’t find out what’s partially motivating him until a little more than a third of the way through the story, or what’s really inspiring his actions till near the end of the narrative. Which brings me to pacing; things would, I think, have worked a bit better if they had moved a bit faster. Focused ‘Jemma’ and unraveling Tony were intriguing; had I met them sooner I might have been more entertained by their tale. I think the author put so much effort into surprising us with the ending that he forgot to keep us engaged at the start.

For those who can make it to the end, the story has a rather surprising, if a touch unbelievable, finish. As the author allows the secondary plot to shine through, our characters’ true selves begin to emerge and expand, and the pacing picks up with action that moves the tale briskly forward. The novel begins to really gel and starts to tell the story it had wanted us to read from the beginning. Had the whole been more like the second half, I think I would have given it a higher grade.

That said, given the lethargic, rather baffling start The Last Thing She Remembers receives a hesitant and limited recommendation from me. If you are a fan of slow build mysteries, someone who enjoys a very leisurely journey to a surprise finale, you might enjoy this book. If you prefer a story that grips you from the start and won’t let go, I would recommend trying one of the numerous other suspense novels that have received higher grades here.

This mystery/thriller about a victim of stress-induced amnesia was an original and captivating tale. I was immediately drawn into the tale once the main character says at the beginning that she doesn’t know her name. I loved how the author drew me deeper and deeper into the story until I was so invested in finding out the truth that the book was impossible to put down until I had finished it. Fans of mystery books with a deep sub-plot will no doubt enjoy this book! The characters were mysterious, the identify of the unknown woman was intriguing and the backstory of Jemma Huish, a murderer from a psych ward was mystifying. The author did a masterful job of writing a book that will keep mystery fans reading late into the night!

The premise of “The Last Thing She Remembers” was fascinating and very original so I figured that I would be onto a real winner with this book and I was right!

I found this mystery captivating from the start and loved the fast-pacing and the short chapters. The fairly complex plot was brilliant and there was quite a mix of varied characters from the personable to pretty awful. Different characters narrated the story and the writing style altered to suit that individual which I thought was an interesting and novel idea.

“The Last Thing She Remembers” was a mind-blowing story that had me second-guessing myself at every turn. Each page was layered with dishonesty, drama, and deceit.

The ending really took me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting the conclusion to be as it was.

Overall, I was really impressed with JS Monroe’s efforts and I highly recommend this book.

I haven’t read ‘Find Me’ yet, though it has been on my radar for some time now and I hope I get to it fairly soon.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Park Row Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Imagine showing up a home that you know you are familiar with but you have no idea how you got there or who you even are? When a mysterious woman, with no ID or idea who she is, knocks on the door of the home of Tony and Laura, a wild ride is put into action as they try to help her piece together her identity- all while protecting themselves from who they are afraid she could be.
I really enjoyed this book. This was not your run of the mill "woman forgets who she is" and I was hooked from the first chapter. I haven't read this author before but I will check into his other books because I found the writing strong, the pace quick and a lot of surprises throughout- great combination for me! I thought the different POV kept the story moving and fresh- and while I really did not know how it was going to end, I was satisfied with the last page!
Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #NetGalley #TheLastThingSheRemember

The Last Thing She Remembers by J.S. Monroe is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harlequin – Park Row, 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:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
When a woman knocks on the door of Tony and Laura Masters house in a small village outside of London, no one is more surprised than they are when they invite this stranger in and tell her she can stay. They don’t know her, and she doesn’t know them. She also doesn’t know herself. The only thing she can tell them is that she arrived at the airport from a business trip to Berlin, and lost her purse. She doesn’t know her own name, has no ID, but she is sure that their house is actually hers. She can even describe the lay-out before she is shown around. A trip to the doctor’s office seems to confirm that she has amnesia. Her arrival in this small village has brought out all the theorists.

Dr. Patterson is the first to think the woman may be Jemma Huish, a young woman from town who had slashed her room-mate’s throat after warning the police she wanted to murder someone. No one stopped her. Jemma ended up in a mental institution, and was eventually rehabilitated, but is currently missing.

Laura Masters, once willing to welcome the woman in to her home, no longer feels safe. Her husband insists that the woman is not Jemma (although he was the one that suggested they call her that).  Tony is, however, very interested in her amnesia.

Sean at the bar is sure she is a Russian spy.

Luke thinks she may be his daughter.

Hopefully the police will be able to solve this mystery. Unfortunately, the woman seems to have her own agenda, and doesn’t want to co-operate.

 
My Opinions:
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I know he has written a couple of others. I’ll have to check my library, because they’ll be moving up my TBR list.

I loved this book.  It isn't just another "woman with amnesia" book. It grabbed my attention from the first few pages, and I struggled to put it down. The writing is clear and concise, the plot interesting, and the twists surprising. I love a book that has me doubting the reliability of a number of characters. What more could I want?

Well....there may have been a little much going on, and about half way through I thought it was a good place to end, until I realized that the author had more surprises in store. So it may have been a little long, and stretched the believability quotient a little, but I didn’t really care too much.

I enjoyed it.

This book was great! It was a little confusing, but I loved the way it turned out. I enjoyed the characters! I also loved the writing style!

Who can you trust if you don’t know who you are?

A mysterious woman appears at the doorsteps of Laura and Tony's home claiming she lives there but she doesn't remember her name and she has no ID with her, strange because she knows details from inside the house only I person who lived there before would have known, apparently she is suffering from a type of amnesia, the couple let her stay to help her find out who she is, and then the story stars to unfold.

The story is told from different points of views, sometimes I got a little confused with so many twists, but I found very captivating so I keep on reading it.

I didn't have any idea of how this story was going to end and I really enjoyed finding it out how.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley who provided me with an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. #NetGalley #TheLastThingSheRemembers

The Last Thing She Remembers is one of the best books I've read this year. It's suspenseful to the point where I couldn't put it down and just had to find out how it all ends.
It's well-written and the characters are beautifully developed. The story is so well thought out and executed with a plot that's paced to my liking. It has many twists that kept me on edge, I had so many theories along the way and I just enjoyed this book so much. I recommend it.

I was looking forward to reading The Last Thing She Remembers by J.S. Monroe. I loved how it started! This woman has lost all of her identification at the airport when she got off the plane. Somehow she rides the train to this little village and finds her way to a house that she knows and thinks might be hers. She knocks on the door and a young woman answers. Laura and her husband, Tony, take the stranger in and let her stay the night. They take her to the local medical center in the morning. This is when it gets weird. After staying for a day or two in a room at the local pub, Tony has her “Jemima” (Tony’s name for her), Tony convinces “Jemima” to come back to the house. His wife has gone away for a few days. When the police want to talk with her, pTony convinces her to go up in the attic. This story continues to get weirder and weirder! Not believable. I wanted to like this book but for me, it fails as a psychological thriller,

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Thing She Remembers is being at the airport. At least that what we are told from a narrator we just don't quite trust from the beginning. She shows up with a suitcase and no ID or idea of who she is. She knocks on a door, claiming to have once lived in the home. Tony and Laura, surprisingly, let her into their homes and lives. It isn't too long before you start to guess who she is and question the motives of most of the characters. Could she be the Jemma who is a murderer? Why did Tony give her the name Jemma in the first place. Why are the people helping her helping her? Why are the people so adamantly against her that way as well?

There are a lot of stories being told here, but they go together well. You think you are nearing the end of the story, coming to a conclusion to a mystery. Then you realize you are only halfway through. You realize how unreliable memory is and how much attention people really pay to each other. Would you know someone you had met 12 years before from someone with the same hair and body type? Do you really look at other people if you aren't close to them?

This story was confusing and way too convoluted for my taste. The premise was strange and while appreciated the revenge angle, it didn't play out well.

this was a fresh and creepy thriller regarding the amnesia trope which has be over/poorly done in other novels (oh,not this one!)

i will mention there were times i was quite confused but i am chalking it up to my ARC copy being annoying formatted in multiple areas

that said- i was hooked and read the book two days even if i did figure out more than a few of the plot points. lastly i felt the ending was a both a bit abrupt and incomplete but it didn't lessen my overall enjoyment of the book

EXCERPT: 'Are you awake?' I hear him say in the doorway.

I say nothing, feign sleep, try to make my breathing more audible but my lips are trembling too much. A tear rolls down my cheek as I stare at the wall.

'Welcome home,' he whispers.

I want to scream but I can't move. What does he mean? I wish Laura would come upstairs. I'm trying to be brave, but I'm so fucking scared here.

I can't remember my own name.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Who can you trust if you don’t know who you are?

She arrives at the train station only to realize her bag had been stolen—her passport, credit cards, laptop, house key now all gone. And even more disturbing, when she goes to report the incident, she can’t recall her own name. All she has on her is a train ticket home.

Suffering from stress-induced amnesia, the woman without a name is a source of mystery when she appears at the sleepy Wiltshire village where she thought she lived. She quickly becomes a source of conspiracy and fear among the townspeople. Why does one think he recognizes her from years earlier? And why do the local police take such a strong interest in her arrival?

From the critically acclaimed author of Find Me comes a shocking new tale of dark pasts and deception, leaving us breathlessly analyzing the role memory plays in defining who we are—and who others think we might be.

MY THOUGHTS: Intriguing, tautly written, I read this overnight. It is an interesting concept, vastly different to anything else currently out there. And while it appears to be resolved merely half way through the book, it isn't...the real story is just beginning.

This is a new author for me and one who I will be reading more of.

****.5

THE AUTHOR: J.S.Monroe is the pseudonym of the British author Jon Stock. Jon is the author of five spy novels and a new standalone psychological thriller, Find Me, to be published in 2017 under the name of JS Monroe. He lives in Wiltshire with his wife and three children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin - Park Row for providing a digital ARC of The Last Thing She Remembers by J.S. Monroe for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my profile page on Goodreads.com or the about page on my webpage sandysbookaday/wordpess.com This review and others also appear on my webpage

A woman gets off the train in the small English village of Wiltshire. She wanders through the town eventually knocking on a door and telling the occupants that she cannot remember her name - in fact all she can remember is arriving at Heathrow Airport where she says she lost her handbag - her passport, cell phone, wallet are gone. But she says that this is her house. The occupants, Tony and Laura, allow her to stay the first night, and this begins a short stay in the village where she tries to remember how and why she is her. Some of the locals try to help her, including Luke, the local reporter, who is convinced that she is the daughter he has never seen. But all is not as it seems as the story builds with some unexpected twists and turns. Thanks to Park Row Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

The Last Thing She Remembers is a clever, though not perhaps totally original story. I found it engaging from the start, but it also reminded me a little of a lot of other books in the genre. That being said, it's entertaining and a good holiday read.

THE LAST THING SHE REMEMBERS by J.S. Monroe blew me away! Talk about misdirection and just incredible writing. I'm choosing my words carefully as to not spoil anything but this book is out in the world today and YOU NEED to add it to your #tbr list. Or just buy it right now.

A woman arrives at the house of a young couple. She believes that it's her own home but she is uncertain of anything else--her bag has been stolen, along with her memories. Tom and Laura, the couple, are determined to help her--Tom even gives her a new name "Jemma". When they take her to a doctor, police get involved. Could she be infamous murderer Jemma Huish who once lived in Tom and Laura's house?

I generally like books about amnesia/memory loss and this one has a great start. There are lots of questions: what draws the amnesia victim to the home? Is she really Jemma Huish? She does look a bit like the murderer. Could she be the long lost daughter of Laura's friend instead?

Ultimately, however, the answers to the questions are unsatisfying. The book doesn't sustain the energy of the opening chapter for long. The main characters Tom and "Jemma" are not particularly likeable.

Nevertheless, I would suggest this book to other readers who enjoy thrillers and amnesia plots.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me w/ this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book teetered between a 3/5 and a 3.5/5, I ended up rounding this up to a 4/5 due to the fact I did not guess the ending.

I did not really like the characters, and almost gave up 1/2 way through the story. The book got a little slow for me in the middle, but I decided to keep reading. The story did pick up again towards the end.

I was unable to guess what the twist was, and I was happy with the way the story was wrapped up.
I also did find the story to be original as well.

The multiple twists in this story kept me guessing until the end which made this such a delightful read! It was fun finding out that characters that I thought I understand had so many complex layers. The lotus blossom symbolism was interesting. I can't wait to read more works by this author!

This tale of amnesia and misdirection would be better if it didn’t try so hard. It is just a tad too clever for its own good and the tension suffers as a result. The first half of the story is a full tale unto itself but when the resolution occurs and there is still half a book yet to finish, I didn’t feel excited about the prospect of more thrills to come. I felt uncomfortable about needing to start again with the characters and another plot. I wish I had found any of the characters likable or appealing; they are all a bit sketchy. Ultimately I was ambivalent about the ending and that’s not a good sign. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.