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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it. A little too slow placed. The ending was predictable but I’m happy it turned out that way.
3.5 Stars
"'Because people do, don't they, no one stays the same forever. Everything is just so fragile, isn't it? We make our decisions dependent on the day, the weather, our mood, the phases of the moon, what we had for breakfast...I can't keep questioning choices I may or may not have made, blaming myself for being too soft and too hard here. I see now that I've been walking in circles, making crazy patterns.' I stop and draw a breath. "I need to walk in a straight line, Petar."
Lydia and Freddie were together for over a decade. When tragedy strikes and Freddie dies in a car accident, Lydia is left with the pieces of what would have been. She knows that Freddie would want more for her life, and to move forward - with the help of his best friend Jonah, her sister Elle, she tries to grasp her new reality. But to her disbelief, something happens and she has another chance at life with Freddie. Lydia is conflicted, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there's an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie is alive because he still owns her heart. But there's someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay. Lydia makes the heartbreaking decision that no one saw coming, and realizing that sometimes it's you that needs to make yourself happy in the end.
After reading "One Day in December", I had to get my hands on another book by Josie Silver. I know "Two Lives" was highly recommended and although she did an amazing job describing the level of grief one goes through after someone you love dies, there really was no plot. I enjoyed more of the "awake" scenes than I did of the "asleep" ones. I had a feeling the ending was going to happen about a 1/3 of the way in the book. I was happy to see that she was able to find happiness after everything she had been through. The story in a nutshell depicted grief, coping and learning to love again perfectly.
I put together a playlist that Josie had in the back of the book if anyone would like to follow!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Httu2CQPZYE9TLeOk00up?si=b0ee41e967b24c51
"'Because people do, don't they, no one stays the same forever. Everything is just so fragile, isn't it? We make our decisions dependent on the day, the weather, our mood, the phases of the moon, what we had for breakfast...I can't keep questioning choices I may or may not have made, blaming myself for being too soft and too hard here. I see now that I've been walking in circles, making crazy patterns.' I stop and draw a breath. "I need to walk in a straight line, Petar."
Lydia and Freddie were together for over a decade. When tragedy strikes and Freddie dies in a car accident, Lydia is left with the pieces of what would have been. She knows that Freddie would want more for her life, and to move forward - with the help of his best friend Jonah, her sister Elle, she tries to grasp her new reality. But to her disbelief, something happens and she has another chance at life with Freddie. Lydia is conflicted, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there's an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie is alive because he still owns her heart. But there's someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay. Lydia makes the heartbreaking decision that no one saw coming, and realizing that sometimes it's you that needs to make yourself happy in the end.
After reading "One Day in December", I had to get my hands on another book by Josie Silver. I know "Two Lives" was highly recommended and although she did an amazing job describing the level of grief one goes through after someone you love dies, there really was no plot. I enjoyed more of the "awake" scenes than I did of the "asleep" ones. I had a feeling the ending was going to happen about a 1/3 of the way in the book. I was happy to see that she was able to find happiness after everything she had been through. The story in a nutshell depicted grief, coping and learning to love again perfectly.
I put together a playlist that Josie had in the back of the book if anyone would like to follow!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Httu2CQPZYE9TLeOk00up?si=b0ee41e967b24c51
Wow. What a profoundly beautiful book. Much like her debut novel, Josie Silver’s latest will take you on a ride of grief, self-acceptance, romance and so much more.
Lydia Bird, a new widow, aims to navigate her life after her fiancé passes. Then, she realizes she can visit him in another version of her life in her sleep. Lydia must eventually recognize the consequences as such, and learn how to heal, forgive and move on.
Silver’s character and story development will simply envelop you. Her writing is quite unlike any other — so original, genuine and heart-warming, even surrounding sad topics. Can’t wait to read her next novel!
Special thanks to the publish and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Lydia Bird, a new widow, aims to navigate her life after her fiancé passes. Then, she realizes she can visit him in another version of her life in her sleep. Lydia must eventually recognize the consequences as such, and learn how to heal, forgive and move on.
Silver’s character and story development will simply envelop you. Her writing is quite unlike any other — so original, genuine and heart-warming, even surrounding sad topics. Can’t wait to read her next novel!
Special thanks to the publish and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Lydia's fiancee Freddie dies on her birthday. As she's grieving, she takes a sleeping pill prescription that has the side effect of seeing Freddie still alive and their life continuing. Lydia struggles to keep both worlds going and has to finally figure out who she is and what is her life going to look like now. Cute novel even though it sounds a bit grim. I do love a good pull yourself together and come out stronger story.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I really liked the last 1/3rd of the book. But it took sooooooo long to get there and I didn’t really like the first 2/3 at all. So, probably wouldn’t recommend.
5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is completely different than I thought it would be. The synopsis of the book makes you think somehow Lydia can transport worlds or go back in time when in all reality I feel like it was some form of a mental breakdown.
My thoughts on her being able to visit an “alternate universe” by taking prescription sleeping pills was her basically having hallucinations or lucid dreams due to the medication which due tend to put people in deeper sleep REMS. Thankfully, it’s kind of explained towards the end when she decides to see a therapist.
I felt like this book did a really great job of taking you through both the motions and emotions of loss, grief, and growth.
My heart literally ached for Lydia and what all she was going through. I could never imagine that kind of pain and loss.
I do like that she ended up with Jonah, I thought she would a lot sooner in the book and then Kris was introduced and I was like “okay, guess I was wrong” but then Kris is gone within a chapter or 2. However, I do think he was a needed character to show Lydia she can be attracted to someone else and can be with someone who isn’t Freddie.
I do wish the author would have built up her and Jonah falling in love more and reaching that bond since she seems to dislike him the entire first half of the book.
Freddie, you don’t get to know much from his perspective obviously but he is in the “alternate world” and his character seemed kind of… childish. Almost like it was Freddie’s way or no way, kind of. I don’t know, I wasn’t a huge fan of his to be honest.
I do like how this book reaches the point where both Lydia and Jonah stop acting like Freddie was a perfect human being and point out his flaws and faults. Lydia also makes a point of how when they were kids Freddie did cause a wedge between her and Jonahs friendship and I was happy that she acknowledged that because it’s very obvious in the first few chapters once you start learning of their childhood.
We as humans tend to idolize someone after they’ve died, even if they aren’t someone to be idolized. I do believe in respect for all people who have passed and of course say no ill will against them but you can’t make someone a good person after they’ve passed if they weren’t a good person when they were alive. So I do like that this author changed the tune a bit.
Anyway, all in all I did enjoy this book & am glad I picked it up. The writing flowed nicely and it had parts that I did tear up at and made me want to full on cry, but in a good way.
This book really makes you stop & think about being more mindful of what you say to people you love and how stupid arguments could be the last thing you remember with your partner. I know this book made me cuddle mine and tell him I love him a lot more since I started reading it. Life is short, make the most of it, and let all you do be done with love ❤️
Over and Out.
This book is completely different than I thought it would be. The synopsis of the book makes you think somehow Lydia can transport worlds or go back in time when in all reality I feel like it was some form of a mental breakdown.
My thoughts on her being able to visit an “alternate universe” by taking prescription sleeping pills was her basically having hallucinations or lucid dreams due to the medication which due tend to put people in deeper sleep REMS. Thankfully, it’s kind of explained towards the end when she decides to see a therapist.
I felt like this book did a really great job of taking you through both the motions and emotions of loss, grief, and growth.
My heart literally ached for Lydia and what all she was going through. I could never imagine that kind of pain and loss.
I do like that she ended up with Jonah, I thought she would a lot sooner in the book and then Kris was introduced and I was like “okay, guess I was wrong” but then Kris is gone within a chapter or 2. However, I do think he was a needed character to show Lydia she can be attracted to someone else and can be with someone who isn’t Freddie.
I do wish the author would have built up her and Jonah falling in love more and reaching that bond since she seems to dislike him the entire first half of the book.
Freddie, you don’t get to know much from his perspective obviously but he is in the “alternate world” and his character seemed kind of… childish. Almost like it was Freddie’s way or no way, kind of. I don’t know, I wasn’t a huge fan of his to be honest.
I do like how this book reaches the point where both Lydia and Jonah stop acting like Freddie was a perfect human being and point out his flaws and faults. Lydia also makes a point of how when they were kids Freddie did cause a wedge between her and Jonahs friendship and I was happy that she acknowledged that because it’s very obvious in the first few chapters once you start learning of their childhood.
We as humans tend to idolize someone after they’ve died, even if they aren’t someone to be idolized. I do believe in respect for all people who have passed and of course say no ill will against them but you can’t make someone a good person after they’ve passed if they weren’t a good person when they were alive. So I do like that this author changed the tune a bit.
Anyway, all in all I did enjoy this book & am glad I picked it up. The writing flowed nicely and it had parts that I did tear up at and made me want to full on cry, but in a good way.
This book really makes you stop & think about being more mindful of what you say to people you love and how stupid arguments could be the last thing you remember with your partner. I know this book made me cuddle mine and tell him I love him a lot more since I started reading it. Life is short, make the most of it, and let all you do be done with love ❤️
Over and Out.
A sweet, touching romantic but at times heartbreaking read.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Very similar vibe to PS I love you, and After you. Less a love story than an exploration of grief and how people cope with great loss but Lydia does get a happy ever after too ultimately. The sister and friend relationships are very central in this story. I did really enjoy the two timeline scenarios and how it gave her a chance to move on (the escape to a world with Freddy wasnt all roses and I appreciated that realism). Overall just a feel-good, enjoyable story, with characters you can relate to and love. And of course I loved how Lydia finds solace working in her local library :)