This is the first book I have read from Lucy Dawson and got involved from the first page. I did lose a bit of interest about the middle of the book and did a bit of skim reading.

After saying this I did find it picked up later in the book but in my opinion I didn't find it to be a gripping page turner.

I am not sure I will read more from this author but thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity.

I’ve loved all of Lucy Dawson’s books so I was super excited to get sent a copy of this one. I was hooked from the first page and really enjoyed it. It fell a little flat mid way through the book but the pace picked up at the end. Overall, it’s a good psychological thriller that I’d recommend to anyone who likes this style of book.

This psychological thriller is told from two points of view: Eve and Claire.

The story starts with Eve, a young widow dropping off her little girl Isobel for a judo class. The class does not go as expected and something happens that will haunt the people present for decades to come.

Fast forward to about thirty years later. We find Eve wanting to sell her house and meet Claire, who shows up for a viewing of Eve's house. We re-encounter Isobel and it soon becomes clear that something is not quite right with her. Then Claire and her family end up in Eve's house, and the tension becomes almost palpable. At a certain point I just didn't trust any of the secondary characters anymore. As the story unfolds, some weird stuff happens and I kept wondering about its origin: was it supernatural, were some of the characters having a psychotic episode, was there evil intent? Very cleverly done.

The story starts strong, then slows down, allowing us to get to know the characters and then races towards a rather satisfying finale. Many things in this book are not what they seem and I quite like when that happens.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Memory by Lucy Dawson was a story that had me hooked and I read it in one day because I did not want to put it down.
Claire, Matt and their daughter Rosie move to a rural house near Matt's parents.
The former owner Evie and her daughter Isobel know Matt from years earlier. They were both involved in a terrible incident when they were very young and Isobel has never recovered from this.
Strange things are happening in the house that can't be explained and this causes tension between these two families.
This is a story of secrets, lies and manipulation.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

In this ambitious novel, the lives of three young children are turned completely upside down by one terrible morning. Their lives entangle again decades later, when Isabel’s mother, Evie, puts their family estate on the market. We whirl through the story alternating between Evie and Claire’s (the woman who buys the property) perspective. There is a lot going on, and most of it has promise. It certainly kept my attention! There’s a mystery revolving around Isobel, themes of grief and loss, and then a lot of supernatural content involving the house.

A lot of bombshells are dropped, but I feel like the wild range of subjects dilute this story. I would have loved if this novel had settled into one theme, in a deep, meaningful way. The setting was irresistible, and I was solidly invested in all the characters. But none of it was quite enough.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc.

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
4.5
This is more of a suspense thriller then a psychological thriller. While in a psychological thriller makes you "jump off your seat, this one keeps you on the edge of your set. As your reading the story you meet Isoble and find out that unknowingly to her mother Isoble has a secret and not just any secret but a dark one that's connected to her childhood as well to the house they live in, and the more you read the more you find out that not only is this dark secret connected to Isoble and her home but to a other family as well, like i said its more of a suspense thriller then anything because of the the more you read , you became ware of things unknown to the Isoble's mother before she finds out, its still a good story to read because it makes you keep asking yourself what is this dark secret that holds Isoble so much that it seems that even though she's now growing up she's still a very much so a scared little girl inside, and how its connected to her home and to the other family , and why didn't she mother notice some thing was wrong until now, to find out more you have to read the book, with that said i want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review The Memory in change for my honest opinion. Can't wait to read more from this author.

2.3/5

The Memory was actually a decent read riddled enough with mysteries and character building that I love to hate (spoiler alert: IT'S EVERYONE, with the exception of Adam). Unfortunately, it got saddled with supernatural theme (or is it?) and a secret that got dragged for pages before it finally unfold pretty quick and easy on the last pages.

(I received a digital arc for free from NetGalley & Lyrical Undergroudn in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Evie has taken her young daughter to Fox cottage, a small home in the middle of nowhere to give Izzie time to heal after a traumatic event. And the days, weeks and years pass, with Evie and Izzie unable to leave. It will take the arrival of a new family to unearth the truth, for secrets long buried to surface. I loved this book, it had me completely turned around and I didn’t see what was coming. A compulsive read

Lucy Dawson is one of my fav authors and in fact her book ‘You Sent Me A Letter’ was one of the first books I read when ‘came back’ to reading in 2016.
This book is very different in story and style to her previous books
I have to mention one line that made me really smile was the line ‘even on a Sunny day the light just seems dimmer in Shropshire’ ( Matts family moved to Shropshire years ago and we used to say the same!!! )
Anyway the story centres around a family who move from Surrey to Shropshire after they lose all their money and their family buy them a house there, of course they return to a web of lies and ‘the past’ haunts them, literally!
I would say, for me, its more of a supernatural thriller than a psychological thriller
The characters are strong, Susannah, the Mother in law worth a mention as a fiery, domineering woman who is easy to picture ( and dislike 😃 )
There are some uncomfortable subjects covered and the ending was not how I expected it to be and was quite chilling
Got to admit was disappointed in this book, some of the dialogue and scenes were fantastically written and described ( mostly the conversations between the ‘cast’) but the general feel of the book didn’t ‘win me over’
However I will look forward to the authors next book 😃

The Memory by author Lucy Dawson is a nail-biting novel that will drag you in quickly and only let’s up on the very last page! Such a great, intense book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Memory in exchange for an honest review.