Book Review — Remember Me This Way by Sabine Durrant

That’s the thing about revenge. People get it wrong.
It isn’t always sweet.

Obsession. Lies. Revenge.

This is a psychological thriller. I’ll be honest, I very rarely read this genre — as you know, I’m a hardcore romance fan — but I was just in the mood for something different today… and this blurb grabbed me.

A year after her husband Zach’s death, Lizzie goes to lay flowers where his fatal accident took place. As she makes her way along the motorway, she thinks about their life together. She wonders whether she has changed since Zach died. She wonders if she will ever feel whole again. At last she reaches the spot. And there, tied to a tree, is a bunch of lilies. The flowers are addressed to her husband.

Someone has been there before her. Lizzie loved Zach. She really did. But she’s starting to realise she didn’t really know him. Or what he was capable of…

The story kept me guessing the whole way through and there was this surprising reveal at the end that was totally twisted (and quite disturbing) buuuuuut I do think that fans of Gone Girl would probably really enjoy this book. The writing was very good and it actually kind of felt like I was “reading a movie” if that makes sense. The scenes and the way it came together very much had the feeling of a “thriller-type” movie.

Even though it did keep my attention, I’ll admit that it wasn’t quite as ‘gripping’ as I’d hoped it would be and even though I did find some of the twists surprising, I felt a little unsatisfied in the end. There were no loose ends, but still… yeah. It’s actually an issue I tend to have with a lot of thrillers (movies, too). I get drawn in by the mystery of the storyline and the set-up of the plot but… it’s like I want the twists and the reveals to be kinda epic, y’know? I want them to make me go WOAHHHH!!! It’s like I’m drawn to the potential of the mysterious ‘unknown’ factor and I want to be blown away by the twists, but I rarely am.

Oh, just a heads up for anyone outside the UK. This is written by a British author and it’s full of “Britishisms” as I like to call them. Normally, I wouldn’t bother mentioning this, but one in particular was a little shocking to me since I wasn’t familiar with it. There’s a scene where someone calls her a “slut” and I was all like O_O , but then I looked it up and I guess it means “slob” so very different meaning there. Heh.

The writing though was quite strong overall. The mood was … almost quiet and chilling, but more in a way where it just messed with your mind — getting you to keep looking for hidden clues everywhere. I have to say, this would make an awesome movie!! But, the story itself is actually quite hard to talk about it without spoilers. It’s not a graphic or gory book, it really is accurately described as a psychological thriller. So instead of describing it more, I thought I’d just share some of the thoughts I had while reading…

Jeeezzzzzz, that prologue though!!! O.O
I have so many questions!!!
Ok, hating him right from the start. Asshole!
Is he really dead?
Who the hell is that woman?
Did I mention I hate him?
Sooooo many secrets!
More hate.
The books!!!! Omg. How?? Are they his? O.o
The blood O___O Ummm??
Yes, keep digging into his past! I want answers!
What’s the end game here?
Is she crazy? Or is she the only sane person?
I hate him.
Secrets. Lies. Half truths…. everything is coming out.
I HATE HIM.
Ok, that’s creepy!
Is this paranormal?? (it’s not)
Holyyyyyy. Appearances can be so misleading.
Creepy concept. Yikes.
It’s always the quiet ones, huh.
Wait…. whaaaaaat?? OH MY GOD. *gags*
Glurk. That is so wrong.

Obsession.
Lies.
Revenge.

So yeah, hopefully that should give you a bit of an idea of what to expect. Like I said, I ended the story feeling a bit unsettled… But I do think that fans of Gone Girl will like this. So if that’s what you’re looking for, check this out!

Rating: 3.5 — 4 stars. Psychological thriller standalone.