I loved this book!!!! The novel resonated with me on two levels. First, I am a retired English teacher who has spent a lifetime being in love with books, libraries, and reading. Giving books as gifts myself, I know the yearly books with heartfelf messages; I, like the protagonist, Sally, was devastated with the flooding. Secondly, I lost my father to dementia a couple of years ago, so I'm so in Ella's shoes. Again, I loved this book, and thank goodness for second chances.

I really enjoyed this book. Such a great tale of rekindling relationships and rehashing long held misconceptions. The characters were lively and enjoyable. The audiobook performance was great as well!

I enjoyed this story. I really enjoyed how the mom made the tradition of adding a new book to the library each year. It’s a story of a mom and daughter’s relationship. We all know someone who has struggled in this area. I enjoyed the characters and the writing of the book. Thanks for the advanced copy. The narrations was also very good.

This was a great fast read! I loved the story premise and the development. I wasn't sure where it was going to go at the beginning. I was very invested in the characters and their relationship. The community aspect was wonderful as well. It made me pause and think about my own relationship with my mom and how fragile everything can be.

I really enjoyed this book! It flowed really well. I’m glad I had the chance to read it! I will definitely recommend to my family and friends!

Each year, on her daughter’s birthday, Sally adds a new book to her shelves – with a note in the front dedicated to her own greatest work. But Ella – Sally’s only child – fled to Australia twenty-two years ago after a terrible fight with her mother, and their relationship has never been the same. And though Sally still adds a new paperback to the shelves every time the clock strikes midnight on July 11th, her hopes of her daughter ever thumbing through the pages are starting to dwindle.

When an accident takes place and Ella needs to return home to help her mother, the two are forced to learn more about each other. Ella finds that she has a lot more to learn about her mother and the truth about things that happened in their past.

I really enjoyed this book and seeing the relationships progress between Ella and her mom, as well as Ella's outlook and relationships with others, like her husband, daughter, friends and neighbors. I thought the growth we see in Ella as a person was very hopeful and positive.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

Sally Harrison has spent 42 years picking out and adding a new book, to a library she has created for her daughter. They are thoughtfully picked, each one means something. The only problem is her daughter doesn’t even know about the library. She actually doesn’t live anywhere near her mother. Eva, her only daughter, lives in Australia and hasn’t been home in a long time. To be honest their relationship is very strained and the miles between England and Australia is often a good thing. But an emergency brings Eva home and whether they like it or not mother and daughter will have to work together and set things straight. Both ladies learn things they didn’t know. They are challenged by the togetherness, but will they repair their relationship and move forward or will it dissolve the relationship and make it irreparable? Kate Storey did an excellent job, showing the true complexities between mother and daughters. It was honest, sad and happy at all once. Narrated by Jilly Bond; Imogen Wilde who were able bring this story to life. I want to thank Netgalley, Harper Audio Adult and the author for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to listen and review this book.

I listened to the audiobook and read some of this.....
The audiobook had a great narrator and was well spoken, kept me interested, I also read when i could not listen

The story is great, mother and daughter reconnecting and the story of why they drifted apart and how the found each other again

That made this book great was all the other mentions of the books that they read together

This is a story about the dynamic between a mother and a daughter who have become estranged and try to reconnect. I enjoyed that the story was set in the current time and had a few flashbacks adding critical details to the story. That being said, I feel like it was too happily-ever-after for me. Maybe it didn't suit my mood at the time I read it. Maybe I'm just a little more jaded about relationships. I had hoped this would be an emotional read but for me it just fell flat. I was annoyed with Ella and her pettiness and her Mom could've tried harder to communicate. And the "huge" even that caused the estrangement was a bit silly. Either way I was happy to be able to read this ARC from NetGalley.

Such a beautiful, beautiful story about the bonds of family, love and loss. I loved everything about this story even though it made me cry. The voice actors did such an amazing job at making the listener completely immersed in the story.

Sweet, feel-good story about the power of connection, family, and love. Enjoyed listening, pretty predictable, but that's nice sometimes honestly. 3.5/5

Kate Storey’s The Memory Library is a heartfelt, beautifully woven story about love, loss, and the quiet ways we try to hold on to the people we’ve lost. The audiobook, narrated by Jilly Bond and Imogen Wilde, brings this deeply emotional journey to life with warmth and sincerity, making it feel less like a book and more like a memory unfolding in real-time.

The premise alone had me hooked—Sally, a mother who spent decades creating a library of books for her estranged daughter, Ella, hoping that one day she would return. And when Ella finally does, the weight of all those lost years settles in, as each book reveals more than just words on a page. It’s a story about reconciliation, about finding pieces of someone even when they’re gone, and about how stories—both written and lived—connect us in ways we don’t always realize.

Jilly Bond and Imogen Wilde were the perfect narrators for this. Their voices carried so much depth, especially in the emotionally charged moments. There’s something about the way they delivered certain lines—like when Ella starts truly understanding what her mother left behind—that made my throat tighten. They didn’t just read the story; they felt it, and in turn, I felt it too.

That said, I did see some of the plot twists coming, which took away a little of the emotional punch toward the end. It’s a story that leans into its sentimentality, and while that worked for me in some moments, in others, it felt a bit predictable. But honestly? It didn’t really matter. The execution was so well done that I didn’t mind knowing where things were going—I just wanted to soak it all in.

If you love books about books, mother-daughter relationships, and the kind of stories that sit with you long after the final chapter, The Memory Library is absolutely worth a listen. Just maybe keep some tissues nearby.

Ella is estranged from her mother and now lives far away with her husband and daughter. When something happens to her mother that forces her to go home to take care of her and sort things out, Ella’s eyes are opened to a world she didn’t know.

I love books and so I love the idea of picking a special book on someone’s birthday and writing an inscription in it. Having a library of books with special things written in them about that time in a persons life! I may just have to start this!

I just finished a beautiful story about a mother and daughter, showcasing how miscommunication can impact their relationship but ultimately can't diminish the love they share. It's heartwarming to see how their mutual love for books helps heal past wounds. The portrayal of their lovely community and friendships adds to the charm, though I felt the plot was a bit slow and lacking in a good twist. There was significant character development that helps connect with the characters. Nonetheless, I appreciate this adorable ARC and truly enjoyed this lovely read. Thank you!

(Did my review on Amazon as well )

Such a great story! With themes of family/relationships and a mother’s love, this one will definitely pull at your heartstrings. I listened to the audiobook format and enjoyed the narration.

*many thanks to Harper Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Cozy, sweet and fulfilling. I liked this as an audiobook listen. I didn't feel like I was missing details; and I felt like I was in the story.

Sobbing. What a beautiful, memorable, story about the depth of a mother’s love and the rekindling of some of the most important relationships in life. Everyone should read this - it so powerful and charming and I loved it so incredibly much.
When Ella travels from Australia back home to England to help her mom, Sally, after a fall, she comes face to face with her past, and uncovers the power of love. It’s heartbreakingly good and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book focusing on a strained mother/daughter relationship that must be mended as the mother ages and needs more hands-on care from her daughter, who hasn't visited in about 20 years. The daughter, Ella feels betrayed by her mother after discovering a letter her mother had from another man soon after Ella's father died. However, her mother, Sally has given Ella her space, as she moved half way around the world, all the while curating a library of carefully selected books in case Ella ever returns.

While The Memory Library took me a bit to get into, I ended up absolutely loving it. A truly heartfelt story that spoke to my heart. Kate Storey writes the plight of an estranged mother and daughter beautifully and I saw so much of my own life reflected in her words. By the end of the book I felt like I knew every character, big and small, and how important they all were to the story. If you want a book that will pull at your heart strings, and show the power of a community, definitely pick up this read.

The narrator was lovely to listen to as well.

While I thought the begging moved a little slow, I did enjoy the overall story. I thought it had strong character development.