YOU WILL REMEMBER ME
HANNAH MARY MCKINNON
Harlequin Mira have excitingly asked me to participate in the OFFICIAL BLOG TOUR for You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon this month! I'll let you know all about the book and the author and then dive in with my review.
THE BOOK
He wakes up on a deserted beach in Maryland, wearing only swim trunks and a gash on his head. He can’t remember who he is. Everything—his identity, his life, his loved ones—has been replaced by a dizzying fog of uncertainty. But returning to his Maine hometown in search of the truth raises more questions than answers.
Lily Reid thinks she knows her boyfriend, Jack. Until he goes missing one night, and her frantic search reveals that he’s been lying to her since they met, desperate to escape a dark past he’d purposely left behind.
Maya Scott has been trying to find her estranged stepbrother, Asher, since he disappeared without a trace. Having him back, missing memory and all, feels like a miracle. But with a mutual history full of devastating secrets, how far will Maya go to ensure she alone takes them to the grave?
THE AUTHOR
Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing, and is now the author of The Neighbors, Her Secret Son, and Sister Dear. She lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons, and is delighted by her twenty-second commute.
Twitter: @HannahMMcKinnon
Instagram: @hannahmarymckinnon
MY REVIEW
****
I’ve read a few books recently that use fugue states and memory problems as a main plot device. It’s one of those convenient techniques that means the author doesn’t need to necessarily lie to the reader in order to give them a good twist. However, if not done well it can make for a very frustrating read. You Will Remember Me focuses on a man who wakes up with no memory and travels to his hometown to find out who he is. However, after learning a few home truths he realises perhaps he was right to forget himself and make a new start.
Throughout the book I was thinking I would give You Will Remember Me three stars; it’s a solid read with engaging writing and the plot is quite interesting. I liked the change in perspective between Lily, Maya and the mystery man, however my main criticism was just how predictable the book is. By 30% I had already worked out the ‘bad guy’ in the story and nothing changed my mind or made me doubt this throughout. The plot has a severe lack of red herrings to push blame on anyone else – there aren’t many fleshed out characters to start with and the only antagonistic one is related to one of the girls that went missing and so unlikely to be the perpetrator. There’s also a flashback from one character’s point of view very early on which gives too much away in spelling out their motivations. To keep readers engaged I really feel like an addition of a red herring in a character that was fully fleshed out would have made all the difference and convinced me this was a 4 star read from the outset.
However, you may have noticed that I have given this 4 stars despite thinking throughout reading it that it wasn’t worth more than 3. The reason for this is the ending of the book which, without giving any spoilers is brilliant. There’s a great twist and a lot of things I didn’t not see coming and it also ends on a great cliff-hanger (but not one requiring a sequel if that makes sense!) Major props to the author for this and it certainly bumped my review up a star rating for it!
Overall, You Will Remember Me is a predictable read but the ending certainly makes up for it! Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin – Mira for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
LINKS TO BUY
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