I wanted more from the endgame romance to really solidify their connection. I found the romance part that leads us to the ending was a little rushed, unreasonable, forced!

The most cliche trope ever. All three of them had a non existent chemistry, character development everything in this book was non existent.

Second chance romance with amnesia thrown in. I've read a few with these tropes but this one had great world building and I love the wrench of Ian's brother possibly messing things up.

When I read the description of this book I was immediately reminded of the movie While You Were Sleeping. There were definitely a lot of similarities while I was reading it, but was different enough where it still felt unique. I was hoping for more because I really did like the idea of the plot, but it just didn't quite live up to the hype in my mind.

Layla is devastated when Ian breaks up with her, but when Ian gets in an accident and doesn't remember breaking up with her, Layla decides to play along. As time goes on, she finds it harder and harder to tell him the truth, especially when everything between them seems to be going so well. While she settles back into her relationship with Ian, Layla begins focuses in on developing her career and saving the theatre she works for who are at risk of going under after an issue with the show writer pops up. Enter Matt - Ian's writer brother. Suddenly Layla is enlisting Matt to write a show for the theatre, as well as trying to help repair the relationship between the brothers, which has been strained for a while. But it may be more complicated than Layla anticipated, especially when other feelings get involved.

I liked the little bit of career development that was focused on for Layla. I could relate to some of her insecurities. I did struggle with Layla as a character though. She was incredibly insecure and not entirely likable. It was hard to really want to root for her. I also didn't particularly like the other characters either. Ian was pretty bland and Matt came off as a jerk. I liked Layla quirks - like her love of vintage clothes - but it felt like it was overly mentioned and got to be kind of annoying to me.

The romance in this book was a bit nonsensical. There was no reason to root for Layla and Ian, and the relationship development between Layla and Matt was practically non-existent. It felt like they just woke up one day and liked each other and were suddenly head over heels, but their interactions weren't really that interesting and there was very little development between them.

I really had hoped for more from this book. The writing itself wasn't bad and I would potentially give the author another shot. But overall, it was just okay.

Rating: 3 / 5

This unfortunately fell short for me. I enjoyed Annette Christies's first book and was excited to receive this egalley. I was excited to see a love triangle based on the cover, but it fell short for me. I didn't love the tension between the characters and the main character's rationale and decision making frustrated me. While I enjoyed the artistic plot line, it just wasn't my style overall.

This is the second book I've read by this author. The first, The Rehearsals, was stellar. I wasn't as happy with this book. There was a lot going for the book. The basic premise, being given a "do=over" after a break-up, was fine. It could go pear-shaped at any time, in many different ways. Layla had an interesting job and Ian seemed like a fantastic boyfriend. But I spotted the second storyline immediately and thought it was icky. Not to mention Layla's mistaken assumptions about her mother. It was just weird. I never saw what made her jump to conclusions about what her mother was doing. It could have been so many things, but Layla, because of her own failed relationships, went right to the dark side.

I still love this author's writing. I will always read anything she puts out. I like how she writes about imperfect relationships and couples. I think she's more realistic than flowery.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and freely given.

I found out about this now auto-buy author for me when I discovered her debut book at my local dollar store. Her first book The Rehearsals was beautifully done and the storyline was entertaining making you feel as if you were watching a drama series. Her second book For Twice in My Life is definitely just as entertaining and the main character Layla has quick witty remarks that make you laugh out loud cause you never know what your gonna get from her page to page. I wanted to love this book just as much as her first but the storyline just didn’t hold my attention, but it does not mean others might not enjoy it. The authors writing is captivating I’m just not someone who loves to read anything surrounding theater and artsy things. In my opinion the book overall, kinda felt like we were gonna see the ending coming regardless with the big secret Layla was keeping from the start being released. It just felt like the book itself was being drawn out.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

When Ian breaks up with Layla - she feels lost and like her whole life has come to an end. But when Ian wakes up after a terrible bike accident and doesn't remember ending their relationship, Layla thinks fate has intervened and given her a second chance at love with her soulmate.

When Ian's surly brother Matt winds up back in town, Layla can't help but wonder if he is the wrench in her plans for her second chance with Ian - Matt seems set on making everyone in Ian and Layla's life tell the truth about themselves and each other.

I really liked the way Christie set this up - it wasn't just romance, there was true character development and growth, set against the wistful backdrop of Seattle. I agree with other readers, this was good but didn't hit the great mark and not overly memorable - but a good read for a quiet day at the beach.

Thanks to Net Galley, Little, Brown and Company and Annette Christie for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All statements above are my true
opinions after fully reading this book.
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was a fairly quick & very enjoyable read!

While I thought the premise of this book was intriguing and unique, something just fell flat for me. I really wanted to love it but it just felt like something was missing? I can see why people would like it though and I’m still grateful for the opportunity to have read it.

Does anyone else have a sort of rule for the authors you read who were good but not great? Do you always give them one more chance? Are you more likely to give them a chance if they’re, say, Canadian like you, or if the description sounds just too good to pass up? I didn’t love Annette Christie’s The Rehearsals (review here) but I enjoyed it enough so when I had the chance to review For Twice in My Life, I thought, sure! Why not? Ultimately it was another just ok book but it kept me interested enough to feel good about seeing it through to the end.

Here’s the book’s description:
Can one little lie lead to a big second chance?
Layla's chaotic life transformed when she met Ian Barnett. Ambitious, committed, and thoughtful, Ian has been everything she'd dreamed of, and she knows he'd say the same of her. So when he breaks up with her out of the blue, Layla is stunned. What went wrong?
But then, Layla gets a call from the local hospital. Ian's had a biking accident. He's okay, but he needs someone--his someone--to get him home safely. As it becomes clear Ian doesn't remember he ended things, it also becomes clear that the accident has given him a new outlook on life . . . and Layla a second chance to get things right.
That is, until Ian's younger brother comes to town. Matt is restless, unpredictable, and threatens to upset the careful balance Layla and Ian have rebuilt. As things get more complicated both at home and at work, Layla realizes she might lose her chance at real love--and real happiness--if she doesn't come clean about the stories she's been telling: to Ian, to Matt, to her family, and most importantly, to herself.
I’m not particularly drawn to amnesia plots and I really don’t like when the reader knows that the main character is lying to the other so this novel and I got off on the wrong foot. It had to work hard for me to get over how Layla was behaving and I was able to sort of-kind of get past it. Mostly because I felt that Ian hadn’t had a good reason for breaking up with her and I felt Layla deserved an answer. I wasn’t sure if she (or I, for that matter) was going to get that answer but I was willing to put in the work to find out.

The tension between Layla and Matt (and Ian) was…intense. There was a ton of angst and anger between them and it was hard to figure out why. Matt and Ian didn’t have a great relationship so Layla wasn’t open to seeing Matt in the best light, which, honestly, was kind of annoying. She should have given him a fairer chance to be a friend and a brother. And then she shouldn’t have fought the attraction the two of them had so hard. I get that that’s incredibly awkward but let’s perhaps take a look at your life and realize where you’re happiest and with whom, shall we?

I didn’t love compulsive shopping as a coping mechanism with Confessions of a Shopaholic and I didn’t like it with Layla, especially when right off the bat there’s a hint that she had some serious financial troubles. That storyline felt like it took forever to fully be revealed and I just didn’t buy how self-sabotaging Layla was being. Her mom finally sets her right at the end of the book but my heart was kind of breaking that Layla constantly felt like she was a screw up and that she had to change herself to fit into the world around her. Sure, we all battle with confidence sometimes, some people more than others, but it was hard to read about someone who just clearly couldn't see that she has far more worth than she thinks.

Annette Christie writes really emotional stories full of characters who aren’t perfect. For Twice in My Life, the characters were real and, quite honestly, a bit of a mess, but their emotions (and boy, were there a lot of emotions) were so strong and that really came through the pages. I wanted to really like this one and am bummed that I found it only ok but I’ll keep an eye on what Christie writes next. Maybe I’ll have to give her just one more chance.

*An egalley and a finished copy of this novel were provided by the Canadian distributor, HBG Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

3 stars!

My one caveat with this story is that it never gripped me as much as I wanted to. For how emotional the premise is, I was expecting to have all of my feelings be all over the place, but I never truly got to the point where I was overly emotional or thoroughly connected to the story or the characters. I just think the stakes could have been increased by a lot and the emotions heightened even more. I think I would have appreciated to have this story be told from more than one POV, but I understand that a lot of this story was based on Layla's own character development.

This was ... not my favorite. It was fine and unique, I just never felt that drawn in. I could only read a few chapters before I got a little bored.

I don't have anything great or negative to say about this one. It was just meh for me.

Fun, light romcom (not steamy but sometimes that's a nice change of pace).
Expected the ending, but was happy to see it happen that way.

I liked the premise of the book - a young woman, Layla, takes care of her ex-boyfriend after a car accident that took a month of his memory. The problem is her ex, Ian, thinks they are still together, having forgotten he had broken up with her two weeks before his accident.

Layla rationalizes pretending to Ian and to everyone else that they are still a couple. The twist in the plot is a good one when Ian's brother Matt steps into the picture, as Matt knows the truth.

This is a clever and rather cute rom com, an enjoyable and light read.

This was a fast fun read! I enjoyed the storyline and although predictable, I liked the characters and their development through the story.

I wanted so bad to love this book but I just did not, I slogged my way through and even considered DNF multiple times (including at 80% complete!). I just did not like any of the characters at all, the whole thing felt a little creepy from a consent perspective and there was 0 chemistry between the two romantic leads. There was not enough character growth for me either, I dont see any of them changing except maybe Ian of all people who learned to work a little less. Just not a story that resonated for me.

A sweet story with a somewhat predictable but satisfying ending. This is the perfect thing to listen to on audio — easy and pleasant.

I have never read one of Annette Christies novels before, but after reading the description of her newest novel, For Twice in My Life, I was so intrigued by the concept I had to read it.
For Twice in My Life is a romance novel about 28-year-old city girl Layla working in the theater industry and just trying to get through life. She was recently crushed after she broke up with her boyfriend Ian for “not spending enough time together.” That is until Ian was hit by a car and his first call was to Layla. When Layla sees him in the hospital, she realizes Ian called her because he thinks they are still together, and he has lost some of his memory. Should Laya tell him what happened? Or is this a sign from the universe for them to get back together and start fresh?
I had so much hope for this book but unfortunately it just fell short for me. This book is read more like a Young Adult novel than a novel based off 28-year-old love. This is because Layla and Ian love just seemed way too innocent for me. There was not a ton of romance in it (nothing hot and heavy) and at times I just felt bored. I think some of the characters and the relationships they had could have been developed more and even at some points it just felt unrealistic. The ending was a little all over the place for me, and as much as I wanted to like it, it just fell short. I just could not connect to the storyline as much as I wanted to, so it was only a two-star read for me.

Another swoony, charming masterpiece from Annette Christie! She manages to be hilarious and heartfelt in an effortless way.