Remember Us

by Vida Li Sik

Broken hearts. Can she get back what she lost?

Alcohol never hurt her career, but it destroyed her family.
Now sober, Paula lives with regret at the havoc she caused her ex-husband and now-estranged daughter. They haven’t forgiven her. Paula knows that’s true when Emma plans to get married and neither she nor Jonah tells her. As she struggles to piece together the wreckage of her life, groveling might be her saving grace. But will it be enough?

Jonah carries emotional scars from his turbulent marriage. He returns home after spending three years in Australia. All he wants is peace and to look for new career opportunities. When circumstances force him to “play house” with Paula once more, unwanted feelings of love resurface.

Can he trust she’s changed, or will she break his heart once more?

If you like romances about imperfect, ordinary men and women who are slightly older, and who deserve a second chance at love, then this sweet, second-chance romance is for you.

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 28, 2022

About the author

Vida Li Sik is a wife, mother, award-winning journalist and multi-genre author. She grew up in a small town, Nigel, in sunny South Africa, and now lives with her family in Johannesburg, the City of Gold. She has no pets and has yet to find a weird and wonderful hobby. In the meantime, she loves to write about people, real ones and imagined.

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This South African novella gives the reader an insight into Emma’s mum, Paula, and her journey of battling alcoholism and the strewn path of broken relationships.

So much angst, heartbreak and yet major healing comes as Paula faces up to many regrets in her life.

Jonah continues to be there for his daughter Emma as she battles much anger and we hear more of his thoughts about various situations that are encountered in this story.

Definitely would recommend reading both book one, Remember Me, and book two, Remember When, first to give the full background before approaching this book.

There is a word used often by Jonah and others that this reader would’ve preferred it wasn’t there. Only slight mention of faith given by the character Alice.

Received this is as an Advanced Reader Copy and this is my own opinion.

[Coffeebreakwhatever · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was okay . A woman who finally realizes her alcoholic tendencies were what destroyed her marriage and estranged her from her daughter, finally "gets it" and goes to AA meeting to try to make things right. I know going through the steps is an emotional issue, however, I didn't get much emotion from the characters. Everything seemed quick and easy. Paula had 40 days 'vacation" from her job of which she used to straighten up. And it went on for maybe another 2 months time. Then... apologies to all, apologies accepted by all, and all is now fine in the family. I think recovering from alcoholism is just too much of an issue to be addressed in a shorter story this was. Never was there a setback or a re-occurrence... literally, everything she did worked out fine. Not that that can't happen, but the story makes it sound like recovering from alcoholism is a quick and easy thing to do and it isn't. I also thought that the "history" of what had happened was rather awkward and jumbled when it was talked about at the beginning of the book. I was confused as to who did what and why etc. What happened between her and her daughter was eventually revealed but what happened between her and her husband was not as I still don't know the story as to why they divorced. I also never figured out where they were - Australia, Africa or USA.

[Milla Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remember Us grabbed my attention because it's a marriage restoration romance where one character's alcohol addiction has played a role in the breakdown of her family relationships.

I love romance where the characters grapple with life's hard realities, and this story fully delivers. Paula has a long way to go to find her happily ever after, needing to climb out of the bottle and make amends with all the people she hurt in the past. Jonah washed his hands of his wife after her despicable actions. But after circumstances force them together, he has to decide whether he can risk letting her into his heart again.

Vida has a wonderful way with words, and I enjoyed this book as much for the story itself as for the creative ways she phrases things.

After I started reading, I realised that this book is interconnected with the first two in the series. Despite that, it stands well on its own, and I never felt confused about what was going on. In fact, I appreciated the sense of depth that came with knowing other significant things had happened to these characters.

I've visited South Africa before, and felt I was back there with the strong sense of setting and culture.

I highly recommend this book to readers who like wholesome romance with a faith thread. I'll be reading a lot more from this author.

[Vida Sik]

Does she deserve a second shot at love and family?
Meet Paula, a mother who did not hesitate to separate her daughter from the man she loved. She has messed up and the wreckage of her broken relationships is strewn all over the city.
Now remorseful, she wants to get back into her daughter's life. Emma doesn't trust her mother's motives, and neither does Paula's ex-husband, Jonah. Has she really quit drinking or is this just another ploy to wiggle her way back into their lives?
When they get to share a house once more, old feelings start to stir between Jonah and Paula. He's cautious because she's not given him much reason to believe that she needs him in her life.
Can they rebuild their love on the trail of her broken relationships?
This is a story about hope, forgiveness, and unconditional love. If you love stories about mature couples who deserve a second shot at love, then this book is for you.
This book is the third book in the Remember series and can be read on its own. The first book in the series, Remember Me, tells Emma's side of the story and is useful to read for background.

[LaRae Galloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much hurt and then forgiveness and healing made this book very heartfelt! A good story with reminders of what's really important in life! I received an ARC copy and chose to leave

[D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is based around a difficult subject: alcoholism. This is a really great book that deals with such a very difficult subject within marriage. This was a really great story to read.