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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Wow. This book is everything. I love it. The grief, the love, the anger, and the joy. Josie Silver gets it. What an amazing story. Spectacular <3
RATING: 3.75 Stars
This book was overall a heartbreaking, well written read about the life of a woman who has lost someone incredibly important to her, an immeasurable loss that she has to learn to grieve and cope with in her own way. There were moments that I teared up, that I was frustrated in her other world with characters, and that I wished that somehow she would find the strength to get over this hurdle life threw at her. My heart broke for Lydia.
At moments, the book did feel slow and a little drawn out, however, the ending was so special (just what it needed to be) that I had to bump it up to almost 4 stars. Overall, it was an emotional, yet slow book about lose and grief. The other world made the book so much more interesting and there were moments that I was simply curious to know how she would navigate both worlds and be able to pick one.
This book was overall a heartbreaking, well written read about the life of a woman who has lost someone incredibly important to her, an immeasurable loss that she has to learn to grieve and cope with in her own way. There were moments that I teared up, that I was frustrated in her other world with characters, and that I wished that somehow she would find the strength to get over this hurdle life threw at her. My heart broke for Lydia.
At moments, the book did feel slow and a little drawn out, however, the ending was so special (just what it needed to be) that I had to bump it up to almost 4 stars. Overall, it was an emotional, yet slow book about lose and grief. The other world made the book so much more interesting and there were moments that I was simply curious to know how she would navigate both worlds and be able to pick one.
I can see why people like this but it was not my cup of tea. I understand that its a book that discusses grief but the format didn't work for me.
This was a very bittersweet book. I thought it was strong and the plot was good; I did think that Lydia was a bit in her head too much. I understand that people deal with grief differently but it comes to a point where you need to move on as best as you can. I thought there would be a different ending where Lydia gets addicted to the pink pills.
Also, and I hate for this to sound bad, but some of the 'Asleep" chapters I couldn't care less about.
But other than that, I loved the story!
.
Summary
Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’d been together for more than a decade and Lydia thought their love was indestructible. But she was wrong. On Lydia’s twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.
So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants is to hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life—and perhaps even love—again.
But then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened.
Lydia is pulled again and again through the doorway to her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there’s an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there’s someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.
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Dates Read
12/17~12/22
Also, and I hate for this to sound bad, but some of the 'Asleep" chapters I couldn't care less about.
But other than that, I loved the story!
.
Summary
Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’d been together for more than a decade and Lydia thought their love was indestructible. But she was wrong. On Lydia’s twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.
So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants is to hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life—and perhaps even love—again.
But then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened.
Lydia is pulled again and again through the doorway to her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there’s an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there’s someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.
.
Dates Read
12/17~12/22
I can’t remember where I had this recommended to me, but I loved One Day in December so wanted to read this.
I was honestly expecting a bit of a lighter story of “what would your life look like if you made that one decision differently”. Instead, this is a much heavier story with a focus on dealing with grief. I did really like the way the author had the main character Lydia work through the loss of her fiancé, but I wasn’t quite expecting it to be such a serious book so I think that’s one reason I didn’t love it as much as One Day in December. Also, as much as I wanted to see where the story would go, this was a slower read for me.
So, while it was different from what I expected and read a little slower than I would prefer, I still really enjoyed the grief process and character growth of Lydia Bird.
I was honestly expecting a bit of a lighter story of “what would your life look like if you made that one decision differently”. Instead, this is a much heavier story with a focus on dealing with grief. I did really like the way the author had the main character Lydia work through the loss of her fiancé, but I wasn’t quite expecting it to be such a serious book so I think that’s one reason I didn’t love it as much as One Day in December. Also, as much as I wanted to see where the story would go, this was a slower read for me.
So, while it was different from what I expected and read a little slower than I would prefer, I still really enjoyed the grief process and character growth of Lydia Bird.
A lovely look at surviving loss and finding a way forward after bereavement. I really liked the main character Lydia, and thought the depiction of grief was very sensitive and realistic. There's an alternate-reality story line that didn't appeal to me all that much, but it doesn't take away from the impact of the overall narrative.
Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies, with thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies, with thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I found this to be too long, too boring, too predictable. I was hoping for better.
I couldn’t put this book down. Beautifully written and about more than just a lost love - it’s a story about family and friendships, too.