I really liked this While you were sleeping inspired romance in which a woman who gets dumped suddenly gets a second chance with her ex after he has an accident and wakes up forgetting about their break up. The problem? His estranged brother is back and the two are forced to work together on a project where feelings unexpected develop. While triangles aren't really my thing I thought this one was well done. Good on audio too. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

For Twice in My Life is a funny and poignant story about a second try on love for Layla. While navigating her chaotic life the MC also explores falling in love again with her exes brother.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Layla’s relationship with Ian is just about perfect: He’s so sweet, making a real effort to be present and not let work get in the way of their relationship, and he’s super hot. The one problem? Ian broke up with Layla… two weeks before he was in a bike accident and had a concussion. When Layla, still his emergency contact, arrives at the hospital, Ian acts like they’re still together – can he really not e remember? – but she jumps at the chance for a second chance at their love. How long can she keep the secret from Ian? And from his brother Matt, taciturn and so similar to something (or some<i>one</i>) haunting from her past, who seems to know more than he should?

[book:For Twice In My Life] was more a rom-dram than a rom-com. Layla can’t seem to shake the reputation of her past mistakes, she’s unsatisfied with her job, her family treats her like a flake, and she lives in constant fear of Ian discovering her deception. All that would be a lot for one woman to handle, but then Matt’s arrival throws a wrench in her carefully-balanced existence in more ways than one.

I particularly loved the theatre scenes. Layla works at a theatre, but as admin, not in a creative role. Matt is a writer, and arrives at just the right time to solve a crisis that arrives when the playwright for the next show is fired for plagiarism. Their scenes together, once Matt begins to open up, crackle with distrust and nervous creative energy.

Both Layla and Ian (and Matt) have wonderful, present families, but their relationships with those families aren’t perfect. The work Layla does to repair her relationship with her mom, and Ian and Matt do to heal an old rift, adds real depth and emotion to the story.

Overall, I liked how real these stories felt.

<spoiler>If I have one complaint, it’s that Layla’s switch from Ian to Matt felt a bit crammed into the end. Though there were plenty of signs that it was coming (both men on the cover; Ian largely absent and busy with work for long stretches of the book) Layla still felt wholly invested in her future with Ian, even as the % read crept into the 80s. It was her realization that she was denying her true self that led to her epiphany about Ian and Matt – I just wish it had come a little earlier so we had more time with them falling for each other and getting together.</spoiler>

[book:For Twice in My Life] by [author:Annette Christie]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5 stars rounded up
🌶️ No on- or off-the-page sex takes place
🏠 🏠 🏠 🏠 Lots of realizing where true home and true self are
⛴️🐋 Many picturesque ferry rides between Seattle and Orcas Island

Delighted to include this romantic love triangle in the February edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

I enjoyed reading every word. It felt predictable but at the same time I was wise it wouldn’t be true. But the ending made sense and I loved it. The character descriptions are short and to the point made sense. The emotional distress from fmc is well written I felt it.

3.5

Overall this is a good book, I enjoyed the plot and the main character Layla, I understood her well. This book falls short in the plot/characters' POV outside of the main character. Because this is told just from Layla's point of view, and she's not the most self-aware character, it's hard to grasp what the other characters are thinking or doing.

For the romance plot, I feel like there wasn't enough development considering how Layla herself didn't know her own feelings, it felt a little jarring. <spoiler>It's easy to see how Layla and Ian didn't quite mix considering they were dating for two years and he never saw a single play her theater produced. But Matt was a hard character to read both in text and in character so I had no idea anything was developing on his end.</spoiler>

I enjoyed Layla's family and I wished we got more of them. Overall, this book makes a great point about forgiving yourself, being willing to try something risky, and being true to yourself.

I received this arc via Netgalley.

I had mixed feelings about this. There were some parts related to the amnesia plot that made me uncomfortable in regards to disability representation, but there were some nice twists thrown in there which kind of made up for it. I did think it was an engaging read and think a lot of people will enjoy the whimsy.

For Twice in My Life by Annette Christie was a cute traditional rom com. It was lighthearted and times funny! I'm not a huge fan of the love triangle trope but this one played out well. I love Seattle and felt immersed in the city. The author was very accurate with the descriptions. I'm not a fan when facts of locations in the books don't match up. While it is set up as a "romance" genre, I feel it is more women's fiction with hints of romance. Overall a good read.

This was a DNF for me; I struggled with power struggle between the characters and have just come to accept that typical romance novels just aren’t for me.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for this ARC - all opinions are my own.
The Rehearsals, the first book I read and reviewed by Annette Christie, was a romcom take on Groundhog Day, and her new one, For Twice in My Life, takes While You Were Sleeping in a romcom twist direction! These are some of my favorite 90s movies, and these books made me happy to revisit much loved themes.
Layla was dumped by her boyfriend Ian, seemingly out of nowhere, and she has been suffering for two weeks when the hospital calls. Ian has been in a biking accident and is asking for her. Layla drops everything to drive to the hospital, where she takes care of Ian and drives him home. He has some memory loss due to the accident, and he seems to think they are still together. Layla figures this is a sign that they are meant to be. Ian’s brother, Matt, moves back to Seattle at Ian’s request, and becomes intertwined in both Layla’s false relationship and her work at a local theater. Things get messy as the story continues…
I enjoyed this read while I was in NYC this weekend (although I had trouble concentrating on it - but I think that was my own issue that didn’t have anything to do with the book), especially the portions related to the theater production. It is clear the author has experience in theater, and I loved the idea for the production - it would make for a great production! The Seattle and Orcas Island settings were interesting, and I found myself reflecting fondly on riding the Bremerton Ferry when running errands in Seattle for my job on the Hood Canal back in the summer of 2013. It felt like the ending was a bit rushed, and I would have liked more resolution there.

I liked this way more than I was expecting to! At first, the plot did not seem like something I would be interested in and I was really on the edge of my seat wondering how it could turn into a HEA. But I held on for the ride and it was super unique and cute in the end!

In this we are following Layla, who recently went through a breakup with Ian. A couple of weeks after the breakup, she gets a call from the hospital saying Ian is hurt and is asking for her. When she gets there, Ian has no memory of them breaking up at all and it’s like it never happened. Of course Layla is going along with him because she never wanted to breakup to begin with! They are now in each others lives again and Layla is also introduced to his brother, Matt. Layla has to decide how long she can keep up this lie of them being back together, and figure out where her heart is leading her.

I give this book 4 ⭐️! It definitely was cute, unique, and messy in the best way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this eARC! For Twice In My Life releases on February 7, 2023!

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for the copy of this book!

Layla's boyfriend dumps her out of the blue. But when he gets in an accident, the hospital calls her as his next of kin... and he doesn't seem to remember that they broke up. Is this their second chance at love?

I'd categorize For Twice In My Life mostly as contemporary fiction with romance as a heavy subplot. Layla needs to figure out who she is, what she wants in life, and who she wants to spend that life with. She's incredibly insecure with her family and with her boyfriend - to the point of keeping some pretty major things from them. I enjoyed her character growth and seeing how the romance would play out, and really flew through this book!

Read if you like:
- Theater
- Characters with memory loss
- Messy, dramatic storylines

Big thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for gifting me an Advanced Reader Copy of Annette Christie's For Twice in My Life to read and review!

I found the concept of this one quite entertaining - Layla is dumped by her longtime boyfriend Ian, seemingly out of the blue. And then two weeks late,r as she is still grieving the loss of the relationship, she gets a call that he is in the hospital. Ian was hit by a car while biking and has a concussion - he's okay but doesn't remember that they broke up. Layla goes with it, and they seemingly pick up as if the breakup never happened.

It seems to be going well until Ian's brother Matt, who Layla has never met, comes to town. He's everything that Ian is not - and everything that Layla has been attracted to in the past.

There was a lot here that I liked - and it was clear from the jump the chemistry that Matt and Layla had. But at times I felt like the book was trying to do a bit too much - offering glimpses of her past, potential conflict with her mother, etc. And the lie that was really the bass for the relationship felt forgotten until almost the end, and then everything happened very quickly and didn't feel totally earned.

I did enjoy this book - it was super solid. I just enjoyed the characters and wanted a bit more for them at the end.

I DNF’d this book at 36%. I was just bored honestly. The storyline started off really good and I got into it fast but then at about 19% I felt that the story had come to a halt and I wasn’t interested anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing the ARC.

I really wantes to like this book but I realized that this book reminded me too much of Overboard. It didn't feel great seeing a relationship play out with one person intentionally misleading the other.

Additionally, not a big fan of love triangles, especially between two brothers who are already at odds with each other. There's a lot of awkwardness and animosity already between Ian and Matt that the added wrinkle of this relationship they both have with Layla.

And in the end, everyone just kind of seems a little less good, like someone has rubbed the luster off, and not in a good way. Everyone just seems like they kind of suck and I didn't jive with them.

Overall, if it's your bag, you'll probably like it. But otherwise, it's not my favorite.

I typically don't like love triangles, but I found this story to be incredibly emotionally compelling. I am not sure it would fit under what I expect from a romance book, but once I got over that, I was able to enjoy the story much more.

Layla is a hard character to like at first, but the further I went into the book, the more I was able to root for her. I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company, and the author for the eARC in exchange for my review.

ARC REVIEW FOR FOR TWICE IN MY LIFE

3.5 Stars (rounded to 4)

Thank you to Netgalley, Little, Brown and Company and Annette Christie for the gifted copy!

I will admit, I liked this book more than I thought I would. I still think Layla was a bit of a wet mop, always whining and not taking any responsibility, and I was leery of both the amnesia and boyfriend's brother trope. But I did feel Layla redeemed herself a bit at the end, and by then I was rooting for her.

Unfortunately, just like Annette Christie's previous book, most of the characters were awful (again). Not sure what that is about, but they just didn't sit well with me.

One thing I think that would have helped a bit is if the story was written from multiple POVs. A lot of it felt a little out of left field, and some of the bad behaviors (especially from Layla's siblings) might have hit a bit better if we could understand where they were coming from. But from the perspective it was written, they seemed like POS's.

So why am I giving this 3.5 stars if all i've done is complain? Somehow, despite all the issues I have with it, the story sucked me in. I wanted the things that should happen to happen- it just worked.

Cute, amusing, and delightfully entertaining!

For Twice In My Life is an uplifting, charming tale that takes you into the life of the kind, heartbroken Layla Rockford who, after having her heart shattered a few months ago by the man she thought was forever, finds herself in a dilemma when her ex has an unfortunate accident on his bike and loses all his memories giving them an opportunity at a somewhat devious second chance until his brother she’s never met finally arrives and throws a little curve ball into the mix.

The writing is light and warm. The characters are multilayered, hesitant, and endearing. And the plot is a push-pull tale of relationship dynamics, introspection, chemistry, friendship, family, secrets, deception, tender moments, spirited mishaps, second-chance love, and new beginnings.

Overall, For Twice In My Life is a big-hearted, engaging, cosy tale by Christie with characters you surprisingly can’t help but root for and a happy-ever-after ending that leaves you smiling, satisfied, and wishing for more.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing this book for my honest review. This is a cute rom-com that starts off with the amnesia/second chance trope. It evolves into so much more than just a typical rom-com. It’s also about finding oneself and healing and learning from the past. I struggled a bit to connect with the characters and their chemistry with one another. I think this might be due to too many side characters. Overall, I really did enjoy this book and loved the aspect of self discovery and loving oneself. Thank you again for the opportunity to review this book.

Okay I'm going to start this out by saying I definitely think marketing this as a romance was a miscategorization. Yes, there's a romance at the center of it, but I definitely would not agree that. genre-wise, that's what this story is. And because my expectations were so wildly off going into this book, I struggled a lot with the beginning, enough so that I almost DNF'd. I'm glad I pushed through, though, because I ended up really liking it.

Layla has always been the odd one out, the chaotic one in her family of seven. She's failed a lot, and lives with the reminders of that every day. The one decision she's sure has been a good one is Ian, her boyfriend of almost two years. At least, he was, until he broke up with her two weeks ago. But she's just gotten a call from the hospital-- Ian was in an accident, and is now asking for her. His girlfriend. As it becomes clear he doesn't remember the breakup, Layla knows she should come clean. But it's so nice to be with him again that she finds herself putting it off.
As she steps into a new role at work--one that involves Ian's estranged brother who's recently come to live with him--she wonders how long she can hold onto this new, happier, more capable version of herself, and whether it might all just be another lie.

Layla pretending she and Ian never broke up made it hard for me to root for them. She won't sleep with him while the lie hangs over them, which I appreciated, but I had this creeping feeling of dread pretty much the entire time, which is the exact opposite of what I look for in a romance. Once I was settled into the book (and basically just told myself to ignore the Romance label) I ended up liking how much I disliked Layla's choices-- she was messy and chaotic and a deeply flawed person, but I was intrigued by all that. And then Ian's brother Matt shows up and I was pretty immediately more interested in him than in Ian, which, again, felt weird considering I'd gone into this expecting a second-chance romance.
The ending also felt a bit rushed and a little too neat--I wish it had been drawn out just a little bit more, but I was ultimately happy with where things ended up.

Overall, I really liked this book, I thought it was very well written, I loved that I didn't always like the protagonist... I just really, really wish it had been marketed more accurately. I'd definitely recommend this book, just not if what you're looking for is something that reads and feels like a (genre) Romance novel.