I became totally absorbed in this wonderful book that may be marketed as a romance, but is so much more.

Yes it's a love story. A chance meeting between Ben and Lili. A moment in time that was meant to be the start of something. But Ben disappeared without trace.

And so Lili tried to rebuild herself. Another chance encounter leads to her starting a relationship with Justin. A man that seems too good to be true.

We move from the present where a woman who has no memory turns up in Ben's home town, to the past and a countdown to a wedding. We learn just what events led up to this poor woman's complete dissociation.

This book was meticulously researched and so accurate about the nature of abusive relationships. It was at times very emotional, particularly as it's something I've experienced. But written so well. I was so invested in Lili's story and so happy with how it all unfolded.

A love story with real depth, mystery and a heart warming and uplifting ending. Perfection.

Wow, an amazing story of love and heartbreak. I was completely gripped from the beginning and thoroughly recommend it

What a read. Told in dual time lines, you're hooked with them, eager to find out more until they finally collide. It's a bit of a rough read at times, it was quite distressing to find out about Lili's past and what happened but I could not put this book down. I gasped, got angry, laughed and of course, swooned. Fiona Lucas really has a talent and I'll look forward to her next book.

Thank you to the publishers for inviting me to be part of the tour
firstly, this book may have some trigger warnings for you - so if you have certain triggers, please do check this out
Now onto the book review…
What a book. This book is unputadownable, a love story like no other
The character, Lili was so relatable to me in so many ways and i felt like I was reading my story at times. Anxious because of her past and following her on her journey
I didn’t dislike anyone in this book or anything about the storyline
The writing is utterly flawless, and really holds the reader
This contemporary novel is fantastic, both sad and happy at times
So many emotions were released into this book and I could feel the characters feelings myself
I really do recommend this book

This is a well written emotional rollercoaster of a story set over dual timelines. The writer takes the reader on a fantastic unexpected journey.

A really clever plot and two characters whose story captured the imagination from the start! Absolutely amazing book. I highly recommend it.

This is an incredibly poignant read, one which I wasn’t prepared for, to be honest. I expected a light, fluffy read, but this is much more. Dramatic and emotionally charged in places, keeping the reader invested and engaged, this is undoubtedly a read I will not forget!

The dual timeline of past and present is perfectly executed, and the characters are realistically brought to life through this author’s writing style, making them incredibly likeable and relatable. I haven’t read anything by this author before reading this, but I will not be hesitant to pick up any future releases.

Highly recommended and a well-deserved five-star read!

Description 🔖

Lili and Ben meet by complete chance one summer in London in a beautiful public garden. The timing isn’t right though as their lives are about to head in completely different directions. And so they agree to meet in the same garden, in a years time and hopefully pick up from where they left off. However one of them won’t turn up.

Five years later, Ben still thinks about the amazing woman he met in London and questions how it managed to go so wrong between them. Until a strange woman turns up in his small Scottish town called Alice. She has no idea why she is there and she has no memory of how she got there. The only clue to her identity is the small bee pendant she wears on a chain; the very same one Ben bought for Lili all those years ago.

General Thoughts 🤔

I won’t lie, it was the cover that initially drew me to this book. It was bright and eye catching and I immediately knew that this was a book I would want to read. Once I started the book, I immediately realised that the cover was hiding something deeper and definitely sadder than I expected beneath. I think I was expecting something light and airy and don’t get me wrong, there were moments of this, but there were also really sad and heartbreaking moments. I didn’t know what I was getting into but I loved it all the same.

Characters 👫👭👬

I love books that have a character that I can deeply dislike and feel disdain for. I don’t know why I like it, but I do. Justin was that character for me, what an absolute A hole that guy was. It was frustrating and heartbreaking to read that Lili just could not see that how he was treating her was wrong and she continued to cater to him and go along with his unreasonable requests. I felt so deeply sorry for her. Everything happened so gradually that it must have felt completely normal to her.

On the flip side, what a hero Lili’s sister was. She saw Justin for what he was pretty much from the off, but that obviously put her in a tricky position. I didn’t totally agree with her decision making towards the end of the story, but I think her heart was in the right place and she more than redeemed herself.

Conclusion & Scoring ✍️

This is the first book I have read by this author and I am very happy to have been introduced to her writing. I really enjoyed the flow of the story and I think that she paced it perfectly. Jumping between timelines is one of my favourite writing styles so I loved that this book was covering multiple timelines at the same time, before they came together at the end.

My favourite thing about Fiona Lucas’ writing was the way that she wrote the characters and their relationships. The book had a mix of characters that were loveable, but flawed, awful but sometimes kind. I think that it was this that brought out some horrible relationships and some absolutely beautiful relationships that kept the book engaging and had me hooked.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

Do not let the cover of this book deceive you! Yes it does have it’s moments of pure, heart warming love between characters, but it also has some difficult to read chapters and characters that you will be happy to close the book on and never speak of again. I’d love to see a sequel to this book and find out what happens next. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Never Forget You and I think that if you like to feel like you’re on an emotional rollercoaster, you will too.

Such a lovely well written book with lovely characters and a great story over a split time line. This book was an emotional read but a pleasure to read and one to add to my list of read again books . Loved it
My thanks as always to NetGalley and HQ for the early read

Wow! This was written extremely well Both main characters were like able and the story, whilst appearing to be obvious, was anything but.
Justin was vile. I have known people like him and his character was brilliantly written. Sometimes it was incredibly uncomfortable to read I normally hate stories that switch timelines but in this case I was desperate to find out more… in both timelines I found myself snatching time everywhere just to read a chapter and get a bit closer to the truth.
A brilliant romance, while being sensitive to lili’s previous trauma
I will definitely be on the look out for more from this author

I’ve read a few thrillers recently so this was a welcome change. If you’re fans of Paige Toon or Colleen Hoover, this is definitely a must read for you!

It starts with a ‘bee’ sting and two people meeting for the first time, love at first sight! But then of course, life happens and they don’t see each other again … till years later, When lili has forgotten her identity!

The story is told through the present time and going back to the past which makes it really interesting as you’re desperate to find out how the past experiences are leading to what is going on at present.

It has a trigger, theme of domestic abuse in there so be aware when reading. But it’s a typical love story with a happy ending.

Ben and lili are really likeable and relatable characters. Which always helps as you form a connection with them.

Overall it was a lovely read and it kept my heart racing.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ stories for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

this story perfectly describes how is it feels to be in an emotionally abused relationship with a narcissist partner. the build up for this relationship was so good and so painful at the same time. showed it how easy is to fell in this trap and how hard is it to leave it.

i didn’t really like lily and ben backstory. they love was insta love with full of lust and in the ending was everything was all rushed and the outcome was flat with lily’s new possibility of healing and finding a loving relationship. . otherwise i was impressed with the book.

thank you to netgalley for the arc!

Never Forget You is one of those books that surprised me, but in a good way - it is a meet cute/second chance romance, but at the same time it is a romance novel that deals with some serious issues such as mental abuse and controlling behaviour, throws in some twists along the way, and is all the more emotional for it.

Lili and Ben meet by chance and form an instant connection - but Ben is due to leave the country so they only spend a couple of days together. They arrange to meet a year later but ….. Five years later and Ben’s life is very different, having returned to his home town in Scotland - when a woman with memory loss turns up with no idea of how she got there, is it possible that this is the woman he met all those years ago?

Told in dual timelines, we learn more about Lili’s life after her failure to reconnect with Ben, and we see her in the present trying to piece together a life she has no memory of, helped by the ever supportive Ben. I loved their stories and their connection to each other, which endures despite everything they have each had to deal with, and I was fully immersed in the rollercoaster ride as I longed for their happy ending.

After reading The Last Goodbye in 2021, I couldn’t wait to read more from Fiona Lucas.
The moment I saw Never Forget You on NetGalley, i hit that request button.

And I was not disappointed. In fact, it was even more than I had anticipated. Never Forget You is so much more than a romance, it’s heartbreakingly real. A true rollercoaster of emotions. How my heart ached for Lili. From an adorable meet-cute to a living nightmare, this book has it all. I even enjoyed the mini mystery of trying to guess Lili and Lo’s proper names. My guesses were wrong! Lol

I promise, as much as this book will break your heart, it will mend it too with a plaster (bandaid) of hope.

Thank you, NetGalley & HQ, for the eArc of this beautiful book in return for an honest review.

Content Warning ⚠️ ~ Abusive Relationship. Gaslighting. Addiction.

I experienced goosebumps so frequently when I was reading this book and I don’t think it was because of the weather. This was so powerfully written that Lucas’s narrative crawled under my skin and I don’t think this is a story that I will forget in a hurry.

To be honest, it was the reader warning at the beginning of the book that signalled to me that this was going to be an emotional rollercoaster. Despite being somewhat mentally prepared, I don’t think I was truly expecting the story to have the impact on me that it did. Watching Lili and Ben meet at the beginning of the story made it feel like this was going to be a cutesy, happy romance story that takes place over several years, with the happy couple being separated, for whatever reason, and then they eventually reunite. How I was wrong.

Whilst Lili and Ben fail to cross paths again, the story offers far much more than this lost relationship. Following Lili after this amazing two days with a perfect stranger, her life drastically alters and she finds herself on a different path. At the same time, the narrative switches to another time frame, present day, where Alice appears to have amnesia and finds herself in Scotland. With no identification, no phone and no understanding of why she should be at the opposite end of the country, Alice, the name that she adopts for the time being, needs to find answers. This narrative follows Alice as she attempts to retrace her steps: find her memories to discover what exactly was happening in her life and what made her travel all the way to Scotland.

Lucas doesn’t take too long in connecting the narratives together but the build-up between the two timeframes added to the intensity of the story. I foresaw some of the plot developments with Lili’s story but this did not lessen the impression it had on me. I found I was mentally screaming at Lili with her choices, but simultaneously frustrated because I was desperate to see her plot reach present day. On the other hand, I wanted to understand whether Alice would ever reconnect with her identity and what it would mean once, or if, her memories returned.

There’s a lot of topics covered in this book and it goes far beyond what the pretty cover suggests. This is not just a failed romance story and I would urge readers to take a deep breath before plunging in to Lucas’s novel. I for one will be following this read up with something a lot more light-hearted. However, it’s not a story to ignore and I thought the way the two narratives were presented were as immersive and emotional as if I had been the protagonists themselves. It truly was an immersive read. The issues that Lucas presents are sobering to say the least but I think the optimism that comes through the narrative should not be ignored.

This was an enjoyable read and one I had to take my time over to really absorb the narrative. I thrived on the intensity of the story and felt invested in the protagonists. It was well worth the goosebumps.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a sad and beautifully written book. Your stomach sinks as you follow Lili’s past month by month on a count down - chills up your arm. This contrasts with the hesitant beauty of the present. Ben and Lili working things out maybe but the past still casts a scary and uncomfortable shadow. A really well crafted suspense woven into love and friendship.

cw: abusive and extremely coercive relationship, gaslighting, trauma, and addiction

Lili and Ben meet one sunny afternoon and there's an instant connection. After a magical 36 hours together, travel photographer Ben must catch his flight for the first leg of his year abroad. Lili, a talented violinist, must continue her studies. They agree to meet in the same garden exactly twelve months later. But Lili never turns up. Five years later, a woman turns up in Ben's sleepy Scottish village with no memories of who she is, or how she got there. Although some things have changed, she's strangely familiar to the woman Ben met years ago. But who is she, and how did she get there?

This story was unputdownable, and absolutely wrecked me. Lili is a working-class woman with imposter syndrome, wracked with insecurities and anxiety about performing in front of audiences. The flashbacks to the relationship she found herself in are often difficult to read. For this reason, please heed the content warnings. Justin was a walking, talking 🚩, but you could see how Lili fell under his spell. The scenes were written sensitively and realistically. I found the gradual transformation of present-day Lili/Alice, where she discovered she had agency in her life and everyday decisions both incredibly moving and beautifully written. I also loved how the journey she took with Ben to search for her identity in many ways mirrored their first meeting. This brings me to Ben. His story was equally moving, and I loved his relationship with Norena and Willow, as well as with Lili. I also loved Lo, her sister. I don't want to spoil too much, but this was an incredibly moving and often poignant story with truly authentic characters and a perfect ending. Just exquisite.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating:
Emotional Rating: 😍😢💔🚩😡😢🥰😭😂💓😢💔😍😭🥰

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

Oh my what a heart wrenching read!
I was completely invested in Lili and Ben from the start, what a connection they shared and how easily lost.
I enjoyed the past and present aspect which leads finally into present day.
It was a tough read in places with the cruelest of abuse, but I must stress written and handled very well.
I will definitely be recommended this. I loved it!

I absolutely adored this stunning contemporary romance. Some romance novels are predictable but this one is something completely different. It's an enthralling love story but has all the mystery and twists you would expect from a thriller. The perfect novel in my opinion.

The characters of Ben and Lili are captivating and I loved their stories and connection to each other. The author deals with the themes of gaslighting, domestic abuse and grief but does so in a very sensitive way.

The gentle unfolding of the story told over several timetimes made this a superbly crafted novel. It had me gripped from beginning to end and I'd happily recommend it.

Gahhhh! This was absolutely beautiful - I was completely blown away by the writing and the storyline. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more books by this author in the future.