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beanqueen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, and Self harm
rusereviews's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
(4.5 rounded up to a 5)
Twice in a Lifetime by Melissa Baron is a solid debut speculative romance featuring time shenanigans. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at around ten hours and is narrated by Megan Tusing.
To help ease her chronic anxiety, Isla moves from Chicago to a small town in Missouri. After buying a cottage about an hour outside of St. Louis, she receives a text from a man claiming to be her husband, complete with a photo of them on their wedding day. Ewan seems to be a few years into the future, when the two of them are no longer together. His reason for reaching out? To help save Isla from a fate he is unwilling to explain.
I didn't actually realize this was a debut until I read the synopsis again post-reading the book. I picked it up because I love my romance/women's fiction with a dash of speculative fiction. Highly recommend going into this book as blind as possible.
This is not light and fluffy, though we do get some really lovely moments. Our main character Isla is living with some heavy mental health issues--like chronic anxiety and panic attacks--as well as grieving for her mother who recently died of cancer. As a person with chronic anxiety issues, I do applaud the author for painting such a true-to-life depiction. I teared up a few times while listening to this book.
I loved the author's choice to use Ewan as a point-of-view character throughout the middle of the book. I do wish that he had some downsides, though. He's 100% cinnamon roll and doesn't seem to have any flaws, which detracts from the believability.
There's a twist about two-thirds of the way through that made me distressed. But I think the author did a great job with the ending for the book. The main themes here are the enduring quality of love across space and time, and how we are all guided by our griefs, our hopes, and the choices we have to make.
I liked this book a lot more than I liked Matt Haig's The Midnight Library, but I think there will be crossover fans here.
Tropes in this book include: time travel, epistolary, cinnamon roll hero
CW: chronic anxiety, panic attacks, grief, depression, death of parent, suicide, suicidal ideation, TBI, parental verbal abuse, bullying, gaslighting
Twice in a Lifetime by Melissa Baron is a solid debut speculative romance featuring time shenanigans. I listened to the audiobook, which clocks in at around ten hours and is narrated by Megan Tusing.
To help ease her chronic anxiety, Isla moves from Chicago to a small town in Missouri. After buying a cottage about an hour outside of St. Louis, she receives a text from a man claiming to be her husband, complete with a photo of them on their wedding day. Ewan seems to be a few years into the future, when the two of them are no longer together. His reason for reaching out? To help save Isla from a fate he is unwilling to explain.
I didn't actually realize this was a debut until I read the synopsis again post-reading the book. I picked it up because I love my romance/women's fiction with a dash of speculative fiction. Highly recommend going into this book as blind as possible.
This is not light and fluffy, though we do get some really lovely moments. Our main character Isla is living with some heavy mental health issues--like chronic anxiety and panic attacks--as well as grieving for her mother who recently died of cancer. As a person with chronic anxiety issues, I do applaud the author for painting such a true-to-life depiction. I teared up a few times while listening to this book.
I loved the author's choice to use Ewan as a point-of-view character throughout the middle of the book. I do wish that he had some downsides, though. He's 100% cinnamon roll and doesn't seem to have any flaws, which detracts from the believability.
There's a twist about two-thirds of the way through that made me distressed. But I think the author did a great job with the ending for the book. The main themes here are the enduring quality of love across space and time, and how we are all guided by our griefs, our hopes, and the choices we have to make.
I liked this book a lot more than I liked Matt Haig's The Midnight Library, but I think there will be crossover fans here.
Tropes in this book include: time travel, epistolary, cinnamon roll hero
CW: chronic anxiety, panic attacks, grief, depression, death of parent, suicide, suicidal ideation, TBI, parental verbal abuse, bullying, gaslighting
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Cancer, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide, Bullying, and Gaslighting
louisekf's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
amobrien's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
Wow! I was so amazed with Twice in a Lifetime. I love when stories can manage to be both heartbreaking and hopeful. I also loved these characters and the relationships they form both romantically and platonically. Overall, it's an amazing read! I highly recommend it, but please check content warnings before diving in.
Wow! I was so amazed with Twice in a Lifetime. I love when stories can manage to be both heartbreaking and hopeful. I also loved these characters and the relationships they form both romantically and platonically. Overall, it's an amazing read! I highly recommend it, but please check content warnings before diving in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Grief, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
kari_f's review against another edition
4.0
It’s SO important to see a variety of people represented in media, and I appreciate that this book exists. There are some very heavy topics that our main character deals with, including crippling anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, parental abuse, grief, and traumatic brain injury.
But.
There is also so much lightness to the book, with romantic banter and tender friendship and characters working hard to become better and stronger versions of themselves.
Plus, time travel, of course.
The description likens this one to a cross between Oona Out of Order and The Time Traveler’s Wife, but I’m not sure I agree. Yes, there is a time aspect, but it was quite different than the premise of Oona and had the healthy personal development that TTTW lacked. As far as time travel comparisons go, I’d almost say this one is more like a combination Emma Straub’s This Time Tomorrow and the movie The Lake House. Add some of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library to this and you’ll have a feel for the time travel and emotional impact of this book. (Of course, Twice in a Lifetime has so many aspects that are uniquely its own!)
One thing I wished was a longer “falling in love” build-up period for our protagonists. It felt a bit rushed to me, as did parts of the conclusion.
As someone who struggles with anxiety and panic attacks (though not to the level of our protagonist), it’s lovely to see a character who has a host of mental health conditions and is still lovable and bright and creative (even though she doesn’t always see herself as such). Seeing how she views herself versus how others view her was fantastic, and it’s clear to me that the author has had personal experience in this area.
Do check the trigger warnings for your own mental health. My anxiety was pretty high as I read the book, so if your anxiety is triggered by reading about the anxiety of others, just be aware of that. This isn’t really an escapism sort of novel. It was worth it though, and I really enjoyed the book!
Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for this advanced copy!
But.
There is also so much lightness to the book, with romantic banter and tender friendship and characters working hard to become better and stronger versions of themselves.
Plus, time travel, of course.
The description likens this one to a cross between Oona Out of Order and The Time Traveler’s Wife, but I’m not sure I agree. Yes, there is a time aspect, but it was quite different than the premise of Oona and had the healthy personal development that TTTW lacked. As far as time travel comparisons go, I’d almost say this one is more like a combination Emma Straub’s This Time Tomorrow and the movie The Lake House. Add some of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library to this and you’ll have a feel for the time travel and emotional impact of this book. (Of course, Twice in a Lifetime has so many aspects that are uniquely its own!)
One thing I wished was a longer “falling in love” build-up period for our protagonists. It felt a bit rushed to me, as did parts of the conclusion.
As someone who struggles with anxiety and panic attacks (though not to the level of our protagonist), it’s lovely to see a character who has a host of mental health conditions and is still lovable and bright and creative (even though she doesn’t always see herself as such). Seeing how she views herself versus how others view her was fantastic, and it’s clear to me that the author has had personal experience in this area.
Do check the trigger warnings for your own mental health. My anxiety was pretty high as I read the book, so if your anxiety is triggered by reading about the anxiety of others, just be aware of that. This isn’t really an escapism sort of novel. It was worth it though, and I really enjoyed the book!
Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for this advanced copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
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