Title: You Will Remember Me
Author: Hannah Mary McKinnon
Publication: May 25, 2021
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 352
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
He wakes up on a deserted beach in Maryland with a gash on his head and wearing only swim trunks. 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 Everything–his identity, his life, his loved ones–has been replaced by a dizzying fog of uncertainty.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 uncovers 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?
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I had never heard of author Hannah Mary McKinnon, but the synopsis of her book instantly hooked me. I love a good amnesia story. This one did not disappoint, although there were parts of the story I do wish would have been slightly different.
To start, the story follows a few different characters. The main characters being Jack and Lily. They are in a relationship and then Jack goes for his usual nightly swim and then disappears. No one knows where has has gone. Lily is desperate to find him. In the meantime, Jack wakes up, but he doesn’t know who he is and finds himself crossing state lines, basically following his instincts until he winds up in a place where people know him. Enter Maya Scott, who I was instantly weary of because she’s a little crazy. Matter of fact, everyone in this small Maine town is kind of crazy it seems. And their stories do not add up.
Right off the story is jumping around, which at times confused me initially each time it happened. I have come to grow to love books that jump around because it slowly fills in the puzzle until you have that AHA moment where everything clicks into place. This story was definitely full of secrets to uncover. I love Lily. She is a strong, independent woman who hasn’t had the easiest life and has come to build herself back up from rock bottom. Jack seems like an interesting person, although you don’t really know much about him because he can’t remember much about himself. Maya is interesting and quirky. A bit creepy, if I do say so. Each of these main characters brought something to the story and made it more interesting.
I will say the first half of the book was a much slower read. Once I hit 50%-60% it definitely picked up then and had me flipping pages faster than I could finish the final sentence to find out what was happening. I guessed the ending at about the 80% mark, so I call that a win. I love when a story can keep me guessing that far in. My only other complaint was the ending. While I don’t have to have happily ever afters, I need to have reality. The ending to this story just seemed to be a step outside the realm of realism for me. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I don’t want to give it away, so I won’t say much more, but I was disappointed on how it ended. It wasn’t a wrap up. So unless there is a sequel coming, I’m disappointed. Unfortunately that does have an effect on overall rating.
With that being said, the story was interesting. I haven’t read one like it before, which gets harder and harder to find with the number of books I read. I loved the characters and how we learned more and more about them as the main plot line played out. It really added that realism to the characters. You felt like you know someone like them. They could be your friends.
So if you love mystery/thrillers, definitely check it out. Maybe you will love the ending! I hope you do. I enjoyed this book and it gave me the creeps, which I love. I will definitely check out more from Hannah Mary McKinnon in the future.
STAR RATING: 3/5
Pick up your copy of You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and check your local bookstore. Also make sure to add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished. You can check out more from author Hannah Mary McKinnon on her website HERE.
