Oh goodness, this book. So beautifully written and heartbreaking and so, so sweet. I love Evie and I desperately want to know what happens next now that she has found her HEA, but this just really resonated on several levels and Drew is just such a lovely, strong character who balances Evie perfectly. Stunning and sad and lovely.

3.5 stars.

I was really taken by this book and couldn’t put it down at first. I’m really sorry to report that the ending was really abrupt for me. The build-up was so well-written that the ending just felt like a brick wall.

Still, it was quite an enjoyable read, and I'm so glad I read it. I think most are going to really love this one.

I have mixed feelings on "Pictures of You". Thinking it's more a 3.5* rating,

First the positives- it kept my attention. I thought I had figured some key items out early on only to be surprised I hadn't. I love when books do that. I also liked the concept- an amnesiac goes back to time where things were safe, not remembering everything that happened since. It follows the genre of wondering "What if I took that road? How would my life look?"

My negatives - for starters at times it felt a bit disjointed. There were several instances in the book where Grey introduced an item only to not follow up. Maybe she had originally planned additional story lines, then realized the book was going long and cut? Which leads me to the length and in my opinion, the abrupt ending. The. book is over 400 pages, it felt like Grey hurried the end. I have questions! Maybe there will be a sequel?

Emma Grey has turned out an enthralling mystery/romance with her Pictures of You.

This novel will grab you and immerse you in Evie's story. It is full of relationships and family drama with so many twists that make it oh so binge-ful.

Evie (now known to all as Evelyn) awakens in the hospital with some scrapes and bruises from a car accident and a severe case of amnesia. In Evie's mind, however, she is not 29 year old Evelyn, but 16 year old Evie. Upon awakening, not only is she told that she is 29, but perhaps more shocking, she is told that her husband, Oliver, did not survive the crash. Wait...she's only sixteen in her mind, and she never wanted to get married. She had her teenage mind set to be an independent woman. She barely remembers meeting Oliver briefly as he came to an after school photography club meeting when they were both in high school.

Enter Evie's best friend from the photography club, Drew. With Drew's help. Evie is able to reconnect with her parents and her best friend, Bree. What then ensues is Evie finding out a whole sordid saga of alienation, narcissism, gas lighting, and mental abuse....all getting her to where she is now.

The novel is presented to us in dual perspectives, using both the voices of Evie and Drew. The twists along the way are delectable to the plot.

Emma Grey's new one comes out Nov. 12. If you are a fan of family drama with some romance and mystery thrown in for good measure, put this one on your list. Thank you, NetGalley and Zibby Books, for this compelling ARC.

So thankful to have received an advanced reader copy of this book. Loved everything about it. This book reminds you that some friendships you make can and will last a lifetime regardless of what events take place.

Emma Grey has some serious range.

I really enjoyed The Last Love Note and was really intrigued by the premise of this one. I love an alternating time line, dual POVs and a love triangle done exceptionally well.

This book had its fair moments of conveniences but it was so bingeable and enthralling I didn’t care and stay up late turning pages needing to know what was going to happen to Evie and Drew.

This was romance mixed with mystery and some really fun contemporary themes, brava Emma you have a sure hit here.

Evie wakes up in the hospital, attached to tubes and thoroughly bruised and bandaged. She only knows three things for sure-she is sixteen, she must have really gotten drunk at the party (what party?) last night to land in the hospital, and her mum and best friend Bree aren't at the bedside. But she soon finds out that she is actually 29 and married to the school golden boy/love of her life, the car that they were in fell over a cliff and her husband Oliver died, and she had no contacts in her phone for her mum or her friend. Evie remembers nothing of the last 13 years of her life and is diagnosed with temporary amnesia. She finds out that Oliver and his parents were rich society dwellers, his funeral  will be lavish and exclusive, and decides to escape before the reception. The nurses were nice enough to catch her up on the latest technology so she phones an Uber, dashes through the paparazzi outside the church, and gets into one of the cars. Turns out that he isn't the Uber driver after all, but she confides her plight to him and he starts helping her...just as he has done for the love of her for the last thirteen years. But Drew must let her remember things on her own so she won't die of despair at the way her life really turned out. What a set-up, right?
Grey, the author of several YA novels, paints a beautiful picture of her native Australia that might be considered another character in the book. As Evie and Drew alternate telling their stories in flashbacks, we learn why she felt sorry for dark, brooding Drew, whose mum was battling cancer. Through a school photography project they became friends, but before Drew could tell Evie his true feelings, she was swept off her feet by Oliver, the girl magnet. For some reason, she had captured his attention and he began to pursue her (not that she needed much pursuit.)  Readers also follow Drew and Evie in the present where Drew helps Evie learn why neither her parents or her friend Bree want any contact with her.
This is a wow of a book-I read it in two days. Feed the dog, do the wash, silence your phone, because when you start you'll have to see it through to the end. I envy you!

Pictures of You

Bingeable, predictable, and a little unhinged.

Let me be clear, any predictability comes from heavy foreshadowing. It’s definitely a wildly unique story.

A woman is left to piece her life back together after a tragic accident that causes memory loss of the last several years. Nothing in her life feels true to herself and she’s determined to find out why.

The beginning and middle were strong, the end would have been too if there wasn’t so much going on. But I binged it in less than 24 hours so it definitely had me captivated.

Content: narcism, physiological abuse, death, grief

Oh Emma Grey....I'm sorry but this one was not it for me. After absolutely adoring The Last Love Note I was very happy to receive a copy of this one but it was...whomp whomp...not a good time.

In "Pictures of You," Evie Hudson awakens in a medical facility following a catastrophic vehicular collision, only to learn that she has lost her husband, Oliver, and her recollection of the past thirteen years. As she confronts her traumatic amnesia, she must reconstruct her life with the assistance of Drew, a photographer who unexpectedly becomes a part of her journey. Together, they navigate the complexities of her marriage and the circumstances surrounding her husband's demise, compelling Evie to face painful realities and reassess the decisions she has made. This second-chance romance delves into themes of grief, loss, and self-exploration as Evie maneuvers through her tumultuous history.

Emma Grey’s prose excels in this poignant narrative, illustrating the intricacies of complex relationships and the challenge of overcoming toxic dynamics. The storyline is engrossing, featuring alternating viewpoints that enhance the reader's connection to both Evie and Drew. As hidden truths emerge and new insights are revealed, readers are taken on an emotional rollercoaster, culminating in unexpected plot developments that challenge Evie's comprehension of her existence. Rich with heartfelt moments and a focus on personal development, "Pictures of You" is a compelling literary work that resonates with themes of resilience and the transformative power of second chances.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Waking up in the hospital after a horrific car crash that has killed her husband, Oliver, Ellie must try to piece her life back together. but, that's harder than it seems as she is suffering from an acute case or amnesia and can't remember anything beyond her life when she was sixteen. She doesn't remember her husband, her closest friends or her family and if not for a chance encounter outside her husband's memorial service -which she leaves in total confusion, she might have never remembered the real Ellie.

Drew has been "stuck" on Ellie since they were sixteen. Now, 13 years later it seems he is getting a second chance but how much should he reveal about their past to Ellie who doesn't remember him at all?

Flashbacks fill in the missing information for the reader, but Ellie it seems will remain forever in the dark about the last 13 years of her life with an abusive husband and his controlling family. It will take patience and unwavering support from Drew who just might be the key to unlocking her memories for Ellie to return to her true self.

Filled with surprises and sympathetic and not-so-sympathetic characters, "Pictures of You" is a story that shows the subtle ways a relationship can become uber controlling and abusive and should not be missed.

Evie wakes in the hospital after a car accident searching for her bff, only to find she’s actually been widowed in the crash. She’s lost 10+ years of her memory and has no recollection of the husband she should be grieving.

I was glued to the pages, with Evie searching for her memory after the accident and answers to how her life had become isolated. So many twists and turns as she tries to connect with those she had previously cut off from her life, yet having no idea why. How could she have a husband she doesn’t remember? What decisions will she make after realizing what has happened? A look at toxic relationships and how women become trapped in them.

This is a must read! Soooo good! Loved this as much as The Last Love Note, one of my very favs from last fall! Thx to Netgalley and Zibby Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

PICTURES OF YOU is utterly amazing! I fell in love with Emma Grey's writing when I read THE LAST LOVE NOTE and was very excited to see what was next. I envisioned a Hallmarkesque story to be what would be next...boy was I wrong and in the best possible way! This story has unexpected twists and turns and just when you think you know what will happen, something else drops in your lap.

Told from the two perspectives of Drew and Evie, the reader will hear the deep thoughts and perspectives of each character while venturing into the past mixed with the current day. You will find yourself rooting for both of these characters while also feeling knots in your stomach of what might have happened and what the future could hold.

Emma is brilliant! Having followed her since THE LAST LOVE NOTE, interviewing her and getting to know her, it was an absolute joy to read PICTURES OF YOU and also be able to find the parts of Emma in the book that are personal. This is a must-read!!!!

This book started off really strong with a plot that instantly pulls you in. (If you have the ability to go in blind, I do recommend it, but I doubt it'll stay quiet for long). As the reader you are immediately concerned for Evie and her current circumstances that are completely out of her control.

As many books do these days, we begin to alter between timelines and that's where it lost me. Not in a way of confusion, but more of it lost my interest. This is where it also began feeling very YA, which I don't typically love or seek out in my reading. The book and storylines also become very duplicitous to a point of wondering if I somehow got pushed backwards in my kindle with my bookmark? But no, the story tends to repeat itself.

There are some great plot points and surprises that the reader is well rewarded with. But at times, with the bread crumbs that were dropped, I already had it figured out by the time the book actually gave me the reveal, so it was a bit anticlimactic.

I absolutely loved and adored Grey's previous adult book, The Last Love Note, and I'm sad that this didn't work as well for me, but I look forward to reading her next adult novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby Books for the advance e-copy of this book.

“Boundaries are something you put around yourself,” Bree says quietly. “When someone else puts them around you, it’s called a prison.”

I (along with everyone else I know) fell in love with Emma Grey last year with her adult debut of The Last Love Note. As soon as Pictures of You became available on NetGalley, I downloaded it so fast and started reading it right away (thank you Zibby Books!). This is a vastly different story than her first, but the writing is equally compelling and propulsive. Since amnesia is involved, you don’t really know who to trust and you get to learn Evie’s history right alongside her. I truly loved everything about the ride Emma Grey took me on.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Read if you like:
What Alice Forgot
Dual time lines
Dual POVs

The premise to this book sounded very interesting to me so I was very curious to read it!

It started very strong and sucked me in immediately to the story which opens with Evie waking up thinking she is 16 and not remembering the last 13 years of her life.

This is a tricky one to review and rate for me because overall I did enjoy the actual story and was interested the entire book but also found a lot of things lacking.

The writing felt fairly juvenile and almost like I was reading YA. I do like YA so that’s not necessarily a bad thing but when a book is targeted at an adult audience but feels YA, it isn’t a good thing. It also was really predictable which was fine for me but I know it can bother other readers. The ending was super abrupt and I wanted more answers to some of the plot points.

Overall, there are better books out there with similar plots that you might enjoy more. That being said, this was just mid for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was an incredible read! I read this in one day and could not put it down. The author did an amazing job describing the past and present. I was rooting so hard for her to remember what happened! Such a great read!

I simply could not wait for another Emma Grey story. And this book did not disappoint.
I also am a sucker for gal+amnesia story. Pictures Of You follows the story of Evie who suffers from amnesia due to a car accident. She wakes as a 16 year old not remembering the past 13 years of her life.
The story that follows is the careful unraveling of her life from 16 on. Many pieces of her past are smudging together and all with the help of her school age friend, Drew that she met just after where her memory fails her.
I think I saw this book is listed as Romantic Thriller, while it is thrilling to piece together her past, the book is a verrrrry slow burn with finally picking up about 80-90% of the way through.
Grey does an amazing job of realistically and respectfully painting the picture of complicated friendships, emotional abuse, loss, self sabotage, self awareness, and tied up the ending in a concise way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! Emma Grey did it again. I could not put this book down, I had to know what happened. So many twists and turns, lies and deceit. Evie having to look back at all of the choices she has made in her life, that got her to the point where she is left with no one. Understanding why she pushed those close to her away was painful to read, but Grey does a phenomenal job providing insight into the abuse her relationship with Oliver entailed. Grey makes you want to keep reading long after your eyelids are heavy. The story is that good! Pre-order Pictures of You (November 12, 2024 release), it will not disappoint!

Thank you Zibby Books and Net Galley for the advance copy.

I absolutely love Emma Gray and this was a fantastic book. Somehow so different from The Last Love Note, but with a lot of the same big feelings about deep topics.

I really enjoyed the dual timelines and the dual points of view. But, I did find Drew’s section a tad repetitive with his inner monologue. I think we could have had 70% Evie and 30% Drew and it would have allowed for a deeper exploration of Evie’s past (and present!) with her parents. That felt like a HUGE part of the story that wasn’t explored to its full potential.

I appreciate Emma’s care in discussing tough topics like abuse. And this was so interesting because she exercised restraint in not making it a physical issue, but an emotional one that slowly developed over time between Evie and Oliver.

The ending was abrupt for me. And I wanted Oliver’s parents to know the truth. Maybe a podcast episode recorded by Evie. We didn’t get a lot of payoff at the end.

With that said, I really enjoyed the premise of the story, and the writing is great. Gray really keeps you engaged throughout her books. I couldn’t put it down. I just think it really could use a little more precision to make it a book of the year.