I found this a rather muddled book. The premise is that Canadian Nora has broken up with her long term boyfriend (or rather he has broken up with her) so she takes herself off to Berlin to make a new start, despite not speaking German. Hardly is she there than her father is diagnosed with a terminal illness and an announcement is made that two stars are about to collide, signalling the end of the world in a few months' time.

Nora meets Jacob, her boss in the coffee shop, and is attracted to him. Throughout the book there is this sense that characters have met each other before, strongest in Jacob and Nora. Together they try to get back to Canada, so Nora can see her family and Jacob's sister Anna isn't alone over there. Meanwhile Nora's parents and family try to prepare for the end of the world, finding their own coping mechanisms (mostly involving Christmas decorations).

I found the whole book rather odd, I didn't really trust what I was reading. For example, Nora seems to have taken her cat with her to Berlin (highly unlikely), yet it is also still at home with her parents. I don't think I enjoyed the book, I think it was trying to make some profound insights that just didn't come over to me as a reader. Its different, but for me it didn't quite work. Maybe one needs to read it twice to appreciate all the nuances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

'How unfair that time only goes one way, that by the time you understand how much you will miss something, it's only because you're already missing it.'

Gosh, I don't even know how to begin explaining how much I loved this book!

'What a gift, one he doesn't take for granted, the ability to interact with reality and actually take pleasure in it.'

💭 We follow a group of connected characters dealing with the news of the world ending in a few short months. But they're not only dealing with that. There are so many layers to them – struggles, dreams, changes – and they are slowly peeled away as the story progresses. We get to know them and care for them, and it's incredibly easy to understand each and every one of them. I cannot even begin to tell you how much I loved the way these characters were crafted. The whole story is the perfect mix of quirky and profound. Some of these situations/thoughts/conversations seem silly at first, but then you're suddenly looking up because you're reading it in public and you can't let the tears fall down just yet.

'It feels like a riddle. When do you do something if now is too soon but there is no later?'

💭 A slight warning: you might turn the last page and feel bewildered because you're not entirely sure what has just happened. There is a sort of magical realism aspect to the entire story and, while it is explained, I only *think* I fully understand what the catch with certain details is and what exactly is the meaning of it all. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this immensely! Immediately upon finishing I was tempted to read it all again, just to find all of those little things the author masterfully planted and the crumbs she left behind.

'Maybe that's what love at first sight is, false familiarity, a future so beautiful and vivid that you can see it and feel it all the way from the past.'

💭 I believe you would love this if you love Fredrik Backman, but even if you've never read his books and/or have no idea how you feel about him, I would still highly, highly recommend this. It is truly a gem and I know I didn't give it enough justice with this review because it has made me into a babbling mess. I wish I could read this for the first time again.

'Maybe at the end it doesn't have to be perfect. Maybe it's just your job to find the beauty in what you've got.'

'As it turns out, the way to keep sane when the world is ending is the exact same as when it's not.'

Sadly this one wasn’t for me but I can see how it definitely can work for others! The beginning sort didn’t grasp me & it was a little hard to get invested

Thank you Netgally and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a heart-felt, warm and fuzzy book with the addition of impending doom. It is about a family that is dealing with the news of the world ending and how they decide to deal with it while also celebrating the holiday season.

This book is entirely about perspective and how each person deals with the news on their own. It really makes you think about what;'s important and life and how you would spend your last days if you knew it was coming.

A family receives two life changing pieces of news: a family member has a terminal illness and a cosmic blast is ending humanity in a matter months.

I sped through this one in a day. It was hard to put down. It reminded me of the movie Don’t Look Up. It manages to be light and heart-warming while dealing with the ultimate tragic event: the end of the world. I loved how it followed the individuals of one family and we get to know them personally. The quantum physics aspect of it was really interesting, although only lightly introduced and hinted at.

“If you could choose what to believe, he would believe the world isn’t ending. But you just don’t get to choose.”

I Think We’ve Been Here Before comes out 12/1.

A really interesting perspective on the end of the world. Something we all know might happen, but have no idea how we would actually handle it. This novel explores that through the POVs of one family. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the overall message, but I only wish some of the magical realism moments were explained better, or maybe that would have made it less impactful. There were also some parts I thought were a bit unrealistic, like if the end of the world was happening in real life I highly doubt the world wouldn't descend into chaos and stores would still be open and so forth. I would definitely read more from Suzy in the future. 3.5/4

No doubt about it, Suzy Krause excels at writing quirky stories with unique characters that will make your heart swell. I THINK WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE is the third book that I’ve read from the author, and I’ve been impressed with her writing style each and every single time. It’s so perfectly eccentric and fresh, that I can’t even think of another writer to compare her to. I believe this is the highest compliment.

The characters in ITWBHB are in an impossible situation. Actually, it’s the worst possible situation that anyone could be in. They are preparing for the end of the world. A cosmic blast will hit earth in a matter of months, so of course emotions and anxiety levels are running high.

QUICK SYNOPSIS:
“𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙠𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙄 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪.”

I absolutely loved that the majority of this novel was set in Saskatchewan. I was born and raised in rural Manitoba, so it felt like home to me. But honestly, the characters truly stole the show. They were so well-developed and wonderfully crafted. Perspectives changed throughout the novel, and not once did I favor one over the other. I always looked forward to each character’s storyline.

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:

- Apocalyptic fiction
- Canadian setting
- Quirky storylines
- Unique characters
- Dark humor
- Family and community
- Thought-provoking reads
- Slow-paced plot

What surprised me the most was how uplifting and warm this story felt. Sounds crazy, right? Ummm, the world is ending!!! Family, friendship, belonging, connection, and community are strong themes that brought much comfort to a somber situation.

I THINK WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE releases on December 1st, but is currently an Amazon First Reads selection for November, so go download it now! It gets 4/5 stars from me!

I loved this thought provoking and poignant post apocalyptic read. It was interesting to see how each character handled the months leading up to the end of the world. I questioned how I would have reacted if I was in their place. The ending was very moving.

This book was sooo comforting. It's amazing how comforting this story is while discussing such a sensitive topic. really enjoyed it

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book!

A cosmic blast is set to render humanity extinct within a matter of months. We read the point of view of multiple families and their reaction to the news and the few months they seemingly have left of their life. What would you do if you knew the world was about to end?

This book is well written and Krause kept the normal, boring, routine parts of life whilst they were all dealing with highly stressful news. I struggled with the book myself, I think I felt confused through the whole book and it took me to about 80% until I fully figured out who the different characters were.

Definitely an interesting read, that ended exactly as I wanted it to, especially as I am not normally a sci-fi reader. I didn’t hate it but didn’t love it either!

I really wanted to like this. It sounded great. I just don't think it was for me.
Unfortunately, I just was not hooked at any point. I'm sure the audience for this is out there - there's an audience for anything. I just wasn't that person.
I may try to give it another chance in the future, but for now I'm passing.

Marlen Jorgensen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Him and his wife are trying to navigate this tragic news when more news hits them. A cosmic blast is set to take place resulting in the end of the world. Their daughter, Nora is on another continent and not answering her phone. Their nephew goes missing and everything seems oddly familiar as though they've been there before.

The characters navigate their last months on earth together and Nora works on finding a way back home. The story is told in multiple points of view and slowly unravels. I did have to push myself to continue reading this taking much longer than expected (took me over two weeks). I sometimes mixed up characters but the ending wrapped everything up nicely.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing/Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Suzy Krause – 4.5 stars rounded up!

In the same week, Marlen and Hilda’s family receives two big pieces of news. Marlen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. And a cosmic blast is set to destroy the world within months. The upcoming Christmas will be their last.

This was a magical book that will have you quickly turning the pages to figure out exactly what is going on. Things seem familiar to these characters that shouldn’t be familiar, characters hold onto whatever hope they can, and everyone figures out just exactly what is important. The characters are wonderful and relatable, and I felt for all of them as they each coped with the impending apocalypse. It’s about family, friends, community, and some magical realism. I loved it!

Loved it! The characters, the plot, the Canadian connection, and the ending... oh, the ending. I didn't expect a story about the end of the world to be so tender and hopeful. I'll be thinking about this one for a while - and encouraging lots of people to read it.

Thanks very much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of I THINK WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE in advance of publication.

3.5 Rounding up

This was super charming and managed to feel very lighthearted while dealing with such a heavy topic. I liked the different ways each character went about their last days and the connection they had to each other. I enjoyed the explanation at the end.

I did struggle with the pace in the 2nd half. I felt like I was flying through the beginning but lost steam at the end. I enjoyed this authors writing style though and would say this is accessible for all readers. It is technically SciFi I guess, but doesn’t feel that way.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found the plot intriguing, but struggled to get into this novel, I think chiefly because I didn’t really like any of the main characters! This was a real shame as the different settings were interesting, but I just didn’t care enough about the characters to worry about them dying!

Writing a review for this book is much like reading it. I have no idea where to start, how to end, or what to put in the middle. I’m utterly flummoxed.

The basic premise is that a cataclysmic cosmic event is forecasted to bring about the end of the world. Told from multiple points of view, the story focuses on the members of an extended family and how they respond to this dire prediction. I fear the subject matter and plot ore too esoteric for me, though others who enjoy speculative fiction may find this book fascinating (and, based on reviews, they do).

It’s well written and the characters are deftly drawn. I simply could not get past my own confusion to fully enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Actually really enjoyed this book. A book full of all the emotions. One min I was laughing then the next crying!

I just finished reading this book a little earlier today and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. In fact, I have a feeling that it will stay with me for a long time. It was beautiful, emotional, thought-provoking, and important. Though the premise of the book is about the end of the world due to a highly unusual and unlikely event, we read about how different people deal with this news as they prepare their last few months alive. Though there is certainly some sadness, fear, and pain, there is also a lot of happiness, love, and positivity. I found so much of it to be fascinating, and I learned a lot, too. O am also a sucker for things like deja vu, synchronicities and the like so I was thrilled to read about those, too. There is so much presented in this book that makes you stop and think, and I think it would be great for a book club. It would also make a fantastic movie!

"You think things like this are going to change you into someone else, but generally they make you more of who you already are."

I Think We've Been Here Before is a charming, lyrical, quirky story about the end of the world. It most closely follows Nora, a young woman who has just moved to Berlin, and her parents Hilda and Marlen in Saskatchewan. These characters cope with an unimaginable disaster not with heroism or insanity but by becoming ever more human, their shortened lifespan intensifying their longing for both independence and connection, their desire to find hope in the future and their need to cling to the past.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the way the author used a somewhat bizarre premise to illuminate characters and feelings that felt fully grounded. I loved the moments of stark insight, funny and tragic and everything in between, and the lyrical turns of phrase. I loved how every time I got caught in the sadness of the story's premise the book offered a sweet moment or charming detail, not negating the sadness but offering an upbeat counterpoint.

Even though it had a totally different premise and characters, the vibe of this book reminded me of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. 5+ stars.