This is an emotional read. This story has both despair and hope. It is well written. The characters are well developed.
Not my usual genre

What We Remember" by Sarah Echavarre took me by surprise with its emotional depth. While some character interactions felt a bit off, overall, I found myself engrossed in the story. The book follows Isabel, our main character, as she grapples with grief after a traumatic event. The twist at the end caught me off guard, adding an unexpected layer to the story. Overall, I found the journey Isabel takes to be compelling and touching. Just a heads up, you might need tissues if you're prone to tears!

Conceptually What We Remember by Sarah Echavarre deals with deep themes of the role of a caretaker and dementia and trauma. Sometimes the dialogue felt a bit stilted, but overall, it's a moving book.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

Isabel is struggling and doesn't know why and then she takes on a job as caregiver for a dementia patient and it is through this relationship that she begins to unravel. A thought provoking and emotional read that had me reaching for the tissues more than once. Isabel resonated with me as I have felt the same feelings at times.

This is a very thought provoking book. Isabel is struggling with something but it is not clear just what that is. She meet Opal an elderly woman struggling with dementia. It is through this relationship that Isabel starts to deal with her life and issues.

This was a well written book about love, friendship and how life’s struggles are meant to be shared. Thank you to netgalley for complimentary copy.

There's a *massive* twist at the end that will break your heart, play football with it, and make you ugly cry. Even if you do see it coming, you will be moved - that is just how beautiful the narration is.

The introduction was quite well-written. It piques your interest and slowly you begin to empathize with the characters. It hit me hard because my grandma who passed away last July, had dementia and while it wasn't the same, I could relate to so many parts. Recommended!

Absolutely loved this book!

The writing style was really good and I look forward to reading any other books from this author in the future :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

Isabel is a hospital chaplain but is forced to take a period of leave from work, during which time she becomes a carer for Opal who has dementia. Unfortunately I found myself losing interest in the story and I wasn't really enjoying it much until the part when we learnt about Isabel's back story (probably just over half way through the book) and about her sister dying 2.5 years earlier. I felt this really added depth the Isabel's character. I also didn't expect that Isabel's sister was dead so it came as quite a shock to me which I found interesting.
Overall an interesting read, but for me, the second half of the book saved it.

This was a touching story, I greatly enjoyed reading it. The dialogue and narration was a little odd in some places, but overall it was really nicely written. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a beautifully written story and one that will linger with me. Character driven, and full of hope.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

THE GOOD: Explores the power of taking control of life and moving on.

THE BAD: Lack of foreshadowing. A few odd phrases/terms used repetitively.

CONCLUSION: A decent minimalist read.

I really enjoyed the character journey in the book and the way it shaped the characters and the story. Beautifully written and very thought provoking

What We Remember is a story of loss, trauma and learning to handle grief. The story has been told in first person by the principal character Isabel Myles, a hospital chaplain. Ever since a tragedy occurred in her life two years earlier, Isabel had shut off from her best friend and family completely. The only person she is willing to communicate with is her sister Chantel, with whom she has always had a close relationship.

When circumstances force her to take a leave of absence from work for two months, she volunteers to look after an elderly dementia patient Opal for that period; this sets her on the path of healing and helps her learn to live again. We get to see whether or not she is able to cope, when she is forced to face the tragedy head-on due to certain circumstances.

This story initially started off very slowly and I couldn't get involved with the characters at all - particularly that of Isabel. We are brought into the inertia and stark life that is Isabel's, so much so that, it starts getting uncomfortable almost immediately. But as the story progressed gradually, I could almost feel the verve for life being awakened in Isabel and I felt that very intensely within me. The last few paragraphs were so very raw and emotional, that a person like me who doesn't get emotional for even the best treat-jerkers, found myself struggling not to break out in tears.

Inspite of the extremely emotional response the story brought in me or perhaps because of it, I had the most profound experience reading the book and loved the way author Sarah used the characters to immerse us into that experience.

I never would have anticipated this book to be as emotional as it was. There were some interactions between characters that had me tilting my head (didn't seem like a real conversation that would have been had), but otherwise, I truly enjoyed this read. The book heavily focuses on the grief that our FMC Isabel is dealing with due to a traumatic incident that happened a few years ago. The TWIST at the endpoint actually surprised me because I didn't think this kind of book would have a twist, so color me surprised! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the journey that we get to watch Isabel take. You may need tissues if you're an easy crier...

What We Remember by Sarah Echavarre is a beautiful, emotionally moving story of family, life, love and the challenges that life sends to us. I was captivated with this story! The Plot is engaging and has quite a few surprises. The characters realistic and well rounded.
All in all, a fantastic read!

I highly recommend reading What We Remember - 5 STARS!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Ms. Echavarre and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Ultimately, this book is trite. Isabel has a terrible secret from a trauma two and a half years ago. On leave from her job as hospital chaplain after she gave a physician a well-deserved piece of her mind, she just falls into the job as a caretaker for an elderly woman with dementia, whose grandson, a chef, just happens to be a handsome hunk. One thing leads to another and everything is all tied up neatly in a bow at the end.

I wanted to like this book but about halfway through it the stilted dialogue (I kept saying to myself, people don’t talk like this) became overwhelming as did the banal story.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ah what an emotional and beautiful book. Taken over by grief and loss Isabel lost her way in life. Her only connection she has was with her sister. She takes a summer job to care for Opal, a elderly woman suffering from dementia. Isabel becomes invested in Opals family especially her grandson Ethan. Their relationship together begins to unravel her loss but also her will to survive and live a life again.
I liked all the characters in this book. Especially Ethan who was supportive and sweet.

This was a very emotional book and I was pleasantly surprised by the twist. I have to say I love Ms. Echavarre’s previous books and I loved this one as well.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my review.

What We Remember by Sarah Echavarre is a book about dealing with grief. When I started reading the book I would have never imagined that it was.

Such an emotional read! I haven't read a book that's made me cry this much in a while. Thank you Netgalley, author and publisher for the ARC. I enjoyed this one a lot.