The Memory Library tells the story of a mother and daughter who have a complex relationship-is that not always the case? For Sally and Ella in particular, their issues lead them to live on opposite sides of the world (England and Australia) for decades. When Sally suffers a bad fall, Ella returns to England for a month and the stage is set. One thing that I very much liked in this story was the love for books that came across quite clearly. Early on Sally reads Little Women to Ella and gives her a copy of her very own. They enjoy a tradition of a new birthday book each year. The people surrounding Sally, Ella’s mom, create a setting that is both poignant and exquisite. The unfurling of the rift between the mother/daughter is paced and interwoven into the story in a way that anchors the characters’ arcs without overshadowing the growth that both of them realize. This book is very heartwarming, sensitive, and enlightening. I enjoyed every moment of this story of two women’s lives and struggles. We all live complicated lives and this book helps us to look at people and experiences with new eyes. It explores judgments about loved ones and teaches us to open our hearts and minds. Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity.

What a fun book! The narrator was fabulous too! I'll be awaiting more from this author. Another five star read for me!

The most unique, exquisite book I have ever read. Such a darling storyline and a beautiful story. I loved the characters and did not want this to end.

This book make me happy cry and I'm typically not a crier. It's got some elements emotional whiplash that you somewhat expect but also comes out of the blue as well.

Ella has been mostly estranged from her mother since her father's death 21 years earlier but when a neighbor calls and says her mother was in a serious accident and needs help, Ella makes the trip to come take care of her and iron out all affairs as quickly as possible. Though Sally, the mother, has tried to give Ella space to heal and recover, in close proximity, there are some stories that need to be rectified, issues to work through, discomforts to work through and it changes their perspectives on much of their lives. Meanwhile, Ella gets to see the life her mother had built and resume relationships she had left when she left her hometown and her mother.
The recovery between these women was so sweet and the friendships were hilarious and amazing. It was such a lovely story all the way around.

#arc
#netgalley
#thememorylibrary

This is a secret story about a Mother’s love for her child and how a lack of communication kept them apart.

Ella comes home from Australia to England when her mother, Sally, falls and breaks her wrist. She quickly learns this was more than just a fall when she starts to see memory issues and Sally’s home in major disrepair…most notable, a water leak that destroyed every book she owned. Ella learns that Sally had carefully selected a book each year on Ella’s birthday and had written a note to her in each one. So Ella, in addition to finding out about her mother’s health, sets about recreating this special library and in the task of this, learns so much more about her mother’s life.


This book did run a bit slow for me…but it was, indeed a sweet story.

This was such an emotional book to listen to. Jilly Bond and Imogen Wilde both did such an amazing job with their narrations that I laughed and cried, and yelled at Ella on multiple occasions throughout the story. I love that the core of this story is centered around community and the lessons we can learn from books as long as we are open to hearing them. Ella and Sally have an estranged relationship due to a misunderstanding that happened 21 years earlier. Though Ella is reluctant to put her life on pause to help her mom in her time of need, she does it. There she learns that her mother has carried on her tradition of buying a book every year for Ella's birthday with a personalized note full of wisdom, lessons she hopes Ella would take from the story, and the unwavering love from a mother to her daughter. This was such a powerful and beautiful book that I wish I could read it for the first time again..

Ella receives a call that her mother Sally has had a bad fall. Ella reluctantly drops everything in her life to fly from Australia to England to take care of her mother. While she is there, she notices some memory issues with Sally. As someone who delt with dementia with my grandmother until she passed and now with my father-in-law, a lot of this felt very real. This was a story about second chances between mother and daughter. I loved the references to a lot of classic books. The story is told in a dual timeline (current day and flashbacks) and from two POVs. The writing was done well and the characters, although not all likable at the beginning, do grow on you. I love stories that showcase the complexity of family relationships and dynamics. Even though the overarching feeling was sad, there was still a lot of love and hope that were woven in there. For me, it brought up a lot of memories.

Ella gets a call one morning from her mother's neighbor. Ella has lived in Australia for 21 years and her mom lives in England. She's never returned since she left. It turns out her mom has fallen and Ella needs to go home to help while her mom recovers. Ella is currently 41, a lawyer, has an 8 year old daughter named Willow, and her husband Charlie is a stay at home dad. Ella goes out of obligation as she has not forgiven her mom for something that happened 21 years ago. She also has not read a fiction book since she left, as she and her mom shared a huge love of books.

When she gets home, she starts to discover that her mom might have missed her more than she ever let on over the phone, that her mom isn't as active as she thought, and a strange virus seems to be affecting her memory.

A great heartwarming read and a wonderfully done narration.

The premise of this book sounded really promising, but it totally fell flat for me. The whole idea of this book is basically because of a huge misunderstanding that happened over 20 years ago, that neither the mom or the 40 year old daughter could address in that timeframe.

The author does a good job of making you understand how family relationships can be destroyed over miscommunication. I loved the idea of the Sally's library and how it ultimately affected the story. I would have liked to see it focus more on the library than a lot of the other things. The last 10% of this book was wonderful and heartfelt, but I could barely make it through the other 90%.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Memory Library by Kate Storey
Published Feb. 2024
Audio Book 8 Hours 20 Min
3.5 Stars

The Memory Library was very cute (well written). This is my first e-book in quite sometime and honestly book all together. This is a story of a mother and daughter how they find their way back to each other. I am going to get right to the point. This book was cute and I really wanted to know what would happen next. However, it was predictable and the answerers I kept saying in my head the last 20 to 15 min of the book. Even with the predictability of the story I would still 100% recommend the story to others. Because the story is very cute one and seems to be a quick read. If I was reading it.

Audiobook received for free through NetGalley

I loved listening to this book. The feel good along with uncomfortableness but overarching love. Thank you

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Memory Library by Kate Storey, this was an audiobook.

This was such a lovely book to listen to. I loved the story and the characters. It's a great setting and I liked how the plot unfolded. I enjoyed the themes within this novels, of books, family, community and second chances. The two main characters are Sally the mother and Ella's the daughter.  Ella's has come home to England to check on her mom who has had a flood in her home and has broken her arm. As time goes by Ella's realizes everything she has missed out on over the last 20 years. Mother and daughter get to know each other again.
I really enjoyed the story, the narration was well done. I will definitely read more books by this author

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy of this lovely book. Ella is called back to London after 21 years in Australia. Her estranged mom is in need and Ella feels obligated to go.

I enjoyed listening to the book. The narration was done really well. The story, while a bit predictable was just a really nice, cozy read.

This is one of my favorite books of 2024!

Narration: This audiobook included two female narrators and both were perfect to tell this story.

Story: This was a beautifully written story about books, relationships and finding what matters in life.

I can't find the right words to describe how wonderful this audiobook was. The characters were wonderfully written. They story is set in present day with some flashbacks, but it is a smooth transition between scenes. The transition between the two characters POVs is also clear and smooth.

Sally creates a beautiful library for her daughter taking special care into what she selects. Readers will see the author put thought into each book mentioned throughout this story and how it would relate to the character's time in her life. I loved how the story comes full circle at the end.

Highly recommend adding this book to your TBR.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Book 226 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I needed a book like this, especially since it has been a rough few days... or should I say that I have been too hard on myself the past few days

I needed an escape, and yet at the same time, I needed a book that would give me the feels... and boy, this did the trick.

Wonderful narrators who kept me wanting to keep going but with school having started plus my own personal stuff going on...

Anyway, the book is about an estranged mother and daughter who, through books, find themselves and rebuild a relationship and make up for lost time.

I recommend this for sure. If you have never tried listening to an audiobook, sometimes what I like doing is read the physical or ebook together with the audiobook.

Only had the advanced copy of the audiobook this time, so I didn't do that. When I did get distracted by my thoughts, I just restarted the chapter I was at and got right back into the story.

One 🌟 just for the brilliant narrators.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#book226of300 #amreading #amlistening #netgalley #instareads #readstagram #reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #booklover #booksAreLife #booksForTheWin #thisbookfairyisreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #goodreads #bookstagramfeature #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookworm #booklovers #theSGbookfairyReads #theSGtrekkiereads #bookaholic #bookaddict #bookchallenge2024 #reviews #lovebooks #booknerds

The Memory Library is a heartwarming story about a mother-daughter relationship. Ella moves from London to Australia after her father dies and she discovers what she assumes to be a love letter that is NOT from her father. She hasn't seen her mother in over 20 years when Sally falls and needs assistance while she recovers. Ella moves back home and learns more about who her mom really was and is, and their relationship is allowed to heal.

I received a digital ARC of the audiobook thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. The narrator had a very pleasant voice, even when the speed was increased to the speed I normally listen to audiobooks. I would recommend both the book and audiobook to others.

The Memory Library is the story of an estranged mother and daughter coming back together in a moment of difficulty, as they discover that no wound is too deep to heal.

Ella hasn't seen her mother in over twenty years. After a grief-stricken fight, she moved to Australia and started her career and family away from England. But when her mother has a fall, she and her husband decide it is time for Ella to go. She is the only one who can.

While there, she and her mother, Sally, are forced to confront what tore them apart, and as the waves of healing wash over them, Ella comes to realize what her decision cost her.

Sally still lives in the same home, and has been continuing her tradition of buying a new book for Ella every year on her birthday, but since their estrangement, she's been keeping them safe in her own library at home until Ella was ready. She inscribes them each with a little message, describing why each title was chosen, but it was ruined in the flood that resulted from her accident.

The idea of this book is sweet, but for me it felt a little forced. It's an uplifting story that has a thread of sadness and grief tied all through it. It warns us to make sure we're not taking for granted even the more difficult relationships in our lives, and urges us to try harder to understand others. It's a great message, so I can forgive a few clumsy character motivations.

I can see people really latching onto this book if they have healed estrangements in their own lives, or have complicated relationships with their own mothers.

Note:: I received this book through netgalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't know if I would like this book when I started. Ella is so hard at the beginning. As the story progresses, there are so many difficult emotions to face over the course of the book. I love the growth that comes to Ella. I love how much love grows. I like how we get to see community come together around the character of Sally.
This is a book that has much to offer if you are looking to be changed by a book you read.
I listened to the audiobook. I like the narrator.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for this chance to grow a bit myself.

Ella receives word that her mother, Sally, needs her to care for her as she recovers from an injury. Sally fell after leaving her bathtub water running for too long, breaking her wrists and flooding part of her house. Ella is hesitant to return to England after her move to Australia years earlier because of unresolved conflict that exists between herself and her mother. But away she goes, leaving her husband and young daughter behind.

Thank you Kate Storey and HarperAudio Adult for this audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions here are mine and mine alone.

This story started off promising, though it was slightly clichéd. However, as the story progressed, each problem that arose was not well worked through with the characters and each problem was resolved in a way that made me, as the reader, not really care. I was not invested in the characters' lives and I did not feel the pain they were feeling.

I liked the premise of the story and I thought the memory library itself was unique and a positive addition to the story. I just would have liked more well-rounded and thought out dialogue and problem-solving from the characters.

The narrators did a good job voicing the characters and I found the voices to be soothing and pleasant to listen to.

This was such a heartwarming contemporary novel. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked. Just such a sweet second chance story and I love books about books. Ella drove me crazy a couple of times with her jumping to conclusions, but I loved seeing her character growth! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my audio ARC!