A cold feeling thriller with the death of the family head, Miriam, the question lies as to which family member was responsible. The first half is pretty slow with the back and forth of time building up the story. It was a little too predictable and I found my interest waned.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this gifted ARC.

I loved the author's debut, and was anxiously awaiting this one. Unfortunately, I found it slow and hard to pick up. I decided not to finish reading it. However, I am still a fan of this author and will be extremely excited to read her next book once it comes out. Hopefully other readers enjoy this one!

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

I love a gothic mystery. This was right up my alley and a real treat! I really enjoyed this dysfunctional family and a the murder mystery element.
Overall I would read more by this author!

I loved this book. I loved getting to watch Miriam grow up and how decisions she made changed the trajectory of not only her life but he family's. This book was so well written and kept me flipping pages. I am very appreciative for the chance to read this book, and my honest opinion is that I can't wait to read more from this Author.

It’s Christmastime in Bar Harbor, Maine, and the Caravasios family has gathered from afar for what may be their matriarch Miriam’s final holiday, as dementia rapidly claims her memory. What they don’t anticipate is Miriam’s inexplicable disappearance onto the icy landscape before the festivities even begin. Was it a confused accident, a deliberate act of suicide, or something more sinister, like murder?

As news of her vanishing spreads, the family’s eccentric personalities emerge, vying for a share of the family’s wealth. This book, however, isn’t primarily a thriller or mystery; it’s a meandering love story devoid of syrupy romance, shifting between past and present with a subtle undercurrent of suspense that steadily builds.

Rich with vivid descriptions and deep, well-explored characters who exude the eccentricity authentic to an old, affluent, blue-blooded clan, the true gem of this novel lies in its twisted humour.

Despite its initial slow pace, I found myself thoroughly captivated by this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved No One Will Miss Her by Kat, but this one I couldn't get into. I tried several times, but it just wasn't happening for me. After several chapters I kept getting confused on if we were in the present or past or why I cared. It just wasn't gripping me. I'll still pick up Kat's next book, but this one wasn't for me.

(I was given an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review)
Family secrets and a long-ago death frame this tale of a family trying to hold things together while coping with their matriarch's growing dementia.. This one has enough intrigue and red herrings for the hungriest mystery fan.

85-year-old Miriam Caravasios, suffering from dementia, walks out onto ice surrounding her Mount Desert Island seaside estate in Maine. The ice breaks and she dies.

The story moves back and forth in time, to reveal Mimi's earlier life and the great romance that defined it. Her granddaughter Delphine inherits the bulk of Mimi's estate, and begins to suspect that her death was not an accident.

She starts looking for answers, and finds some to questions she hadn't even asked. Like her grandmother, Delphine steps onto thin ice.

Kinda freaking out over here …

I pray I can do this book AND Kat Rosenfield justice with my book review .

I’m a huge fan of Rosenfield, in case you can not tell. I have read them all, Inland, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, No One Will Miss Her (fave!!) and now You Must Remember this (new fave!)

I literally squealed in delight when my approval email came in. How did I get so lucky ?

I will tell you one thing, You Must Remember This, does not disappoint . Not that a Rosenfield book ever could but just WOW! This book exceeded my already high expectations and left me in udder disbelief.

The character development was on point, the storyline was narrated with precision and the twist? Well, you are going to have to read it to find out but I promise you, it will leave your jaw on the floor .

In true Rosenfield fashion, there is no way you could rate one of her books less than 5 stars without it being considered criminal. So here it goes, You Must Remember This, breaks the 5 star scale and soars to my number one spot for crime/thrillers.

Teaser:

A Knives Out-style whodunnit with a twist of Taylor Jenkins Reid, You Must Remember This is an immersive Gothic mystery, with a long-ago love affair, icy death, and a rich family gone bad, from Kat Rosenfield, the acclaimed author of No One Will Miss Her.

On Christmas Eve, eighty-five-year-old Miriam Caravasios steps onto the ice that surrounds her seaside estate on Maine's Mount Desert Island. As a younger woman, she used to steal out on winter nights to meet her lover, walking across the frozen reach to their secret meeting place. She knows the way—but not the year. Miriam, her mind clouded by dementia, doesn’t hear the snap of thin ice until it’s too late.

Was it an accident? Suicide? Or worse: did someone lure the old woman onto the frozen reach, to her death?

There are plenty of suspects; Miriam’s fractured and complicated family has gathered in their Bar Harbor mansion to celebrate what everyone believed would likely be the matriarch’s last Christmas. The guests include Delphine, Miriam’s granddaughter, a frightened and insecure young woman who adored her grandmother, and Miriam’s live-in aide, Adam, whom Delphine has been secretly dating. There is Miriam's former housekeeper, Shelly Dyer, who left the family's employment years ago under mysterious circumstances. There are Miriam’s children: Theodora, who gave up everything to assume the role of caretaker; Diana, who seems just a little too eager to inherit her share of the estate; and Richard, whose longtime grudge against his mother has curdled into gleeful contempt at her deterioration.

But it’s Delphine who comes in for the greatest scrutiny when they learn the shocking news that Miriam’s will cut off her children, leaving her granddaughter almost everything.

As tensions rise, Delphine is emboldened to start asking questions: not just about her grandmother's death, but about her life, and the love story that defined it as the rest of her memories faded. The trail will take her into the past, into dark places — and eventually, onto thin ice.

The premise of this book had me geared up and ready for a great twisty mystery. The execution left a lot to be desired. I love the holiday setting and the large family with a whole cast of characters. I just felt like it drug on a bit too much and was expecting a little more shock. I did enjoy the writing style and will definitely give this author another shot. 3.5 stars

Delphine and her mother are caretakers for her grandmother's fading estate. Mimi--Miriam--is an elderly woman not necessarily beloved by her children who has spent her life in this house until recently. Now suffering dementia, Mimi stays at a care facility, and has been brought home for the holidays. Delphine's mother arranged for all three of Mimi's children to be available, not knowing what surprises Mimi had in store for them. The relationships between the two daughters and one son have never been close, and what comes to light may lead to a total break down. Did it also lead to Mimi's death?

A woman entirely devoted to her family name and to her long-dead husband, Theo, much of the book is devoted to poignant memories from Mimi's relationship with Theo, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Those flashbacks seem a little out of place until the reader begins to realize that someone may be using Mimi's own past--or her own troubled mind--against her.

Brilliant character-building will keep readers engrossed even if the boiling miasma of family dysfunction doesn't--but it should. The whodunnit aspect of You Must Remember This is entertaining and creepy as well. In the end, you'll feel something for every one of the characters--though it might be horror.

I was not a fan of this at all. I was really looking forward to it because of its comparison to Knives Out. I’ve learned never to trust book comparisons. I found this book to be too descriptive at parts and I started skimming to see if anything good was going to happen.

At first listen I wasn't in the mood for a dementia thriller, but when I came back to the story at another time I loved it once I got past the prologue. Inheritance thrillers are always fascinating, and the setting of the creepy family mansion made the story even more captivating. The family drama was very well done with everyone having a motive to hate Delphine and a bone to pick with Mimi. The reveal was satisfying if not entirely surprising, and I enjoyed the ending.

Hym this book just didn’t work for me. I was hoping for more of a knives out type book but the dual timelines are unnecessary and the mystery wasn’t there for me. I did however love the setting but this one just wasn’t for me.

The kind of book you can’t put down. It is so well written, and the mystery and twists and turns had me intrigued and glued to the pages from start to finish. This is an addictive thriller with an ending that you will not see coming.

I enjoyed this. The characters, the story. I did predict the twist, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable.

The description had me when TJR was mentioned with a thriller. This one may have been mismarketed as a thriller as it leaned more women's fiction or contemporary fiction. It was also more predictable than I would have liked.

"Secrets, secrets, are no fun. Somebody always tells."

I don't know why, but for some reason, Kat Rosenfield's novels just WORK for me, and You Must Remember This was no exception. Even though it has pretty slow pacing, I was fully engrossed in both the characters and the story, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen. The viewpoint changes between Miriam's past and Delphine in the present was pure genius, and I loved that it was the way in which the reader ends up getting the entire picture of what got us into our current scenario. I ended up crying near the end of this book which some people might find ridiculous, but it hit me SO HARD! The different family members were a hot mess, and I loved all of the drama and tension this added to the storyline.

The audiobook is narrated by Stacy Gonzalez & Katherine Conklin, and I fully believe they helped keep me fully invested in Miriam and Delphine. I did think Conklin's narration was a little off near the end of the book (weird pauses where there shouldn't be any), but other than that all the narration was spot on and they fit oh so perfectly with their characters. I was completely shocked by so many things that happened in You Must Remember This, and the gothic feel and spooky setting (I don't care what anyone says, the Whispers is a CREEPY-ass house) were icing on the cake. I highly recommend going into this book as blind as possible plus with an open mind, and if you do this, I think you will love it just as much as I did.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved Kat Rosenfield’s recent book, No One Will Miss Her, and couldn't wait to read You Must Remember This. With a dysfunctional rich family, a mysterious death at a creepy house, everybody having a secret, and historical flashbacks, what’s not to love? Well, unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. I really enjoyed parts of this book, particularly the grandmother’s backstory, but overall the book just didn’t consistently hold my interest due to its slow pace.

Despite being a little disappointed with You Must Remember This, I look forward to reading Kat Rosenfield’s next book.

I recommend this one for those interested in a whodunit with alternating timelines.

I received a gifted copy of this book.