A super fun and intriguing premise - what would happen if your classmates from college got the memo - in other words, what if you were the only one who didn't "get the memo" and didn't even know there was really a memo? I'm drawn in by sliding doors type stories about the path in life not taken and this is the concept here. Jenny at age 36 wasn't in a good place in life and it's time to go to her 15 year college reunion with all of her beautiful and successful classmates - those who it turns out got the memo. She reunites with Desiree who it turns out had offered Jenny the memo during college but Jenny stuck to her own path instead. Desiree offers Jenny another chance to see her pathetic life choices in contrast to what might have been. This happens about a third of the way into the book and it's where the book fell off for me. By taking the path of the memo, you need to follow it exactly without question and it removes your free will. I questioned everything in this book and the choices you make in life - both good and bad - make you what you are in life, for better or worse - who cares about perfection? I guess that was the point of the book but the entertainment factor diminished for me as the book progressed. Grateful to NetGalley for an advance copy and still glad I read this.

This book just wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't bad at all, I just found it a little boring and the pacing was off for me. I felt like I didn't have time to get to know the characters.

The premise of this book is super unique and interesting. I love “do over” type books and this was fine so well! A story of friendships and what ifs. I really enjoyed this one!

I am not the biggest fan of going back in time books, but something about the Memo stood out to me, and I decided to give it a try.

When Jenny Green returns to her 15th-year college reunion, she gets suspicious texts that offer her the ability to go back and re-do the last 15 years, fix some of the mistakes she made, and alter her future.

I liked how this handled the idea of fixing parts of your life and having something better. This book focused more on the impact of friendships, and it felt like it really came down to having to choose between to friends because the paths were very different. I really enjoyed the book until the end. I hate that one of the characters went to jail, and toward the end the book seemed to slow down and loose its fizz. The overall ending was nice, and I think this book is a great millennial story.

3.5 stars

Thank you the Publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

If you liked the Midnight Library and or Cult Classic, this is a read for you. A fun lit-fic with a overall self growth moral. Has some light sci-fi elements, where the character travels to parallel timelines, and shows the butterfly effect of decisions. Easy beachy read.

This was a quick rom-com read. The premise of the book was interesting, but I didn’t feel like the time hopping was executed as well as it could have been. The main character Jenny is written well and the author had me as the reader agreeing that Jenny wasn’t being true to herself. I think the ending was too predictable and it could have been interesting if Jenny had pulled the lever and took the path of joy and somehow later found her way out from that path and connected with Geeta at that time and then had the ending we had. I know that would have made for a longer book, but it was enjoyable to hear the adventures happening in the “perfect” life path. Lastly, it would have been interesting if Gabe could’ve appeared all those times in her “perfect” life and had brief interactions that didn’t result in needing to have him vanish.

Overall I enjoyed the ending and found this to be a fun light read. Will be a great summer pool book for people.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I’m DNF’ing at 52% because I’m having a hard time keeping track of the storyline and all the characters. I also found myself not thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it, which is unusual. I think it will find its audience and people will enjoy it - if you liked Oona Out of Order and/or The Midnight Library, I think you’ll enjoy this. But that trope surprisingly doesn’t work for me so I think it’s just not for me.

This cover drew me in, immediately! The story is fun to read and has comedic moments but also a deep and thought provoking topic. Very good!

<b>My rating: </b> 3 out 5 --> An easy to read story with a extremely relatable main character

<b> Novel's Intention/obstacle: </b> The protagonist's wonders why her life doesn't look as "successful" as your friends at her college reunion. She is presented with the opportunity to follow her "personal memo" that will make her life more of a success like her friends. We follow as she takes this journey to change her situation and learn more about what she really wants.

<b> What I liked </b>
The book is well organized into a clear three act structure with the labels 'Memo-less', 'Memo-made', and 'Memo-unsubscribed'.

The protagonist is extremely relatable. If you are in your 30s or 40s and questioned 'what if' in your own life then you will relate to this character.

<b> What I didn't like </b>
I didn't love the ending because the consequences for the various characters involved seemed very unbalanced.

The Memo is a good fit for readers who are interested in exploring the themes of self-discovery, personal growth, and the pursuit of happiness and success, as the protagonist is given a rare opportunity to rewrite her life story and make the right choices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for allowing me to read an ARC of The Memo by Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling, in exchange for my honest review.

Who wouldn't love a do-over of some of their not-so the finest moments?

This was a quirky and entertaining journey through the "what ifs" of Jenny Green's life. Truly enjoyable!

I definitely recommend this book!

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.