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azelius's review against another edition
4.0
I did not expect to love this book so much!
It was funny, sad, wholesome and a lot of other great stuff.
I love that kind of book with a dash of fantastic in the real world. It makes me dream.
It was funny, sad, wholesome and a lot of other great stuff.
I love that kind of book with a dash of fantastic in the real world. It makes me dream.
lillian_francis's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars but rounded up because of my emotional response.
*Tissue alert* Yes, I cried. But not where I would have expected, however that is a problem I can't discuss without spoilers so I'll leave it there with the warning that you may need tissues when you least expect it.
Wow, that was great. It's a contemporary but it's not because it heads into the future, and starts in a present that isn't quite our own (unless nanites exist and no one has bothered to mention them to me). I have to confess I struggled with the first 15/20% as we jumped around in time, it gave everything a disconnect and I never truly felt the impact of Neil's death. I did, however, feel Joshua's grief. It was a tangible thing, as was Neil's frustration throughout his (second) childhood.
I loved all of the characters: grumpy Neil, Joshua in all his guises (innocent, grieving, happy, grieving, confused), sweet Lee (oh, Lee!), sex-mad Derek, campy Chris (oh how I want the story of how he snagged his farmer husband), and lovely, patient Alice.
Highly recommended.
*Tissue alert* Yes, I cried. But not where I would have expected, however that is a problem I can't discuss without spoilers so I'll leave it there with the warning that you may need tissues when you least expect it.
Wow, that was great. It's a contemporary but it's not because it heads into the future, and starts in a present that isn't quite our own (unless nanites exist and no one has bothered to mention them to me). I have to confess I struggled with the first 15/20% as we jumped around in time, it gave everything a disconnect and I never truly felt the impact of Neil's death. I did, however, feel Joshua's grief. It was a tangible thing, as was Neil's frustration throughout his (second) childhood.
I loved all of the characters: grumpy Neil, Joshua in all his guises (innocent, grieving, happy, grieving, confused), sweet Lee (oh, Lee!), sex-mad Derek, campy Chris (oh how I want the story of how he snagged his farmer husband), and lovely, patient Alice.
Highly recommended.
cadiva's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know how to review this book. I mean, there's so much I could say about it.
How it's about love in its truest sense, how it straddles the line between contemporary romance and Sci-Fi/Alternative Reality with consummate ease.
How Neil is a complex, frustrating, brilliantly drawn character and I wholeheartedly bought into his reincarnation and his epic love for Joshua.
I could weep for the sorrow and pain suffered by both men, rejoice at the bonus love story the reader is given with Joshua and Lee and I could explain about how it jumps between past, present and future without ever losing the narrative.
But what I will say is that Leta Blake has crafted an original and compelling novel which I never wanted to end.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
How it's about love in its truest sense, how it straddles the line between contemporary romance and Sci-Fi/Alternative Reality with consummate ease.
How Neil is a complex, frustrating, brilliantly drawn character and I wholeheartedly bought into his reincarnation and his epic love for Joshua.
I could weep for the sorrow and pain suffered by both men, rejoice at the bonus love story the reader is given with Joshua and Lee and I could explain about how it jumps between past, present and future without ever losing the narrative.
But what I will say is that Leta Blake has crafted an original and compelling novel which I never wanted to end.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
astudyinfic's review against another edition
5.0
Reincarnation love story! This is not a drill! I basically read this book straight through because once I started, I couldn't stop. It hit all the right notes and was just...perfect. *sigh*
susanscribs's review against another edition
3.0
Got this as a Kindle freebie, so I really can't complain. But this was just crazysauce bananas, and not in a good way. There weren't enough flashbacks to Joshua and Neil's initial relationship for me to feel invested in it, or to understand why Neil's soul (or whatever it was) was so powerfully drawn to be immediately reincarnated. Then the thought of a baby/child Neil with adult thoughts and feelings just made me think of Stewie from Family Guy - not the most romantic image TBH. I did like Joshua okay and poor doomed Lee , and the angsty scenes when the two MCs first encountered each other again were effective, but then they did nothing but have sex for pages and pages and pages, then boom it was all over.
Giving the book 3 stars instead of 2 because it kept me turning the (virtual) pages, but I don't know why I insist on reading this author's work when she is clearly not my cup of tea. YMMV if Neil-as-Stewie doesn't bother you, and you like entire chapters of explicit sex.
Giving the book 3 stars instead of 2 because it kept me turning the (virtual) pages, but I don't know why I insist on reading this author's work when she is clearly not my cup of tea. YMMV if Neil-as-Stewie doesn't bother you, and you like entire chapters of explicit sex.
georgiewhoissarahdrew's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
I haven't read many re-incarnation stories (not since Andrew Lang's [b:The World's Desire|3531292|The World's Desire |H. Rider Haggard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1259959333i/3531292._SY75_.jpg|2877110] - caveat lector) so perhaps "Any Given Lifetime" is full of re-incarnation tropes, but I enjoyed it a lot. Partly because I wanted to see how Neil & Joshua got together again, partly because the secondary characters (Joshua's husband Lee, Neil's second mother Alice) were drawn with sensitivity and care. A little quibble: Joshua was just a little under-characterised -- though in part that's because Neil, when he let loose, was exhilaratingly over-the-top.
The whole thing was neatly done.
I haven't read many re-incarnation stories (not since Andrew Lang's [b:The World's Desire|3531292|The World's Desire |H. Rider Haggard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1259959333i/3531292._SY75_.jpg|2877110] - caveat lector) so perhaps "Any Given Lifetime" is full of re-incarnation tropes, but I enjoyed it a lot. Partly because I wanted to see how Neil & Joshua got together again, partly because the secondary characters (Joshua's husband Lee, Neil's second mother Alice) were drawn with sensitivity and care. A little quibble: Joshua was just a little under-characterised -- though in part that's because Neil, when he let loose, was exhilaratingly over-the-top.
The whole thing was neatly done.
sitathereader's review against another edition
4.0
Neil and Joshua - a love that spans lifetimes.
It seems weird, that two men, who had only been together for a year would have such a deep and burning love. But they do, and the fact it lasts, that it still burns through the years shows why Neil would come back specifically for Joshua. Also, the first time round they didn't get to have their ending, and obviously, they need it, they have to have it.
It's a fascinating telling of two men, who are smart and rational and yet they believe so much in each other and their love that it can transcend their understanding of the world. It was beautiful.
And while their paths are separated for quite some time during the story, you can still see their connection beating steadily in the background. You can almost touch it.
Lee, Alice, Derek and the other characters in this story add depth, colour and dimension. They help shine light and understanding on Neil and Joshua . . . while also being unique to themselves.
Quite a brilliant read. Enjoyable, delightful and very entertaining.
It seems weird, that two men, who had only been together for a year would have such a deep and burning love. But they do, and the fact it lasts, that it still burns through the years shows why Neil would come back specifically for Joshua. Also, the first time round they didn't get to have their ending, and obviously, they need it, they have to have it.
It's a fascinating telling of two men, who are smart and rational and yet they believe so much in each other and their love that it can transcend their understanding of the world. It was beautiful.
And while their paths are separated for quite some time during the story, you can still see their connection beating steadily in the background. You can almost touch it.
Lee, Alice, Derek and the other characters in this story add depth, colour and dimension. They help shine light and understanding on Neil and Joshua . . . while also being unique to themselves.
Quite a brilliant read. Enjoyable, delightful and very entertaining.
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