by Elizabeth (link)
Genre cest, drama/angst, suspense, romance
Pairings Avery/Carrick, Avery/OMC, Isaac/Nikki, Taylor/Avery, Taylor/Natalie, Zac/Avery, Zac/Avery/Taylor, Zac/OFC, Zaylor
Length 26 chapters
Status Completed (part of the Stay series)
If you didn’t like The Broken One, you’re frankly not very likely to enjoy its sequel, Live In My Memory. If you weren’t entirely put off by the het cest thing, though, you might just find something different to enjoy in this sequel.
What could there be to write after Zac is dead and Avery has made some peace with that fact? As it turns out, quite a lot. For the first few chapters, I wasn’t in love with the story, since I still didn’t care for Carrick or Taylor, or the fact that Avery now has a daughter with Taylor as well. But soon Elizabeth starts dropping hints of something strange, hints that I can guess at but never quite figure out.
The truth turns out to be something close to one of my guesses, but still interesting enough to keep me on the edge of my seat. It’s yet another example of Elizabeth’s ability to leave herself enough dangling threads to weave together different plots with, as I’ve since learned that she didn’t intend for the story to go down the path it went down at all. In a lot of cases, that would annoy me, but with Live In My Memory, the surprise twist feels completely planned.
A little spinoff reveals the perspective of a new, original character who discovers Zac’s biggest secret before the rest of his family–that he has actually faked his death–and fills in a few gaps. Even without reading it, the way Zac’s return and his relationship with Taylor is revealed works wonderfully. Some of what happens afterward, including the final confrontation with that original character and Zac’s brief relationship with another woman, is a bit rushed. Even the ending, which brings in a few other characters’ perspectives, including Avery’s daughter, is a bit abrupt, but overall the impact of the story isn’t affected much and Live In My Memory is still a good addition to the series.
Review by Bethany (website)