M. Ullrich

Fate will find a way to intervene when it’s least expected. Jax Levine and Gretchen Mills fell madly in love in college and never looked back. They built a great life together, but careers, a baby, and years of mounting tension later, they are living separate lives and their once grand love is forgotten. After an accident, Gretchen suffers a brain injury that erases years of her memories. She wakes in the hospital with Jax at her side and everything seems normal…except Jax won’t look her in the eye and their baby boy is now a rambunctious toddler. Every line drawn between Jax and Gretchen starts to blur while Gretchen fights to figure out which of her most haunting recollections are real, and which are fake. Is it possible for this accident to be the second chance neither Jax nor Gretchen knew they wanted?

What the Heart Remembers Most

M Ullrich

For college sweethearts Jax Levine and Gretchen Mills could an accident be the second chance neither knew they wanted?

Megan Cooper

I've read a few books recently that had a similar premise - and I'm starting to wonder if this sort of thing is more common than I would have thought. How many times does an established couple separate only to be brought back together when one gets amnesia and doesn't remember the impetus for the separation - second chance romance thanks to an opportune bump to the head. Okay - so it sounds like the plot of a telenovella, but I will admit it gives the author (and the reader) a great opportunity to explore an established couple once the honeymoon is over and really delve into the connection, intimacy and really hard work that a relationship requires. 

Although this kind of plot makes for a ridiculous amount of angst - and in other similar themed novels, the angstometer was off the charts - Ms. Ullrich manages to keep things under a modicum of control and we didn't see the characters chewing up the scenery. This lent what I thought was a realistic portrayal of the dissolution of a relationship despite the fact that the two characters still loved one another - that day to day tribulations and all too human stubbornness and doubt can eat away at things without being noticed until it seems too late. 

I've always liked Ms Ullrich's writing style - its an easy and comfortable read but she adds a nice bit of originality and twists to keep me focused and engaged. The story line itself worked well - blending the drama and the romance to create a captivating novel. The characters of Gretchen and Jax are real and well grounded - both have their faults but there is an undeniable connection between the two that makes the reader root for them to make it work. Ullrich also takes the time to develop the secondary characters of Amanda and Caleb so that they are more than just stereotypes or foils for the main characters to play off. 

My main quibble with the book was in the structure - the first half is told primarily from Gretchens POV and there's a really jarring transition to Jax's POV and we re-live the key moments with some slight changes. It took me a bit to figure out what Ms Ullich was doing (at first I thought that someone inserted an older draft of the first part of the book), but then it started making a bit more sense. At first I hated it, then I liked it - it gives another layer to the relationship, as Gretchen gets a third chance and you see the minute changes that can make a large impact - but it all comes down to the women taking the chance small changes can make either big differences or not have an impact.

Overall, I'd recommend the book - well written, engaging characters, just enough angst and an interesting premise that makes you think.

What the Heart Remembers Most

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