Reviews with content warning for Death - The Two Lives of Lydia Bird

This book was twice as long as it needed to be. It was mostly an inner monologue about grief. Very little takes place outside the MC emotions and thoughts. I was disappointed in this effort that got bogged down, as Silver's One Day in December is lovely and also deals with grief. Sadly the premise is barried under as well, because I think it could have been interesting but it's not explored or given any real weight right from the get go.

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cstelling's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

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hunnykurls's review

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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emilypook's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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amandalorianxo's review

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hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I liked this better than One Day in December by the same author but I still wasn’t captivated or invested with the storyline. I already figured out who the MC was going to end up with as far as the love interest and I knew the initial premise of the plot wasn’t going to last long at all. It’s not awful just … a little longer than I felt it needed to be. This could have been wrapped up in fifty - one hundred pages less than what it ended with.

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hanraee's review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

3.25

This book is full to the brim with wonderful quotes. It isn't a perfectly written book, but it is a good book nonetheless. The first half of the book was heartbreakingly magical. Lydia loses the love of her life and then finds him in another life. The book follows Lydia through her grief and it was beautifully written.

The second half of the book dragged on and felt a bit jumpy. I was particularly disappointed with how Freddies character developed in the other life. Hes prioritising work over his relationship, even leaving their honeymoon! Big ol red flags! It made me believe that Freddie and Lydia wouldn't last in their other life, which was disappointing. Then Jonah and Lydia which I liked but it felt a bit iffy. Obviously they both deserve a happy ending but it just felt a bit off

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cestnicka's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

This book feels a bit complicated for me to review as I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. It’s a good book but there were some issues with it that would make me a bit hesitant to recommend it to anyone, it would need to come with some warnings.

The first bit of the book is really good. She does an amazing job of pulling at your heart strings and makes you feel for Lydia bird as her situation is absolutely heart breaking.

I actually really liked the back and forth between two worlds, I thought that was really interesting. I think it’s totally possible to think someone could greave in that way of being in a “different world” with the person they loved who has passed. I also liked that she made it feel real and that it eventually takes a toll on you and everyone else around you and you have to choose to live in the present. It was an interesting way of presenting grief and how some people might work through it.

The part I struggled with this same thing that I liked, was that you knew eventually this would not last, and sometimes it felt like it was dragging on a little bit too long. I think there was too much time in the dream world. As a lot of those chapters didn’t add a lot to the book or to developing Freddie’s character. I felt like I got a sense of him more through the people in the presents recollections. And even though I got so much about him in those dream scenes I just never seemed to like his character that much. So alot of the time I felt the need to read quicker or skim and that’s never a good thing. I also like the way she ended the dream scene. But it was hard for me to connect with her being so sad as he had started to turn into a bit of a turd at the end. But maybe the point is that we aren’t alway perfect. I dunno.

I had guessed that Jonah had always been interested in Lydia and she didn’t see it, as she had found her true love. Which is fair. But I wish the book had developed this a little but more. It felt so rushed over. I would have loved to have gotten to see more of that relationship at the end of the book. Maybe a 5 year down the road chapter? See how they have adjusted to their life without Freddie but together. I also felt there wasn’t enough spice in this book. Zero spicy scenes and I feel like a grief romance needs at least one of those.

This book was alright. Enjoyed the premise and the over arching storyline, and also how she got us to think about grief. but It felt way too long and it dragged in a few areas. There was also way too many extra plot lines that I felt were either too long or didn’t even need to be there as they didn’t add anything to the storyline. Some examples would be Kris, the loss of the baby in the other world, the cat, Croatia felt too long, but I understood why she put it in there to get us to understand her family better and turn a corner to being the caregiver, and a few others.

I would probably only recommend this book to someone who reads alot of romances. I don’t think people who read other genres would be into it.

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bethsbooketlist's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

🌟🌟🌟🌟Another awesome read from one of my favourite authors. A deep exploration of love and grief, I really connected to Lydia mainly because of her age. You don't expect the loss of your other half so early on in life and how it can affect you so differently. As she navigates her new life and finds herself again, you are holding her hand the entire way. It was also so touching to see how the loss was not just hers, but also belonged to those around her too (her family and friends). I don't know what draws me to Silver's writing but every time she scoops me up and puts me firmly in the bubble of her world from start to finish and I never want to leave. Her writing comforts me though her narratives explore so much depth of emotion. So glad I ticked this off her backlog - lets see what she comes up with next!

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