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ktdn_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Such a great book!! I was worried I wouldn’t like the alternate realities, but I loved seeing how each one played out!
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Medical content
irisandfoxglove's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
daydaybookbay's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I rated this book a 6.5 out of 10.
I enjoyed the idea of book having two parallel realities experienced simultaneously. I found myself wanting to like one version more than the other. I enjoyed reading the book, but it didn't really grab me.
I love parallel timelines and alternate universe stories. I find them so fun and fascinating. I enjoyed reading the overlap of each reality, and finding the lines that were shared between the two. I wonder if the book had been too short? I feel there wasn't a whole lot of depth to the stories to bring me fully invested in the characters.
The character development fell flat for me. Each character had one defining trait about them. The fact our main character's defining trait is that she likes cinnamon rolls... not quite the selling point I was hoping for.
I enjoyed the idea of book having two parallel realities experienced simultaneously. I found myself wanting to like one version more than the other. I enjoyed reading the book, but it didn't really grab me.
I love parallel timelines and alternate universe stories. I find them so fun and fascinating. I enjoyed reading the overlap of each reality, and finding the lines that were shared between the two. I wonder if the book had been too short? I feel there wasn't a whole lot of depth to the stories to bring me fully invested in the characters.
The character development fell flat for me. Each character had one defining trait about them. The fact our main character's defining trait is that she likes cinnamon rolls... not quite the selling point I was hoping for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Death, Car accident, Cancer, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Stalking, Abortion, and Sexism
sarahfeller's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Stalking, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Blood, Alcohol, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Cancer, and Child death
goldaerin's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Medical content, and Miscarriage
leah08855's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Vomit, Car accident, Medical content, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
annamay1021's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Medical content
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A simple choice faces Hannah; go home with a friend, or stay out and party with an ex-boyfriend. But what consequences await her? Does she make the 'right' decision? Watch her life unfold in both scenarios in a 'Sliding Doors'esque tale and consider the concepts of fate, soul mates and whether everything happens for a reason.
I've never really been drawn to this author's works as they're just not my usual genre, but she was the latest pick for my work's book club. When I looked at the blurb for this book, it seemed like the most logical choice for me; the 'what if' scenario is one I do tend to enjoy and so I hoped that would make it a bit easier for me to get through.
Generally speaking, this is a perfectly good book. Despite jumping between two alternative realities, the narrative is easy to follow, engaging and a little thought provoking. There are certainly darker moments within it, but overall it's also quite a light read. I did enjoy the examination and comparison of the two timelines and how the smallest decision can lead to far reaching consequences, while also being able to see the threads of life weaving their way through both realities.
That being said, the pairing of certain moments in both realities meant that the story was ultimately very predictable. When taking the genre of the story into consideration, it became even more so - it feels like there should have been more surprises after the major difference at the outset, but there just aren't any. It therefore very quickly became a game of trying to work out where in the other narrative particular events would happen.
I loved the soulmate element, particularly the premise that your soulmate depends on what universe you're in (yay for the multi-verse theory!). It actually fits very well with my own outlook on life - I absolutely believe there is one perfect person out there for everyone. But the choices you make might just change who that person is. I thought this was a very clever spin on the subject and I have to applaud the writer for her beautiful explanation and illustration of the theory.
But, overall there is something missing from this book for me. For a story that does deal with some quite deep ideas and themes, it feels incredibly shallow - I can't say that I engaged with the characters or felt the world coming to life around me as I read. The introduction felt like a last minute addition to serve purely as an info-dump and was pretty much entirely unnecessary, and even those moments where you should have been deeply feeling the characters' feelings were tempered by a lack of anything below the surface.
It's not that there's anything inherently wrong or bad about the book... it just didn't speak to me in the way I hoped it would.
I've never really been drawn to this author's works as they're just not my usual genre, but she was the latest pick for my work's book club. When I looked at the blurb for this book, it seemed like the most logical choice for me; the 'what if' scenario is one I do tend to enjoy and so I hoped that would make it a bit easier for me to get through.
Generally speaking, this is a perfectly good book. Despite jumping between two alternative realities, the narrative is easy to follow, engaging and a little thought provoking. There are certainly darker moments within it, but overall it's also quite a light read. I did enjoy the examination and comparison of the two timelines and how the smallest decision can lead to far reaching consequences, while also being able to see the threads of life weaving their way through both realities.
That being said, the pairing of certain moments in both realities meant that the story was ultimately very predictable. When taking the genre of the story into consideration, it became even more so - it feels like there should have been more surprises after the major difference at the outset, but there just aren't any. It therefore very quickly became a game of trying to work out where in the other narrative particular events would happen.
I loved the soulmate element, particularly the premise that your soulmate depends on what universe you're in (yay for the multi-verse theory!). It actually fits very well with my own outlook on life - I absolutely believe there is one perfect person out there for everyone. But the choices you make might just change who that person is. I thought this was a very clever spin on the subject and I have to applaud the writer for her beautiful explanation and illustration of the theory.
But, overall there is something missing from this book for me. For a story that does deal with some quite deep ideas and themes, it feels incredibly shallow - I can't say that I engaged with the characters or felt the world coming to life around me as I read. The introduction felt like a last minute addition to serve purely as an info-dump and was pretty much entirely unnecessary, and even those moments where you should have been deeply feeling the characters' feelings were tempered by a lack of anything below the surface.
It's not that there's anything inherently wrong or bad about the book... it just didn't speak to me in the way I hoped it would.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexism, Stalking, Abortion, Animal death, Grief, Vomit, and Animal cruelty
sharppointysticks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
2.5 stars for the bulk of the book, 3 stars for the end, and 4 stars for the conversation with the author at the end of the audiobook.
I enjoyed Daisy Jones & The Six more than this book by the same author, but I also didn't dislike this one. At first, I thought it was ok but not super into the two timelines (the author mentions it being somewhat inspired by the movie Sliding Doors). However, as things wrapped up, I started to be a bit more invested in the two Hannah's fates and there was a toast at the end that kind of tied it all together for me. There is power in having at least one steady friend in your life, and the star of this story is the friendship between Hannah and Gabby.
I appreciated the author's note/conversation at the end about millennials being told they can be/have/do whatever they want and how that pressure makes decision-making extremely hard. I can relate to that!
I enjoyed Daisy Jones & The Six more than this book by the same author, but I also didn't dislike this one. At first, I thought it was ok but not super into the two timelines (the author mentions it being somewhat inspired by the movie Sliding Doors). However, as things wrapped up, I started to be a bit more invested in the two Hannah's fates and there was a toast at the end that kind of tied it all together for me. There is power in having at least one steady friend in your life, and the star of this story is the friendship between Hannah and Gabby.
I appreciated the author's note/conversation at the end about millennials being told they can be/have/do whatever they want and how that pressure makes decision-making extremely hard. I can relate to that!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Car accident, and Abortion
milenasbooknook's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Child death
Moderate: Car accident, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content