I think Dani Atkins is such a fantastic author. Her books are always so emotive and this is no exception.

This premise of this story is a touch unbelievable and honestly in what universe did Lexi think this was good idea but if you can suspend yourself from reality and give yourself over to this book it's an excellent read.

A warning though that the ending will rip your heart out 😭

With thanks to Aria and Netgalley for the ARC.

I am a massive Dani Atkins fan so couldn't wait to read this book. It drew me in straight away and held me right til the end. An absolutely beautiful, heart wrenching and emotional read.

This is a book that will pull in a reader from the beginning. It’s full of many heart wrenching moments
It was a cute moving book but I have mixed feelings on Lexi deceiving her sister although I understand why. The beginning was the best part. The romance aspect fell off a bit and kept me wanting more.
I enjoyed the storyline and characters. A little predictable. The writing was wonderful and I will be on the lookout for future books by Dani Atkins.

Thank You NetGalley and Aria & Aries for sharing this Arc copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

'The Memory of Us' is a beautifully tender emotionally packed story about love in all its different forms.

Amelia and Lexi are as close as two sisters can be; conceived through IVF but with 6 years between them, they're more than sisters if not quite the technical definition of twins. Lexi is living in a high-flying New York lifestyle when she gets the phone call that will change everything. Amelia has been found unconscious and hypothermic on a Somerset beach on a cold January morning with no idea of why she was there.

Lexi flies back to the UK to be with her sister and their mother; the three of them are extremely close following the sad loss of the girls' father. When Amelia regains consci0usness, she is convinced that she is married to a handsome man called Sam. She keeps asking Lexi and their mum where he is and when he's going to be with them - but he doesn't exist. Lexi has no idea what to do to calm Amelia down; he's all she can talk about and wants Lexi to bring in a locket with his picture in it.

Amelia starts to sketch 'Sam' again and again, recapturing some of their romantic moments on paper. So when Lexi, out for a run, meets a man who looks identical to 'Sam', she plucks up courage to ask him for a photo to give to her sister. Amelia is overjoyed to see him, but it sets off a whole other set of questions instead: where is he, why isn't he there to be with her, again and again.

Lexi has to decide what to do for the best; can she find this stranger again, and will he be willing to help her family out in the most bizarre game of deception?

'The Memory of Us' is a wonderfully plotted story of sisterhood, twin connection, mothers, daughters and missing fathers, as well as a more romantic and traditional love affair. The relationship between all of the characters is so heartfelt and tender; I wept at times as the story developed and grew.

A great read to make you realise what is important in life, and how to treasure the people closest to you.

The Memory of Us is about the strong bond of two sisters, Lexi and Amelia, and the challenges they go through after Amelia recovers from a near-death experience with false memories of a husband who doesn't exist.

I loved reading about Lexi's life back home in Somerset, after living a few years in New York, and adjusting to a more quiet, small-town living, as well as her interactions with Tom, her elderly neighbor, and Nick, the man who looks exactly like Amelia's supposed husband Sam. I also enjoyed the slow burn romance between Lexi and Nick as we see them grow from strangers to friends to something much more.

What I wanted from this book that unfortunately I didn't get was more about Lexi and Amelia's sisterly bond. I understand that Amelia is struggling with her health for most of the novel, but it would've been nice to see them happy and normal, maybe through flashbacks, since the overall tone of the novel is already sad. I also think this novel could've been much shorter (this one's over 400 pages) and have the explanation of Amelia's false memories given earlier on.

Overall, this was still a good read, and it would be enjoyable for fans of emotional stories about fate and destiny.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m normally a fan of an amnesia story, like a huge fan. Some of my favourite novels involve amnesia or memory issues. Unfortunately I struggled to get immersed in this book and I really had to push myself to keep reading. I don’t know why because the writing was great. I just couldn’t connect with the characters or settings. Dnf at 40%

The in-depth characterisation and how comprehensively Ms. Atkins explored the range of emotions between the two, lent this tale an edge that lasted up till the last page was read and done.

Amelia was saved by two doctors after she was found on a desolate beach near her cottage nearly dead. When her sister Lexi arrived from New York, Amelia was alive, but with false memories revolving around a man named Sam, and a love story that never existed.

Lexi decided to do whatever it took to help her sister during recovery. When she saw a man named Nick who bore a striking resemblance to the image of Sam that Amelia had drawn, she enlisted his help to recreate dream dates Amelia had described in detail. In the process they had to navigate a complex web of emotions that cropped up.

The sisterhood between Lexi and Amelia was beautiful as witnessed in how they prioritized each other's happiness even when the situation became dire. Nick was so supportive, initially not wanting to be a part of Lexi's plan, but agreeing to it as a debt of gratitude and later because he wanted her close.

The last chapters had a lump in my throat being my companion till the very end, but it was an oh so beautiful conclusion. I haven't had a book tug at my heartstrings and bring me close to tears in a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lexi is called home to Somerset from New York when her older sister, Amelia, is found unconscious on the beach outside her house. Amelia was found by two doctors who had gone out fishing early one morning and spotted lying on the mudflats, her heart having stopped. They were able to revive her but when she awoke in hospital she had created a bunch of false memories that included her being happily married to a man named Sam. She was able to draw him since there were obviously no photos and then one day, Lexi saw the same man on the beach.

She went after him only to learn that his name was Nick, not Sam, and that he had never met her sister before. Amelia's doctors advise Lexi and her mum against trying to convince Amelia her memory was wrong and instead Lexi embarks on a mission to recreate the many moments Amelia is recalling. Except a lot of those memories are scenes from movies or books. Lexi is able to convince Nick to help her with the photos and in doing so they fall in love. But they can't be in a relationship while Amelia thinks he is her husband.

This family goes through so much throughout the course of the story but Lexi always stays strong and with Nick at her side she feels like she can face anything.

This book was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, but I loved it. It was sad, sweet and funny in all the right places and so beautifully written as it captured the emotions of the characters so well. However, in saying that I do think there are some plots/themes that weren't tied up properly or we were just left to assume the answer and I didn't enjoy the jumping in time without being given the actual timeframe we've moved forward.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Amelia is found on a desolate beach on a frigid January night wearing nothing but her nightgown. She’s unconscious, not breathing and verging on hypothermia. If the men had found her just a few moments later she’d never have recovered. But they were able to get her heart beating again and she’s rushed to the nearest hospital.
In New York Lexi is woken by the call no-one wants to receive and quickly packs before racing to the airport to get on a plane and fly to her sister’s side. When she arrives, Amelia is conscious but not acting like herself and asking for her husband, Sam. Only Sam doesn’t exist.

I knew The Memory of Us was going to be a book I loved within the first few pages. A story about memories, true love, and unbreakable bonds, it didn’t start out how I expected and adrenaline coursed through my veins as I read the gripping prologue. That tension was only compounded by fear and foreboding as Lexi flew to be by her sister’s side, and while that high level of apprehension did ease, the book continued to hold my attention and I was totally immersed and invested. The sisters share a strong and unique bond, which is a central part of the storyline, and you can feel it keenly as Lexi desperately tries to help her sister even at the cost of her own happiness.

Dani Atkins is an author I’ve been aware of for a long time and I’ve got a number of her books on my kindle. But, shamefully, this is the first time I’ve read one of them. Why did I wait so long? This book is beautifully written, evocative and moving with very real and relatable characters that I found easy to root for. Their emotions leapt from the pages and I felt like I lived every moment alongside the characters, particularly Lexi who I formed the strongest bond with. I loved her relationship with Amelia and could feel how torn she was in so many of the decisions she was having to make. I also really believed in the love between Lexi and Nick. He was a dreamy love interest and it would have been a surprise if Lexi hadn’t fallen for him. Yes, it was predictable they would fall in love, but it was also well written and I wanted them to have their happy ever after.

Heartrending, hopeful and uplifting, The Memory of Us is a wonderful story that warms you from the inside like hot chocolate on a cold day. Highly recommended.

This was an interesting story. Amelia and Lexi are sisters born years apart but since they were conceived through IVF they are technically twins. When Lexi gets a call that her sister is in the hospital after having been found on the mudflats without a pulse, she gets on the next flight back to the UK to be with her family. When Amelia finally wakes up she is insistent that she is married to a man named Sam and can describe in detail dates that they have been on even though Lexi and their mother know this is not true. Amelia draws Sam for her family and when Lexi runs into a man that looks exactly like the drawing, she decides to recreate Sam and Amelia's dates in the hopes of giving her sister some comfort. As Lexi spends more time with this stranger they start to develop feelings for one another. This man is not Sam and yet if Amelia saw him, she would think he is her husband.

Always love a Dani Atkins book so I couldn't wait to read this new one. And I have to say, I was hooked right from the very beginning. I find her style of writing very easy to read and find myself racing through the pages. This one was very much up to her usual standard - you will find yourself grinning from ear to ear, empathising, frustrated, worried, laughing and definitely crying! Although at heart it is a typical romcom, it is such a great (and unusual) story that you just have to keep going to find out what is going to happen next.

Highly recommended - I'm sure you will not be disappointed! Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

This book engrossed me from the first page! The mystery element was great! There was no time wasting, building a world or adding context. Boom! And it was straight in!! I desperately wanted to know who the 'mystery husband' was - I was thinking it could be 'past life' related.
The pacing of the book started with a bang, but unfortunately the more the book went on, the less engrossed I became. I think the book should have been 50 to 100 pages shorter! Once we 'solved the mystery' I lost interest. That was what was keeping me interested and not the love story unfortunately.

It started well, but the romance plot let it down...

Also - was I the only reader that actually wanted to hear from the heroes at the beginning of the book? I was hoping they would reappear again... just me then?

Sisters Lexi and Amelia had always shared a special bond. When Lexi received the devastating call that Amelia was found unresponsive and is now hospitalized, she immediately left her life in New York City and returned home to Somerset. Reuniting with Amelia was bittersweet because as relieved as she was to see her sister, Amelia's repeated questions about her husband Sam's whereabouts were troubling to say the least. Because Amelia was not married and Sam did not exist. Intent on helping Amelia by any means possible, Lexi meets Nick, a man who looks exactly like Amelia's drawings of Sam. Lexi embarked on a journey to recreate Amelia's "memories" with Sam by staging photographs with Nick, hopeful that they would somehow jolt Amelia from her confabulation.

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of the story but it was the execution that brought the characters to left and dealt an emotional punch. The bond between the two sisters was something magical (in more ways than one), and the relationship that formed between Lexi and Nick was heartwarming and gave meant-to-be vibes. I sat back in wonder as the story unfolded. Like a movie, I watched each scene unfold and I was completely invested. Atkins delivered a few twists that I did not see coming and by the end I was shedding tears and smiling, despite my battered heart. This is not my first from Atkins (I enjoyed the equally moving The Story of Us) and it will certainly not be the last

Amelia is found unconscious on a deserted beach, only moments from death. She is taken to the nearest hospital deeply unaware of the seriousness of her condition. however, when her younger sister Lexi arrives from New York, Amelia confuses her family with her apparent connection to a man called Sam who her family have never heard of before.

What then follows is a beautiful family drama about the connection between these special siblings and the abiding love between Amelia and Lexi gives the book its heart and soul. It is both heart warming and heart wrenching in equal measure and there were times when the author took every ounce of emotion and wrapped the story around my heart so that it will stay there long after other stories are finished and forgotten. Beautifully written, and sensitively explored, there is a steadfast family connection, some laugh out loud funny moments and a beautifully written love story which had me wiping away tears on more than one occasion.

Some books are so special that its difficult to describe them without giving far too much away and The Memory of Us is one those stories which needs no spoilers from me, just read it.

A young woman is found on the beach by her house, close to death and when she wakes up her memories have altered.

She believes that she has a husband and can remember the highlights of their relationship in great detail. However, in reality she is single so cant understand where he is and why her family is confused!

Heartbreaking and beautiful, I couldn"t put this book down.

Wow this book was so heart wrenching and fulfilling as well. I loved it. It was the perfect emotional book to curl up under a blanket and read. So great!
I just reviewed The Memory of Us by Dani Atkins. #TheMemoryOfUs #NetGalley
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Dani Atkins is an auto read for me and if you know her books I don’t think you’re going to be disappointed.
Let’s just say this is pure escapism, if your looking for some high brow fiction, don’t look here but if your looking for an easy read, instant attraction, family, the feel goods and a little dose of magical realism, then this could be the book to while away an afternoon.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.
Throughly enjoyed it.

This was a really interesting idea for a plot. First time reading this author and I would definitely read more. This story had a lot of emotions in it, although it did seem a bit long at times. Great love story/ sister relationship/ going after what you want in life. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was okay book for me. I must say that I expected somthing a little bit different, but, all in all I liked it.
I am happy I sticked till the end

3.5 stars