I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book via Netgalley.
I have mixed feelings about this book: it was too slow till 60%, but then i quickly warm up with it.
I will give it 4 solid stars.
Firstly, i took this one because i liked the blurb: “the heroine dumped her bf”, it was refreshing, too many assholes heroes dumping their “true love”, blah-blah-blah...
I was curious why she did it? They didnt live together, they were away in different colleges... But she felt suffocating by him... I didnt understand this either... I mean, they didnt see each other on daily basis... Ok. She made a mistake, a huge one.
She was regretting this mistake for almost 10 years.
Then they had a 2 chance.
I will not write too much spoilers.
Only that he was a man divorcing his rebound wife, with child...
At 60% of book i starting to like it more and more. This is a story about forgiveness, about redemption, about two caring people.
The hero was such a good man, excellent father, caring son...
I like this author a lot. This book has a lot of triggers. But it was so worth to be patient and finish it.
No OP scenes, no cheating.

Ryan Quinn had his heart shattered by his high school sweetheart, Steffi Lockwood. He thought the gorgeous Val was the answer to his prayers. But returning to his parents house with his daughter, Emmy after his marriage to Val failed--Ryan realizes that Val wasn't the only person at fault for the failure of his marriage.



Steffi Lockwood is starting a new business with her best friend Claire. She doesn't have the option of being picky who her clients are--even Molly Quinn, who Steffi hasn't spoken to since she ghosted Molly's son in college. Steffi thought breaking up with Ryan was the right thing to do. She wanted to see the world without any hinderances. Ryan wanted to start a family and begin a new life together. Steffi ghosted him with the support of her women's soccer team. But ten years later, she questions whether she made the right decision even though Ryan seems happy with his wife and daughter. After Molly hires Steffi to convert the screened in porch to a fuctional family room. Steffi has to deal with Ryan and his daughter Emmy during the construction. Steffi wants closure with Ryan. Ryan hates her for what she did to him.

Ryan notices how sweet Steffi is to his daughter and how Emmy confides in Steffi. All of his old feelings resurface, but Steffi has a secret that even she doesn't entirely understand. She blanks out and freaks out. Steffi thinks its from the numerous concussions she suffered while playing soccer--the last concussion, a mugging in Hartford. But Ryan knows it's something more. Something that she blocked out and that could keep them apart.

Jamie Beck lays an amazing foundation to her new series Sanctuary Sound. From the start we know that Steffi has suffered a brutal attack and has residual problems with memory lapses. For me, I was glad this tid bit was made known beforehand as it lendt to the character of Steffi- someone you could easily not liked after she ghosted her longtime friend and boyfriend, Ryan, in college. Back in Sanctuary Sound, Steffi has a remodeling business with her friend Clare, and is remodeling Ryan's mom's house.

Ryan and his sweet little girl, Emmy, are back home in Sanctuary Sound after a messy break up with his wife who has fled with her boyrfiend and gave custody to Ryan. Ryan's ex came along as a rebound to Steffi in college and they ended up pregnant and tried to make a relationship. As the story goes on you will have emotions good and bad about this ex- but in the end- she sucks as a mom!

Ryan is so bitter with Steffi, and for good cause. She shattered his heart and now wants to be friends again. When his daughter is fascinated with Steffi's work on the home Ryan decides that thawing out a bit might be okay.

I love the title "The Memory of You" and found it to be very fitting. These two shared a magical childhood/teenage life together and had wonderful memories. Tearing one's heart out hasn't ridden Ryan of those memories and it's hard to forgive Steffi when he remembers how good it used to be. For Steffi, she saw her mother pass away at a young age without experiencing life outside of their hometown. When she has a chance in college to take of for a spectacular soccer trip, Ryan talks her out of it. Not realizing the damage this has done to Steffi, Ryan keeps up with a stronghold on Steffi all the while pushing her away.

Steffi made the bold and difficult move to break it off with Ryan; however, she used a coward way of doing so and has regretted not only the manner but doing it altogether.

Trying to get Ryan to warm up to the idea of being her friend again is hard, but when old emotions rear up on both sides they find themselves in a tangle. This is compounded when Steffi keeps experiencing zone outs and can become defensive or lost and not where she is. Problems arise from this and they must decide to charge ahead together or leave themselves just a fond memory.

Oh Jamie Beck, I had high hopes after you dialled down the angst in When You Knew but obviously the stress was too much and you've reverted to type in this latest novel.

Stefanie Lockwood ghosted her high school boyfriend Ryan Quinn after she realised he could persuade her to give up all her dreams of leaving Sanctuary Sound and exploring a life full of possibilities. Now, after a brutal attack leaves her with a recurring concussion problem she has returned to Sanctuary Sound to set up a construction and decorating business with one of her best friends. One of their first jobs is for Ryan's mother, she wants an extension to give further room for Ryan and his daughter who have returned home after his wife leaves him for another man.

There was just too much everything in this book. Steffi is having episodes triggered by day-to-day events, in which she has flashbacks to the attack, which she subsequently doesn't recall - although the reader is left in no doubt as to what the flashbacks mean. Her two best friends have fallen out after Claire's boyfriend left her for Peyton. Claire is lame after a school shooting incident. Peyton has cancer. Steffi's mother died of cancer when she was a child, her father looks as though he is on the verge of dementia. Ryan hates Steffi for ghosting him, he had revenge sex and ended up getting the girl pregnant while still in college. His wife has left him for a millionaire but still wants half the house AND alimony. Ryan's mother is scheming to get Ryan and Steffi back together. I also found the signalling for the other couples in the series was a bit heavy handed. My prediction is that Claire and Peyton's millionaire photographer brother are secretly in love with each other, ditto Peyton and Steffi's brother Ben.

I wanted less angst and more of Steffi's fledgling building business. I liked the interactions between Steffi and Ryan's daughter and think if there had been less angst flying around it would have been a more enjoyable book because those parts were fun, flirty and cute.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Ryan's mind is often times consumed with one thing, but then his woman's is filled with another, "apparently, she wasn’t thinking about *** at all. “Let’s eat up here. I don’t want Emmy indoors all day, for God’s sake.” I liked this book, I loved Ryan and his little girl.

It was a good read. At first reading g it I thought I was predictable but the author added a little twist to it that made it more interesting.