This was my third book by Jamie Beck, and my favorite thus far. She deals with difficult subjects in her novels. This book still dealt with some heavy subjects (assault, divorce, betrayal), but I think Beck managed to make it a little lighter by injecting more playfulness between the characters and by having the little girl play such an integral part of the story.
Emotions played a major part in the story. Steffi and Ryan were an item in high school, but when Steffi went off to college she broke things off with him in a very uncaring way. Now they are both back in the same town again and being thrown together. Ryan has a soon-to-be ex-wife, new full time care of his daughter plus all the hurt from his past with Steffi. As if his being screwed up isn't enough, Steffi is trying to deal with having been attacked by two men. As they come together again each tries to help the other, but their "interference" just might drive a wedge between them again.
I'm already anxious for the next book in the series. I received a copy via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

This book is so different from other books I have read by this author. It is thought provoking, emotional, and tastefully deals with an assault. One that is so bad the victim has suppressed memories of it. It was so interesting to see Stephanie Lockwood experience triggers and lapses of memories when she and her ex boyfriend, Ryan rekindle their friendship ten years after she broke up with him. Ryan is now going through a divorce and has custody of his daughter, Emmy.
This was a great story where the victim does not have to be the victim for her whole life. I cannot wait to read the next book in the Sanctuary Sound series. I also enjoyed the contrast of Stephanie's job because typically one thinks of males doing construction and then there is little Emmy dressed in curls and frilly dresses suddenly wanting to get her hands dirty. I received an advance copy of this book but I also bought a copy of it too.

Jamie Beck opens her new Sanctuary Sound series with a bang! Steffie Lockwood is a builder with a fledgling business. The opportunity to work in the home of her high school sweetheart sounds like a trap set by his mother, but becomes a chance to repair her friendship with Ryan Quinn.

This is a second chance love story with a balanced dose of drama. While Steffie's two best friends are split because of a betrayal, Steffie deals with random blackouts she believes are related to her recent attack. The Quinns aren't the kind of family to admit any weakness so Steffie's stubbornness is ingrained. Ryan is concerned for her safety and the safety of his daughter when they start spending more time together. Ryan's life took a different course when Steffie broke his heart: unexpected pregnancy and marriage, moving back in with his parents, and ultimately divorce. It takes everything in him to restrain his anger with Steffie, but her tenacity causes him to give her another chance and leave the past behind.

I love that this story has layers. Steffie and Ryan have to learn forgiveness and trust, among other things, in order to leave the past behind and create the future they always wanted. Jamie Beck effortlessly gets readers emotionally invested in this story and wrapped up in the dreams of the characters. If you've already read and loved any of Jamie Beck's previous series, then you'll confidently find The Memory of You your next favorite read. I'm definitely ready to dive into another Sanctuary Sound novel!
*ARC provided in consideration for review*

Great start to a new series.
It's a sweet story but also one that is filled with drama and darkness.
Steffi and Ryan's story is one of second chance romance

In this funny and heartwarming second-chance romance, a father-daughter duo steal the show. Ryan is a single dad going through a divorce, and the way he tackles his diva of a daughter, his meddling mother, his first love who'd broken his heart a decade ago, and his soon-to-be ex-wife simply kept me turning the pages until I was done. Can't help admire a man who can juggle these many females with aplomb.

WOW!!! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED The Memory of You by the talented Jamie Beck, book one in her new Sanctuary Sound series. This second chance at a first love story takes a look at the struggles a person surviving a brutal attack at gun point endures. Ms. Beck tackled a difficult topic with sensitivity and this incredible story tugged at my heartstrings and emotions and is one of my top reads this year. Steffi and Ryan discovered way more about themselves as they reconnected after a decade and tried to rekindle the love they never loss for each other. I loved the parts Ryan’s daughter and mother played in this love story. Steffi and Ryan might have found love again, but after all that Steffi endured, they needed to approach it in a manner that would keep Steffi safe, secure, yet loved and wanted.

This wonderful and amazing story was an emotional, and moving story filled with sexual chemistry, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters that is not to be missed. I totally loved these characters and didn’t want to put this book down. I highly recommend this book to other readers and look forward to Ms. Beck’s next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

The Memory of You was a sweet second chance story with a lot of emotional ups and downs. Steffi was a strong, independent heroine that you couldn't help but root for. From the very beginning, I really wanted to see her overcome her past demons and get her HEA. Ryan, although hardened and bitter, slowly let his walls against Steffi that he build up over a decade ago, come crumbling down. You wanted these two to end up together, no matter what it took!

This read dealt with a lot of triggers and dark situations. This included some heavy topics that pushed characters to dig deep and question everything.

I rated this read a 4/5 stars because I enjoyed the overall story line, the author's writing style and the depth and detail they put into each character. I felt the story was a little slow in parts and felt rushed at the end, but overall was a satisfying romance read. I can't wait to see what book two in the series has to offer!

Loved this book. At the core it is a wonderful second chance romance as Steffi and Ryan are reunited after ten years, Ryan's failed marriage and his precocious little girl. The story is so much more though. Ryan is finding his way as a single dad as he works his way through a rough divorce. Steffi is happy for the second chance she has been given withe Ryan but it's clear things aren't as wonderful for her as she tries to portray. Whatever her issues Steffi needs to face and deal with them before her life will ever be normal again.

These characters as well as several secondary characters are well developed and they feel like people you know. The book has a nice flow and is very well written. I can't wait to get more in this new series. I highly recommend this one.

This is a first for me by this author.

Stefanie Lockwood can repair anything, except her heart—that’s still recovering.

Steffi Lockwood has survived more than most. Now left with puzzling memory lapses following an assault, she returns to her coastal Connecticut hometown to rebuild her life the best way she knows how: with her hands. But starting a remodeling business with one longtime friend puts her in the middle of a rift with another. Worse, being hired by her ex-boyfriend’s mother forces her to confront old regrets.

Public defender Ryan Quinn wasn’t shocked when his wife left him, but he was floored when she abandoned their daughter. With his finances up in the air, the newly single dad returns to his childhood home in Sanctuary Sound. The last person he expects, or wants, to see working on his family house is Steffi Lockwood—his first love who shattered his heart.

Although Steffi and Ryan are different people now, dormant feelings rekindle. But when Ryan’s concern for Steffi’s mental health prompts him to dig into her past for answers, will what he learns bring them together or tear them apart for good?

A well written story about a sensitive, traumatic subject; regret, understanding, struggle, pain, trauma, strength, resilience, friendship, family, healing and a second-chance at love.

I look forward to more from this author.

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

Will be posted soon at Romance Reviews Today: http://romrevtoday.com/

THE MEMORY OF YOU – Jamie Beck
A Sanctuary Sound Novel, Book 1
Montlake Romance
ISBN: 9781503903418
November 2018
Contemporary Romance



Sanctuary Sound, Connecticut – Present Day


After a vicious mugging left Steffi Lockwood recovering from injuries, she returns to her childhood home on the Connecticut coast to start over. She and her best friend, Claire, have started a home remodeling business and need just about any job that they can get. Despite Steffi’s misgivings, she arrives at the home of her ex high school sweetheart’s parents for a job bid. To her surprise, her ex, Ryan Quinn is also there. He’s recently separated from his wife and has moved home with his little girl for financial reasons. Meeting Ryan again isn’t a pleasant reunion because of how their relationship ended, but Steffi does agree to take the remodeling job. Will this give her a chance to repair her relationship with Ryan? But Steffi still fears closeness as a result of her mugging.


Now a public defender, Ryan is also starting over in his childhood hometown. Seeing Steffi again brings back bad memories of her literally abandoning their relationship. After initially rebuffing her, his anger towards her goes down and a truce is called. But the more they’re around each other, the greater the chance that their feelings for each other will be revived. However, Ryan has to be careful because he has a daughter to consider and he fears that Steffi will once again break things off between them. Then there are the unexplained blackouts that Steffi is experiencing…


In THE MEMORY OF YOU by Jamie Back, it is best to come right out and tell readers what is going on with Steffi. During the mugging, she blacked out and doesn’t remember much of what happened. During the course of this story, readers sense her blackouts and “brain freezes” are because of something else that happened and would be right. Steffi doesn’t remember that she was apparently raped and her mind has blocked that out of her mind. I only mention this because for some readers this might be a painful subject and the author is upfront about the matter in her preface. But THE MEMORY OF YOU is more than just about the sexual assault aftermath. It’s finding love again with the one you never forgot.

Ryan and Steffi once thought they’d be together forever but after she started to feel “smothered” by his requests for her to live near him rather than let her spend time abroad, she “ghosted” him. Ghosting is the practice of ending a relationship suddenly and without explanation. For this reason, they never discussed her feelings, nor attempted to resolve them. It has, however, left hard feelings between them. Ryan is still angry at her and she slowly tries to explain to him the reasons why she did what she did. Lack of trust is huge.


Add in Ryan’s little girl, who wants her parents to reunite, and readers will see that they’ll have a hard time to make things work out. THE MEMORY OF YOU is a tough emotional read but one that I highly recommend. The relationship between Ryan and Steffi slowly rebuilds, even as he juggles raising his daughter and dealing with a demanding ex-wife. When he learns that Steffi might have been raped, their confrontation is emotionally charged. Does he do the right thing? Grab a hanky and hold on tight. Be sure to check out THE MEMORY OF YOU at Amazon for romance with an edge.


Patti Fischer

What a wonderful first story in a brand new series by Jamie Beck. Steffi and Ryan, former highschool sweethearts find themselves placed in each other's paths again courtesy of Ryan's mother back in Sanctuary Sound. Steffi is trying to get her remodeling business off the ground and Ryan is trying to get his life back on solid ground. Ryan is in the process of a divorce and he and his daughter Emmy have temporarily moved into his mother's house. His mother has hired Steffi to remodel a room in her house.
For them to have a second chance at love and a life together, they first need to deal with the fact that Ryan feels betrayed that Steffi blindsided him when she left him all those years ago. So she needs to help him to understand why she left and hope that he can find a way to trust her again. They also need to deal with his soon to be ex wife and all the joys that come along with her and all she is and isn't to his daughter. Steffi is also just a few months post a traumatic event that has left her with memory lapses and periods of "zoning out" as she calls it but they become scarier and her friend Claire and Ryan beg her to get help. Needless to say there is a lot going on in this story but it all works together nicely as these two people who are clearly meant for each other find their way through the struggles and pain towards their happily ever after.

Life is never how we anticipate and Steffi has found that our more then most. She has been thru more heart ache and trama then most. She is now torn in a struggle between her two best friends.

In addition to dealing with her two best friends and handling whats going on in their lives, she also has been hired by her ex boyfriends mother for a job. Bringing Ryan back into his life after his divorce.

Second chance romance with a LOT of drama in the backstory. Steffi and Ryan were a couple in high school but then things went wonky and she essentially ghosted him. Ryan's wife has left him for another man- and left their daughter Emmy as well (there's much drama around this too). Now Steffi is building a space for the two of them but she's also dealing with a TBI, which Ryan mistakes for something else. It's well written and a quick read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is the first book I've read from this author and I was sold! I enjoyed the development of Steffi's and Ryan's second-chance romance, along with the constant jabs from Ryan's daughter Emmy and ex-wife Val. Steffi's PTSD was a major point in the story, and, although it was traumatic, I would have enjoyed to see some form of resolution in the end. Once she acknowledged she needed therapy, I felt like the story abruptly ended and we were left with a happily ever after. Overall, the story was a good read with the diverse characters integrated into the storyline. If you want a book that'll make you believe that second chances can be worthwhile, I'd recommend this for you!

I can't wait for the rest of the series! I'd love to see more of Benny and the trio (Steffi, Claire, & Peyton).

3.5 Stars rounded Up

I’m a newbie to Jamie Beck’s writing so I jumped into the story without any expectation whatsoever. All I based things on was the blurb - the second chance tale it promised and it didn’t disappoint!

This book is the first installment of a new series (which taken in the town’s name) that revolved around a circle of friends who‘d grown up there, including Stefanie Lockwood. “The Memory of You” told her life after she went back to Sanctuary Sound following a brutal assault in the city; and built construction business with her best friend. One of their first contract happened to be the Quinns, parents to her ex boyfriend, the situation that put Steffi to confront old regret over the way she ended things with Ryan.

I’m a pretty suggestive reader and boy was it hard not to take umbrage over young Steffi’s conduct. Her adult self was genuinely remorseful over what she had done though, and willing to do anything to make amends without being a doormat about it. She was also pretty realistic, instead of dreaming to rekindle her relationship with Ryan the moment they met again. These facts raised her points in my opinion. Not to mention how she survived the assault and dealing with the after-effect, all in all making this book so heartbreaking yet relatable to anybody IRL.

Beyond Steffi’s problems, the book also delved into the issue of broken family and its effect to everyone involved. This was not only applied to Ryan and his wife, but also Steffi’s own family. I got to hand it to the author and her weaving through the plot, playing with the readers’ (our) hearts; I was torn between annoyance and sympathy to poor Emmy, pissed at Val while pitied her at the same time, I understood Ryan’s wariness but soon raged at his holier-than-thou attitude, and so on and so forth. It was quite a complex situation all around that I couldn’t help to fell for them, even when I didn’t particularly like some of the characters.

The even-paced flow of the story combined with alternate POVs between Ryan and Steffi was blend into believable chronicles, where there was shades of gray marring the black and white of life. Everything was a mess and nothing was irrevocable. You could almost connect the dots when clues hovered between the lines, the menacing question of what to do about Steffi’s lapses, I was surprised nobody (in the book) realized it sooner!! In a roundabout way, what Ryan did with that knowledge warmed me up more to him. With the tough decision that could jeopardize the budding romance rekindled between Steffi and him, that he didn’t pick the easy way out was both jarring and relieving.

So yeah, what an introduction to Jamie Beck’s writings this was. A complex, multifaceted chronicles of life that somehow affecting on another. I could disregard a couple of stereotypicalities in favor of the simply unembellished issues the characters dealt with. Without a doubt, I’m looking forward to the following books of “Sanctuary Sound” that - from what I glimpse here - would be no less troubling and filled with clashes between “former friends.” Can’t wait!!


Advanced copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Memory of You is a sweet love story about two people who are reunited again, and who are struggling to work through the bitter feelings of the past while getting to know each other yet again. The characters are so down to earth and relatable, and the relationships between family and friends is spot on. I love books with a focus on families, psychology, and relationships, so this novel was a perfect fit for me. It was an easy read and one that leaves you feeling refreshed and happy. I definitely want to read the next book in the series!

2.5 stars

Being a big fan of Jamie Beck's previous books, I was so looking forward to this story. The cover is great, and the story line sounded intriguing, but sadly, this one was really frustrating for me from start to finish to the point where I almost quit reading it multiple times. That's something I can honestly say I've never done with a Jamie Beck book - even the one book of hers that I didn't like at all kept me interested in it enough to finish it. The pacing of this story was really problematic for me. Unfortunately, while Steffi's memory gaps and her recovery could have been the focal point of the story and would have been really interesting to read about, we got more details about her friends and their problems and her remodeling work than any of that.

It was also unintentionally hilarious that this book was full of upper class white people who were preaching their rich people's version of inclusion and social justice. Real, actual inclusion would have been amazing and there were so many chances for that to happen – perhaps in the form of Ryan's sister who is mentioned as a “look at how progressive and accepting mom is!” plot device but who never actually appears in the book beyond that one quick mention, or by even just one person of color being included in among the group of friends - but neither of those things happened. We're told that they're a really politically correct group who believe in feminism and inclusion and hate the NRA, but this book is all talk and absolutely no follow through. The social commentary in this one makes me leery of reading the next book in this series because although I really want to read about Claire, knowing how her wounds occurred, the chances of Claire's book not being full of Ms. Beck's opinions on gun control are really slim. I avoid social media and read books to escape all versions of political commentary, so Claire's book probably will be a skip for me. I will, however, seek out Peyton's book because that feels like a much safer topic.

But the line that made me want to stop reading this book immediately upon reading was when Ryan kissed his young daughter as she slept and thought to himself how glad he was that he didn't have to worry about her being the victim of a sexual assault because she was so young. As someone who worked for a decade with children under the age of 5 who were victims of sexual assault, the absolute lack of real world awareness in that line totally floored me. Especially since Ryan is someone who works in the public defenders office where most of the people who are accused of sex crimes against children have to find their lawyers. How could anyone who lives in this day and age possibly be that utterly clueless?

Because Jamie Beck is an undeniably talented author, there were some really great parts in this story. I very much appreciated that Ms. Beck did not write about Steffi's assault in graphic detail. So often in this genre sexual assaults are portrayed in an unnecessarily graphic way, but Ms. Beck did not do that and handled the topic with class and dignity. There is no need for a trigger warning on this book and as a reader that was a huge relief. I also really liked Steffi's relationship with Emmy and how that developed organically and honestly. Those moments with Emmy were when Steffi was at her best. Emmy herself was also a huge bright spot in a book that read very slow - whenever she was on screen, she made me smile. Slight spoiler to end of paragraph: I also appreciated how the entire “divorce/Val” situation ended up – so rarely are there compromises in these situations and for Emmy's sake I'm glad that the adults grew up and got their "stuff" together.

I will not be reviewing this book on Amazon or Bookbub out of respect for the author.

I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

I have read everything that Jamie Beck has written and was eager to get to know the characters in her new series- Sanctuary Sound. This book is longer than most of her books, but it is worth it! I struggled when I first opened this book to review the Author’s notes since she warned of the difficult topic that the book includes but as I read on, I feel that Mrs Beck did a wonderful job dealing with this subject.

I really enjoyed reading Ryan and Steffi’s story and I caught myself reading the excerpt from the next book just so I wouldn’t have to say goodbye to the characters. I am eager to read the rest of the series.

Whenever I pick up a book by Ms. Beck I know it will be thought provoking, and one that I will remember for a very long time. This one reiterates that thought.
The Memory of You begins the author’s new series about a group of childhood friends whose lives we will have a chance to glimpse.
This one centers around Steffi Lockwood and Ryan Quinn. HS and college sweethearts. Ryan’s heart was broken when Steffi left him without any apparent reason . Fast forward ten years. Both are back in their hometown. Ryan and his daughter are living with his parents while he is in the midst of a divorce, and Steffi is back home after being assaulted after leaving a bar . Hurts are still there , but so is their attraction. Will they be able to solve their issues, trust each other and find happiness?
In addition to presenting the complexities of relationships, the author deals with the effects of assaults , cancer, as well as the after effects of surviving a shooting rampage.
Definitely a book worth your time.
I was entrusted this copy by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

I was unsure going into it how it would affect me based on subject matter. While there were some moments I had to take a break it was researched and written well. Steffi suffered a severely traumatic event that deeply affected her. Ryan suffered his own heartache and torment. Together these two were able to help one another rebuild their lives and find solace in beginning to overcome their trauma. This was a story I enjoyed reading and would certainly recommend to others.