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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Alexa, play "Darling" by Chiiild.
Okay, I've given this a couple of days to sit and I re-read a few notes and highlights I made on my kindle. & to sum up my experience with this book I would only use one word in particular, raw. I mean, when I say I was crying about 10 minutes into this book, I mean I was literally reading this book through blurry eyes with hot silent streams running down my face.
The long and short of it is, Lydia loves Freddie. Has loved him her whole life. He DIES. She can't sleep anymore with this gaping hole *cue tears* she feels in her chest and here enters these sleeping pills that let her sleep, but also vividly dream of Freddie. "The price of dreaming about him is higher than I could ever hope to pay. It’s a higher price than anyone should ever have to pay."
Now you think okay, well I already know that Freddie dies so why should I be overly upset about this? Well the thing is he gets a fair amount of screen time in the form of memories and this pink world where he isn't dead. Every time Lydia takes one of these cute little pink sleeping tablets, you get confronted with him and all the things that could have been. Quite honestly even me the reader would be in this dream world reacting as if the things happening there were real!
I truly enjoyed how Josie set the format, she lists the date and whether Lydia is awake, or "asleep."
It's easy to become attach to Lyds and her journey through her grief, which is I think really what the book is about. Yes, there is romance, and all that but I really feel like Lydia Bird is the focal of everything. "I feel a tide swell inside me, this sense of myself as a whole, loved person, as owner of my own heart, a whisper and then a roar. Me. Me. Me."
I also felt myself wondering what I would possibly do if I lost my partner, and that would set me off just as bad. There was no way I was putting this book down until I saw how things ended for her.
By the end of her journey my heart felt like I took a brillo pad to it and all that was left was overly new skin. I love how this book made me feel so venerable, sad, grateful, and hopeful all throughout.
"Billions of humans, all of us scurrying around the planet, falling in and out of love with each other for no reason explicable by logic or numbers or common sense. How unaccountably strange we are."
This is marked liked this just in case you didn't want to read about the love interest.
I will say, this Josie Silver knows how to make my heart feel, all of the feels.
Okay, I've given this a couple of days to sit and I re-read a few notes and highlights I made on my kindle. & to sum up my experience with this book I would only use one word in particular, raw. I mean, when I say I was crying about 10 minutes into this book, I mean I was literally reading this book through blurry eyes with hot silent streams running down my face.
The long and short of it is, Lydia loves Freddie. Has loved him her whole life. He DIES. She can't sleep anymore with this gaping hole *cue tears* she feels in her chest and here enters these sleeping pills that let her sleep, but also vividly dream of Freddie. "The price of dreaming about him is higher than I could ever hope to pay. It’s a higher price than anyone should ever have to pay."
Now you think okay, well I already know that Freddie dies so why should I be overly upset about this? Well the thing is he gets a fair amount of screen time in the form of memories and this pink world where he isn't dead. Every time Lydia takes one of these cute little pink sleeping tablets, you get confronted with him and all the things that could have been. Quite honestly even me the reader would be in this dream world reacting as if the things happening there were real!
I truly enjoyed how Josie set the format, she lists the date and whether Lydia is awake, or "asleep."
It's easy to become attach to Lyds and her journey through her grief, which is I think really what the book is about. Yes, there is romance, and all that but I really feel like Lydia Bird is the focal of everything. "I feel a tide swell inside me, this sense of myself as a whole, loved person, as owner of my own heart, a whisper and then a roar. Me. Me. Me."
I also felt myself wondering what I would possibly do if I lost my partner, and that would set me off just as bad. There was no way I was putting this book down until I saw how things ended for her.
By the end of her journey my heart felt like I took a brillo pad to it and all that was left was overly new skin. I love how this book made me feel so venerable, sad, grateful, and hopeful all throughout.
"Billions of humans, all of us scurrying around the planet, falling in and out of love with each other for no reason explicable by logic or numbers or common sense. How unaccountably strange we are."
This is marked liked this just in case you didn't want to read about the love interest.
Spoiler
The only thing I wish could have been included is Jonah's POV. I feel like I would have connected more with their love at the end if I could have gotten a bit more of a read on him, and his feelings for Lyds and Freddie, especially since this is marketed as a romance. I think it's one of the reasons I loved Jack in [b:One Day in December|38255337|One Day in December|Josie Silver|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573862622l/38255337._SX50_.jpg|56132017] the snippets we get of him are great, I just needed more is all.I will say, this Josie Silver knows how to make my heart feel, all of the feels.
I thoroughly enjoyed Silver’s debut novel, One Day in December, but with this one she has earned her place on my automatic-buy list of authors for her future endeavors. I have highlighted scores of passages in this story as I found Silver’s way with words simply profound and poignant throughout.
This is a story about life-long love, life-long friendships, family bonds and grief. Silver writes about these things as if she’s lived them, knows them intimately and invites the reader to experience them viscerally. She takes us through the highs of young love that will seemingly last forever, through the heartbreak and loneliness of gut-wrenching loss, and finally to the epiphany that is growth and self-discovery. Silver so expertly constructs Lydia’s world that we are there celebrating with her, crying with her, lending a shoulder to her and ultimately cheering her on.
And while yes, Silver writes a fantastic love story, her family/friend storylines are just as involving and important (as they were in her debut novel). The Bird women are strong and resilient in their bond, and the supporting cast of friends/acquaintances all play crucial roles in Lydia’s life.
At its core, this is a story about losing one’s self to grief, about clawing one’s way through to the dawning of a new life and recognizing the very real strength and courage that that takes.
Highly recommend.
Much thanks to #NetGalley, #PenguinRandomHouse and #BallantineBooks for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
This is a story about life-long love, life-long friendships, family bonds and grief. Silver writes about these things as if she’s lived them, knows them intimately and invites the reader to experience them viscerally. She takes us through the highs of young love that will seemingly last forever, through the heartbreak and loneliness of gut-wrenching loss, and finally to the epiphany that is growth and self-discovery. Silver so expertly constructs Lydia’s world that we are there celebrating with her, crying with her, lending a shoulder to her and ultimately cheering her on.
And while yes, Silver writes a fantastic love story, her family/friend storylines are just as involving and important (as they were in her debut novel). The Bird women are strong and resilient in their bond, and the supporting cast of friends/acquaintances all play crucial roles in Lydia’s life.
At its core, this is a story about losing one’s self to grief, about clawing one’s way through to the dawning of a new life and recognizing the very real strength and courage that that takes.
Highly recommend.
Much thanks to #NetGalley, #PenguinRandomHouse and #BallantineBooks for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I couldn’t put this book down. Even though it lagged a little in the middle, Lydia’s journey through her grief was handled beautifully. I haven’t cried reading a book for a while, but this one got me and my heart ached a little alongside the characters as they struggled to come to terms with saying goodbye to Freddie.
This is my second Josie Silver book and the second time I have desperately wished for an epilogue. Both books ended really abruptly for me and I’ve found myself just wanting to peak in on the characters down the road a bit to see how they are doing. In this case, I loved Jonah and kind of wish there had been a little more build up to the inevitable conclusion, which was heartstoppingly romantic as it was, but could have been more so I think had we had a little more insight into Jonah’s feelings. But I guess that the story is more about Lydia and Jonah’s healing that it is romance.
I still really enjoyed it though.
This is my second Josie Silver book and the second time I have desperately wished for an epilogue. Both books ended really abruptly for me and I’ve found myself just wanting to peak in on the characters down the road a bit to see how they are doing. In this case, I loved Jonah and kind of wish there had been a little more build up to the inevitable conclusion, which was heartstoppingly romantic as it was, but could have been more so I think had we had a little more insight into Jonah’s feelings. But I guess that the story is more about Lydia and Jonah’s healing that it is romance.
I still really enjoyed it though.
I read, enjoyed, and loved Josie Silver's debut novel 'One Day in December' and eagerly awaited the next book. This is it and it was worth waiting for!
As followers of my blog may know I don't read the synopsis before the book and I am glad I didn't with this one. I was shocked by the opening chapters and the tears were flowing for characters that I didn't even know and had not bonded with - that's what this author does with her words - be warned! Although Freddie dies at the start of the book we get to know him through the story and he is another lovely character from the mind of the lovely Josie Silver. I felt completely drawn in and could't put the book down. It was a book that I wanted to devour all at once, yet also didn't want it to end. The writing is awesome - it is a gripping story which keeps you turning page after page. I highly recommend this book.
My sincere thanks to NETGALLEY and PENGUIN (UK) for the opportunity to read and review ‘THE TWO LIVES OF LYDIA BIRD’ by JOSIE SILVER ahead of publication day. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway. All my reviews can be found on my blog momobookdiary
As followers of my blog may know I don't read the synopsis before the book and I am glad I didn't with this one. I was shocked by the opening chapters and the tears were flowing for characters that I didn't even know and had not bonded with - that's what this author does with her words - be warned! Although Freddie dies at the start of the book we get to know him through the story and he is another lovely character from the mind of the lovely Josie Silver. I felt completely drawn in and could't put the book down. It was a book that I wanted to devour all at once, yet also didn't want it to end. The writing is awesome - it is a gripping story which keeps you turning page after page. I highly recommend this book.
My sincere thanks to NETGALLEY and PENGUIN (UK) for the opportunity to read and review ‘THE TWO LIVES OF LYDIA BIRD’ by JOSIE SILVER ahead of publication day. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway. All my reviews can be found on my blog momobookdiary
Interesting concept that I wasn’t sure I was going to love. And initially I didn’t. But I loved watching Lydia grow and learn new things about herself. I was glad it wasn’t all puppy dogs and rainbows in her sleep world.
But most of, I loved the ending. It gave me goosebumps and butterflies and all things good.
But most of, I loved the ending. It gave me goosebumps and butterflies and all things good.
3.5 ⭐ almost 4 stars...
I really enjoyed reading this book and the ending was great. It is though also because of the ending it didn't quite reach the 4 star mark, since I did predict it the first few chapters. The book also could have been a bit shorter. Really liked the twist of Lydia finding a somewhat an alternitive universe and continuing living with Freddie in that reality. This book made me want to cry so many time, so many things just hit right in the feels...
I really enjoyed reading this book and the ending was great. It is though also because of the ending it didn't quite reach the 4 star mark, since I did predict it the first few chapters. The book also could have been a bit shorter. Really liked the twist of Lydia finding a somewhat an alternitive universe and continuing living with Freddie in that reality. This book made me want to cry so many time, so many things just hit right in the feels...
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No