What a moving story on love and heartbreak! I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would and am so glad that I was approved to send my honest review.

A young woman wakes in a quaint village with no memory of where she came from, what her life was, and who she is. She has began to accept that she may never regain her memories when tall, dark and mysterious Thane walks into her life, making her doubt if she can truly let go of her past.

Within the first couple of chapters, I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped, however the writing and story improved so much just as I was reading along! The aspects of fairytales, fates, and fantasy blend so well and the overall story was heartbreakingly beautiful. I ended up absolutely loving so many small side characters just from their sass and quick remarks. The ending was bittersweet and satisfying all at the same time and I would love to see more from this world.

4.5 ⭐️

I really liked the premise of the book, as it sounded very mysterious and thriller like almost.

Generally I enjoyed it, but the pacing felt a bit odd sometimes. The first half of the book literally flew by, while the second half dragged on more.

Enjoyable, but not outstanding.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

4.75 stars rounded up to 5!

Oh. My. Gosh. This story. This was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL romantasy story. I was hooked from the very first chapter!

Ella woke up one day with no memory of who she was or how she arrived in the town of Riverton. She was found by a lovely inn keeper who named her Ella ans took her in.

Now it's almost a year later and Ella still feels the pang of a lost love and hasn't recovered any of her memories. She has made some wonderful friendships with her co-workers and a "romantic" relationship with a local man. But she never quite feels complete.

Then a mysterious man shows up to stay at the inn and Ella somehow knows him but can't figure out how.

To avoid any spoilers, I'll just say that Ella does regain her memories, figures out she's really a god and has been trying to break a curse. We get all of this as a backstory in part 2 of the book and I adored it!

Part 3 has us back in the present and oh my goodness, I LOVED how Ella managed to outsmart Death and break the curse in her own way without leaving a mark on her soul. I do wish we had more of our couple together in the end but I'm hopeful this book will get made into a trilogy so we can see their HEA. Overall this book was fantastic and I'll be recommending it to everyone upon its publication!

The forgotten life of Ella moon was a beautiful book. Ella is found on the night of the moon festival having forgotten everything about her life, including her name.
The characters were written very well and but I did find Ella to become very shallow in the second half of the book with a lot of emphasis on how good looking everyone was or what she was wearing.
The plot although had me hooked lost me in the second part of the book and felt a little far fetched in places and like she wanted to add more themes to the story.
The ending was very sweet so she pulled it back for me.

The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon by Melissa Naatz

Pub Date: 05/13/2023

ARC Book Review:

Thank you to The Nerd Fam for the gifted eARC.

Overall, I enjoyed this cozy, fantasy romance. I liked it, but I didn't love it due to some pacing issues. I very much enjoyed the first half of the book, and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen to Ella, our main character. However, the second-half felt almost like a different book entirely and although I enjoyed reading it, the ending felt a little anti-climatic for me. Perhaps I was placing too high of a bar on it as it was described similarly to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (which I absolutely loved!). I did see elements of that story in The Forgettable Life of Ella Moon, but I thought the ending could have used a little more depth in my opinion. I know many loved it. There were romantic characters and fairy tale elements. The writing was nice and this was easy to read. I think if you like the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, you may like this one too. I think its worth checking out if the blurb interests you.




Book Blurb:

There are consequences for breaking a heart, even for a god...

No one in the small village of Riverton knows who the girl found asleep by the river is or where she came from. Including the girl. A year later, the girl, now named Ella, has slipped into her ill-fitting life as best she can. She has made friends, found work, and almost fallen in love. Her new life would be perfect if she didn't miss her forgotten one.
That longing is only complicated when the very handsome Thane Tenebris shows up in Riverton, searching for what he lost. At first, Ella believes her feelings for Thane are because of their mutual need to find what they've lost. But the more time she spends with him, the more she's drawn to him and the darkness that surrounds him. Ella can't help but wonder if he is from her past. And after a reckless night with Thane reveals the truth of who she really is, Ella realizes her forgotten life may not be worth remembering.

There’s no option for providing no feedback anymore. But can’t review this one as it doesn’t have a kindle format. I don’t read on ipads or my phone because of blue light issues. Disappointing since I was really intrigued. Just not worth the risk of a migraine. I wish that was clearly noted somewhere before receiving the ARC.

The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon is an emotionally rich story that blends myth, memory, and tragic romance. Melissa paints a stunning picture of the gods, not just as people with powers, but as beings who truly think, feel, and exist differently. The characters, especially Ella, were captivating in the beginning and their struggles and their desires drew me in, but the romance between Ella and Thane is the heart of the story - a gorgeous, star-crossed love between divine beings.

That said, my connection with the story started to waver in part two. Ella's focus on her appearance and her constant need to be near Thane distracted her from her dedication to breaking the curse, and I found my empathy towards her plight waning. Add to that the growing complexity of who was related to whom in the god realm, and I found myself wanting to DNF at around 70%.

This book didn’t quite sweep me off my feet, but I can see why others would fall in love with it. It’s emotional, unique, and beautifully written. I'd recommend this if you enjoy stories of forgotten past lives, mythology and star-crossed lovers.

This book had such a magical whimsical feel to it. It was such a quick easy read. I couldn’t put it down towards the end.

Ella and Thane relationship was really intriguing. even though I had guessed who they were and some of the backstory before it was written; I still really enjoyed the evolution of their relationship and figuring out all about Ella and the gods and curses. It was just a really great read. I didn’t always like Ella and actually I think that really worked well in this book, because even though she wasn’t always a likable protagonist, you are still always rooting for her and always interested in the plot and storyline. I think it made Ella a more multi layered character.

I loved the world building in this. I loved the mortal world and some of the commentary around marriage and women’s places in this world. I loved the heaven and darkness. I thought that was done incredibly well beautifully visual it was like falling into the book.

I thought the ending was so beautifully sad and a beautiful way to end a fairytale like book!

If they do come out with a sequel, I would be very keen to read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC of this book.

Read in 2 hours and 56 minutes.

This book shimmered with tones of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Our Infinite Fates so if you’re fan of these, you’ll appreciate this book too.

The authors’ note was really sweet and you can tell that she poured a lot of love into this work, although it pains to me to say that it wasn’t without flaws.

The beginning chapters were charming, although highly predictable, and the medieval(?) setting was a good setting for this mysterious girl with amnesia.

The encounters between Ella and Thane were the stardust on a magical cake, but the dialogue between all characters was clunky at times, and I felt like I was being hit over the head with a stick when the plot was repeatedly explained to me, chapter by chapter.

The background reveal was engaging and I like the scene setting although it was similar to Our Infinite Fates in that it felt like a different story to the beginning.

I wasn’t enamoured with William so Ella’s pity for him left me unmoved, although he has the ending that he deserved.

If there is a sequel, I hope that there will be more on Ella and Thane’s world, and less of a foreseeable ending.

In fact, I’d wish upon a star for that…

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this!

This book will make you feel everything. The characters are beautifully written along with this story of heartache.


Who am I? Everyday when Ella wakes up she has no recollection of her previous life before being a maid in an inn. No name, no memories, no friends or family.

“ Something would remind her of something she couldn’t remember. A taste. A sound. And everytime she thought she had a new piece of the puzzle, she realized she’d lost the others”.

When she meets a new guest at the inn things begin to change for her.

“Being around him made her feel as if she had forgotten something, like a latch on a gate or a candle still burning”.

Pre thoughts:
- Fairytale

Post thoughts:
- The World building at the beginning of the novel is quite good
- I appreciate the indentation for When the characters are speaking, this allows for it to be easily followed by the reader.
- The novel is in third person.
- Ella Is a powerful iconic woman who sets her own boundaries and quite a valkyrie vibe.
- Great plot twists and turns, keeps you on your toes
- Heartache.

Overall
- I tried my best not to include spoilers, this was a lovely Romantasy read. I liked how the novel showed the FMC's growth, how not everyone is perfect and how our decisions may have consequences. The choice to split it into three parts is lovely and the epilogue was a great addition.

stars 4/5
spice 1/5

Tropes
- Slow burn
- HEA
- MMC falls first
- Fairy tale vibe

A big thank you Netgallery and victory editing co-op and Melissa Naatz for the opportunity for me to review this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found myself really engaged in The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon almost immediately. The dynamic between Ella and Thane was really interesting and I found myself wanting to uncover their secrets. I also really enjoyed Ella’s perspective around marriage and social expectations of the era she’s found herself in.

But, unfortunately I found my empathy waning for her in part 2 of the story. I felt there was a lot of attention on how good looking everyone was, what she was going to wear for each occasion… I found her to be pretty shallow. I admired her dedication in wanting to break the curse she found herself under, but with my waning patience for her, and the growing complexity with who was related to who that I found myself wanting to DNF at 70%.

I really think this story has promise, but I feel it would really benefit from a shorter part 2. Thank you to Melissa Naatz and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon prior to its release.

okay, i cried. not once. maybe four times?

first of all, it is a very beautifully written book. i fell in love with the writing style literally from the first page.

the love story in this book won't be a surprise. personally, everything was clear to me when the heroine still didn't understand anything.

but I really enjoyed this book. i felt the pain of the heroes. i liked that the gods here are not shown as perfect, they have many flaws. and it is precisely because of the decisions of cruel gods that others may suffer.

the end of the book broke and mended my heart at the same time!

huge thanks to NetGalley, author and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for digital arc of this book. this is my honest review.

Something about the writing just doesn't stick with me. Everyone raved about it, saying it's beautiful, so I thought I must have been mistaken yet pages after pages (I really tried, I suffered to a hundred), I simply couldn't see what the others did. Also, Ella thrists over Thane in a way that makes me uncomfortable, their conversation is pretty awkward (to the point of cringe, honestly speaking). It feels like an insta love, yet kind of two-timing. I think it just doesn't suit my taste. I like the concept, though it ends up falling short. And it annoys me so much that Ella keeps feeling annoyed when everyone is showing concern for her, I get the part of being angry, but she doesn't seem very grateful either.

Thank you NetGalley and Melissa Naatz for giving me this opportunity to ARC read this amazing book.

I have rated it 3.75 stars ⭐️ This book is a Romantasy book focusing on romance mainly. This book was a tragic love story about Darkness and Dawn which includes a lot of information about other gods and fate getting in the way of love.

I found it quite slow paced but I do think that having the book separated into three parts helped the story flow really nicely. I have never read a book like this and found it beautiful and very interesting.

I very much recommend if you like romantasy books!

"There are consequences for breaking a heart." Gods, mortals, fairytales, stardust, forbidden love, choices, and sacrifice... The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon is an unforgettable and beautifully written story full of heartbreak and hope which I could see becoming one of the classics.

Ella Moon knows things about herself but has no memory of how she knows them. She knows how old she is, but not when her birthday is because "memory loss picks which memories to rob." Ella's journey to discover who she was before she became Ella Moon is full of angst and hope and whimsy. And like Naatz's other works, the writing is so raw, you'll feel your heart getting pulled in every direction, If you enjoy a well-written, fun, and unique love story full of heartache and romance, you need to read this book.

#TheForgottenLifeofEllaMoon #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fresh take in mythology with a Hades x Persephone feel to it.

I enjoyed Ella a bit more than I did Aurora. But I was entrigued throughout.

I recommend this book if you enjoy:
🌟 forgotten past life
🌟 morally grey characters
🌟 mythology
🌟 HEA

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC.

The forgotten life of elle moon is a beautifully written story about self-discovery, healing, and finding strength after being broken. The pacing was perfect, the emotions felt real, and Elle's journey kept me hooked the entire time. A touching, unforgettable read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars!

Ella Moon was found a year ago along a river with no memories of who she is--just the feeling of a love that transcends both time and memory. Desperate to know her forgotten life, Ella meets a man named Thane--another person who has lost something dear and important. The more time she spends with Thane, the more her forgotten life presses in on her.

A story of gods and mortals, of love and heartbreak, The Forgotten Life of Ella Moon explores how mortals (and gods) love and what we are willing to do to keep it. The gods are fickle and cruel and loving and passionate. They hate and love in the same breath. But regardless of their divinity, there are consequences for breaking a heart.

I loved the writing in this novel and really enjoyed seeing the interactions between the mortals and the gods. I know the author wrote that this may become the first in a series and I hope it will because I am really interested in seeing how the mythos of this world continues to unfold!

3++ stars. I really enjoyed parts of this book, but parts moved very slowly for me. I enjoyed the first part of the book, but had a rough time finishing the second half. I'm not sure quite what changed, but I guess maybe I enjoyed the work-a-day Ella more than the other. (Trying to avoid spoilers here.) The characters were well conceived and it was well-written, just not quite to my personal taste.