Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found the idea of this book very, very interesting, and knew I would be requesting a NetGalley copy as soon as I read the synopsis.
The thriller aspect of the story was brilliant, it kept me hooked page after page as Laney takes us on her side-skipping adventure. This is the first book I've read that has combined thriller and multiverse writings into one, it worked really well and I look forward to reading more.

The reason this book hasn't received a 5 star rating is because the main character Laney was really infuriating sometimes. Like reaaally frustrating. She's extremely naive with a lot of things, and believes pretty much anything people tell her... but then again that could be said for most of the other characters too. It amazed me how quickly other characters jumped on board with various theories and ideas that are put to them here, there's not really any pushback to make it a bit of a challenge, everyone just agrees and then carries on... I'd expect a bit more questioning if I tried explaining to people that I'm bouncing between other universes, but that's just me I guess.

I think the author may have tried to add too much to this story, so there's times when scenes and conversations aren't given the details they deserve because we've now moved onto something else in the book.

I'll definitely be reading the second in this series when it comes out, I'm intrigued to see where the story goes from here.

The book has an interesting concept and I enjoyed the parts of the book focused on ‘skipping’ but I could not get into the book. I did not like the writing style, the dialogue was weird and awkward between the characters and too much focus was on drama – especially between the adults in the book who made the main character look mature.

Although I liked when the character talked about alternative universes/choices and jumping between them, I did feel like in the second half of the book there was so much action and the main character was skipping a lot more and yet there was no explanation for it given, I was confused on how things were so easily falling into place.

1/5

Actual rating: 2.5⭐

This captured my attention because of the cover and the seemingly interesting synopsis of the book. I love books with multiverse theme on it. I automatically add books with this theme on my tbr. So I was very happy to see this on the 'Read Now' section of netgalley and immediately got it.

Laney, a daughter of a physicist, writes down a lot of what-ifs in her life to somehow cope on her guilt and issues. This book has a sci-fi and mystery element on it as visions or memories of other Laney kept intruding on her life.

It could have been a good book if not of too many themes forcefully squeezed into this book. For a young adult book, it has a lot of uncomfortable or sensitive stuff on it. It made me disconnected on the story. Also, the 'skipping universe' thing is not believable to me. The characters are not consistent and did absurd things that doesn't make sense at all.

My main problem is Laney. She was not relatable at all.

This book should come with trigger/content warnings and needs a lot of it. I'm not sure if there were but since it's a mystery, I dove in blind. My bad.

It was a chaotic read for me. I guess it just didn't work for me.

***Thanks for NetGalley, the publisher and author for making this available for review.***

Wow. I am still trying to catch my breath after finishing this one.

So first of all this took me a couple of chapters to get into it. Once it hooked me however, it did not let go.

I love this weird sciencey aspect to the thriller that makes me think. It’s a fun new twist on a genre I didn’t think was possible. It’s a very unique plot. Each choice laney makes or doesn’t make creates an alternate universe where the opposite happened. Add in some family drama, teen love, and a sadistic killer and you got yourself one heck of a book.

One of the things I’m most picky about when it comes to reading is the pacing. This may have taken me a min to get into but it was because of the sciencey aspect not because of the pacing. It didn’t feel like a slow burn. The pacing was quick and after a while it felt like every chapter was leaving me with more questions I was aching to get the answers to.

This was a whirlwind experience and I’m glad to have read this book. I can’t wait to read the second. This is definitely a must for any thriller aficionado’s shelf.

Some Laneys Died is a twisty tale about alternative universes, mystery, family and the choices we make, and the guilt some of them might bring us. I thought the concept for the story was gripping so it felt like it had a lot of potential, even the title seemed promising. However, I have some mixed feelings about it.
The best word to describe my experience reading this book would be inconsistent. Sometimes I was completely mesmerized by the plot and how things were unraveling but other times I was a bit lost or just felt taken out of the story. Although I was rooting for them, for some moments some characters didn't make that much sense to me. Even though in some parts the story seemed to want to explain in great detail how the skipping worked, and in others it just glossed over the whole logical quantum physics things. And the same goes for the tone, I was very thrown off by it in ocassions. In my opinion, the book tried to do too many things. Anyways, I was still emerged in the story, I just think a lot of stuff could've been handled better.
It's a 2.5 star for me. I will say though that it's an interesting read.

Some Laneys Died by Brooke Skipstone is a gripping young adult thriller of a girl named Delaney West (Laney) who sees her father cheating on her mother with another female. Her family fell apart and she is filled with guilt after that.

It talks about life and death, inbetween world's, alternate universes, sisterly bonds and finding the ultimate truth. I went into this book completely not knowing what it is about. So it was hard for me to figure out what was happening in the start.

But eventually the story catches it's grip, and we see the most thrilling and page turning story ever. She decides to meet her father and his girlfriend and sets on a journey to find out her lost sister.

Overall, the story is commendable. It's full of mystery, twists and turns. The narration by the author is beautiful. The story is captivating but somewhere in between I was lost, so I hope those minor changes are seen in the next book of this series.
__________

Thank You to the Publisher and NetGalley for this e-copy in exchange of a honest review.

Before reading this book, i thought it was going to be a great one for me. Sadly, as i kept reading, i realized that it was not so great. I enjoyed it, and the author writing was exceptional, but i did not think that quantum physics and parallel universes were going to be such an important piece of the story, so i was kind of disappointed when i realized they were. And although i enjoy a great thriller (and believe me, this one was a great one), science fiction is not my jam, and that kind of "ruined" an almost perfect thriller.
When Laney discovers her father cheating on her mother, the anger and disappointment were to great to bear, so even though her father begged her not to tell her mother, she could not stand it any more, and she told her mother. From that day on, anger and disappointment were substituted by regret.
In the book, Laney thinks and writes about as many possible outcomes of that day as she can think. As the books develop, we become part of those different universes, where Laney took a different decision, and that changed everything.
But what happens when two bodies are discovered in the same place and time she caught her father cheating on her mother?

I have conflicting ideas on this book. If I were a teenager I would easily give it 4 stars. But as an adult I would give it 3. I found the story extremely compelling. Quantum physics, multiple universes, possible clones/ alternate self? Sounds great! The plot kept twisting and turning and I loved that. Laney has got a LOT going on in that brain. Where I have to take off my teen lens, is at the character development and dialogue. It was lacking. I didn’t feel connected in any way to any of the characters (which is the mark of an excellent book to me), but I felt compelled to finish because of the storyline. The dialogue just fell flat, and I often found myself saying “really?!” in response to the dialogue. I will have no qualms recommending this book to my upperclassmen students, as long as I give the warning of intense sexual assault scenes.

I loved the concept of alternative realities that was explored in this story. It was truly fascinating. If you want to read a unique storyline, then read this book. I have read many books, but this was something new. We live in one universe, but who knows how many versions of us exist in other universes? We will never know so it was great to see Laney exploring other universes while trying to find one very special person. I love how this book is about many things: mystery, romance, coming of age, love, redemption, family issues, self-discovery, parallel universes with many twists and turns. The math is simple:
Great story+great writing=great book.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review. I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise of the story is intriguing and at times is scientifically plausible. The underlying story is interesting and there is the odd twist here and there. However, I have mixed feelings as I found the protagonist unbelievable and really hard to relate to. Laney comes across as naive and sheltered at times and yet her alternate self seems to walk from one sexual fantasy to another. Yes I get that according to the theory this is what would happen, and this may be a technique used by the author to illustrate the extremes, but the sexual nature of some of the events was a little over the top and in my opinion, unnecessary. There was definitely an over emphasis on bondage and vibrators. I almost wanted to go back an high light how many references there were to vibrators. Because of this Laney was not a character I could believe in and I don't think many teens would relate to her. She is such a contradiction. And the relationship between the characters seemed forced and over done. I'm sorry but no boy would go to an airport to stop a girl he just met. And what's with all the wine? And really, Laney has spent years reliving her decision and the she meets the other woman and all is instantly forgiven to the extent she might leave home to live with her.

And then that just leaves the science. For me this is a big deal. I have studied time travel and world theories and this is inconsistent. About half way through the book the ideas became pure fantasy. The twins thing is not logical and there is no account of other people's choices affecting outcomes. We are asked to accept that Laney can travel sideways and that for each of her choices there is an alternative Laney making an alternative choice, but the same would stand for every other character too. This is totally overlooked, which may not bother others, but it bothers me.

So overall this book wasn't really for me. Great premise but lost in translation. It doesn't fit nicely into the genre and for me, it was far to sexual ( I would let you cum as loud as you like) this from a pregnant step parent on a plane journey to her teenage step daughter. For this reason I'd give 2.5 stars. The writing wasn't bad, a little repetitive, but the organisation and overtly sexual content puts it on my not again list.

Thank you Netgalley, Skipstone Publishing (publisher), and Brooke Skipstone (author) for giving me early access to this book via an E-ARC in exchange for my impartial review.

I was drawn in by the title and cover of this book. They came together in a way that really piqued my interest! Then I read the blurb - that was what drew me in. I couldn't wait to dive in and devour all that this book had to offer. Was it worth it? Yes it was. Absolutely.

TW: The preface to the book offers readers a trigger warning, and for good reason. This book is packed with loads of sexual content, descriptions of violence and murder, and other grimy stuff. If you're faint hearted, you might want to skip this one.

Laney's big bad decision that set everything off is her deciding to tell her mom that she found her dad having sex with another woman, and she was just 13. She's 16 at the start of the book and she's had to live with that guilt and regret for 3 years. There are other little decisions that make up the multiple parallel universes.

There are so many things brought together in the freshest and most original way in this book. We see the main character, Laney, dealing with feelings of regret and living with the fallout of our choices. Throw in a mix of alternate/parallel universes, and a murder mystery, and you've got "Some Laneys Died".

The author did a great job of blending these elements together in this fast paced book. I was lost and didn't know what was going on half the time, but I was able to get back on track towards the end.

I love the originality of the book's premise and will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author. If you're a lover of YA, SciFi novels, and murder mysteries, do check this out!

Some Laneys Died is a sci-fi thriller about decisions, their consequences and the guilt of choosing the wrong path.
The book follows 16-year-old Delaney West, who caught her father cheating when she was just 13. She told her mother and has regretted her decision ever since, imagining countless other ways it could've gone. When she learns that every decision she makes creates a new universe, where she chose something else, Laney wonders if it's possible to skip to a different universe and change her world.

I enjoyed the concept of decisions creating parallel universes, it opens the possibilities to tell a story through the lens of decisions and consequences with a sci-fi thriller twist and is what originally drew me to the book. The premise intrigued me but sadly, it didn't really deliver for me.

The skipping between different universes was confusing, and not just in a way where a certain level of confusion draws the reader into the confusion of the main character. There were multiple passages that I had to read twice and even then I wasn't sure what had actually happened. This led to me being unable to fully grasp the plot and orient myself within the story world which ultimately made it hard to care about the events and characters. Maybe this could be fixed within the formatting to make flashbacks/skips more visually distinct.

I disliked Delaney, her characterization felt inconsistent at times and I had trouble believing that she would so readily accept all the strange events and changes in her life. One example of this is her immediately trusting her father's new girlfriend, it made it feel like more of a plot-device and less like genuine characterization, I would have expected Laney to be more suspicious and generally less naive.
Another gripe I had, which is mostly based on personal preference, was the amount of sexual content, which was a lot more than I had expected. It felt strange to have Delaney, who is supposed to be 16 and seems fairly naive and innocent throughout the book, be put into very sexual situations, some of them very dark and traumatic. To me, there was a disconnect between her character, age and the sexual content which ended up making me uncomfortable at times.
I did however like the basic character constellations. I liked the functions within the plot that the characters like Delaney's mum or her step-brother Eddie had, I just wished they'd been more nuanced and complex.

Sadly, I was not the biggest fan of the writing, which might be a personal style preference, but some descriptions were either too cliché or just bland and I never fully got into the rhythm of the story.
Overall, I felt that Some Laneys Died might have benefitted from at least another round of edits to truly bring out the potential the premise has. Ultimately this was a 2,5 star read for me.

“So far today, I’ve created seventy-three new universes . . .” That opening line sure caught my attention and the rest of the story kept me enthralled for the next several hours. Barely stopping to catch my breath, I finished this book in less than a day. Each chapter ends with a surprise or cliffhanger or new bit of information which forces the reader to keep turning pages. Laney discovers horrible secrets about her past as she tries to restore a relationship with her father. She literally fights for her life, but along the way finds love and an ability to skip among versions of herself if different worlds. Spellbinding!

Some Laneys Died is an amazing read. At the core of the story, is a teen struggling with the breakup of her parents which she blames on herself. She has few friends and a brilliant physicist mother who Laney believes is waiting until Laney is in college before having serious conversations with her. But what makes this story unique is the splitting of universes every time Laney (or anyone) makes a decision. The Laney who didn't expose her father's affair exists in another world where her father still lives with her and Mom. Laney wants to skip to that other universe. However, an event occurred before the story begins—the skeletons of two sisters are found in a park near where Laney found her father having sex. How this event relates to Laney's struggles to find herself—and her sister—blows the reader's mind away. What a unique read!

I'm flittering between 3.5/4 stars for this book and I'm not quite sure which one to settle on. I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing about it, only going off a very brief blurb and to be honest, I feel like this is definitely the best way to read this book.

What did I like?
- I really enjoyed how Brooke combined both a typical YA mystery with a science fiction element and how it was so intricately woven into the plotline. At first, I really didn't like this and I spent the first half of the book convinced our main character Laney had some kind of mental health disorder and these other dimensions were something she created in her head to help her cope with past trauma.
- Brooke has a way with words and storytelling. I have also reviewed her other book (link below) and I was also blown away then with her storytelling. Brooke definitely doesn't shy away from writing about difficult topics and she does with both bluntness and consideration. It's a rare talent.
- Laney was such a powerful character. She had a lot going on in her family life and the details that were considered were shown graciously.

I think my issue with this book is that I found it all so confusing. I still left the book not really 100% sure what on earth was going on with all these jumping from different times. I think a better explanation was needed or some clarity should have been given. And the fact the people around her seemed to take this information so...well was odd to me. If someone in my family told me they were skipping between dimensions, it would take me a lot to believe them. They all about knelt down and shook her hand. For that reason, the book was hard to read and to follow. I felt more confused reading it than I would have going into a typical science fiction novel and judging from the cover, I didn't expect this aspect of the book at all.

Overall, if you have the time to properly focus on this book, it's definitely the one for you.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure where to start with this book. The concept of the book in itself was brilliant — I loved what we were dealing with and the fact that you could 'skip' or 'surf' between universes. About how the storylines were coming together. How Laney was figuring things out as she went, and how the family and relationship dynamics kept changing.

Delaney was an interesting character, although I did think she acted out of character some times. Maybe it's because there was an amalgamation of several Laneys within her who would've been different version of her? Maybe that's was made her make decisions I didn't think she would make. She was smart and good at figuring things out, but I'd have liked to get inside her head apart from the whole skipping universes — find out what kind of person she is, what are her thoughts. Make myself root for her.

Unfortunately, for most part of the book, I found myself getting incredibly confused. What universe were they jumping into? How were they skipping? What happened to the body they left behind? How they did end up in the same universe? What's real? What's not?

I thought it would keep getting clearer as we went by, but unfortunately it didn't. I could see the author knew what universe or storyline she was dealing with when she wrote, because I could sense a confidence in her words, but unfortunately, I could barely follow along.

Fair warning — it does have mentions to sexual assault and triggering themes (there were times where I felt uncomfortable with what was being described), but that might be a more personal preference.

Overall, this wasn't a bad book at all, and the conceptualization of it was brilliant (and I will look forward to more books by this author), but for me, it just didn't hit the mark taking the idea and putting it into words as well as I hoped it would. It was still a very interesting, albeit confusing, read, and I had a good time reading it (and it's a decently quick read too, so good for a book to take when travelling or reading in a sitting.)

Thank you to Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and Netgalley for this eARC.

Review posted on Goodreads (aglionbys) and Instagram (withoutarmours)

SOME LANEYS DIED is a great story of discovering your identity and overcoming trauma. There is a content warning at the beginning that does need to be taken seriously. There is a very strong sexual theme throughout that includes consensual and non-consensual touching. There is also a consistent conversation of sexual activity and body parts between Laney and her parents that is very awkward/cringy at times. It is done in a brilliant way, but could be a concern for some.

SOME LANEYS DIED follows a 16-year-old girl as she struggles to reconcile a decision she made when she was 13 that she has been obsessing over since. But it's not that simple. Laney has been having memories and dreams of things that did not happen in her timeline. At least according to those around her. So she must figure out what is reality and whether she is losing her mind.

A fascinating read about obsession, regret ,and finding yourself with a super interesting scientific spin.

*this review will be published on my blog as soon as the book is out. I'll add a link when it's up.

"Does regret burn more for things you did or never tried?"

Brooke Skipstone's debut novel, Someone to kiss my scars, was my favourite read of 2019. So it's not that surprising when I say that my expectations for Some Laneys died were through the roof.

But, yes, this book went beyond that.

When I discovered what this book was about I was shocked. I can without a doubt say that I think that Brooke always has the most unique story ideas. And the best part is that there's always some science behind them.

It's really hard to line up my thoughts for this one if I'm being honest; it took me a long time to finish it. That's why I'm definitely giving you a HUGE trigger warning. There are a lot of subjects in this book that are delicate and just very heavy. It's one of the things I admire about Brooke (she doesn't make it lighter because it's YA) but it's not safe to trigger yourself with books like this.

I had to take breaks in between reading this but I was definitely caught up in Laneys story. It's so terrifyingly beautiful and I truly don't know another way to describe it. Never have I read anything even close to this, but it was definitely messing with my mind!

At some point in this novel, I just didn't know what was real and what was not. Because of the interesting concept, I was constantly intrigued by the talent that is Brooke Skipstone.

I love everything about her. Her writing style is like heaven. For some reason, every word feels so perfectly chosen and it always finds its way to captivate me. Then you have her plot, which can only be described as mindblowing. But also her characters, of course. I just love following them because they have a unique perspective on the world surrounding them.

Because I don't like my reviews to drag for too long, I will stop here. But there's so much more to say which is why I have decided to write a blogpost where I'll dive deeper into this novel (spoiler-free, of course). It won't be like a review, but more of an analysis. So watch out for that!

It won't be a surprise when I tell you this book was a 5/5 for me. It'll now officially be my purpose in life to encourage everyone to read something by Brooke Skipstone.

Love,
Alissa

Some Laney’s Die is a science fiction thriller about a girl called Laney who can ‘skip’ through the parallel universes where she was forced to make decisions – such as choosing to tell her mother that her father was cheating. It is, no word of a lie, BRILLIANT.

I love this concept and I’m so upset that nobody else writes books with multiple universes that are grounded in the mundane of the modern day. Skipstone is so clever with all the different decisions that Laney makes, from small ones like going to hang out with a boy, to big ones like telling someone about a murder.

A murder mystery runs throughout the novel, and it is very brutal, so warnings to squeamish readers. Skipstone doesn’t hold back on the sexual content, which is almost welcoming compared to other books aimed at Young Adults. Laney is very open about sex and the novel doesn’t shame her for that, and I think that’s really important in the current climate. Her mother is also seen to enjoy sexual relationships with people, and it isn’t framed as weird, or that an adult women shouldn’t enjoy sex.

I think the Alaska portion of the novel does hinder the plot a little bit, but perhaps as a British reader, I was just confused by the geography of it all. I felt like Laney was too far away from the main plot happening in the woods at home, but she does skip back quickly.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, as I think it’s very clever and a very enjoyable read. If you’re a YA reader who liked Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, I would implore you to read Some Laney’s Die. The main character, Laney, is fantastic, and it kept me guessing all the way through. I really wanted to know what happened, and I was rooting for her to succeed.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

Laney's life changed forever when she caught her dad cheating and decided to tell her mother. Her dad was kicked out, her family fell apart and she's filled with regret,especially when, talking to her genius mother, she learns that every decision could create a new universe with the opposite choice. So she starts to think about all the decisions she could make, what universe they could create and what could happen if she skipped sideways to another universe. Her only escape is her imagination, but when two girls are found murdered around the same time her father cheated on her mother, Laney starts to believe things could be connected.

Some Laney died is a book able to blend mystery, science fiction, thriller in a novel full of suspence and twists. The story is interesting, the plot captured my attention, but I'm sorry to say this book didn't fully work for me.
I didn't like the writing style, too fast-paced, too messy, and the story, even though really interesting and captivating, couldn't hold my attention and it was a bit confusing and I couldn't relate to the main character, I found her a bit too obsessive and it was a bit difficult understand what was real and what was part of her imagination.

Still, it's a very original and peculiar novel, so I recommend it to those who love science fiction and alternative universes.