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The Memory Foundation: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 26 May 26320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 19, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.
Tash is trying to juggle single parenting, making time to see her mother (suffering from dementia) in a care home, and keeping her job and profession going. She receives a potential story on a facility called The Memory Foundation, their mission dedicated to restoring memories and change the future for patients suffering from dementia. She jumps at the chance to meet with the informant, and after months of sporadic communication, Tash sets out to find this place on her own.
This book is dual POV, one for Tash, and one for Lydia. I can’t say much more as it can spoil it. But a couple chapters in and I already had an inkling on what the twist might be. That’s neither good or bad. Predictable for me, but still interesting. The concept is very fascinating I will say, the whole idea of restoring memory. The book did not dwell too long on the specifics and science, and im not very well versed in this field so I didn’t mind.
The characters are not likable. That’s fine, but they were also not relatable. Tash seems to be all over the place, and her interactions with Ro left me very annoyed. Her insistence at trying to do everything is mind boggling. She just had a baby and is trying to convince everyone she can travel to a place in the middle of nowhere, while she has no idea what’s gonna happen to her baby. Also her mother is basically dying. She has no money. I don’t have kids so I guess it makes sense I don’t understand her train of thought.
Strong and good premise, but felt a bit underwhelming.
Tash is trying to juggle single parenting, making time to see her mother (suffering from dementia) in a care home, and keeping her job and profession going. She receives a potential story on a facility called The Memory Foundation, their mission dedicated to restoring memories and change the future for patients suffering from dementia. She jumps at the chance to meet with the informant, and after months of sporadic communication, Tash sets out to find this place on her own.
This book is dual POV, one for Tash, and one for Lydia. I can’t say much more as it can spoil it. But a couple chapters in and I already had an inkling on what the twist might be. That’s neither good or bad. Predictable for me, but still interesting. The concept is very fascinating I will say, the whole idea of restoring memory. The book did not dwell too long on the specifics and science, and im not very well versed in this field so I didn’t mind.
The characters are not likable. That’s fine, but they were also not relatable. Tash seems to be all over the place, and her interactions with Ro left me very annoyed. Her insistence at trying to do everything is mind boggling. She just had a baby and is trying to convince everyone she can travel to a place in the middle of nowhere, while she has no idea what’s gonna happen to her baby. Also her mother is basically dying. She has no money. I don’t have kids so I guess it makes sense I don’t understand her train of thought.
Strong and good premise, but felt a bit underwhelming.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Memories, secrets, and lies in a snowbound facility in the Swiss Alps! "The Memory Foundation" by Amanda West is an original, atmospheric psychological thriller with a touch of sci-fi set in the Swiss Alps. The story alternates between two women: a single mom and a woman suffering from amnesia, whose storylines collide.
Meet Natasha Walker, an investigative journalist and a struggling single mom. When she hears of a facility that promises a cure for memory loss, she becomes desperate to investigate after losing her mom to dementia and her job.
Meet Lydia Hunter, a woman who lost her memory due to an accident. She and her husband, Wade, a scientist and the founder of the Memory Foundation, live in a remote mountainous facility. Needing funds, they open the facility to an exclusive group of wealthy guests, promising them the chance to experience a “memory flight” that will allow them to relive precious memories. Tensions rise as snow hits the area, leaving them trapped in the snowbound facility — and not everyone will come out unscathed.
I enjoyed the story very much. It was well written for the most part, despite some choppy sentences here and there, and the claustrophobic atmosphere was very effective. While I guessed the big twist, others caught me by surprise. I found Natasha too thoughtless and reckless, Lydia too submissive, and Wade too controlling. The description of the mad scientist fits him to a T. Some of the minor characters felt superficial, but it didn't detract from the tale.
The focus is more on the psychological aspect than the sci-fi one, but that worked for me. The book explores AI, the demands of motherhood on a working mom, gaslighting, identity, trauma, moral conflicts, and memory. I found Natasha's sections less engaging and a bit slower; I enjoyed Lydia's sections more. Natasha's conduct irritated me at times.
Overall, this book was one of the most original tales I have read, and I recommend it. As I enjoyed it, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. If you are into psychological thrillers that make you think and enjoy an eerie, snow globe–like setting, this is definitely a book for you.
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2026...
Meet Natasha Walker, an investigative journalist and a struggling single mom. When she hears of a facility that promises a cure for memory loss, she becomes desperate to investigate after losing her mom to dementia and her job.
Meet Lydia Hunter, a woman who lost her memory due to an accident. She and her husband, Wade, a scientist and the founder of the Memory Foundation, live in a remote mountainous facility. Needing funds, they open the facility to an exclusive group of wealthy guests, promising them the chance to experience a “memory flight” that will allow them to relive precious memories. Tensions rise as snow hits the area, leaving them trapped in the snowbound facility — and not everyone will come out unscathed.
I enjoyed the story very much. It was well written for the most part, despite some choppy sentences here and there, and the claustrophobic atmosphere was very effective. While I guessed the big twist, others caught me by surprise. I found Natasha too thoughtless and reckless, Lydia too submissive, and Wade too controlling. The description of the mad scientist fits him to a T. Some of the minor characters felt superficial, but it didn't detract from the tale.
The focus is more on the psychological aspect than the sci-fi one, but that worked for me. The book explores AI, the demands of motherhood on a working mom, gaslighting, identity, trauma, moral conflicts, and memory. I found Natasha's sections less engaging and a bit slower; I enjoyed Lydia's sections more. Natasha's conduct irritated me at times.
Overall, this book was one of the most original tales I have read, and I recommend it. As I enjoyed it, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars. If you are into psychological thrillers that make you think and enjoy an eerie, snow globe–like setting, this is definitely a book for you.
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2026...
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Memory Foundation delivers exactly what thriller readers show up for and then pushes it further into eerie, speculative territory. An isolated snowy facility. Avalanche warnings hanging in the background. A powerful organization promising to unlock, preserve, and possibly control human memory. Yes please. The story alternates between investigative journalist Natasha Walker, a new mother desperate for a career saving story, and Lydia Hunter, the wife of founder Wade Hunter. Together, their perspectives peel back the glossy promise of a breakthrough. The Memory Foundation claims it can capture and preserve a person’s memories before they disappear, allowing them to be experienced again in vivid detail. Marketed as hope for dementia patients, this technology promises to safeguard identity by holding onto the moments that shape who we are. But if memories can be stored, they can also be filtered, softened, or erased. What begins as compassionate science quietly raises a more dangerous possibility. If you can control memory, you can control how someone understands their past and ultimately who they become.
Tash needs this story. Her mother is fading from dementia, her career is teetering, and Wade Hunter is guarding the kind of scientific advancement that could change everything. When a mysterious Patient A offers her a way inside, the tension starts simmering immediately. The secrecy. The paranoia. The sense that she is being watched. Patient A refuses to give real answers yet somehow feels connected to Tash in a way that raises more questions than it resolves. What follows is a locked room style thriller wrapped in speculative science, morally gray ambition, and psychological tension that keeps tightening.
This is the kind of speculative thriller that feels both chilling and addictive. Memory experiments. Ethical lines being crossed. Characters carrying secrets heavy enough to bury them. The hype makes sense. Amanda West has been making noise, and this one shows us why. The concept is smart, the atmosphere is claustrophobic, and you will question what happens if this sort of technology becomes available, because controlling memory is not just about healing the past. It is about rewriting the future, and that is where things get dangerous.
Tash needs this story. Her mother is fading from dementia, her career is teetering, and Wade Hunter is guarding the kind of scientific advancement that could change everything. When a mysterious Patient A offers her a way inside, the tension starts simmering immediately. The secrecy. The paranoia. The sense that she is being watched. Patient A refuses to give real answers yet somehow feels connected to Tash in a way that raises more questions than it resolves. What follows is a locked room style thriller wrapped in speculative science, morally gray ambition, and psychological tension that keeps tightening.
This is the kind of speculative thriller that feels both chilling and addictive. Memory experiments. Ethical lines being crossed. Characters carrying secrets heavy enough to bury them. The hype makes sense. Amanda West has been making noise, and this one shows us why. The concept is smart, the atmosphere is claustrophobic, and you will question what happens if this sort of technology becomes available, because controlling memory is not just about healing the past. It is about rewriting the future, and that is where things get dangerous.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an eARC of The Memory Foundation in exchange for my honest review!
This premise had drawn me in immediately, but unfortunately, the execution proves to be quite underwhelming. This had the potential to create something that brims with psychological suspense and wrap us up in these characters' headspace while they're dealing with the advanced technology at this mountainous facility. It could have gone for a real mindfuck. But instead, it makes the odd choice of restraining itself from deeply exploring that territory, and this leaves it to drag along with characters in whom I struggle to become invested. Sure, I can appreciate the claustrophobic atmosphere that traps me in this terrifying and isolating wilderness alongside these unfortunate individuals, but this isn't enough to compensate for how flatly the rest of the narrative comes across.
All in all, I'm officially rating The Memory Foundation 2.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to two stars. I'm always up for a sci-fi thriller, and I wish this one could have been more riveting.
This premise had drawn me in immediately, but unfortunately, the execution proves to be quite underwhelming. This had the potential to create something that brims with psychological suspense and wrap us up in these characters' headspace while they're dealing with the advanced technology at this mountainous facility. It could have gone for a real mindfuck. But instead, it makes the odd choice of restraining itself from deeply exploring that territory, and this leaves it to drag along with characters in whom I struggle to become invested. Sure, I can appreciate the claustrophobic atmosphere that traps me in this terrifying and isolating wilderness alongside these unfortunate individuals, but this isn't enough to compensate for how flatly the rest of the narrative comes across.
All in all, I'm officially rating The Memory Foundation 2.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to two stars. I'm always up for a sci-fi thriller, and I wish this one could have been more riveting.
December 3, 2025
A fairly original and surprising twist is insufficient to save an otherwise uncoordinated story. West assembles the building blocks of a great techno-thriller, but populates it with unlikeable characters who speak in unconvincing, exclamation point ridden run-on sentences. The story is buttressed by the premise of the remote research facility turned retreat and the history-making secret it protects, but the actual science is fuzzy. The project itself becomes cloudier rather than more concrete as the details are revealed, but the overall mad scientist vibe is transparent from the first page. The author is clearly familiar with the ingredients for a good thriller, so a future effort may get the recipe right.
Watch the swinging pendulum, you're getting sleepy--you'll be glad to forget The Memory Foundation. Try a Taylor Adams or Will Dean if you're looking for thrills.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.
Watch the swinging pendulum, you're getting sleepy--you'll be glad to forget The Memory Foundation. Try a Taylor Adams or Will Dean if you're looking for thrills.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for the Arc of this title.
The Memory Foundation is a dual POV story of two women and a place called the Memory Foundation. Advertised as an organization with goals to help dementia patients, the Memory Foundation is run by its founder, Wade Hunter. Investigative journalist Natasha (Tash) sets her sights on finding out as much as she can about the foundation to help her mother remember who she is. Lydia, Wade's wife, is a survivor of an accident who lost all of her memories before Wade found her in the snow outside of the foundation. The two women's stories collide when lies and secrets start to come out.
Over all, this book was just meh for me. I figured out the big 'twist' really quickly, and I just didn't care about any of the characters. I wanted more of the science aspect of this, or more of how the memory pods worked, or even to see the POV of someone while they are in the pod. A great idea, not very well executed.
The Memory Foundation is a dual POV story of two women and a place called the Memory Foundation. Advertised as an organization with goals to help dementia patients, the Memory Foundation is run by its founder, Wade Hunter. Investigative journalist Natasha (Tash) sets her sights on finding out as much as she can about the foundation to help her mother remember who she is. Lydia, Wade's wife, is a survivor of an accident who lost all of her memories before Wade found her in the snow outside of the foundation. The two women's stories collide when lies and secrets start to come out.
Over all, this book was just meh for me. I figured out the big 'twist' really quickly, and I just didn't care about any of the characters. I wanted more of the science aspect of this, or more of how the memory pods worked, or even to see the POV of someone while they are in the pod. A great idea, not very well executed.
December 17, 2025
Such an interesting idea and an eerie, isolated setting carried this one for me! The ideas around memory and control were so good, but the story never quite dug as deep as I hoped. Some twists felt predictable too. A solid, atmospheric read — just not unforgettable. ✨
Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda West, and Crooked Lane Books for an opportunity to read this ARC!
*** ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ***
Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda West, and Crooked Lane Books for an opportunity to read this ARC!
*** ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ***
February 28, 2026
2.5⭐️ rounded up
This had potential but honestly 80% of the book was just flat and boring. No plot whatsoever. It was fast paced but slow. I expected this to be different.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This had potential but honestly 80% of the book was just flat and boring. No plot whatsoever. It was fast paced but slow. I expected this to be different.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
November 12, 2025
[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Memory Foundation releases May 26, 2026
Nestled in a remote alpine setting, is a tech-based medical research facility that focuses on memory loss.
Unfortunately for me, the big plot twist wasn’t really a twist at all. Having just read a dystopian book with an identical approach in navigating timelines and character identities, it was quite easy to spot the red herrings and predict the entire storyline within the first 12%.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Memory Foundation releases May 26, 2026
Nestled in a remote alpine setting, is a tech-based medical research facility that focuses on memory loss.
Unfortunately for me, the big plot twist wasn’t really a twist at all. Having just read a dystopian book with an identical approach in navigating timelines and character identities, it was quite easy to spot the red herrings and predict the entire storyline within the first 12%.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews