The House of Memories by Monica McInernney

ISBN: 978-0-451-46653-2 (pnk.)

published: 2012

read: forgot to write it down - 3/2/2014

Barnes and noble, i have  a new deep found love for you!

i got this book on 2/22 when i went to see About Last Night since there was a B&N right across from the theater. i had like $30 somethin' of b&N gift card monies to waste so i went crazy. 

as i was browsing around i was finding it to be a reallllyyy  hard time to commit to a $15 book. cuz $15 is a lot. specially when you're gambling on an author you've never heard of. 

as i made my way to the young adult section, they had this "new on paperback" table so as i was looking i found this book and i picked it up instantly based on the cover! i mean look at it!!!? its frigging cute! (I'm going through a floral phase!) 

i read the back and i was thinking to myself "hmmmm.....what could a step-sister and husband have done to cause her to run away!?" 

answer: NOT what you think. 

so i picked it up walked around and as much as i tried to leave it, i couldn't. i sucked it up and took it with me. 

time to pay.....it wasn't $15.99. it was $9.99!!!!!!! i was eggcited!!!

PS: i truly don't see what the image in the cover has to do with the story itself but I'm glad they used it because a) i love the cover & b) i loved the story (yes, i know. i say that all the time....what can i say, I'm a lover!)

okay to the point!

Months after the tragic accident, Ella ends up in London at her Uncle Lucas' house after she has ran for months from her family and the 2 people she blames for the accident, Aidan her husband and Jess her step sister.  she hopes to somewhat find a home in her uncles house. 

Lucas, her father's brother, has always loved Ella as his own since they met when she was a young child. Ever since then they have always kept in touch and she's always considered him closer to her than even her own mother. 

Now that she has ran out of options, she chooses to go to his home to help her heal. 

when she arrives, she arrives to the same home she has always know; messy but clean underneath it all. but it happens to unravel lots of things she was choosing to forget and not hear. 

as always, below are the spoilers. 

read ahead with caution!!! although, to be honest, i didn't spoil much!

Ella: 

• mother to Felix. who passed away 20 months ago (not a huge spoiler because its clear from the beginning.)
• accuses her husband for the passing of their son. she thinks its his fault which is why she leaves.....which i mean, i don't think it was. 
• does not get along with her step sister Jess. even though by step sister i mean she was there from the moment her mom was pregnant not like she was 5 years old already when they met.

so much to say about Ella and i don't even know where to start!

Charlie: 

• Ella's step brother. 
• tries to hold everyone together. 
• always updating everyone about his family with his weekly emails!
• although, whats up with his wife? he always talks about her and emails her after every family email but she never really makes an appearance. just a few here and there (if that's what you can call it.)

what a freaking sweetheart this guy is!!!

Jess: 

• step sister to both Charlie & Ella. 
• spooooiled. well not so much as spoiled but yea basically pampered. 
• leaves to London to live out her dream and that's when it all starts unraveling. 
• besides being the "annoyingly perfect" step sister. there is another reason Ella cant stand her. I'm sure you can do the math. 

i hate how they made her character act like a 16 year old. 

it wasn't until she started revealing more of herself in her "dear diary" entries that she was becoming a little bit clearer but even then....

Lucas: 

• Ella's dad's brother. 
• asks Ella to search his home for stolen goods that are missing from homes that the tutors visit weekly. (she finds it funny considering that when she first met him she was trying to steal his fox. funny because their last name is Fox.
• is having a love affair with Henrietta. his college sweetheart. what i find sooooo funny about this is that Henrietta is in fact married. she is married to one of their mutual friends and while they have been married for quite sometime they both (husband & wife) chose to have affairs. simply because Henrietta is a gold digging witch! she didn't accept Luca's marriage proposal because she knew he had no "future" making money or an "honest" name out of himself while her husband was one of those hot shot work all the time guys. i just love that scene in chapter 37 (you'll know which one) where they're all sitting at the coffee table and Henrietta's husband says: "what will we ever do with her Lucas?" (or something like that!) like basically they both acknowledge that she is no position to say or ask anything of them because in a way they both support her and if she fidgets, she's screwed. 

i loved his character. what a humble guy. i love that he's all dedicated to his work and his home no matter how "dirty and messy" people say it is. nor how much the love of his life Henrietta wants him to sell it.

Aidan: 

• Ella's husband; Felix's father. 
• met Ella as a student in Lucas' home. 
• fluent in 4 different languages.

i loved Aidan. he wasn't as much in the book as Ella (or any other character) talked about him. and i wish he was. 

i think my favorite scene of his was when Ella was talking about how he reacted when she told him she was pregnant.

other characters: the 4 tutors, Ella's mom, step dad, Ben and his friends. 

but ill let you read about em on you own!

i wouldn't really call this a spoiler but...SPOILERS OVER!

there's a lot that i left out. 

so believe me even if you read my "spoilers" you're still missing a lot of info because i chose to leave A LOT of it out!!! 

take a read and let me know what you think!!

i looooved this book!

if you've read the book let me know what you think. 
thanks for reading! (:

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.  It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT