You Were There Too was a novel that I stopped and started over the course of several months--I think it took me so long because I knew it was going to hurt at some point...and it did, at several points. To be quite honest, there were points when I wanted to throw in the towel on this novel and this couple, they were in some ways so frustratingly real that I felt too much about their lives and yet there was that hint of being fictional that kept me wanting to read to see how it was all going to be resolved.



I realize I'm not selling this as hard as it deserves--it's well written and packs an emotional punch. For a reader who likes realistic-ish romance, a touch of something magical, and an emotional release, this novel is a prime choice.

Mia has had recurring dreams for years involving the same man, a man she has never met. One day while shopping she looks up and there is he. Soon she finds out that the dreams aren't only she had, but he also has been dreaming of her for years. They both try to find the meaning behind the dreams and how that will affect their separate lives and the life they might be destined for together.

You Were There Too is a lovely, emotionally rich story. At the outset, Mia Graydon and her handsome surgeon husband, Harrison, have moved from Philadelphia to a small Pennsylvania town on a whim. Harrison had been working long hours and recently lost an eight-year-old boy during an emergency appendectomy. Mia could tell it affected him, even though he didn't talk about it. So when he said, "Let's get out of here," they agreed to move to Hope Springs. To Mia, the name of the town seemed like an omen. And the house they purchased not only had white picket fencing but a detached one-garage car that serves as her art studio. She dreams of having a successful art show. And being able to have a child. She recently suffered her second miscarriage, but is pregnant again.

Since she was in high school, the same man has been periodically appearing in her dreams and he shows up more frequently during periods of major changes in her life. Lately, she's been dreaming about him every night. And she is further along in her current pregnancy than either of her previous pregnancies.

Oakley immediately draws viewers into the lives of Mia and Harrison by fully developing her characters. They are believable, multi-dimensional, and flawed but deeply empathetic. Everything changes when Mia encounters <em>him</em> at the local market. And again shortly thereafter. She learns his name is Oliver and it's as though finding out his name releases "some treasure trove of stored dreams that I assumed had been lost forever, dissolved like sugar in water by the morning light."

Through her characters' lives, Oakley deftly contemplates whether anything is a coincidence or if, rather, lives unfold in accordance with a predetermined plan. Is there such a thing as fate? Are certain people meant to be part of our lives, entering our sphere at the precise moment intended? Mia's inner struggle to understand what is happening in her life and how events unfolding are impacting her marriage is authentically, movingly depicted. Mia finds herself drawn to Oliver, even as Harrison seems to be slipping away from her. Mia's questioning and confusion is palpable, relatable, and heart-wrenching.

Oakley injects surprising plot twists and never allows the book's pace to drag, expertly ramping up the tension and tenor as the story begins to race to an explosive conclusion. Indeed, she so skillfully and compassionately relates Mia's struggle, the ending of the story comes as a surprise, the prologue's foreshadowing all but forgotten.

You Were There Too is a tender examination of chance versus fate, choices versus predetermination, and how much power we actually have to shape our own futures. It is a clever and touching exploration of the old cliche that everything happens for a reason. And at it's core, You Were There Too is a thoughtful love story -- heart-breaking, yet affirming.

** spoiler alert ** You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley is a 2020 Berkley publication.

This story is centered around Mia Graydon. Mia is happily married to Harrison, a doctor, and they are hoping to someday become parents. However, Mia also has dreams about the same man- a man who is not her husband- from time to time. It’s puzzling, for sure, but they are only dreams, right? Well, maybe not. When Mia comes face to face with the man of her dreams in real life, she’s thrown completely off balance.

Complicating matters more, Mia and Harrison, have hit a rough patch in their marriage. The couple may no longer be on the same wave- length and for Mia, this could be a deal-breaker. Then her dream lover, Oliver, confesses that, he too has dreamed of her, making Mia wonder if maybe fate is trying to tell her something….

Right away one is clued in that something serious has happened, but we have no idea how things got to that point or what might happen beyond it. Meanwhile, we watch Mia struggle with her emotions, taken aback by the changes in her husband. Yet, she finds herself distracted by the mystery of her dreams, suddenly finding it of great importance to understand why she and Oliver have been haunting one another’s dreams and what it might mean.

While Mia loves her husband, the possibility of Oliver has her wondering… what if?

I don’t mind reading an emotional book, but I typically avoid anything that wreaks of a full-fledged tearjerker, especially when the author could have given the book the 'Hollywood' treatment and at least left us with the hope, or promise of a happier future.

One can look at this story in any number of ways, I suppose. Some get redemption, some get their heart’s desire, and there are a few silver linings too, so the ending isn’t a complete ‘ugly cry’ letdown.

Unfortunately, those silver linings were not enough to lift my spirits after the book ended. I felt like I’d been left with nothing concrete to grasp onto. I’d just invested all this time in these characters and felt stunned with how things turned out for them.

I needed to feel that fate would indeed intervene somewhere down the road and happier times were on the horizon- even if it was in the distant future. Alas, that was not to be. With some genres, like horror, for example, an unsettling conclusion is often effective and expected- and I love closing the book with a shiver running down my spine.

But, with a story like this one the dim conclusion was too depressing for my taste, leaving me with a feeling of melancholy. I read to escape from that feeling, which is all too common for many of us in real life- so, while the writing is fine, and the story is not a bad one, it’s just wasn’t my cup of tea.


3 stars

I'm having a little trouble deciding whether I loved this book or not. I thought the writing was spectacular, a pure pleasure to read. Even the most mundane events were written about so beautifully that they were really interesting. I guess my problem is that I'm not sure that the whole dream aspect worked for me. I think I was expecting something more to come from it and was disappointed that it almost seemed an unnecessary gimmick, I think the story could have worked just as well if Mia and Oliver had met under other circumstances and felt a connection, and that the plot still could have progressed in the same way. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book and am thank the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-copy.

Lovely story with great characters. My favorite part is that it didn’t have a happy ending, it had the perfect ending for this story. I’m usually good at guessing how a book is going to end, but this one had me guessing almost until the end. I enjoyed it immensely.

I enjoyed Colleen's other books so I was looking forward to reading this one. I thought this was an interesting and more unique setup and beautifully written. I would recommend!

An original premise of whether the question of true love can be found in your dreams, however, there are just too many things happening in the plot that take away from the story.

Although, it’s not my typical choice In reading, I was intrigued when offered a chance to read You Were There Too on netgalley. Using dreams to create emotional conflict gave the plot momentum and made me care about the characters. All of us can relate on some level with the realities of grief, fear, disappointment, and love. But Mia’s dream coming to life gave the story real oomph! As a reader, I wasn’t always happy with her choices, but I was always engaged. Definitely recommend as a fun read with some worthy plot points for discussion.

The pace of the story was rather slow for me but I’m glad I continued reading, albeit the ending was a lot to take in but it’s something that I keep pondering about. Isn’t that what a good story does, keeps you thinking about it.

Imagine if you had a whole host of recurring dreams that all featured the same person, only you'd never met that person in your life. Then imagine you *did* meet that person in real life. And found out they'd been dreaming about you, too. What would it mean? What would you do about it? That's what this book is about, and boy howdy, is it a doozy.

First of all, I want to say that I went into this book with no expectations except that, based on the synopsis, I was pretty sure it might break my heart. Well, it turns out I was right. It totally broke my heart. However, the way that the story went was not necessarily what I expected, so I think the book is worth reading for that alone. The author did such an amazing job with this premise, which seems so simple from the outside but created an incredibly complex set of conflicts for the characters to grapple with.

The author's prose is elegant and gorgeous, dripping with emotion but not in a sickly sweet sort of way. She just carries you off into the story, and you won't escape until the very end, like it or not. And I definitely liked it. I don't want to talk much about the plot because I prefer to keep my reviews completely spoiler-free, but I will say that even though my heart was ripped out by the end, I felt like it was still satisfying and complete.

I loved all the characters and was able to empathize with them all: kind and loving human beings just doing their best to find their paths through life. I could relate to the sense of floundering that our main character, Mia, is experiencing as her life doesn't exactly come together the way she envisioned--moving from the comfortable hustle-bustle of the city to a small town, going through the grief of three miscarriages, and not exactly "making it" as an artist the way she'd hoped. But she is such a loving and hopeful person, and I really felt for her.

I can tell I'll be thinking about this book for a long time after finishing it, and suspect I will go back and read certain passages and chapters over again simply because the writing is so beautiful. I highly recommend this one with no reservations!

I’m a big fan of Colleen Oakley and was excited to see all the marketing for her latest: You Were There Too. This character driven book has an original premise,and the writing is solid and compelling.

Remember that movie Chances Are with a young Robert Downey Jr? It’s one of my all time favorites. In the movie RDJ is reincarnated but still remembers his previous life as the newlywed husband of Cybill Shepherd. The author references this movie and the hit song by Cher & Peter Cetera “After All” which set the tone of the book for me.

“After all the stops and starts
We keep comin' back to these two hearts
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall
After all that we've been through
It all comes down to me and you
I guess it's meant to be, forever you and me, after all”

I love the idea of soulmates and true love despite the odds (i.e. Princess Bride and Serendipity). I really liked Harrison’s character, so it was hard to root for Mia and Oliver. I would not be okay with my wife spending so much time with another man but Harrison was very understanding, albeit distracted. I was worried the whole time if one of them would cheat.

There was a lot of background about dreams and premonitions and psychics as Oliver and Mia try to understand why they have this connection. In the end the author doesn’t solve the mystery of their dreams which might annoy some readers.

Ultimately, I read this as an emotional love story about marriage and communication and honesty. Mia could have taken the easy route - “I have to do what the universe/fate tells me to do” but she didn’t. She gets her HEA just not in the way you expect.

To circle back, just like RDJ in Chances Are, Mia wakes up to her reality and what’s most important: what’s “supposed” to be or what IS?

Trigger warnings for miscarriage and infertility.

I loved this book!! Great story!! Received this book from Berkeley publishing from netgally!! 1st book I have read by this author!!

Mia Graydon’s life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too — unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of them, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he’s been dreaming of her too.

I hate to admit that my first Oakley novel was a bit of a dud. I went into You Were There Too expecting a fun, wobbly timeline tale with a touch of scifi, given the dreams Mia and Oliver have been having for years (decades, in Mia’s case). Unfortunately, that’s not what this book is. At all. In fact it seems like the book glossed over any explanation of why Mia and Oliver had been dreaming of each other for years in lieu of Mia’s multiple miscarriages and everyday life with her husband. I wanted so badly for this book to go somewhere but was ultimately letdown.

I have only read two books by Colleen Oakley, but based on those two, she now has a place on my list of must-read authors. Her latest novel, You Were There Too, is that rare mix of realism and fairy tale. Rolled into an emotion-laden story, it has no melodrama and never crosses the line into saccharine sweetness. If anything, it is one of the most honest looks at the difficulties of marriage, and I respect Ms. Oakley so much for her lack of sugar-coating. Plus, Ms. Oakley made me shed tears while reading once again, something it takes a talented author to get me to do.

I picked up You Were There Too expecting an intriguing novel about the life you have versus the life you could have. What I ended up reading blew away my expectations. The story has mystery, multiple twists, and an ending I can respect and even applaud for the courage it shows. Her characters are delightful in their flaws, their complexity, and their realness. The small-town setting, with its direct contrast to the bustle of Philadelphia, provides an eerie mood to the story that enhances its otherworldliness. Well-written without being too dramatic, You Were There Too is a simple story simply told with great success.

I had a hard time getting in to this book but in the end, I'm really glad that I read it! It wasn't what I was expecting, I was thinking it would be lighter. I would still recommend, the reading was very good and the story was engaging once I got in to it.

The summary of this book intrigued me and this was the first book I’ve read from this author so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Mia was stuck in a bit of a rut after moving to a new town and struggling through several miscarriages. The one thing that has remained semi-constant in her life are weird dreams that always feature the same unknown man. The dreams range from odd to romantic.

I wish I could say that I liked this book but for me, it was just ok. It felt long and it seemed to drag on. The last few chapters picked up the pace but at that point, it was too late. I can’t help but wonder, if I listened to this on audio, would I have had a better time?

An emotional heartrending journey of as woman as she journeys through miscarriages and the emotional effect it has on her marriage.
She must make a devastating choice, her husband or the man she has been dreaming about for years.
This one really pulls on the heartstrings!

Published January 7th 2020 by Berkley
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Review will be posted 1/27/2020

Mia and her husband, Harrison, have moved from bustling Philadelphia to a small town in Pennsylvania. Country living is just what they think they need and her husband, a surgeon, also needs a fresh perspective. Also, the clean air, the gardening, and the slower pace is just what Mia needs to recover from her recurrent miscarriages. However, there's something you should know about Mia. For years, she has been having vivid dreams about a man whom she has never met. One day at the grocery store, she sees this man. Thinking it's some weird coincidence, she tries to erase it from her mind, but she sees him again when her husband performs surgery on this man's sister. So, this guy, Oliver, isn't just some illusion; he is a real person! After getting to know Oliver, she comes to find that he has had dreams about her as well. This is all very confusing for Mia and to complicate things further, her relationship with her husband has been rocky. After all they have been through, Harrison isn't sure he wants to continue trying for a baby and this guts Mia. Do these dreams about Oliver mean he is the person she should be with? You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley is a beautiful romance that had me swooning one minute and sobbing the next.

Mia is a complex character in You Were There Too. I didn't like that she was feeling an attraction to Oliver, because I think her husband is a good guy; however, after all these dreams for many, many years, you can't blame her curiosity, right? What she went though with her husband really saddened me. Infertility is such a frustrating and heart wrenching issue and I think Oakley depicted the uncertainty and the heartbreak well.

Also, I loved the aspect of the story where Mia tries to figure out why she is having dreams about Oliver and why he is having the same dreams too. As they piece together the puzzle, the pace of the story quickens and it totally took me by surprise. There are some major twists and turns in You Were There Too. Let's just say the last few chapters of the novel kept me turning the pages!

You Were There Too isn't an easy romance. There are some major bumps in the road for Mia and Harrison, but I appreciated that aspect of the novel. I wasn't looking for a cutesy romance and one thing is for sure, this novel had me sobbing. You Were There Too is a surprisingly heartfelt novel and one that shouldn't be missed this winter season, especially if you are a fan of complicated romances.

I loved the premise of this book, a man and a woman keep dreaming of one another even though they've never met. Unfortunately, it didn't play out as well as I hoped. I can't reveal anymore than that without giving anything away. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.