This was an amazing ride, and so hard to describe without giving away the mind blowing ending. My best attempt is say that it is like the masterpiece Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, but heavier on plot that includes an EXPLANATION of why these two characters can remember past lives.
The pacing of the story is like a boulder gathering speed as it careens down a hill. At first I was sucked in by each chapter, putting the same people together in different dynamics: coworkers, lovers, student/teacher, parent/child. As they begin to realize the nature of their existence, the tension mounts as they try to find a reason, to find meaning. And when the reason is revealed, it’s like falling off of cliff into an ending that took my breath away a few times over.
I absolutely love this kind of novel that straddles several genres and explores existential themes in an accessible, but not cloying, way. Also, I have an absolute favorite book series to recommend if you read and enjoyed this novel, but only once you’ve finished so as not to spoil the ending! So, so good!

Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey was a great concept but fell a little short for me and that is mostly my fault. I think that I was expecting an epic love story, and it was, just not the one I was expecting. I did enjoy the way it was written and think it will appeal to many.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

📚𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 📚 4/5🌟

I thought that this newly released (4/27) debut novel was going to be a contemporary romance, at least from the description I read and its cover. But it’s not, at all. It kind of defies categorization. At times it felt like a mystery/thriller, then veered into light science fiction. It’s the story of a deep and respectful friendship and the lengths two people will go to solve the mystery of their recurring existences.

You see, Thora and Santi keep meeting, over and over, in different lives where they have a variety of relationships to one another - parent/child, student/teacher, friends, and even a married couple. As they live more and more lives, they become increasing driven to find out 𝒘𝒉𝒚 they’re caught in an this endless loop and how they can escape.

This book at times reminded me of different books and movies - part 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑳𝒊𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚, part 𝑷𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝑺𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, part 𝑺𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑫𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔.

If you're up for a challenging read that will push the limits of your understanding of simulations and parallel universes - and if you enjoy the word “simulacrum” - you’ll love this. It’s not my typical genre and while I was hooked and wanted to see where it was going, it was a bit frustrating toward the end. I’ll admit, some of it was over my head, but I kept at it, trying to understand what the author was presenting.

Silvey writes beautifully and has crafted a complicated, inventive and absorbing book.

I am grateful to have received an advance e-copy from Net Galley and William Morrow Publishing.

Thora and Santi have met before, but do they know it? Meet Me in Another Life is the story of two "strangers" who keep running into each other over the course of several lifetimes. They don't know why or how they know each other, but they are determined to find out.

This was not my favorite book. I found the characters to be insufferable and annoying with zero redeeming qualities. I had hoped that over the course of the book, both Thora and Santi would evolve as characters, learn from their experiences, and transform into the heroes that this book deserved.

Overall, I found this book hard to follow. I was well over half way through the book before I understood what was happening, and even then it wasn't clear what was going to become of the storyline or how it was going to be resolved. What really killed it for me was the ending. It could've been so good, but instead it wasn't, which is why I rated this so low. It's not something that I would every really recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay... so I’m not really sure what I read. I know there was romance. There was time traveling or time looping. I know it was very Sci-fi/ fantasy. But I’m not really sure how much I liked it. There were parts that I loved! The adventure that Thora and Santi were on was exciting. I was guessing the entire time time what was going to happen. But I feel it fell flat somewhere and I’m not 100% sure where that was. I would recommend for sure! I really enjoyed the characters and I thought Silvey has a great imagination. I’m just not sure how I was supposed to feel at the end but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t confused.
Thanks NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book in advance! Happy publishing day to Catriona Silvey!

I loved reading about the different lives they lead - however I did find the storyline a little confusing to follow at times. I did think the end (and I know some people did not like it) was a great twist. The process for them to come to the realization of what was happening to them and the choice they made - made for compelling reading.

Meet me in Another Lifetime is one of the most unique books I have ever read. Although the characters are the same throughout and the storyline is interconnected, each chapter reads like a short story. The curious thing is that ordinarily I don’t prefer to read short stories, but I was captivated by the symbolism and brevity in each chapter. I adored the main characters Santi and Thora, and each chapter’s end left me curious to see how the next lifetime would unfold. I was intrigued that each chapter reimagined the characters’ interactions, but not their personalities. This is a slow burn of a novel, but definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in reading a beautiful story that defines destiny while also questioning it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

This wasn't exactly the type of story I was expecting or the kind I typically read, but I did end up enjoying it. It felt like a cross between The Time Traveler's Wife and The Martian. I fully expect to see it on a movie screen in the future. Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Book Club Girls for the opportunity to stretch my reading wings.

What can I say about this book...it was incredible! I received an arc from an online bookclub and I initially wasn't;t even sure I was going to read it. Wow am I glad I did. The writing is phenomenal and the story will make you laugh, cry, and feel all the feels. Best book I've read in some time, highly, highly recommend!

Thora and Santi keep meeting in different lives. As friends, lovers, parent and foster child, teacher and student and step-siblings. Their love and affection for each other is obvious to the reader in each encounter, but the reason for their connection is unclear until the conclusion. The science fiction aspect caught me off-guard but the characters and their story was magical and will be memorable for many months. A recommended read.

Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey is a thought-provoking and fascinating novel about two people that keep meeting each other again and again in Cologne, Germany. The story follows Santi, a dreamer who wants life to have deeper meaning; and Thora, who is cynical and science-minded. They meet as friends, siblings, teacher and student, etc. They ultimately determine why this is happening only to them and how to make it stop. It was incredibly philosophical at times, which added a lot of depth to the story. It reminded me of The Midnight Library. I loved how their personalities and choices changed and how mistakes affected them. I loved thinking about the concept of soul mates and how we’re destined to meet some people during our lives.

Thank you William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I found this book both interesting and confusing. That’s often how I feel when reading a bo9k that is more fantasy or science fiction. I guess I’m too literal to just go with it. Some fascinating ideas in here, probably just not my kind of book.

Wow! This novel is like nothing I’ve ever read. It’s extremely thought-provoking, and I’m still processing it. I’ve highlighted several passages to return to as they are very deep. Santi and Thora keep meeting in different lives and in various roles such as father/daughter, teacher/student, partners, siblings etc. and they return to the same frozen clock tower. As the story unfolds, Santi and Thora search for the meaning of their own existence and the relationship to each other. Some of their musings took my breath away. Then the twist at the end—whoa. If you are looking for a wild ride, I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my gifted arc.

Thora & Santi.
Slivers of alternate iterations of who they are to each other.
A fox & a wolf.
A skeptic & a believer.
Fragments of different lives.

Meet Me in Another Life is a clever, imaginative, transportive debut. Liberty Hardy described this book as "Addie LaRue meets The Time Traveler's Wife". She's not wrong.

It's tricky to explain without divulging spoilers, so I'll say this. I inhaled this in a day and was absolutely sucked into the story. I wasn't always sure what was happening. What was real and what was imagined. But I was absolutely, positively invested emotionally. And emotionally gutted at times. I went into this book blind. I recommend doing the same. Just start reading and enjoy piecing it all together as it unfolds. 

"He watched the world like a detective, like a poet, waiting for the meaning to come clear."

2.5 stars. This book was not at all what I was expecting. I thought it would be similar to The Time Traveler's Wife or The Dream Daughter, but it was more science fiction than a love story. It was more like a series of short stories about Thora and Santi and the revelation that ties everything together wasn't until the very end of the book. It was well written, it just wasn't for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

What an unexpected twist! I read this with a notebook close by to jot down notes thinking that keeping track of Thora and Santi’s meetings would be the most important part of understanding this story, but I was very wrong. The notes did come in handy after I read to the end, but in a very surprising way.

Fantastic worldbuilding, excellent writing, amazing characters. I can’t wait to read this again!

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Recently, I've read several books where a person explores different versions of their lives. How did their choices affect what they became? This is an intriguing question. In Meet Me in Another Life, by Catriona Silvey, a few other elements are added to the mix. With each life, Thora and Santi are born into slightly different circumstances. Also in each scenario, they find each other and remember their past lives. Why is this happening? Will they be destined to relive their lives over and over again? These questions created a book that was an exciting page turner. I loved it!

What I Liked:

Premise:

I loved that the two main characters, Thora and Santi, meet again and again in each life. But, each version of their lives is different from the others. They are different ages, have different jobs, and their relationships vary from one life to another. In one life, they are lovers, in another one is a much older professor and the other is their student. The one constant is that in each life they form a strong connection. And they begin to remember their past lives. This made me think about whether we are destined to meet certain people, or is it just random?

Characters:

Although each life is different, Thora and Santi have consistent personalities throughout. Thora is more impulsive and independent. She dyes her hair various colors, and isn't too concerned about what others think of her.

When she meets Santi, she recognizes a kindred spirit. Santi is a dreamer, and he longs to be an astronaut. But he's not a person of action, like Thora. Each has strengths that compliment the other's. They push each other to do the most with each life. Sometimes this causes conflict, which might take several lifetimes to resolve. But, ultimately, Thora and Santi know they need each other to figure out the mystery of why they keep repeating their lives.

Story:

Learning the rules of this universe is really compelling. Why do they always find each other in the city of Bonn? Once they get there, why does it seem that they can't leave? Can they reset their lives by killing themselves? What are the limits of what they can do without too many dire consequences?

I also like that this is not a love story, per se. In some of the lives, yes, Thora and Santi are lovers. But in others, they are student and teacher, doctor and patient, even parent and child. This strips away the sexual nature of connection. Humans can make deep connections with others without a sexual element.

Each life reveals a little bit more about what is really happening in the overall story. As the mystery builds, we wonder what Thora and Santi can do to break the cycle. This made the story very exciting, and kept me reading.

I wanted to like this book. I didn’t know what I expected from it, but for me it fell short. I felt like it was very long and I was confused a lot of the time. I did enjoy Thora’s and Santi’s lives and once they figured out what was going on the plot sped up.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow and custom house for an advanced copy in exchange for a review

This book sucked me in from the beginning. It was almost like reading a collection of short stories that just had the same characters in different scenarios.

I didn't expect the twist in the storyline, but it caused the book to end differently than I had expected.

The different lifetimes certainly kept me turning the pages curious as to what would happen next.

This is a really unique read that makes you question destiny, fate and the many paths our lives can take.

From the very first chapter, I was immediately drawn into this book. I got to the second chapter and I was immediately a little confused. This was not at all what I was expecting!

The book centers around Thora & Santi, who meet and keep meeting throughout. I was really impressed with how author Catriona Silvey found new ways to weave their lives together. I kept trying to figure this storyline out alongside the main characters and had ZERO clue, even though she masterfully leaves the reader clues that eventually make sense in the end.

This book is like nothing I have read all year and gives off fantasy, sci-fi, romance and mystery vibes. I had to know how it ended but also felt like I never knew what was happening--if that makes sense. Not my typical read but I'm glad I (unknowingly) branched out a bit to experience this!

Thank you to The Book Club Girls Early Reads Program, William Morrow, Custom House and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.