ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – The Echoes of Us by Emma Steele

The Echoes of Us by Emma Steele will be published by Mountain Leopard Press on 6th June in hardcover, eBook and audiobook. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.

Robbie and Jenn are meant to be. They’ve finally reconciled after eight months spent apart and both know that, this time, it’s forever.

But forever might not be as long as they think.

As a truck hurtles towards their car on their way home, Robbie is thrown back into Jenn’s past and he finds himself spectator in the most important moments of her life: golden moments from her childhood and heart-breaking ones from her teenage years; her exhausting time at med school and just where she’s been for the last eight months. But he may find more than he bargained for…

Can Robbie right the wrongs in their past? Can he get to the bottom of what drove Jenn away eight months ago? Most importantly, can he change their present in order to save their future?

The Echoes of Us was a book I knew I had to read as soon as I read the synopsis. A tale of a great love and a kind of time travel and that was me sold.

Robbie and Jenn are meant to be together but their relationship has had some ups and downs and they separated for a while. Now reunited and travelling together in a car, in the split second before a truck is about to hit their car Robbie is thrown back in time to witness sometimes seemingly fairly inconsequential, but actually pivotal moments in Jenn’s life. In doing so, Robbie learns not only a lot about Jenn that he didn’t know, but also a lot about himself, his behaviour and why he and Jenn had to spend time apart.

This book is definitely inspired by One Day in setting and characterisations (I went on the same journey with Robbie as I went on with Dex from that book). I really liked how the travelling through Jenn’s memories device was used to tell the story of not just Jenn and Robbie’s relationship, but also Jenn’s life before she met him and how events from her childhood shaped everything that happened next.

This character-driven novel kept me interested all the way through. It’s a well-written debut with convincing protagonists and a compelling storyline. It illustrates how our own memories differ from those of another person who witnessed the same events or situation, how we’re all different and we’re just making the best of our voyage through life. I wasn’t quite prepared for or expecting the ending and I’m still not entirely sure what to make of it, but on the whole this is a charming and heart-breaking love story that I really enjoyed reading.

Emma Steele is an Edinburgh-based solicitor and writer, who has always enjoyed big love stories and exciting thrillers. When Emma’s not reading or writing, she’s spending time with her husband, two children and excitable pup, Sunshine. The Echoes of Us in her debut novel.

You can find her on Instagram @emmasteeleauthor and www.emmasteeleauthor.com.