Wow. Aikins really understands her craft. This book has everything, Heartache, passion and twists galore. She’s one of my favourite writers. Always delivers.

I enjoyed reading Memories of Us. In this story, we follow a family who has been touched by heartache and love. Lexi and Mimi are sisters whose bond is incredibly deep. The depths that Lexi goes to in this story are rooted in the strongest sisterly love and it was written well. The story as it unfolds with Nick and Lexi is an interesting concept and you could feel their bond growing. I loved that their Mom found a connection and happiness in this story too. The concepts and diagnosis that are part of this story are deep and cause many emotions. Overall I liked the story, I was hoping for more whimsy maybe but that wasn’t the purpose of this story.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest opinions. I give this 3.5 stars overall.

I wrote my review as the notes I wrote while reading:

We’re like…6 pages in and I’m already crying
Getting the call about your sibling is the worst kind of call you can get - I know.
This whole thing with Jeff is awkward - seems out of place and unnecessary.
Having lost a Dad, I also understand what that can do to you.
They brought Amelia off of the ICU really quickly considering her injuries - maybe that’s a UK thing?
I think Amelia and Lexi are twins, but IVF, so that explains the years thing?
^ Okay, that’s been confirmed. Weird, but got it.
Still don’t get the Jeff thing.
It’s official - I adore Tom.
Lots of “I should say this, but I’m going to say this instead” - seems unnecessary.
Even with your pride being bruised, why lie about Jeff? Especially when you’re not interested in him anyway?
I’m getting whiplash from Lexi deciding things are too personal but then asking something personal.
Okay, definitely getting whiplash. This is ridiculous.
Now I’m sobbing - poor guy and his dog. Losing a pet is the worst kind of pain.
Lots of descriptions based on people’s facial features - and/or expressions - and/or body language
That first kiss is EVERYTHING
It really is unhealthy how obsessed Lexi is with Amelia’s health - especially considering she’s dating Nick, who Amelia would think is Sam
Why isn’t she seeing a neurologist or a therapist or both?
Not a happy ending, but a happy beginning - love that idea
I’m so confused - now Lexi thinks the photos are a bad idea???
It took 76% of the book for us to learn the mother’s name - and it’s a pretty name!
Poor Amelia literally can’t catch a break
I’m not a fan of Lexi, if I’m being honest
How has she been back a month and never run into Nick???
I think Lexi needs some serious therapy.
That engagement was super touching.
It would be great to have a reference of time heading the chapters. Sheesh.
Here I am, crying on a cruise ship. 🙄
The ending could’ve been better; I want to know the test results. Also, what happened to Holly?

The Memory of Us by @daniatkinsauthor is a beautiful book about a love between two sisters.

Dani always writes so beautifully. her stories have so much depth and as with any of Dani's books, they will have you sobbing till the end.

Synopsis:
Amelia is found on a beach, unconscious and not breathing. Her life is saved but when she wakes up she talks about a life she never lived.

Lexi rushes to the aid if her sister and helps her to recover but struggles to keep up the pretence of Amelia's delusions, until she meets Nick on the beach, the man Amelia has described as her husband.

Lexi and Nick bond and create Amelia's memories but start to fall in love. Lexi knows she has to put her sister first as Amelia would feel betrayed that she'd stolen her imaginary husband and so Lexi sacrifices her true love for her sister.

#ariesfiction #thememoryofus #bookreviwer #bookstagram #novemberreads #lovestories

Beautifully romantic and brimming with chemistry and suspense The Memory Of Us is a fabulous read.

I adored the unique premise which was tantalisingly mysterious. The romance between Lexi and Nick which was pitch perfect and the gorgeous setting.

The prose was accomplished and the narrative poignant yet fast paced.

Highly recommended

This was a really sweet read. A cutesy, Hallmark type romance novel that is realistic and relatable. The story opens with a prologue - two doctors are on a break and headed out to the English river for fishing where they spot an unconscious woman. Cut to New York where we meet our protagonist who works in publishing and is in no-strings attached style relationship. She gets a call from her mum. Her sister was found unconscious outside her house in a river. Our MC heads out to the UK where she meets her sister, who seems to have gained fake memories in which she is married to a handsome stranger. Things become even weirder when the MC then spots this handsome stranger, whose description matches her sister’s drawing…So she proposes a strange deal. To take romantic pictures with this stranger based on her sister’s “anecdotes” in order to go along with her plan.
I really enjoyed reading this. It’s such a cleanser from those awful KU romance books I’ve reading. The characters are fleshed out and the story is very cutesy. Their actions are relatable and when you find out at the end why the sister got these fake memories at the end, it’s quite poignant. This was a lovely comfort read that plucks at your heartstrings, but I especially liked the sister relationship and Nick (the stranger) is such a relatable and realistic romantic lead. I really enjoyed the date scenes, which was slightly cheesy but so endearing. A wonderful, beautiful romance read.

This is another wonderful Dani Atkins book. It is heartbreaking and uplifting and will certainly have you in tears by the end. Deals with a number of difficult issues and family bonds. Outstanding.

One of my favorite books of the year, even though it's technically a 2024 book.

It's a book about love and not just romantic love. I would say that "the story of us" is the story of many loves, of those we may -or may not- be fortunate to meet throughout life.

It is the story of Lexi, and her almost twin sister, Amelia; it is also the story of them and their mother, as well as of Lexi and Nick. Amelia has an accident and Lexi worriedly leaves the safety of New York to return to her hometown, where she will find an unexplained event and consequences to deal with.

A sea of doubts and bad news that is difficult to deal with will lead Lexi to Nick, a man who looks a lot like her sister's supposed husband, one born of memories that never existed. Lexi's choices lead her to unsuspected, impossible places and bonds... but so human, so strong, so made to match. Lexi will be guided by love and this will not always be one way....

It is a painful book, full of love and of a reality that is little talked about, a reality where people and their caregivers keep their pain to themselves, so as not to make it more difficult....

It's a plot twist that maybe you can see coming, with a scientific underpinning that leaves you satisfied (and with a hole in your chest because... why?).

I loved this book and while I don't 100% agree with the ending... I get it. For me it felt too open ended and I would have liked a little more certainty after so much suffering but again, I get it.

A must read for those who love romance and suffer a little - or a lot - in the process.

It was a fluke to get this far and what a beautiful experience it was... I have no regrets, just as I know these characters have no regrets about their decisions and the coincidences that connected them either.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I've enjoyed previous books of Atkins, so was pleased to be granted an ARC of this. It tackled interesting and emotive themes, although I didn't particularly connect with any of the characters, despite rooting for the key relationship.

I’m not going to lie to you, this book made me cry ~3 times. It demonstrates love and loss so well, it’s almost unreal. I previously thought that it was unrealistic, but I realized how realistic it was. It takes you away to the beach and makes you live with the characters. I could perfectly see the setting, and it was so mystical and I would recommend it to someone who wants to escape their daily lives and go on a journey of wrong loves and borrowed time.

For me, one of the biggest things was how Dani Atkins wrote the characters’ relationships. When Lexi and Amelia were smiling together, I was smiling with them. When they were struggling, I was right there with them. She managed to make them feel real, like I could open my door and Nick would be right there waiting for me. I got to live, really live, through Lexi’s eyes, not just read about what was going on.

I also loved the ending. There was a big emphasis on “not everything is perfect and that’s fine” in this book. It added a heartbreaking aspect to the book, which was needed and a sort of reset, even though it was painful.

The one thing that bothered me a little was the ending. As someone who needs closure, I couldn’t find it in this book. It’s by no means bad, it was just a surprising change of pace from the regular “all ends are taken care of” feeling you get from many of these books.

All in all, it was a wonderful read. If there’s ever a day you’re by the beach and willing to read something that will fill your heart and make you cry, this is the book for you. Thank you Netgalley, Aria, and Dani Atkins for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This beautiful novel is a love story between sisters, between a mother and her daughters, between a man and a woman and in the fantasy of what the mind can conjure up about love.

Though eight years apart, Lexi and Amelia not only look so much alike they refer to themselves as twins. After suffering a tragic accident on the beach near her cottage in the UK, Lexi is called home from New York where she currently lives and works as a book editor. Upon awakening in the hospital, single Amelia is convinced that she is married to Sam and provides explicit details of what he looks like and how their love story unfolded. In a twist of fate, Lexi meets handsome Nick, a veterinarian who looks eerily like Sam. What transpires, will take you on an emotional journey in the relationships of all these wonderful characters, that you will fall in love with them. .

This heart wrenching story will deliver all the feels that you’d hope to get from a really good romance and family saga. Thank you NetGalley, Aria and Dani Adkins for introducing this reader to these lovely characters and allowing me to witness their love stories.

The Memory of Us - Dani Atkins
When Lexi gets the call to return home, that there's been an accident, she doesn't hesitate. She rushes back home to find out her sister had been found dead on the beach, but luckily was found and resuscitated in time. The long term effects currently unknown.
As Amelia wakes, she doesn't seem like herself. Her calm, put together sister is the exact opposite.
When Amelia starts asking questions about her husband, and where he is, Lexi and her mother try to explain to Amelia that she isn't married, or even dating anyone. But the more they tell Amelia that, the more upset she gets, not believing the truth. She goes as far as drawing a picture of her so-called husband, Sam, in explicit detail. So sure they he exists and they have a life together.
As Lexi takes some time to herself, wandering the path on the beach that Amelia may have taken, she sees a man with a striking familiarity. That man is Sam.
As Lexi gets to know this man that her sister thinks is Sam, the unthinkable happens and there is chemistry between them that she can't seem to fight.
How does Lexi navigate getting Amelia to see the truth, helping her heal, and not hurt her by being in love with the man she is so sure is her husband.
I didn't know it at the time, but this book was exactly what I needed. You can't help but fall in love with the dynamic between all the characters.
I loved Lexie's mission to protect her sister at all costs, and her loyalty. I loved the adventures that her and Nick put together and it's no wonder they fell in love.
Best of all, I love that this book continued past Amelia's trauma and you got to see how everything played out. It gave the best closure and you finished it with only one question left lingering.
This one doesn't come out until February 2024, but I can't recommend it enough. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This is a beautiful story about two sisters. As we have come to expect with a Dani Atkins book, be prepared for a total emotional rollercoaster of a ride. I really enjoyed this story. Recommended.

This book had me hooked from the start. Lexi, Amelia, their mum along with Nick and Tom were a fantastic bunch of characters. I was rooting for the traditional happy ending and even though I didn’t get exactly what I wanted it was wonderful and emotional.

Dani Atkins is an absolute favourite of mine and I couldn’t wait to read this.
Everything you could want in a book and more. It will have you laughing, crying and turning the pages so fast just to devour everything.
Will definitely recommend this. Will also go on my ‘ will read again ‘ pile too!
Perfect!

I always know Atkins will send me on an emotional roller-coaster and this was no different. However for a lot of this book I was going to give this a three star rating as sadly I just did not find the plot believable. Then, in the latter section, Atkins pulled it back and I believed in it again and upped my rating to four.
I still absolutely loved this book and my goodness did I cry, I just thought it was a bit unrealistic. This aside though and once again Atkins has an achingly beautiful plot that will leave you bereft and characters so perfect that you feel everything they do and more.
'The Memory Of Us' is a beautiful story about two sisters and their extraordinary bond.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for an advance copy.

'The Memory of Us' by Dani Atkins is a heartwarming story about two sisters. Also inside, there's a love story. Amelia is faced with a near-death experience. After that, she believes she was in a relationship with a guy named Sam. Her sister Lexi met Nick, who looks like Sam. Lexi fell in love with Nick and they both started a plan to help Amelia get better. There are plenty of emotional scenes in this book.

I wanted to thank the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in order to write a review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc. I have not read a novel by Dani Atkins before and did not know what to expect. This book is a very emotional love story about two sisters, and family. This book had plot twists I definitely did not see coming. This book drew me in unexpectedly and I could not put it down once I started it. I recommend reading this book.

I am already a huge Dani Atkins fan and have read most if not all of her previous books. This book has surpassed all my expectations! I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down until I had finished every last line! It is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the time time. The best book I have read this year.

"The Memories of Us" is a heart-wrenching and poignant story, with exceptionally well-crafted characters that immediately draw you in. It's an emotional roller coaster of a read, filled with bittersweet moments.
Tissues are a must have item for this one!