This little novella packs quite a punch! It seems almost like the elevator pitch of a novel. All the filler and most of the background is removed, making it fast paced and interesting. Certain parts and aspects are glossed over and would benefit from further explanation but for the length allotted it afforded a thrilling comprehensive read.

I don't know about this book. For one thing, it's very short though no page # count is listed, it feels more like a novella - definitely under 200 pages. A lot happens in that short time, but it almost feels like the author sat down and dashed off the lines. Maybe that's because the pace feels frenetic and busy. Is that a good thing?

The bones of the story of a mom's memories being implanted/shared with her daughter is definitely intriguing, but when those memories turn out to be ones the mom actually DOESNT remember, the confusion explodes. I got tired of everything in the daughter's life revolving around her unknown father - I guess if you never knew anything about your father, your mind might be a bit obsessed, but in a book it begins to feel awfully repetitive. And the end. Hmmmm. Definitely a cliffhanger - as in, I feel like I was in the middle of the book and it just stops. Very abrupt. Feels like it's set up for book #2 which I won't be reading.

This light-sci-fi story has an intriguing premise. A mother's memories are subconsciously implanted in her daughter's mind and the two of them retrace a summer road trip from the mum's past to try to trigger the memories. When the memories don't match up the reader is left wondering which version of the past is real. I love a good unreliable narrator/character (or two or three!).

The story balances a fast-paced plot and characterisation, with a focus on a mother-daughter relationship. Coming from a single-parent, only-child upbringing, I could definitely relate to some of the arguments they had!

What didn't work so well for me was the serialised nature of the book. It was originally published chapter-by-chapter, designed for audio, like a podcast series. As a result, the abrupt ending doesn't work in book format. I was left confused, wanting more, and ultimately disappointed.

Please Note: I am not even sure how many pages Memory Lane is as it is a kindle copy and doesn’t list the page numbers; Amazon and Goodreads also do not have the number of pages listed. There is also some confusion as to the publication date. Both Netgalley (where I received my arc) and Goodreads have the publication date as January 13, 2021 while Amazon shows the publication date of December 21, 2021. Personally, I am more inclined to go with the release date on Amazon, so I received a very advanced copy of Memory Lane. Needless to say, my thoughts reflect the current arc I read and not any future versions which might have changes.

There are also two covers showing, and I know which one I prefer!

Memory Lane is a serialized novel of 8 episodes/chapters in one short novel. It centers around mother and daughter Cassie and Alex. They are at odds, but Cassie convinces Alex to go on this latest experiment to earn money. Alex accepts and it is actually a memory transfer. Cassie’s chosen memories are implanted in Alex and then they go on a road trip which triggers Cassie’s memories in Alex’s head. But soon other memories begin to flash for Alex, including ones that Cassie has no memory of. Soon Alex does not know who to trust.

This is a very quick read that keeps going the whole time! The ending was quite unexpected, and I hope there is a continuation of this serialized novel. I really enjoyed reading this one.

Many thanks to the publisher Serial Box for granting me an arc to read and review via NetGalley.

Brief Synopsis:
In this story we're following two women: Cassie, a mother who has struggled throughout the years raising her daughter Alex due to a painful past, all the while dealing with her addictions and her mental health. Alex, on the other hand has grown to distrust of her mother due to the lack of support and responsibility she has failed to provide as a parent. Not to mention never talking about her dad when asked. It isn't until one day, Alex and Cassie drive out to Oleander Biomedical to meet Dr. Novik. He offers to heal Cassie's mental illness by proposing an experimental study where he can implant her memories into Alex's which will help her better understand Cassie's past. However, Alex becomes very skeptical but at the same time curios as to what she may find harnessed in Cassie's memories.

Overall Evaluation:
While, I love the element of suspense, I felt that the beginning of this story started out a bit too fast. However, this definitely kept me holding on the entire way through. There were times I even felt chills, simply because it left me thinking: What if there are people in real life creating these experimental studies under the table?

Personal thoughts:
If you enjoy the feeling of suspense and don't mind having the chills every so often, then you'll certainly enjoy this read. Though I have to say, I've never read anything quite like this before, but if I could compare it to a movie, I would say it's somewhat similar to Black Box. However, this is not a spoiler as they have very different settings. I recommend that you give this book a try once available.

Thank you much to NetGalley and Serial Box for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: January 13, 2021

What an exciting thriller. It tells the story of mother and daughter Cassie and Alex and is told from Alex's perspective. They have a really interesting, non conventional relationship where Alex often feels like the mother figure instead of the daughter.
There is a medical facility that is conducting experiments to see if they can transfer certain memories from a mother, to a daughter. As alex has a lot of unanswered questions about her father she agrees to go along. As part of the therapy to reactivate these memories, the women embark on a costal road trip to relive Cassies memories of her youth.
Mysteries begin to be uncovered and answers are revealed as Cassie and Alex find themselves in unexpected danger.

I really enjoyed the fast pace of this book. It kept me interested and drew me in. The relationship between Cassie and Alex was great to read, especially when it was all explained towards the end. Great ending, easy to follow and kept you wondering after it was finished

I love Shepard and was so excited to see she teamed up with Goodlett for a new genre! This one had me hooked right from the premise and the whole book delivered. Such a cool and original concept that was well written and well executed. I could not put the book down!

I enjoyed the pace of this book, it was quick and very digestible, easily read in a single sitting.

The topic is unique and interesting, a sci-fi mystery exploring whether memories could be transferred from a mother to a child.

I did however feel that the last couple of chapters felt too quick, there could have been more development of the story, more building of suspense which would have given it more depth. The ending was also fairly abrupt which I felt let it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Serial Box for a copy of the ARC in return for an honest review.

I’ve been a fan of Sara Shepard for a while and the last book of hers I read, Reputation, left me wanting more. So I was pleasantly surprised when this book popped up in a recommended list for the upcoming year.

Following the story of Alex and her mother Cassie, we delve into a world of scientific experimentation and strained relationships. Most of the scientific aspects of memory transfer are kept to the basics and there’s brief talk about self-driving cars, but overall this books didn’t feel very sci-fi to me. It was as if it was balancing between the future and present, and wasn’t really pushing the boundaries. I’d classify this as a straight up fiction book rather than science fiction.

Overall, though, this was a decent book. It was a good afternoon read that only took one day to get through. The ending felt rushed and some aspects felt predictable, some not all. With the way the book actually ended, I suspect there might be another book or books to follow, hopefully not 17 more (I’m looking at you Pretty Little Liars). I’m sure I’ll recommend this to my avid book reading friends and pick it up again at some point to read.

This story was originally published on serialbox.com, which makes sense. It reads like a podcast or serial fiction than a cohesive book. It is a good story, but doesn't feel as robust as a novel.

Memory Lane explores the relationships we have with our mothers, and how memories can fool us into believing things that aren't true. Alex and her mother Cassie have a strained relationship. When Cassie invites Alex to participate in a research study with her, Alex goes along with it, partially for the money and partially because she wants to repair their relationship. When they get to the research facility, Alex finds out that the study involves implanting Cassie's memories in Alex's brain, then going on a road trip with Cassie to activate these memories.

Alex decides to participate, even though she has misgivings about the study. When their road trip begins, Alex realizes that the memories she is experiencing are different than what her mother remembers. Which memories are true, and why are they different?

The premise of this book is better than its execution; it feels forced at times, and some things don't ring true toward the end of the book. You will question why certain decisions were made. The book would have been improved by more flashbacks, or descriptions of past events that led to what is happening in the present.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book!

I'm bummed about this one. The premise was really good - very Black Mirror adjacent - what if you could transfer memories between people? In this case, between mother and daughter. But then things started to go awry. The story pacing was great, and the way you were getting a slow reveal of the memories was good, too. Towards the end, the pacing was too much, though - it felt like the book just stopped, several chapters too short with no real resolution. I don't know... it was fine.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and am looking forward to a sequel. There were a few glitches with how the book came over in Kindle, but nothing that prevented me reading it.

This was weird and cool and original and went in directions I didn't expect. By the end, it felt like the author strained credibility a fair bit, yet it was an entertaining and engaging story that held my attention throughout as I remained curious to see what was going to happen next and how the memories would resolve themselves into the truth of that particular summer... The tale was odd and trippy and creepy - I neither want to to travel into my own Mother's memories nor have my daughter travel into mine, but the trip definitely made for an unusual and compelling story!

I received a copy of this book from Serial Box and Netgalley.

I really liked the premise of the book. The idea of remembering someone else's memories is exciting and creepy to me.
But honestly the ending just kinda fizzled out for me.

But it was definitely worth the read!

I confess that it's been many years since I've read something of Sara Shepard's; I dabbled in the Pretty Little Liars series early on, but it was never quite my cup of tea. Memory Lane, however, co-written with Ellen Goodlett, is a delightful mystery with a futuristic bent -- which nonetheless still looks recognizably like the world we live in today. The idea of being able to experience someone else's memories is a fascinating one, and the mystery unfolds at a satisfying pace.

The Serial Box format is also quite fun. There's something to be said for being able to experience a story in installments; it encourages you to sit with what you've read for a bit before continuing on and gives the impression of a story told in something resembling real time. If you like to stretch out your stories for maximum enjoyment, Serial Box -- and Memory Lane -- might be right up your proverbial alley.

I have to tell you, I really REALLY liked the story behind this. Everyone has secrets, but what if you found were able to remember other's secrets?. Here they are able to implant your memories to someone else. Which is what happens to our mother daughter characters. Can you imagine? Its like a blessing and a curse all in one. Such a GREAT idea, but the telling of it seemed so rushed.

I was hooked, I was involved and invested, I was even on the edge of my seat reading this and then, then, then.....

nothing.

I mean the ending was really nothing. Here was this great story, and it was being told wonderfully, but the ending just, well it just fell flat for me. Which was super disappointing because the rest of the book was just fantastic!

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date January 13, 2021.***

2 - 2.5 stars

I had very high hopes for this book but felt let down at the end. The premise was intriguing (a mother transfers specific memories to her daughter)...I was immediately drawn into the story. Somewhere around the halfway mark, I started to lose track of the storyline because so much was happening. The ending felt way too rushed for me…it felt like I had skipped several chapters for the “twist” at the end to happen the way it did.

<i> This isn’t real. This isn’t real. Trust no one. </i>

[3.5 rounded up to 4] This was a really good psychological thriller (I wouldn’t classify it as sci-fy except for some futuristic tech). Memory therapy- implanting memories from one person’s brain to another. What could wrong?

Alex and her mother take part in a study where Alex has memories from her mother implanted in her brain. But is she experiencing reality or delusion? Her mother claims certain aspects of her visions are incorrect. Is something sinister taking place? Are they being watched? Are people who they say they are? Who can they trust- can they even trust each other? Everyone has their secrets and now they’re on the run and Alex has to decipher what’s going on in her head before someone gets hurt.

So much potential here but it was a little too short. I read it in a day and I’m a mother of 4 under 4. I hated the ending (UNLESS there’s supposed to be a sequel). <spoiler> Judith has some sort of operation going at the hospital where she was able to wipe Remi’s memory and Alex and Cassie are just like- We’ll help you remember! The End. What? Judith is on the run, no one can vouch that you didn’t shoot him, he doesn’t know he’s your father and lover respectively, Alex could still be charged with a different crime, Trina and Peyton are still under Judith’s tampering, and that’s just it? The end? Plus Alex talks about wanting to meet her dad and that maybe that would help her understand this ‘darker’ side to her but that storyline fizzles out. Also, Remi reveals that he knows how Judith messed with them saying it’s the generator, but then we are given no further explanation. If there is no sequel that’s the worst ending ever. </spoiler>

I’m disappointed that the author didn’t write more. She had so much to work with.

But the suspense and anticipation was definitely there. I thought I had it figured out and I did some of it because I was suspicious about everything the whole time but there are a few unexpected twists that were nice. I would read more from this author- as long as her other books have more resolution.

Side note: Could use a better cover; this one with the hand coming up from the water and the weird title font isn’t real appealing and doesn’t make a ton of sense to the story

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

I really enjoyed this. It was a quick read and unique concept. I loved the writing. Sara Shepard can write in so many different genres.

Mother and daughter, Cassie and Alex respectively, took part in a scientific memory transfer with Alex being the recipient. The memory that was transferred involved Cassie’s life when she was the same age as Alex was presently, 21. This was also the time period in which Cassie was pregnant with Alex. But for some reason Cassie couldn’t remember explicit details. Those memories were always a bit fuzzy until the memory transfer began to take effect and Alex slowly began to see what her mother experienced so many years ago. It was not what either women expected.

The memory transfer storyline was very interesting and intriguing. During the course of the story, as the memories evolved, you didn’t know who to believe or what to expect. But a sense of danger always seemed to be present. This was a very well written thriller that will hold your attention from start to finish.