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A review by cortnyjoy
You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
5.0
I loved this story. Hands down my favorite novel so far this year.
As someone who dreams vividly almost every night, the plot struck a beautiful chord with me. Though I’m sure I would have enjoyed it just as much if I wasn’t a dreamer.
Mia and Harrison are a happily married couple who recently gave up their city life to pursue the peace of small-town living. She’s an artist. He’s a surgeon. And though their personalities and interests vary, they share a stable, abiding love for each other. Oakley’s portrayal of their relationship was so relatable. I appreciated her attention to nuance. I found it gripping as the couple traversed obstacles like pregnancy losses, temptation, job stress, changing desires, and depression.
For years, Mia has encountered an unknown man in her dreams. He’s so real, so vivid, yet she’s able to separate him from her waking world...until she meets him face to face...Oliver...and discovers...he dreams about her too.
Together, the two attempt to make sense of these dreams. Their power and intensity something only Mia and Oliver can truly understand. Sometimes they’re nightmares, sometimes they’re steamy, and sometimes they’re somewhere in the middle. Two strangers who dream about each other, who encounter the same landscapes, who’ve known each other before ever meeting? There must be a reason. Or so they believe.
The entire story unfolded so beautifully. Mia’s internal struggle...her love and devotion to Harrison, her excitement and attraction to Oliver, her longing for a baby and for the spark that once ignited her marriage...the author did a phenomenal job writing lovable characters, especially Harrison and Oliver, which really pulled me in to Mia’s experiences. I could acutely feel her emotional tug-of-war. And then the ending.
As someone who dreams vividly almost every night, the plot struck a beautiful chord with me. Though I’m sure I would have enjoyed it just as much if I wasn’t a dreamer.
Mia and Harrison are a happily married couple who recently gave up their city life to pursue the peace of small-town living. She’s an artist. He’s a surgeon. And though their personalities and interests vary, they share a stable, abiding love for each other. Oakley’s portrayal of their relationship was so relatable. I appreciated her attention to nuance. I found it gripping as the couple traversed obstacles like pregnancy losses, temptation, job stress, changing desires, and depression.
For years, Mia has encountered an unknown man in her dreams. He’s so real, so vivid, yet she’s able to separate him from her waking world...until she meets him face to face...Oliver...and discovers...he dreams about her too.
Together, the two attempt to make sense of these dreams. Their power and intensity something only Mia and Oliver can truly understand. Sometimes they’re nightmares, sometimes they’re steamy, and sometimes they’re somewhere in the middle. Two strangers who dream about each other, who encounter the same landscapes, who’ve known each other before ever meeting? There must be a reason. Or so they believe.
The entire story unfolded so beautifully. Mia’s internal struggle...her love and devotion to Harrison, her excitement and attraction to Oliver, her longing for a baby and for the spark that once ignited her marriage...the author did a phenomenal job writing lovable characters, especially Harrison and Oliver, which really pulled me in to Mia’s experiences. I could acutely feel her emotional tug-of-war. And then the ending.