"William and Donna were born on the same day, in the same Dublin maternity hospital. But there the similarities end.
Will grows up in an affluent suburb and struggles to balance what he wants with what will keep his overbearing mother happy. Across the city, Donna, raised by her older sister, often wonders what life would be like without her troubled mother around.
Over the years, Donna and Will almost meet many times, but something - fate? - keeps them apart."

This was an enjoyable summer sunbed read as it is a gentle love story told out through two people's lives who were born on the same day and are destined to meet eventually, or are they? Lovely characters who it is easy to relate to and you end up rooting for them to fall in love at last.

This was a nice easy read. Two babies, Donna and William were born on the same day in the same hospital into two very different backgrounds. Donna's alcoholic mother showed less and less interest in her daughter as her addiction progressed leaving Donna in the capable hands of her sister, Tina. William's parents were wealthy, driven and highly motivated. Their paths almost collided many times until fate intervenes with tragedy causing them both to set off to spread their wings leaving Dublin behind them. And eventually they do meet, and we think we've finally reached the happy ending they both deserve, until fate intervenes again. It was an enjoyable read, a little far fetched at times but most of these easy reads tend to be a little. I would recommend it though, it was fun.

This is the first book I have read by this author but most certainly won't be the last. A truly engaging story about love and destiny. This is a very sweet read with a bunch of moments that will make you smile guaranteed. A fantastic book.

The story starts when Donna and Will first meet in the hospital when they are babies born on the same day. But that is where their similarities end. They are different from each other as can be, Will is the son of a well to do couple and grows up in the affluential suburb while Donna is born to an alcoholic and raised by her older sister. As babies they are a comfort to each other and they grow up feeling like something is missing. Even though they almost meet many times, fate has other ideas.
After life shattering events and roughly 10,000 miles they meet again and nothing is the same after that. When a terrible disaster separates them yet again, they can’t stop thinking about each other. Fate has a twisted sense of humour or does it have hope after all.
The book is beautifully written with different emotions. It can make the reader laugh and cry with the characters. We get to see the characters growing up in the book , they are strong and well rounded. The pace of the book is comfortable and the twists keep the pages turning. The setting, the slow burn and premise gives strong Cecelia Ahern vibes.
My Rating : 3.5/5

Was an ok read. Got a bit boring and repetitive in the middle. Lovely ending although I felt the last chapter was rushed. Nice characters and descriptions.

This title gives separated at birth a new meaning.

Instead of twins being separated, it is a boy and a girl. From the moment Donna and Will are placed in the same crib together by Donna's mother in the hospital, they have a strong connection. Yet, they come from different walks of life.

The novel shows their paths intersecting at times, but it takes a long time before that connection forged in the crib takes hold in the form of romance.

Delightful read overall with great characters and a lovely plot.

3.5 stars - This is the story of Madonna (Donna) and William (Will), who met on the day they were born and shared a connection that took them through life, unbeknownst to them. It is a story of fate, soulmates, and missed connections. Lots and lots of missed connections. They almost met many times throughout their lives, but circumstances were always keeping them from each other. When they did finally meet, it was like two souls finding home, but once again, life intervened and kept them from each other.

I liked the beginning and end of this story but it seems fate was really against William and Donna for most of the book. Born on the same day in 1985 and running to current day, they seems to meet and retreat throughout the entire story. William born rich and privileged explores the world while Donna has a single alcoholic mother and ends up in Australia due to tragedy. I almost think Silvia was given more attention as a character than Donna who should have been the more developed one. This is the first book by Ms. Duffy that I've read, she has a nice backlist. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was a love story full of terrible loss and missed connections, and through it all Donna and Will keep living their separate lives... when they should have been destined to be together! There are predictable moments, but enough twists and turns to keep you guessing along the way. I enjoyed this one for what it is, a sweet summer beach read.

A Love Like This begins in the hospital. Catherine is giving birth to a little girl named Donna; in another room, Vivienne is giving birth to a little boy named William. Despite such similar beginnings, the two children's lives diverge. Donna grew up in a dysfunctional family as she struggled to keep her head above water, while William grew up affluent, yet stifled by his overcontrolling parents. Throughout the years, the two come close to meeting each other, but never do. Still, some things are just meant to be, and Donna and Will are one of them.

I think the premise behind this story was really great, and the slow burn reminds me a bit of Love, Rosie. Unfortunately, the pacing of the book was super fast because it spanned so much time, and therefore the book became messy. It seemed like the story became many separate scenes, instead of having them all build up into one another. The official blurb for this book also states that William and Donna came together because they were hit by a tragedy. However, while reading the book, I felt as though it was one problem after another; I couldn't really pinpoint the climax, which also made the book seem long and drawn out as it tried to tackle too much.

The rushed pace also made the side characters a little weak. One chapter, they would be kind and friendly, but the next chapter the author would suddenly make them bad people or ruin their relationship with the main character just to get the story moving. The side characters became plot devices. I also liked Will and Donna separately, but they turned out to be a case of insta-love, which was especially unrealistic considering how little time they knew each other for.

The writing style was okay. Once again, because of the fast pace, there wasn't much time to really delve into the emotions or thoughts experienced by the characters. It was a little too much "tell, not show." Additionally, some of the dialogue seemed very robotic and unrealistic. Since there were lots of "tragedies" that happened throughout the book, I think it would have been less repetitive if the ways the main characters found out about them were varied. Many times, the main character would hear the news on the phone, or there would be a cry of "Nooooooooo!" (this kind of makes me laugh) and then they would find out what happened. This seemed to happen over and over again, and so this method lost its effectiveness.

In theory, I think this could have been brilliant, but unfortunately, execution was lackluster and the book fell flat for me in the end.

A sweet novel, set over Dublin and Australia, full of missed chances, romance & sadness, centered around two people born on the same day in the same hospital. Funny though - they never actually find that out in the end. Strange. I did enjoy the book, even though there was alot of back and forth, i would have liked a bit more of that ending though than it being wrapped up so quickly after putting in the hard yards with the characters chapter after chapter!

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was almost like a romeo and Juliette book. The two main characters Donna and William, grew up side by side without ever knowing it. Born in the same hospital their lives were consistently intertwined even though the two were as different as can be. Donna's family was a struggling to get by and Donna was in with the wrong crowd while William had everything he could ever want wealthy and healthy. I liked this book because it wasn't to complex and it was an easy going read. The only thing that I didn't like was that it was a little predictable. I kind of knew what was going to happen as soon as I picked it up. However that didn't change how the story was written. It was a cute feel good kind of novel the only downside is that there wasn't much in this one that hasn't been done before in others. I did like how it was almost fate that they were together because of the amount of times that their lives intertwined. Cute read and I'm glad I got the chance to read it. I think that the ending was the cutest thing I've ever read. Great job.

This book has been on my TBR for a while. The blurb had me intrigued, and it sounded different than many books that I've read.

William and Donna were born on the same day at the same hospital, but there lives were very different from each other. Will grew up wealthy, while Donna's childhood was a struggle. They almost meet on many occasions throughout their life, but something keeps them from each other.

I found that the plot-while it had potential- really dragged on. The two characters didn't meet until about halfway through the book. I also didn't feel as connected to the characters as I wanted to be.

So while I liked the premise, this book fell a bit short for me. There are many who will love it, and I will certainly consider other books by Maria Duffy.

This star-crossed Irish romance had me biting my nails to see how it would all turn out! Full review coming for Shelf Awareness.

This is my first book by this author. I wanted to really like this story and feel it was well written but it was a little too unrealistic for me. Now I know most of us read for the enjoyment and the HEA but sometimes it can be a bit much. And for me, that is what this was sadly because I felt it had so much promise.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Born at the same hospital on the same day, the lives of William and Donna are very different. Their paths cross, and almost cross, at various points in their lives, and they find they are drawn to each other even before they actually meet. The circumstances of life and tragedies manage to keep them apart for many years, until they finally connect much later far from home. A wonderful story to help you realize there is hope to find a happy ending.

Born on the same day at the same hospital, William and Donna have a deep connection since the moment they were in the same crib with one another. Their lives have always been intermixed, but for some reason fate keeps them apart. This was a good story and I enjoyed reading it. I wish that there was more of the time when the two of them were together though.

This was a cute-ish story, but ultimately it felt a bit too cheesy and unrealistic for me. Watching the main characters grow up near each other was cool to see, but once they reached the near-adult stage, things started to go downhill. The author didn't seem to know how to unveil a sad scene, so she tended to leave us hanging with lines where a character would receive a phone call and say, "Noooo!" and then we would learn the details later. I didn't like that this technique of revealing important deaths/accidents was used more than once.

I didn't feel like the event that happened in Christchurch was well-described at all. It was later referenced as such a dramatic and life-changing event, but it was basically brushed over when it actually happened. Duffy should have delved more into the situation or left it out entirely--the half-hearted approach took away from the respectability of the book.

Sylvia was a sweet girl, and I didn't think it was a good idea for the author to turn her into a "bad" character toward the end. She did this so it would be easier to get the *soul mates* together, but I wish that Sylvia and Will could have gone their separate ways without having to turn Cynthia into a villain.

Despite my critiques, I did think that the book was mostly fun to read. I enjoyed seeing Donna and Will's just-missed encounters, and I was waiting anxiously for the two to find one another. Though I can't say I loved how the book unfolded, it was fun getting there.

I loved this book. Heartwarming and nice relaxing read.
Perfect if you like British Chick Lit.

This is a really well-written book. I enjoyed both sides of the story and I felt attached to the characters. The story can be a little improbable, but it’s still really enjoyable.