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rumpfie's review against another edition
3.0
This book was interesting and a decent read. I was a little let down by the ending but it wasn't awful, just felt very unfinished, especially after reading so much. It reminded me of the movie with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams.
mrsharrell117's review against another edition
3.0
Solid 3. Hoping to find more by this author. I believe she can do better. Book was interesting, but I felt the lowly humanity of it was a bit much & dragged the plot down too much with no REAL... finalization, I guess? It needed more oomph at the end.
bookofmirth's review against another edition
3.0
I finished this book purely for the story, to find out what it was that Lucie was hiding in her past. I was grabbed by the story immediately and wanted to find out what had happened to her, but ultimately this isn't the kind of book I will probably ever read again because I didn't get close to the characters.
I did find the different perspectives intriguing, especially the different ways that Grady and Lucie viewed each other's behaviors. They each took different meanings from them, sometimes they interpreted each other's behaviors in the complete opposite way of how they were intended, and darned if that isn't just the way relationships go sometimes...
Final judgement - definitely a lighter, entertaining summer read.
I did find the different perspectives intriguing, especially the different ways that Grady and Lucie viewed each other's behaviors. They each took different meanings from them, sometimes they interpreted each other's behaviors in the complete opposite way of how they were intended, and darned if that isn't just the way relationships go sometimes...
Spoiler
I had some issues with everyone's explanation of Lucie's behavior after the murder/suicide destruction of her family when she was 15. Lucie plays with the idea that she must have mentally reset in a similar fashion after that first event, which is why she was never again close with her aunt and uncle. Um, what? How is it that 1) a 15-year-old could have gone through an event like that and it didn't occur to anyone to get her some help, and 2) no one noticed that this girl had a complete mental breakdown that resulted in her completely blocking out the event to the point that she goes through a humongous personality change? I just... what?Final judgement - definitely a lighter, entertaining summer read.
gabiaraujo's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I can't believe this Very boring was pubblished
sdemler0314's review against another edition
4.0
I loved how this book had the viewpoint of the person who lost their memory and someone really close to the person who lost their memory.
writerrhiannon's review against another edition
4.0
I like a good amnesia story and Lucie's was different from most I'd read before. While a lot of the stories focus on the trauma that caused the amnesia, I really liked the focus on Lucie's emotional journey of self-(re)discovery. She held her feelings in for so long and controlled her emotions through her search for perfectionism. The pre-amnesia Lucie is recognizable in millions of women trying to succeed in their career, deny themselves any culinary indulgences in order to maintain a slim physique, and obssessing over their youth by shopping for clothing, make-up and cosmetic procedures. The laid-back Lucie represents the true inner happiness so many women are searching for by trying for more, more, more, when in fact if we let go of materialism, our search for perfectionism, and make peace with our feelings, we can become our most authentic selves. As for Grady, I alternated feeling sorry for him and wanting to kick him to tell him to open up to Lucie. Then I thought "Could you imagine?" I mean women are complicated in general and now he's given this situation? Poor guy, I guess the best thing he could do was to keep quiet!
I liked this book for how it made me daydream and think what I would do if I suddenly didn't remember anything....
Read my full review here: http://www.ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2014/01/love-water-memory.html
I liked this book for how it made me daydream and think what I would do if I suddenly didn't remember anything....
Read my full review here: http://www.ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2014/01/love-water-memory.html
bdietrich's review
5.0
This novel is a beautiful, dual-love story: learning to love oneself despite past mistakes and imperfections and loving another.
I loved the dual point of view that switches between Lucie and Grady (and Helen). I loved that we so personally and truthfully experienced the mental illness of amnesia.
Love Water Memory is a beautifully woven story.
I loved the dual point of view that switches between Lucie and Grady (and Helen). I loved that we so personally and truthfully experienced the mental illness of amnesia.
Love Water Memory is a beautifully woven story.
fauvely's review
4.0
I have to say that I really liked Love Water Memory.
I found the characters so endearing, despite their faults. I was reminded of a movie that I love, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This book is very different from that movie but there was something that reminded me of it. Maybe the idea of a relationship having a second chance, once it's gotten to the point of being a disaster. Or maybe it was the idea that love is a strong force and sometimes two people have a connection that withstand a lot of pain and hurt. Either way, it was so touching at times and I was pleasantly surprised.
This book is about a woman named Lucie who is found with a rare form of amnesia. She doesn't remember anything about her life or her fiance. The book goes on to show Lucie as she rebuilds her life.
I really liked Lucie. I liked how she is different with her amnesia in comparison to who she was before. I liked how she's become a more open, happy person and is brave enough to face the horrible events that happened in her past.
I'd recommend it, especially to people who like stories about people who have amnesia. It was sweet and a quick read.
(Thanks to Edelweiss for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion)
I found the characters so endearing, despite their faults. I was reminded of a movie that I love, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This book is very different from that movie but there was something that reminded me of it. Maybe the idea of a relationship having a second chance, once it's gotten to the point of being a disaster. Or maybe it was the idea that love is a strong force and sometimes two people have a connection that withstand a lot of pain and hurt. Either way, it was so touching at times and I was pleasantly surprised.
This book is about a woman named Lucie who is found with a rare form of amnesia. She doesn't remember anything about her life or her fiance. The book goes on to show Lucie as she rebuilds her life.
I really liked Lucie. I liked how she is different with her amnesia in comparison to who she was before. I liked how she's become a more open, happy person and is brave enough to face the horrible events that happened in her past.
I'd recommend it, especially to people who like stories about people who have amnesia. It was sweet and a quick read.
(Thanks to Edelweiss for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion)
fog_city's review
4.0
I thought that this book would be chick-lit along the lines of "The Vow" but it goes into much deeper issues. I really enjoyed it but wished it had been longer and fleshed out more of Lucie's life before her amnesia.
susanscribs's review
4.0
Jennie Shortridge writes Women's Fiction with a bit of an edge. She often features characters who are slightly down on their luck, or who make spectacularly bad choices. When I realized that Love Water Memory utilized an amnesia plotline, I feared that she had jumped the shark. Not another "bump on the head turns a bitchy woman into a better person" story, I grumbled.
But fortunately Love Water Memory did not disappoint. True, amnesiac Lucie learns that in her former life she was a driven, shopaholic fashionista who didn't give her neighbors or her fiance Grady's family the time of day. But as she digs into her past, aided in part by her irascible Aunt Helen, the reader realizes that Lucie is dealing with something a lot more traumatic and painful than a simple personality adjustment.
Also, Lucie isn't the only character on a journey. Grady, whose overbearing mother and sisters have both loved and tormented him since his father's death many years ago, has to come to terms with both the new Lucie and the old, prickly Lucie whom he inexplicably loved. Like Lucie, he also has a past tragedy that in many ways he has never left behind. Even elderly Aunt Helen has some epiphanies about her actions and the ways she unintentionally contributed to Lucie's problems.
Lucie and Grady's relationship is engaging and tender, albeit occasionally frustrating, with several instances where they make assumptions about each other that could have been allayed with a little bit of communication. But it's easy to root for the couple, who obviously were meant for each other deep down, even though their relationship was doomed before Lucie's memory loss.
It has been three years since Jennie Shortridge's last release and I was overjoyed to see her back in print. I hope her next book won't take as long to reach my eager hands.
But fortunately Love Water Memory did not disappoint. True, amnesiac Lucie learns that in her former life she was a driven, shopaholic fashionista who didn't give her neighbors or her fiance Grady's family the time of day. But as she digs into her past, aided in part by her irascible Aunt Helen, the reader realizes that Lucie is dealing with something a lot more traumatic and painful than a simple personality adjustment.
Also, Lucie isn't the only character on a journey. Grady, whose overbearing mother and sisters have both loved and tormented him since his father's death many years ago, has to come to terms with both the new Lucie and the old, prickly Lucie whom he inexplicably loved. Like Lucie, he also has a past tragedy that in many ways he has never left behind. Even elderly Aunt Helen has some epiphanies about her actions and the ways she unintentionally contributed to Lucie's problems.
Lucie and Grady's relationship is engaging and tender, albeit occasionally frustrating, with several instances where they make assumptions about each other that could have been allayed with a little bit of communication. But it's easy to root for the couple, who obviously were meant for each other deep down, even though their relationship was doomed before Lucie's memory loss.
It has been three years since Jennie Shortridge's last release and I was overjoyed to see her back in print. I hope her next book won't take as long to reach my eager hands.
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