This is such a book that hits home in so many ways. When we lost my parents, we set up a memorial little free library and two beach chairs for them. So, when I read this I really felt connected to the main character. Beautifully done.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

Thank you for providing a copy of this book for review however I was unable to open the file for this document unfortunately! Apologies.

This book had a very interesting premise and in all honesty I’ll never sit on a dedicated bench the same way again. The uniqueness of the plot allowed me to overlook some of the telling and retelling of moments throughout the book.

So original and very gripping. I loved the story and the characters very much. I was captivated from the beginning. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Sometimes a book will stay with you for all the right reasons long after you have turned the final page. I think that My Life is a Bench by Jaq Hazell will be such a book. Not because I overly loved it. It was good but I have read books that captured my heart more but because the story is just so cleverly thought out and so unusual.

It is the story of Ren Miller whose life has been tragically cut short. Her soul however lingers on in a memorial bench that has been bought in honour of her. She’s not alone. She strikes up a friendship with the bench next to her and sometimes she has visitors. However, the person she longs to see the most hasn’t been to see her…yet.

My Life as a Bench really is an inspired story. I giggled all the way through at Ren’s frustration and boredom in death. It was heart-warming in places and it made me hope against hope that I never turn into a bench.

My Life as a Bench by Jaq Hazell is available now.

For more information regarding Jaq Hazell (@jaqhazell) please visit www.jaqhazell.com.

An intriguing premise and beautifully written exploration of consciousness, feeling, and life. Fascinating and difficult to explain, I don't think I've ever read anything quite like this before.

The title had me intrigued straight away and the book, I’m happy to report, kept me just as interested throughout my reading of it.

A very novel concept that, as far as I’m aware, hasn’t been done before. There are so many novels out there for young adults that deal with the afterlife and teenagers desperately trying to seek justice or clarification of their death. My Life As A Bench was a breath of fresh of air in this style of novel that is rapidly becoming write-a-YA-novel-by-numbers.

The relationship between Ren and Lionel was touching; perfectly showcasing the arrogance of youth against the wisdom of age and how the two meet in the middle. Having worked with teenagers for almost 10 years, I felt that the depiction of teens found in this book was pretty spot on.

My Life As A Bench was a true pleasure to read, and I’ve already been recommending to everyone I can.

An unusual tale of a young life, cut short. Told with flashbacks from the afterlife, this story was sad, romantic and touching.

This is such a quirky idea for a book, and I really enjoyed reading it. The title of it (which is more than a little odd!) really drew me into reviewing this book and the whole story really did live up to expectations.

This is a clever, unique story about a teenage girl whose soul lives on in her memorial park bench as she tries to piece together the events that led to her death. While I found the story interesting, I wasn't aware at first that it was a young adult novel, and the tone didn't always work for me. However, I think the target audience will really enjoy this novel.

What would you do if you died, only to be trapped in the memorial bench set up to remember you?

This is the case for Ren Miller, having died after being pushed off a balcony, she is trapped in the wood seat by the River Thames.

Wanting nothing more than to see her boyfriend again, the reader is pulled along while the she constantly relives her life, trying to determine the exact chain of events that led to her death.

She isn't entirely alone, however, as the bench beside her is occupied by an old man named Lionel.

It is a story of hope, loss and hope again. Part mystery and part heartfelt eulogy, Jaq Hazell tells an excellent story.

Five stars/Five Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DNF. Thank you to the Publisher for the review copy though!

I'm not normally a YA reader but there was something about this one that made me want to pick it up.
It was unique and thought provoking with stunning writing.
I think topics like loss are important and I appreciated Hazell's way of portraying it.

Totally in love with this book! I will certainly read again. Unique and well written!

Thought it was gonna be fun and original. Its neither.

Well, this is an interesting concept. Ren died at age 17 and now she is living on in her memorial bench by the Thames river in London. Ren is able to communicate with Lionel, the memorial bench closest to her. Lionel was an old man and he tries to share his wisdom with Ren who relives her relationship with her boyfriend, Gabe, every night. She also relives her death, but she can never remember it when she "awakens" in the mornings. When she finds out that Gabe has been charged with her death, she is determined to remember how she died because she is certain that Gabe did not kill her. Lionel has told Ren that she can communicate with the living if she tries hard enough and her goal is to convince someone that Gabe is innocent so that he won't be convicted of her murder.

eCopy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure how to review this book because I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'd read about 3/4 of the book when I suddenly realised a girl has died why haven't I cried? Then her dad read a quote at her funeral and I bawled. I guess my initial lack of emotion was due to the fact that up until that point Ren still felt very much alive. Ren may have died but her presence/spirit/soul remains and inhabits her memorial bench, over looking the Thames, commissioned by her family.

I feel like Ren was a young 17 but then again I could be misremembering what it was like to be that age? This is almost like a book in reverse. We know Ren has died from the get go but it takes the rest of the book to learn the circumstances surrounding her death.

I thought this was a fascinating and unusual idea for a story. It was compelling reading. The nearer Ren came to remembering what happened to her the quicker I was turning the pages. I just I felt more for the other characters than I did for Ren which is an unusual feeling for me.

Too lovey-dovey for me, but kept me reading and wanting to find out more

Seventeen year old Ren has died yet her spirit lives on in her memorial bench by the Thames. This was so different, original and good. A very enjoyable YA read.