Member Reviews
Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey is a perfect fit for readers who adore intriguing, emotionally charged stories that blend science fiction and magical realism, and are drawn to explorations of love, reincarnation, and the human experience, with a special affinity for books that weave together complex themes and characters in a thrilling and imaginative narrative.
(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4)
"Meet Me in Another Life" by Catriona Silvey is a thought-provoking and intricately crafted novel that explores the timeless themes of fate, love, and the nature of existence. Silvey's character development is exceptional, with protagonists Thora and Santi undergoing profound transformations across multiple lifetimes. As they navigate their way through different roles and relationships, readers are drawn into their captivating journey of self-discovery and redemption.
The atmospheric setting of "Meet Me in Another Life" adds depth and richness to the narrative, with each new iteration of Thora and Santi's lives unfolding against the backdrop of a vividly imagined world. Silvey's writing style is lyrical and evocative, with prose that captures the beauty and melancholy of the human experience with grace and sensitivity. The plot of the novel unfolds with a perfect balance of intrigue and mystery, keeping readers guessing until the very end. While the pacing may falter occasionally, the novel's exploration of the intricate connections between Thora and Santi makes for a compelling and emotionally resonant read.
Overall, "Meet Me in Another Life" is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that will linger in readers' minds long after they've turned the final page. Silvey's skillful storytelling, richly drawn characters, and immersive setting make for an enjoyable reading experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Whether you're a fan of speculative fiction or simply love a good story of love and destiny, "Meet Me in Another Life" is a must-read that is sure to satisfy.
At first I wasn’t sure that I liked the book as I really didn’t know what it was about so it was confusing to follow. As I continued reading, it became much more interesting and the ending was sad but satisfying. The main characters were so closely tied together that the loss of one at the end was heartbreaking. Very different concept for a story. This would make an intriguing movie or TV series.
I am typically not a huge fan of the Science Fiction genre, but I loved this book. I inhaled it in just a few hours. Thora and Santi have a chance meeting near a tower, and later Thora sees a notice that Santi has died. But yet, they keep meeting over and over and over again at various points in their lives. They are different things to one another, and they don't know why they continue to meet.
The answer is very interesting and surprising. Their interactions are sometimes argumentative, sometimes loving. I fell in love with Thora and Santi and my heart broke for them over and over again.
Terrific story!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stars! Heh heh - you'd understand if you read this book...
I read this due to a prompt from a reading challenge #MonthlyKeyWordGXO. "Another" was one of the key words for May. I have been holding onto this book in my Kindle reader since 2021. I received it as a pre-pub from @bookclubgirl @netgalley.
I wasn't sure what this book was about, so I Googled it for the book jacket summary (I get so many pre-pub books in my Kindle and they don't have the book jacket summary on there - that's a big beef of mine)!
Anyway, I saw that this is optioned for a movie and that Gal Gadot will star as Thora. Oh. My. Goodness! I love Gal Gadot.
Don't you know... her voice was in my head for the entire book! I think I can do her accent better than she can now. I really loved the story for about 3/4 of the book. Near the end, it took more of a sci-fi turn and I was a little less enamored, but I had to see how it ended. I do give great kudos to Silvey for a very imaginative story and an overall great read.
I'll go see this movie in a heartbeat, if it makes it to the big screen. I'm thinking that Pedro Pascal actor as Santi.😍
This was not what I was expecting. I did not enjoy this one at much as other people. I ended up DNFing halfway through. Just not my taste.
*Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*
I was excited to read this novel because it was being compared to The Time Travelers wife, which is my very favorite book of all time. I think that this is why I ended up rating this book so low. These two books couldn't be farther from each other, but each has it's own interesting takes. I enjoyed this story once I got it out of my head that it was going to be like the Time Travelers wife, i think the comparison actually is a determent to the story. Here. This is more of a sci fi book and I think if it was marketed that way, it would have gotten better reception.
3 Stars
I enjoyed the beautiful writing and the original story line. I wasn’t expecting the fantasy elements but I enjoyed them.
This was a great concept - two peoples whose lives intersect in different ways had they been born at different times and different circumstances. Totally unique concept, unlike a thing I’ve read before!
I got this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.I didn't expect to get emotional reading a fiction novel but this book gave me all the feels.I did not see the end coming at all.
A beautiful romance that shows life is more than what is usually there! I loved reading this more than I expected!
This book was really something - I loved it. The age old fate storyline but in a refreshing way and I ate it up!
Thora and Santi have a brief, memorable encounter in college. Thora is drawn to seek Santi out again, but she does so too late. As the novel continues, Thora and Santi are living one life after another that intertwines but they are not always the same age, class or relationship to one another; the common factors in each vignette is they always meet in Cologne and connect with the stars. The story had an interesting premise however it read almost like short stories. The first few were intriguing, but then they just kept going on and on so I really thought about giving up on it. The ending was a surprise but still the reader is left with unanswered questions. While the story has stuck with me, I’m not sure it is for the right reason; just too strange. I would find it difficult to recommend this to a wide variety of readers but I’m sure there’s a niche for it out there.
Thanks to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.
I’m glad I went into this book blindly because the plot was so unexpected! I loved the first half so much. It was tender, and heartbreaking, and intense. The second part of the book got a little more sci-fi and I didn’t love it as much, but I still really appreciate the heartbreaking plot twist at the end. I will definitely keep an eye on this author and look forward to reading more of her work. I would definitely recommend this book! I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I requested this book knowing hardly anything about it, and I'm so very glad I did. I cannot believe this was a debut! If you like the idea of being fated to meet another person, an intriguing premise and lovely writing, then you'll very likely enjoy Meet Me In Another Life. I will even venture to say that if you like short stories or books told in vignettes, you might like the way this novel was written. Thora and Santi seem destined to meet in many different life situations, over many years, in unexpected ways. This is a terrible description because I'm too afraid to spoil anything and I think it's best to go in without knowing much more than the bare-bones dust jacket synopsis. The only thing I'll say is that the cover and synopsis might make it seem like a romance novel, and I would say it's almost definitively not that. I'm not sure how to classify it (especially without giving anything away), but sometimes things don't need classification, just to be given a blind chance.
This one broke my heart and put it back together multiple times over. What an amazing and engrossing plot! Unlike much of what else I’ve read and will be thinking about it for a long time.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book because I have always been fascinated with reincarnation. While I did eventually get really into the book, I have to admit that the first 25% or so had me struggling to stay with it...I'm not sure why but maybe it was just because the lives were so short sometimes that by the time my brain caught up with who they were this time around, it was over. It wasn't until a deeper purpose and attached storyline showed up that it caught my interest on another level. I started to get caught up in it when they now had a purpose...and at that point it became a four star book for me...and yet still managed to catch me by surprise at the end.
This book absolutely blew me away. So much. I did NOT see that twist coming. Not at all. I was shocked. I would call this book a blend of The Midnight Library and Project Hail Mary, which is awesome because I LOVED both of those books. This was just so good. I could not stop highlighting. I was a little sad though that we never got to know the “real” characters well and just all these imagined versions. I also don’t know why that was the plan. I would’ve liked more fleshed out as to why they went on the mission and what led up to that. It was kind of odd that they just left everything they loved just to explore. I would’ve liked more of what went into that choice and their actual connections to the people in their lives. Like yes, Thora concluded Jules means a lot to her and she must be awesome because of all her echoes, but I just needed something to ground me into real life. It was almost too theoretical
This novel follows two individuals who end up living multiple lives and whose relationships and lives always gravitate to each other. This book had an interesting concept and I was intrigued by the blurb. Normally I’m not one to read book blurbs but I had to read this one to figure out what was going on after being confused by the first few chapters.
I found the descriptions of the different relationships that the two main characters had to be interesting. The beginning of the novel seemed to be along the lines of magical realism. However, the ending of the novel wasn’t for me. It was an interesting concept but it didn’t seem fully explored and there were some plot holes, and ended on a science fiction note.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Custom House for the gifted e-book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Let me start off by saying that the concept of this story is quite unique. However, I felt the story was drawn out and at times very confusing. The story did make you cheer on the two main characters but I still had moments where I considered DNF. Again, this is another story where for the right audience others would really enjoy it. I think it just wasn't the right fit for myself.