The Memory Library by Kate Storey beautifully highlights the transformative power of books on our lives and relationships.

As an avid book lover, this narrative effortlessly drew me in and struck a chord deep within me. I cherish books not only for their ability to provide an escape and entertainment but also for the insights they offer into my own identity and community. Consequently, the central theme of this story resonated profoundly with me. The author's exploration of the mother-daughter relationship proved to be both poignant and emotionally charged. It delved into the transformative nature of understanding our parents' actions as time unfolds and skillfully portrayed the shifting dynamics that arise when one becomes a caregiver for aging parents. Additionally, the narrative thoughtfully examined the themes of loneliness and the inherent human need for connection. The supporting characters, each contributing something unique to the core storyline, added a layer of depth and richness to the overall narrative.

If you have a passion for books about books, this is one to explore. If you're anything like me, it will leave you with a heart full of warmth and satisfaction.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for providing me an ARC for honest review.

Publication Date is 1st February 2024

The Memory Library is a poignant and heartfelt tale about a mother who has kept a little library in her house for her daughter, collecting one book each year on her birthday and inscribing a special message to her. But an accident with water and a hurt hand brings her daughter home to her to discover what her Mum is truly like and what home really means.
Kate Storey tells a beautiful story, using friends and well known novels to explain relationships and pose questions about life. I shed happy tears reading this book and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone wanting a tale of reconnecting and family.

Such a sweet, heartwarming story
of a mother's love for her daughter. Her labor of love building her daughter a library book by book, year by year. A story of viewing a situation from a different perspective and how it changes what you've always thought. A story of patience, of forgiveness. A story of relationships; Mother-daughter, lifelong friends, husbands and wives, neighbors and acquaintances. Not everything or everyone is how it seems. The evolution of relationships, of coming full circle. I loved the inclusiveness of some of the secondary characters in this book. The crabby, the quirky, the different- all treated with kindness and respect ❤️ I loved the tie in of Andrew at the end of the story and I was especially touched by the tribute to the beloved Sally in the rebuilding of her flooded library and the addition of including books chosen by her friends especially for her.

A lovely descriptive piece of writing with a deep storyline which drew me in from the first to the last page. This is a tale about a mother and daughter’s fractured relationship and how it moved forward over the years.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

"It seemed like every book she opened was enticing her to read on, exactly as they had when she was younger."

The Memory Library is a book for booklovers. Every year on her daughter's birthday Sally had bought a book for her daughter every year since she was born. Each book has a special message Sally would like to share with Ella but they have been distanct for a few years. Ella moved away to Austrailia and contacts her mum as little as possible. Then Sally gets injured and Ella has to come home to help her go about her daily life.

"The tradition of giving her daughter a book inscribed with a message had turned eight years old today...To see that she now anticipated the note and opened the book with such reverence made Sally's throat clog with tears."

Ella is reluctant to go home but her husband encourages her to as he feels their life together is no longer making her happy and he feels she needs some space to decide what she wants.

There were many touching moments between Sally and Ella as they rediscovered each other and many moments that had me tear up.

I think every bookworm with kids will want to start their own personalised library now. I certainly do., for my son and basically every bookworm in my life.

"I asked myself what lesson I wanted to teach you,' Sally glanced across nervously, 'Not in a, you know, preachy way. More of a reflection of what I'd learned over the years at certain years."

The Memory Library is a high on my recommended reads for 2024.

Sally Harrison began building a library for her daughter Ella when she was a little girl, each year on her birthday she would buy her a book and write an inscription dedicated to her daughter and she's continued to do that every year since, but Ella hasn't seen her mum properly for twenty one years, not since she fled to Australia after a fall out with Sally and has never looked back and Sally wonders whether Ella will ever get to read the books she has bought. When Ella gets a call from her mum's neighbour telling her that Sally is in hospital she knows she must return to England to help her, despite the animosity she feels towards her. When she discovers the library in the box room she is blown away, sadly the flood from the overflowing bath which caused her mum's accident has ruined the room and all of the books, but maybe all is not lost...

The Memory Library is a dual timeline told from the perspectives of both Ella and Sally and is a tale of grief, heartache and a lifetime of lost moments caused by a fallout between mother and daughter many years previously. This story shows how Ella and Sally try to claw back their lost years through tolerance, understanding and honesty and, the community that her mum is part of, plays a big part in that as they show Ella how they feel about Sally and open her eyes to the mum she once adored. I love a book where you can get totally invested in the characters, this is one of those books and so much more. I never choose a book by its cover but sometimes it will pull me in and this one did that, but The Memory Library is about more than just the cover, it's beautiful inside and out. This is a story that will wrap itself around you and envelop you within its pages, I warn you though, you will need tissues as I read the last thirty percent of this book through a mirror of tears. Although this is the debut voice of this author, she also writes as Lisa Timoney, who is also a new author to me and I can't wait to read more of her work. I highly recommend this book which is my first five star read this year!

I'd like to thank Avon Books and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Never read anything by this author before. A sad tale of mother and daughters fractured relationship which dragged out over decades and only resolved late in mum's life

The Memory Library is the story of Sally and Ella, estranged mother and daughter, and their struggle to overcome past differences. The book was slow at the start and felt bland but improved with each chapter. Thanks to the author, Avon Books and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I loved the idea of Sally creating a library of books for her daughter Ella. Every year since Ella was about 8, Sally had chosen a book for her birthday and written a dedication in it. I have to admit that at first I really didn’t like the grown-up Ella. She had left for Australia after graduation and really had very little to do with her widowed mother since then. I was so intrigued to find out what had happened to cause the rift between them.

When Ella reluctantly returns to London to look after her mother following an accident, it really is life-changing for her. Through looking after Sally and seeing how well-loved she is in her community, Ella finds out so much about her mother and what happened all those years ago and also finds out a lot about herself. For the first time, they really talk and listen and get to know each other properly. It was rather touching to read how they gradually grew closer. I looked up the Seamus Heaney poem Follower which Sally mentions to Ella and, like Ella, I watched a video on YouTube of Heaney reading the poem. It is very moving and brought a lump to my throat.

This book really is a love-letter to books and to libraries and does feature some actual love letters too. Through the library that Sally creates for Ella, the work of the public library in the community and the library that the community becomes involved in, we see just how important books and reading are.

I can’t sum up this book better than to use the words of one of the characters who is really talking about a special evening for Sally but I think it applies to the whole ethos of the book: “It’s about friendship, it’s about love and it’s about community.”.

Warning. This story is a tear-jerker. Ella returns home to do her duty to her mother who has fallen after being away for twenty-one years. It used to be they were very close when she was young, brought together by the books that Sally, her mother would share with her. But after the death of her dad, teenage Ella and Sally had a fight where Ella left in anger. After discovering a special library made by Sally for Ella, to show how much she loves her, Ella is surprised. As Ella goes about town, she notices how well everyone loves her mother and talks about her kindness. Now as an adult, Ella begins to questions her estrangement from her mother and whether she was wrong about her. Ella also notices that Sally has more going on than a broken wrist as she forgets things. On this journey with Ella, we see how perceptions as a child are different when we are an adult. I really liked this story of second chances, redemption, and motherly love. Interesting also were all the references to the many books that were important to Sally that spoke to her. I identified with that. This is a good feel-good book. Many thanks to #netgalley #thememorylibrary #katestorey for the opportunity to read and review this book. i give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you #Netgalley and #AvonBooksUK for the opportunity to review this beautiful heartwarming story.

Ella lives in Australia with her husband Charlie and little girl Willow, a call just before Ella is about to leave for work starts what Ella believes is the worse luck and upcoming month ever.

Sally has had a fall and her neighbour is off on a one month trip so the call goes out to Ella to come back to England to look after her mum.

Ella left England following a fall out with her mum on the day of her dads funeral which left their mother daughter relationship in tatters, Ella hardly calls home and Sally hasn’t met her granddaughter in person.

Ella reluctantly plays the dutiful daughter and goes back to England to look after her mum for a month only to discover some painful truths and regrets on lots of missed time.
Tears were shed reading this delightful story, laugh out loud moments to its heartwarming and has some powerful messages.

I always love books which feature other books. I'm just drawn straight in with that connection alone.

There was a lot of miscommunication between the mother, Sally, and her daughter Ella, and a lot had time had passed before they were back in each others lives.

I enjoyed watching their relationship become closer with the chats Ella had with Sally's friends. It's such a beautiful book that emphasises the power of books. This will stay with me for a while.

Ella and Sally are an estranged Mother and Daughter. Following her Fathers death Ella left for University and then moved to Australia, only face-timing her mum when she took a break from her job. But when the call comes from her mums neighbour Ella resentfully goes to the UK to care for her. But as well as caring for Sally, Ella learns a little bit about the life her mum had and that things weren't the way she had perceived them.
Every now and then a book comes along that takes a piece of your heart. The Memory Library is one of those books. It's heartwarming, like a hug from a book. A story of taking a step back and appreciating the simpler things in life. All the belongings and luxuries in life are nothing if you don't value who and what's around you.
I loved the sense of community in the book, how everyone came together in Sally's time and need. It reiterates the power of books and reading. It's an uplifting novel and was a joy to read. I already know it will be in my top 5 books of 2024.

Inspirational.

Sally Harrison lives in Greenwich London, in the same house from early marriage and having her only child Ella.
After a turbulent time when Ella is a young adult, Ella moves her life to Sydney Australia.
Ella receives a phone call from Sally’s next door neighbour, Sally needs some help.

I loved reading this book. Getting to know the characters and their foibles. I immediately warmed to Sally and her lovely nature.
It was a very poignant book, empathy towards people, likeable characters, helping and putting others first. How community spirit and belonging can affect situations and life.
I did shed a couple of tears towards the end of the book, which were happy tears.
I loved it being about books, and some of the books mentioned I had read, it was good to read how the author had felt as I did about those books too.
An inspirational book, can we become that better person.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Book Review 📚
The Memory Library by Kate Storey - 4.5/5 ⭐

To find the words to describe this book, this is a struggle. When you read such a beautiful, amazing and phenomenal book there are just no words to describe the feeling after. Sitting there and just adjusting to everything you've just taken in. It was beyond amazing, it was speechless.

The story and plot was absolutely brilliant. There was so much raw emotion throughout the whole story, to the point of tears in some places. But it was heartfelt and memorable in all the right ways. There was fantastic character development from every single person, you saw and read everything you needed to make the story feel complete.

The description and detail that went into this book is what made it that much more amazing. From the tiniest details to the much more in your face details, each and every one makes a difference and you can see it all come together so beautifully.

This is going to be hard to replace as my top read of 2024. And what a way to start the year!

This is a beautiful story, full of wisdom and books. I really liked all the characters and the way they added to the story. Prue’s admission and redemption was probably even better than Ella’s as jealousy is such a hard thing to admit to. I really disliked Ella in the beginning, but that was the idea, and to read about her changing and gaining incremental support from the cat was very enjoyable.

The Memory Library by Kate Storey is a captivating upcoming novel set to be released on the first of February, and I must express my thorough enjoyment of it. Although this was my first book from this author, it certainly won't be my last.

The narrative centers around Ella, a resident of Sydney, who finds herself faced with the responsibility of caring for her 72-year-old mother, Sally, in the UK after a sudden accident. The complexity of their relationship, strained since Ella's departure to Australia in her twenties, becomes a crucial point as Ella grapples with the task of reconciling their differences. Can they move past disagreements and utilize their time together wisely?

A particularly endearing element of the story revolves around Sally's tradition of gifting a book with a personal message on each of Ella's birthdays, resulting in a cherished library spanning years. This sentimental practice, unfortunately, faces destruction at the beginning of the novel, but the concept resonated deeply with me and even inspired a personal commitment to emulate this tradition within my own family.

In essence, the novel was a delightful experience. The prose was beautifully crafted, and the characters, both primary and secondary, were skillfully developed. The strength of the narrative lies in its exploration of everyday themes and relatable topics, ensuring that many readers can find aspects of themselves in the story. "The Memory Library" achieves a perfect balance of emotional depth and universal appeal, making it a truly compelling read.

4.5 Stars
One Liner: Beautiful (even made a wee bit teary-eyed)

Sally Harrison has been building a special library for forty-two years. Each year, on her daughter Ella’s birthday, she chooses a book and writes a note on the first page. Of course, Ella left twenty-two years ago after a fight and hasn’t bothered to come back.
However, an emergency forces Ella to visit her mother. Slowly, she realizes things may not have been what she assumed. This could be a chance for the mother and daughter to reconnect.. if they can revisit the past and find closure.
The story comes in Ella and Sally’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
January seems to be my month for mother-daughter books. One book was toxic, the other was super sweet, and this is bittersweet.
The book starts with a prologue hinting at what could have gone wrong. We then jump into Ella’s POV (she has a major share with Sally’s POV popping up once in a while to show her side) in the present timeline.
It’s hard to like Ella at first. Her constant ‘If I Were the Queen of the World’ thinking gets on her nerves. However, it is deliberate and meant to show her judgmental side. It shows us how Ella has restricted herself to materialistic things to avoid being hurt. We see her learn, realize, and change as the story progresses.
Sally is very easy to like. She is kind, compassionate, warm, helpful, and supportive. We can feel her loneliness and how she tries to fill the gap through her activities.
The side characters are sweet. Their purpose in the story is to show Ella the truth of her mother’s life. Of course, for the characters, Sally is a dear friend/ teacher/ neighbor/ etc., whom they value and cherish. They are diverse, too, but without taking the attention away from the central plot.
The book is surprisingly steady-paced. I expected this to be a slow burn of sorts, but the % moves ahead steadily. Even with some repetition about the past and Ella’s struggle in coming to terms with the difference between her opinions and reality, the story doesn’t linger for long. The second half feels a bit slower, but it suits the plotline.
The ending is neatly tied up and a little too sweet, but I don’t mind. I read for HEA endings, so this was right in my alley. However, I did want one aspect to be different (Ella should have continued working. She has become capable enough to handle a career and her family now).
Books, naturally, play a vital role. I love how seamlessly they are incorporated into the plot. Hadron, the one-eyed cat, is the icing on the cake. Love her!
I have to mention Charlie as a separate point. While Sally’s friends are all good, Charlie (Ella’s husband) is a rock and a solid support. He is laid back but assertive and accepts Ella with all her flaws. He is mostly in the background, but without him, Ella wouldn’t have done what was necessary.

To summarize, The Memory Library is a heartwarming story about family, forgiveness, second chances, healing, friendship, connection, and books. It did make me teary-eyed a couple of times. I also love the unsaid – a person will have to live actions and decisions for the rest of their life. Some things cannot be undone even when we move on.
Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Books UK, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
**
P.S.: The cover gorgeous

A lovely story about Sally and Ella- a mother and daughter who have been estranged for 21 years- as well as about the village that supports us. Ella left home after her father died and hasn't looked back but now she's returned because Sally has fallen and injured herself. Sally has spent the last years selecting books for Ella- books that will mean something to her. How these two reconcile is at the heart of this but note the the community, all the people Sally has helped over the years, is also important. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Uncomfortable mother-daughter relationships make for some emotional story telling and this book is no exception. When Ella resentfully flies back to London to look after her mother, Sally, after a fall she discovers over the next few weeks that the life she had growing up was not all as it seemed and neither was Sally. I loved the memory library concept. I wish this book had been written 30 years ago when my daughter was a baby. I would have loved creating one for her, especially as she has turned into such an avid reader herself.