I have read a couple of Lucy’s books now and I have loved each and every one. I read the synopsis for ‘The Memory’ and I knew that this was one book I would be reading sooner rather than later. I eagerly began to read and boy oh boy ‘The Memory’ is certainly a read and a half. I really enjoyed it but more about that in a bit.
Oh my goodness there was certainly a wide range of different characters and personalities within the pages of this book and I can’t say that I took to any of them. Eve is a bit overpowering. She is fiercely protective of her daughter Isobel, which isn’t surprising when you consider what happened to her as a child, when her martial arts teacher started shooting at the children. Eve froze that day and she has been trying to make it up to her ever since. Isobel is still suffering as a result of that day and I did wonder if she had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Despite Isobel being a grown woman, she still talks with the voice of a child. Those are just two of the main characters. Both gave me the heebie jeebies for different reasons and that’s just for starters. I’m not going into the specifics because that would give far too much away.
I must admit that it did take me a little while to get ‘into’ this book but that has more to do with the fact that I was tired at the time. When I got into this book, boy did I become addicted to it or what? I just had to keep reading because I was desperate to know what was going to happen and to see if my suspicions about the various characters were valid or not. The deeper I got into the story, the more addicted to reading the book I became and the quicker those pages were turning. It didn’t seem to take me long at all to get to the end of the book.
‘The Memory’ certainly starts with a bang and the plot hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. The book started in such a way that will remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come. The author uses such vivid and detailed descriptions, that I actually imagined I was part of the story myself. For example: the scenes where he takes pot shots at the children made me feel scared and I found myself ducking to escape the pellets. If the characters felt something, then so did I and so on. I have a very vivid imagination and get far too involved with books that I enjoy.
Reading this book was much like being on an unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board. There were also unexpected moments that crept up on me suddenly and had the same effect on me as would a punch to the gut.
In short, I did enjoy reading ‘The Memory’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I can’t wait to read Lucy’s next book. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is 4* out of 5*.

A gripping and shocking read which draws you in from the first chapter. Really enjoyed this book with twists and turns a plenty

Reading a story by this author can always be considered as a treat added to your pile of amazing books as well as a threat to the hours of sleep you get while devouring it.

Books can be confusing in a good or a bad way. This one messed with my head in a very good way. Half way through I still did not see how the start of the book would connect with the outcome, but hey, that’s just what makes the author having you come back for more each time she publishes a book.

While the author has guided your mind in a certain direction she surprises you with a twist you did not see coming and the pieces of the puzzle suddenly all fit together and you see the whole picture.

This book sketches a very creepy atmosphere and connects you to the dark side. And then there is light, an all consuming light to reveal everything that has been hidden for a very long time. 5 stars.

Thank you Lucy Dawson, Bookouture and Netgalley.

#TheMemory#NetGalley#
Reviewed by: I Love To Read/Librarian
Thank you NetGalley for providing this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

A dark story with many characters who appear to be struggling to make their lives work despite traumatic events leaving psychological scars. A bully unbalanced instructor shoots at a group of his innocent students. His bullets aren''t the lethal kind, but the children aren't aware of this. Their fear haunts them the rest of their lives. 0ne of the narrator's daughter, a shooting victim, becomes an emotional cripple dealing her mother, Eve, a desperate life. The house Eve and her daughter live in is old to the point of being ancient. Over some hundreds of years the house, Fox Cottage, has been many things, a pub, a shop, etc. Eve wants to sell and is fortunate to find a buyer forced to buy the creepy place by his father seemingly rescuing his son who's squandered his wife's money on a business deal gone bad.
The house doesn't want the new family. Unsettling events happen to frighten them away. The story revolves around Eve and her daughter and Claire, the new house owner. Author goes in detail in both women's lives cementing their motivations.
The story moves along and does capture reader's attention, but It was a book I could put down and read another day. The mystery is which character is causing the haunting at the house and why.
The ending explained everything and the person responsible for the mayhem is logical. An interesting read.

2018 Goodreads Choice Awards
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Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones's Reviews > The Memory
The Memory by Lucy Dawson
The Memory
by Lucy Dawson (Goodreads Author)
30817744
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones's review Dec 19, 2018 · edit
really liked it
bookshelves: 2018, netgalley-arc, 4-star, contemporary-fiction, family-drama, mystery, psychological-thriller

EXCERPT: There was a car some distance behind, the headlights tracking us. I stared at them, getting closer, as we drove past the iron-gated entrance to a lonely farm; the otherwise deserted road on one side lined with tall foreboding pine trees, and the other giving way to a steep drop off down into the valley. This could be the start of a film. Someone following us, an unknown threatening presence in the car. . .

ABOUT THIS BOOK: She’ll never forget… I’ll never forgive.

People always notice my daughter, Isobel. How could they not? Extraordinarily beautiful... until she speaks.

An unsettling, little-girl voice, exactly like a child’s, but from the mouth of a full-grown woman.

Izzie might look grown-up, but inside she’s trapped. Caught in the day it happened… the day that broke her from within. Our family fell apart that day, and we never could pick up the pieces.

MY THOUGHTS: "I have no idea what is going on.....so why am I reading with a thumping heart that is sitting somewhere in my throat, rather than where it is supposed to be?" This is the comment I made at just over 25% into The Memory by Lucy Dawson.

Did you ever play blind man's buff as a child? You were blindfolded, spun around until totally disoriented, then had to stumble about trying to find someone to tag. Reading The Memory was a similar experience for me. Lucy Dawson is very good at leading her readers up the garden path. She had me expecting to end up in one place, but the twists and turns (and there was a glaring clue that struck a chord at the time, but which I quickly dismissed) took me somewhere entirely different.

I am not going to talk about the plot, because I don't want to give anything away, but if you like a book filled with secrets, lies and manipulative characters, then The Memory is definitely a read that you will love.

🎅🎅🎅🎅

THE AUTHOR: Lucy studied Psychology at Warwick University before becoming a children’s magazine editor. Her first bestselling book – His Other Lover – was published in 2008. Since then she has published four other novels and her work has been translated into numerous other languages. She lives in Exeter with her husband and children. Lucy finds writing in the third person uncomfortable.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Memory by Lucy Dawson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

Dark and disturbing, The Memory has been one of my favorite reads of the year!

From the very start, I was hooked. Dawson begins the book on a traumatic note that is my opinion a brilliant way to stage the book. Years later those effected by the events of that day are now grown but each of them holds that day with them and cope in their own different ways.

Claire, one of the main characters is a strong, independent female. A mother and girlfriend, Claire moves with her boyfriend Tim, one of survivors, back to Tim's hometown with their daughter. From the moment they set foot in the home it seems as if something sinister is at play and as one thing after another happens, it all points to Isobel - Tim's ex-girlfriend and other survivor.

But nothing is as it seems and as this book plays out and the plot begins to unravel, there are some huge - and shocking - surprises and twists.

Different from the usual psychological thrillers, I was highly entertained, I was surprised throughout the entirety of the book, never predicting what would happen next. The Memory is dark and disturbing, but at the same time something deep is held within the pages. I was thoroughly invested in this story and I can't wait to see what Dawson has up her sleeve for her next book!

This was an ok read. It has an interesting plot that is unusual but I could not warm to any of the characters.

The Memory by Lucy Dawson is not what I expected. The story of Fox Cottage is told from the perspective of two women Eve & Claire.

Although I liked this book, to me it had two many themes running through it, it made it a little hard to keep up and a little messy to read. I thought the ending was great however there needed to be more throughout the story to make the ending make more sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy!

This book was not what I expected. I definitely enjoyed it and would give it 3.5 stars. I never would have guessed the ending. The book was not predictable. It was full of suspense with some added supernatural drama. Honestly, I would have never slept alone in the house, it was too scary and I would have been afraid of what ever ghost or monster lived there. Luckily, the monster was finally revealed. I loved the story and writing style. The characters fit the story perfectly. Claire ended up being my favorite and pretty much the only character I liked. Adam was a distant second.

The incident at the beginning was awful. I understand how Isobel, Tim and Adam would be traumatized from what happened when they were younger. It was a scary situation and extremely crazy that someone would do that. I don't think any of them ever got the helped they needed to deal with what occurred. Isobel was so child-like and at times seemed like an actual grownup. I'm not sure Eve really got her the care she needed. Plus there were so many secrets Isobel kept from her mother. Then there's Tim. Tim is so lucky that Claire is forgiving. He just wanted his parents to fix his messes.

Definitely recommend this book. I kept wondering what was going to jump out at Tim, Claire and their daughter while they slept. The book definitely had me hooked from the beginning and I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, Lucy Dawson, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

I usually love Lucy Dawson books, but was not so keen on this one. I loved the early part of the book. It was creepy and intriguing and I was easily hooked into the story, but during the second half I started to lost interest, in part because I had an idea what was coming.

The book is still worth a read for psychological thriller lovers and, as always with Lucy Dawson, it is well written with strong characters and a few good twists, but just not one of my favourites by her.

I was a little disappointed with this book, it started so well, full of promise but just didn’t deliver for me. The story is told from two women’s point of view. Eve and her daughter Rosie have been living in Fox Cottage for a number of years and are both still suffering from the after effects of a traumatic event that happened when Isabel was 7 years old and Claire, her partner Tim and daughter Rosie who are buying Fox Cottage. Tim was also witnessed the traumatic event and him and his parents have history with Eve and Isabel. Once Claire and her family move into the cottage unexplained weird events start taking place which are linked to both families. I persevered with the reading of this book even though I didn’t like the supernatural twist to it but I did enjoy the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you netgalley for my advance copy of this book. I felt the story was a bit slow to start but I persevered and I'm so glad I did because this book is well worth reading. The characters start to creep under your skin and I raced through the second half desperate to know how it would all pan out. A solid four stars.

The Memory by Lucy Dawson will be in my memory for a very long time. I want to thank Netgalley and all parties involved for my arc of this awesome read. I wish this didn’t spend so much time on my kindle because it is something you can devour in one day like one good meal and the last few pages are dessert because you get a satisfying ending. She’ll never forget… I’ll never forgive. When a class turns to death the implications of what happens will last a lifetime.
People always notice my daughter, Isobel. How could they not? Extraordinarily beautiful... until she speaks. Little girls voice coming from a woman. This is a very dark haunting read that everyone should read. The story starts with a dark traumatic scene that I won’t repeat because when you pick it up, I want it to pack a punch for you. As the story continues you find out that Izzie has a secret not even her mother knows that is attached to the house that they live in. When Izzie’s past meets her future, you find out that everything that happen with Izzie and the little boy Tim in the beginning is all connected. I know that this review is very cryptic but it is very hard to write a review for this book without giving it away. I found this book a dark adventure that is part edge of your seat and part depression because it is so sad the way things unfold. So fellow readers I wish you a fun journey on this dark ride.

I enjoyed this book, but the ending was a bit of a disappointment. You had a sense throughout that something was building and a big revelation was coming, and so the ending fell a little flat for me.
But overall an enjoyable read on the most part.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have enjoyed all this authors previous books and this was probably the best I have read, it was so dark and unsettling. I absolutely loved it.

The Memory is n edge of your seat thriller that is worthy of a 4.5 stars.
This book does do a bit of timeline jumping but it does work. We bounce from twenty and ten years ago to present time. The chapters are told from Eve and Claire’s perspective which also worked well for me. Eve is selling the house she and her daughter Isobel have lived in for years, Isobel had an awful event happen to her when she was seven years old and has had an effect on her that has lasted all her life. Claire is buying Eve’s house and bringing her partner who used to live in the area and her young daughter. As you go through this book I thought it was going to be a ghostly thriller but I was wrong. The twists that happened I never saw coming and it was quite an eerie read but i always wanted to read for longer as this was a page turner. All the characters were real so I did become invested in their outcomes.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a creepy, chilling read. What happened to Izzie is heartbreaking. Her mother Eve protects her as much as possible but there are things she doesn't know. The secrets and the shocks come out eventually. This is a very well written story which I will remember for a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Wow, really enjoyed this book. A fabulous dark Psychological Thriller. Well researched and written exceptionally well. As the book progressed so too did my reading, with so many excellent books I rarely say that one is a page turner more than another - this though is the exception from about 70% I have not wanted anything to interupt my reading.

Highly recommended. Will certainly be looking out for more books by Lucy Dawson.

What a book! It's so chilling and creepy and disturbing! You don't know what's happening and why, until you do and it's not what you'll expect at all. Definitely a 5 star read, especially if you love books with some very creepy, chilling, and twists & turns. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not have the ending figured out at all!
Will be highly recommending to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

The author wrote a great psychological thriller that spanned several decades and was told via different character views. The twists kept coming and had me wanting to keep reading!