I really loved the premise of this story. Ellie & Drake, engaged and planning their upcoming wedding (mostly Drake), they come across an old theater late one night when out on a walk. They enter the theater and buy tickets. The tickets were given to them in a pack of 10 for 10 different visits. That first night they discover the uniqueness of this theater since it shows them their own memories from their childhood. If they come back every Saturday night at midnight, they will be able to enter the theater to see more of their memories - up to nine more visits. Initially, Drake really wants nothing to do with it. Ellie, who had something tragic happen to her in her past that she can't really remember, wants to find out what happened.
As Ellie and Drake continue to go to the theater on Saturdays at midnight, significant events from their lives are unveiled. There are some Saturdays that they skip (because it's too hard, for one or both of them.) They each realize that they don't know as much about each other as they thought. They are both keeping secrets - or at least not sharing important facts about their lives. Ellie never dealt with her tragic event and has a trauma history she can't seem to work through. Well, she never really tried, honestly. She had a lot of one night stands, leaving quickly in the middle of the night without saying goodbye. This is difficult for Drake to watch. Meanwhile, Drake had a long-term committed relationship with a woman (Melinda) that he wanted to marry. In fact, he had actually proposed to her. Drake never shared this with Ellie and Ellie becomes obsessed with Melinda and her prior relationship with Drake.
As the Saturday nights progress and Drake and Ellie are forced to acknowledge their pasts, they also try to figure out their future together. They find out a lot about themselves along the way. Ellie blames herself for something that was out of her control. Drake discovers that he is repeating his past actions with Melinda in present day with Ellie. This, of course, is extremely upsetting to Ellie. She doesn't want to be a "second Melinda" and she questions whether it's Melinda that Drake really wants to be with. It doesn't help that Melinda still sees Drake's mother socially.
I think it would be really hard to watch your past actions on the big screen with your future spouse! It takes a maturity that many people wouldn't have to work through all the discoveries and move beyond them. This book definitely underscores the importance of working through hard things in your life so that it doesn't impact the rest of your life negatively. Very interesting book!
Wendy's Rating: ****
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