This is a book written with a twist that I caught into quickly so it is hard to review and not spoil it for you. I just want to say it has great characters the i could connect with, especially Opal, the woman put main character takes care of for the summer. While there is a live story here it is more so a story of fixing your deepest emotional problems so that you can learn to live your life again. You need to give thaï book a try. You will laugh and you will cry and you will come away respecting the good things in your life.

Such a beautiful and heart-wrenching book. The writing and emotional development of the characters is outstanding. I found myself immersed in this story and couldn't put OT down. I am looking forward to more by this author. Beautiful book

We all have at least one “That Day” and Isabel seems to have been haunted by it more. This protagonist embarks on a journey of hope and despair, memory and the loss of it, and the roller coaster ride of family and friendship. The character development of the ones we follow through in the story is also engaging. The plot naturally paced that I am surprised to have kept up with the novel, given that I usually prefer fast-paced and action-packed novels. The emotions they feel reaches the reader; they were so raw and vulnerable, heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. How can something so tragic and painful be beautiful, too? What We Remember shows that finely.

This is a beautifully and gut wrenching novel. The main character is grappling with a tragic event in her past that affects every aspect of her present. The author does a remarkable job of displaying the main character’s emotion and experience. You almost find yourself reminding yourself that it is not real.

In addition, the novel navigates the journey of an elderly woman’s journey with Alzheimer’s and the experience of her family members, including her grandson. She gives Opal the respect and dignity she deserves and I love how she was a fire cracker throughout. Also, the book reminds you of how devastating the illness is to the family members and the heroism of those who are caretakers of these patients.

Overall, this was a touching story. It is a short book and a worthwhile read.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What We Remember is an emotional journey through one woman’s experience with loss, trauma and what it means to move forward. Isabel Myles is a hospital chaplain that has lost her faith. In a series of strange events, she finds herself caring for a woman with late stage dementia, Opal. Her time with Opal allows Isabel to explore areas in her own life that she has closed off, through misguided attempts at self protection. In caring for Opal and weaving into her family, Isabel starts to rebuild her relationship with her own family and maybe can finally let her heart find joy and light again. Author Sarah Echavarre writes a story filled with both despair and hope and it was a pleasure to explore.

A sincere thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so much more than I'd even hoped. The cover was beautiful and the title was intriguing, but the words inside are the real treat. This book is about trauma and loss, and how it affects us. I don't want to provide any spoilers at all, so I will only say that you will both want to keep reading, but also won't want it to end. I'm tearing up a bit just writing this. Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing (my fav!) and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I JUST KNOW FOR A FACT SARAH ECHAVARRE SMITH NEVER WRITES A BAD BOOK. SHE MAKING HER SHOPPING LIST? I WOULD READ IT GLADLY. GIVE THAT FIVE STARS, TOO. THE WOMAN IS A GENIUS!!!!

This is absolutely amazing book and quite frankly very emotional. I never thought it would be so much better than I had originally thought. I don't have words to say how amazing it was without spoiling it for others but yeah it was a good one. Loved it so much ❣️

This book is amazing! So beautifully written that it’s not hard to get lost in the raw emotions of it.
As someone who actually looked after people with dementia, and suffering my own personal traumas that I bury and can’t quite escape, this book really hit different.
It’s hard to separate from it when the characters are so well written you feel like you know them.
This whole book, is perfection. I loved it. This I feel, is one that is going to stay with me for a good while yet and certainly one I will be recommending.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

This novel was beautiful and emotional.

Isabel has not opened up to anyone in over 2 years. After one life-changing day that she refuses to remember, she has withdrawn and cuts everyone out. Her life consists of working as a hospital chaplain, and her daily phone calls to her sister. Until one afternoon, she makes a poor decision at work and finds herself with the summer off. She becomes close with a patient (Opal) with dementia and works taking care of her. Unfortunately, Opal's grandson is not as keen for her to watch his grandmother.

Will Isabel finally let her guard down and let people in? Can she find hope in her time with Opal?

I was swept up in this story and really enjoyed how it turned out. The characters were full of raw emotion and the storyline was engaging as a reader.

The reader is taken on a tale of love, a tale of recovery from trauma and the experience (both positive and negative) of coping with dementia. As a daughter of a mother who had Alzheimer’s and the wife of someone with Lewy Body dementia, I thought this would be a tough read—but instead I found it to be uplifting, kind and caring. How we cope with trauma and loss for which we blame ourself is so very difficult to portray but Sarah Echavarre does it extremely well. Sometimes truth is sad as the author writes but truth is also uplifting, dynamic and well worth sharing. May we find peace in the symbols of our lives as the author finds in giving us this fine story.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an advance review copy. And thanks to the author for writing this book!

Pleasant read with an interesting plot that started off very slowly and which only really picked up in the last quarter. There was a good twist in the last part that was very emotional. I liked the parallels between the elderly patient with dementia who is losing her memories and the main character who is trying to forget a painful incident in her recent past. The push and pull of what we struggle to forget and the memories we are so desperate to keep was well done.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. The opinions expressed herein are my own.

What We Remember is a heart warming, tear jerking and an inspiring read. Sarah Echavarre has presented an intriguing plot with highly relatable characters. This was such an emotional read and it compels you to think about family, intentions, grief and strength. I grew attached to Opal, Isabel and her family and Evan. The dialogues are so pure and well crafted. Sarah has truly captured the waves of turmoil, pain, love and relationships. The ending was heartbreaking and yet so beautiful. A 5-star read.

A thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

What We Remember is beautiful and heartbreaking and I ended up really liking this book. The struggles many of the characters have are relatable and it quickly became an emotional read for me. I would've like some more closure on certain parts of the story, and some more development for some of the main characters, but overall I recommend this book for a good, quick cry,

A beautifully written book with such well-developed characters that one easily develops an attachment.
We follow Isabel, a hospital chaplain who has lost her faith after "That Day". You know it's a deeply traumatic experience, leaving her struggling with her faith, her friendships and family; but you're left wondering what it could have been.
She loves her job; she loves helping people as their most fractured. Not wanting to lose her job she hides the fact that she has lost her faith. Avoiding her family and friends, her life revolves around her patients and her deep connection with her little sister, a travelling nurse that periodically subs at the same hospital. After an altercation with an unruly, extremely rude doctor, she is given a 3-month suspension. When she visits Opal, her favorite elderly patient, recently relocated to a care facility for dementia, she finds Opal's daughter April, distraught, unable to afford the expensive facility and unsure what to do. This is their story, a book of struggles and survival, of caring and letting go. I would highly recommend it

As always, many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and author Sarah Echavarre for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is definitely an "I need a box of tissues" story, yet so uplifting and heartfelt.
It is done so very well, with perfect detail to the characters, especially Opal, describing both her feelings, and her family's, as they struggle with her dementia and all it entails.
It is not easy to watch your love one forget everything and everyone.

Isabel is the hospital chaplain in the hospital where Opal was a patient and really enjoys spending time with her. She soon finds herself taking a job as a home health aide for Opal during the summer. She has never taken care of someone in this capacity, yet she wants to try.
Isabel, herself, has so many secrets and has seen a tragedy that she has repressed far into her memory.
This has caused her to distance herself from her family and friends for years. Her parents and best friends are more than concerned.
As per Isabel: There is no talk of "That Day"!

Can Isabel ever work through the grief that she has tried to hide? Can she continue to care for Opal or will she "run" from her and her family?

This is just a beautiful book and I truly loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and to #Lake Union Publishing for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.

This book was just so beautifully heartbreaking. Isabel is a hospital chaplain who has lost her faith because of “that day” and you don’t find out til much later in the book what happened.

Isabel gets suspended from her job due to an argument with a doctor, and takes on a temporary position as a caretaker for a dementia patient, Opal. What happens with this story is so lovely, genuine, and sad all at once.

Forgiveness, love, trust, happiness, care… these are all important to the book. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. I don’t want to elaborate further and spoil the story, but this was a 5 star read for sure. Definitely pick this one up!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Both sad and funny, What We Remember is a sweet and wonderful book about dealing with grief, learning to accept help, and the importance of family. This was a quick read that gives the reader a sense of hope. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Isabelle is a young woman who's struggling with some obstacles in her life as well as a pretty big mystery event that caused her a lot of pain and alone as she's pushed away all her friends. She finds herself unemployed and finds herself taking a job as a caregiver to an elderly woman with dementia. As their bond grows, Isabella finds that there are still a lot of things in her life that she has to deal with.

This book was really beautifully written. I was hooked from the very beginning and I just couldn't put it down, as it kept me very engaged and it was very easy to follow along. Loved the way that Isabelle's character transformed throughout the book and overcame very big life traumas. From family healing to career decisions, there are a lot of things that this book touches on that I think are super important. I found myself really connecting with Isabelle and the struggles that she went through. Frustrated at the times when she kept pushing people away, but really admire all the effort that she made to heal from the grief that she was going through and learned to admit that she needed help from friends and family to be able to overcome it and live her life.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing!

Isabel is a hospital chaplain, and she is 2 years out from a tragedy. She's put on leave after an incident with a doctor, so she gets a job as a home caregiver for Opal, a woman with dementia. As she spends time with Isabel, she starts to repair her own relationships.

This was such a good read. While I figured out the "twist" of the tragedy that Isabel had endured earlier on in my reading, it did not take away from the magic and heart of this book. It really showed that everyone has a different way of grieving and learning to move on from events that shape them. Some of the scenes in this book were hard, but there's also hope in those moments.