Review: The Memories of Misty by Amelia Keldan

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☆☆➹⁀☆ 3.5 stars ☆➹⁀☆☆

What It’s About:

Joan Goodfellow is focused on her career, her lover and making money.

Until the day she remembers Misty.

A stranger’s wild and whimsical musings begin to invade Joan’s mind

– fighting for dominance over her own ordered and sensible thoughts. As she falls down a rabbit hole filled with strange and yet somehow familiar recollections, Joan finds herself struggling to hold onto her sanity.

Her closest friend suspects a mystical reason for Joan’s behaviour, her loving boyfriend blames a decline in her mental health. Joan herself does not know what to think as her self esteem erodes and her grip on reality becomes weaker with every passing moment.

Who is Misty…and why is she suddenly affecting every aspect of Joan’s mundane and predictable life?

Guest Reviewer Frannie’s Thoughts:

The story is a light and fun read. My main criticism is that it is a bit too predictable and the sentence-level writing could be more concise. There are a lot of adverbs and adjectives describing the same emotion. Having said that, it is an easy and entertaining read. The story and its plot is enjoyable, and it’s something you would like to read on a lazy Sunday at the beach or in your living room.

Our heroine Joan Goodfellow is a very meticulous woman driven by her career and what others think of her. Level-headed and ambitious, she has all of her ducks in a row. Her fiancé Damon is also very determined and driven about the future. Their life together is steadfast and safe.

The beginning of the book starts very strong with Joan’s mother dying in a car accident in the first chapter. We don’t really know or understand the relationship with Joan and her mother, and we never find out much more. All we really know is that the woman who died is her mother… or so Joan thinks. This truth is all thrown into question when Joan meets another woman who claims to be her real mother, and the woman’s actions throw Joan’s life into a tailspin. Joan starts acting unpredictably. All of the characters are taken by surprise by the change in her, but Damon especially does not know how to handle this new woman.

The plot has a funny 60’s twist, featuring cults, adoption and a “hippy”-like existence. It is entertaining to watch Joan learn how to deal with a new world that is completely out of her understanding. As the story develops, the reader even learns that Joan’s best friend is actually her half sister.

I wish there were more depth in the characters and the story line. The reasoning behind why Joan is the way she is and where she comes from is not truly laid out for the reader. We also never really understand why Joan is in love, and why has she chosen to be with Damon? The fact that he is Asian comes into the story, with a little relevance. But why is Damon in love with Joan? How did they meet? What keeps them together? I wanted more backstory to their relationship and her personality.

This book was a quick, pleasant and light read, making for a good story overall.

About the Author: Amelia Keldan is a women’s fiction writer who loves vintage clothing, furniture and second hand stores. She is a full time mother and lives in Australia. She is preparing to release another novel in 2019 entitled The Arrival of Amber.