Dani Atkins is one of my favourite authors and this book didn't disappoint. Yet another book of hers that had me in tears several times.
Totally moving and as usual deals with heartbreaking medical issues.
Fantastic as always, I loved it!

When Amelia is found unconscious and suffering from hypothermia on the mudflats near her Somerset cottage at 5am one freezing cold January morning, it’s touch and go if she will survive. Fortunately, her rescuers manage to revive her and she’s rushed to hospital.

Her younger sister, Lexi, who lives in New York, receives a phone call from their mum in the middle of the night and frantically books the next available flight and dashes to be by Amelia’s bedside.

Amelia comes round but is very dazed and confused – she’s behaving strangely and thinks she’s married to a man called Sam, but she’s actually single. She gets upset by her family’s insistence that he doesn’t exist and is just a false memory and draws a picture to show them what Sam looks like.

When Lexi meets a vet called Nick (and his Old English Sheepdog, Mabel) on the beach, she is shocked to realise that he matches her sister’s description and drawings of Sam but he has no idea who Amelia is and is definitely not her husband!

While Amelia is trying to recover, Lexi keeps up the pretence of Sam’s existence, against medical advice, and takes photos of herself and Nick recreating key moments that her sister has described, hoping that Amelia’s real memories will return. While going on these pretend ‘dates’ with Nick, the pair of them get close and it’s clear there’s a strong mutual attraction.

Amelia and Lexi share a special and unusual bond, despite being eight years apart in age, and are close with their mum, Esme. Their father, an angler, died in a tragic accident when Lexi was only eight years old.

The story is told from the point of view of Lexi and it was lovely to see her close relationship and strong connection with her sister. Their love for each other was clear, despite the traumas they were both experiencing. Lexi’s growing friendship with Nick was a joy to read too – their banter, witty remarks, in jokes and the ‘will they, won’t they’ aspect!

Amelia’s gruff neighbour, retired fisherman Tom, was a lovely character and I liked the part he played in the story and how he grew in confidence. Nick, the handsome vet, had me swooning as well and I was really hoping that there was going to be a happy ending for him and Lexi, despite the circumstances and everything that had gone on.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Memory of Us. I had to suspend disbelief at times but it was an emotional and entertaining read, and the pacing and reveals were well done. I felt real empathy for all the characters and was in tears at certain points! It was a gripping and engaging read and cleverly written as I had no idea how things were going to pan out. There were certainly some shocks and surprises along the way!

This was actually the first book by Dani Atkins that I’ve read but I realised that I’ve got several of them in paperback and on my Kindle and will be picking up another one soon!

Dani Atkins is one of my favourite authors so I was delighted to get an invitation to join the blog tour for new noveI, The Memory of Us. Oh my word, this beautiful book broke me into a million pieces and I didn't simply cry, I sobbed through the second half of it. I had to put the book down on numerous occasions to dry my eyes or the book would've ended up in as soggy a mess as I was.

A phone call in the middle of the night is never good news and Lexi jumps on the first available plane home to visit her sister Amelia in hospital. Amelia is lucky to be alive but she's not the same girl as she was before her accident; Amelia thinks that she has a husband called Sam but her family know that Sam doesn't exist.

It's heartbreaking when Amelia looks to the door of her room every time she hears footsteps in the corridor but she is waiting for a man who will never appear. Upset and frustrated by her family's doubts about Sam's existence, Amelia draws a picture of him and in a strange twist of fate Lexi meets Nick, who looks just like Amelia's drawing.

This book is filled with so much love that it bursts out of the pages and I absorbed every drop of it into my heart. I cared about the characters so much that I couldn't contain my emotions and I was so riveted to the book that I kept trying to read even when my eyes were blurring with tears.

The Memory of Us is a beautiful and unforgettable multifaceted love story that is filled with emotion. I simply adored it and I plan to read it again, although I'm sure I will still cry my eyes out at the same points of the story. I really can't recommend it highly enough and make sure you have a box of tissues handy when you read it.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I really wanted to love this as I have really liked Dani's previous books but it was not meant to be. I found it a bit too far fetched and wishy washy with no real substance. I found myself not wanting to pick it up. Not for me unfortunately.

I enjoyed this book but admit there were a lot of parts that pushed on the believable but the writing style made me wanting to know more.

This is one of those stories that I keep thinking about at random times throughout my day, I want more but at the same time I don’t think I want the answers to my questions and loved the ending for what it was. I don’t want to say too much I feel like reading the synopsis is enough to tell you what to expect in the way that it doesn’t give you too much that you’ll know where the story is going or how it will end but enough to make you curious to want to pick it up. I will say that if you love a little supernatural in your stories with great FML, a strong sibling relationship, and a dash of wholesome romance with what could be the perfect book boyfriend. Then this is the right book for you.



Solid 4 stars

This book will take you on a grand emotional rollercoaster! It reminds us that life is precious and not always tied up in a pretty bow. But it's what we make of the bad times that makes the good times even better. As the the story started to unfold I quickly became very invested in Lexi and Amelia's bond as sisters and how far they would go to make sure the other is happy.

It's a story filled with two kinds of love; the love of sisters and a romantic love between stranges found in the most usual way.

Amelia and Lexi are twins born 8 years apart by IVF. When Lexi has to run to her sister's side from an ocean away when Amelia has a medical emergency we quickly learn that she will do anything to help her sister. We meet Nick when Lexi uses him to help her sister with what she is going through. But Lexi unexpectedly begins to fall for him eventhough Amelia mistakingly believes that he is actually her husband.

It may sound like a confusing plot but it is a very well written story with a unique concept. I enjoyed it very much even though I read the last few chapters with tears in my eyes. Dani Atkins amazingly brought these characters to life and I was not ready to say goodbye when the story ended. I look forward to reading many more of her books in the future.

I am extremely grateful to Aria & Aries Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this uniquely emotional book. I have written this honest review in my own words without any outside influences prompting me to do so.

I have just cried the biggest tears. Sobbed my way through the end of this book.

Dani has a writing ability that totally makes it feel as if you’re there with the characters in her stories.

I 100% felt all the emotions of the characters in this book. It was like I was one of them.

Can’t write more at the moment, need to gather my thoughts better

I absolutely recommend this and all of Dani’s books
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this title

Despite my adoration for Dani Atkins' previous works, their latest release fell short of expectations. The story felt too far-fetched, and the incredibly sad ending left me disheartened. While I wanted to love it, I couldn't connect with the narrative. Disappointing compared to their earlier brilliance.

Wow, another fantastic read from Dani. A book that explores what it's like to be sisters but also to be twins!!! This book will have you thinking about what you would or wouldn't do for love from your sibling!

Another great read from Dani. This book explores what it is to be a twin and sisters. What wouldn't you do for the person you love and the sister you love the most too? Dani explores personal sacrifice, twinness and love at first sight. This book will make you think!

I normally love Dani Atkins' books, she has the ability to draw me into the story and make me fall in love with the characters in a way few other authors can achieve. Whilst this was still a decent story, I just found some elements a little too much to buy into. I don't think doctors would have been so blasé about the state of a patient's mental health if they had developed a whole host of false memories. I'm fairly certain they wouldn't have encouraged the family to keep the lie going for more than a day or two.

The romance was just a little lacking and I ended up skimming a huge chunk of the book. I just felt no connection to Nick and therefore no buy-in to the developing relationship. I also couldn't quite grasp why Lexi was so set on returning to the USA when she was obviously so much happier being in the UK! Then there was that ending, which some might say was very open-ended. It left me feeling quite flat, and I read romances for the feel-good factor and as a quick "pick me up".

That said the characters are well rounded, Lexi's mum's romance with Tom was very sweet, the story flows well, the dialogue is good and it didn't feel too cliched or trite. Despite this not being a big hit with me I will keep reading this author.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Amelia is rushed to hospital from a desolate beach just in time to save her live. Amelia’s sister Lexi is based in New York and rushes to be at her bedside. The accident has caused Amelia’s memories to become concerning for Lexi and her family, she is convinced that she is married to Sam and tells them if their perfect love story.

Meanwhile Lexi meets local vet Nick who is the double of Amelia’s made up husband Sam. She gets him to recreate Amelia and Sam’s love story to try and help Amelia to trigger her real memories.

However, Nick and Lexi start to fall for each other whilst recreating these memories but how can they continue without hurting Amelia?

🎧Audiobook Review🎧

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I'd like to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book.

📷Memories
👧🏻Sisters
💞Romance
😢Tear jerker

This was a beautiful story filled with a lot of emotion. I loved Lexi and Nick's romance and Tom's role in the family.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Once I got into this story - I really enjoyed it, however it did feel like I'd read something similar before, but it was very enjoyable and I found myself turning the pages faster and faster as the story progressed.

An enjoyable &, at times, emotional read.

Difficult to discuss without spoilers, the story revolves around Lexi & her sister Amelia who is suffering issues with her memory following an accident. I did find myself confused & questioning where the story was going a few times, but overall it sucked me in enough to have a lump in my throat on a few occasions.

Lexi meets a handsome stranger on the beach who looks exactly like her sister Amelia’s drawing of her imaginary husband. Recovering from an almost fatal incident in which her heart stopped, Amelia has woken up with an irregular heartbeat and believing she is married. Lexi convinces Nick to pose for some photographs with her following the events in the ‘memories’ Amelia has created. Nick initially thinks she is crazy but soon gets to know and understand Lexi’s reasoning. Lexi has no idea she will fall in love with this stranger.

Oh my goodness I can’t remember the last book I cried so much at! For the last 20 minutes or so I could hardly read through the tears!

What an extraordinary story. Unique. Tear jerking. Laugh out loud funny. It’s a beautiful love story, actually two love stories, amongst a third and very sad story. Lots of highs and lows and my emotions don’t know what has hit them.

A story of the love which binds two sisters. Twins. Born 8 years apart through IVF. With that other worldly twins connection. They will always protect each other.

Dani Atkins' "The Memory of Us" is a poignant and emotionally resonant novel that explores the power of love, loss, and the enduring bonds of friendship. Set against the backdrop of a picturesque English village, the story follows two childhood friends, Olivia and Cliff, whose lives are irrevocably changed by a tragic accident that shatters their world.

Atkins' writing is both lyrical and evocative, drawing readers into the lives of her characters with vivid descriptions and heartfelt prose. From the charming cobblestone streets of the village to the sprawling countryside, the author creates a sense of place that is both intimate and immersive, allowing readers to feel as though they are walking alongside Olivia and Cliff as they navigate the complexities of their lives.

The heart of the novel lies in the relationship between Olivia and Cliff, whose bond transcends time and circumstance. Atkins expertly captures the nuances of their friendship, from the carefree days of childhood to the bittersweet moments of adulthood, imbuing their story with a sense of nostalgia and longing that tugs at the heartstrings.

As the narrative unfolds, Atkins deftly weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives, slowly unraveling the secrets and betrayals that threaten to tear Olivia and Cliff apart. Through flashbacks and revelations, the author keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly turning pages to uncover the truth behind the tragedy that haunts them both.

What sets "The Memory of Us" apart is its exploration of themes of forgiveness, redemption, and the power of second chances. Atkins delves deep into the emotional lives of her characters, portraying their struggles with empathy and sensitivity, and reminding readers that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.

While the plot may follow familiar tropes of love and loss, Atkins infuses the story with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the very end. From unexpected betrayals to shocking revelations, the novel is filled with moments of heartbreak and redemption that will leave readers breathless.

In conclusion, "The Memory of Us" is a captivating and emotionally resonant novel that will stay with readers long after they've turned the final page. Dani Atkins' exquisite prose, richly drawn characters, and compelling storytelling make this novel a must-read for anyone seeking a heartfelt tale of love, friendship, and the enduring power of memory.

2.75

This wasn’t a bad read it was just very similar to many of this authors other books. Accidents, memory loss and heartbreak seem to be this authors go to themes and she does do them well however having read all of her books the repetitive themes are becoming a little bit tiresome.

The concept of this story started off well enough, sister as accident and ends up in hospital, other sister flies over from America to be with her. However once the sister started to imagine a husband things just started to go down hill. I also found the fact that the other sister kept the lie going and recreated all of the photographs a little not weird and ridiculous. It’s a well written book with some good characters however for me personally the whole things was a not far fetched and disturbing.

Amazing book!
I was thoroughly engaged throughout this book and I didn't want to put it down! The author captured my attention from the get go! Five stars from me :)