Always Remember — Book Review
A gripping psychological thriller by Cathryn Grant
Kelly never thought her father-in-law would take his last breath in her home sauna while recovering from a double bypass. She never thought her mother-in-law would move in with them indefinitely. She never thought a day would come when her children would prefer the company of her mother-in-law over her. She never thought her husband would allow his mother to come between their seemingly perfect relationship. But since when has what we thought ever happened?
Kelly is a smart and beautiful woman with a loving husband, Wyatt, and twin sons, Nick and Sam. When her father-in-law, Frank, suffers a heart attack and has to go through a double bypass, she opens the doors of her home for her in-laws. She takes care of them and makes it her mission to nurse Frank back to health. But one morning, when she goes into his room with breakfast, he’s not in bed. She searches the entire house, but he’s nowhere to be found. Now, there’s only one place left to be checked — the sauna. But why would he go into the sauna when the doctors had clearly instructed him not to do so? Why would he put his life in danger? He always did what he wanted, but this would be a whole new level of carelessness, even for him. When she finally ventures into the sauna, she is met with the blank eyes and deathly pale face of her father-in-law. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She started screaming her head off. At first, she didn’t wake anyone while searching for Frank, as she didn’t want to worry anyone. Now, she didn’t care! When Wyatt and her mother-in-law, Louise, come outside to see what was wrong, their faces immediately went from shock to horror. They all were shocked, but there was one question none of them had an answer to — how did Frank die? Why would he go inside the sauna when he was clearly warned against it? Was it just his negligence or did somebody kill him?
I don’t have words to express how much I loved this book, Always Remember by Cathryn Grant. Well, suffice it to say, I will definitely always remember, as I just couldn’t put it down! This story had everything that keeps the reader’s eyes glued to the novel. This psychological thriller would take you on a roller coaster ride where you wouldn’t be able to decide whether to scream, cry, or bang your head against the wall! You’ll know who was in the wrong from the start, but you’ll be unable to do anything about it because…you are a mere spectator! Duh!? Sometimes, I felt like screaming at the characters to open their eyes and see what’s going on. At one point, I even wanted to throw my slipper at Wyatt’s head to tell him to stop being a mama’s boy and just man up. I felt the frustration, the anger, the hate; it was all so palpable. My heart broke for Kelly. She suffered so much seeing Louise take over her house, husband, and even her children while she was unable to do anything. The thing I liked the most about her was her fighting spirit. She fought tooth and nail to retain her place in her house. She shouldn’t have to, but she did. She loved her husband and children fiercely and was ready to do anything to protect them.
The book’s ending for me was the most satisfying (talk about poetic justice)! I don’t think there was a more fitting punishment for this particular evil character. The character was so manipulative and evil that they would have made a saint throw a fit! Though I understood why they were doing that, I would still admit it was a whole new level of messed up. So when justice was met, it felt adequate. It was stepping-onto-the-squares-without-stepping-on-the-line satisfying! You know what I mean, right?
Anyway, I would recommend this book to people who like psychological thrillers. Also, a word of caution — please wear a cap or maybe a wig, so you don’t pull all your real hair out while reading this novel! Obviously, I mean it in a good way. For me, this novel deserves 5 out of 5 stars because it fully delivered what it had promised!
Also, I am grateful that NetGalley provided me with an ARC. The book is going to be published on 17th October 2021, but you can pre-order it now. I am sure you will not regret it! Or maybe you will if you dare read it without wearing a cap or a wig!
