I have loved every Jodi Picoult book I've read--Spark of Light, Wish You Were Here, and My Sister's Keeper being my favorites. Unfortunately, this one was not one of my favorites. I can't put my finger on it, although there was so much Egyptian history and info I had a hard time reading. I also got really annoyed with the way Dawn dealt with--or maybe didn't deal with--the relationship with her husband and daughter, like just up and going to Egypt to look for a man from her past. All in all, this was still a decent book, it was just not my favorite from Jodi.

Too many flashbacks, that’s what I say. I may be the oddball out but I think this book could have been written differently had you wanted to put ALL and I say ALL with capital letters, all those Egyptian rules and information in there. Don’t get me wrong, I like reading a book and getting educated at the same time but don’t present it in the way you did here by having the reader jump back and forth through time periods. I did like the two separate stories but let’s keep them separate and then, converge them together.

It was a story of what if. What if you’d taken a different path instead of the path you had chosen? That’s the question Dawn had on her mind and one she needed answers to. Was her husband Bryan a good choice or should she had stayed in Egypt with Wyatt?

While studying to be an Egyptologist, Dawn meets Wyatt who ends up being her friend and later, they have a relationship. Dawn learns one day that her mother is dying and she returns to the states. While visiting her mom, she meets Bryan who is also visiting a relative. They begin as friends but it leads into a relationship, then a pregnancy, and eventually, they get married. They have a stable life, they’re content, but does she still love him? One day at her job as a death doula, Dawn gets a request from one of her patients. Can she do this for her patient – the patient’s dying wish? This wish gets Dawn thinking about her own past and about her relationship with Wyatt.

With her stable life at home, Dawn feels compelled to return to Egypt to see Wyatt. Dropping everything, she’s off! I felt for Bryan as he’s at home while his wife is off in Egypt seeing if there’s still some fire in her old relationship. With tons of information about Egyptian ruins and mummies I felt overwhelmed at times on whether I was there to learn about Dawn’s relationship or about historical facts. The facts were interesting but they felt heavy as I made through this book. Would I need to know these interesting facts later and would they come into play later in the book? I sure hope not as there were just too many of them. Dawn was getting on my nerves as it felt as if she was playing now in Egypt while the rest of the team was trying to work and make some amazing new discoveries. They needed funding; each minute meant money to them yet Dawn just needed to know if she had made the right choice when she didn’t return years ago. Quit talking about the wrappings and the mummies, let them get some work done.

This didn’t read like some of the other books I have read by Jodi. I liked the stories; it was the presentation of the stories and all the nonfiction information that threw me off. If you’re able to block out distractions while reading, this might be a good book for you but it wasn’t a good book for me. 3 stars #TheBookofTwoWays #NetGalley

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest opinion. Thank you for letting me review this copy.

I really enjoyed this book - the concept of 2 timelines apparently in parallel universes appealed to me. The characters evoked compassion and I was invested in the outcome. The Egyptian aspect was fascinating and well researched. I found myself hoping for happy endings in both scenarios for Dawn with both Wyatt and Brian.

As much as I tried and as much as I typically love this author, I just could not get into this book. DNF.

This was so painful to read. It felt like I was reading a dry history textbook and I could not help to skip pages. As someone who is into history, I am disappointed that it it felt like I was forcing myself to finish this book. I was bogged down with Egyptian history that I had a very hard time enjoying the story.. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Random House Publishing for giving me a copy for my honest review.

I have read many of Jodi Picoult's novels, and I consider myself a fan. I whipped through "Wish You Were Here" in a few days.

I tried to like "The Book of Two Ways." I really did. But I had to force myself to read at the beginning, telling myself that Jodi will grab me once the plot got moving. Well, she never did.

The plot is slow-moving. Often it is bogged down by all the details about hieroglyphics and Egyptian history. At times I felt like the author was trying to prove how much she researched these topics, not to mention quantum physics. There was just way too much detail and unless you are a fan of Egyptian history, I don't see how any reader wouldn't get bogged down by that.

Then there was the death. The protagonist's mother dies. She becomes a "death doula," guiding others to death. Death, death, death. Way too much death. There's just too much going on in the real world right now that's upsetting -- I don't need to read about death in my spare time.

I actually didn't finish this book. I just couldn't keep reading it. Hopefully, this was an anomaly since I like all of Jodi's other novels.

I received an arc of this title from netGalley for an honest review. I tried to read this book a few times and really could not get into it.

I do appreciate that this was different from her usual books but I just couldn’t get into it. I tried serval times and it was just not for me.

Jodi is usually hit or miss for me. This was one of those misses. It started off strong and then my excitement and interest began to dwindle.

Picoult never lets me down. Another great story kept me up at night because i couldn't put it down. Definitely recommend.

I really enjoyed this story. A fascination with Egyptian history doesn’t hurt... I can imagine that otherwise it might be a little much. The audio version was fantastic. Well read and voiced. Wyatt’s accent was my favorite.

I noted so many quotes from this story but because i listened to the audio version, I have no page numbers.


“Morality is mean to be a clear line but it’s not really. Things change. Shit happens. Who we are is not about why we do what we do but why we tell ourselves we do it.”

“The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s complacency.”

“When you fall in love it’s because you find someone who fills all your empty spaces. When you fall out of love it’s because you realize that you’re both broken.”

“Things don’t always work out like we plan.”

“Getting what you want isn’t always instant gratification. It’s a slow realignment of bones and sinew. There are aches involved. There is bruising.”

“My other half. My heart. My love.”

“What surprises me is how slow the break is. Not a clean cut, not a guillotine but tugging and pulling and dislocation. So much has to happen before that final separation.”

“We don’t make decisions... our decisions make us.”

“Home isn’t a where, it’s a who.”

“Maybe this is all love is: twin roots of pain and pleasure. Maybe the miracle isn’t where we end up but that we get there at all.”

This wasn't my favorite, but once I got my hands on the audiobook, the story moved along a lot more quickly! The end made the story worth it, it's just hard to get through all the description, but there's a reason for it all!

If I wanted to read a textbook, I would read a textbook. I was a giant egypt nerd in middle school and even I couldn't get on board with this dry book. Will keep reading picoult because I have really loved some of hers. But the last few have been misses.

As usual, Picoult puts out a great book. I am not sure if she has ever completely missed the mark for me. I enjoyed the typical Picoult narrative but also the historical fiction genre as well. Interesting story that is well done.
I always recommend her books and this is no exception.
#TheBookofTwoWays #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup #BallantineBooks

A good book. I'm a fan of the author and usually always like her books. They are always thought provoking.

Thank you net galley for the ARC. Despite many tries, I could not finish this book. I was very excited when I read the premise that it would be an interesting book to read that was character driven and I would learn some new facts. It felt like I was reading a history text book the entire time. While I appreciate the in-depth research Jodi picoult does when she writes her books, it poured too much into the writing and made me bored while reading.

It was okay.... not really what I thought it was going to be like. If you are interested in history, specifically Egyptian history, you will probably enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced digital copy of this book.

I loved this Picoult book and learned so much about Egyptian history. I love all of her books but this is definitely in my top five of hers. Thanks for the review copy.

The Book of Two Ways is a love story exploring themes of ambition, family and sacrifice, what it means to live a good life, love and regret, what if's, and second chances… As a reader who normally prefers non-fiction, I was pleased to find this story interwoven with topics ranging from Egyptology to quantum mechanics, and ideas surrounding the pursuit of a good death and the wish to be remembered. So much to think about (and explore further) in this novel! I found the explanations of how hieroglyphs are read and interpreted especially enlightening. As someone with a long-standing interest in Ancient Egypt, I very much enjoyed this book which is organized along two paths, as reflected in the maps that are part of the historical Coffin Texts and lend title to this story.

I received a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m a huge Jodi Picoult fan and really enjoyed this book. THank you Netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read/review.