Happy Publication Day to you Helene Leuschel for The Memories We Bury, and many thanks for my review copy for an unbiased review xx

Let me show you what this book is all about…

An emotionally charged and captivating novel about the complexities of female friendship and motherhood, from the author of Manipulated Lives.

Lizzie Thomson has landed her first job as a music teacher, and after a whirlwind romance with Markus, the newlywed couple move into a beautiful new home in the outskirts of Edinburgh. Lizzie quickly befriends their neighbour Morag, an elderly, resourceful yet lonely widow, who’s own children rarely visit her. Everything seems perfect in Lizzie’s life until she finds out she is pregnant and her relationship with both Morag and Markus change beyond her control. 

Can Lizzie really trust Morag and why is Markus keeping secrets from her? 

In The Memories We Bury the author explores the dangerous bonds we can create with strangers and how past memories can cast long shadows over the present.

As the title indicates, this book is about memories, and particularly memories that have been buried been mis-remembered.

The author has taken this story and woven such a compelling read. Lizzie had not had the best of childhoods and her memories are not the best. his leaves her vulnerable to stronger personalities like that of her husband Markus. The couple move next door to Morag, a woman who is lonely and who is eager to help out Lizzie. Her help is invaluable as Lizzie gives birth to her son Jamie.

Over the next few weeks Lizzie and Jamie find the help that Morag gives them to be wonderful, but gradually this help progresses into more. Lizzie is struggling with being a new mum, feeling insecure and it doesn’t help that her husband works away. While the help Morag provides is good, Lizzie would like more time with her son alone.

This is such a deceptive novel and starts quite innocently enough, a neighbour willing to help out and provide aupport when needed, but then the author does something quite special and adds such a good psychological twist to it.

The story alternates between Lizzie and Morag, it delves into their past and their present lives. It builds a bigger picture over the story and had me completely and utterly hooked.

If you are a fan of family life and relationship reads that have secrets and mistrust, deception and manipulation then you are going to love this one. I did! A fabulous read that I would definitely recommend.

Helene Andrea Leuschel gained a Master in Journalism & Communication, which led to a career in radio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She later acquired a Master in Philosophy, specializing in the study of the mind. 

Helene has a particular interest in emotional, psychological and social well-being and this led her to write her first novel, Manipulated Lives, a fictional collection of five novellas, each highlighting the dangers of interacting with narcissists. 

She lives with her husband and two children in Portugal.

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Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx