Memory Lane by Becky Wade Review

 Happy Friday Bookish Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you decided to drop by The Preppy Book Princess for another book review.

I'm Kirby, and I'm so happy you're here.

I'm hoping you've all had a great week, and that you're all looking forward to the weekend. Unfortunately, this one is a little stressful for me as I'm waiting to hear back on some stuff that's not the happiest to think about, but that's okay because I know God is with me through each and every tough moment.

However, it's always great to have books to focus on when I'm trying not to stress, and I recently got the chance to read one of my favorite author's upcoming releases.

I honestly didn't even know this book was in the works until a couple of weeks ago, so it was definitely a pleasant surprise getting to read it through NetGalley.

I hope you'll all keep on reading down below to check out my full review.

Memory Lane by Becky Wade:

Source: Author via NetGalley

Publication Date: February 14th, 2023

Genre: Christian Fiction/Contemporary Romance/Mystery

Series: Sons of Scandal

Synopsis:

After surviving a trauma several years back, Remy Reed relocated to a cottage on one of Maine’s most remote islands. She’s arranged her life just the way she wants it, spending her time working on her wood sculptures and soaking in the beauty of nature. It’s quiet and solitary—until the day she spots something bobbing in the ocean.

Her binoculars reveal the “something” to be a man, and he’s struggling to keep his head above water. She races out to save him and brings him into her home. He’s injured, which doesn’t detract from his handsomeness nor make him any easier to bear. He acts like a duke who’s misplaced his dukedom . . . expensive tastes, lazy charm, bossy ideas.

Remy would love nothing more than to return him to his people, but he has no recollection of his life prior to the moment she rescued him. Though she’s not interested in relationships other than the safe ones she’s already established, she begins to realize that he’s coming to depend on her.

Who is he? What happened that landed him in the Atlantic Ocean? And why is she drawn to him more and more as time goes by?

There’s no way to discover those answers except to walk beside him down memory lane.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

Becky Wade is one of my favorites, and I didn't realize she had a new book releasing so early into 2023. When I stumbled upon this on NetGalley, I was instantly intrigued, and was extremely thankful when I got approved to advance read it.

Memory Lane is definitely a change from Becky's usual style of writing, and it felt like a fresh breath of air. The synopsis was intriguing, but it honestly failed to due this beautiful story justice, and while there was a lot going on within the pages of this one, it came together as a well written, wonderful romance mystery that kept me glued to the pages.

It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a couple as much as I did Remy and Jeremiah. They were downright adorable, and honestly, Becky is pretty much a master at writing the enemies to lovers trope. What starts out as a begrudging friendship soon turns into something much more, and I loved how both characters have to overcome a lot before they can find their own way into happily ever after.

A couple of extra POV's are thrown in for good measure, and it made the story seem that much more enticing, as I tried to fit all pieces of the story together with the numerous characters telling their version of the details. When an author can tell a story from numerous POV's and keep it from becoming confusing to the reader that in my opinion is a definite sign that an author is an extremely talented storyteller. That was definitely the case here, and I think it proves that this author can truly tackle any type of story she so chooses too. 

All in all, this was a wonderful and swoon worthy romance that tackles many deep issues, and sets up the start to a new series beautifully. I did have two complaints which I do want to quickly mention.

Firstly, I personally thought the conclusion to the mystery was a little obvious and I'd pieced it together quite a bit before the final reveal. However, I did still really enjoy the fact that this wasn't a simple romance, and I loved the way the mystery was deeply entwined with the rest of the story.

And secondly, considering Becky's other novels have always included a strong faith element, I was disappointed with the lack thereof in this one. God and faith are mentioned, but really only in passing, and at the end of the story I was still unclear as to whether Jeremiah and Remy were truly Christians or not.

However, I did still love it, and it's one of my favorite reads of the year so far. 

Final Rating: 5/5.

I'd highly recommend this one, and I can't wait to continue on with the series in the future.

Thanks so much Becky Wade for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the author (Becky Wade) via NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this is my honest review.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your weekend :)