A Romance Mingling Dreams and Reality

Mia is married to Harrison. She seems to have it all except the baby she longs for. Miscarriages keep happening. In Hope Springs, Mia and Harrison hope to have the life they’ve dreamed of, but strange things happen. For years Mia dreamed about a man. Suddenly he’s there. She never expected to meet Oliver, and the strange thing is that he’s been dreaming of her.

Trying to figure out why they have dreams of each other, they spend time together. Are they meant for each other? Mia doesn’t think so, she loves Harrison, but it’s hard to understand what the dreams mean. Sometimes dreams seem more real than reality.

At first, this book feels like a typical romance. Two men are interested in the same woman. However, it isn’t that simple. Mia, Harrison, and Oliver are complex characters, and there’s the element of dreams and what they mean.

I liked Mia and Harrison and the life they were trying to build. It seemed cruel to have Oliver suddenly appear. I thought the story would revolve around making choices. What do you do when you love your husband, but you meet someone who may be your soulmate? However, it was more complex than that. I felt the author did a good job of building up to the ending, but it didn’t make it easier to accept.

This is not an easy book to read, but if you like romance that is more edgy than the typical love triangle, it’s well worth the time.

I received this book from Berkley Publishing Group for this review.

This book was fantastic. A contemporary fiction/romance, this book was great. This book tells the story of Mia and her husband Harrison. Harrison goes through struggles within the book, as a surgeon. Mia meanwhile has dreams of a man. She meets the man and the rest of the book leaves Mia split between her husband Harrison, and the man in her dream turned to life, Oliver. This book was interesting, fast paced, and left me unsure who to cheer for. The ending wraps things up, but isn't my favorite ending ever--it did seem abrupt.
All in all, a fantastic book!

You Were There by Colleen Oakley is a story about love and fate. The novel follows Mia Graydon, an artist who dreams of starting a family with her husband Harrison. Luck has not been on their side, however, and they have suffered several miscarriages. Frustration has set in and has started to put a strain on their relationship, especially as Harrison is also battling some internal demons of his own. Even though Mia and Harrison really are happily married, Mia has been having recurring dreams about another man for several years. The dreams themselves are odd enough, but what’s most odd about them is that Mia has no idea who the man is. She has never met him before. When Mia and Harrison decide to relocate to a small town in Pennsylvania, Mia unexpectedly meets Oliver, the mystery man from her dreams. Not only that but he tells her that he has been having dreams about her too. Determined to make sense of it all, Mia and Oliver dive deep into their pasts, looking for any possible connection between them. As Mia and Oliver grow closer, Mia starts to think about fate and what her life would be like if she was with Oliver instead of Harrison.

I loved this story, mainly because I was just so immediately invested in the relationship between Mia and Harrison. The two of them were so sweet together and so clearly in love and it just hurt to see them struggle so much to start their family. Then when I learned more about the demons that Harrison was battling and saw how it was tearing him apart inside, it just hurt all the more, especially when Oliver appears on the scene and unintentionally threatens all that they have built together. I think the ‘What Ifs’ that Mia starts experiencing are what really made this story so engrossing for me. I could understand where she was coming from in wondering what life might have been like if she had met Oliver sooner and even though I wanted to be angry with Mia for even thinking about it, I could especially understand it as Harrison’s demons start to consume him more and more and because Oliver was such a likable guy.

You Were There Too kept me reading late into the night because I just had to know what Mia was going to do. Does she embrace the idea of fate and go after the man who has haunted her dreams for all these years or does she stay faithful to the man she vowed to be there for in good times and in bad? If a heart-wrenching story about love, fate, and making hard choices appeals to you, Colleen Oakley’s You Were There Too is the book for you.

You Were There Too is an epic tale of love, loss, connection and discovery. Do you believe in fate? Are things in life meant-to-be? I’m not sure but after having read You Were There Too I’m much closer to being a believer. The thoughts and ideas of the story will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book.

Harrison, Mia and Oliver light up the pages. Each searching for the unattainable when perhaps they’ve had it all along. I felt the pressure to understand each of them. To want them all to be happy, and to find joy and balance in seemingly impossible situations. The range of emotions I felt reading their story was unprecedented. I love that through it all they are always honest with each other. They don’t hide from the truth. While that adds to the confusion and uncertainty it also adds to the realness. The revelations that come to Mia when stepping outside herself are as heartbreaking as they are beautiful. Four simple words that mean everything.

This is a truly unique novel. The dreams are vivid, the characters lovely, and the ending will undoubtedly keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley,Berkley Publishing and Colleen Oakley for the ARC to review. This was the first Colleen Oakley book that I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story was great, not what I had first envisioned. I was captivated about the dreams Mia would have and her mystery man showing up. I was quite sure that she would leave her husband. However, I was totally taken back by the conclusion of this book. I was quite a surprise, I was simply stunned. Bravo! This is a good read, and I look forward to reading Colleen Oakley, again.

You Were There Too was such a wonderful story about love, fate, and destiny and I loved every minute of it! It’s tough to describe this book without giving a lot away, but it is about a woman who is living an idyllic life with her wonderful husband, yet continues having dreams about this mystery dreamy man. Then one day at the supermarket, she meets this dreamy man and her life becomes sooooo confusing! I loved that both of the men were truly good and it made the choices and conundrum so interesting. I was so sad when this one ended...it is so good!!!!

4.5 out of 5 stars for You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley.

I've heard a lot of great things about Colleen Oakley's books, but this is the first one I've read (she has two other ones, and I definitely need to read them this year). This one is absolutely amazing.

I'm one of those people who doesn't really dream (and yes, I know that I really do and that I just don't remember them) so the idea of Mia's recurring dreams about a stranger is already fascinating to me. But when we learn that he (his name is Oliver, as it happens) also dreams about her? And that they meet when she and her husband Harrison are in a slightly rough patch of their marriage?  YES PLEASE.

So first, you should know that this is a rare love triangle because Oliver and Harrison are both really good guys. And you should know that "love triangle" isn't really very accurate. It's more of a sort of "what if" question. 

I loved every page of this. And, like I said, I need to hit her backlist. Highly recommended.

Mia's life is a dream: a doctor husband, a new home in a new town... it's all going exactly as it should. But what about her actual dreams? For years, Mia has been dreaming about the same man. A man she's never met. So when she runs into the real-life version of him in her new town, she thinks it must be just a coincidence... right? But then, when she finds out that he's also been dreaming of her, she thinks there must be a reason... right?? This was a great read! I don't want to spoil anything by saying too much, so my advice is to read the book!

A really unique,emotional and unforgettable story.I don't know what to say with this one, I think you should go blind.It's a book that will make you have so many feelings, and also wondering for things.

I find the story brilliant, and realistic in the relationships.What I loved most about this story is that I couldn't decide how this story I wanted to end.This changed a lot through the end.I have different opinions.

I'm definitely going to read more books from this author!I love the writing and her story was compelling and captivating!

Mia has dreamt of the same man for most of her adult life. It’s not anyone she knows and he doesn’t appear every night - but frequently he appears in her dreams. She doesn’t think much of it - and even assumes at first this happens to everyone.

When Mia and her husband Harrison decide to move out of Philadelphia to the suburbs, her world is rocked when she runs into the dream man at the grocery store. His name is Oliver and he is a real person. Suddenly Mia needs to question if the dreams have meaning. Was she actually meant to be with Oliver?

I think it’s important to come into this book with the right expectations. It isn’t a light romance - it’s a compelling domestic fiction that takes on a lot of heavier topics. I think they were handled well and I was rooting for Mia throughout.

I also loved recognizing the town they moved to - a fictionalized version of a town near where I grew up. It always adds a little something to recognize the setting of a book I’m enjoying.

Thank you very much to Berkley and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

You Were There Too took me on a quest to understand coincidence, fate, dreams, premonition and circumstance. It’s an amazing premise and Oakley does a stellar job at bringing these life affirming ideas to the forefront. At its heart this book is a love story that will tear at your heart, but there is so much more. Two characters find themselves in each other’s dreams; Mia is happily married, hunky Oliver is not. The problem gets stickier when we learn her dreams are quite steamy and while his are not, they do cause concern for Mia.

The book tackles issues regarding soulmates, the power of dreams as well as the science behind them, the stress doctors are under, infertility, small town life, art, marriage and love. Oakley created a storyline that kept me turning the pages and every inkling I had of how things would turn out was wrong; the author got it perfectly done with unsuspected twists. I grew to really like Mia; she felt real and understandably confused. I appreciated her honesty in all things, no matter how hard they’d be to accept.

This is the first Oakley book I’ve read but it certainly won’t be my last. Her writing is concise, has great pace and she’s a good storyteller. Book clubs will find a lot to discuss.

4.5 stars

You Were There Too was a beautifully heartbreaking novel. I was fascinated by the blurb and thought the story would go one way, but it ended up zig zagging a few times and ending in a way that may upset some readers, but that I felt was appropriate and fitting for the story. I will say that I would not classify this book as a romance. It has romance and romantic elements, but I think it would be better labeled as women's fiction.

This story was so incredibly relatable. The excitement and exhilaration of new love. The comfort and happiness in the day to day. The struggle and heartache of loss and all the growing pains that go along with creating and maintaining a marriage and family. Harrison and Mia's story really resonated with me and made me reflect on my own marriage and journey to parenthood. My emotions were all over the place and there were times I had to put the book down and simply breathe. It was impacting me so profoundly that I even commented to my husband that the story felt almost too intense at times.

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, so my review will be purposefully vague, but I will say that Colleen Oakley's writing completely blew me away. I highlighted so many passages and I was definitely reaching for the tissues by the end. The majority of the story is told from Mia's POV, but there are some point of view shifts that helped paint a clearer picture of the events, but that I also found a little distracting. I understand that the way this book concluded might not be for everyone, but for me it made sense. I think the greater message of carrying on is so important. We choose every day to fight or run, love or hate. I like the idea of fate and it's inescapable pull, but I think this quote says it best:

"That in the random chaos of life, you and I met somehow. And out of everyone else in the world that we know, we choose each other. Every day."

You Were There Too is a unique love story that is sure to take readers on an emotional ride.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

The plot of this book was completely different than what I thought it was and I absolutely loved it! I found myself wondering what was going to happen next and couldn’t put it down for this reason!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mia is in love and married to a wonderful man when she literally meets the man of her dreams. In a twist, he also has dreams of her. I love the ending plot twist.

This book was very good. I couldn’t wait to see where it was going. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it but it was a fascinating book.

Mia Graydon and her husband Harrison decide to make a fresh start in the small town of Hope Springs. Leaving Philly was hard but Harrison, having finally finished his residency, is ready for a fresh start at a new hospital. Mia, on the other hand, is feeling a little lost. What started as an impulsive, exciting move has left Mia without a routine of any kind and her once passionate career as a painter is still packed away in the studio. Both grieving their separate losses, they are finding their relationship at odds for the first time in eight years. When Mia is introduced to Oliver, he takes her breath away. It feels like she has known him forever, yet they have never met. Oliver has been in her dreams since high school. And the most terrifying part - he has been dreaming of her too. After researching psychics, dream psychiatry, all aspects of coincidence and fate, Mia is forced to make a choice. Indecision slowly devours her every waking moment until destiny once again intervenes. Highly recommend this January 2020 release, a poignant, wholly original love story which will leave you dreaming of these characters long after the final page.

3.5 stars
Mia is happily married but has been dreaming of another man for years. To her surprise, she actually meets the man and finds out he's been dreaming about her, too, although his dreams about her do not have a happy ending. I initially didn't like this book, but as I kept reading, the story drew me in and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen.

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley is an intriguing look into dreams and their possibilities. Mia has been dreaming about a man she has never met for years. One day this man from her dreams walks into her grocery store. It's a small town and after bumping into each other a few times Mia discovers that Oliver also recognized her. He has been dreaming about her. What could this mean? Mia is happily married and finding these dreams very confusing. Together Mia and Oliver begin to research the possible meaning behind two people dreaming about each other even though they are complete strangers.

This book is beautiful and I absolutely loved it. Dreams and destiny are fascinating subjects. The characters are likable and realistic. I will be thinking about this thought provoking book for a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Romance
Women's Fiction
Release date: January 7, 2020

I read this shortly after finishing "In Five Years," which also features a main character who has a dream of a man that she then meets in real life. Both books come out in early 2020, and while they have that similar premise, the books are very different.

You Were There Too features Mia, who has recurring dreams that involve a man she discovers is Oliver (when they meet). Their paths have crossed at various points, including a number of times they should have been in the same place, but weren't, which is kind of cool. Mia is married although she is unhappy as her husband is not dealing with depression he has following the loss of a patient.

To her credit, Mia is honest with her husband about her dreams involving Oliver, which is appreciated. She and Oliver try to figure out what the dreams mean as Mia also needs to figure out what her heart and head want.

The story is well-written and was hard to put down. I enjoyed the examination of the dreams and how this affected how Mia reacted to the people in her life. I think there were a few parts that could have been fleshed out a bit, and some characters that appeared and reappeared randomly, but I liked how the book was written.

It was primarily from Mia's perspective, but there were a handful of chapters from other characters as well. I think these were good, but either should have been expanded a bit or eliminated.

Overall, for a story that makes you feel all the feels, this is the book for you.

Absolutely loved this book! I have not read this author before, now I am looking for more of her books. My library owns a few and we have this one on order! Loved the story, the characters, the plot, everything! It was one of those that you think about after you read a little and can't wait to get back to!