Cover Image: What the Heart Remembers Most

What the Heart Remembers Most

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Member Reviews

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

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I did enjoy this book but it was one I could easily put down. I didn’t quite care for the ‘twist’ mid novel and so that sort of took me out of the book. There is definitely a lot of drama in this one and you’ll find yourself yelling at the characters like I did in my head. I will give this author another try because I did like her writing. I just would have liked the book better without the ‘twist’.

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This wonderful, beautiful, gut wrenching, heartbreaking, tear jerking devastation of a book will stick with me until the day I die.
Don’t read this story if you don’t want to cry. A lot. I mean it, I am getting choked up just thinking about this story.
Ullrich is a master of emotional turmoil. This story savagely ripped me to shreds and lovingly put me back together over and over again.
Jax and Gretchen have one of those once in a life time stories and we come into the story as its ending without the why of how things started going wrong. Watching these characters as an accident gives them an opportunity to communicate and confront the issues of the past is heartbreaking and also a balm for the soul.
There is a small element of paranormal in regards to Gretchen’s injury that is magnificently done and added a whole new layer of depth to the story as well.
I love this story so much. I spent a great deal of the book wanting to shake both women as they both handled so many of the situations poorly due to hurt and misunderstandings.
This is a bitter sweet story of hurt, love, fate, and redemption. It is powerfully told and stunningly beautiful.

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I keep trying and trying to connect with the characters but couldn’t deal with the mess they both had. I found myself skimming through it. But if you like the blurb give it try might be your cup of tea or coffee whatever you like most :)

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It took me a lot longer to finish this book than it usually does. I had a hard time getting into it. That being said, once I found my groove, I found it to be an enjoyable read.

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Jax and Gretchen were in the middle of a divorce,when an accident means Gretchen can not remember the last 4 years of their lives, and still believes they are happily married, and still thinks their child is just a baby.
A lovely love story that made me feel so many different emotions - sad, hopeful, happy and also angry because it was so obvious that they both loved each other.
Just goes to show though that love conquers all! Also shows that life really is so short and can change in an instant.
Great read.

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I've read a few books recently that had a similar premise - and I'm starting to wonder if this sort of thing is more common than I would have thought. How many times does an established couple separate only to be brought back together when one gets amnesia and doesn't remember the impetus for the separation - second chance romance thanks to an opportune bump to the head. Okay - so it sounds like the plot of a telenovella, but I will admit it gives the author (and the reader) a great opportunity to explore an established couple once the honeymoon is over and really delve into the connection, intimacy and really hard work that a relationship requires.

Although this kind of plot makes for a ridiculous amount of angst - and in other similar themed novels, the angstometer was off the charts - Ms. Ullrich manages to keep things under a modicum of control and we didn't see the characters chewing up the scenery. This lent what I thought was a realistic portrayal of the dissolution of a relationship despite the fact that the two characters still loved one another - that day to day tribulations and all too human stubbornness and doubt can eat away at things without being noticed until it seems too late.

I've always liked Ms Ullrich's writing style - its an easy and comfortable read but she adds a nice bit of originality and twists to keep me focused and engaged. The story line itself worked well - blending the drama and the romance to create a captivating novel. The characters of Gretchen and Jax are real and well grounded - both have their faults but there is an undeniable connection between the two that makes the reader root for them to make it work. Ullrich also takes the time to develop the secondary characters of Amanda and Caleb so that they are more than just stereotypes or foils for the main characters to play off.

My main quibble with the book was in the structure - the first half is told primarily from Gretchens POV and there's a really jarring transition to Jax's POV and we re-live the key moments with some slight changes. It took me a bit to figure out what Ms Ullich was doing (at first I thought that someone inserted an older draft of the first part of the book), but then it started making a bit more sense. At first I hated it, then I liked it - it gives another layer to the relationship, as Gretchen gets a third chance and you see the minute changes that can make a large impact - but it all comes down to the women taking the chance small changes can make either big differences or not have an impact.

Overall, I'd recommend the book - well written, engaging characters, just enough angst and an interesting premise that makes you think.

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While this was a gripping read, it just didn't quite work for me. The jolting change in the middle of the book came completely out of the blue and I didn't like the way it suddenly fell into science fiction rather than a typical contemporary romance. Still, I read this fast as despite everything I wanted to know what was going to happen and I did care about the characters and their outcomes.

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This was ok. The premise was a little bit different to anything I have read recently, so the uniqueness was a positive.

The characters weren't my cup of tea in that they weren't nice or kind, and there was too much anger and hate. I hardly felt myself rooting for them as a couple and while there was detail of their history to help the reader understand, I don't feel like it delivered clearly.

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This is my third angst-filled book in a row (must be something in the air) but this one tops them. In fact, this might be my best read of the year so far. Jax is called to the hospital because her soon-to-be ex-wife has had an accident and is in a coma. Gretchen was leaving the office and slipped on some ice. Their relationship has been deteriorating for the last four years but was getting steadily more acrimonious. When she finally awakens from her coma, Gretchen seems to have quite a few memories missing, including the first three years of their son’s life.

This is superb. It’s clever, unexpected, engaging and heart-wrenching. No more needs to be said except: read it.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

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At the pinnacle of Gretchen and Jax’s relationship, there were written declarations of love, spoken promises of forever and the commitment to build a family and life together.

17 years of marriage later, Gretchen and Jax have lost their way and were unable to find the way back to each other, Divorce was on the cards until Gretchen met with an accident that wiped out the last 4 years’ memories of her life. The crucial 4 years of memories that hold the key to the demise of her marriage.

Forced into each other’s orbit again, will this second chance propel them on the right path, or have things spun so far apart that it is impossible to salvage the remnants of their relationship?

The book was at times difficult to read, namely due to the tensions vibrating between the characters, the frustrations on the road to Gretchen's recovery and the reveal of what truly happened. A good book does that to readers, where you feel like you are tiptoeing around the characters and find moments that tug at your heartstrings.

I just reviewed What the Heart Remembers Most by M. Ullrich. #NetGalley

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This is the first book I have read by this author, but it will definitely not be my last. This book was a whirlwind of emotions from beginning to end. I love second chance romances and this one did not disappoint.

I do wish the book would have focused more on their romance and them being happily back together instead of the time if went back to view things from Jax point of view. Plus Jax was really selfish and didn't see a marriage is 50/50, she played a part too, wasn't all Gretchen's fault. The intimate scenes were hot, wish it would have been more involving just Jax and Gretchen.

The part where they broke up over her finding the letters about the custody could have been left out, I wanted more romance and intimacy for them at that point. Overall, great book, very glad I discovered this author. I stayed up late into the night reading and learned a valuable lesson, never give up on love, it's worth fighting for!

ARC received with many thanks via Net Galley.

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If you have read M. Ullrich before you know she can give you the unexpected at any time. I never know which direction she will take me when reading one of her amazing books. It's amazing that an author has that much creativity. 

 What the Heart Remembers Most tackles amnesia. Jax Levine is going about her days when she gets a call that her soon to be ex-wife and the mother of her son has been seriously injured. Jax's whole world is turned upside down. Time stops and her life becomes consumed with sitting by the bedside of Gretchen Mills. These two were meant to last forever, but life, work, and raising a young child tore them apart. Now that Gretchen is injured, Jax must take the next steps to make sure her former love is taken care of. Things really get swirl, when Gretchen awakens with four years of lost memories.

You think you have a clue about how this story will play out, nope, M. Ullrich swerves and keeps you guessing to the end. There was a moment I thought I lost my mind or my Kindle went haywire. Nope, just a curveball to throw everything you thought you knew right out the dang window. This drama pulls you into Jax and Gretchen's heartache and pain. Their marriage has crumbled and now the why is under the microscope. You feel the angst, tension, and heartache. This book is really really well written, but at times it can rip your heart out.

If you want something different, filled with emotion, this is the book for you. 

3.75 out of 5 stars

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What the Heart Remembers Most is a nice lesbian second chance romance.

This story is one with amnesia, with Gretchen forgetting four years of her life. She doesn't remember their child growing up from a baby, She doesn't remember that she and Jax are in the process of getting a divorce. And she certainly can't understand how this happened.

This storyline is very Hallmark movie like. Gretchen wakes up with amnesia, doesn't recognize who she is now and can't believe she has changed so much.

The story is well told, however, I found it drawn out a little too bit.

It's a good story. I enjoy that it's a lesbian couple and I enjoy the way it all wraps up.

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What a roller coaster ride this book had me on. All I can say is WOW! This was such an emotional journey. Just as you think you know what's going to happen it take s a left turn on you. Jax Levine and Gretchen Mills were a happily married couple until career ambitions, a baby and frequent arguments pushed them apart. Days before filing for divorce, Gretchen suffered an accident that left her with brain damage. The injury erased recent years of her memories leaving her with just the recollection of happier times. Her baby is now older ad she doesn't understand why her wife is so standoffish. Will they be able to find their way back to each other? What a ride.

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Lost and Found
Jax and Gretchen have been together for seventeen years but the last four were not good or happy. Jax moved out and the end of the marriage is near. When Gretchen has an accident and is critically injured with brain trauma, Jax is called to the hospital. Gretchen suffers amnesia and suddenly, things aren’t clear for either one of these women.

I started out loving this book so much! It was sweet and sad, hopeful and full of possibilities. I loved how conflicted and torn up Jax was when Gretchen was unconscious in the hospital. She has so much to deal with, a job she hates, a hyper son, a girlfriend and an impending divorce yet she still has feelings for her wife. Gretchen is lost in her amnesia but so convinced she loves Jax, even when she finds out their marriage was almost over. Jax had been so hurt but you could see an underlying love there even though she had kind of moved on. My heart broke for both of these women and all I wanted was for them to make things right and forgive the other so they could get to the cuddles and sexy bits. The majority of the first half was taken from Gretchen’s POV, but at about the half way mark, the book started to confuse me. This part was told mostly from Jax’s POV but the details don’t match up with Gretchen’s. It’s a plot twist based on Gretchen’s accident but I got lost somewhere along the way and it stopped making sense to me. Eventually, even though I was clueless as to what happened, their stories connect again. There is a whole lot that goes on, and it’s interesting and wonderful but I never regained my enthusiasm for the book.

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This is the first book i've read by this author, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. You feel yourself sympathizing with Gretchen for waking up in a world that's now foreign to her, but at the same time you feel yourself wondering what she did for everything to have fallen apart. This is definitely an author I'll be watching from now on.

Received from netgalley.

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First, let me say I loved this book. But boy was it confusing and aggravating at one point.
The story really grabbed me from the very first page. I couldn't put it down. I was immediately interested and concerned about the characters and how the delema was going to be resolved.
The confusing part was a timeline that came with each chapter. I wasn't sure why that was necessary but I thought...ok, Im being informed how much time has past. But then the timeline changes and I'm really confused. (I don't want to say too much here to give away the plot) But now I start reading really fast cause I desperately want an explanation. And it comes and it's very clever.
What a great story. I loved the characters and wanted them to be together.
The story is full of angst and more angst. Just when you think all is well......ugh!
Ulrich keeps you on the edge and keeps you turning those pages.
A very clever story with many twists, warm and interesting characters, natural and clever dialog.
I highly recommend it but plan on starting it early in the morning or you will be up into the wee hours turning those pages.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Jacqueline "Jax" Levine, married to
Gretchen Mills for seventeen years, and
Caleb is their four year old son.
Jax and Gretchen are soon-to-be divorced.

What happens when an accident steals three plus years of your memories? While in the hospital after a catastrophic fall that has caused amnesia, Gretchen struggles to piece together the changes in her life. Caleb is three years older, which comes as a shock to Gretchen, but that's only the beginning of the earth-shattering surprises that are in store for her.

The process of healing doesn't involve just the healing of the body and brain, and although the author describes this process with detail and in an interesting way, the healing is far-reaching and crucial.

What if memories aren't what we think they are? What if they're colored with what we wish was reality? What if time changed memories just enough to allow us to accept them better, or to make us think they're worse than they really were?

I got a little hung up in the middle of this book, when memories started repeating, but then I realized why the story was written this way. I think you'll understand it just as well. I highly recommend this book written by a very talented author!

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So we have Gretchen and Jax, pending divorce hovering over their heads. Jax has a girlfriend Meredith, who is also the nanny to the son Jax shared with Gretchen.

Gretchen has a bad fall, loses 4 years of her life and as such has no idea how or why her marriage is in ruins.

At the start of the book, we have these time stamps at the top, which I thought would have led to something great, but honestly once you realise the reason for it, I really don't see the point of having them there. Remove them completely and it wouldn't have made a difference.

I didn't feel like the issues that was presented as the reason for the breakdown of the marriage between Gretchen and Jax were really resolved. Felt rushed at the end, like it was the end of the book and it's time for them to reconcile.

Overall it was just ok.

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