unfortunately, i did not enjoy this book. about two people who are destined to murder each other in every lifetime, it was definitely an interesting premise, however i think the execution didn’t work all that well. the love story of the two main characters is told through flashbacks and i think the format of it made it hard for me to connect with the characters. they felt very underdeveloped; at the end i felt like I knew nothing except that arden was secretive and liked writing, and evelyn liked fashion and was compassionate. the ending felt rushed and anti-climatic. the writing was very flowery, almost to the point of excessiveness, and it felt a lot like reading random quotes about love and life. the chapters were short, which did made it a quick read, and i liked the relationships shown with evelyn’s current family. overall though this book fell flat for me.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher.

I absolutely love love love books like this. Give me all the magical realism and time jumps and reincarnation and star crossed lovers. It was phenomenal.

When I heard the description of this book, I JUMPED on it and immediately downloaded a copy from NetGalley. (My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this opportunity!!)   

Two star-crossed lovers fated to fall in love again and again and then kill each other?  LET ME AT IT!!!  I expected silly angsty goodness.   What I did not account for is that the two characters are fated to die <b>before they turn 18</b>.  So basically they are perpetual children, for hundreds of years they have been children.  

And I also did not expect the writing style, which is so similar to E lockhart's that I started to wonder if they are the same person (they are not, so far as I can tell).  So, if you loved "We Were Liars" then by all means pick this one up too!   

<blockquote><i>As the sun cracked over the horizon like a brilliant orange yolk …

His eyes were like the mouths of volcanoes

The knowledge was a bear claw closing around my ribs.

every line, every stanza etching grooves into my chest.

So many details of Arden had been washed away like seashells on an ebbing tide, leaving behind only a blank plain of sand and foam.
Flooded with star-bright adrenaline,</i></blockquote>

(This book has already been published in the UK so I think it's okay to include some quotes from it.)  This is just from the first five chapters.   (And, I ask you, what does “Star-bright adrenaline” even <b>mean??</b>)

The idea for the story wasn't bad, there's a decent explanation for what's going on that I did not anticipate, and this definitely brings the angst and melodrama by the truckloads, but I could not get over the ridiculous writing style.  The final plot resolution was ridiculous, too.

It became clear that I am not the intended audience for this novel , so it's a definite case of "it's not you, it's me" happening here.  This is the type of YA that is solidly YA, without all-ages appeal.   I am just far too old.

This is a compelling story that drew me through history with the sage wisdom of The Alchemist and beautiful weavings of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. The love and sacrifice between Evelyn and Arden always had me rooting for them as they sacrificed for each other from one lifetime to the next. The themes surrounding love and life are deeply moving, and I couldn't put it down. This story will follow me for a long while.

Favorite quotes:

"Yet, for better or worse, I will always let myself love anyway."

"I love you, and I have loved you, and I will love you."

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠: 𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝙸𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝙵𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚢 𝙻𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚗 𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

Rating: 4 stars
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, soulmates
Spice: 🌶️
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release date: 3/4/25

This book was everything everyone else is saying minus two personal things for me. One: the end REALLY made me suspend my disbelief. I’m not sure the lore/world building set up for the end. It kinda came out of left field, which really pulled me out at the end. Second: also at the end (which makes me feel like it was rushed for some reason) what happened to their bodies??? Wasn’t Evelyn super concerned about her mother finding her body? But all of a sudden she was chill with her body being found with her accused k*ller?? Seemed out of place.

I do love that their love transcends everything (even murdering each other lol), but I’m a romantic at heart. I don't know why every time they killed each other is was fairly funny. There were two that were very emotional, but the rest they were like "dang it, AGAIN!?" As they find new and unusual ways to k*ll each other.

The prose in this novel was touching. I was smiling, crying, confused (in a good way), and hopeful the whole book. I wanted the HEA so badly. I’ll leave you with when the book ended, I ugly cried.

I’d definitely recommend this book despite my two little qualms. I don’t think they ruined it for me, just made me feel conflicted.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fated lovers. Curses. Love. Heartache. This book had me in a beautiful chokehold and I wouldn't have it any other way. I was happy, sad, heartbroken and angry all at once (a little less on the angry). The tragedy, the plot twists, etc. Absolutely beautiful writing and I'm so happy I have the book preordered already so I can have a physical copy to hold and read all over again.

Evelyn and Arden are drawn together in every life, experiencing a connection and a love that defies death. Except death always comes at Arden's hand - because no matter how much he loves Evelyn, he will not allow either of them to reach their 18th birthday. But this time, Evelyn has more than usual at stake and won't go down without a fight.

This is a beautifully written story and the author is undoubtedly very talented, but I still really struggled to engage with it. There was something about the book and the characters that just didn't resonate. I'm sure there are plenty who will love it though!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.

This book has beautiful prose and a fun premise. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into the multiple reincarnations these characters had, how many they went through and how they continued to find one another was super interesting.

I think the romance was perfect for a teen audience. The sort of reader who loves capital R romance and finding the deep meaning in small things. Teens will love it.

5⭐️♾️
Absolutely Breathtaking
This may have been one of the most hauntingly beautiful & echantingly heart wrenching novels I have ever read. Following the lives of Evelyn and Arden and learning the story of them spanning centuries, lives and bloodshed was absolutely beautiful.
The poetry tucked in was gorgeously written.
And the twist wasn’t what I thought it would be, but completely made sense.
This is by far one of the best novels I have read this year & is now in my top 10 of all time favourite’s. I can’t wait to see more from this author & see how this is recieved when it releases. I’ll be purchasing a copy for sure.

Book:
OUR INFINITE FATES by Laura Steven
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the EARC (Mar 4)

Review:
5⭐
Laura Steven told a story of love, destiny, heartbreak---of fate---in OUR INFINITE FATES.
OUR INFINITE FATES follows Evelyn and Arden, two souls who find each other in every life, love each other in every life, and cause the deaths of one another in every life as they grapple with living past eighteen and outrunning fate.
Where do I even start? First, this book will go far---become a top read for many readers. OUR INFINITE FATES is poignant and gripping. It rattles the soul in a way, leaving the reader grasping at the seems, hopeful for forever between the characters in a way that doesn't involve d*ath.
From page one, I was hooked. I thought the premise was interesting, and the author told this across multiple timelines, letting the reader into the lives of Evelyn and Arden, letting the reader into this deep, troubling fate. As troubling as their fates were, I found this story magical and almost riveting. Imagine coming across the love of your life in every life. Even though d*ath is inevitable there's something beautiful about it.

the most anticipated fantasy book of 2025!!!! Did not disappoint!! I could not put this book down at all. I'm so grateful to have received an advanced copy.

This books was just beautifully written and is so breathtaking. I really enjoyed this book! The flow and depth of the writing is just amazing.

First and foremost, there will be so many fans of Evelyn and Arden. Laura Steven has written a couple that I was desperate with a capital D to see together. A perfect enemies to lovers, Evelyn keeps reliving the years that lead up to her 18th birthday over and over again, feuding and killing with Arden all along the way. Full of exquisitely drawn characters and top notch plotting, Infinite Fates filled the void in my heart that had been there since the last page of Addie LaRue.

Evelyn and Arden are the most amazingly messed up (in a good way) enemies slash lovers I've had the joy to read about in a long time. Evelyn can't remember why, but for a thousand years she and Arden have been killing each other before their 18th birthday only to be reborn together moments later and start the cycle over again. In this life, her little sister is deathly ill and Evelyn's the only donor who can save her. But her 18th birthday is upon her and she's desperate to do whatever it takes to stay alive long enough to save Evelyn - or better yet, stay alive for good!

This story has so many twists and turns, it's un-put-downable, as the narrative bounces back and forth between their current life and their past lives (which only Arden remembers clearly). There's some artificial tension as Arden (believes he) knows what's going on and won't tell Evelyn "for her own good" but it's well-earned once you get to the reveal. The characters are delightful, the world-building is fantastic, and the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Five out of five stars!

I was lucky enough to get digital a copy of Our Infinite Fates from NetGalley and I instantly started a reread. This book was every bit as beautiful the second time around and even more heartbreakingly beautiful. I cannot wait for this to be put on shelves for the masses so everyone else can fall in love with it like I have.

This book will go down as one of my favorite stories of all time. It's all the things I loved about The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, mixed with the angst and beauty from the movie What Dreams May Come.

It was magnificent and tragic and lovely and perfect.

In every past life that we got a glimpse into, I felt the passion and love, despite having only known those iterations of characters for a few brief pages. Their undying adoration, the extreme preemptive grief of knowing what was to come, and everything so human about their existence was woven together in one of the most beautiful stories I have ever had the privilege of reading.

Thank you Net Galley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a cool premise that you rarely seen done and I really loved the characters. They were really well developed and I felt for their plight. Additionally, the chapters felt nice and contained giving you the information you wanted, and not leaving you on a cliff hanger. My only issues are that the pacing felt off- sometimes it would drag on for too long with no new information being added which became boring over time. I think this is because after a while each new life brought along the same problems, so the story didn't progress and was just repetitive. Additionally, the main issue could have been resolved if the two main characters communicated a bit and acted like team players. I like a good miscommunication trope but I think it would have been better if one of the leads had been magically unable to explain things. That would have given it more weight. Though I would say I understand why things were written the way they were. But I think if you were to still venture down that path, I would structure the book a bit more different. I would suggest structuring the book such that the reader already can see why one of the leads attempts at resolving the conflict wasn't working. Which would build up tension and angst until the point when the other lead realized what was going on. Also though I am critiquing this book a lot, I really did enjoy it. I think it explored an interesting dynamic and having the two leads switch genders depending era made it interesting to figure who's perspective we were reading. I definitely went back and re-read bits because it ended up not being the perspective I thought it was initially, Overall, very fun read and would read again!

What do you do when your fate is intertwined with another persons and you cannot escape? Do you succumb to a fate of death or do you fight against what is inevitable? Bran cannot remember exactly why her life is joined with Aiden's but she has bits and pieces of their previous lives together. But she would love for this to be the last time....the time when they can finally make it past eighteen and live happily ever after. We see how the different lives have interacted and it all leads to a showdown that Bran did not see coming as she races to save her sister in the current life. It's a well told story with historical facts

*Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Honestly, I didn't love it or really enjoy reading it. Part of it is that I hate time-jump chapters and this book was back and forth, which I understand because of the plot, but I'm just not a fan. Evelyn and Arden were just a bit bland and didn't really gain much depth until the last 20% which also happened to be my favorite part of the book.

I was such a big fan of Addie LaRue which is why I was so excited to read this book, but it was just a bit too flat for me.

Absolutely loved this one and completely agree with all the hype. Did not see any of the twists coming, and could not put this book down. This feels like an instant YA classic.

I love stories that cover relationships that expand over multiple time periods. Some of the different times together seemed repetitive but overall I loved the story