Cover Image: She Wouldn't Change a Thing

She Wouldn't Change a Thing

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Holy Bookworm, Batman, what did I just read here? This story gives the reader a front-row seat to the opportunity to start one’s life over, so to speak. What would you do if you were given such a chance? When Maria suddenly finds herself in this situation, her primary objective is to get back to her husband, daughters, unborn son and her psychiatry practice. Learning her trip back to her seventeen-year-old self comes with a life-or-death purpose, what will she choose? Fulfill her purpose or go back to her family? She can only choose one. I did not envy Maria one little bit. The stress and anxiety she feels was so brilliantly written and narrated, I felt loads of empathy for her and her situation.

This story got me thinking about so many topics such as reincarnation, past life regression and death, just to name a few. I couldn’t imagine myself in Maria’s shoes, because she is carrying a heavy burden, especially when she wakes up no longer pregnant and back in her parent’s home and seventeen again. Not only does it freak her out and she thinks she’s dreaming, but the people around her think she’s lost her mind, demanding to know where her husband and children are.

This story has so much going on, not just with Maria, but with the numerous supporting characters as well. It’s a lot to unpack and it took me a few stops and starts with the audio to get plugged in, but once I did, I was riveted. The writing and the story are exceptional. The characters are very complex and well developed. Their behaviors, thoughts and dialogue are appropriate for the situations they find themselves in. The audio narration performed by Cassandra Campbell was superb. She conveys not just the emotions of the characters in her reading, but also their personalities. I got an excellent sense of knowing these characters, which is vital for the reader to have any empathy for them.

My Final Verdict: Sarah Adlakha has created an amazing story around the concept of time travel and I absolutely loved it. Readers who enjoy the same concept will enjoy this tale as well as fans of women’s fiction and readers who love strong familial relationships in their stories. This book was highly focused on family and the connections we have with the people we meet throughout our journey of life.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of She Wouldn’t Change a Thing from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Engaging and immersive, this is a recommended purchase for collections where women's fiction is popular.

Was this review helpful?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This one was such a fun read.
It had a fun genre bending premise, that took me a while to get into but once I did I was hooked.

I really enjoyed the way the author speculated and addressed A question and we all ask ourselves at one point in our life, “What If? “

⭐️Definitely worth putting in your TBR list this Fall. Thank you @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for this honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I wanted to like this book. The description and overall story line sounded interesting to me, but it didn't end up how I'd hoped. A few things, I know it's not common practice to put trigger warnings with books, but I feel like this one needs self-harm and child harm warnings. I listened to the audio version, and did end up finishing it. Overall it was well written I'm just not a fan.

Was this review helpful?

Very interesting take on time travel, and whether we can change our future or past. Every mother will relate to Maria's pain at discovering she's no longer living in her very-pregnant body (with her third child) and the agony she experiences realizing she may never see those children or her husband again.

It's a clever plot twist, and as I read, I tried placing how the characters would all tie together near the end. I guessed a couple of things, but there were plenty of surprises. If you like to read about time travel, you'll really enjoy this clever, heart-wrenching story! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

Today I am highlighting a book that I haven’t seen on here very much at all. She Wouldn’t Change a Thing has been described as Sliding Doors meets Life after Life - two of my faves - and that is a perfect description.
Basically, Maria is a psychiatrist, pregnant with her third child, who has a patient give her a creepy warning and then Maria wakes up as her 17 year old self. Maria is given the choice to change her future to prevent a horrific tragedy - raising the question of whether you prevent a tragedy, if that means someone else is hurt? This book was stressful, thought provoking, compelling and complex in the best way. It really makes you think if you would go back and redo decisions you made along the way and the ripple effect that can have. It was clever and captivating and the ending was such a complete surprise.

Was this review helpful?

I had to make myself finish listening to this. The narrator was okay, but she made the main character, Maria, sound like a whiny entitled brat which was grating after a time. I had issues with the story and the whole "purpose" thing as well as how she tied everything up at the end. From the description, it had such potential and it was a big let down for me.

Was this review helpful?

I normally shy away from science fiction/fantasy books, but once in a while I step outside my comfort zone and I was not disappointed. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and review the book. Fate, destiny, family and choices are a big part of they story.

Was this review helpful?

If your looking to spice up your book club and get a little controversial then this might be just the book you’ve been looking for! As our antagonist travels between the life she knows and the one she’s always wondered about readers are privy to a lot of thoughtful reflection on motherhood, family, regret, sacrifice, consequences, what happiness is truly made of, and destiny. The authors writing rings true to the raw emotions The characters experience making them realistic and relatable.

While I enjoyed the read I was frustrated by a few plot holes and the lack of continuity between her varied existences. Overall it was a interesting read that will defiantly have readers reflecting on what might have been….

For readers who are looking for something dofrebt and are willing to give the author a little grace on the details 😉

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Four stars with a PG rating

Was this review helpful?

Okay, so this book was billed as “Sliding Doors meet Life After Life” which are two of my absolute favorites so I was ALL. IN. Unfortunately, She Wouldn’t Change a Thing fell a bit flat for me.

This book explores the idea of alternate realities and what is “meant to be”, which I LOVE but honestly I felt like for a book with such an intriguing, exciting premise not a whole lot happens. Like, I was actually surprised when the book ended; I thought there HAD to be more to it. Plus, I’m pretty convinced there are some plot holes, which are definitely a risk with “time travel” books, but I still hate it when I think back on a book and can’t make sense of some of it.

Other than some insightful musings on modern motherhood and raising a few good questions which I would LOVE to discuss with a book club: If you could go back and change the past for the better would you? Even if it meant you could lose what you love about the present? I was disappointed by this highly anticipated new release. My advice? Watch Sliding Doors or read Life After Life instead. Or read the recent release Meet Me In Another Life!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for the ALC. Maria is an overburdened mother who suddenly finds herself back in her seventeen-year old body, her burgeoning family not yet a figment of anyone's imagination. The story follows Maria on her attempts to get back to them. Interesting take on time jumping.

Was this review helpful?

Ahh, what if you could go back in time and fix something... but in doing so, you will lose the life you've lived? This was an interesting premise. Time travel always seems so complicated since going back, anything done differently will change the future in small or big ways. The main character must choose, does she head off a bad situation knowing it will drastically impact the future she knows? Or will she choose to let things happen as they once did and go back to her old life, knowing she could have prevented a tragedy and chose not to?

One thing I didn't understand was her option to return to her future life. How? How could she "die" in the past but still be herself in the future? One could say, oh they're different timelines but if this is true, why do the changes she makes in the past impact her future life as she'd lived it? Anyway, all of this brings up moral quandaries. Do the right thing? Or keep your same future? And if you stay in the past, how do you live your life differently, knowing what you know from already living through that time? Thre author does a pretty good job of wrapping things up in the end.

Listening to the audiobook, it was a bit easy to get lost with the different characters and different timelines, but overall, this was an enjoyable listen.

The author also brings up some interesting thoughts on non fictional people who may have been "sent back". LOL

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the eALC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I really liked the premise behind this book. What if you were to wake up in your seventeen year-old body, but you're really 39? Should you go back to your family and the baby you were about to have, or stay behind for your "purpose?" That is the question posed to Maria. We also need to find out how everyone in the book connects to one another. I think the author did a good job putting everything together, but sometimes I found myself losing focus and needing to reread previous sections to get a better grasp on the situation. I don't know if that was just me or the book. I think I would still recommend it though. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book was a major surprise for me. I didn't know anything about it besides being intrigued by the description. The story was interesting, inventive, and thought-provoking. The story was full of surprises and I loved the way it wrapped up. Highly recommend. Also the narrator was excellent.

Was this review helpful?

This was an unusual story. I was highly intrigued by the concept, and requested the e-book straight away. I was declined. Then the audio book came up, and I requested that. I found the narrator to be fantastic for this one, with the perfect tone and pacing and character differentiations for the story. That said, the story itself I found a little confusing and meandering at times...

There are many moments of brilliance here. There is a lot of thoughtful considerations of motherhood, family, regret, consequences, and fate/ destiny. The emotions are raw and honest and I found the characters quite relatable. Some of the explanations as to what was going on and why, and some of the interconnectedness between characters and storylines, were not very clear to me and while they didn't detract from my enjoyment overall, they were the reason for four stars instead of five.

Still it was a lovely story on the whole and I quite enjoyed it.

Was this review helpful?

This was different than any other books I've read lately but I sure enjoyed it! It's a complicated time travel story about Maria and the choices that she needs to make that will affect her future. I couldn't resist because I always love a good time travel book. I usually listen to my audio books to and from work and sometimes I left early and drove slower just so I had more time to listen to this one. It definitely left me wanting more and the narrator, Cassandra Campbell, was easy to listen to.

I will be looking for more books by Sarah Adlakha in the future!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC of this audio book from NetGalley. Thank you for an opportunity to listen to this.

One of the things that drew me to this book was the narrator of the audiobook, Cassandra Campbell. She is a wonderful narrator. Her voice is instantly engaging. She is able to keep the characters distinct by her use of various voices. I always look for books that she narrates.

This book, however, is a very different read for me. I usually don't read time travel type books. When I do, I just struggle to constantly understand how this can occur and just can't seem to suspend my idea of wanting everything to make sense. Unfortunately, it keeps me from totally enjoying the story because I continually am questioning things in my mind. That being said, I did enjoy this book. Between Cassandra Campbell's narration and the author's great character development and ability to keep the story moving, I was able to finish it in just a few days. Even though I didn't want the story to take the turn that it did, it did have a satisfying ending and seemed to be the right choice for the main character to make. I am still not sure everything made sense to me at the end, but I am glad that the read the book.

Was this review helpful?

Maria is a wife, mother, psychiatrist, and 9 months pregnant. A tragedy occurs and she wakes up one day in her seventeen-year-old body but still has all of the memories of her future life. Maria finds there are other people who have had this same experience. She soon realizes that whatever choices she makes affects the future outcomes. Will she ever return to her life as she knew it? This was a great debut from Adlakha. I enjoyed reading every minute of it. The characters were complex, relatable and had many issues of their own. The problems that they faced were also complex and there was no easy answer. I love when books leave you thinking about what would you do in the situation that the characters were in. This was one of those. I loved the ending. I will definitely be reading another Adlakha in the future.
Q: If you were given the chance to go back in time. Would you make decisions differently? How do you think that would affect your life?

Was this review helpful?

Started off listening to this as an audiobook narrated by the amazing Cassandra Campbell. I absolutely didn't want to stop listening because the storyline hooked me right from the start. Eventually I switched to the print copy so I could keep reading when listening wasn't practical (in bed at night, etc.)

This story does require some concentration with sorting out timelines and characters. If you pay close attention all the way to the end your attention and concentration will be absolutely rewarded. The way that everything fits together is nothing short of stunning, and I gave a very satisfied sigh of contentment after reaching the end.

The description of Sliding Doors meets Life After Life is apt, yet it doesn't quite capture everything there is about this genre-busting novel. It includes some time travel, some destiny fulfillment, and some exploration of choice and living with the consequences of the choices we make. I connected with Maria, our main character, from the beginning, but there is an entire cast of interesting characters. The plot is brilliant with the way it is woven together to create an intricate picture. The only shortcoming I found is that it is occasionally confusing when trying to puzzle out which timeline is occurring and how they mesh together. Also I thought that when Maria goes back to her teen years the drama of searching for her husband and then Henry got drawn out way too much and became tedious when she wouldn't just sit back and examine the situation rather than constantly reacting and calling attention to herself..

This is an incredibly thought-provoking novel that would be perfect for book clubs or discussion groups. If given similar choices and situations, what would you do and how would you react? This book is well worth reading and the audiobook is an excellent format.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was amazing. I was a little bit sceptical in the beginning, as it talked a lot about god, and being an atheist, I really don't read Christian fiction, but I'm glad I didn't give up because it ended up being completely different than I had expected.

In She Wouldn't Change a Thing, we are introduced to Maria, a wife, mother and psychiatrist. Maria ends up being shot early on in the story and winds up in a coma. While lying in a hospital bed, Maria is transported back to her teenage years, with all of her knowledge, memories and experiences still in tact. Her immediate goal is to get back to the life she had, but is that what she really wants?

Sarah Adlakha has painted a picture of non-denominational spirituality and metaphysics beautifully, giving us a story about love, loss, hope and redemption. It's a story about doing what's right, no matter what the cost is.

The narration was average. Nothing special, but listenable. Definitely worth the read/listen.

Was this review helpful?