I started this book not knowing a single thing about it. I definitely recommend that and that's why my review will be vague. I read the first 20% of the book in no time. It has such a strong beginning.

Evie wakes up in a hospital after a car accident, but she can't remember it or her now deceased husband. In fact, she thinks she is sixteen years old instead of 29 years old. Thirteen years missing.

This book is a journey of Evie getting her memories back--and it isn't a pleasant one. It is told in flashbacks starting at age sixteen and present day. She is desperate for her memory to return and unknowingly meets the one person who can help her, Drew. There are so many twists and secrets. It has a slight second chance romance theme with a mystery element.

I felt the ending was slightly abrupt. I guess I just wanted a little more from the story once Evie remembered.

Thank you to Zibby Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars to this amazing author!

I was blown away from Emma Grey’s first novel, The Last Love Note, and was so excited for this one! I went in completely blind and found myself utterly engrossed with the story and needing to know what was going on! This story is told in such a unique way in which our FMC Evie wakes up in a hospital and thinks she is 16 years old. It turns out she is in fact 29 and married, and was in a serious car crash that killed her husband. Having no memories of him at all, she is eager to leave and piece together the last 13 years that are missing from her memories. Along the way she reconnects with people from her past and slowly memories come back and Evie doesn’t like who she was the past 13 years.

As the story progresses and Evie past comes to light, I was just so captivated! All the twists this story took had me on the edge of my seat! This explores heavy topics of controlling behaviors and psychological abuse. Evie undergoes years of subtle manipulation by her boyfriend turned husband Oliver and ends up cutting off all her relationships, even from her own parents. The way in which this is done was classic narcissist behavior like love bombing, surprise gifts and trips, and eventually worming his way into her head that he is the only person who will ever love her. It eventually evolves into threats to harm oneself if Evie leaves, cornering her into staying. Oliver got this way from his father who has done the same thing with another woman in the story and it shocked me when we learn more about that.

While I think Emma did an amazing job of exploring this theme, there were some parts that made me feel like “how can this be real?” Along with the ending wrapping up a bit too quick and some loose ends left untied, it overall was an amazing story that is so important for people, especially women, to read and understand the signs of abuse.

Evie wakes up in the hospital finding her husband is dead but she has no memories of her recent years and doesn't even remember being married. In her mind she is still 16 and at a party. She unexpectedly connects with Drew, a photographer as she is desperate for answers and realises they share a much deeper history.

Thus we follow Evie on her journey trying to piece together missing parts of her life. The story alternates between the past and the present as she uncovers unexpected truths about her life. I was happy to get dual PoVs of both Evie and Drew that made them relatable and packed an emotional punch. I loved the element of mystery that was very well blended with the romance however I felt it to be a bit slow for my taste.

It is a complex and emotional read dealing with certain heavy topics but I recommend it if you like a slow burn second chance romance with a little mystery and intrigue.

Pictures of You publishes tomorrow 11/12 and I am happy to have received an eARC from @zibbybookspublishing @emmagreyauthor and @netgalley

“Pictures of You” by Emma Grey is the story of a young woman struggling to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragic accident and the man who gives up everything to help her. When Evie Hudson wakes up in an unfamiliar hospital room and she has no memory of the recent tragic accident that has taken the life of her husband. In fact, she has no memory of the past 15 years or said husband.

Enter Drew, a promising photographer whose chance encounter with Evie and reveals the elusive details of her marriage and her husband's death. As Drew watches Evie stitch the story of her life together, secrets emerge that might shatter both of their worlds. This tangled second chance romance leads Evie to question every decision she has ever made. This time around she gets to see her marriage from the outside in… and choose a different love.

For me, this was a powerful read that took hold of my heart right from the very first page. I finished this stunning story in one day. It was beautifully written, and I found it to be uniquely compelling how the story of memory loss was so delicately approached. I’m not sure I can adequately put this in words, but it felt as if the author took great care with Evie and treated her so special in respect to her recovery. It struck me as that’s where the love story started for me.

Throughout the story there are multiple plot twists that are meaningful and surprising, but be aware there are some unsettling topics throughout the story - death of a spouse/parent, emotional abuse, domestic violence, and gaslighting. Emma Grey does a tremendous job handling all those topics and providing hope throughout the story.

Thank you #netgalley and #zibbybookspublishing for the opportunity to read this before release.

This book took hold of my heart from the first page. It’s not only one of my favorite reads of the year but easily one of the most unforgettable. The emotions it stirred in me ran so deep that I’m still processing them. I had the pleasure of reading it with my best friends, and for once, we all agreed on just how powerful and beautifully written it was. None of us wanted the story to end.

There’s something uniquely compelling about stories of lost memory, especially when handled with such care and depth. Imagine waking up one day and realizing that over a decade of your life has vanished. You’re suddenly married, with friendships and family ties altered beyond recognition, and you have no memory of how it all came to be. Piece by piece, the protagonist unravels the mystery of their own life, torn between the desire to remember and the urge to rewrite the past.

This journey was emotional, raw, and deeply moving. We laughed, cried, and felt every twist together, seeing ourselves reflected in this story of self-discovery and resilience. Saying "I loved it" doesn't even begin to capture the experience.

If you read this author’s literally breathtaking debut THE LAST LOVE NOTE, then you know. She will sweep you up in the glory that is love and break your heart into pieces, a heartache so profound, yet she does so gently by letting rays of humor and a sense of hope shine through. She’s done it again in a gorgeous, moving story about second chances.

Evie wakes up from an accident not knowing what’s happened, where she is or things about her best friend, and she’ll soon find out she’s lost her memory, erasing her past. When she and a stranger to her in her present condition unite, they begin to unravel what she doesn’t know but is soon going to find out.

Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster that will take you from turns of suspense to tears to twists you won’t see coming. Grey’s signature style of blending love and laughter will keep you fully engaged and hopefully prevent you from sobbing all over your Kindle, in case yours isn’t waterproof (thankfully, mine is).

My one bit of advice, even if you don’t think of yourself as a romance reader, please consider this book. It’s a nuanced look at love and second chances. You’re in the best of hands with an Emma Grey story.

My deepest gratitude to Emma Grey, Zibby Books, and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

P.S. The cover is absolutely as stunning as the book is beautifully written!

When Evie wakes up after an accident, she can't remember details about her current life. She thinks she's still a teenager and is shocked to find out that she's married and no longer in touch with anyone from her high school days. As she craves the people she remembers, she finds out what happened in her life as secrets are slowly revealed. The big question is though, will Evie regain her memory?

If I can recommend one book you must read before the year ends, it would be this one! I can't even tell you how much I loved it. The storyline was emotional, the romance was pure and the ending was so heartwarming. If you loved the author's previous book, The Last Love Note, get ready because this book is even better!

All the stars for this beauty!

I became an instant fan of Emma Grey when she released The Last Love Note (if you haven’t read it yet— go read it NOW!) so I knew I had to read this one— she has a forever fan in me!

‼️ GO IN BLIND WITH THIS ONE‼️

I don’t want to say too much to give this one away BUT I’ll say that it was complex and a rollercoaster of different emotions. There’s multiple timelines & POVS, love triangles, second chance romance, and surprising turn of events!

I listened to the audiobook courtesy of @libroFM — thank you so much! I highly recommend the audiobook! It was narrated by Kristy Best and Nic English and they truly brought this whole cast of characters to life. This could actually be a movie come to think of it! @EmmaGreyAuthor find a way to make this happen please! 🥲

What a great story that pulls you in right from the start! After thoroughly enjoy Emma Gray's The Last Love Note, I was thrilled to read this new one as soon as possible. These characters will stay with me for a long time. Reminding me that as much as we think we know, we may need to pause, listen and gain clarity. Perfect book to curl up with a cup of tea and your warm blanket!

I enjoyed Emma Grey’s book “The last love note” but now I’m an Emma Grey fan! I’m not a huge romance reader and I think the reason I enjoy her books is there is much more to them than just romance. This book had me hooked from the first page to the last. Lots of surprises throughout the book. Loved it!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader’s copy.

I liked this but for the same reason people like soap operas - they are so over the top and bonkers that you can’t stop watching them.

This book was full of unrealistic drama. I mean, the premise is literally that a woman has amnesia. Trying to keep it vague here to avoid spoilers, but this book has it all - an intense love triangle, sketchy wealthy people, domestic abuse, sick children, car crashes, complicated family dynamics, death, and bioluminescence. A lot of the plot threads weren’t fleshed out enough and felt added just to create even more drama, and the ending was rushed as hell.

And yet I couldn’t stop reading it. Yes it was cheesy and ridiculous, but it hooked me immediately. So if you’re craving something action-packed that is in no way grounded in the real world, pick this up and buckle in for a wild ride.

Thank you to Zibby Books and Netgalley for this ARC. Pictures of You is out 11/12!

3.5/5

This read a lot like an Australian soap opera, with secret half-brothers, an amnesia plot, love triangles, family secrets, unrequited love, surprise babies, murder, manipulative, controlling husbands and so much more.

While I did find it a tad overly dramatic at times, the intimate partner emotional abuse was an important plot point and well done (but I did have to re-listen to the second half to fully appreciate the seriousness under all the drama).

Fans of authors like Paige Toon and Colleen Hoover might like this a lot more than I did but I did love listening to the narrators’ Aussie accents!!.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

⚠️CW: Hodgkin's lymphoma in a child, intimate partner domestic abuse

When I say I had a visceral reaction to how good this book was - I mean it. This reads much like a thriller - my heart was racing through the last 1/3 of the book and it was impossible to put down. I could not read fast enough but at the same time, I never wanted this to end!

I really don’t want to say much, because it is probably best to go in blind on this one. The storytelling here is TOP TIER.

📸 second chances (romance + family + friends)
📸 love triangle
📸 slow burn x2
📸 heavy, emotional
📸 trigger warnings
📸 romantic thriller

Did I cry? YES but I probably cry easier than most 😅
Would I reread? YES honestly I already want to revisit it!
Would it be amazing on screen? Heck yes!
Spicy? Nope 👎🏼

I also loved talking to the author about the cover of the book!

This comes out on November 12 and has been easily one of my top reads of the year! I will never forget Evie and Drew 🥹✨📸

This book was heartbreakingly beautiful. Emma knows how to tug on your heartstrings, and her writing manages to evoke so much emotion. As soon as I started this book I was swept up in the story of Evie and Drew, high school best friends who are now adults and fully estranged from each other. Evie's husband just died in a car accident that left her with amnesia. She can't remember anything after the age of 16. As she slowly tries to figure out her life, it appears that her marriage to Oliver was less than idyllic, and Drew might just be the only one who can help her remember. But at what cost?

The book was written from both Evie and Drew's point of view, and jumped back and forth between the present and the past. Trying to piece together what happened to bring Evie to this point in her life had me flying through the book. I just had to know what happened! As the pieces slowly come together, my heart broke over and over again, but Emma did a fantastic job putting it back together, and the ending had me in tears. Although I wouldn't consider this book a romance novel in the classic sense, the threads of a sweeping love story were woven throughout, and Evie and Drew have been permanently lodged in my heart. I can't recommend this beautiful book highly enough.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Zibby Publishing for the arc edition of this book in exchange for my honest opinions

I liked the story between the characters and the picture it painted about the effects of abusive relationships but I felt the amnesia plot was cliche and didn’t really serve the story well

I loved the mystery behind the amnesia and how we slowly leaned the background with the main character. Parts were slow for me but then it would pick up again. Little bits were shown at a time and I didn’t feel the past manipulation and issues were shown as well as they could have been. If you like an emotional story that slowly burns, try this one.

“She seems innocuous and fragile now, but history has shown she has the power to destroy me.”

Pictures of You comes out 11/12.

Interesting idea, well executed. It was well-paced, though a tad too much detail at certain moments, but the characters were well-formed and their actions followed their own moral code. Not my favorite – hence just 3 stars – but overall enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC :)

100% recommend going into this one blind!!! I had no idea what this story was about when I started, but wow! I went through a true journey with evie, drew, oliver and bree 🥹

after evie loses her husband and her memory in a devastating car crash, she has to put the pieces together herself on who she is and what happened to her over the past ten years 🫨 and honestly, she coped way better than I would

when drew, her former best friend, offers to help slowly regain her memory, evie straddles the line of who she can really trust - and the way the author slowly introduces evie’s past mixed in with the present day was absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking! the unraveling of the thread made me want to reach into the book and shake evie’s shoulders to keep it all from happening 😔

and those reveals and twists? had me shook okay this book was way deeper and heavier than I anticipated, but y’all know how much I love an emo book

the romances of evie’s past and present took a backseat to more important stories surrounding grief, loss of friendship, abuse, and toxic relationships, which was lovely and heart wrenching to see play out in real time 💔 but the journey was everything!!!

I did feel as though the ending was wrapped up wayyyyy too quickly and abruptly, leaving the audience wanting more, but I did enjoy the story and know it’ll stick with me for a long time 🩵

thank you netgalley and zibby books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 4.5 stars
wine pairing: sonoma coast chardonnay

Evie wakes up from a car accident with severe memory loss. She is told that her husband is dead, but she has no memory of her husband. In fact, she thinks she is 16 and still in high school. She can’t understand why her parents and her best friend are nowhere to be found. Their contacts aren’t even in her phone. Desperate for answers, she unexpectedly connects with Drew, a photographer she shares a much deeper connection with than she realizes. The author slowly reveals the past and the present weaving a tale of intrigue as Evie’s life and memories are unraveled.

Emma Grey did a masterful job handling Evie’s amnesia and the way the story unspooled. There were plot twists I didn’t see coming along with a delightful second-chance romance. The characters were layered and loveable (not all of them), and I want Drew to be my book boyfriend.

Be forewarned the book deals with some pretty heavy topics such as the death of a spouse, the death of a parent, and emotional abuse, which were all handled with sensitivity. This book will break your heart and put it back together again. I strongly recommend it!

I loved Emma Grey’s last book, The Last Love Note, and I loved Pictures of You, as well. Grey is quickly becoming an auto-read author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby Books for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Reviews will be posted to Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon on release day.

Thank you Zibby Books for the review copy of Pictures of You from Emma Grey. This will resonate with readers who love an emotional journey with their main character, fans of authors such as Colleen Hoover, Kristin Hannah, Lucy Score, and Carley Fortune (if you like their books and relationship focused emotional journeys this one really is for you!). The plot explores important themes on relationships and emotional manipulation with some hints of mystery about past and present events.

What works is an engaging premise that forces Evie to uncover her past in order to understand her present life, one that she wakes up to after an accident but does not remember; themes that matter and need to be shared come through effectively as the story unfolds.. Evie's current life seems completely at odds with her last memories of who she was in high school, what her dreams and goals were and she can't understand what happened from her last memory from high school and her current life. And for me that's the struggle as well, I was confused how a young woman with such a strong sense of self, strong social relationships, with very intentional goals found herself in her present life; this is not to knock the themes explored and that toxic relationships are filled with manipulation but more that I felt it there was too much disconnect with how the character was introduced to readers in the flashbacks. The puzzle pieces somewhat come together as the manipulations are explained but I struggled to understand some of the ways relationships fell apart so drastically..