Review ~ Do You Remember? by Mandy Baggot - Book Tour + Giveaway

eARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: 25th July

Publisher: HarperImpulse

Description:
First Love. First Loss. Last chance?

2005 was the most traumatic year of Emma Barron’s life. It was the year her mother died and the year she met Guy Duval. Eight years on, she’s an English teacher with a doting boyfriend and a young son. Life’s been hard but now it’s comfortable. She’s settled and content…so why would she risk it all for another chance with the man that broke her heart?

Guy’s an international renowned footballer newly signed to a top UK team. But behind the confident facade is a man determined to drown the horrors from his childhood with fame, success and money.

Unable to confide in her best friend, Ally, Emma tries to hold her life together as her heart is pulled apart. Did she turn her back on love too soon?

Neither of them know what really happened on 5 September 2005 and as events are slowly revealed can anyone cope with the truth?

My Opinion

When I got approached to host a stop on the tour for this book I wasn't so sure. I'm not really a fan of descriptions that start off with 'the death of a family member' thing or footballers for that matter. But when I saw it was published by Harper Impulse I went straight to NetGalley to see if it was available as having read nearly all of their other releases (which I loved), I decided to give it a chance as their NA romances have been great so far. 

This book was not what I expected at all. I thought it would be grief filled and memories about a tortured past mixed in with romance. However, I found most of this book to be surprisingly enjoyable with sweet and sensitive moments that made you fall in love with the characters because of who they were, not what they had been through. I was also surprised that the mother's death and Guy's family issues were under played. I loved that they were there as more of a motive for why the characters did things and although there were moments when they struggled with emotion they were more in the background.

I loved how this book switched from 2005 to the present day. I thought it was an original technique to tell the story with and it gave a great, solid understanding of the relationship. By doing this the author didn't reveal all the secrets straight away, but rather drip fed them to the reader which I love. Some parts were predictable but the ending - I did not see that coming! I loved the twist! As well as this it also allowed me to see how the characters had developed in eight years and instead of listening to them remember the past in a flashback, you actually experience it which I thought was brilliant.

The romance was great. It wasn't as steamy as other NA books I've read but it fit with the story and what the characters had gone through. I liked how there were questions over whether it would work and that the author actually included the other partners. The characters had a conscience and it was nice to see. The author could have easily made them drop everything and run off together but I liked how they thought things through and tried to do right by everyone, especially Emma. I liked how grounded she was and centred her world around Dominic.

The only slight complaint I have is about Emma's dad's use of language. It may be a common thing where the author is from, I'm not sure but whenever he spoke I just couldn't help but think of Wallace from the animation Wallace and Gromit. After I made this connection in my mind I couldn't take anything he said seriously as I imagined him with this northern accent. That's probably me being slightly weird though - it was just his choice of words were so similar.

Overall this book was a fast-pace, gripping romance that I couldn't put down. I loved the characters, plot and would highly recommend it. I will definitely be excited to see what Harper Impulse release next, I just wish they were in paperback as well!

4.5

Mandy Baggot brings you award-winning fiction! In 2012 she won the coveted Innovation in 
Romantic Fiction award at the UK's Festival of Romance. Her novel Strings Attached was also short listed for Best Author Published Read!

Mandy writes strong contemporary romance and characters you'll fall in love with. Previously self-published, she was traditionally signed by US publishing house Sapphire Star Publishing in January 2012. Shortly afterwards she became a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association.  She has recently signed a two book deal with Harper Collins’ Romance Imprint, Harper Impulse. 

She regularly writes of writing magazines and blogs and is a regular contributor to online magazine, Loveahappyending Lifestyle. 

Mandy lives near Salisbury in Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and two cats called Kravitz and Springsteen.

She is an advocate for women in business and belongs to the networking group Women on Wednesdays. 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway