I received this book as an ARC for a review. It was a very interesting book! I expected there to be more magical elements, but it’s mostly a coming of age story with a little bit of magic. I appreciated reading about Ayanna’s journey dealing with grief, forming lasting friendships, and leaving her childhood religion. It’s a moving human story layered with a bit of magic.

On an unassuming day, seven doors suddenly appear all over the world. At first, they don’t open, but once they do, they seem to lead to another universe or dimension.

Ayanna and her twin sister, Olivia, are split between their divorced parents, each living with one parent. Ayanna lives with their father, who is part of a religion devoted to the local door, while Olivia lives with their mother, a devout Catholic who is against worship of the doors.

As the girls near adulthood, Olivia goes missing. Ayanna is lost without her sister and tries to make sense of the world around her without her other half and best friend. She hopes Olivia returns, but as time moves on, the possibility seems less and less likely.

This is a beautiful coming of age story surrounding the mystery of the doors. I expected the focus of the book to be the doors, they are portals to another universe after all. But the focus is on Ayanna as she grows up and comes to terms with the loss of her sister and family. I related to her confusion while coming of age and navigating college, and I can’t imagine doing all of that while also missing your twin. Ayanna never gives up hope that she’ll one day see her sister again. This is an awesome story about grief, love, and finding your place in the world. Get your copy on June 3, 2025.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s not really as sci-fi/fantasy as the synopsis suggests, but more of a character driven literary story with speculative elements. I loved the writing and character development and the audiobook narrator did a great job. I especially appreciated the grief representation and how each character experienced it differently. It felt very nuanced and real. This book reminded me of some of my favorites like The Measure, Here One Moment, and The Vanishing Half. I recommend this book for readers who enjoy character driven stories, unexplained speculative elements, and hard-hitting emotional themes. I will definitely read more from this author and can’t wait to check out her previously published books!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review!

Mary
1,369 reviews
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May 3, 2025
I finished Meet Me at the Crossroads this morning and immediately checked out Megan Giddings Lakewoods from the library. That’s how much I loved this book! I hadn’t read anything by Giddings before, and when I read the description of “ …Crossroad,” I wasn’t sure it would be for me, but the themes explored here are much greater and deeper than the synopsis. I tagged this novel as sci- fi because seven mysterious doors suddenly appear throughout the world and when the doors open, they appear to lead to new dimensions in the universe. The doors open and what is viewed through them differs at times. Of course many will want to walk through them and do. What happens to those who go through the doors varies also. A religion is born. I thought the logical name of the new religion would be “the doors” ( because ima huge fan!). It wasn’t. But what strikes me most about the book is not the plot, it’s the deep treatise on grief, love, and family, (chosen and biological).

…”Once, the spirit sang that love was two intersecting paths. In a small ranch house, a mother converted her grief into red wine. She spoke to herself, to the wind, to God. Each utterance, a different attempt at penitence. If you apologize enough, if you make yourself small before glory, the universe will open its arms to you.

Sometimes, late at night, sometimes after enough prayer, the mother heard her lost daughter’s voice, like music drifting in a window from very far away.

When you are lucky enough to have the dead speak to you, listen.
When you are lucky to be given a miracle, you must see it.
When you are lucky enough to be loved, you must treat it like a seed. You nourish it in yourself, yes, but you are meant to instill it back into the world. To not do this is a sin.”

I loved this book and give it my highest recommendation.