Reviewed by Lynn on
Ava is a woman in an unenviable situation. The man she loves needs a lifesaving operation which will erase his memory. She's promised to keep the other devastating news they found out before Will's operation a secret. After his successful surgery, they begin to re-build their relationship, but the burden of keeping the secret could tear them apart.
Will is a musician, a successful one, not that he remembers that part of his life post-op. When he's re-introduced to Toby, his American song-writing collaborator, music is something he remembers playing and creating. It's a connect to his past which makes sense however, he's unaware of how successful his musical career was or of the burden he placed on Ava.
Ava and Will's story is both heartfelt and heartbreaking. They're both dealing with unknown emotions; Will can't remember the woman he loved and Ava's hoping the man she loves will fall in love with her again. Their emotional journey's complemented by secondary characters as the protagonists try to make sense of the situation they are in. The extras highlight events from the past, bringing issues to the surface which should have remained buried. It's a thought-provoking scenario for both the protagonists and the reader. What would you do in a similar situation?
The originality of the narrative is noteworthy but missed a beat or two for me. I fell out of the plot intermittently, in contrast, was fully amerced within this roller-coaster of a ride story for the rest. For me, it's the timing of when the secret is revealed… I won't spoil anything by saying more.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel but not as much as I'd hoped. Ms Green is a new to me author and won't hesitate to pick up and read other books she's written.
3.5 stars
***arc generously received courtesy of Boldwood Books via NetGalley***l
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 4 July, 2020: Finished reading
- 4 July, 2020: Reviewed