Member Reviews
Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this one - all opinions are my own.
Full disclosure - I LOVE the way Hannah Mary McKinnon crafts a story. Huge fan of the entirely devious way that Hannah folds twists into her stories in a way that you really, truly, don't see coming. I don't think the woman has written a book I didn't love entirely.
That being said, this brand new book from Hannah has me ready to pre-game call it - this is THEE best, most scandalous, delightfully diabolical, DELICIOUSLY twisted book Hannah has written yet. It. Is. Riveting in how devious it is.
Utterly addictive, this is the kind of book you devour in one sitting. It’s a Holy S***, what just happened, OMG did she go there kind of book. It’s already on my Top 2021 Reads kind of fantastic.
While the trope of amnesia in a character who cannot remember themselves, their current life, or the past they seemed to be running from isn't new, Hannah's take on it certainly is. I won't offer anything as a spoiler, but I will say that I was GENUINELY surprised at the turns this story took, and it takes a lot to surprise me (as a huge reader in this genre).
What I will say is that you want to read this one if you love bubbling under the surface tension, soap-opera-dramatic explosions, and characters you can't get enough of. A MUST for 2021!
I had this one all figured out.......until........
I really don't know where to start because I don't want to give, even one little thing, the possibility of a spoiler. So I apologize for being very vague.
Jack, Asher, Lily, and Maya all have their secrets. Some bigger than others. Some deadlier than others.
This book hooked me right from the start. The writing was vivid and expressive whereas I felt I had been transported into the setting. The suspense exciting and at a perfect pace that any time I picked up the book, it propelled me right back into the story. Caveat: This book would have taken me less time to read because it was so good except for the dreaded adulting.
As I mentioned, I had it figured out, but that didn't stop me from reading because there were still loose ends to tie up that I had to know how it ended.
The ending!!!! Mind blowing!!! The type of ending where you sit there and start picking your jaw off the floor!!!
Another author that just landed herself on my "authors to read" list.
Pick this book up NOW!!!
Will post to blog on 05/21/21
Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When Lily's boyfriend Jack disappears after going for a swim, near their home in Maryland, she finds out Jack wasn't his real name. Meanwhile Jack is alive but has amnesia and finds his way to Maine because he feels like that is where he is from.
This is told from the perspectives of Lily, Jack (Asher) and Jack's stepsister, Maya. I liked the concept and was interested right away but then somewhere along the way things slowed down and I kind of thought I knew what was happening and it lost a bit of the intrigue. But, overall it was pretty good. I would read more from this author.
My brain just exploded! I DID NOT see that ending coming. Wow. You Will Remember Me was a creepy story about memories and obsession that I couldn't put down. I devoured this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
What would you do if you woke up and couldn't remember anything, not even your name? Lily's boyfriend has disappeared after saying he was going for a swim. How is this all connected? I started this book and could not stop reading. I enjoyed having the different points of view that let you get a better view of what is going on. Maya is devoted and a little creepy. Lily is sweet and lovable. Ash is trying to find his truth. This story is dark and twisted. It twists and turns and I thought I had it figured out, but that ending just kinda smacks you right in the face. The way the author weaved these perspectives together is incredible. Pick this book up! You will not regret it!
received a complimentary copy of You Will Remember Me from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Wow! I just finished this book, and even though I had a hunch where it was going, it still took me by surprise—fantastic psychological thriller! I felt for Jack/Ash as he tried to determine who he was following a head injury which stole his memory. The shady past of his own and that of his girlfriend, Lily, allowed for quite a bit of deception and mistrust. An overbearing step-sister does not exactly help the situation. I LOVED this book and I am still rehashing the unorthodox plot twists in my mind....particularly towards the end! Great book!
You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon!
A huge thank you to the author for my ARC! Hannah Mary McKinnon continues to prove just how incredibly crazy good she is at this thriller stuff! Like all of her books before, she nailed it! I was hooked from the very first line! I was so emotionally connected to the characters. In fact, I’m pretty sure not one emotion was left unscathed throughout this book! Not the ending that I was expecting in the least but no less fabulously twisted.
Hannah has an amazing way of consuming you into each of the personalities that she writes. If you haven’t already had a taste of her writing, I encourage you to jump right in. Don’t wait another minute!
Author's note:
A few years ago, a man from Toronto vanished from a ski hill in Lake Placid while there on vacation and showed up six days later in Sacramento. He had amnesia and couldn’t remember much, including the cross-country trip he’d made as he’d hitchhiked across the US. Everything worked out for the man in the end and he found his way home, but it made me wonder—what could have gone wrong? That was the genesis for YOU WILL REMEMBER ME. A while later I had a vivid image in my head—a man waking up on a deserted beach without any recollection of who he was, or what he was doing there. I kept coming back to his story, how he’d arrived on that beach, what he’d do, and how much danger he was in. As I noodled the plot around, I wondered what might happen if he found his way home but had no idea he’d actually left the town years before, and unknowingly walked back into the dragon’s den. That was it. I needed to know what happened next, and if he’d survive.
This was a challenging book to write in many ways. Having multiple point-of-view characters (there are three) is always more complex than having one protagonist as you have to develop the character more quickly. I’d also completely underestimated writing a point-of-view character with amnesia. You can’t give them any backstory or memories, nor can you have scene after scene of somebody telling them about their past. YOU WILL REMEMBER ME was a tricky book to write, but it stretched me as an author.
I hope you enjoy the read.
First, I want to thank Hannah Mary McKinnon, Harlequin Books, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.
Psychological Thriller fans you must put Will You Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon’s must read list for 2021!! This is my favorite book Hannah has written that I have read of hers. Will You Remember Me is intense, suspenseful, oh so twisted, evil, tragic, etc.
Hannah Mary is a brilliant writer who came up with a story in a class by itself! The intensity in this story kept building up as the story progressed. The deeper you got into it the story it became extremely twisted! So twisted I had to do a double take!
After reading the gripping and detailed prologue I knew I was sucked in!
With many psychological thrillers there are some topics that may trigger some readers. These topics would be suicide and murder.
Hannah Mary brings awareness to Retrograde Amnesia and it plays a very important role in the book. It is a storyline I found extremely fascinating.
There are wry colorful characters in Will You Remember Me. Nobody rubbed me the wrong way quite like Maya. She was so possessive to the point obsessive over her brother.
Hannah did an amazing job pulling out all of Lily’s frustrations and emotions. I too would feel and react the same way.
I had to smile when there was a mention of a character that lived in Buffalo. Like the character that is where I live.
Be prepared to be utterly blown away by the shocking surprises at the climax of the book. It is jaw dropping good!
Hannah Mary provides a book discussion guide in the back of her book. This is a great tool and so beneficial for book clubs.
You Will Remember Me is a simmering suspenseful read that absolutely explodes at the end. While it starts off as a familiar amnesia trope, Hannah completely blindsides her reader and makes it unique and fresh—she is the queen of shocking endings. It is layered, deftly plotted, and perfectly paced.
Kept me reading, but I didn’t love it. The plot, the characters, the twists, all fell flat. Wouldn’t recommend.
This book was amazing!! Hannah Mary McKinnon is an author whose books I have always enjoyed and this one was no exception. Loved everything about it! She had me hooked from the first few pages right until the very end.
This book is going to be a favourite of mine this year, and a favourite of many other thriller lovers out there. This one was a wild ride! It was intense, creepy, devious, disturbing and totally diabolical. In short, it's brilliant! This is the type of book that you will read super fast because you can't stop turning the pages. The need to know what happens next outweighs the need for sleep or anything else!
This one featured one of those characters that you just love to hate. The twists just kept coming. While I knew pretty early on which character was the "bad guy", I had no idea just what they were capable of and the story still kept me guessing right up until the last few pages. Hannah absolutely nailed this one. It comes out in May and you are going to want to pre-order and get yourself a copy! This one is sure to be a top thriller this year and I am so impressed!
Magnificently malevolent and darkly diabolical, what begins as a case of amnesia quickly turns into a riveting, sinister ride. Every twist, every layer skilfully unravels to an explosive conclusion that will have you gasping out loud. You Will Remember Me is an absolute knockout!
Jack and Lily are a happy and adoring couple, living a relaxed life on the Maryland coast. Until the day that Jack goes missing after an evening swim. Lily is frantic. The police have assumed that Jack drowned, and Lily begins to believe so as well. However, as Lily begins to search for answers, it begins to appear that Jack may not have been the man she thought he was.....
Hundreds of miles away in Maine, a man unknowingly ends up in his hometown. He can't remember his name, his past, or how he arrived there. While he tries to connect the dots and salvage any lost memories, he inadvertently reconnects with Maya, a girl who claims to be his stepsister. It turns out that Jack's real name is not Jack, but Asher, and that he disappeared from his Maine hometown without a trace a couple of years before. Maya is eager to support Jack and help him reclaim the life that he has lost.....almost too eager, it seems....
It's not long before Lily sees a report on the news about a man with amnesia turning up in Maine. Could this be Jack? Leaving her life in Maryland behind, Lily travels to Maine to possibly reconnect with the man that she believes to be her boyfriend. Once in Maine, Lily and Jack reconnect, much to Maya's dismay. One would think Jack's stepsister should be happy that he has found his lost love, but Maya appears to be hiding something. And she will do anything to protect her secret....and Jack.
This book fell flat for me. While it was a quick read, I found it extremely predictable and overdone. The plot seemed pretty juvenile, and I almost felt like I had read the same book before by many different authors. My advice? Read McKinnon's earlier stuff to get the most bang for your buck.
Jack wakes up on a beach in only his board shorts, a nasty cut on his head, and absolutely no memory of how he got there or who he is. What a roller coaster of a ride this book is. McKinnon hooked me from page one and didn't let up until the conclusion. Definitely recommend.
This was such an edge of my seat thriller and page turner. I didn’t know how it was going to end and never saw anything coming- just the way a true thriller should be!
I think this is her best book yet!
Hannah McKinnon does it yet again! Another edge of your seat book! This story makes you think your losing your mind right along with the main character. The story takes so many twist and turns you don’t know how it’s going to end. It will leave you breathless! I have been a fan since the very first book by Hannah and if you haven’t read her books you are missing out!
This was an interesting concept but a somewhat predictable story. The story is narrated by 3 different characters, including Asher/Jack who has amnesia; Lily, who is dating "Jack" and wondering why he lied about who he was; and Maya, Asher's step-sister.
The book starts with Asher/Jack waking up on a beach in Maryland with no idea who he is or how he got there. He somehow finds his way back home to Maine (which requires you as the reader to suspend your disbelief), where he is reunited with his sister Maya who has never stopped looking for him. You also get the alternate viewpoint of Lily, who is trying to figure out what happened. While none of these characters were all that likeable, Lily was my favorite, with clear mistakes in her past and the smarts to do a little detective work to track Jack down.
The book was pretty fast-paced and there was definitely one surprise I didn't see coming towards the end; but otherwise, I felt that the story was predictable. I figured out almost immediately what was really going on and what secrets were being hidden-- honestly, I actually expected the book to go to a darker place in one aspect than it actually did.
All in all, decent read, but I wish I had been more surprised. The pacing of the book was strong enough that I'll likely check out other books by this author, though. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to get an opportunity to read this highly acticipated suspense thriller by a homegrown canadian author.
My thoughts (they are still raw)
* the Ending- mind blown- love that is wasnt happy, it was messy full of loose ends and possibilities. I Wish more writers would do this. I Saw the ending coming but I didn’t yet understand the how and why which kept my eyes glued to the page. Talk about building anticipation.
* The trope of Unrequited love, forbidden love had a new twist, totally taboo it added to the twisted psychological aspect of this book
* The amnesia and gambling was a good distractor from the actual crimes being committed. It left me doubting myself at the beginning as I was expertly driven of course by the author
Such an amazing read!!! Do yourself a favour and pick it up. It is psychologically messed up, dark, twisted, and sooo bingeworthy.
Highly recommend!!
Hannah Mary McKinnon enlists a trio of narrators to unleash her latest thriller. "You Will Remember Me" begins in the most unusual of places. A man wakes up on the beach at night, cold, with no memory of how he got there.
Meanwhile, a young woman, Lily, wakes up and realizes her boyfriend, Jack, of a year and a half has gone. Could it be the guy on the beach? Well, he doesn't know; he has no memory.
Man on the beach makes his way to a small New England town and hides from the police. He ends up at a store and is recognized as Ash, a local guy.
Let's call Ash's sister Maya. She'll know what to do.
Days later, Lily travels to a town many miles away to discover Jack is really Ash. He doesn't remember her, or anything for that matter.
Creepy sister Maya is very possessive and wants her stepbrother left alone.
McKinnon weaves a triple told tale from three writing perspectives, digging into past lives and secret obsessions.
The finale will catch the reader completely by surprise and leave them sucker punched.
You won't forget this tantalizing tale of amnesia and its deadly collision of Lily, Maya and Ash.