Not the way I wanted this one to go... this ending killed me.
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The story left me with definite mixed feelings to a degree. It’s even somewhat of a difficult story to explain other than it has to do with dreams.

Have you ever dreamt of a person or situation and then it came true? Or maybe you had a déjà vu experience before. That’s usually from a dream that you probably didn’t remember.

This book is about dreams where two people who are random strangers, it appears, meet and discover many interesting things about themselves. One is married and the other is single. But there’s definitely a connection that both of them feel.

I was afraid of those feelings as I read this book. About a third of the way in I already knew the story was not going to end the way I want it to.

You see I absolutely loved Harrison and Mia together. They have a deep bond. A beautiful relationship that’s very supportive of each other, or so it seems.

Oakley wove the story in and out through the dreams, through this family connection, even through the community connections. It was a guessing game page by page as they desperately try to connect how they knew each other and why there was this intense pull.

And then little by little my heart broke. I hate the ending. Honestly I do. And that is where I have mixed feelings.

That’s not to say Oakley didn’t give us a highly complex, intricate story that is riveting and emotional. She is a prodigious writer and certainly did. But I so needed a happier ending. This one left me craving more… and knowing her style now, that is probably what she wanted.

Not to be missed!

This was an interesting read with a unique premise. It isn't something I would typically read but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed the characters and thought they were all well developed. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, and I appreciate the opportunity to read the advance copy. It is a beautiful story, and once I started, I didn't want to stop reading. One of my favorite quotes: "I think of that banal platitude: Love isn't supposed to hurt. But really, if you're doing it right, love hurts all the time."

Mia and Harrison are having trouble in their marriage as they experience Mia’s third miscarriage. Mia meets Oliver, and is surprised that he is the man who appears to be present in her dreams and nightmares. Is it coincidence that they meet, or is it meant to be? There are some surprises in the novel, as it keeps your attention throughout. Recommend, thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

That was phenomenal...and packed exactly the emotional punch I was needing right now. It was a four star read up until the last 10%, when everything came together and it ratcheted up to a 10 star read for me. The storytelling was very reminiscent of reading Taylor Jenkins Reid - something that just reaches in and stirs your soul. This is a story about people who come into your life and what we perceive those reasons to be. Whether you believe it's by fate or by happenstance, it is our job to figure out why they are there, what we can or need to learn or take away from the experience, and how everything isn't always as obvious as it seems at the time. We can all look at the same thing, but based on the experiences we have had, we come away with something completely different and our own version of our truth.

An enjoyable book with an intriguing premise. I appreciated that the book didn't end the way I thought it would, and liked all of the characters.

I'm a big Colleen Oakley fan. Her books are always well written and emotional. This book is no different but I had a hard time relating to the main characters. Mia seems to have a happy life, a good husband and a beautiful home. At night she dreams of another man who she has never met.
she finally meets him and is shocked to learn he dreams of her also. This is an emotional, sweet story that tugs your heartstrings. Maybe I'll reread it in the future and get closer to Mia and her family. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What is it about coincidence that makes us seek meaning in unreasonable the connection? Dreams are many things, but nothing is set stone when it comes to defining the streaming images of our sleep. When Mia dreams, she sees the same guy. Turns out, that guy sees her too. Overlay this on top of trouble in paradise for Mia and her husband, Harrison, there is trouble a foot. But what does it all mean?
A good story with lots of realistic setting details juxtaposed over the possibility of dream meanings.

I'm not usually one for a typical love story but [book:You Were There Too|44016297] had a really interesting element that caught my attention. Everyone dreams about people they've met before, but how is it possible to dream about someone and <i>then</i> meet them? Is it destiny or some kind of paranormal activity?

What I really enjoyed about this story was Oakley's exquisite job of creating an intimate relationship between Harrison and Mia. Their marriage felt so real to me, good and bad and quirky and stressful and lovely. I usually hate when stories have a <i> who will she choose?</i> aspect, because authors tend to make the "right" and "wrong" choice starkly black and white. It was so much more nuanced here. I really wasn't sure what would happen. I stayed interesting throughout the novel.

Wow I’m not sure where to even start with this one because I was not expecting that twist and I’m just super emotional about it all!

I resonated with a lot of this book the vivid dreams and the raw emotions of a miscarriage the author did an amazing job detailing all of this. I really struggled with the borderline infidelity in this book though I usually hate it I found myself rooting for the other guy for a large portion of the book but once I the issue in the marriage was discovered I was back on team husband again but not for long 😭😭😭😭

I think my only complaint about this book is there’s a few parts in the beginning/middle that I think could’ve been cut out and I would’ve liked more added to the end to give me a bit more closure but maybe the author wanted us to be left feeling empty 🤷🏻‍♀️

I highly recommend this book I really truly adored it

Triggers of infertility and miscarriages

The novel starts out in a chaotic scene of noise and blood. There is no explanation given. Then the story starts out. Harrison and Mia are in love. We see snipets of the past throughout the book that show that connection. But they are each dealing with grief. Mia's inability to have a child is eating away at her and blinding her to her husband's own grief. The wedge between them is intensified when Mia meets a stranger, Oliver, she has been dreaming about for years. The feelings of confusion are compounded when she discovers he has been dreaming about her. Together they try to figure out what this all may mean. The more time she spends with Oliver, the more distant she becomes from her marriage. Were they meant to be together?

General concept i have seen before but the author kept this story fresh and quick. No obvious villan made it hard to choose who you were rooting for.

Oh my goodness, this was a good one! If anyone out there has an obsession (or semi-obsession) with dreams, then this is your next read. If you’re not one of those people, just play along because this is a damn good book. Mia and Harrison have a somewhat wonderful life and marriage. Granted, she’s had several miscarriages, they have just moved to a new town, no one wants to display her art in their gallery, etc. – but they are happy. Harrison is battling his demons, Mia is battling hers, but an important factor in her life is dreams that she has been having for decades about the same man. The dreams have been in a variety of settings with a variety of things occurring within them, and then one day she sees the man that she has been dreaming of right there in the flesh. The best part? He’s been dreaming of her too! He has no idea why, but his dreams don’t have the happy or non-descript endings like Mia’s. As Mia and Oliver start trying to understand their unusual connection, Mia starts to notice Harrison pulling further away from her and their marriage. Not only is she trying to make sense of her and Oliver’s dreams, but she is also trying to understand the changes within Harrison and how to save their marriage.

I loved this novel. Although this was my first time reading Colleen Oakley, I had heard of her previous two novels, especially Before I Go. Her character development is fantastic in regards to Mia, although I felt a little slighted regarding other characters. I’m not saying that I loved Mia throughout the entire novel because there were numerous times I was just done hearing about her unwillingness to get up, move around, shower, unpack, buy furniture, and so on. I tried to empathize with her situation and emotions, but she annoyed me to death. Nevertheless, I was completely drawn into and addicted to her story. Even better – all of the surprises and twists. This book did not go like I thought it would at all. I had predictions very early on and also drew off of the prologue, but nothing I expected to happen actually happened. Except for the tears. I did expect early on that there would be some heart-wrenching moments and I was right about that. But there are plenty of wonderful moments to make it all worthwhile.

This was truly a 5-star read for me, although I’m still not sure about the ending. I guess that I just wanted and needed more closure than what was given, something more concrete. However, if you don’t mind an ending that is happy, although a bit ambiguous, I think you will truly enjoy this novel. It’s original, emotional, moving, and above all truly encompasses the wonderful emotion that is love. I was more than impressed with Oakley’s plot development and originality and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I feel so lucky to have read an advanced copy of this book and I think it was incredible! I love books that question "what if" in regards to relationships. A full review will be coming to my blog soon but in the meantime I think everyone should keep this book on their radar!

I’ve always been intrigued by dreams and the attempt to decipher them. Throughout my life, I’ve had several instances where I dreamed I was walking through a house and, upon turning a corner, would find there was much more to the structure than I had originally thought. These explorations were always so exciting and positive, and inevitably I would be disappointed to wake up.

Needless to say, a book about two strangers who both dream of each other sounded like it would be right up my alley. And it was a very enjoyable story. However, I was more impressed with the complex storyline regarding Mia and Harrison’s marriage, how they struggle with very real challenges that can upend a marriage, how they come together to support one another through the ups and downs, and how Mia ultimately ends up living a life she didn’t foresee, but that is both bittersweet and blessed at the same time.

I also found it interesting to see how many “missed connections” existed in Mia and Oliver’s life trajectories. It really does make one wonder if fate plays a part. And what to make of the reading that Mia gets from the psychic? I won't spoil it for those who have not read the book, but I wonder if it alludes to some kind of follow up to this novel. Will both Mia and Oliver continue to dream? If so, what will those dreams entail, and will they work together to figure it out?

Oh, and I really wish I could see some of Mia's dream paintings - they sound so colorful and vibrant!

As for my house exploration dreams, I eventually learned what they meant, and they made sense once I understood the context. However, I wish some of the mystery were still there, as that made them so much more exciting. (I'm not going to tell you what that type of dream means - you'll have to look it up!)

Colleen Oakley's You Were There Too was the story of a young woman who seemed to have it all. You Were There Too made the reader suspicious about where Ms. Oakley was going with this book and how it was going to end. Then a little more than halfway through *bam* things started happening faster. The plot started moving like an avalanche. The ending was a total shock. The characters and the main concept were interesting. I would recommend You Were There Too.

I thought the book had a lot of promise, I loved the premise. The idea of dreaming about and meeting “the man of your dreams” despite being in love with your husband. That is a lot of conflict right there, only to top it off that “the man of your dreams” has been dreaming about you too. Wow! Unfortunately, I didn’t feel a lot for the characters, and then there was that ending. It felt like the author was obligated to give the reader the ending they wanted, only to take it away and have the ending they wanted.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

This is not something I'd normally read, but I was pleasantly surprised. While a little melancholy and heart aching, I enjoyed it.

I have read some other of Colleen Oakley's books in the past that I enjoyed more than this one. this was just meh for me.

I really enjoyed this book. I always like a bit of psychic mystery mixed in as another layer. I definitely recommend this to romance lovers