3.5 rounded up. Josie Silver's last book One Day in December was an unexpected delight. I don't normally go for romance type books but really enjoyed that one as a fun lighthearted romance. This one was certainly not that. I'm not sure i'd even classify this as a romance, more about love, loss, and dealing with grief.

It was an interesting take using sleeping pills to give Lydia a portal into having an alternate life with her loved one still alive. From there the story jumps back and forth between awake and sleeping and what lengths should one go to hold on or let go.

Thank you to NetGalley Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Josie Silver for an ARC to read and review

When Lydia Bird's fiancee is killed on her 28th birthday, she's not sure how to pick up the pieces or deal with the overwhelming grief. Then she's given a chance to be with Freddie again, but at significant cost to her real life and those who love her. Heartbreaking and emotional.

I must admit that was not a book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I did feel a connection to Lydia, even though I have not experienced a loss like her. I felt the book dragged at times, and i wanted to see more of her relationships in the present move forward. Honestly, I kept waiting for it to be a dream, or what she was hurt...something other than what it was.

I appreciate the opportunity to read the advance copy, but it was not a favorite of mine.

I loved Josie Silver's "One Day in December" so I was so excited to read her next novel, "The Two Lives of Lydia Bird". This book did not disappoint! What a beautiful book about love lost and love found, about healing and dealing with grief. Lydia Bird loses the love of her life tragically, unexpectedly. We are taken on a journey of her healing process and those who help her through it. I loved this book and I am sad it is over! I cannot wait to see what the author writes next!

Just finished an ARC of the new @josiesilverauthor book which will be released March 3. The premise of this book is genius. Lydia Byrd is engaged to Freddie Hunter. They have know each other since they were teenagers. Freddie is killed one an accident leaving Lydia at loose ends. She is unable to sleep, so she is prescribed a new brand of sleeping pills. When she takes them, Freddie is still alive. In this alternate universe, Lydia and Freddie continue to live their lives, plan their wedding, but only when Lydia is actually asleep in her ‘real’ world. Sounds ideal, does it not? It does come with a price and many complications to her relationships with family and friends. That being said, the book drags a little in the middle, but I always felt compelled to keep reading so that I could find out the ending. The ending was beyond my expectations, and very well done. Thank you, Net Galley for the ARC of this book. I definitely recommend this book.

“There’s more than one happy ending for everyone.”

On Lydia’s 28th birthday her fiancé, Freddie (boyfriend since she was 14) is killed in a car accident. Their best friend Jonah survives the accident. Lydia and Jonah don’t know how to get through life without Freddie, who essentially was the glue in their lives.

Both Lydia and Jonah deal with a substantial amount of grief, which they individually deal with differently, that puts strain on their friendship.

Lydia discovers through sleeping pills that she can be with Freddie in another world where he is still alive in her sleep. Lydia has to decide if living her awake life is more important to her than her asleep life.

This book was a slow burn for me, but I felt Lydia’s and Jonah’s grief deep in my soul. Lydia had so many loved ones who tried to help her along her journey of grief.

Will Lydia choose to remain in her awake life or choose to lose herself in her asleep life where Freddie is still alive within her.

This is a beautiful story of love, loss, dealing with grief, and finding yourself after losing someone who was your world. 4 stars 🌟

Thank you @netgalley for my free ARC for
My honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️⁣
Rationale: This book was beautifully written, captured a heartfelt and imaginative story, and has solidified Josie Silver as a must-buy author for me. Just note: this is not a light-hearted romance.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐨 𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨: Someone looking to explore a very different type of love story, centered around grief and keeping a loved one’s memory alive.⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝: The depth of this story, and Josie Silver’s versatility as an author.⁣
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Our protagonist Lydia is living between two worlds: reality, where her fiancé Freddy has tragically died in a car crash; and an “alternate universe” that presents itself to her when she uses prescribed sleeping pills, where Freddy is alive and the couple continue to live their lives as if the crash never happened. ⁣
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At first, Lydia would much rather spend her time in the dream world. Freddy was her high school sweetheart, she has never known life without him, and she is suffering. But at what cost does her reality suffer while she is away in this imaginary place? And to what extent does she come to resent the imagined version of Freddy over time?⁣
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Is Lydia stalling her grieving process while obsessively daydreaming about what she and Freddy are doing in this other place? When someone dies, they also cease to create more memories. Not just the good ones, but the mundane shit. We idealize the time that we spent with them, maybe even deify their existence. But after spending enough time in this new world, once she gets past the initial thrill of having him back, Lydia argues with Freddie. She gets annoyed by some of his habits. She is reminded of the everyday things that we cease to harp on once that person is gone and we are solely focused on missing them as a whole.⁣
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I’ve seen critiques about how Lydia becomes selfish in her waking life or that she is given too many passes when she undervalues and therefore jeopardizes her relationships with the people who were built her back up after the tragedy of Freddie’s death. To that I say: grief does not have a timeline. I truly appreciated Silver’s less-than rosy approach to Lydia’s grieving process: the “acting out”, the character’s lack of concern for those around her. It felt real.⁣
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This book was one that I highly suggest you sit with. Process the meaning behind the dichotomy of both of Lydia's lives. This book depicts how much the grief process can get stalled if you choose to live in the past and hope for the impossible. It reminds us that there are many definitions of happiness and fulfillment. Just because Option A is no longer on the table, doesn’t mean that you can’t make the most out of Option B (shoutout to Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant for that reference).⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: That I went into this thinking it was going to be a contemporary romance. YES there are central themes of relationships and love, but buyer be warned: this book is much more contemplative & sad than light & feel-good.

Lydia Byrd has an amazing life. Great job, great apartment, and an amazing fiancee Freddie. While waiting for Freddie to pick her up for her birthday dinner there is a tragic accident and he is killed. She now has to figure out a life without him and still see his best friend Jonah who survived the accident. Then she finds a way to still see Freddie even though he's gone. I loved Josie Silver's One Day in December. I felt like this book was a little sadder for me, than that book. Overall this was an amazing story and I loved the book. I cannot wait to read more by Josie Silver.

Lydia Bird had what most people would consider a near perfect life. A fiancee she has known since childhood who she adores, Freddie, a shared best friend, also since childhood, Jonah, and to top it off, today is her birthday. A tragic accident takes the life of Freddie and leaves Lydia in the clutch of immense and powerful grief. Unable to find her way through, Lydia's friends and family, led by her sister step in to help. Lydia is prescribed a trial medication, one that will allow her to sleep deeply and dream as well. The dreams, Lydia finds, are much more lucid then the imagined and allow her to start living her life once more, the life she should be living, with Freddie. However this new pathway into her old life comes at a cost. Her time spent awake becomes a trial, something she must rush to in order to get to the sleeping hours where the true magic happens. It's not until Lydia begins to open her eyes to those around her when she truly realizes what all she must give up in order to keep Freddie.
I was blown away by Josie Silver's first novel, One Day in December, however her newest novel had me hooked as well. This was a beautifully written exploration of heartbreak and grief. Perfectly paced and timed over the course of 18 months, Lydia goes through a multitude of emotions that pulls at your heartstrings, even those of us who have never experienced grief of this magnitude. The characters were expertly crafted and draw you into the story. The love and support Lydia experiences during this difficult time in her life were breathtaking. The ending, which I must say I was nervous about, given the topic was satisfying. I urge fans of Josie Silver's first novel, and those who have never experienced the absolute delight of her stories to read this newest offering. I promise you will not be disappointed.

A wonderful book! Josie Silver doesn't disappoint! Heartbreaking and hopeful. Four stars. I will recommend it to our patrons.

"One Day in December" was my introduction to Josie Silver, and she delivers again with this sad, sweet and witty book.

I thought the second half of this was rather strong, and I give an extra half star for that. The ending, while a bit cliched, did involve a lot of self-love and improvement that I appreciated.

The first half, however, felt like a combination of Cecelia Ahern's P.S. I LOVE YOU and Taylor Jenkins Reid's ONE TRUES LOVES and it just felt rather self-indulgent. I loved Josie Silver's previous book and I'm definitely not disappointed in this, bu I felt like she could have done better and this plot point was just so very gimmicky.

I really loved the author’s last book One Day In December so was super excited for this one, but unfortunately, I’m going to set it aside at this point. I got to about 25% and am just not connecting with the characters and have zero idea where this plot is headed. Will update review if I revisit down the road.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I give this book 0 stars. It was a do not finish for me.

This book is very sad which I knew it would be based on the synopsis. However, at 40% within the book it seems as if the main character Lydia is not making much attempts to overcome her grief. The book is written where Lydia still interacts with her deceased fiance' in her sleep constantly keeps a sad vide. It would have been nice to have a happy plot and with the interaction with the dead fiance' by sleep towards the end.

This is an interesting and engaging novel that held my interest from beginning to end.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Books about grief always wreck me, especially when written gut wrenchingly well. Lydia's grief is like a living being within the book. After her fiance dies the grief becomes part of who she is. Despite the bright cover The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is heartbreaking. I cried on and off basically through out the whole book but It's also hopeful. The supporting cast of family and friends in Lydia's life help warm up this otherwise sad book. I loved her relationship with her sister and how her co-workers supported her without question. Seeing her slowly rediscover herself and learn her own strength had me smiling in between the tears. Pick this book up if you're a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid's early books or if you're a fan of feeling all of your feelings. Josie Silver has officially become a must read author for me.

A beautiful, heartfelt novel that kept me engrossed from the first chapter. Lydia Bird's life changes forever when on her birthday, her fiancee Freddie Hunter dies in a car crash. Lydia is prescribed sleeping pills after Freddie's death, and realizes that when she takes the pills she can access an alternate universe where Freddie didn't die that night. The book flips back and forth between her "Awake" and "Asleep" chapters, as she explores both how to heal and continue her life in the aftermath of Freddie's death, and she begins to understand how her life would be different had Freddie lived. While this concept could have felt unrealistic, I felt like the book did a wonderful job of staying realistic and painting an accurate picture of how people are always changing, and all of our life decisions have long lasting effects on us.

❤️4 stars❤️

The two lives of Lydia was an emotional ,heartbreaking read but also sweet!My heart broke for Lydia and I was aching for her. The whole book is about Lydia trying to come to terms living without Freddie.

There were moments I find myself crying and others that I have a smile on my face.I loved the writing, it was fast paced and the characters were fantastic, not only Lydia but the rest too.

The ending was sweet I just wanted a little bit more of it!This is the reason it wasn't a five stars.This one could easily become a movie!

I wanted to like this book. I really did. I think it does a good job dealing with the grief of losing a spouse/life partner, but the concept is cheesy and not very believable.

This book was almost too sad in parts, but I feel like it accurately captured a real perspective of what losing a loved one feels like. I just finished reading another romance novel where an eerily similar situation occurred, and I think Silver’s story better explored the nuances of how one person’s grief and loss has an effect on their family and friends.

What I loved most about Josie Silver’s other book - One Day in December - as well as this one, was the character development, especially the side characters. I really felt like I got to know each of them and I was invested in their storylines and motivations. The eventual romance in The Two Lives was also drawn out in just the right way, to the point where I wasn’t sure if it was going to end the way it did. I liked that it felt inevitable yet unpredictable.

The “magic” of Lydia’s situation was the aspect that frustrated me the most, since if I were in her position, I wouldn’t have been able to keep that to myself. I did feel like the book dragged on during some parts, but overall, I enjoyed Silver’s emotional writing and would likely read another one of her books in the future.