What a twisted story! I loved the complexity in the plot. You think someone is trying to help but turns out to be the villain. I love Hannah’s books and this one did not disappoint. You will not see the ending coming, especially the last chapter!

@hannahmarymckinnon knows how to keep the suspense on high!

You Will Remember Me features a man who wakes up on a beach in Maine who doesn’t know who he is or where he’s from. He makes his way to his childhood home after remembering a series of numbers that lead to his sister Maya.

Meanwhile in Maryland, Lily is begging for help to find her boyfriend who disappeared after going for a swim.

The man from the beach only has a few clues as to who he is and was from a few random memories that he doesn’t even know if he can trust. He does however know he doesn’t want to involve the police but doesn’t know why.

Told in three perspectives, each hiding a past, a deliciously creepy story is formed taking the reader on a twisty journey to an ending that you won’t see coming.

In the author interview at the end of the book the author tells us that the happier she is the more freedom she feels to explore dark themes. Well she must be celebrating something as her books are getting darker with each one!

Every detail in You Will Remember Me matters and is plotted with craft and care.

Thank you to the author (who is so lovely in person) for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review. You Will Remember Me comes out May 25, 2021.

As Lily waits for her boyfriend to arrive at her place she starts to become worried when hours pass and he still hasn't showed. He's not answering his phone, isn't at his home and his car has now been found at the beach. It's just not like him to disappear, completely out of his character. Then when the police become involved in his disappearance she learns that isn't all that is amiss about this situation, they tell her his ID is fake, and the man she knew as Jack is actually someone else. It leaves her wondering who she has been dating...

You Will Remember Me is a spellbinding page-turner that will have you entranced and rattled by it's opening lines, and it doesn't let up from there. It's a can't miss action packed adventure! Lily has so many questions about the man she has been dating and as she digs into his past she learns that she didn't really know him at all. He is nothing like the man portrayed himself as, his life is one big question mark. Nothing could prepare her for the man she finds!!

As this one unfolds you won't be able to pry your eyes from the words, there are secrets to be unearthed, truths to be told, victims to save, and a man to be found... it's all intricately woven and bound to keep you on your toes the whole way through. Highly recommend this one, from the moment my eyes found the words I was hooked!!

I requested an advanced copy of this title, via NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the third book I've read by Hannah Mary McKinnon and I am just blown away by her writing. Each book just gets better and better and I find that after I finish one it immediately becomes my new favorite! This latest one was a most anticipated read for this month and it absolutely delivers in every way!

I love a good twisty thriller, and this one is just so brilliantly crafted it completely sucks you in. It's dark and wickedly diabolical, filled with obsession, manipulation and just the right amount of devious behavior from our flawed characters. Told from three points of view, it immediately becomes clear that not all is as it seems. There is definitely something off with the characters and each seems to be hiding something in their pasts.

I also love when books explore memory loss, which the author does with our man from the beach. While this isn't new ground, the way it's handled is just so clever that is keeps from being the same old tired pattern we've seen countless times before. This coupled with just the right amount of twists and turns really keeps you on edge as the story slowly starts to unfold.

This is the type of book that once you start reading it, you will not be able to put down, so make sure to have a clear chunk of time ahead of you when you pick it up. I totally binge-read this one in an afternoon as I just had to know how it was all going to play out and let me just say...I definitely did not see that ending coming! I cannot recommend this book enough. Be sure to add it to your summer reading list...you won't be disappointed!

Wow, what a unique and fast paced thriller with likeable and some very unlikeable characters! While some parts were predictable, the writing will keep you hooked and turning the pages!

Lily is distressed when her boyfriend Jack goes missing but she's angry and confused when she learns that his name isn't Jack. Maya is happy when her stepbrother Ash calls- he's been gone for two years, And Jack/Ash- well, he's got amnesia and a lot is beginning to come back to him. Each has their say in this novel that probably won't surprise many readers of the genre. That said, McKinnon has a nice way with words and it's a clever conceit. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good travel read.

A man wakes on the beach- no memories. He sees a trailer with Maine plates - goes in and passes out.
Lily wakes up- no word from her boyfriend Jack. He fails to show for their plans. After a year and a half of dating, Lily knows something is wrong. She finds his truck at the beach - but no sign of Jack.
The man wakes in Maine, a phone number running through his mind. He dials it. And so it begins.
Maya, Jack's stepsister takes him home, determined to help Jack recover his memories.
What I loved best - Maya's craziness isn't held back. That ending had me gasping out loud.
Fast paced. Excellent characters. Predictable but holy crap. Read it.

Hannah Mary McKinnon tells us the story of You Will Remember Me from the points of view of her three main characters. Lots of back and forth in time from their various memories. McKinnon gives some unexpected twists and makes it impossible at times to not read "just one more" chapter! I want to thank Netgalley and Mira for an early copy to review.

Well, this is a fun, quick-paced read! This book is told from the points-of-view of the three main characters and is exciting, to say the least.

The story begins when a man wakes up on the beach and realizes he doesn’t know who he is. This sets off the rest of the story - and it’s a doozy! Stories about amnesia can either be really good or really bad, depending how it’s done. I think this one was done very well - not too dramatic with the memories flooding back in or anything.

I enjoyed the shorter chapters and the calculated plans and setups in this one. It’s criminally smart!

I’m going to say there are really no twists or surprises here other than maybe some of the memories that come back. It’s pretty straightforward with who the bad character is throughout the book - even before the revealing parts.

What secrets do you share and which ones do you hold very close to your heart, telling no one? I love books with secrets and love them even more when the reader isn’t in on all of them. Lily’s boyfriend is missing and may have drowned, a man wakes up on a deserted beach not knowing who he is or how he ended up there, and Maya is looking for her estranged brother. These are our narrators.

I love when a book drops you right into the action instead of spending chapters building up to any suspense. This one really hit the mark. While I knew the man with amnesia was unreliable, I kept wondering if both women were on the up and up. I spent the first half of the book trying to figure out who to believe and where things were headed. Then about two thirds of the way through the book I was sure I knew what was up, but nothing prepared me for that ending!

The characters were well developed, well as best they can for all the secrets they were hiding. The book was suspenseful all the way through and the ending is masterful. I wouldn’t say there are twists so much as there is a lot of missing information that the reader makes assumptions and then when the facts come out, it was definitely not what you are expecting.

I really think this was one of this year’s memorable thrillers.

This was a fast-paced, bingeable read. One that had me wanting to turn the pages, eventhough I had things figured out very early on. I’m usually not a fan of predictable plots and whodunnits, but I still really enjoyed this one.

I love multiple POV’s, especially when one of the characters is cray cray and one I hate! Come to think of it, I didn’t actually like any of the characters! But that’s ok. I don’t always have to like any of the characters if the storytelling is good.

Although I was rootin for a different ending, this one was still satisfying.

MY GOD. This book is insane and I don't even want to talk about it because it will be spoiled.

Just....buckle UP.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this exciting book.

Book: You Will Remember Me
Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Park Row, for sending me an ARC.

This is one of those books that I knew I was going to like from the first sentence. There was just something really engaging that really pulled me into this. I read one of Hannah’s other books last year and had a great time with it as well. There is just something about the hook that Hannah does right from the first page that is bound to pull you in and leave you wanting more.

The writing is just what we need when it comes to thrillers. We start out quickly with what has already happened, so you as the reader, have to keep going and have to find out what is going to happen. While the writing is really simple, there just something about the way it is presented. We are taken through a series of twists and turns that makes you think you know where this is going, but the doubt placed in there by the writing, will really make you question yourself. You can see where the book is going and where it is going to end up pretty early on, but just the journey Hannah takes you on will just really make you question everything.

Then, there is the matter of the characters. We have characters who seem pretty innocent and pretty basic from the start. However, as you keep reading, you quickly learn that there is more to them than what meets the eye. Everyone has a past and will do anything to keep that past hidden. Just the idea of not knowing who is telling the truth and who isn’t just really makes this book stand out for me. There is nothing more that I love in thrillers than characters who you can’t trust and everyone has something that they would prefer stay hidden. I know this isn’t what everyone likes, but that sense of the unknown just really puts the icing on the cake for me.

Now, I will admit that the plot is pretty basic. We have Jack who wakes up and can’t remember everything. Throughout the whole book, we see him try to make sense of what happened and to relearn not only his past, but everyone’s past. Hannah does a pretty solid job at writing this. I like the idea of a small town haunted by a dark past and how everyone is still really pointing fingers at everyone. I love getting to see Jack and those around try to make sense of what has happened.

The ending is what actually made me take a star away from my rating. I saw the ending coming pretty early on in the book. However, Hannah does try to cover it up a little bit by making you go on a wild goose chase. It still does take a pretty cliché route in my opinion.

Anyway, this book comes out on May 25, 2021.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/youOPkWZUOk

This story is a dark and dismal tale right from the very beginning, when a man wakes up alone on a beach with no memory of who he is and only a vague feeling that he should head toward Maine. Luckily for him, he finds a trailer with Maine plates nearby and he “hitches a ride,” and off he goes into a world he disappeared from two years prior, where at least one person seems to want him back too much (his stepsister Maya) and others want to get rid of him, thanks to old rumors surrounding the mysterious disappearance of one young woman and the death of another.

As he is trying to deal with all of that, his current girlfriend, who also mildly obsessed with him, tracks him down, and all hell breaks loose.

Needless to say, in all this mess, it’s really hard to know who to root for, if anyone. Everyone is hiding things, and everyone is really shady. Like, everyone. Tragedy seems to be around every character and secrets and lies are the only thing keeping them from spilling over into everyday life. It’s a huge mess.

From all of this, you can probably gather that the ending is intense to say the least. It’s a thrill ride from the moment the climax hits to the epilogue. The reveals come fast and furious and things quickly heat up. As soon as you think you have. A handle on things, BAM! They change.

I can’t say every twist was a total shock, but I was totally into it. This was a dark thrill ride and I loved every moment of it. If you like stories with a bit of a Single White Female vibe, this story is for you.

Jack and Lily appear to have a pretty good life. Except for the fact that Jack has lost his job and neither of them is flush with cash. But they love each other and that is really all that counts, right?
Until the morning that Jack doesn't arrive at Lily's as expected. She is frantic, sure that something has happened to him. When his truck is found at the beach with no sign of Jack, the police fear the worst. Lily is barely holding on, and when the police inform her that Jack doesn't exist, what is left of her fragile state of mind cannot process this news. You see, Jack Smith has a phony license, so they have no idea who is really missing. Lily has to face the fact that the man she loves is not only missing but is also a liar and who knows what else.
When a man wakes up on the beach with no idea who he is, something stops him from going to the police. Fragments of memories briefly surface and he winds up going to his hometown in Maine, desperate for answers. He seems to know only one phone number, and when he calls, his stepsister Maya is overjoyed to hear from Ash. Could Lily's Jack be Ash and if so, what was he trying to hide?
Maya is just happy Ash is home. Since he left, she has no one since their parents are all deceased. Ash wants answers, Maya has been keeping secrets, and soon Lily will find herself in an impossible situation.
It is apparent early on that none of these characters value the truth. What isn't obvious is how far one of them will go to finally get the one thing that this person has wanted for years. I truly hoped that there would be a happily ever after ending, but when you are dealing with so many secrets and lies, you never know who will wind up holding the winning hand. As soon as I finished this book, I thought this is not at all how I pictured it would end. When I thought about it though, I realized that actually, it was most likely the only way it could end. A twisted tale and a real page-turner.

The story is told from three perspectives. Jack/Asher, who was konked on the head and now has amnesia, Lily, who is dating Jack/Asher, and Maya, his stepsister who still lives in the family home.

Jack has woken up on a beach and has no idea how he got there or what happened. For that matter, he has no idea who he is. The only thing he knows is a string of numbers.

When he calls the number, Maya answers, and quick as can be he is back at home and being spoon-fed lies.
Maya is a scary girl. Sociopath seems about right.

When Lily follows a lead and finds him, he doesn't remember her but he is drawn to her and understands she is important to him. Maya isn't about to let that stand. Whatever his name, he isn't leaving again if she can help it.

I think I knew all along who did what to who. It was a fast read and I wish there had been more details and in the end, I just had unanswered questions.

Our main character wakes up on the beach with a head wound and no memory of how he got there. In fact, he doesn't have much of a memory at all - he can't recall even the most basic of details like his own name. He remembers one telephone number that leads him to someone in Maine.

Meanwhile, Lily is frantic after her boyfriend Jack has gone missing. It's completely out of character for him, but what does she really know about him other than he's originally from England and doesn't seem to have left much of a paper trail? A library book from a Maine library could prove useful.

This is SO dark. One of the main characters is a truly horrible, nasty piece of work. Everyone seems to be lying about something or other, and I felt incredibly sorry for the one person you'd assume would have the most to hide.

I don't want to go into a whole pile of detail because this is one of those stories that's best left alone to unravel itself, but it was fine. A good enough thriller with an old-style conniving cartoon villain at the core (never a bad thing imho) and a banger of an ending.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC & for having me on the blog tour later this month.

I’ve read a few books recently that use fugue states and memory problems as a main plot device. It’s one of those convenient techniques that means the author doesn’t need to necessarily lie to the reader in order to give them a good twist. However, if not done well it can make for a very frustrating read. You Will Remember Me focuses on a man who wakes up with no memory and travels to his hometown to find out who he is. However, after learning a few home truths he realises perhaps he was right to forget himself and make a new start.

Throughout the book I was thinking I would give You Will Remember Me three stars; it’s a solid read with engaging writing and the plot is quite interesting. I liked the change in perspective between Lily, Maya and the mystery man, however my main criticism was just how predictable the book is. By 30% I had already worked out the ‘bad guy’ in the story and nothing changed my mind or made me doubt this throughout. The plot has a severe lack of red herrings to push blame on anyone else – there aren’t many fleshed out characters to start with and the only antagonistic one is related to one of the girls that went missing and so unlikely to be the perpetrator. There’s also a flashback from one character’s point of view very early on which gives too much away in spelling out their motivations. To keep readers engaged I really feel like an addition of a red herring in a character that was fully fleshed out would have made all the difference and convinced me this was a 4 star read from the outset.

However, you may have noticed that I have given this 4 stars despite thinking throughout reading it that it wasn’t worth more than 3. The reason for this is the ending of the book which, without giving any spoilers is brilliant. There’s a great twist and a lot of things I didn’t not see coming and it also ends on a great cliff-hanger (but not one requiring a sequel if that makes sense!) Major props to the author for this and it certainly bumped my review up a star rating for it!

Overall, You Will Remember Me is a predictable read but the ending certainly makes up for it! Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin – Mira for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where to start!
I loved it.

From the multiple points of view to THAT ending I was left WOWED.

Unlike sister dear where I thought it was a "slow" burn this one had all the twists and turns I needed to keep going.

Each chapter left you needing to know what was going to happen. I couldn't swipe the pages fast enough.

I'm a big fan of Hannah Mary McKinnon's works and I thought I should be honest and start by that disclaimer, because this is another compelling web of mysteries she's weaved for us.

Our main character wakes up on the beach with no memories and can only trust his instincts, which takes him to a town and Maya, a sister he'd left years before. Lily is looking for her boyfriend, whom she was about to move in with until he disappeared and she found out there was a lot more about him. Is he really our main character? What caused him to disappear then and again now?

I feel this book is a mix of McKinnon's last two books, so if you've enjoyed them, you'll probably like this one too. But as I've learned not to trust similarities, that didn't fool me this time (check my review for Sister Dear and you'll know it's a case of been-there-fell-for-that). Still, it amazes me how she manages to reinvent herself even when the elements are similar: spouse finds out their lover has been lying + finding a sister you never knew you had.

Although I liked the male character a lot, my favorite was surely Lily (I couldn't trust Maya enough, but I did feel her pain, and maybe that's why). It was also painful to follow Lily's drama in losing her meaningful one and seeing her life crumble down, I can't imagine how it must have been for her.

On the down side, maybe I've become immune at this point, but I could actually predict the main twists. Though it was still a light read, not wordy, straight to the point, I also couldn't call it a quick one for an average-length book. Don't worry, it won't take you a full year, but you probably won't be able to do it in a single read. I wonder if it's the dark, foggy scenery (which I made in my head, ahaha). Notwithstanding, I guarantee you will come back to finish it, you'll have to.

For all that, I can't say this is my one favorite book by this author (so many to choose one!), but for sure it is one of my favorite thrillers of the year. The plot is twisted as we all love it and puzzling. Don't miss it!


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.