REVIEW
It is no secret that I love Irish fiction so when I had an opportunity to review Memories of You by Brooke Harris, well, I could not resist. And I am so glad I read it as this contemporary story is well composed and tugs at the heart strings. There is sadness and loss from a tragedy but splashes of hope and light spring from those dark corners of despair. There are surprises, new starts and small victories. One step at a time.
Tabitha Greenwood is a pastry chef who shares ownership of a Dublin bistro with her fiancé. But everything in her world is not right. Unhappiness moves her to make a comment at what seems to be the wrong moment, for afterwards, she finds herself waking up in a hospital bed. When she asks about Mark, her fiancé, she gets the worst news possible. He was driving the car and she was in the passenger seat. They were on their way to an event when a vehicle runs into them. Shocked and grieving, she begins to blame herself as she remembers her last words to him, and the anger it fuelled. How can she continue to move forward with her life now in shambles?
She discovers that Catherine, her very controlling mother-in-law to be, has been left the prevailing share of the bistro by her son. This puts Tabby in an awkward position. She must not only deal with Mark’s mother’s grief and blame but the extra stress of running the business. Catherine begins to make drastic changes, too, with the menu and staff, including hiring a new chef they cannot afford. But Scott proves to be a good addition and business begins to boom, until Catherine decides to fire him over a misunderstanding. Through all this, Tabitha is struggling to hold it together, and then she finds a gift of Mark’s with an unexpected inscription. Although a painful revelation, this eases her conscience a little as the discovery proves she was not the only one in the relationship who was unhappy. Even though they had planned to be married, it obviously was not the right path to take.
Another thing about Tabby we learn, is that she likes to makes New Year’s resolutions but struggles to fulfil them. Sadly, her attempts and failures became a source of cruel jokes, between her late fiancé and his friends. But later her sister, Avery, tries to help her achieve a more realistic list. This starts Tabby on a new journey of growth, change and taking more control of her life. Her progress is admirable as she is a likeable character with a kind and patient heart. Too patient sometimes, as there were moments when I wanted her to speak up for herself. Too often she was mocked by her fiancé and his mother. To see her eventually become stronger through the challenges she faced made me cheer! I also love the fact she has a close relationship with her sister as this made me think about the importance of sibling support. These sisters are very different people but their care for each other is heart-warming. This may have been heightened by the loss of their parents at a young age. Of course, their relationship is not perfect. Like all family members, they have their battles and hurts but love and forgiveness are always bubbling under the surface.
There are other lovely characters in this story. Like Rashidi, Becca and, as mentioned before, Scott. Each one is relatable as we get to see them in various situations being human with their own flaws. As a result of this realness, it connects us to our emotions and makes us think about what is important in life.
Memories of You is about grief but how love can lift and heal a broken heart and set it in a new direction. This is also a story brimming with self-discovery and how if we keep trying, we will find a way back to the right road for us, with a little help from our family and friends. I recommend this beautifully uplifting novel that truly gave my heart quite a few squeezes. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for my review copy.
