I am a big of Sarah Echavarre, and have read a number of her romance novels. I was excited to experience her writing in a different genre.

There was a lot about this book that I enjoyed - the general concept, the big twist, and the relationship between Isabel and Opal, and Opal's family. I loved Isabel's journey, and where she ended up. I adored Opal - to me, she was the star of this book. I was incredibly invested in her and her happiness.

What I struggled with and what ultimately hurt my enjoyment of this book was the dialogue. It felt like there was just too much of it, and it took away from the story. A fair amount of it felt unnecessary and repetitive.

What we remember by Sarah Echavarre

This book centres on Isabel Myles who is a hospital chaplain. She is recovering from a trauma and seems to have lost her faith. Over the course of a Summer she connects with and helps a family and reconnects with her parents. This story intrigued me and really held my interest. I thought it was engaging writing and I was invested in Isabel’s story, flying through the pages.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We all want impossible things is out on 10th January 2023.

I didn't like it; I found the story predictable and a little too sappy, maybe it is not my genre of fiction.
Thanks NetGalley and the editor for the ARC

What We Remember by Sarah Echavarre

An amazing, powerful and heartfelt book! Must read!!


When I saw that the author Sarah Echavarre had written another book I immediately got it and read it in one sitting.

Her previous book Three More Months was compelling and this one was just as much so.

So this book focuses on Isabel a hospital chaplain who is struggling with grief. She is mourning the loss of her sister even after two years. Isabel is pretty much emotionally withdrawn and shut down and is wondering what happened to her faith.

A change is needed and she gets one. Isabel needs to heal. She becomes a care giver for Opal who has dementia. Isabel and Opal are so different, in life and mindset. One clings to memories and tries to hold onto each one for as long as possible and the other who tries to forget every painful thing ever.
This book was extra emotional for me since my own beloved late grandmother suffered from dementia as well.

Opal's grandson Evan is super close to Opal and he struggles to handle the changes she goes through.

I simply adored Opal, just loved her personality. I really liked some of the creativity that Isabel came up with to help Opal as best she could.

Even though there was something revealed I was still captivated by the story to continue reading until the last sentence.

I literally could not put this book down!

I cried several times but not always from sadness.

I liked the families and their strengths.
Just wow and GO get this book!!


What We Remember by Sarah Echavarre

An amazing, powerful and heartfelt book! Must read!!





4 1/2 ****


As always, many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and author Sarah Echavarre for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.



review posted to netgalley, Goodreads. wordpress and amazon on 1-2-2023

I didn’t really know what I was falling into when started this wonderful book. It pulled me in so quickly and had me instantly absorbed. The characters were lovely, particularly Opal, who despite having dementia was such a wise, knowing character.

There wasn’t a huge feeling a character development, none of the characters showed huge flaws or were a standout villain (in my mind). Initially the plot seemed a bit contrived and too nicely falling into place. I wasn’t sure whether it would be a bit saccharine and nicely packaged up, Regardless of this the book worked really well and when suddenly you are on the final page you realise the author Sarah Echavarre, has done a splendid job at drawing out numerous big themes and in the process wrapped the reader in a giant hug.

Three of the standout themes were grief, dementia and family. I loved the way Sarah Echavarre, approached dementia and focussed on ways carers can help those amid this tough disease find happiness. This approach was so gentle and kind and heart warming. It personally helped me find a positive way to meet this horrible disease.

The grief in this book was palpable. I didn’t read lots of reviews prior to starting this book, if I had I would have been prepared and had the giant box of tissues alongside. Any initial thought of this book being saccharine quickly departed as I found myself gulping, sobbing, dripping tears before I knew what had hit me.

While this book will have you sobbing in a pool of tears it is like a giant warm hug. It pulls you in and comforts you until the very last page, leaving you feeling happy and hopeful.

Thank you Sarah Echavarre, lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in return for my honest review.
I highly recommend this wonderful book.

What We Remember by S. Echavarre, published by Lake Union Publishing, is a full-length, stand-alone novel.
Isabel is a hospital chaplain, freshly suspended she lost her faith. Tragedy struck 2 years ago and she just cat let it go. It made her world crumble, now she's back picking up the pieces. And there's Opal, an elderly patient and Evan, her grandson. Both are about to play a important role in this story.
I started reading and soon I couldn't put the book down anymore.
An intriguing read, heart-wrenching, warm and sweet, touchy feely and twisty at the same time, emotional, unputdoenable, a beautiful 2.chances story that stays with me.

A gut wrenching and emotional read about life, loss and love which I read in one sitting. Isabel, a hospital chaplain is still struggling to come to terms with a traumatic event that she had experienced a few years prior as such, she has shut almost everyone who matters out of her life.

An incident at work leads Isabel to be suspended and in order to be able to pay the bills she becomes a carer for Opal, an elderly dementia patient. Caring for Opal allows Isabel to see the importance of nurturing family relationships, prompting her to reexamine her life and the choices she has made. Have plenty of tissues close by!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this moving book.

I went into this book blind and I didn’t know what to expect. Isabel has lived a trauma which is referred to as “That Day.” Never in a million years did I expect what was coming. The revelation of the trauma is completely gut wrenching. This story is about grief and the hardship losing somebody and accepting loss.

What We Remember by Sarah Echavarre was a very emotional read for me. I must admit, I cried through a lot of it. It was my first time reading this author and I found her writing very easy to read all the while giving me all the feels because her characters were just so warm and welcoming. It’s a story about a young woman named Isabel who has experienced a great tragedy in her life. For the longest time, the author does not let you know exactly what that tragedy is but when she does, you the reader totally understand what Isabel is feeling and why she has acted like she has. It’s a story of loss, of a family and friendship that is there to deal with the aftermath and yet it’s a story of love. I liked how the author included a side story of Alzheimer’s among other things in her storyline. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it to readers of all genres. It’s a story of life and everyone can learn from it. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc that I found on the Read Now section. I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to reading more by this new author in the future. I’m giving this a much deserved 5 star rating!

So I requested this title because I’d just finished The Boy with the Bookstore. As much as this title is so very different, there are some common threads (family and culture via food) that I think many readers would enjoy.

This book made me cry. There’s a lot of sadness throughout the book - almost too much? Friendships lost, or almost lost. Strained family relationships. Loss of sense of self at work and in the world. And yet Isabel is getting up and going to work as an interfaith Chaplin at the hospital every day. Until she loses her cool with a senior doctor and is facing several months suspension.

A fortuitous meeting with a former patient leads to an opportunity to do home care work and it is through her care for Opal, a dementia patient, that Isabel ultimately loses and then finds herself.

Along the way we meet Evan, Keely and of course the ever present and very important Chantel - Isabel’s sister.

I appreciated the attention and patience shown with the work Isabel did with Opal and was truly shocked by the twist (or revelation!?) as we near the end of the novel. And yet it makes perfect sense - almost as if everything fits into place with the new information in hand. So very well done!

Isabel's life has fallen apart but now she's taken a job as a carer for Opal, a woman struggling with dementia. The tragedy that scarred Isabel and caused her to lose her faith- critical for a chaplain- is not revealed until fairly deep in the novel but it's always hovering out there. Opal's grandson Evan. who has his own struggles, becomes a romantic interest but no spoilers from me. Opal has much wisdom, even if she doesn't realize it, and helps Isabel heal in unexpected ways. The two women are strong characters and this is very much a character driven book. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

An emotional journey of finding yourself after tragedy, learning to let people in, and being compassionate

Isabel is a chaplain in a hospital, currently dealing or not dealing with a tragic event that happened 2 years ago. She is struggling with her faith, and has a day at work where she meets an elderly dementia patient and also gets suspended from work for an altercation with a doctor. A job being a caretaker for the elderly patient falls into her lap and pushes her to finally start dealing with her trauma, and rebuilding the relationship in her life.

This was a very beautiful story, with emotions you could feel through the page. The idea of compassion woven through the story was heartwarming. Some of the side characters were not as fleshed out, but Isabel's journey was very solid.

A full emotionally charged book; I couldn't read this one fast enough, as this is easily one of my favorite genre's. I love when an author can bring me to tears, and the author definitely did with this spectacular read.

Isabel has lost her faith, which isn't easy to do when she's a chaplain, but her trauma has caused her to become withdrawn and she has pulled away from everyone she knows and loves. I fully felt connected to the main character, and had a full box of tissue next to me throughout.

This definitely won't be the last book I read from this author; cannot wait for the next one.

This was a very good book. Interesting story line and good character development. Thank you to NetGalley for pre release copy for honest review.

I really loved What We Remember. I felt really connected to Isabel as she struggles to find her way through grief. This a real tear-jerker of a book, a gut buster. I cried so much in the final few chapters I could hardly see as I read. I loved the fact the source of Isabel’s grief is not revealed until almost the end of the book. You know something has broke her world but only get small clues about what actually happened. This adds suspense urging you to read on. This is an incredible book.

I really enjoyed this story and reading a long with Isabel and Opal. Made me sad and happy throughout!

A lovely story about Isabel, a hospital chaplain who is at a turning point in her life. She had suffered a major trauma a couple of years earlier and the beginning of the story leaves us wondering what this distressing event was. All is revealed later in the book as Isabel becomes close to Opal, an elderly lady with dementia, and her family. A very touching and beautiful story of grief, romance, relationships and life.

Overall: ☆☆☆ (3.2)
Writing style: ☆☆☆
Entertainment ☆☆☆
Characters ☆☆
Plot: ☆☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆

First and foremost, I would love to thank Net-Galley, the author, and publishers for allowing me the opportunity to obtain an ARC copy of this novel for my honest opinion and review.

So I think I am the outlier on this one. The other ARC reviews lean more towards a 5 star review.

For me, literary fiction that leaves me reeling and thinking for days after closing a book are deserving of a 5 star. This one did not do that for me.

At about 40%, I felt we were headed on more of a romantic prose novel; and after reading her About Author excerpt, I can understand,  as the author also writes many rom-coms.

For me, romance novels are a major turn off. Now, I can deal with romance aspects in a novel. Obviously,  characters fall in love too. But I can not stand the boy meets girl, boy and girl don't get a long, boy and girl are forced to be together through some random incident, boy and girl fall in love trope. It is just so unrealistic and a very immature writing style.

Therefore,  the author got a pretty low writing grade from me. Her redemption was that twist! I did not see that and very much appreciated it. It also gives answers as to what happened on "That Day", which I wasn't sure would be elaborated on. And I'm glad it was.

To be honest, the novel was not terrible.  It has very rom-com style of writing, and if that is your niche, you may enjoy. I think I was more disappointed because I was needing something more and I couldn't personally connect with characters.

This is not the usual thriller or Sci Fi book that I normally read, but I like to venture out of my comfort zone from time to time, and I am glad I did. This was a well written and well observed tale of relationships, and. I found it very moving and enjoyed reading it.

Isabel has cut herself off from just about everyone and everything since a traumatic event. But then she meets Opal who has dementia and needs a caretaker. Can these two comfort each other and help one another? Isabel is able to get back to living with the help of Opal, her family, and others. A heartwarming story!