DNF at 20%

I think this was a me problem but I couldn't connect to these characters and the love they developed off the page before the accident. I had such high hopes for this book but it just fell flat.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy!

Claire and Matias are the ultimate opposites-attract couple. Claire isn't sure their relationship has a future when Matias is in a horrific accident leaving him in a coma and his soul meeting her in Madrid, Spain. The catch is, he thinks it's one year earlier before he ever met Claire. She has to convince him to fall in love with her again in order for his soul to return to his body.

First, Evelyn Skye has a beautiful way of writing the magic of falling in love. I absolutely adored The Hundred Loves of Juliet and this is just as good, if not better. Claire was such a relatable character to me and I loved how Matias loved her as she was. Their whirlwind romance was fun to follow and the effort to reignite their love was so hopeful. I loved that this was a love story but it was also about family, letting go, being comfortable in who you are, and really figuring out what you want in life.

One Year Ago in Spain is one of those books that grabs at all of your heartstrings and holds on through every page. It was fantastic and I loved every second of it.

I went into One Year Ago in Spain totally blind… I couldn’t remember the blurb, and I only remembered it had a nice illustrated cover. I was totally blown away by how much this book affected me! It was such a heartfelt love story that truly makes you wonder about the idea of fate or soulmates. Type-A lawyer Clair meets Spanish free spirited artist Matias at a gallery displaying his art. They have an immediate and passionate connection that seems to transcend reality. But almost a year later, their differences are beginning to wear thin - mainly, his flightiness and disorganization grates on her nerves. Backing out of a trip to Spain to meet his family, where he planned to propose, Claire instead is wondering if they really have a future together, and stays behind to work on a big deal that will hopefully result in her partnership at the law firm. But a few days later she receives a frantic call from his sister in Madrid - there’s been a terrible accident and Matias is in the hospital, in a coma and fighting for his life. Claire doesn’t think twice about abandoning work to fly halfway around the world to him. While there, she finally meets his family and begins to see how much he truly cared for and loved her, even with their drastic differences. Questioning if she had done the right thing by not coming with him in the first place, she gets the shock of her life when she sees Matias outside the hospital, alive and well, and having a conversation with her, as if he’s fine, except that he doesn’t even know her. She figures out that what he’s seeing is his soul, and it's detached from his body. But he doesn’t know who she is, because in all his physical pain and grief, he has returned to a familar place and time - Madrid, a year ago, before he left Madrid for NYC or met her. In order to lure him back to his body and bring him out of his coma, she needs to get him to fall back in love with her. But how can she do that if he only appears to her randomly and they can’t touch? Their love must transcend time and space in order for them to be reunited. Full of deeply emotional moments, and a love so deep that it can span time and space, this book will make you feel all the feelings and leave you wanting more.

I love Spain so was excited to read this! Good descriptions of life in Spain/culture. The magical realism aspects of the story weren't as great for my own reading preferences. This is worth a read, though, as the writing was very good.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

DNfed at 21%

I think this wasn't the right time for me reading this book. I didn't like how it told me twice how good their connection is and how easy it is for them to be together but I don't get to experience it. I wasn't going to continue. You can tell the author probably doesn't know that people in Spain speak a very different Spanish than in Latino America.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First, thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Career driven lawyer, Claire thrives on organization and structure. While her artist boyfriend Matías is more free spirited. After almost a year together Claire knows she loves Matías deeply, but starts to question their compatibility. She bails on a trip to Madrid to meet his family but Matías goes. While there he gets into a boating accident and ends up in a coma. Claire rushes to be by his side and learns that she can “see” his soul, but no one else can. Claire realizes that in order to save Matías’ life she must make him fall in love with her all over again.

I could not put this one down. The magical realism and opposites attract storyline had me hooked from the first chapter. I also enjoyed the multiple point of views and the duel timelines. This was just a beautiful story and a must read!

Ahhh, I loved this book! I really liked Skye's writing style. There were some parts of the book I felt were maybe a little slow but overall I thought the book was good. I really love books that have a multicultural aspect. I would totally recommend this book to people who like Skye's work. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher :)

DNF. I’ve come to the conclusion that Evelyn Skye’s adult romances aren’t for me. In addition to my dislike of magical realism, a lot of the initial romance building and development was sacrificed here, throwing me in and expecting me to care about characters without giving me a reason to.

3.5⭐️ - thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read the ARC of this book!

After reviewing The Hundred Loves of Juliet last year, I knew I had to get my eyeballs glued to the page of Evelyn Skye’s latest romance novel with a sci-fi twist.

Giving major “50 First Dates” vibes with a bit of “The Ghost Whisperer”: the FMC, Claire, must make her boyfriend fall in love with her again, after an accident leaves him with no memory of their relationship (the last year of his life). The twist? He’s in a coma, and Claire is the only one who can see/interact with his soul.

This was a quick read for me, finished in a day at the beach and I didn’t put it down!

Career driven Claire surprises even herself when she falls head over heels in love with Spanish native artist, Matías. When Matías falls into a coma after a boating accident, she runs to Madrid to be at his side. But when she starts seeing his spirit, she's not sure what to do, especially since his spirit is from right before he met her.

Evelyn Skye writes amazing magical realism romances! Here's what I liked:

Claire and Matías: These two are literal opposites, but it works for them. I liked how Claire grounded Matías and how he in return gives her some spontaneity. They are a true partnership, which is amazing to see.

The ghost of it all: I loved the magical realism of this book. Seeing how Claire deals with real-life Matías, spirit Matías, and his family all at the same time really made this story.

The dual POV: You get Claire's POV as well as Matías. Both really give you an insight into their perfect relationship. Hearing how he would talk about her made my heart ache too. I loved also seeing some of his family's POVs as well.

All in all, I really enjoyed this magical romcom!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

any book with Magic is a book for me! the opposites attract trope in this novel was so good! I enjoyed reading the journey the FMC must go through to remember what truly is worth fighting for. I loved the culture references, the culinary bonding the main characters had. this was overall a great read and would definitely recommend as a beach read.

2.5 ✨

I want to start by saying that Evelyn Skye is a great writer— The first few chapters of One Year Ago in Spain pulled me in and refused to let go.

The way she described Matías’ paintings was perfection, and the flamenco dancing scene was immaculate. She can create vibrant scenes that are so colorful and rich that you feel as though you’re watching a movie. She also did an excellent job incorporating Spanish dialogue into the story, adding to Matías’ family dynamic and setting (Madrid).

However, I started to drift away from this story when the pacing began to alternate between being too fast at times and too slow at others. There were multiple POVs, with some occurring only once or twice throughout the book, making them feel like filler chapters. There were times when the story felt repetitive, as the main FMC and MMC recounted the same stories and lessons, or when they reiterated and pointed out their *very specific* personality types and quirks. As others have mentioned, the ending was also very abrupt.

Read if you enjoy:

- Magical realism
- Spain/NYC settings
- Insta-love trope
- Opposites attract
- Family themes

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!

Read this melancholy romance if you like:
✨magical realism
✨multiple POVs
✨a workaholic lawyer x free spirit artist
✨Madrid/New York setting
✨talking about art and food

Trigger warnings:
💔Fatal accident, coma, and death

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts 💭
It’s The Dead Romantics meets Just Like Heaven but foreign and sexy 🖤

👍🏼
Matias is absolutely CHARMING 😍 I love his passim for his culture and art and foooood!

👎🏼
We saw most of Claire and Matias’s relationship through a past POV and by the time we are back to the present, the book is literally over. It dragged in the middle and abruptly ended. I want more of a balance and want to see more at the end!

The ex-girlfriend trope AGAIN, y’all 🫠 For some reason, I keep grabbing books with this trope and I can’t take it anymore!

1 HYPE UP QUOTE:
“Nothing else matters, as long as I’m with you.”

One Year Ago in Spain 🪭🎨🖼️

⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Author: Evelyn Skye

“I can do this on my own, she thought, but I don’t want to, Matías. I want to do everything with you.”

Claire’s boyfriend, Matías, is in a coma after a boating accident in Spain. Claire flies to Spain to be by Matías’ side and meet his family for the first time. As she waits for him to wake up, she adjusts to the slower-paced culture and learns more about who Matías was before they met.

While this book was a cute romance and a great palate cleanser, it just wasn’t for me. There were six POVs throughout the story, and many of them did not develop the plot of the story. Although I did enjoy the growth in the FMC, the magical realism in this book was a little too much for me. I did not feel a connection to the two main characters or any chemistry between the two of them.

If you are someone who loves magical realism, this might be the book for you. It also includes opposites attract and second chance romance. It was an easy, quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. It will be released on July 30, 2024.

**This book will be published on 07/30/2024!**
I received this e-book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

Claire Walker has always had her ducks in a row, even managing to be up for partner at the corporate law firm that she is at, but she still hasn't found her love. But things might start to change once she meets Matías de León at his art exhibition. These complete opposites fall for each other, deeply. But after almost a year, Claire starts to question if they should truly be together since they are so different. She ends up telling Matías that she can't make the trip to Madrid with him to meet his family and once he leaves, a tragedy happens. Claire rushes to Madrid and finds out she can see Matías' soul and no one else can. Will this tragedy bring them together or rip them apart even further?

This was such a cute story! I instantly fell in love with Matías and Claire's story. Evelyn Skye wrote their story so beautifully! If you are a sucker for a good love story, then this is a good one! This will be one that I need a physical copy of so I can reread later!

ONE YEAR AGO IN SPAIN is a contemporary romance with a touch of magical realism, where a woman has to help her boyfriend's soul back into his body by getting him to fall in love with her all over again.

Claire Walker is the very definition of type A—she's a lawyer who has every part of her life under control. But when she meets the free-spirited Matías de León, a Spanish artist who thrives in chaos, she falls for him—and he falls for her, too.

A year later, Claire is about to embark on a trip to Spain to meet his family and see where he grew up. But when her work and her doubts about their relationship get in the way of the trip and she decides to stay home. But when Matías gets into an accident with his four best friends, leaving him comatose in a Madrid hospital, Claire rushes to Spain to be by his side.

Except then she starts seeing Matías's soul around Madrid, only it's a version of him from a year ago, before Matías moved to New York and before they met and fell for each other. Claire realizes that to save his life, she has to get him to fall in love with her all over again.

This was such a beautiful, heartfelt story and I loved it so much. It felt like a love letter to Madrid and to Spanish culture, to art, and to falling in love with someone who's nothing like you. Claire and Matías were the definition of opposites, but that's what made them so perfect for each other. I would really recommend this story for anyone who likes opposites attract, beautiful prose about art and painting, and a touch of magical realism.

Evelyn Skye immerses her readers in the worlds of Matias, a passionately spontaneous Spanish artist, and Claire, a buttoned-up New York corporate attorney. From the moment these two meet at Matias' art show in Manhattan, romantic sparks fly and they become inseparable. Their love affair is passionate and intense and seemingly leading to happily ever after. The typical "opposites attract" trope, right?

Spoiler alert--because it is difficult to write this review without revealing certain elements of the plot.

Claire, fearful of commitment, chooses not to accompany Matias on his trip home to visit family in Madrid. When Matias is nearly killed in a boating accident, Claire leaves behind her corporate job (in the middle of a crucial business deal) to take her place at Matias' side while he is in a coma--and in doing so, is immediately thrust into Matias' world and family. She is heartbroken and believes that she has missed the opportunity for happiness with Matias--until his spirit appears to her in the form of a ghost who does not know that they have met before and are, in fact, deeply in love. It is up to Claire to find a way to reunite Matias' spirit with his body.

What follows is a magical and romantic exploration of what it means to be in love, what it means to be alive, and what it means to give up what is holding us back from true happiness.

A love a love story with a cosmic spin. Having to fall in love to gain a soul back? Talk about deep. This book was beautiful and thoughtful. It made me cry .

A book is good when it can bring out many emotions in you. This is one of them.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC.

This author has such a way with world building. Even in contemporary-ish romance, she is deft at showing us the characters and their world very efficiently.
I loved the chaos/order aspect of the relationship and how Matias both fits what Claire had been dreaming of and causes her to question whether it can work.
The fantastical elements after the accident were interesting but they didn’t keep me invested in the couple. The abrupt ending was not satisfying.

I love magical realism romance books and this book quickly became one of my faves. I personally liked how the story was told because we simultaneously got to see the love story as it had happened and as it was happening. I also enjoyed that we not only get a POV from the main MFC and MMC but we also got a little bit of the family, it was something different and I feel like it added to the story because we got to see how the other characters were feeling during this time. Overall it was a very good book, easy read and I loved the emotional rollercoaster it took me on.