WOW! This story was A LOT! Trigger alert: Children death and grief. Also spoilers!

This book was everything. Funny, silly, sad, witty, charming, interesting, and so thoughtful. 2 different versions of what happens on a day when Olivia is in the ocean and she goes under. 2 different stories wonderfully intertwined. I listened to this book and as always the narrator Brittany Pressley was amazing (I didnt know she was the narrator until I started and it made me even more excited to listen!). 5 stars!

Thank you for the advanced reader NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was the first book I have read/listened to by Rea Frey. I enjoyed this book. With that being said some of the early timeline 2 chapters were difficult to get through (in my personal opinion), however, I liked the Timeline 1 early chapters enough to keep reading. I did not find the story to be 100% predictable. This was a good thing.

The reason I decided to request this book was partially because Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite narrators. She did not disappoint in narrating this book. I think she helped me enjoy this story, and I am not sure if I would've requested it if she hadn't narrated it. And then I would've missed out on a great book.

I am very glad I found this gem of a book and I will look for other books by Rea Frey in the future.

–

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Rea Frey artfully constructs a distinctive narrative around the disappearance of a child during a swim, delving into two divergent outcomes. While the adept handling of perspectives adds to the allure, the storyline becomes somewhat encumbered by the intricacies of multiple romantic subplots and the recurrent back-and-forth, contributing to a sense of weariness. Nevertheless, the overall reading experience remains enjoyable and thought-provoking.

I extend my sincere thanks to Netgalley, Harper Muse, and Rea Frey for generously providing me with a complimentary ALC in exchange for my candid review.

The book begins with our protagonist, Kate being on a vacation with her daughter, Olivia. Olivia is an young kid and she dips into the ocean for fun. It set backs Kate's heart but within few next few moments Olivia comes to the surface.
What if the alternative had happened, if Olivia had not come to the surface? What would had happen with Kate? Could she bear such a loss being a mother?
The author has beautiful penned down two parallel timelines depicting the grieve and sadness of a mother loosing her daughter and also not. The factor of "what if" used as a plotline was something new to me and I am reading this author's work for the first so, I was quite impressed by such an unique plotline.
After finishing the book, I understood the meaning of this book cover and indeed, I am quite impressed by this piece. Definitely looking forward to more of this author's work.

I listened to this book while on break at the beach. The theme of the story occurs at the beach, so immediately I felt connected. The concept involves one traumatic incident, but two very distinct results, called Timeline One and Timeline Two. The narrator, Brittany Pressley, does such an excellent job conveying the emotion of each unique path. This is one reason I preferred to listen to the audiobook instead of reading it myself. Her tone alone helped delineate each set of circumstances. It's written well; thoughtful and thought provoking. I would highly recommend this book, but to make it even better, get the audiobook.
Thanks so much to Harper Muse for an audio copy in return for my honest review. The publishing date was August 15, 2023.

The premise here is interesting - - a look at a life as it was and as it could be. Don't we all have things that we think 'what if?'. In this case, though, one of the lives is heartbreaking. The narrator captured the anguish and agony in Kate's voice after Olivia dies. It was so realistic, it had me sobbing.

This is a book that will really stick with the reader.

This is an incredibly emotional story about what it means to be a mother, how impactful that role is on an individual, and the fear of losing a child.

In this captivating novel, Rea Frey weaves together parallel timelines, exploring the profound impact of a single moment on a mother’s life. Kate Baker, a working mom, takes her nine-year-old daughter, Olivia, on a much-needed beach vacation. But during a seemingly ordinary swim, Olivia vanishes among the waves, plunging Kate into a heart-dropping incident that threatens to uproot her entire reality.
In one reality, Olivia resurfaces joyously, and Kate grapples with the fear of losing her daughter. In the other, Olivia doesn’t come back up, and Kate faces every mother’s worst nightmare—grief, rage, and the search for purpose after such profound loss. As Kate navigates these divergent paths, she discovers breathtaking fragility and resilience in both her lives.

The novel delves into universal themes of love, family, parenthood, forgiveness, grief, and second chances. Frey’s writing breathes life into these emotions, creating a tear-jerker with heart. The line between joy and loss becomes thinner with each passing day, and readers will find themselves immersed in Kate’s emotional journey.

“The Other Year” is a thought-provoking exploration of the sharp turns life can take in the blink of an eye. Whether Olivia resurfaces or not, Kate’s story resonates with anyone who has faced life-altering moments. Love your people, cherish your moments, and hold onto hope—it’s a message that lingers long after you turn the last page.
If you’re drawn to women’s fiction that combines magical realism with raw emotion, “The Other Year” is a must-read. Rea Frey’s storytelling prowess shines through, leaving readers contemplating the delicate balance between love and loss.

Told in two similar but distinct timelines The Other Year tells the story of how it would be to lose a child to drowning and then in a parallel timeline how life could go on without this tragic loss of a child. This is a deeply emotional book that certainly tugged at my heart in both timelines. It explores grief, joy, emotional healing, love, loss and so much more. The author writes beautifully and really tied the story up perfectly. I am quite impressed with how she managed to merge these two timelines in the end. I highly recommend this novel. It really is something quite unique and special. Five stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Harper Muse for the ARC copy of this audio book, it was excellent.

As a parent of a child the same age as Olivia, this story has me racked with sobs multiple times. It was impossible to not put myself in Kate’s shoes and I reacted viscerally, which is a testament to the power of the author’s writing and the raw emotions she was able to elicit. The shifting timelines were incredibly effective in this story, providing the reader both small breaks from the crushing grief and the imagined interactions natural in the grieving process. Overall, an intensely thought provoking story of trauma, grief, and healing.

4.5 stars rounded up for Brittany Pressley and Waffles. I think this really beautifully captured the grief after an unimaginable loss, the complications that come with every day life and, of course, the fun of love triangles. It felt like Frey was squeezing my heart for a lot of it, but she did offer some relief, which I was grateful for.

Also, as usual, Brittany Pressley was amazing. She somehow had distinct characterizations for the two timelines so that the character was the same but different.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

The Other Year
Rea Frey
Narrated by Brittany Pressley
Harper Muse
Format: Audio book
4 stars

This is a real ‘sliding doors’ story that opens as our main character Kate and her daughter stop to take a swim on the way to a holiday getaway. In the first traumatic take, Kate’s loses sight of her daughter Olivia in the waves, and she drowns. In the second parallel story, she bobs back up form under a wave, and they continue to meet their friends at the holiday house.

In the first tragic version Kate negotiates the trauma, raw grief, guilt, blame and trying to just keep moving. Both realities see Kate reassess her life, her ex-husband, and questioning whether her long-time best friend could potentially become more. As well as wanting to get back to the earth and move away from her professional career.

Despite flicking back and forwards between alternative chapter realities this did seem a little long. With the majority of the subplots centered mostly around romantic connections, and will-they/won’t-they/should-they being common across both stories. The narration of the sadder story felt slightly too much – with the voice sounding constantly on the verge of tears. But the cast of characters were portrayed well – from the wilfully independent daughter to the close males in Kate’s life.

This unusual format was well executed and explored some interesting and traumatic concepts and leaves you looking at life's twists and turns form quite different angles.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Muse and Rea Frey for an advance audio edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an emotional and beautiful story. I loved the dual timelines and thought it was such an easy read. I have loved all of Frey's previous books and this one did not disappoint. I thought the narrator did a fantastic job and it was easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
What a creative and fascinating book. Two separate stories together showing what could happen if things had gone differently. Almost a book within a book.
Really well done by the author in weaving evening together and also showing the real emotions of this mother.

Author Rea Frey has such a knack for telling emotional stories that grab your heart, and THE OTHER YEAR was just as heartbreaking. It follows the story of Kate Baker, who is on a vacation with her nine year old daughter Olivia. One moment changes everything, as the story splits into two different alternating timelines, and questions the what-ifs.

I really loved how things came together and would recommend this to my book loving friends that are looking for an emotional story.

*many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

TITLE: THE OTHER YEAR
AUTHOR: Rea Frey
PUB DATE: 08.15.2023 @HarperMuseBooks

As a mother, my love for my children goes beyond my sacrifice. In THE OTHER YEAR, Kate Baker’s story is told in parallel timelines - one in which her daughter Olivia resurfaces from the waves and the other where she does not.

I enjoyed reading this guy wrenching story that navigates loss, grief, guilt, and the special mother - daughter relationship. this book just made me hug my daughter just a little bit tighter and a little bit longer.

This was another Rea Frey winning story. Do take care of reading TW for this book.

Loved the narrator, this is such a sad storyline. Kate is vacationing at the beach with her 9 yr. old daughter Liv. While there her daughter Liv is pulled under the water by the current. Told through parallel timelines, one where Liv ends up drowning and one where she doesn't. I thought this was a really unique way to tell the story. I was expecting the world where Liv dies to be the only one with sadness, but both worlds actually had sadness, but there was also hope in both worlds too. An interesting look at what a parent can go through in grief. I really enjoyed it but it was hard on my heart, not meant for everyone.

Have you ever thought about how life could have turned out based off how a key event could have been?

Kate Baker is on a two-week beach vacation with her nine-year-old daughter named Olivia and with one single moment could change the entire course of her life. Olivia ends up being swallowed up the waves and from there The Other Year splits into two timelines. One timeline is where Olivia resurfaces, and the other is where Olivia passes away. In each timeline, Kate's life plays out in different ways.

The Other Year definitely explores the what ifs in life and is truly heartbreaking when we follow the timeline where Olivia does not make it. We see how this single pivotal moment causes grief and derails Kate's life with Olivia's passing but on the other hand we see how Olivia living has a catalyst on things turning out differently than what Kate wanted her life to look like.

I honestly enjoyed both timelines and how they all came together in the end. It was a truly emotional and heartbreaking read that is impactful. I could not stop thinking about The Other Year once I finished it.

As a person who does not have children, I could never imagine how gut wrenching and terrible it is to lose your child and I have only seen a family member go through this when I was a young child, which I did see how hard it was for them. For those who are not parents like me, The Other Year gives you a glimpse of what that deep grief looks like for a parent losing their child and the what ifs playing in your brain of what happens if this and this did not happen. We see the what if scenarios play in Kate's brain in both timelines and you just can't help yourself from sympathizing with Kate and wanting to grab her out of the book to give her a big hug.

If you are looking for a book that has parallel timelines, explores grief, from a parental point of view, and that want an impactful read, then definitely pick this book up.

A unique and entertaining read!

I read Rea Frey’s debut novel “Not Her Daughter” in 2018. I loved it and since then I’ve read and enjoyed more of her books. I’m always excited when I see that she is releasing a new book.

I was thrilled to have The Other Year ebook and audiobook to review. In my opinion, both were great!!

Kate Baker is an agricultural engineer. She has demanding clients and many projects that she oversees. She’s hoping for a promotion which will mean less field work. It also means she would be more available to her nine year old daughter, Olivia (Liv).

After an especially tough year Kate and Olivia are taking a two week vacation. Kate’s best friend, Jason and his daughter Ayana will joining them. It’s also Kate’s fortieth birthday.

Kate and Liv arrive and head to the beach without even stopping at the rental house. Liv is so excited to swim. Both of them love the water and Liv is an excellent swimmer. But suddenly Kate doesn’t see Liv among the waves. .

“One moment she is there-right there. The next, she is gone."

In a single moment everything changes.

The chapters then alternate telling two versions of the story. One where Olivia resurfaces and the other where she doesn’t.

In my review of this author’s debut novel I had said “Rea Frey’s writing comes across very authentic and honest and she addresses some very important issues”.

I still feel the same way. Even more so after reading more of her novels.

There were many great characters in this story. Characters you can’t help but love and root for.

Both “worlds” were well written and engaging. The author brought it all together so well and I thought the ending was perfect.

The Other Year is a very intelligent and moving story about parenthood, family, love, loss, grief, and healing.

I am already very excited to read Rea Frey’s next novel!


I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

A beautiful and exciting story! I loved the characters and was rooting for them the whole time. A must read!