I really tried with this one, because I love all of Picoult's other books, but I could not power through. I ended up DNF-ing this title at about 15 %. I'm not sure if it was the mix of academia and the heaviness of the Egyptology, or if it was the lack of feeling like I cared about the characters, but something was off for me. Most of the time, I am immediately swept up by Picoult's writing and can easily fall into the story. I NEED to know what is going to happen with the characters and I love when I am surprised by the twists. With this one, it wasn't there.

Is there such a thing as an alternate universe? Have you wondered "What if I had taken the other path?"

This book takes you through the what ifs of Dawn's life. She had two very different paths she could have taken. When her mother becomes ill, her life takes a major turn. Did she fall into the life she had or did she make the active choice?

This book took me from love it, to do I even like it, to wow, this is amazing.

It definitely made me think about a lot things. It's a good story!

I really wanted to like this book. And it was definitely okay. I have read other books by this author and the fact that it's about death and dying is definitely on brand for her. And the characters were about what I would expect from her as well. But this book really lacked focus. I didn't mind the Egyptology or the physics, but I think that the book would have been better if she had picked one of those things. Especially since the stories are just one timeline but cut into parts and told out of order. That might be a spoiler, but I thought it was a bit of a disappointment to realize that and probably ultimately one of the things that I didn't like about it.

Picoult's books are sometimes hit-or-miss with me. I can't say I 'loved' The Book of Two Ways but I did really like the story-line. What was a miss for me was the detail that she went into about Egyptology—explaining all about the history of the dig sites, the hieroglyphics, and all those Egyptian people from the past. I understand that this is a deep interest for her, but I felt it really slowed the story down. 

Aside from all that detail, I really liked the story-line and the characters and cared about the situations that they found themselves in. I found myself skipping over the history lessons to spend more time with Dawn in her world. This book would be perfect anyone who has an interest in Egyptology and loves Picoult's stories—the best of both worlds!

This book was AMAZING! I am not going to be able to fully do this book justice in this review, but I’m going to try.

I must say how much incredibly detailed research obviously went into writing this book. It is stuffed full of Egyptian history and details that were amazingly detailed. I learned so much through reading this, and I loved it.

This story is hard for me to explain because I do not want to spoil it for any reader, so I’m going to leave a lot out. If you’ve read the book, I’d love to discuss it!

So, the story itself, it’s about love, life, death, family, everything that builds us into the people we are. This book ripped me up and then put me back together. I couldn’t quite figure out how this was going to end. It’s about The Book of Two Ways, an Egyptian path for the dead to find their afterlife. The chapters are broken into a story of two ways. Water or Land / Boston or Egypt. Sometimes I struggle jumping back and forth to different stories in a book, but with this, every time we switched to the “other way” I was so deeply invested I didn’t want that one to end, then we’d jump to the “other way” and I’d get invested all over again.

The way Picoult writes this story, it absolutely draws you in. The characters are so real and captivating. I was emotionally invested in their stories. I actually held my breathe at times because I was so worried about what was going to happen.

The Egyptian history and the on-location dig site information was fascinating. I really enjoyed excavating the tombs with the characters. The descriptions made me feel like I was right there. The vivid colors were visible to me, as were the detailed hieroglyphics. Picoult chose to add actual drawings of some hieroglyphics, which I found both helpful and utterly beautiful. It was amazing to look at these as I went through the pages.

Overall, I truly loved this book. I may even go back and read it again because once I got to the end, I knew that it was a book that would reveal new secrets and information a second time!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Do you ever have those nightmares where you didn’t actually graduate University because you missed a few credits?  Reading this book made me feel like I failed classes in Egyptology and Quantum Physics and therefore failed out of College.  

This novel is about Dawn, a woman whose life is unfulfilled, even though she is married to Brian and has a teenaged daughter.  Years prior, in college, she met and fell for Wyatt who she has never forgotten.

When the plane Dawn is on crashes, she has an opportunity: she can go back home or she can take a trip down memory lane, to Wyatt.

While I loved the first few pages of this novel all of which took place in New Haven, CT, a mere skip and a hop away from my hometown of Woodbridge and loved Dawn visiting all of my old haunts, once this novel delved into Egyptology I was completely lost.  

The split past v present storyline was well done and somewhat intriguing and while I did find some part of this storyline and the characters to be enjoyable, on the whole, I skimmed through much of the story which felt like reading a University textbook. 

On the whole, having read every single book Jodi Piccoult has written,  “The Book of Two Ways” is my least favorite novel this author has written.  I struggled to get through this and hope that the author returns to her tried and true the next time around.  

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Jodi Piccoult for the arc. 

Published on Goodreads on 11.24.20.

This was a decent story.  It didn't pull me in as much as her books usually do.  The twist at the end pulled it up from a two star review to three.

As excited as I was over this gifted copy, Jodi Picoult didn't live up to her normally amazing story this time! 

The concept for the book is a great one, but diving too deep into archaeology was a hard pass for me.  Again, great writing, well-developed characters, just not one of her best. I'm looking forward to seeing her newest book at the next publication!

Every time I crack open a Jodi Picoult novel I learn something (or a lot of somethings) new.  The Book of Two Ways focuses on Egyptology, death and love.  As mentioned in the novel, most kids go through an Egypt phase when they first learn about it elementary school, and that was very true in my case!  Picoult has so many amazing stories and facts packed into this book yet manages to spin it into a beautiful love story.  The Book of Two Ways opens with Dawn surviving a plane crash, and she is surprised at her final thought as the plane went down.  We are transported back and forth between the past and present day as she considers her life: what is is, what it was, what could’ve been.  This is one of those rare novels where you love each and every character.  Picoult’s storytelling is masterful and I couldn’t put this one down.  
I received an ARC of this book from #netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  #thebookoftwoways #jodipicoult

This was not one of my favorites from Jodi Picoult. It was ok. I got confused with the story going back and forth in time. It would be fine it was just going back and forth into two different time periods but there were several. I didn't feel the characters were all that believable. Some of the events that happened seemed pretty unrealistic. I found myself thinking, "How can you be that naive? Really? Come on." Overall, it was ok. It wasn't a book that I was dying to get back to or couldn't put down. I basically forced myself to finish it.

Author # Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of  #'Small Great Things' and #'A Spark of Light and now her new Novel #' The Book of Two Ways'. Just in time for the holidays.  I seriously really enjoyed this novel for me.
Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn. And now she starts to question her decisions. With a past to present storyline it's filled with emotions. And you can't help but also question your choices.
Thank you,
#Netgalley, # Jodi Picoult, and # Random House #Ballantine Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my review.

While the idea/plotline was interesting, I struggled with why the protagonist was mad at her husband. I felt like she used her anger to justify revisiting the past. The writing was superb - it's Jodi Picoult! However, I struggled to identify with the main character, and her love interest/s. But I will say again Jodi knows how to tell a story and she makes you feel and have reactions towards her characters- you either love them or not.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley. My review opinions are my own. I have read many of the author's books and always enjoy her escapism writing. This book  did not resonate with me as her other works did but it has a great deal of value and is worth reading as it challenges the reader. I did not give up on it and I am so glad I kept reading it to conclusion. 
 This book is  a study of Egyptology with a weak background plot.  There is a lot of overwhelming information about  Egyptian rulers and  hieroglyphics to an extreme that it reads like a thesis.  The main charcter is Dawn, a death Douala. ,  I did not like that she is married and has a long term boyfriend and has sex with both men. I found that highly offensive and skipped most of the book about their relationships . It had no value to the subject of Egypt.  The part about Egypt was interesting but not for the average reader. I am a skilled speed reader so I was able to get through it. For anyone interested in Egypt I recommend this book.

Full of impressively researched information on Egyptology but falling a little short on the engaging plot typically found in Picoult's novels, The Book of Two Ways felt like a memoir from an archaeologist rather than a tale of lost and found again love. The depictions of grief were well written and believable, but the "surprise twist" wasn't actually very surprising and the disordered timeline was more confusing than dramatic. A fascinating look at Ancient Egypt, and a mediocre modern love story.

Jodi Picoult has done it again!! She has written us a book that allows us to stretch our mind to the breaking point. However, instead of incorporating hot button topics, she brings forth the "What if?" scenario in the storyline. The way she weaves the past and the present together sucked me in so quickly. And I actually was intrigued about the Egyptian history and the use of the hieroglyphics. It was also interesting about the process that a death doula goes through with a client.

The ending left me wondering what will happen next. This will stay with me for a long time!!

This is the perfect book for this particular year. 

I've been a fan of hers for years, so I would have loved this book regardless of when I read it (seriously, can she write anything that isn't amazing?) but there is something particularly relevant to 2020 about a book that deals with science, death, grief and the life we're living vs. the life we thought we would be living.

It was profound but at the same time, just as captivating as her other books have been. This will be my favorite read of 2020.

I did not finish this book. It is very romance-y and I don’t like romances.most of Me Picoult’s books are really good but this one was just blah.

I usually love Jodi Picoult's books but this one just wasn't my favorite of hers. The beginning immediately grabbed me but the story eventually gets bogged down in so much historical details that it starts to feel like a textbook. I often felt the need to Google names and definitions to make sure I wasn't missing any important details. I loved Dawn's story and wish the book had cut back on  Egyptology 101 at the beginning and gotten to the Picoult drama and characters we all come for sooner.

Thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and the author for an advanced copy to review.

This book is mostly love story, but I think I can be used as a teaching tool. Jodi did a lot of work with the characters and it shows. We as readers are faced with some things that most people never talk about. For instance I learned a lot about end of life care and the characters in the book helped me face some uncertainties that I have about death. It also helped me come to terms with the choices that we make in our lives, and how they affect us. I think this book can appeal to anyone, but readers of fiction, mystery and romance genres may enjoy it most.  TW: death, plane crash, divorce, affairs

In present day Boston, Dawn is a death doula with a husband and a young daughter, but fifteen years ago she was an archaeologist searching for the the Book of Two Ways, an ancient funerary text in the Egyptian desert until something forced her to return to Boston. When her plane crash lands, she is forced to reconcile the path she might have taken with the one she ultimately took. A man she chose over someone she left behind. 

Each chapter in the book is a glimpse into a different path that can be taken. The Egyptian Book of Two Ways describes two paths that the reader can take to get to the afterlife. This is how the novel is set up too, Jodi nods to the different paths taken in the Egyptian book with her own words. Dawn's life in Boston is known as the water route, and her life in Egypt is known as the land route. This style structure worked for me--when I figured it out. Some readers may find it challenging. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The story was engaging, the characters were brilliant and very well rounded. I did find the opening and the first few chapters confusing, and some readers may not be satisfied with the ending of the book.

Jodi Picoult always breaks my heart into smithereens, and this was no exception. Having lost a fiance to suicide, I am keenly aware of the concept of "two ways," and Picoult absolutely nailed the idea of those painful, commonplace "what if"s.