![Thanks for the Memories](https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328019535m/2410506.jpg)
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I liked this book, but again, I didn't love it. It's that damn present tense thing. I just can't get into that style of writing. However, the story was interesting and I wanted to see what happened to the characters, and I really wanted them to get their happy ending! So in spite of my dislike of the writing style, I still cared about the story and the characters, and I felt emotional at the end when...but I won't give anything away!
The story alternates between the point of view of Joyce Conway and Justin Hitchcock, two strangers whose lives are linked together in a mysterious and magical way. After a terrible accident and the loss of her unborn baby, Joyce is trying to get her life back together. She ends her marriage, moves back in with her elderly father, and begins the difficult and painful process of healing.
Justin Hitchcock is an art historian and lecturer, divorced with one teenage daughter, and while delivering a guest lecture, he is persuaded, albeit reluctantly, to give blood. Although he isn't really keen on the idea, afterwards he is very pleased with himself!
Soon after Joyce leaves hospital, she meets Justin at a hairdressing salon. They both feel a connection. Joyce feels like she knows him, although she's never met him before. Then she begins to know and remember things she's never done. She becomes fluent in several languages, eats and drinks things she's never even liked before, and her music tastes change.
Joyce gradually discovers that Justin gave blood around the same time she was in hospital, and comes to the (correct) conclusion that the memories she's been experiencing are Justin's. With her father as a somewhat unwitting accomplice, and the help of her two best friends, she sets out to discover all she can about Justin, and to let him know that hers was the life he saved. In a revealing conversation with his daughter (while Joyce is posing as someone else), she finds out exactly what Justin jokingly wanted as his "rewards" for being a "hero", and she resolves to give him those things.
Things get pretty messy and complicated, and nothing quite goes according to plan. And even though Joyce goes to extreme lengths at times, you're really rooting for her. She and Justin are meant to be together after all!
There are some very funny bits, especially with Joyce's dad, and their relationship is very sweet. Justin's brother and his wife provide some comic relief, and Joyce's best friends are good value too. And in amongst the craziness and the humour, there are some really poignant moments.
Will Joyce and Justin get their happy ending? I'm not saying. I will say, though, that it is a very satisfying conclusion and the right one for the characters.
This is a Cecelia Ahern book, and she doesn't write bad books, so don't let my three star review put you off. I liked it. It's just that, as I've mentioned before, the present tense thing really, really bugs me, and it takes me longer to get into the rhythm of a book written in that style. Having said that, I've just added another Cecelia Ahern novel to my reading pile!
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