Overall, I enjoyed this book and the message it conveyed, but I felt that it lagged at times. It really didn't evoke any emotions from me, good or bad, so I don't have a lot to say about it. But for a debut novel, I think it is a good read.

The whole premise of this book (aside from the magic of it all) is so relatable. Everyone around you seems like they know exactly what to do and they're doing the right thing, while you're floundering and wondering what you missed. In this book, Jenny finds out that she literally did miss The Memo, and that's why her life has been one disaster after another. There's time travel, the butterfly effect concept, and lots of questions about if the grass is really greener.

I really enjoyed this story! I'm a sucker for anything involving time travel, and while there are some things I would've loved to see improved (for example, the way to propel back is to look at a curated collection of "Pathetic" moments in your life - didn't love that as a concept or how at the end, we see a glimpse of resolution but don't get any firm like yes, Jenny made the right choice and is happy with her choice), I liked this a lot as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

Oof, I was skipping pages right from the first chapter. This one's not for me. Disliked all of the characters. Interesting premise. DNF'd at 30% and it hadn't even gotten to the time travel part yet.

This book is unlike any other I’ve read. The plot will get you from the go - don’t miss THE MEMO on this book. You’ll regret it and might not get a re-do. Read the book and it’ll make sense!

This one pulled me in eventually. I really enjoyed the character and the humor throughout this novel. I thought it was so well done! I normally have a hard time with time changing/travel books but really loved this! I would recommend this (and will be!). Thank you for the early copy!

From Goodreads: Thank you for Harper Perennial and NetGalley for this ARC.

Jenny Green is not looking forward to her college reunion. While her friends have amassed great success, she’s stuck in Pittsburgh with a demanding boss, unfaithful boyfriend, and long list of regrets. It’s like she missed The Memo…

…and she did. After discovering that Jenny failed to reach her full potential, she is given the opportunity to re-do past mistakes and live the “dream life.”

This was fun! Light, sweet, and a great beach read. A fun read for anyone who wants to escape from the pressure of being on top of the world before 36 and just enjoy a sweet story. Great for fans of The Midnight Library and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.

Jenny Green didn't get the memo, and thus her life after college was a downward trajectory of one failure after another. Now, at her 15th year college reunion, she is offered a do-over, an unbelievable chance to rewrite history and right her wrongs. But at what cost? Does she really want all the things that come with her new, successful (rich and powerful, albeit ruthless) life? And what exactly is she willing to give up for that successful life?
Told in alternating timelines, as Jenny travels back and forth between "then" and now, making small and large chances that alter her life course, this book is about second chances, desires, and ultimately friendship. The biggest, most prominent, relationship in the story is that of Jenny and her BFF Geeta. That is the part that truly makes this book all worth it. It is such a great story about what friendship looks like, about being there for each other.
The book isn't too suspenseful, I was pretty sure I knew how it was going to turn out (I was right), but I didn't mind that, because I loved the ending.
This is a cute, quick, easy read to enjoy.

The premise is ingenious: What if, later in your so-so life, discovered that you actually missed THE MEMO circulating among your college peers? And THEN you were invited to do a do-over?

Execution is deft, too. I loved reading about bumbling but relatable Jenny, who at the ripe old age of 36, and attending her 15 yr college reunion, seems to find the reason for her malaise.. OR DOES SHE? This is one of the most sophisticated "fun" reads I've encountered in a while.

What a fresh and fun concept for a novel. I loved the second chance aspect of this and the fact that we had already graduated college, but were in a college setting.

This was fresh, fun, new and I look forward to more from Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling.

3.5. This was an interesting read! I quite liked it overall. I wasn't the biggest fan of the main character, as I personally couldn't relate, but I think many others will like this one.

The Memo is a quirky, later-in-life ‘coming of age’ story, with a sprinkling of sci-fi.

I very much related to Jenny and the way she felt ‘stuck’ and like a failure. I’m happy to say the story is endearing and motivational, in its own way.

I didn’t want to reach the end of the book because it was so much fun!

The book was full of twists and turns, as the main character experiences different versions of her life throughout the story. She is looking for her happy ending, as she is approaching the "magical" age of 36, but will she get it with The Memo? This book was a good meet=cute that showed that life is not always greener on the other side. A good, quick read that you're bound to enjoy!

3.5 stars rounded up.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book, because who doesn’t feel like they’ve missed the memo sometimes, and who wouldn’t love the chance to go back in time to try to right the wrongs?
While the book was overall enjoyable, I can’t help but feel like there was a spark that was missing to really push this book over the edge and make it one to remember.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this sweet story of Jenny Green, who is not living her best life, getting a chance to go back and make changes via the "memo." It was a clever mechanism and I liked the zippy story telling and humor. It was a bit predictable, in a rom-com sort of way. Definitely a fun and breezy read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Perennial for an opportunity to read The Memo by Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling, a fun read.

Ever feel like you missed the memo? Like you are the only one who is out of step with your best life? Jenny Green did. And she dreads meeting up with college friends who did NOT miss the memo.

The Memo is a whimsical take on time travel that addresses the insecurities and questions everyone has at one point or another along the way. Jenny, the loveable protagonist, gets a “do-over” but the consequences are major.
Themes of friendship, competition among women, compatibility, regrets, success, and making choices reverberate.

I rarely read this genre and I suppose that’s for a reason. I don’t really enjoy it. Give me reality no matter how unrealistic. I know. That’s not really fair. I give The Memo three stars because the magical elements just didn’t work for me. But, if you’re a sucker for magical realism, you’ll probably love this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader’s copy to review.

What if there as a memo that told you what you needed to do with your life? And then, what if you literally didn't get the memo?!? That' the premise of this one. Jenny's 15 year college reunion is on the horizon, and life is nothing like what she hoped it would be. Then, she finds out that this could be because she didn't seize the opportunity to get her memo way back in college. The good news is she has a second chance, and she takes it. What follows is some time travel to decide what she wants to change, as well as to consider what she wants to keep the same. I will say that I really wanted even more about Jenny. Because she was (literally) travelling through time, that was much of the focus, but particularly at the end, I wanted more of her present-day self because I was rooting for her to figure things out, and I wanted to know how it all worked out. But overall, this was an unique spin on the Groundhog Day inspired subgenre I do love so. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this June 2024 release!

Jenny is a fun character, and I thought the idea of her story was great. At some points, I flipped through the pages faster than others. Those were exciting. Then there were times I just wasn't into what was happening. Great cover though. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I really liked the concept of this story about a woman who goes back to her college reunion to discover that there indeed was a memo on how to be successful in life and she missed out on it the first time around. I also love time travel-y stories so I knew I'd like this one. And it mostly didn't disappoint. Some parts of it were a little over the top and too much for me, but most of it was enjoyable and I liked the concept a lot!

with gratitude to netgalley and Harper Perennial for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

A perfectly fine book, but it just didn't work for me and I can't put my finger on why. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.