THE MEMORY BOX is such an emotional story and it absolutely shredded my heart! Kathryn Hughes spoke to my heart with this novel. What a beautiful story of second chances, love, guilt and fate. We get to relive Jenny’s past and understand why she is the way she is today. You are going to feel like you are right there, living in Italy during the war and feeling everything Jenny was going through. Hold on tight readers! THE MEMORY BOX is such an inspirational story!

During the last few chapters of THE MEMORY BOX I had full blown tears. So let me warn you, have tissues ready and not just one or two! Jenny has just reached one hundred years old and is in a nursing home. She forms a connection with a young caregiver named Candice who works there and Jenny slowly shares her story with her by what is in her memory box. The story is told in dual timelines from 1940 onwards and in the present day. That’s all I can say because I want you to be blown away with this as I was. Kathryn Hughes does a great job of capturing my emotions and pulling hard on my heart strings! This heart warming novel had me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put the book down until the very last page!

THE MEMORY BOX will surely pull at your heart strings and make it very hard for you to put down. If you are like me, you won’t be able to stop until you know what happens to Jenny and Candice. Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea get your favorite blanket and get on the couch. THE MEMORY BOX is an awesome way to spend the afternoon or evening. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to put it down and will find yourself cheering for Candice and Jenny as they try to navigate their way through a very different and unique situation. Kathryn Hughes will pull you in from the very first page and never let you go! How can someone write such an emotional and heart tugging story is beyond me, but I now have many of her books and she is forever one of my auto buy authors!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a heartfelt and emotional book this was.
A young woman, not having the best upbringing is low in self-confidence. She works at a nursing home and feels like someone finally cares about her, her new boyfriend. She has made a connection with the oldest resident there, a woman named Jenny Tanner. Jenny is over 100 years old and knows time is running out for her. She has a memory box with special mementos that signify times in her life that are important to her. Jenny has made a strong connection with her nursing assistant, Candice Barnes. With time slipping away Jenny knows it's a now or never kind of thing and she must return to the place of her birth, Italy, she has some places she must revisit and some things she must make right. Her memories will not let her not due this, and she will with Jenny's help.
Told in flashbacks of Jenny's younger life and its importance and modern times. As Candice spends more time with Jenny, we see an awareness she develops about her current situation. I enjoyed seeing the growth and development Candice shows. The past and present meet in this glorious book, so emotional and heartfelt and full of beautiful surprises. This is a book that had been passed over many times on my reading shelf because I wasn't sure how I'd like it. I'm here to say if you have books, you've been putting off get to them and you may just love them like I did this one.
Highly recommended!

Pub Date 05 Aug 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I love dual timeline books. Jenny is a delightful 100-year-old woman. And as you travel back in time, you will experience love, sacrifice, loss, forgiveness … so many emotions. Candice’s story is touching in the way she cares for Jenny. You will find yourself cheering for Candice and that her hopes and dreams are fulfilled. A great story regarding relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Review for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

Another reviewer wrote to have a box of tissues handy with this book, and that is very good advice. This book was so very very good! I have actually read it and listened to it on audiobook, and both were amazing. Definitely emotional but well worth every single one. Grab this book if you can!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

A little slow going at first but very compelling story.

Thank you so much for early access to this story. I love dual timeline stories…especially ones that unveil a war time secret. This one was just okay for me. I loved the bond Candice has with Jenny though! That’s something I truly identify with as I love getting to know folks from the greatest generation. I was super envious of their relationship and I wish I had been the recipient of Jenny’s story. I couldn’t stand Beau though but I think that was the point…we weren’t supposed to like him. I think that this would be a book I’d recommend to a 20-something though. Most of them these days don’t have a clue about what these folks went through during WWII on an individual basis. I think it would change their perspective on a lot of things.

This was a truly lovely book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I like books told in two timelines, and the author did an outstanding job with both lines. Once I started reading it I couldn’t stop. I’m going to look for more Kathryn Hughes books, she was a new author to me.
Beautifully written and plotted, with characters that will stay with you when you’re finished reading.
4 stars. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my ow

The Memory Box
by Kathryn Hughes

Synopsis:
"Jenny Tanner opens the box she has cherished for decades. Contained within are her most precious mementoes, amongst them a pebble, a carving and a newspaper cutting she can hardly bear to read. But Jenny knows the time is finally here. After the war, in a mountainside village in Italy, she left behind a piece of her heart. However painful, she must return to Cinque Alberi and lay the past to rest.

After a troubled upbringing, Candice Barnes dreams of a future with the love of her life - but is he the man she believes him to be? When Candice is given the opportunity to travel to Italy with Jenny, she is unaware the trip will open her eyes to the truth she's been too afraid to face. Could a place of goodbyes help her make a brave new beginning?"

Review:
I loved the camaraderie of Jenny and Candice, such well-developed characters. This story, told over an eighty-year span, included both heart-breaking and heartwarming moments. 100-year-old Jenny regales a much-younger Candice with her life story, beginning in 1940 when she & her younger brother, "Our Louis" are evacuated to the countryside during the British Blitz. The stories affect Candice, who begins to question her relationship with a possessive, drugged-out, wannabe rock star. Even with their huge age difference, similarities between the two women present themselves. Highly recommended.

I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Memory Box, beautifully written historical fiction! Jenny is about to turn 100. She's spunky and not afraid to speak her mind but she also recognizes her limits and isn't ashamed of that. As she marks her 100th birthday, She know she needs to attend a 75th year commemoration of an historical event that shaped her life. To be clear, there were several prior to this event but this event… this one forever changed Jenny. But she cannot make the trip on her own and she enlists the help of Candice, a caregiver at Green Meadow's Residential Home where are Jenny lives. Jenny and Candice have formed a bond and Candice is the only one who Jenny can ask to accompany her on this trip. Candice is happy to support and help Jenny on this journey despite the backlash from her controlling boyfriend Beau. But maybe Jenny will end up being just the support that Candice needs as well. Jenny begins sharing her story with Candice to prepare her for this trip but nothing can prepare either one of them for the shocking surprises that await them. This book hooked me in at the very beginning and it just kept getting better and better! I was constantly shocked and surprised, so well written that I didn't see things coming. Historical WWII fiction with an Italian twist. And the ending… it's not what you're expecting, It's not what you think! Exquisitely written historical fiction that will touch your heart and stay with you.

Two stories, one in the present, the other in the past but both dealing with an abusive relationship. I felt Jenny's story was more enjoyable than Candace's but both storylines moved slowly. I enjoyed the wisdom and spunk of Jenny. Beau was obnoxious. Rather predictable but an okay story.

A lovely story!
The Memory Box is a moving story about 100-year-old Jenny, and her caretaker, Candice. Candice loves for Jenny to tell about her life before and during the war. However, Jenny' suffered multiple conflicts and great loss. Dual timelines (recollection and real-time) provide interesting similarities between the two. I highly recommend this book if you like a touching story with an unexpected ending! Thank you Netgalley, Kathryn Hughes, and the publisher for the ARC for my honest opinion.

A lovely story told in two parts. Jenny is a 100-year-old woman living in a retirement home, . who has a memory box that houses her memories of long ago. She befriends her caregiver in the home, and the two of them embark on a journey into the past. The story is recounted from present day, but the reader is treated to Jenny's life as a young woman who leaves the city during WWII with her young brother for safety in the country side.

The story is beautifully written, and I especially enjoyed Jenny's wit and humor in the present day. This title is a nice addition to the seemingly wide appetite of readers for WWII fiction.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was so wonderful! I could not believe how much detail there was to scenery. How true to history it was. The entire story was so good! I hope someone makes this into a movie! I will be the first in line. I have a grandmother who was one month away from 101 so i pictured her as the older woman in the story and of course the plot twist at the end! Then another one in the last few pages. Wow. I had to stop reading and walk away to gather myself it was so good! I recommend this book to anyone! ANYONE! it isnt just a love story or a history book or any genre you want to label it as, its just GOOD. GO BUY IT!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to absolutely love reading The Memory Box. This is a heartbreaking story of love, war and family. The Memory Box was a book I couldn't wait to finish but at the same time, I didn't want it to end. The characters are beautifully written, so very believable and human. The amazing tale of Jenny's life will stay with you long after you read the last page.0

This novel forms around two timelines, WWII in both England and Italy, as well as current day. Jenny turns 100 and her caretaker, Candice is convinced to take a trip to Italy with her to a special commemoration. Jenny tells Candice her story, of first being transported out of London to Wales for her and her brother’s safety as the Blitz proceeded. Candice has her own story, with her boyfriend, Beau, who is obviously using her. There are many twists to Jenny’s story, both heartbreaking and happy. I recommend this book and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

This is such a great book, from one of my favorite authors! It takes us back to times of war, and the present, seamlessly. Lots of twists and turns, and everything has a meaning. The characters are so real, it’s like I know them. It’s an emotional journey that leaves me very satisfied. A true gem!

While the premise of the book was exciting and I was looking forward to reading it, the whole thing just seemed a bit dry to me. I couldn't really connect with the characters all that well, and some of the language/wording it used would take me out of my "reading zone" to have to think about what that word could mean. It made falling into my reading pattern difficult. Plus, most of the "big reveals" were not all that surprising to me.

The Memory Box is a page-turner with a twist after another from beginning to end, and a dash of dry humor for good measure.

I really loved this book. It brings together two women who couldn’t be anymore different from each other, yet the similarities in their lives (despite the huge age difference) creates a friendship like no other.

Jenny is one woman with way too many secrets and the best part is that regardless of her age, deep inside her soul is that of someone young. She lived through the war, married the love of her life even if that turned sour afterwards, and has lived a long life. She has many regrets. Some are due to her own decisions, others are a result of things people kept from her. I enjoyed that she sees a lot of her failed love story in Candice and helps her as much as possible so that Candice doesn’t make the same mistakes.

Candice is a young woman in need of love. Her relationship with Beau is horrible and it drove me nuts that she refused to see Beau for the lying dirtbag that he was. I was excited when she finally stood up for herself and decided that she was enough for herself, and how Jenny came to her rescue.

I definitely didn’t see coming the truth behind Frank, and the plot twist that results in Candice inheriting enough to set up her own business.

I loved it!

This book was sent to me by Netgalley (electronically) for review...It is a heartbreaking love story with WWII historical fiction...the setting is memorable and the love story also. Two in love...and what they experience in life. This author has woven a story of a journey...don't miss this one.

3.75 Stars
One Liner: Effective in some ways.
Jenny is living at an elder care center and has just celebrated her 100th birthday. As her favorite caretaker Candice takes out an old wooden box from the drawers, Jenny feels the memories rushing in. She knows there’s something she needs to do, and that involves traveling to Italy.
Being a child of delicate health, it took persistence and grit for Jenny to outlive many others. She hopes for an additional couple of months to lay the past to rest. Jenny asks Candice to accompany her to Italy. It’s for physical support as well as to help Candice see the truth of her relationship with a douche bag manipulative jerk of a boyfriend Beau (eww!).
How will the trip to a place full of past events and memories help both women come to terms with their lives? Can Jenny find her peace? Can Candice force herself to see the truth she so desperately wants to ignore?
The Memory Box has a dual time is as smooth as butter. The story weaves in and out between the 1940s and 2019. The first-person narration by Jenny and the third-person narrative to show Candice’s life seamlessly blend across the chapters.
Can’t tell you how many times I wanted to shake Candice to make her see what everyone around her saw. There were enough red flags to supply for a global red-themed party, and still have some left to spare.
The book starts slow and picks up a little pace as the story moves ahead. The focus isn’t much on the setting but rather the thoughts of the characters. Jenny feels real with her strengths, flaws, and uncertainties. Candice, well, there are girls like her. I think the author drove her point straight in about toxic relationships using Candice and Beau.
The actual story takes place after 65-70% of the book. Things crucial to the book enter the picture and bring the threads together. I guessed all the twists except for one, and I must admit I’m not fully convinced about it. It works more as a plot device, IMO. Also, a couple of things were a tad too convenient. I do like happy endings, so I’m not complaining as such.
While Jenny’s arc was pretty much stable, Candice’s arc seemed confusing in the second half. I was pretty much fed up with her by then, or it would’ve annoyed me more. That girl could do with some solid dumping of sense into her brain.
The reason the book still has it rounded off to 4 stars is the portrayal of toxic love and gaslighting in relationships. It irked me to no end to see Candice make excuses and deny the truth, and that I would say is the biggest achievement. That part is very realistic.
To sum up, The Memory Box is not a must-read historical, but it has some valuable relationship lessons that can start a discussion.
Thank you, NetGalley, Mobius Books, and Headline Review, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.