Book Review / Memories of the Lost by Barbara O'Neal

 

An unsuspecting artist uncovers her late mother’s secrets and unravels her own hidden past in a beguiling novel by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

Months after her mother passes away, artist Tillie Morrisey sees a painting in a gallery that leaves her inexplicably lightheaded and unsteady. When a handsome stranger comes to her aid, their connection is so immediate it seems fated, though Liam is only visiting for a few days.

Working on her own art has always been a refuge, but after discovering a document among her mother’s belongings that suggests Tillie’s life has been a lie, she begins to suffer from a series of fugue states, with memories surfacing that she isn’t even sure are her own. As her confusion and grief mount, and prompted by a lead on the painting that started it all, Tillie heads to a seaside village in England. There, she hopes to discover the source of her uncanny inspirations, sort out her feelings about Liam, and unravel truths that her mother kept hidden for decades.

The fluidity of memory, empowering strength of character, beauty of nature, and love of family braid together in this artful tapestry of a novel.

Publication Date:  30th July 2024

Publisher:  Lake Union Publishing

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Netgalley Review Copy 

Genres:     Fiction, Contemporary

Pages:  279 Pages, Ebook

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  I had to read this novel in one sitting.  I could not put it down.  An excellent start with introducing all of the characters both in the US and in England and the twists in this story truly surprised me both in following Tillie as she discovers a secret that had long been buried and the way the story ended in the last few chapters.  I loved every part of this novel.

What I didn't love about this story...  This is more than likely something that I have missed in the story but there's something that is mentioned at the beginning about discovering something buried but I don't remember hearing the outcome of that.  It may be that there was no outcome and nothing further mentioned apart from the discovery but I think I missed the part where we found out what happened.  I may have to re-read this at some point to figure out what I missed...

Would I recommend... Most definately!  If you are a fan of Kate Morton and Lulu Taylor do pick this up and give it a go.  Although this does not have a split story between past and present, it does have a split story between characters that I would highly recommend.  I will absolutely be picking up more books by this author.