Lili & Ben first cross paths on a hot July day in a beautiful secret garden in London, where Lili is stung by a bee and there is an instant attraction between them. Ben, a travel photographer is only around for a few hours before he needs to catch a flight from Heathrow. They make the most of the time that they have together and arrange to meet up a year later, but it never happens. Five years on, a woman named Alice turns up in Scotland; she is at a bus stop and can hear the sound of waves but doesn't know where she is. Alice is wearing a bee necklace...

Told from differing time periods this novel is gripping, beautifully written and all-consuming. There is drama, surprises and the plotline is strong and unpredictable. Never Forget You is one of my favourite reads this year, so far.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from HQ via NetGalley.

Never Forget You by Fiona Lucas is a powerful contemporary novel about love. It is a love that just sinks into your heart and soul. It is also about grief and finding yourself.
There is a great love that is selfless and just keeps on giving. Sometimes you meet a person and you just know that they are your soulmate.
With grief comes guilt. There is a guilt about things left undone. This guilts blindfolds a soul to all the good they have done.
We see characters who have unique gifts that need nurturing and not squashing. We see that these gifts can make a soul feel really alive.
Family is important. Family loves us and sometimes knows us better than we know ourselves.
There are the difficult themes of gaslighting and love bombing. The reader recognizes these from the outset, and our heart breaks for a character. We are crying out for an already fragile soul as the person becomes even more lost.
Names are important. Names signify a change in character. Nicknames speak of a close bond.
The clean, fresh air of a Scottish town contrasts with the stifling air of London.
All the characters are well drawn and realistic. Most were likable but one elicited feelings of dislike. Fiona Lucas guided our responses with her words.
Fiona Lucas is masterful at her craft. I completely lost myself in Never Forget You and read it in just one sitting. Despite some very upsetting themes, the overriding feeling is one of love and care. Never Forget You is basically a novel about a beautiful love, and it is that that sinks into the reader’s soul. I always love Fiona Lucas’ novels.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
A word to the reader: If you are affected by any of the themes, please tell someone and get help. You do not have to struggle alone.

Lili and Ben agree to meet twelve months after they initially meet, in the beautiful hidden garden however, one of them never shows up…I absolutely adored this book. It has to be one of the best books I have read this year and one that I can’t recommend highly enough!

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the opportunity to read and review this emotional rollercoaster of a book.

I enjoyed this book although not as much as The Last Goodbye.

All the characters were so well described and the storyline was sad, in parts funny but extremely well written.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this ARC.

One of the best books I've read this year, Never Forget You is an emotional rollercoaster of a book bringing joy, sadness, anger, pity and hope as you follow Ben & Lili/Alice and discover what happened during the interval between their first meeting and subsequent reunion five years later.

I don't usually read romance books but the element of mystery with Lili's amnesia appealed to me and I am so glad I tried something different from the usual genres that I tend to stick to.

Although the book has duel timelines, it's very easy to keep up with what's happening in both without any confusion and the plot was utterly gripping, making it difficult to put down. It's certainly not a 'fluffy' romance, with some tough subjects covered such as mental abuse and gaslighting, but it is a riveting read throughout.

I really give 5 stars but this was an outstanding book and I can't wait to read more by Fiona Lucas.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Where to start with this review. A seemingly normal girl, albeit with a lack of self confidence, meets a lovely boy and they spend a day and night together, him putting her number in his phone and a promise to meet in 1 years time. That doesn’t quite go to plan and we fast forward to Lili’s story of a relationship which is very domineering and coercive. Lili then finds herself in Scotland with a severe case of amnesia and not knowing who she is or why she is there.

What follows is a lovely story, if you can look deeper than the coercive relationship with Justin, and two people who are absolutely destined to be with each other

📚📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖📚

📖 Book - Never Forget You
✍️ Author - Fiona Lucas
📕 Publisher - HQ
🗓 Publication Date - 27th October 2022

Lili & Ben meet by chance, in a beautiful secret Garden in London. An instant attraction forms between them both! But Ben is only around for a few hours, before he needs to catch another flight. So they make the most of the time that have together.

I absolutely ADORED this book!! I haven’t read anything by this author, but I have just ordered her previous book - so that says it all.
The story is told in the present and also in past. I followed it without any problems. There are some triggers in this book …… gaslighting especially. I loved the characters of Lili & Ben. This book is like, wrapping yourself in a cosy cover 💖💖

Thank you #HQ & #netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC. It was a fabulous read!!

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

Absolutely brilliant! One of the best books I have read this year..

Lili & Ben meet unexpectedly and are drawn to each other immediately, they spend a very short amount of time together before Ben flies off to continue his photography, they arrange to meet a year later……..

Fast forward 5 years and a woman turns up in Bens hometown with no idea how she got there and who she is…. She has complete memory loss… Ben recognises the necklace she’s wearing as the one he’d given Lili 5 years prior….,

This book is so well written, I couldn’t put it down! So many emotions!!!!

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book by Fiona Lucas,

When Lili and Ben meet it’s like they are drawn to each other. Unfortunately Ben is about to set out on a trip of a lifetime that will take him to many countries and won’t be back in England for a year. Along with that Lili is at a crossroads in her own life, the connection couldn’t come at a worse time. Not wanting it to be the end, the pair decide to meet up again in a year at the same place, promising to stay in touch until then.

Fast forward five years and Ben comes across a woman with no memory who looks unbelievably like the girl he was supposed to meet all that time ago. Only, it can’t be her, turning up with amnesia in his hometown, can it?

This book has blown me away. I was drawn in to the romantic notion of that first meeting right from the start. I loved the connection between Lili and Ben and their stories in the years that followed. The chapters take you between the time leading up to a wedding and the present and explains mainly how Lili found herself where she’s ended up. Not to give anything away but one character was particularly awful but that was clearly how he was written to be, a total nightmare.

A great story that was easy to get into and kept me hooked from the start, highly recommend.

Never Forget You, the most recent novel from Fiona Lucas, is simply stunning. This is the kind of book that you absolutely have to set time aside for before you begin to read it as you won’t be able to put it down. It is a beautiful, and yet also heartbreaking, story of finding yourself when you’ve been through the very worst that life throws at you.

Though this story is ultimately one that has hope and second chances at its core, it is well worth reading the author’s content warning at the onset as it deals with very significant issues.

Never Forget You is a story of two halves. First there is Lili and Ben, who meet one hot summers day and feel an almost instant connection. Life, however, is taking them in different directions and so they promise to meet each other again a year later to see where their story might take them. Only one of them doesn’t show up.

Five years later Ben still wonders how he got things so wrong and what might have been different if he’d not let Lili slip through his fingers. Soon a stranger, Alice, arrives in his tiny Scottish hometown. Only Alice had no idea who she is and how she got there. The only clue is the bee pendant she’s wearing around her neck, the very same one Ben bought Lili on that hot summers day.

The way Lucas tells Lili, Ben and Alice’s story is just spectacular. Lucas uses duel timelines of now and in the past, wherein which the past timeline is leading up to a specific event and the aftermath that follows. The present is told through third person narrative whilst the past is first person. This works especially well as it really brings home Alice’s amnesia and the fact that she is so unaware of who she is in the present and therefore has her story told for her, whilst in past we can see Lili’s life unfold in her own words. Yet even though we are able to hear from Lili directly she still doesn’t have a firm grasp on who she is and can be, however as the reader discovers this is through no fault of her own and instead is the consequence of much more sinister reasons.

Never once do you feel lost in these duel timelines. Instead they make the novel utterly gripping. It is hard to say too much without giving anything away but reading about Lili’s past felt like watching a wreckage in slow motion, you know what’s likely to come and yet you’re helpless to stop it. As prior noted very serious issues, including emotional and substance abuse, are covered in this story. Whilst they make for difficult reading in places they are handled so carefully by Lucas throughout.

I loved reading about Lili, Ben and Alice. Lili and Alice find themselves in difficult situations and you come to desperately feel for them. Ben, meanwhile, is dealing with his own issues and yet is so kind and caring, and so wonderful in how he tries to help Alice.
In her author’s note Lucas mentions that she based Ben’s Aunt Norina on her own late Aunt and hoped it would be a fitting tribute. Aunt Norina, Willow and Lo were all wonderful supporting characters who added so much to the story in their own ways. And how wonderful to be memorialised within a novel and through such a strong character.

Overall, this is a wonderful novel that I can’t recommend highly enough.

What a book! I couldn't put it down and my emotions were all over the place, happy,sad,laughing, angry literally every emotion. I love how it split into 2 timelines but was still easy to keep up with what was going on and when.

When Lili meets Ben by chance one hot summer’s day, it feels like fate. But life is about to take them in different directions, and so they agree to meet next July, in the beautiful hidden garden where they first laid eyes on each other. But one of them never shows up…
 
Five years later, Ben still wonders how he got things so wrong – he let the love of his life slip between his fingers. And then a stranger, Alice, arrives in his tiny Scottish hometown. Alice has no memory of how she got there: she can’t remember anything before that morning. The only clue to her past is the silver bee necklace she wears – the very same one Ben bought for Lili that magical summer’s day…

Definitely recommend reading this book but please read the trigger warnings as there is tough subjects mentioned including drug abuse and mental abuse.

Captivating, romantic and heart wrenching. This was a beautiful story that had me hooked and thinking about it even when finished. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Never Forget you is a stunningly good read, a romance with parts that read like a psychological thriller.
Lili and Ben meet in an old bombed out church site in London, he is a photographer and due to fly out the next day travelling Europe to take photographs, Lili a violinist is there in her lunch break. They instantly bond and spend the rest of the day together. They agree to meet up in exactly a year at the same site and Ben take’s Lili’s phone number, she is unable to take his as her phone battery has died.
Fast forward 5 years and a young woman turns up in Bens Scottish village, she has complete amnesia not knowing how she arrived there or who she is. Initially Ben is unsure it’s Lili but then quickly realises it is.
The story then moves backwards and to the present in time and we find out how Lili’s life has progressed. There is great depth to this story with some anger inducing moments and a few twists I just didn’t see coming.
A riveting read, this book will remain with me a long time and I encourage you to read it.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

This book covers the topic of being lost within yourself and finding your way back to yourself despite the influence of others and with the support of those that care about you. A lovely love story. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Hands up, who else is a sucker for a good romance?

Put them further in the air if you really like it when that becomes a second chance romance . . .

Well that's exactly what you get from Lucas in her latest book.

This is the story of Lili and Ben.

They have what I guess in modern day times is called a meet cute and I'd like to say the rest is history however best laid plans mean that their love story is over before it really had a chance to begin for reasons yet to be found out.

Fast forward five years and we are introduced to a complete stranger (or is she?) as she finds herself at a bus stop with nothing but the clothes she's wearing. With no memory of who she is, the panic begins to set in instantly.

Queue a handsome stranger ready to save the day, in the shape of Ben, you know that Ben from London and the start of the story. Are you beginning to see what might be about to happen?

So many questions. Will this woman get her memory back? The only clue being a bee pendant that she wears around her neck - a necklace that our hero seems to recognise - will it be enough to jog her memory?

I'd call this a lost and found romance.

Told through split timelines, Fiona does a fantastic job of not only making the love blossom but also giving these characters detailed and meaningful backgrounds.

With mentions of tough subjects including drug abuse and mental abuse, this isn't just a simple boy meets girl love story. It is so much more, this made the story both realistic and all the more emotional to read.

I was fully invested in what would happen to these characters.

Throw in a truly unexpected twist and I was hooked from start to finish, fully rooting for a much needed happy ending.

Never Forget You is a book that won't be easily forgotten.

I just needed something easy to read on the way to and from hospital appointments and this fit the bill perfectly. Easy to follow and I really felt like I got to know the characters throughout. My focus is often quite bad and so having a book that you don’t need to think too mucb about will always be very appreciated by me! I’d never heard of Fiona Lucas before so will definitely be having a look to see if she has any other books out at present!

I couldn’t put this down! What an emotional read 😭 The split timelines were just perfection and I was totally gripped!

Oh what a book and one I wasn't expecting. Lili and Ben meet by chance in London one summer but pre-made plans mean they only have a day and a bit together. Even though they say they'll meet back up and stay in touch it doesn't happen. Years later Lili turns up in a small Scottish town where Ben lives but she has no idea who she is, who he is or even how she got there.

I was not expecting everything I got from this book. To start with, I loved Ben and Lili from the off and their whirlwind romance in London. It wasn't just normal London though but secret, magical-sounding places. When Ben doesn't get in touch as planned and Lili thinks he's ghosted her.

Being told from different time periods, I loved seeing the difference between now Lili and the lead up to Lili losing her memories. The plot was not expected and I was gripped!

This book will give you all the feels!

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I love a "love found- love lost- second chance" novel and this one ticks all the boxes with the ethereal Alice, the handsome and funny Ben and the impossibly beautiful hidden garden they first meet in.
The pair are love struck and although must spend time apart through circumstance agree to meet again, same place, 1 year on.
Cue disaster, lost memories and a trip to find herself the book has everything you need for a feel good ending.