I wanted to love this story, the ideas the author had about changing memories I found fascinating. Imagine being able to forget about a trauma you went through. It would be life changing.
For me, though there were just too many chatacters to keep up with, all the rooms and procedures became confusing as to what was happening. I found myself forgetting who was who and who was on who's side, so I did lose interest in the middle, and my attention wavered. Maybe I need help with my memory!
What I did love was the idea about being able to get treatment for memories, the type of technology we could have in the future, and the good that could come of it.
I loved Hope. She is a strong female lead who was resilient. She didn't stop seeking out the truth.
The twist, I didn't see it coming, I like a story that leads me down the wrong path, then boom with a twist I did not work out.
For the most part, this book had a good pace.

This story had an interesting plot, a good, strong FMC, and a good ending. I can see this being a popular choice for reading this year.

Thank you for my advanced copy of this eARC, in exchange for an honest opinion

Thank you to the publishers for this book, Mechanics of Memory, for my honest review.
I wanted to like this book. The reason for Hope being in The Wilders was intriguing to me — and why she had lost her memory of Charlotte’s death (caused by her) and why Luke wasn’t allowed to contact her while she’s in the facility. That drove me on: the need to have my questions answered. However, the story itself confused me — the codes, the “other realm worlds” the patients had to go into. I found myself tuned out during those times. I felt like the author could’ve done a better job explaining those incidents for her readers. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the right reader for this book.

I'll admit I'm not the biggest sci-fi fan reader, but from time to time I venture myself into the genre.
The synopsis of this book seemed interesting enough to me so I picked it up.
For the first chapters I was curious about the protagonist's struggles to recover her memories, and also how the techonology of that facility worked.
But, in my opinion, there were too many characters to follow and none of them was interesting enough other than the protagonist, and the whole futuristic sci-fi aspects of the story started to bore me after a while.
So, I prefer to say that this book ended up not being for me. If you are a hardcore sci-fi reader, I'd recommend giving this book a go.

3.5 ⭐

“The impermanence of memory can be a troubling fact for some. As a species we want to believe that our memories are infallible because they make us, us. However, consider the liberation in embracing this fluidity and instead allowing your mind to retain only what is most cherished.”

Hope Nakano is receiving care at a state-of-the-art, very high-end Copeland-Stark treatment facility. She has lost her memories from the previous year due to a traumatic event, and she is at the facility in order to regain memories from that lost year. But after staying for months at The Wilder Sanctuary, Hope still hasn’t made progress. Instead of helping her remember, the treatments reveal inconsistencies between what she does recall and what they say happened to her. Things are Wilder are not all what they seem to be, and Hope begins to search for the truth. And what she finds is bigger than what she expects.

✨

I enjoyed reading this book. Memory has always been an interesting topic for me, especially because for so many of us, our identity is closely intertwined with our memories. We all know how unreliable our memories can be, and how they can be influenced. This book really plays into that.

What I liked:
- Audrey Lee’s compelling writing. The hints, the early planting of the seeds of doubt made me want to keep reading because I wanted to know what happens next. Lee has done a wonderful job of creating this atmosphere of suspense and mystery. All the revelations had me gasping and rethinking about the build-up that got me to those moments.

- The interesting premise, and the blend of themes that Lee chose: memory, neuroscience, psychology, technology, ethics, research, big pharma, and corporate greed.

- The characters and their relationships. I love how Hope had so much love for her partner Luke and his daughter Charlotte. Hope’s friendship with other Wilder residents was also a highlight for me. I love Quinn, and Spooky, and Carter, and Jonah.

- Hope and Luke ❤️ Yes this is a sci-fi book, but underneath it all is this undeniable love between these two people, and the lengths they would go to to protect each other and the people they care about.

What didn’t work for me:
- The moments in the Butterfly Box and in The Shade were a little confusing. It took me a while to understand what was happening and how it all worked, especially when there were other characters involved.

- Pacing felt a little off to me?? Major revelations happened in the middle of the book that took quite a while to resolve.

✨

Overall, I did have a good time reading this book. If you want a compelling read, with characters that you care about, then The Memory Mechanic is for you. I would also recommend this book to people who want to dip their toes into sci-fi. I think readers who are interested in the combination of memory, technology, and ethics would also enjoy this book.

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley and CamCat Books in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down, definitely a must-read! Part psychological thriller, part near-future mystery, part love story, the author takes you on a series of twists and turns that always keep you guessing. The intricately scripted plot follows Hope, who finds herself in a high-end clinic with uncertain memories of the events that led her here. As we learn more about the "Wilder Sanctuary" and Hope's past, we are taken on a ride that is sometimes scary, sometimes thrilling, but always intriguing. I look forward to Audrey Lee's next book!

I would rate this a true 3.8 stars with the solid potential for 4. I found the concept of this book incredibly interesting and the idea of implanting false memories and the implications of that is what got me to dive into this story. I did have a hard time getting into it at first and felt like some of the characters and plot points could have been fleshed out a bit better to get it up to that true 4 star rating. However, once it started to pick up I really enjoyed it. I did also appreciate the deeper meanings in the book and some of the societal implications that were covered. Overall, this book had some really great concepts and plot lines and I did enjoy it, I just felt that it could have gone deeper into some of the character development and subplots, though I would still recommend it to a friend as a fun psychological read.

The Mechanics of Memory definitely hit all of the twisty turny parts of a good psychological thriller. I enjoyed the setting and premise of the story and got attached to some of the quirky characters. I definitely want to know what happened to a few and hope the author will revisit them in any sequels. I appreciated that her villains were true villains with not a lot to love about them. Although, I feel like one of the back stories didn’t fit and hope that, too, will eventually be revealed. A great read for all, but extra bonuses for the 40-50 aged crowd to get some of the cultural references.

🌟🌟🌟 3.5
🧠Recibí un ARC de este libro a cambio de una reseña honesta
🧠 Un día estás con la persona a quien más le tienes confianza, y al siguiente apareces internada en una clínica con terapias extremas, has perdido la mayoría de tus memorias, no tienes idea de como llegaste ahí ni que hiciste para ser internada. Los doctores te dicen que tuviste un episodio violento, y que no eres de fiar. Nadie te visita y tu mente es una bruma.
🧠Audrey Lee en esta su novela debut nos presenta un thriller de ciencia ficción con una narradora a quien no podemos creerle del todo, una clínica y doctores con prácticas poco éticas, experimentos en la mente, y una protagonista que ahora se debate en encontrar una salida de ese laberinto.
🧠 La valentía de la protagonista sale a flote al luchar contra este monstruo de clinica que esconde mucho mas de lo que se imaginaba, con la ayuda claro de otros compañeros en el confinamiento. La verdad y lo que descubren resulta ser aun más dolorosa de lo que podrían o quisieran recordar. ¿Hasta donde podríamos ser capaces de perdonar a quienes amamos?

#TheMechanicsOfMemory #NetGalley #AudreyLee #igreads

What a twisty, turning dark and emotional ride!!

Hope has woken up at Wilder, a center for "wellness".
She needs help with her nightmares and recovering part of her memory that she is missing.

Are the doctors at Wilder trying to help the patients recover their memories or are they using them as lab rats for their psychological experiments? This is the major question at the center of this psychological thriller.

If you are looking for a light, easy to read, feel good book to help you unwind on vacation, then this is not that book. If you are looking for something dark and thought provoking, that gives your mind a good workout, then pick up this book!

There are some trigger warnings that I would like to mention for this book. There are mentions of suicide, mental illness, and substance abuse.

This book would be a great pick for a book club because of all the issues that come up in the book that would lead to some great conversations.

The fact that this is Audrey's debut book is amazing! It is so good and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with!

What a twisted, tangled web we weave! This book was a hell of a wild ride. Everything you think you know you as you’re reading it, you really don’t. Also, what a terrifying concept that real-life scientists have probably gotten closer to than any of us would suspect.

Thoroughly entertaining and actually made me gasp out loud once. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

An e-ARC was provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.

-5 stars

A very fun and intriguing read. Hope wakes up at Copeland-Stark’s new sanctuary for folks needing treatment for mental health, memory loss and addiction. This book has so many twists and turns. It keeps you guessing about who you can trust? What’s real and what’s not? This book is multiple POV, which I felt added the extra depth and mystery to the storyline. The synopsis is short for a reason, I think it’s best to go into this book knowing as little as possible.

Format: Kindle
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Liked it, absolutely recommend it!

This book…is…whoa.

You will embark on a thrilling journey through The Wilder Sanctuary, where Hope Nakano's life takes a tumultuous turn as she awakens in a medical facility with a year of her memories gone…just erased. The story dives deep into the unsettling concept of implanted memories, blurring the boundaries between truth and manipulation.

Grounded in reality, the story prompts the reader to question the reliability of their own memories while they root for Hope and the other characters as they navigate a world filled with uncertainty.

As Hope delves further into the mysteries of The Wilder Sanctuary, the plot morphs from a gripping medical thriller into a chilling psychological drama. With meticulous plotting that keeps you eagerly turning pages…be ready for the ride.

The Mechanics of Memory is a tantalizing, mysterious, frightening, and above all, tender book.

In the first chapter, we meet Hope and her partner, Luke, and Charlotte, Luke’s daughter from a previous marriage. Everything seems quite normal. Until.

In the next chapter, Hope is suddenly in a memory recalibration facility, for lack of a better word. A fancy prison? A fancy asylum? It’s certainly not clear, but the residents have been told that they did something terrible which they have forgotten and the goal is to recover that memory so they can move on. It’s as though everyone (except the celebrities in rehab for their addiction of choice, who are the cash cows that keep this elaborate facility afloat) has suffered a terrible trauma and now have such severe PTSD that they can’t remember what happened.

If only it were that simple. As the story unwinds, we learn that this place is literally an experiment in memory creation. And Hope and her friends are collateral put up by memory scientists, or more likely, mad scientists, in order to further their own memory research.

That’s it in a nutshell (no pun intended). I can’t begin to explain how Hope unravels the web she’s in. What I will say is that I loved this book, but it’s definitely not for everyone. It’s a fabulous read but it’s by no means light. The reader has to enter a world they can’t understand, literally becoming one with the characters who are in a world they don’t understand. The writing is superb, as is the character portrayal and the scene setting. I could not put it down.

Highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I'm obsessed with this book. This was one of the top novels I was looking forward to reading in 2024, and it lived up to all the hype...and then some. Mechanics of Memory follows Hope Nakano into Wilder, a California mental institute specializing in memory, where Hope is trying to recover a year that is missing from her life. Searching for the truth about her past and the man she loves leads her to more questions: namely, what is really going on at Wilder? Spellbinding writing with wry, witty, and beautiful observations, Audrey Lee spins a mind-bending psychological thriller with a twist you won't see coming. Think: Blake Crouch caliber, literary execution. This book will suck you in, keep you up past your bed-time, and have you thinking about it long after the last page is turned. HIGHLY recommend.