The Book:
You Will Remember Me by Hannah Mary McKinnon
Published May 25th 2021 by MIRA Books
Date read: May 20, 2021
The Characters:
Lily
Jack
Asher
Maya
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (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 Everything–his identity, his life, his loved ones–has been replaced by a dizzying fog of uncertainty.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?
The Twist:
Maya was the crazy one that made all the bad things happen, as mentioned in the blurb. I was a little disappointed that there was no real twist. She was in love with Asher since they were teens, and basically got rid of any girls he was interested in. Celine died by accident in a scuffle at their house–Ash was there, but Maya convinced him to help her cover it up. Maya pushed Kate off the bluffs when she cheated on Ash and he was considering forgiving her.
Asher had left to get away from Maya and changed his name to Jack so she wouldn’t find him.
The Ending:
Maya killed Lily, locked Asher in her soundproofed basement, and made it seem like they had run off together.
The Review:
You Will Remember Me was fast-paced and entertaining. I can definitely see why Hannah Mary McKinnon is so popular! I finished the audio in just a day.
The audio added to the mystery of the book: I loved the three different narrators, and couldn’t wait to find out which one was unreliable. I liked that Man on the Beach wasn’t given a name so we didn’t necessarily know who he was, and I appreciated that the voices of Maya and Lily were different narrators so that we could easily tell them apart. I would definitely recommend listening to the audio of this book.
I didn’t find any of the characters to be likable, but I don’t think it’s necessary to connect with the characters in a thriller. You never know who the unreliable narrator is going to be! The relationship between Maya and Ash was definitely icky, so I liked Maya the least. Everyone was hiding something, and I couldn’t wait to see how all of their secrets would play out!
This book was a little too predictable at times, but the twisted ending made up for everything I saw coming a mile away. I enjoyed the unpredictable conclusion. Maybe I’ve just read too many amnesia books at this point!
I haven’t read anything else by this author yet, but I can’t wait to add her backlist to my TBR.
Thank you to Let’s Talk Books Promo, Mira Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy as well as to HarperAudio for an advanced listener’s copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you for sharing about this book. I’d like to read it now. I’m glad I found your blog.
http://www.rsrue.blogspot.com