I’ve just finished The Memory Keeper by Abigail Johnson, and it completely drew me in from the first few chapters. This was my first book by Abigail Johnson, and it definitely won’t be my last.

The story had me totally hooked — I found myself thinking about the characters even when I wasn’t reading. Abigail writes with such warmth and sensitivity, creating a world that feels real and emotionally layered without ever feeling heavy.

What I especially loved was the strong sense of community. The friendships felt genuine and supportive, and the way people showed up for one another added so much heart to the story.

A beautifully written and engaging read. I’m already looking forward to picking up another of Abigail's books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Memory Keeper was such a lovely, heartfelt read. The story follows Gracie, who is such a real and relatable character that it’s impossible not to root for her. I found myself completely invested in her journey and even stayed up late reading because I didn’t want to put it down.
One of the highlights of the book for me was the relationship between Gracie, her neighbour Liv, and Liv’s young daughter Tilly. Tilly brings so much warmth and energy to the story, and the bond that grows between them adds a lot of charm and heart to the book.
At its core, this is a gentle story about family, community, and finding the courage to make changes in your life, even when it feels long overdue. It’s emotional in places but also uplifting, and the characters and relationships really make it shine.
A comforting and touching read that I’d definitely recommend.

Absolutely loved this book. I've never read one of Abigails books before and I couldn't put it down. Will be looking to see what else she has out. This book was definitely a feel good book, it made think your never to old to start again. The community feel to it was a lovely part to show how much people were brought together

Loved it . You have a beautiful oak tree, a middle aged dinner lady who had been dealt a rough hand . It leads to a great story, family secrets coming out. You have a cute little girl called Tilly who plays a big part in the story . I read it in a night . Could not put it down. Some sad parts but you will love it .

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an arc of this uplifting novel. 'The Memory Keeper' is a book about love,friendship and community with 50 year old Gracie at the heart of it. Gracie's story pulls you in from the very first page and I thoroughly enjoyed every part of her journey. A beautifully written book,well told and well worth reading. Happy to recommend.

This was such a sweet book. 50 year old Gracie has put others first her entire life. She makes a stand to save the Oak tree her dad planted and is going to be chopped down by a new housing development.

She strikes up an unlikely friendship with 5 year old neighbour Tilly and discovers confidence to make changes in her life.

A lovely read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to review.

I hadn’t heard of this author before so was not sure what to expect. The good news is that I loved reading The Memory Keeper. Her style of writing was great, the characters were interesting and engaging and the pace of the novel was just right. The story is on the face of it about saving a tree, but it’s also about relationships and of course memories.
I thoroughly recommend this book, it’s a great read.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The Memory Keeper is a lighthearted book about Gracie, a woman who wants to save an oak tree planted by her dad. As she starts a campaign to save the tree, she realises that her marriage, he relationship with her dad and mum are not what she thought. Gracie develops a caring relationship with 5 year old Tilly and her mum, who we also read about. A story of courage, community and hope. I enjoyed this book.

A heartwarming read. I loved the growing friendship between Gracie, Liv and Tilly. Some would say Gracie was having a midlife crisis, but she was actually rediscovering who she really was- Go Gracie

Oh gosh. This book made my cry . It's an emotional read but very well written and you feel like you know the characters like real friends by the time you have finished.
Get tissues ready

This is my first book by this author and won’t be my last. This was a beautiful uplifting heartfelt read that covered a lot of themes such as grief and relationships but did so in a very sensitive way.

This was a lovely story of second chances and friendships and community with relatable characters and a storyline that pulls the reader in. I read this in practically one sitting.

Looking forward to reading more from this author.

4,5 stars

I absolutely loved Abigail's previous book, The Secret Collector, and have been keeping an eye out for her next one and this just sounded lovely.

It reminded me of Matt Coyne's Frank and Red a bit, with the friendship between an older character (although she's only 50 in this) and a child. I love the dynamic. I do think that the character of Gracie is written a bit old. She is only 50 and yet at times she's written as if she's an OAP.

Gracie is a wonderful woman in every way and I loved her. Her husband Max is horrendous. And Tilly is a whirlwind of energy and passion.

This made me so mad at times. Not at the book as such, but because of Max's behaviour and then how that made Gracie behave really annoyed me and I just wanted to give them both a shake.

It's an entertained book but doesn't scrimp on the difficult topics. But it's balanced well. It's quick and easy to read, and I read it in a few hours.

Is it a bit repetitive at times? Possibly. Did that matter? Not really. I still very much enjoyed it.

I think I preferred The Secret Collector a bit more, it had more meat on its bones than this one. That's not to say I didn't like this because I really did love it. It's uplifting and joyful, sad and tense, powerful and thought-provoking, and just a really enjoyable story. Just two books in and Abigail has already become a go-to author for me for uplifting but powerful stories.

This was such a wonderful read, A very touching story Gracie was a great character tenacious and lovely with it. t goes o show how many people are attached to their surroundings and only highlighted when things are about to change, or trees are removed. I loved it.