Enjoyed this book and the characters. It was a good read I would recommend to all. The characters were likable and plot kept going at a nice pace.

Not the easiest of reads due to the subject matter but there was something very compelling about the plot and the writing style.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to go through with this. I might come back someday.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The last one of Sally’s that I hadn’t read! Such a wonderful thought provoking and tender story. After losing everything including her husband Eve has to sell everything and find a job. She applies at a residential house as the cook/cleaner and discovers a lovely woman called Anna who has early onset dementia. Anna is young and meets Luke there who also has a form of dementia, but they can not be together. The manager is a very suspicious character, and Eve finds a way to make their wish come true. Her little daughter Clementine is the most adorable person and bonds with so many of the residents despite being bullied and teased at school about her father. This was such an engaging book - I have now read all of Sally’s books and have rated them all 5 stars 🌟 She is an awesome author and such a nice person too, you must read her books!

“I like it when people remember that I’m a person, not just a person with Alzheimer’s.”

Anna Forster, a vibrant woman in her mid thirties who works as a paramedic, rides motorcycles, and loves life, is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. She enlists the aid of her twin brother Jack to install her in to ‘Rosalind House’, a private assisted living facility. It is a large Georgian house which houses twelve residents and various staff. Ten of the twelve are geriatric. Anna and another man named Luke are still young. Both Luke and Anna are fighting the battle of their lives. It would only stand to reason that under these circumstances they become more than friends.

Eve Bennett had it all. A loving husband, a beautiful daughter, loads of money and a gorgeous house. Then, one tragic day she discovered that her husband had orchestrated a Ponzi scheme. They lost everything – it was more than he could deal with…

Now Eve is a single mother, living with her daughter in a very modest one bedroom apartment. She applies for a job as a cook at Rosalind House because it will enable her to keep her daughter Clementine in the school where all her friends go.

Eve, a gourmet cook, is hired not only to cook, but to clean up after the residents. It is a mighty step-down from her former life. Her friends don’t want anything to do with her. Some of them lost their money via her husband’s Ponzi scheme. Some are just to snobbish to associate with her since her fall from grace.

Clementine Bennett, aged seven, is trying to deal with her Daddy’s death, her reduced circumstances, and the teasing and taunting of her friends. She goes to Rosalind House with her mother before school and again after school. The residents enjoy her presence. She shows them her Irish dance and sings for them. Her youthful innocence and questions are a welcome change from the sameness of their existence.

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve had this book on my TBR for quite some time. I guess I knew it would be a difficult read and I was hesitant to put myself through the heartbreak. It IS hard to read, I mean, how could it not be? The story is about a woman in her late thirties who has early onset Alzheimer’s. A woman of that age living in an assisted living facility with geriatric patients is a fate that causes me to weep. I’m almost three decades older than Anna’s character and I would find the situation abhorrent, even for someone my age.

The story of the deceived single mother, Eve Bennett also tugged at my heart-strings. And Clementine Bennett was a delight.

The writing was skillful. The situation tragic and all too believable. Believe me – more than one tissue was required in the reading of this novel.

The title fit the book perfectly as is evidenced by this quote: “When you get to my age, you don’t waste time with regrets. In the end, you just remember the moments of joy. When all is said and done those are the things we keep.”

It is a novel that teaches you to find joy even when situations seem horrendous and insurmountable.

This novel broke my heart – and healed it simultaneously. A wonderful love story that is a also a prime example of fine women’s fiction. Highly recommended!

This book was wonderful. The story that it told is my worst nightmare in so many ways. Dementia and Alzheimer's disease can change so much about a person as the disease takes away memories. Early-onset Alzheimer's disease seems like an even crueler fate since the individuals being affected haven't had the chance to live a full life yet. I think that this book did a fantastic job of really making me think and more importantly making me feel.

Anna is in her late thirties and has early onset Alzheimer's disease. She has reached the stage where she and her family realize that a care facility is the best place for her so they find a facility with another patient dealing with early onset dementia. The author did a fabulous job of really getting into Anna's head and she is dealing with her memory loss. Anna's decline over the course of the story was also handled very well.

This book also tells a love story. Anna meets Luke at the care facility. Both are dealing with dementia at a very young age and they are drawn to each other. I really thought that they were so good for each other and it pained me that they didn't find each other until after they were experiencing memory loss. Anna never could seem to remember Luke's name but she always knew who he was and his presence seemed to bring her peace.

This book also deals with people trying to make the best decisions for those that they love. Anna's brother was put in the position of having to make decisions for Anna. There is no doubt that he loved his sister and wanted to do what was best for her. Unfortunately, Anna couldn't always share what that was.

We also get to learn Eve and her daughter Clem's story. Eve has just taken the position of cook at Anna and Luke's care facility. Eve hasn't worked for quite a while but is willing to do what it takes to care for her daughter. They have been through a lot after a scandal hit their family. I thought that their story was well done and interesting and I loved the way that Eve fought to help Anna get what she needed.

The narrators did a wonderful job with this book. I have listened to Therese Plummer quite a few times in the past and love her work but this was the first time that I have had the chance to listen to Barrie Kreinik's narration. There were three distinct points of view in the book and I really liked the use of multiple narrators to perform the story. I thought that they both brought a lot of emotion into the story and were very pleasant to listen to for hours at a time. I am glad that I decided to listen to this book.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I thought it was a really well-done story that I found very thought provoking. I would not hesitate to read more of this author's work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

A heartbreaking story of a young woman who is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's and her relationship with a fellow and resident of Rosalind House. Told from various perspectives, readers will experience how relationships and love persevere, even through hardships.

This was a very nice read.

I really liked how the topic of alzheimer's was handled in this book. I actually think its one of the best books i read about the illness!
It really showcases all sides of it, the side of the sufferer, the side of the people that have to take care of them because of family connections and the sides of the professionals that take care of patients that suffer. All sides had their good and bad sides and all sides where shown realistically and honest and in my option wonderfully!

But there were just sections this book that i didn't see the need for or found completely questionable on what and why they where in this book at all.

Overall its a nice book, if you are interested in it, give it a try!

This was an amazing, poignant emotional read, but at the same time emotionally hopeful

I love how the author tried to express how it felt from the person who has Alzheimer’s as it can only make you think you know, or imagine what it’s like.

I’ve seen my own mother going through dementia although not exactly the same as Alzheimer’s it’s similar. It’s a horrible disease and for those caring.

We see this in this novel. The research has been tremendous and I love this book.

It’s defin insightful and gives a lot of love out pouring.

Although I’ve given this 3 and half stars it does mean I liked it and enjoyed it.

It did remind me of a couple of other books on this subject matter I’d read.

My thanks to St Martins Press via Net galley for my copy.

DNF at 17%.

In spite of being a well-written book, I found this book really depressing (which think was the point in the first place.) It's just not my cup of tea.

If you don't mind reading books centered around main characters' sickness then this might be something you'll like. It's just not for me.

This was a hard book to read. Not that it was a bad book, because it wasn't, but because it was so real. It is both heartbreaking and inspiring. This is a must read!

This is one of the most heartfelt books I have ever read. I just loved it.

What a wise and lovely book about life and love and what we keep in the face of terrible losses. Anna is a woman in her 30s with early onset Alzheimer's. Eva is a woman dealing with a different kind of loss who works in the residential facility where Anna lives. I like the way the author addresses issues of humane care for the elderly and those with various forms of dementia without bludgeoning readers over the head. Highly recommended.

This is the second Sally Hepworth book I have read this month & she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This is a wonderful and somewhat heartbreaking tale of two young people with early onset Alzheimer's. With the help and determination from a new friend, these two are able to find some happiness despite their circumstances.