The Other Year by Rea Frey
I loved this book!! The format is genius (two chapter one’s, two chapter two’s, etc.) It’s not a dual timeline, but rather a parallel timeline of basically the same story with two different twists. It will remind you, sort of, of the kids’ “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. Giving no spoilers, I will only share that the protagonists are a divorced mother and her nine-year-old daughter. A tragic event occurs, and the mother is courted by three different men across the two parallel timelines. I wondered how Rea Frey would close the book, which storyline would end the novel? Again, the denouement is genius…READ to find out how Frey ties everything together.

I reviewed the audio version of this story, - one with a very interesting premise - and an execution I would actually have likely preferred if I had read a printed or electronic copy.

The story is actually two stories - told in parallel timelines, both centering on our first person POV narrator, Kate Baker, who is the subject of a what-if-scenario played out with two diverging outcomes from one life-altering event.

In Timeline One, Kate, (an agricultural engineer living in Nashville, and the fortyish mother of nine year old Olivia) vacationing in Florida, nearly loses her daughter to a sudden drowning incident. In Timeline Two, Olivia is not so lucky, rendering Kate’s new world as one which is inconceivably different.

The character of Kate herself, as portrayed by the author and enacted by the audio narrator of this book, experiences radically different events and emotions, and is very sympathetically drawn. The author manages to keep the timeline worlds distinct and memorable, focusing mainly on Kate’s romantic dilemma in Timeline One and very sensitively depicting her horrific grief in Timeline Two, as Kate struggles to cope with her new and terrible reality.

Olivia, on the other hand, in the one timeline which features her, turns out to be a whiny and dare I say bratty child, who is extremely difficult to take in audio form, — the very tone of her drawn-out syllables coated in petulance invariably setting this reader’s teeth on edge.

The storylines, in both cases, had both a very good start, and an ending this reader enjoyed. Timeline Two was easily the better story, centering on Kate’s traumatic journey and healing, which this reader found heartbreaking, engrossing and authentic.

All in all, despite the audio flaws, this book, as written, is engaging, emotionally intense, well-crafted, and definitely worth the read.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this audio book. All thoughts presented are my own.

Very well done! Such a difficult topic to digest, but beautifully written. The 2 timelines could’ve been very confusing but it was so well written that it was seamless.

What an emotional roller coaster ride!

The Other Year is told in parallel timelines and tugged at my heartstrings. It is full of grief, challenges, guilt, healing and so much more.

As a reader who loves character driven books and books that give me all the feels The Other Year was the perfection. Not all the characters are likable which I love because that is real life. The good, the bad and the ugly of people.

I listened to the audiobook and Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite narrators.
She brings this story to life.

⚠️TW loss of a child ⚠️

I know because of the TW not everyone will be able to read this book but if you do, please read the author’s note. It is so honest and raw.

EXCERPT: She erupts from the waves every few seconds, her orange long-sleeved one piece slightly too large. She is growing so fast and caught between sizes. Her crotch sags with collected sand, but surprisingly, she doesn't complain. After a year of no vacations due to my intense work demands, she isn't going to waste a second of this one.
When my phone dings in my pocket, I answer, one eye trained on Liv while scanning for shark fins, the other on the message. It's from Michael, as if by thinking about him I've conjured his text.
We really need to talk, K. Call me when you can, por favor, mi amor.
I sigh. Mi amor. Though we are divorced, there is still so much love between us. I miss him. I miss us. I miss being a family. I text back a reply that we are on vacation and I will connect with him when we're back in two weeks. Disgruntled, I return my focus to the ocean, back to Liv.
The waves climb and crash. Other children scream and play, tossing tiny footballs to each other or riding boogie boards on healthy waves. I search for Olivia's unruly brown curls, her bright bathing suit, that oversized rainbow on the chest. My heart seizes, and I take a step towards the water.
One moment she is there - right there.
The next she is gone.

ABOUT 'THE OTHER YEAR': Can the entire course of a life be traced back to a single moment?

On a coveted two-week beach vacation, working mom Kate Baker’s nine-year-old daughter, Olivia, vanishes suddenly among the waves—a heart-dropping incident that threatens to uproot her entire reality. But in the next moment, Olivia resurfaces, joyously splashing.

What would I do if she didn’t come up? Kate wonders. How would I live without her?

In another set of circumstances that hold a different fate, Kate doesn’t have to wonder. Because in that “other” world, in the pulse-pounding seconds after Olivia goes under, she doesn’t come back up.

Told in parallel timelines, Kate begins to live two lives—one in which Olivia resurfaces and one in which she doesn’t. In the reality that follows her daughter’s death, she maneuvers through every mother’s worst nightmare, facing grief, rage, and the ques­tion of purpose in the aftermath of such profound loss. She endures, day by day, in a world without her daughter.

In her alternate timeline, while she explores a tremulous romance with her best friend, Jason, she finds herself grappling with the ex-husband who abandoned Kate and Olivia years prior. Even as eager Kate scrambles to hold her daughter close, Olivia pulls further away. The line between joy and loss seems to get thinner with each passing day.

MY THOUGHTS: I honestly didn't know how I was going to get on with parallel timelines, the medium used to tell this story, but I loved it. It's an interesting concept and Rea Frey's talent as a writer ensured that changes between realities were seamlessly handled. At no point was I confused about which reality I was experiencing.

In Timeline one, Liv is at that pre-teen age where she seems to have a foot in each camp. At one time she is her eager to please, childish self, taking pleasure in simple things; another she is strident, demanding, sulky and prone to playing her parents off against one another. There are inevitable clashes as mother and daughter each try to assert their will.

In Timeline two, Liv is dead, and Kate is grieving and taking time out for herself away from the pressures of her busy professional life. She takes great pleasure in odd moments that remind her of Liv - like when someone uses the word 'dank'; Olivia's favorite word at the time of her death.

Each timeline is handled with great sensitivity. In one Kate is learning to be a single parent and starting to spread her wings. In the other, Kate's grief is raw, her love for her daughter overshadowing everything as she comes to terms with her loss and a new way of life.

The Other Year is a beautifully written story of a mother's love, fate and growth.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#TheOtherYear #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Growing up, I believed the false story that writing was a hobby; it wasn’t a job. But I’ve always liked a challenge.

After a “publishing experience gone bad” for my first novel, I decided to learn everything I could about the publishing industry. And along the way, I decided to share my knowledge with authors, in hopes that they too could go into this world with eyes wide open and pick the right publication path for them.

What started out as a simple writing coach side hustle quickly scaled to a multiple six-figure business with nearly 100 first-time authors landing agents, nabbing six-figure book deals, and reaching #1 bestselling status.

What I’ve learned in the publishing industry—from numerous traditionally published novels with the “Big 5,” to four traditionally published nonfiction books that (somewhat) crashed and burned—is what it takes to be a successful author, how the publishing landscape continues to change, and how vital it is for authors to understand all the moving parts if they want to birth their own books into the world.

Now, as a book doula, I offer my guidance so that authors can stand on their own two feet.

DISCLSOURE: Thank you to Harper Muse for providing an audio ARC of The Other Year written by Rea Frey and superbly narrated by Brittany Pressley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

What if? What if a split second changes your whole life. A one second distraction takes away the person you love the most.

This has been such a rollercoaster for me, because it speaks truth. Who hasn’t been distracted for a moment, have the cold fear take hold of your heart before you sigh with relief if what you feared hasn’t happened.
I literally had tears in my eyes at some times listening to this heartbreaking story. I loved how all the characters where connecting and interacting. Seeing how one moment can change the course of your whole life.

This is the perfect book for lazy summer evenings it is my first book from Rea Frey, but i would read more of her for sure. It was really that good!

3.5 stars rounded to 3 because the subject material may be hard for some listeners/readers to make it past. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC. This was so gut wrenching and raw. It was difficult to make it through every other chapter where there was no liv and tense during the chapters when she was alive. It is realistic to romanticize the dead. The message is in the middle, life is short enjoy your people and let go of guilt. If only we could realize it without tragedy slapping us in our face. The loss timeline seemed deeper and less frantic and stressful surprisingly there was more of a calm to her grief than to her anxiety at the possibility of loss. Perhaps that’s the real message.

Thank you, NetGalley for sharing this story with me.
I want to start off by saying anyone that is about to read the story, particularly if you are a mom, you must be in a good headspace. This book has a sweet ending that comes full circle.
The authors use of two separate timelines with two very different trajectories is relatable. Despite the two tractors, there is a clear establishment of character development within both.
Overall, it’s a great read!

I loved the characters in this book. Life changes in a blink of an eye and finding one's way through a tragic incident is different for everyone. I liked that Kate, the mother, found joy in a different location through gardening/farming.

Four stars for this heartbreaking alternate reality/ parallel timeline novel. Brittany Pressley’s narration really helped bring this emotional, gut punch of a story to life.
Despite my reservations about listening to a novel about the death of a child, I’m so glad I did. It’s a beautifully written story about love, loss and ultimately hope.
This was my first listen/read of a Rea Frey novel and it definitely will not be my last.
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Muse, Rea Frey and the incomparable Brittany Pressley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

We all think about the what ifs of life and wonder if our futures are predetermined or if we made one different choice where would we end up? A gripping and heartbreaking but heartfelt telling of how the road differs with one difference in choice. Do we wind up where we want or where fate always intended? Would definitely recommend but have your tissues handy.

This was the most incredible sad book that I have read this year, for a mother this is the worst nightmare coming to life, and it was also sad, because I think I lived the process of grief with Kate, not for a child but for my mother…

At first I was confused with the two timelines, and I was hoping the main one where Liv didn’t die, ended in a different form, but it still made sense, and I must say that I did enjoy it thoroughly… this is a book that make the grief come out in a painful way, and I must say, I don’t know if I would be able to keep on if I was Kate…

I loved the narrator Brittany Pressley, did a terrific job, she went so many phases during this book, and did all the voices very well. I really recommend this audiobook, its a sad story, but it also full of home, how someone goes to hell and comes back from that…

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Muse for the free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.

This was a beautiful story of exploring grief. The author supplies a beautiful note at the beginning. Grief is often a connection that everyone can relate to but is so openly and often avoided. In this novel a Florida vacation goes wrong in a moment. One moment, one text message precedes a lifetime of regret. The dual timeline enhances the point of how much one moment changes everything.

I liked how everything was resolved in each timeline and the epilogue.

The audiobook enhanced the experience because the narrator, Brittany Pressley, does a wonderful job. The individual characters are well represented and her tone resonates with the listener in relating to the character’s grief.

THE OTHER YEAR
Author REA FREY
Narrator BRITTANY PRESSLY
Release Date AUGUST 15, 2023
LENTGH 9 HOURS 44 MINUTES

I throughly enjoyed this audiobook. When I first realized it was an alternate timeline book I almost didn’t finish it because typical they can be confusing but not this 5 start book!

The narration by BRITTANY PRESSLY really pulls you in to the life of single mother Kate and her daughter Olivia. I found myself swept away in the story of their time at Santa Rosa beach. The narrator was a perfect match to the writing style of Rea Frey. The writing style and the narrator made it very clear when switching from one timeline to the next so much that I found myself torn between which timeline I hoped would be the correct one in the end. Speaking of ending I never saw it coming! What a perfect ending to a beautiful story. I found the pace of the narration to be spot on. (I typically listen at 1.5 speed and this one fit my listening pace perfectly.). The story length wasn’t too long or too short. The author kept me engaged and wanting more.

The story can be heart wrench at times and filed with warmth and hope at others. I found this story made me look at my own life choices and wonder what could have been different or what could be different in the future. I often avoid alternate timeline books but this one was written with such a clever ending it left me wanting to explore more books by this author.

I highly recommend this book and the audiobook will not disappoint. I think either format will move you in a way not many books can do!

Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to listen to the audio version of this book by NetGalley and the publisher Harper Muse. The decision to review this audiobook and the opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you NetGallery, Harper Muse, Rea Frey and Brittany Pressley for this opportunity and such amazing work.

I ate this audio book up! It held my attention throughout the entire story, which is hard for audio books to do. I usually find myself not paying attention and having to re-wind to get caught back up. Not this one!

In this book you will see Kate's journey through life including grief, loss and a nasty custody battle....so pretty much like everyone's day to day life. This story is told in altering timelines - one including her daughter, and one without her daughter. I think that helped to captivate and keep my attention as well. The way the author writes is like nothing I have seen before.

I will for sure be looking for more books by this author, and will also be looking for a paperback version of this book as well. I will be recommending this to all of my friends and suggest that we read this book in my book club!

The Other Year, by Rea Frey, is by turns a heartwretching and a joyful novel that focuses the unique challenges that come with being a parent. It's a story with all the feels that you're not going to want to put down until the very end. I don't normally enjoy books that go back and forth to different timelines but, it works absolutely brilliantly for this story.
I read the audible version of this book. Brittany Pressley does a brilliant job of holding your attention and conveying all the highs and lows that go along with the two different timelines. I look forward to hearing more from her.
Kate Baker wants desperately to go back in time. While on a long awaited vacation her 9yo daughter, Olivia, vanishes under the water. In one timeline she joyfully reappears within seconds but in another the very worst happens. What will she learn about herself and about life in the two different timelines in that single year.

The Other Year is not an easy book, whether reading or listening. The author explores two timelines, where a precipitating event either resolved as a tragedy or a near miss. Kate Baker always takes her daughter Olivia on a beach vacation. When the nine year old slips beneath the waves, will she be lost forever or come up out of the surf without a care in the world?

Having read other books by Rea Frey, I was expecting a family drama. This book explored the loss of a family, with just a divorce in one timeline that fractured the family, but the loss of the child in the other. The novel was expertly narrated by Brittany Pressley, who gave voice to Kate and her plight. Having listened to other novels narrated by this veteran voice actor, I knew that the novel was going to be powerful. It was tough to hear the anguish, as it made the book seem more real.

That being said, The Other Year follows the emotional upheaval of a life for a mother and it has the power to make readers think and be thankful for their own lives. This is not an enjoyable read, but the realism and characterization make it worthwhile.

Disclaimer: I was given the opportunity to listen to the audio version of this book by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to review this novel was entirely my own.

“The Other Year” by Rea Frey is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the delicate balance between joy and sorrow. The story centers on Kate Baker, a working mom whose two-week beach vacation takes a harrowing turn when her nine-year-old daughter, Olivia, vanishes beneath the waves. In one reality, Olivia resurfaces joyously, while in another, she tragically does not. This dual narrative structure is both captivating and heart-wrenching, as it delves into the profound impact of a single moment on Kate's life.

The novel's strength lies in its compelling portrayal of Kate's parallel lives. In the timeline where Olivia is lost, Kate's journey through grief, rage, and the search for purpose is rendered with deep emotional authenticity. The author skillfully navigates the complex terrain of a mother's worst nightmare, making Kate's pain and resilience palpable. This part of the story is a poignant reminder of the profound impact loss can have and the strength required to endure such a tragedy.

In the alternate timeline, where Olivia survives, Kate's life is equally complex but marked by different challenges. The tremulous romance with her best friend, Jason, and the re-emergence of her estranged ex-husband add layers of tension and emotional depth. This timeline explores the nuances of holding on to love while grappling with the fear of losing it, highlighting the fragility of joy and the constant undercurrent of potential loss.

The parallel timelines are woven together seamlessly, allowing readers to experience the drastic polarities that define Kate's existence. The narrative is both thought-provoking and emotionally charged, offering a rich exploration of the sharp turns any life can take in the blink of an eye.

The exceptional narration by Brittany Pressley elevates the novel further, bringing the characters to life with nuanced performances that capture the emotional weight of each timeline. Her voice adds an extra layer of depth and immersion, making the listening experience truly unforgettable.

This is a beautifully crafted story that delves into the fragility and resilience of the human spirit. Its exploration of love, loss, and the profound impact of a single moment is both moving and insightful. This novel is a must-read for those who appreciate stories that challenge the boundaries of reality and tug at the heartstrings.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy (audiobook) in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start by saying the narrator of this story was fantastic. Next the actual book was also so good. The story is told through two different timelines. One, the story of a mother that loses her child in a terrible drowning accident and the second, the story of that never happening. It’s had me in all my feels and didn’t want to stop listening.

The Other Year by Rea Frey is a profound and emotionally charged novel that explores the complexities of life through parallel timelines, reminiscent of the movie Sliding Doors.

In one timeline, Kate, a single mother, faces the unimaginable tragedy of losing her child. This narrative delves deep into the heart-wrenching process of coping with grief, guilt, and the haunting "what ifs." The portrayal of a mother's journey through such a devastating loss is both poignant and gripping.

The other timeline presents a different yet equally compelling story. Here, the focus is on the mother-daughter relationship between Kate and her daughter and the trials and tribulations of raising a child alone. This timeline explores the emotional landscape of single parenthood, including the challenges, guilt, and moments of growth that come with it.

Listening to the audiobook version of The Other Year was an immersive experience, thanks to Brittany Pressley's brilliant narration. Her portrayal of the raw emotions in both timelines was so effective that I felt as if I were right there with the characters. When Kate realised her daughter was gone, my heart was racing, and I felt a profound sense of panic. This was a deeply engaging experience; I have to give this audiobook a 5-star rating.

Overall, The Other Year is an engaging and thought-provoking story. I recommend it to anyone who appreciates emotional and reflective literary fiction, especially those interested in the complexities of mother-daughter relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for gifting me the audio-ARC of this book.