Button Up for a fun Ride
I have to say that sometimes when requesting books on Netgalley I pick a book based on two things one being “oh the cover looks interesting” and “Oh an author that I keep seeing pop up on my Goodreads suggestion” This was both. Kate White is someone I have never read but I am so glad that I did because I enjoyed this very much. That being said let me tell you a little bit about the story. Imagine showing up to work in an office you haven't been to for five years. Then discovering you've 'missing' for two whole days and you have no memories of the time. Otherwise healthy, who can you trust? Ally Linden finds herself in the office of a former coworker and lover who is extremely surprised to see her - she has no purse or phone and appears disheveled. Then she passes out.

Waking up in the hospital, pieces of her life come back, but not anything from the past two days. She knows she needs help to rebuild her memories, but who can she trust? Her best friend, her husband, her therapist, her brother AND the ex-boyfriend all have differing perspectives on the two days and she even hires a private investigator. Desperate for answers, Ally tries to track where she spent the missing days, but every detail she unearths points to an explanation that’s increasingly ominous, and it’s clear someone wants to prevent her from learning where those forty-eight hours went. Along the way, she remembers something from her past that she's afraid has implications in a cold case murder, but what set off the memories? The key to her missing memories could bring relief—or unlock her worst nightmares. All and all this was a great read the last thirty percent goes so fast and the resolution to the story is very satisfying. Kate White is a new author to me but I will for sure be picking up anything new that I come across. Thank you Netgalley and all parties involved for my arc of this book. I apologize that my review was late that is more a timing issue then a book issue because this is a great read. ( )

Ally is a woman suffering from memory loss. When she arrives at work one morning, she’s shocked to find out that she hasn’t actually worked at this office for years. Somehow, she’s suffered a dissociative episode, and while the memories of the past eventually come flooding back, she still cannot remember anything that happened over the previous two days. Alarmed, she seeks out her therapist...her friends...her husband, trying to put the pieces together. There’s been tension in her marriage because her husband is pressuring her to have children, so when Ally finds out they had a fight the night before she “disappeared,” the root of her memory loss seems to be clear. However, there are still too many loose ends. Such as why were there bloody tissues in the pocket of her coat? What happened to her cellphone? Could any of this be related to a murder investigation from her childhood? Not sure who she can trust, Ally hires a private detective who also is murdered. One thing is for certain...someone is willing to go to great lengths to prevent Ally from recovering her memory. The author provides the twists and shocks that any reader of domestic thrillers expects, but she also manages to use some of our expectations to create clever dead ends. Ally’s need for self-discovery has an immediacy, of course, but also a larger resonance, as she begins to realize that she hasn’t always made choices that are completely authentic or independent. Perhaps recovering her memory will be the first step in a larger quest to find herself. Overall, this is an engaging, cleverly written novel that will engage and entertain most, if not all, mystery lovers. ( )

This book dragged along at a glacial pace, which is unfortunate, because the premise excited me. It finally picked up near the end, but by then, I was incensed and just glad that there was some sort of conclusion. By “some sort”, I mean that the mystery was solved, but there was so much going on near the end that the excitement and drama of the resolution was watered down.

The writing was also mediocre, the prose was peppered with tired cliches, overused idioms, and an adjective overload. It reads like a Lifetime movie with B-list actors whose lines all fall flat. Dialogue between characters via text or email used a vernacular that wasn’t natural or common in the age group that was being represented. It was like a parent trying to be “hip” and sound like their kids.

With better editing, this could have been so much better. ( )

A very quick read so enjoyable if you aren't looking for anything very complicated. This was a story of a women who loses her memory over the period of a couple of days and works to piece everything back together. It had a quick pace and a good twist at the end. ( )

I'm still new to Kate White but she did get my attention with the opening of this novel and the subject matter of fugue. ( )