B O O K. R E V I E W 📚

Thank you so much @netgalley and @joffebooks for my e-arc of THE LOVE OF MY OTHER LIFE by @cjconnollybooks ! This book came out June 30, so you can grab your copy now!

This was a very unique, multiverse romance book! It really reminded me of the move, The Vow. (Ahem, if I wake up in the hospital from a coma, and Channing Tatum tells me he is my husband, I will NOT complain or protest 😆😍)

I really liked getting the perspective from Josie and “other Josie” because even this, technically they are the same person, they also aren’t?! You kind of have to wrap your head around this concept, which is explored in the book with both Josie’s. I really liked that!

Would you want to experience being thrown into a multiverse? In a way, it would kind of cool- you could do things differently in your life/change some things (if you want), but I’m not sure if I would actually want to experience it!

I loved the plot based on the synopsis, but I felt as though it fell short. It was predictable in a non-ironic way. Multiverses & time travel are popular plots in media right now, and I feel like it followed the algorithm without making it different. It had the potential to be more fast-paced, emotional thriller rather than a romance.

This book's premise is probably considered very "in" right now. The multiverse concept in particular. For me, it just was not my cup of tea. It took far too long to get started. It was very slow in the beginning. While I liked the main character, I found many other aspects just plain dull. Not a bad debut from the author. The formatting of this made it also tricky to read.

It's a fun concept-parallel universes in a more female focused romantic story, but it just wasn't exciting enough for me to enjoy.

I loved the premise of this book, and thought the execution was decent.

For me, it could have been longer. There were many aspects of the story that I would have loved to see, but there were only slight glimpses.

It did end very quickly too. I wish we could have had more about that Josie’s life.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 71%

I was sooooo bored?! Like it felt like the storyline went on forever. I don’t even care how it ends at this point I’m just tired

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Love of My Other Life by C.J. Connolly from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I was literally hooked from the first page and was unable to put this down until the wee hours of the morning. So good! It is such a great read. Do yourself a favor and read this as soon as you can.

I could definitely see this as a mini series or a movie. I felt a greater connection to the one version of Josie as I feel like one version was better fleshed out. Fun and quick read.

This has all the fun, sweet elements I wanted in a book, so cute! I’d definitely recommend it to my family and friends.

4 1/2 stars

Wow! I've always loved stories about alternate time lines and/or the path not taken. I really enjoyed the Sliding Doors feel of this book but also appreciated its unique differences.

The main character, Josie is turning thirty-six and still trying to find the thing in her life that will make her happy. She thinks it's the love of a man - - but she can't seem to find the right one. When she and her alternate self from another timeline accidentally switch places, Josie will discover that it's hard to know exactly where your happiness comes from until it isn't there.

In the other world, she has a loving husband who is everything she could want....wealthy, handsome and in love with her. However, there are differences in this other world that she can't move past. Plus, at the end of the day, she knows this truly isn't her life - - it's the life of the "other" Josie.

I think this book did an outstanding job of making the reader really contemplate how each decision in life can impact things. You can't let it paralyze you, but it often bears consideration. Sometimes the smallest decision can change something big down the road. It's kind of fascinating and overwhelming all at the same time. The inventiveness and creativity of this storyline pulled me in and kept me hooked until the end. I just wanted to see Josie find her way "home" to where she felt she belonged.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

On her 36th birthday Josie is hit by a car when she wakes up in hospital the man that is holding her hand is telling her he’s her husband but she remembers nothing about him all the life he says they have together.

This is a compelling novel, full of twists and turns.

A dazzling, emotional rollercoaster debut.

Like the author, I'm fascinated by the portrayal/potential of a space-time continuum, and have watched and read many stories twisting timelines and jumping to alternate realities. But this book was a first for me with two protagonists being the same person living their counterpart's body.

This story messed with my head and heart. I spent a decent amount of time thinking about the Josies and how I'd have responded in their shoes. Mind-boggling stuff. Despite the emotional upheaval, I have to say I LOVED the conclusion. Just... perfect.

Note to readers: there is a little language and some open-door sex scenes. If that's not your thing (and you can't just skip a paragraph to get past the sexy times)... 🤷🏼‍♀️

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley (but then accessed a Kindle Unlimited subscription [yay, Prime Day!], so borrowed it in KU so the author would earn a little dosh).

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me an eARC of The Love of My Other Life in exchange for an honest and reliable review.

What would you do if you were thrust into another version of your own life?

A young woman named Josie Cavendish who gets into a bike accident and wakes up as another version of herself in an alternate universe. The same thing happens to the “other” version of herself from the other universe. So we have two Josies from two universes struggling to cope with the unfamiliar lives they find themselves in, including different occupations, love interests, experiences, etc.

Honestly, the premise of this book was interesting and had potential to be something great, a completely mind blowing romance-thriller. It was an interesting position that the main character was put in. However, it sadly fell flat for me. The book was 100 pages too long at the end, we didn't need all the detail leading up to the final incident, we just needed it to happen so we could find out what happened to both versions of Josie,

The characters felt really superficial in this book. We didn't get a lot of internal monologue about how the characters were feeling so the reader is not able to connect with any of the characters.

In the end, I actually did like the final outcome but getting to that point was kind of brutal. It feels like every book I'm reading these days (Lydia Bird, See You Yesterday) is about the multiverse and I'm over it. I will be honest, I had to skim through a lot of this book to make it to the end.

This story focuses on Josie who is a British ex-pat living in Brooklyn. She has a radio show she focuses on to keep her busy and tries not to think about how much she misses her family. On her way out one night, she ends up crashing her bike and her world is completely different when she wakes up.

I thought the concept was good, but I couldn’t connect with the main character. I couldn’t sympathize with Josie, and I was frustrated with the decisions she made.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this ARC! All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reed, One True Loves, this one is for you. Its more of a romance with a twist, a bit of mystery if you will. Josie, who, on her 36th birthday, has a bike accident and wakes up in the hospital in a life that isn’t as she remembers. With a handsome, unknown man by her side, she finds out that she’s married, wealthy, and successful. That said, Josie has vivid memories of her life up until the accident and questions the “amnesia” that doctors say she is experiencing. Its thought provoking and unpredictable in the best ways. A downside to me were the long chapters but that's just a personal thing. Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

Interesting, thought provoking premise, but I struggled with the execution somewhat. Could not really relate to Josie and some of her actions, Also felt like the behavior was a bit juvenile at times even though she was supposed in her 40.’s.

This was a new kind of book for me to read and I really liked it.
Thank you so much NetGalley and Joffe Books for letting me read this one.

One day Josie is in accident and wakes up at the hospital as the Other Josie.
Yes this a book where more than one version of US exists which at first was a bit difficult for me to get in to but after a while it went just fine.

The story was really good and became easy to follow once you got in to it.
The writing was good and together with the good story I didn't wanted to stop reading.

I have never read anything like this one before and I hope the author will either do a book two or at least write one more book with this theme.
IF you know a book with the same theme please feel free to give me the name of the book.

The Love of My Other Life is the story of Josie, who, on her 36th birthday, has a bike accident and wakes up in the hospital in a life that isn’t as she remembers. With a handsome, unknown man by her side, she finds out that she’s married, wealthy, and successful. That said, Josie has vivid memories of her life up until the accident and questions the “amnesia” that doctors say she is experiencing.

This book is one that had me theorizing what would happen many times over. Each twist and turn had my mind going in a different direction, and I just loved the unpredictability of it all. The main character is strong-willed and confident in her thoughts and feelings. I was really drawn to her and how she felt about her new lot in life. She develops a strong(er) sense of self as the book progresses.

This will be a book I highly recommend to others looking for a romance read with out-of-the box thinking. It’s genre-bending, contemplative, and a great choice to switch-up your reading game a bit!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕞𝕪 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖

Author – C.J. Connolly
Rating - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ / 5
Genre – Romance
Publication Date - 06/29/22
Pages - 366

This book made my head spin. I definitely thought at first it was going to be a mystery / suspense type of romance. My mind was spinning wondering what was going to happen with Josie and questioning if there another Josie out there too…


……


What I liked :
✨ Very interesting concept! Very Freaky Friday
✨ DUAL POV (kinda 🙃)
✨ Dropped a lot of Marvel references and then when I finally read the authors note, I felt I understood the references even more

What I disliked :
👎🏻 Kinda long chapters
👎🏻 The complication Josie makes in her new life
👎🏻 The chapters weren’t date last but specifically “Mid-April.” That wasn’t my favorite
👎🏻 The book definitely had my interest level all over the place. The first bit was really good but then kinda went down from there
👎🏻 Fade to black…

Overall, this is a really sweet feel good romance!

ARC gifted to me by Netgalley.

4.25/5★

A woman, after suffering an almost-fatal bicycle accident on her 36th birthday, suddenly finds herself in a strange new world, with a strange new circumstance; she has body-swapped with another version of herself in an alternate timeline. I honestly went into this thinking it was another fluffy romance with little sci-fi/dystopian plot, but I got so much more.

The book alternates between both perspectives; we spend a few chapters with ‘Me’ Josie and a few chapters with ‘Her’ Josie, and then, repeats. ‘Me’ Josie finds herself in a world with a caring and attentive husband and a brother than has died. ‘Her’ Josie learns that in her new world that she is without a husband but her brother is still alive. Trust me, I cried a river throughout this book.
It’s a journey of self-discovery, heartbreak, and new beginnings, as each battle with their new life and new emotions and the fear that they may be stuck in their other half’s life forever. After a while, they try to settle, but soon become disassociated with themselves and their personalities, no sure how to navigate this new change. They spend the new year in a state of intense ultimatums and disconnect.

This book is a rollercoaster ride of distress, guilt and self-awareness. I was pleasantly surprised, and loved both Josies as they battled their strange new worlds, and I’m glad that the book prolonged more than a few weeks as romance novels normally span. It gave both main characters a lengthy and good adjustment period that spanned the novel wonderfully, complimenting how well the characters and their conscious thoughts were explored.
I enjoyed the ending, the closure that came with it - for all characters - both Josies and Rob (respective husband). It was rather heartbreaking but goodbyes and change are always hard. But, they found peace and comfort in experiencing a short time in their alternate lives, and whilst the trauma that sent them into alternate realities was rough and painful, the journey meant more. What mattered was they found their back to themselves, and that rediscovery, for them, was worth the pain. I felt especially attached to ‘Her’ Josie; her self-discovery was paramount to the book. Whilst ‘Me’ Josie found love and purpose that she finds again in her own world, ‘Her’ Josie learnt to grief properly, to finally say goodbye to the brother she lost, fall in love with her husband again, and find her place in the world she was previously ripped from.

All in all, I loved this book. It was a beautiful depiction of loss and pain and love, and I will be reading it again in proper book format. It’s definitely worth the read.