Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I didn't enjoy this book. A little too sad for me. Maybe I just wasn't in the emotional place to read this.

Holy gut-wrenching and not? The Other Year alternates between two different realities for single mother Kate Baker: one where her split-second inattention turns into every parent’s worst nightmare, and the other where her child is fine.

We follow along as Kate grieves in one timeline the loss of her spunky nine year old daughter Olivia and works to find a version of herself that she can live with after that summer. In the other timeline Olivia evolves beyond a quick introduction into a person with her own character and opinions. In both timelines, Kate’s best friend Jason plays a pivotal role in her life wanting more since the loss of his wife and Kate’s divorce.

Rea Frey definitely plays with the idea of fate with similar events and people showing up in Kate’s life despite Olivia’s future or lack thereof. The novel forces the reader to question whether aspects of one’s life are certain regardless of big moments tragic or otherwise along the way. I loved the idea of this novel, despite one timeline breaking my heart (I have a nine-year-old myself). I only wish Kate’s love life didn’t have such a starring role in the plot. I was more interested in her role as a mother, grieving and acting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and the author Rea Frey for the advanced copy of the audiobook. The Other Year is out now. All opinions are my own.

Interesting concept, interesting choice of chapter names.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was sooo good, she managed to convey the respective alternative reality only with the tone of her voice. You knew exactly which Kate you were listening too, applause!
I dreaded the alternative life where Olivia dies, it made me sad and frightened, I have daughters and it becomes harder by the day to read such stories without having my heart in a ball of nerves.
Is this really a book about two parallel alternative lives? I wonder. Because this easily could be the same and only story of non-alternative lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “The Other Year” in exchange for an honest review. When I was about 80% through the book, I looked at some of the reviews and I was surprised. It’s proof of how as people, as readers, we are all different and every book isn’t necessarily for everyone. I was nervous to read this. I have a baby and—as I assume most parents do—worry deeply about something happening to her. In one timeline Kate loses her daughter and in the other, her daughter survives. This book is less about plot and more of a meditation and exploration of grief and loss. I appreciated the author’s note at the beginning because it helped frame the novel for me as well as prepare me to read it. I thought this book was painful and beautiful. It is one of those that will stick with me and I will be thinking about for awhile. I have thoughts on the writing, small moments and plot points, but in the scheme of the larger message of the book it just doesn’t feel necessary for me to articulate them. I thought this was a worthwhile read. It made me think. I also thought the narrator of the audiobook did a wonderful job.

What if one simple moment could change life as you know it? THE OTHER YEAR is a sliding doors story following a mother who experiences the drowning of her young daughter in one timeline, and in another timeline her daughter is alive and well.

Rhea Frey touches on some deep-rooted fears shared by many mothers. The story explores themes of mom guilt, complex relationships, and debilitating grief so well. It asks readers to consider how a single moment in time can alter the trajectory of our lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker. I could put the book down and when I picked it back up easily discern which timeline we were in based on Karissa’s intonation and tone. THE OTHER YEAR was incredibly thought-provoking and would make for a great book club discussion!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: August 15, 2023

Many thanks to Harper Muse for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

i was intrigued by the dual-timeline premise of the novel but honestly struggled to get into either of the two realities. i think this was largely due to not being able to connect to the characters, who seemed quite bland and had no real edge to them, making them difficult to grasp. it’s not a badly written novel at all, but there was something missing for me in the prose too. the romance plot could have been cute, but there was too much back and forth to me, which made it a little frustrating at times. i did like the representation of kate and jason’s friendship though!

I absolutely adored this book. It likely will be my favorite of the entire year. It was so well written and the main character was inspiring snd I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I laughed, I cried, I hugged my family. Absolutely beautiful.

What a very different concept.
But…what a truly horrible ordeal…

So, Kate and her 9 year old daughter Olivia have escaped on a beach vacation. They go straight to the beach and Olivia is in the water when Kate gets a text from her ex-husband and looks away JUST FOR A MOMENT…

But, that’s all it takes. Right???
Olivia is gone!

But wait…then she pops back up!
Oh. Thank God!
We wouldn’t even want to think about that….

But then Kate is re-living that part of her life all over again…
And this time, Olivia does NOT pop back up.
A search is started and her body is found…

And that is how the book opens up!

Kate is living BOTH sides of the coin.

We follow her through all the what ifs…and all that Olivia missed.

And then we follow her through Olivia growing up.

Add in the ex-husband, and her best friend ( who happens to be a guy…) and the hot farmer….and Kate’s Mom who always wants to add her two cents…and, you may be able to add in a little romance too!

Very unusual. Very mind boggling too.
As a parent, I always worry about everything with my kids…and this book takes it to a whole new level.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ALC of the audiobook. I only received it Monday, but the release date was in August…so look for it on shelves now!

The Other Year by Rea Frey.

Gosh this book BROKE ME. As a mom, I felt every emotion Kate was feeling. The premise of this book is really unique. In one timeline Kate loses her daughter and in the second timeline, she lives. This had to be a really tough book to write, not just because of the subject matter, but also because its really like two books in one. Each timeline really could stand alone but they worked well together. The flow was really beautiful and I loved the emotion conveyed in the novel and the audio. Definitely check content warnings, but I really loved this one.

I am always drawn to books that explore grief. Authors love to use shocking deaths as a plot device but rarely stand back and examine the long term effects these deaths have.

The Other Year explores two different fates for mother/daughter Kate and Olivia. In one- the unthinkable: Olivia drowns in the churning waves of the ocean. In the other, she resurfaces, laughing in the water. These two different fates send Kate’s life spiraling in two different directions.

While the thought of losing a child is every parent’s worst fear, I do appreciate the way the author explored relationships in The Other Year. Mother/daughter, spousal, young friendship, platonic friendship, The Other Year looks at the whole gambit of the relationships that make our lives meaningful. The message of love your people rings true throughout.

I did a combination of the physical book as well as the audiobook. Brittany Pressley narrated and brought so much depth and emotion to Frey’s words. There were certain scenes where I needed to pause and walk away due to the rawness of Frey’s words and the pain of Pressley’s narration.

As always, read the author’s note where she sheds light onto her thought process on writing the book. I do recommend reading The Other Year but obviously there is very heavy subject matter at play. This is truly Women’s Fiction at it’s finest.

This “sliding doors” story is a very difficult read about grief, guilt and hope. The narrator, Brittany Pressley, was one of the reasons I wanted to listen and she does an outstanding job of being both Kates - the grieving mother who lost a child, and the single mother of 8 year old.

While difficult to get through, a lot of the writing was beautiful and poignant. My only complaint is that both time lines got bogged down by romance storylines that felt repetitive and overplayed.

Overall 3.5⭐️

The Other Year is a really well written story that tackles a very difficult subject. I am impressed with Rea Frey’s ability to write emotion that is so immersive that I felt I could relate even though I’ve actually never been through the loss of a child. I think there are a lot of good lessons in this book. While one timeline is clearly more devastating than the other, a life without grief is not without its own challenges. The contrast of the timelines makes readers realize the importance of never taking life and the people in it for granted. Even though there were times in both timelines I was frustrated with Kate, I think the author did a good job of getting readers into Kate’s headspace enough to understand her thought process and that allowed me to give her some grace. I don’t think a more perfect ending could have been written for this book. I love how Rea Frey was clearly very intentional with how she wrote the epilogue. My ONE complaint is that I think there were too many instances in this book of normalizing alcohol being used as a coping mechanism.

I have no words. Well, actually I do and its nothing but praise or this book. I loved every single minute. The narrator did a phenomenal job and brought the characters to life. I cried, laughed, and experienced every single emotions the characters felt. It seemed like I read two books! I LOVED the two different scenarios that the other mentioned in this book. I loved that she showed us what would've and could've happened. There were things I loved and things I wasn't too hot about in each case. At the end, everything came together and I felt totally satisfied!

Each timeline could have been a book, dealing with different struggles of parenthood and grief, but it was in no way a long drawn out book. They captured my attention for different reasons and both went in directions I was not expecting. I loved how they slightly mirrored one other in timespan and were really easy to keep separate but also to get back into with each change. It was emotional and well developed. Kate has some self discovery in both timelines. Great writing, I loved it. The narrator did a great job with both timelines as well

Thank you @reafreyauthor @harpermusebooks and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy

Dear The Other Year,
I loved how uniquely you were written. Your concept was very Glass Doors, but I found myself lost inside both of Kate's timelines. I loved how everything came together for both of Kate's timelines, and I found the idea that there are places, people and points in our lives that seem to be unchangeable. The parallels between timeline one and two were endlessly fascinating for me to experience. I also really enjoyed Kate as a person; she had depth and heart and felt reflective and real to me. I look forward.to continuing to watch Frey's writing evolve.

Life can change instantly; sometimes there are moments in life that we will forever define as what happened before this incident and what happened after.
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Kate Baker’s young daughter Olivia vanishes among the waves on a beach vacation in a heart-racing, eyes comprehensive moment, only to resurface a moment later. Told through parallel storylines, one where Olivia resurfaces and one that she doesn’t, this book gave off TJR, Maybe in Another Life Vibes and I was here for it.
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Readers witness Kate's journey through grief, loss, and a custody battle, exploring the profound impact of different kinds of loss. This thought-provoking book challenges readers to live with eyes wide open.

There is something so enticing about Rea Frey’s writing! I mostly listened to this one on audio and it kept me sitting in my car in parking lots a few times! The narration was great - each character distinctly captured.

The thing about this book is that it didn’t go where I thought it would. It was complex and we dealt with different issues in each of the alternating timelines. It wasn’t just - child dies here and child doesn’t die there. There was so much more at play. Relationships, love, loss, and big life choices.

And it gripped me - the author went right for the jugular letting Liv drown in timeline one. This book was wrought with emotion - real and relatable emotion.

You would think a five star review would be easy to write - but it’s actually not. It’s hard to capture just how much I loved this book - and what made me love it most, because there are so many things. But here is what I can tell you- I HIGHLY recommend it. It is a fantastic read and I hope that many of you grab a copy in whatever format you like to read books!

One second is all it takes. This novel is written in two different timelines - in both Kate looks down to read a text and her daughter disappears in the ocean. In timeline one olivia doesn’t resurface and it’s too late to save her. In timeline two Olivia bobs back up and life continues.

This book was beautifully written and narrated and while the subject matter was incredibly sad it wasn’t over-done. It was a raw realistic portrayal of grief, love, family, finding yourself. One thing I loved was how in both stories Kate found herself with the same choices. While she took different paths by the end she ended up in the same place- it was about her own personal growth. The different timelines allowed the reader some lightness when the first timeline was too emotional.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

"The Other Year" by Rea Frey is a Beautifully Written and Emotional Sliding-Door Story!

Kate, a single working mom, and her nine-year-old daughter, Olivia go on a long-overdue two-week vacation. Anxious to see the beach they've visited before, Kate takes Olivia for a quick swim.

Olivia goes in the water while Kate watches from the water's edge. She continues to observe her daughter as they talk and wave to each other.

Kate briefly takes her eyes off Olivia to read and respond to a text from her ex-husband. When she looks up, she doesn't see her daughter in the water.

In the first timeline, Olivia comes back to the surfaces and all is well. In the second timeline, she doesn't.

Told in alternate timelines, Kate lives two very different lives, one with her daughter, Olivia, and the other without her...

"The Other Year" is a beautifully written and emotional sliding-door story. The author does a fine job of ensuring both timelines feel equally realistic and engaging, while offering unique perspectives.

The first timeline continues with Kate's life as a single parent. She wrestles with the friendship with her best friend Jason, her relationship with her ex-husband Michael, and her daughter Olivia, who becomes a bit of a challenge.

The second timeline portrays Kate's life as a grieving mother trying to get through the fog of existing without her daughter. The loss, the rage, the blame - it's all there. I was rooting hard for Kate to get to the other side of this tragedy.

"The Other Year" audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley, who does another amazing job of voicing and bringing the characters to life.

Kate's challenges are at the center of this book but what stood out to me and what I enjoyed most was how both sides of the story come together. The ending is thoughtful, thought-provoking, and very well done. I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

I recommend "The Other Year" to readers who enjoy a blend of Magical-Realism and Women's Fiction!

4⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Rea Frey for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

What a powerful book! This is a novel where the reader follows two timelines. The main character (Kate) and her daughter (Olivia) have taken a vacation to the beach. In one timeline, Olivia plays in the water as Kate stays on shore. When looking down at a text, she looks up and can’t see her daughter. Olivia pops up moments later. In the second timeline, Olivia drowns. One timeline is full of anger, grief, regret and blame. The other is full of struggles in parenting. The reader is left to see that both timelines result in similar struggles and emotions despite the differing situations. The book is beautifully written and hooked me from the start. I love Brittany Pressley - her ability to narrate with emotion highlights what a talented narrator she is. I have listened to 10+ books she narrated and she does not disappoint! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for both the book and narrator!

a HUGE thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.