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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
September Challenge book for In Case You Missed It (2020)
I finished it a few days ago and I’ve been trying to decide how I felt about it. It’s hard to say much without spoilers but the premise was exciting, the execution not as good as I would have liked. The primary relationship wasn’t portrayed in a way that supported how the main character felt about it. And the ending was …not groundbreaking. Still, it made me cry a few times.
I finished it a few days ago and I’ve been trying to decide how I felt about it. It’s hard to say much without spoilers but the premise was exciting, the execution not as good as I would have liked. The primary relationship wasn’t portrayed in a way that supported how the main character felt about it. And the ending was …not groundbreaking. Still, it made me cry a few times.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I liked this book at first, but it really dragged on. I feel like she could have ended it 50 pages early, and it was pretty predictable. Also, really infuriating how her family reacted to her taking a trip.
The two lives of Lydia Bird starts with Lydia’s fiancé dying suddenly in a car accident. While grieving, she is prescribed sleeping pills and when she takes them, she is transported to another dimension where Freddie, her fiancé, is still alive. Lydia tries to balance life in both worlds, experiencing the future she thought she had lost with Freddie, but also realizing that by choosing to live in this alternate state she was missing out on her real life.
I absolutely loved this book but it also completely wrecked me, I cried multiple times while reading it
I absolutely loved this book but it also completely wrecked me, I cried multiple times while reading it
I liked this book! It was a little slow moving but the ending was wonderful.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Although this book had a very interesting premise, it was much slower than I usually like. An okay story, but not exceptionally great—until the last 50ish pages. The insights and self reflection of the main character were very thought provoking and explained well.
Jan 2021 PSA: I’ve seen this happening a lot lately with romance titles. Books which are more women’s fiction are being sold as romance and readers are then disappointed. For what it’s worth - this book is more in the women’s fiction side - not a romance
———— actual review follows —————-
Ah this book - I had to restart this again 11% in as it didn’t work for the first time. Something about the ebook formatting hurt my eyes. Very odd.
The second time - in combination with the audiobook - this worked much better for me. The audiobook was great - I really liked the narrator and the accents she did. I even likes how she did Freddie / male voices (I especially loved the way she read “Aunty June” - it was so cute !! )
In the end - I loved this book - perhaps my expectations and desire to love this book helped - but I think the premise and the excellent execution worked very well here. I even liked the first person POV - shocker!
I will say that I am not sure why this is classified as a romance - I would say that this is General Fiction more than Romance. I’ve discovered that I like this mix - it works better for me than straight contemporary romance novels, which I can find a little empty sometimes.
I loved Josie Silver’s first novel, [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], as well; which has a similar dose of angst and atmosphere that is here in this novel. However, this novel is more focused on the angst than her first.
The plot revolves around Lydia who has lost the love of her life, Freddie, in a car accident. However, she - in a Sliding Doors twist - experiences two versions of her life, one where Freddie is alive and one where is he dead. It’s a great vehicle for exploring loss, grief and the toll that tragedy takes on all your relationships. In that respect, the book made me choke up and eventually made me cry. Ms. Silver continues her stellar work on her side characters and showing strong relationships between people other than her main couple. Here - it is between Lydia’s mom and her sister and her brother-in-law - all of whom get page time and their own little plots.
However, this spilt focus kind of overwhelms the more traditional romance portions of the novel. To be a Romance (the genre - not the feeling), a novel has to be an exploration of relationships and growth / change in character through the relationship. Here, the relationship of Lydia and Freddie is not the focus - but Lydia’s change and feelings. Freddie is almost incidental to the story except as a plot device or ideal. He doesn’t change or grow or even really become a more central POV which we explore. I understand this decision but it means that the romance is not something I am invested in.
In the end I would call this a romantic book but not a Romance. This is more of grief journal - so be forewarned as this is not a shiny-happy book, despite the cute cover. It will also prove to be too slow for Romance readers who are looking for more plot. The sci-fi little premise aside, not a lot actually happens from a couple perspective - just glimpses of Lydia’s lives.
Still love it though. I would give this a 4.5 stars rounded down.
PS. I will note that the audiobook misses a few words here and there and changes some of the words compared to the physical book. Some of the changes are the removal of British slang terms from what I presume if the physical US edition. So for example “you’re never a gooseberry with us” becomes “you’re never a third wheel with us” (page 98)
Anyone else notice this?
RANDOM SIDE RANT:
I tried reading the audiobook at 2.0x speed but it seemed such like a waste to me. I don't know how people do it. When I listen to an audiobook I want to be read to - I want to hear the pauses in the text and the atmosphere created by the narrator.
Reading at 2.0x makes the narrator sound like a chipmunk here - and means that all the lovely slow grief in the text is lost. I couldn’t do it - it seemed wasteful. I only managed to get through this at 1.5x speed.
Maybe this is because I am not replacing my reading with audio - I am adding another layer to the experience - i.e. listening to someone tell a story. SomeONE - not a chipmunk. :)
———— actual review follows —————-
Ah this book - I had to restart this again 11% in as it didn’t work for the first time. Something about the ebook formatting hurt my eyes. Very odd.
The second time - in combination with the audiobook - this worked much better for me. The audiobook was great - I really liked the narrator and the accents she did. I even likes how she did Freddie / male voices (I especially loved the way she read “Aunty June” - it was so cute !! )
In the end - I loved this book - perhaps my expectations and desire to love this book helped - but I think the premise and the excellent execution worked very well here. I even liked the first person POV - shocker!
I will say that I am not sure why this is classified as a romance - I would say that this is General Fiction more than Romance. I’ve discovered that I like this mix - it works better for me than straight contemporary romance novels, which I can find a little empty sometimes.
I loved Josie Silver’s first novel, [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], as well; which has a similar dose of angst and atmosphere that is here in this novel. However, this novel is more focused on the angst than her first.
The plot revolves around Lydia who has lost the love of her life, Freddie, in a car accident. However, she - in a Sliding Doors twist - experiences two versions of her life, one where Freddie is alive and one where is he dead. It’s a great vehicle for exploring loss, grief and the toll that tragedy takes on all your relationships. In that respect, the book made me choke up and eventually made me cry. Ms. Silver continues her stellar work on her side characters and showing strong relationships between people other than her main couple. Here - it is between Lydia’s mom and her sister and her brother-in-law - all of whom get page time and their own little plots.
However, this spilt focus kind of overwhelms the more traditional romance portions of the novel. To be a Romance (the genre - not the feeling), a novel has to be an exploration of relationships and growth / change in character through the relationship. Here, the relationship of Lydia and Freddie is not the focus - but Lydia’s change and feelings. Freddie is almost incidental to the story except as a plot device or ideal. He doesn’t change or grow or even really become a more central POV which we explore. I understand this decision but it means that the romance is not something I am invested in.
Spoiler
The real “hero” of the story - the romantic lead as it were - is the best friend Jonah Jones. He is the one who changes and eventually moves on with Lydia. This in concept does make this a "Romance" but he got so little page time in the book that it felt unbalanced. The focus was so clearly on Lydia that the inevitable romance with Jonah felt a little forced in the end.In the end I would call this a romantic book but not a Romance. This is more of grief journal - so be forewarned as this is not a shiny-happy book, despite the cute cover. It will also prove to be too slow for Romance readers who are looking for more plot. The sci-fi little premise aside, not a lot actually happens from a couple perspective - just glimpses of Lydia’s lives.
Still love it though. I would give this a 4.5 stars rounded down.
Spoiler
I wish there had been a little more Jonah and Lydia, an exploration of their relationship near the end. The way it was it felt a bit rushed - it needed another 40/50 more pages to round it off.PS. I will note that the audiobook misses a few words here and there and changes some of the words compared to the physical book. Some of the changes are the removal of British slang terms from what I presume if the physical US edition. So for example “you’re never a gooseberry with us” becomes “you’re never a third wheel with us” (page 98)
Anyone else notice this?
RANDOM SIDE RANT:
I tried reading the audiobook at 2.0x speed but it seemed such like a waste to me. I don't know how people do it. When I listen to an audiobook I want to be read to - I want to hear the pauses in the text and the atmosphere created by the narrator.
Reading at 2.0x makes the narrator sound like a chipmunk here - and means that all the lovely slow grief in the text is lost. I couldn’t do it - it seemed wasteful. I only managed to get through this at 1.5x speed.
Maybe this is because I am not replacing my reading with audio - I am adding another layer to the experience - i.e. listening to someone tell a story. SomeONE - not a chipmunk. :)
Thoroughly enjoyed this read, even if I had a lump in my throat and tear filled eyes the entire read. I enjoyed the authors writing style and loved the way this story unraveled.
I tend to rate books on how they make me feel. Did I cry? Automatic 5 stars. But this story was so more than a sad story of loss.
I tend to rate books on how they make me feel. Did I cry? Automatic 5 stars. But this story was so more than a sad story of loss.