I'm gutted.
What a heartbreaking book.
But yet...a beautiful story of love, and loss, and love, and real life.
Usually when I read a book like this, I think "Why don't they act like a real person would in this situation?" I never said that once about this novel, they all acted exactly like they should, and that is what makes this book so utterly gut-wrenching, because of the stark reality, even in the face of fanciful unexplained circumstances.
I loved Mia and Harrison and Oliver. Tears are still in my eyes.
I wanted a different ending, and yet this was the perfect ending.
Fans of Karma Brown will really like this book.

I really enjoyed Oakley's sophomore novel but STILL have managed to skip her debut. Regardless, I knew I needed this one. It reminded me of an adult version of my YA favorite Dreamology, where the main character has recurring dreams with a man/boy and then finds that they actually exist in real life... and they've been dreaming about her too. Mia has been dreaming of Oliver for years and discovers he's also been dreaming of her too. They don't share/live out the same dreams at the same time but they do have similar ones sometimes.

This was a heavy book (major trigger warning for miscarriage and infertility) - definitely heavier than I expected - but very impactful. The first line of the synopsis says "heart-wrenching" but I didn't expect this level of it for some reason.

I really enjoyed the rare pops of chapters we got from other points of view (Harrison, Whitney, etc.). It added a little something different to the story. I did enjoy reading Mia's point of view though. I felt her struggle and knew there was really no easy solution to her problems. The book just felt so REAL and raw, following the ebbs and flows of her relationship(s) in a way I could understand and empathize with. Like I said though: it made for a pretty hard read, and not every decision she made was perfect or logical. I didn't agree with everything she did or said along the way.

I'm a huge fan of books involving fate/destiny and the choices we make. Is everything meant to be and predetermined, or do our decisions shape our lives and futures? This book definitely dove into that topic and I loved it. It's hard to get into a lot of it without spoiling the ending (because holy SHIT did I not see any of that coming - I thought it was going to end quietly), but overall: this was another solid and fascinating book by Colleen Oakley. Also, I will never look at a pair of sweatpants the same way ever again ❤

What if had reoccurring dreams about a man you never met and then met him? When Mia and her surgeon husband move to a small town from Philadelphia, she hopes to have a baby and work on her art career. But she keeps miscarrying and her husband finally admits he’s not sure he wants a baby—and BAM in walks the man of her dreams. Turns out he has dreams of Mia as well. Well developed characters show the emotions all three are going through and the unexpected ending is much more satisfying that I had expected.

"...ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ᴄʜᴀᴏs ᴏғ ʟɪғᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴍᴇᴛ sᴏᴍᴇʜᴏᴡ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ, ᴡᴇ ᴄʜᴏᴏsᴇ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ.”
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𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 to @NetGalley and @berkleypub for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!
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Get your tissues out. A heart-breaking/warming/wrenching story of grief, love, fate, and choice. This book pulls you into each emotion and makes you ponder the difference between the life you thought you might have and the life you’re really living. I will be picking up more @writercolleenoakley books for sure. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼 is now on sale! I recommend adding this one to your 2020 TBR pile! 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Mia Graydon's life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too—unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of it, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he's been dreaming of her too.
Determined to understand, Mia and this not-so-stranger search for answers. But when diving into their pasts begins to unravel her life in the present, Mia emerges with a single question— what if?

You were there too was released by Berkley on January 7th, 2020. I was given a copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

(Synopsis from Goodreads)

Mia Graydon's life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too—unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of it, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he's been dreaming of her too.

Determined to understand, Mia and this not-so-stranger search for answers. But when diving into their pasts begins to unravel her life in the present, Mia emerges with a single question—what if?

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time with it. Mia spends half the book talking about how she has feelings for someone other than her husband, and I just can't with those story lines. Maybe I'm old and married, but I don't think it's cute. It's not romantic. I won't get back on my soapbox, given my review for One Day in December.

I felt like the book was so slow. The ending didn't justify the rest of the book for me. It was too little too late. This won't be a memorable book for me. I'm bummed, because normally I love Berkley books. I guess this one just wasn't for me.

I was ready to give this 2 stars, but the ending did make it slightly easier to read.

🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars

I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get from this book and I was shocked by how much I ended up caring for the characters. So much so that the end of this book left me crying. If you don't like sad endings, then don't grab this book. But if you want a story about characters who are real and tangible, who develop well throughout the story and who you root for then this might be a great book for you. Of course the ending will probably rip your heart out but every once in a while I don't mind that. After all real life has a tendency to do that too. All in all I really enjoyed this story, even the end. I liked the dream aspect to it as well. To me the dreams, and what the signify, seemed to tell us two things - Fate is funny and sometimes the paths we end up on are changed by the tiniest actions, and that we make our lives what they are by our choices.

For years Mia has had dreams involving a man that she has never met. These recurring visions seem so real yet she has never shared their existence with anyone. She recently moved to a small town in Pennsylvania where her husband Harrison is a surgeon. He has a demanding schedule and Mia tries to occupy her time painting and looking for a crafty job. Together they dream of building a family but several miscarriages have put stress on their relationship.

While shopping with her husband, Mia sees the man who lives in her dreams. His name is Oliver, and his sister is Harrison’s patient. It turns out the Oliver has had parallel dreams connecting him to Mia. Together they try to unravel the mystery of this connection while deciphering the significance and truth of these visions.

Colleen Oakley's novel touches upon the joyful and complicated aspects of life and love. The characters are portrayed as complicated and relatable as they forge through decisions about the future. I anticipate more unique books by this author.

Colleen Oakley gives the reader an opportunity to consider the gray area of dreams. You Were There Too is thought provoking and lets the reader think about "what if".

Wow. This book. This book was not for me. At all. It is marketed as a romance, but it was far from romantic. I was really annoyed by the time I finished this book.

Mia Graydon is happy with her life, or so it seems. She has an amazing husband, she just moved to a quaint new town, and she gets to paint whenever she wants. There is nothing Mia wants more than to have a baby. It’s devastating to her that she keeps miscarrying. It’s something that she doesn’t understand and she blames herself for. It eventually affects her living her best life and her relationship with her husband.

Mia loves her husband, Harrison, dearly, but she has a secret. Since she was in college, she’s been dreaming of a man. She doesn’t know why and doesn’t think it’s relevant enough to tell her husband. Especially considering that some of the dreams are rated R. Mia has written it off as being a little crazy and gives it no further thought. Until she runs into a man that looks exactly like the man in her dreams. When she learns that he has been dreaming about her, Mia knows she has to find out what’s happening.

Oliver hasn’t been dreaming about Mia long, but she dies in every dream he has. Together then visit experts on dreams and try to figure out what is happening to them. Mia is so involved in figuring things out that she doesn’t notice her marriage to Harrison imploding. Harrison has been beyond amazing about Mia and Oliver, but he has problems of his own. Problems that affect him deeply.

I didn’t like Mia. She was self-absorbed. The author tried to write it off as a woman that was caught up in what she lost (her babies) and trying to find her way. The fact was that she has always been selfish. She’s always let Harrison take care of her and never returned the favor. The status quo worked for awhile until Mia finally (finally!) realized what a selfish bitch she was being.

I hated, hated the ending. There was no HEA and I don’t think she plans on another book. If she does, I won’t be reading it.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. This book had it all and I really enjoyed it.

I had missed feelings when I finished this book. Mia loves her husband Harrison but she can’t get the man of her dreams out of her head. She never thought the man in her dreams was real let alone meet him. Oliver has been dreaming about Mia as well.

I kept wondering what was going to happen and hoping things were going to go the way I wanted. There were times my heart broke and others my heart was happy. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.

This is the first book by the author I have read and holy raw emotions. There is such heartache and turmoil in this story. I really loved the concept and the flow of the story. It was not my usual read but I found I couldn't put it down!

This book kept me on my toes.

Harrison? Oliver? Harrison? Oliver? I liked how I constantly was going back and forth on that.

The ending seemed both to happen too quickly and to be a bit of a copout. But something about Mia endeared herself to me. I'm not usually fans of novels where the female MC is "I want a baby! I want a baby!"
all the time, but Mia's story was a little different. She was funny and silly and passionate. I LOVED the tattoo story!

If you want a romance that will keep you second-guessing, this book will definitely fill the bill. You'll hold onto Mia and her love for quite some time.

This book hit me in the feels and then kicked me in the gut... hard! Colleen Oakley, WOW! What an emotional ride you took me on with your evocative storytelling! A beautiful story about marriage, grief, and fate. Have you ever had a dream and wondered what it meant? What if you dreamed about the same person over and over and over again? And then you met that person? Would you think that it was faded? Mia is happily married to Harrison. After the couple relocates to a small town in Pennsylvania she meets a man named Oliver. Oliver is no stranger to Mia, because he has been making an appearance in her dreams for years. When Oliver reveals to Mia that he has been dreaming of her as well she is convinced there is a profound reason for this. What follows is an intense story full of what ifs and hard choices.

I was so invested in this story and it was heartbreaking, there was just no possible good outcome. Both these men Harrison and Oliver were genuine good guys with compassionate hearts. Mia was going through a terrible time having just gone through her third miscarriage and now questioning everything. I totally empathize with Mia having gone through two miscarriages myself I understand what it is like to be consumed with having a baby and simultaneously feeling like a complete failure. I could completely understand why she was questioning her marriage even more so because Harrison was distancing himself. Three remarkable characters in a terrible conundrum. I really don’t want to say much more about this but I have read several reviews that allude to the ending. The ending of this book is brutal and heart wrenching, but in my opinion it was the perfect ending. I might be in the minority on this, but I thought it was the best way for this powerfully emotional story to end. OK well maybe not the best way, but the only way, the ending just really worked for me. I highly recommend this if you enjoy emotional stories, but be prepared to have your heart broken and don’t forget the Kleenex!

This book in emojis. 🎨 🎠 💔 😭

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Mia and Harrison move to tiny Hope Springs from Philadelphia, each hoping to escape their own problems. Here they have a picture-perfect house and a supposedly matching perfect life. But Mia is struggling with infertility and her husband has his own hidden demons. Plus Mia has a secret: at night, she has recurring dreams about another man. So imagine her surprise when she runs into him--in the flesh--in Hope Springs. Even more surprising? He tells her he dreams of her, too.

This was an odd and intense read--nothing like what I expected, though I'm not sure what I was expecting, really. In fact, it was so serious at times, I had to read it in chunks. It was too much to take in, Mia's miscarriages and her emotions, the dreams and what they could mean. I don't really mean this in a bad way, either. The feelings in this book are just strong and extremely well-done.

I really liked the idea of dreams in the novel and how they are presented. I mean, what would you do if you were suddenly face to face with your fantasy, with someone who had been in your dreams for over a decade? What a particular situation.

"It's only that--at times--he feels so real. And has for the ten or more years that he's been starring in my nighttime reveries."

For me, where this book went off the rails, is when it started to meander. Oliver--Mia's dream guy in real life--and Mia join forces to try to figure out what their dreams mean. Mia laments about the men in her life. And then the book takes a turn and is just so damn sad. I felt betrayed, honestly, by its outcome. While I feel that it was very well-written--the way infertility is portrayed is well-done in a lot of ways--I felt as if I read an entire book for nothing. Why, I wondered, did we go through all that?

So, while I found the book to be quite captivating and emotional, what was going to be a 4-star read fell down to 3. Alas.

"Maybe time is a circle. Or maybe not. Maybe all that matters is that love is a circle. Infinite. Eternal."

I think I had forgotten what a binge read is and this book reminded me how I could be completely consumed by a story. The premise looked interesting for sure, but it's Colleen Oakley's writing, prose that is poetic and thoughtful, and character development, drove my obsession with this book. All thoughts of real-life left me as I dove into the story.

Admittedly I was worried about a love triangle, and that's probably what drove my need to complete this before I could even try to sleep. But this story is so much more. The story is shared through a few points of view, but our central character, Mia holds the key. Her life, her dreams, her relationships are what this story is about. She's a wholly complex and relatable woman; wife, sister, friend. She's an artist and a dreamer.

All this makes for a wonderfully consuming story. As I get to know Mia, I fell in and out of love with Harrison. They both experience inner turmoil, together and apart, and I rooted hard for them. Overwhelmingly, Harrison won my heart, even when we had cause to doubt him. I enjoyed her interesting connection with Oliver and admittedly wondered how this connection would impact her marriage. She's supported by a great group of friends, Raya, and her sister Vivian. What clinched it for me was being in her head, experiencing her inner dialogue. Her feelings and observations about people and life. The characters are probably some of the most emotionally complicated and real that I've read. Oakley creates a world where uncertainties of life and relationships are examined and I really connected with how conflicted Mia was with all aspects of her life.

I find my need to classify what a 5++ star read is to me, and this book sets a new standard. I found myself ruined and refreshed. I'm not sure how I escaped without a cathartic crying session. Maybe it's because I felt at peace with how the story ended. As a new personal favorite, I recommend this book as a #2020mustread. Colleen Oakley has found a new fan!

I devoured this book. I picked started reading as soon as I received the book and I couldn’t stop. I was invested in Mia. Harrison and Oliver were important to me also, but I focused on Mia and needed to be sure that she would find happiness and love. I went back and forth on what I wished would happen and I love how it ended.

Dreams, I never remember mine, but I know that many do and am intrigued by what they could mean. Mia has been having dreams and then she meets the man from her dreams. Harrison being a doctor had a little more trouble understanding how important this became to Mia. I love his reactions and they were all true to life. While they don’t entirely understand what each other are going through, they never disrespect each other. There are words said in love, anger, and frustration but that is true to most relationships.

Colleen Oakley shared a magnificent story that brought characters that were lovable and relatable. I look forward to more from her and am excited to talk about You Were There Too with other book lovers.

Mia should be happy. Or at least that’s how she feels. She’s happily married to a wonderful man and they’ve just bought their first home together in a small town aptly named Hope Springs.

But hope is all that Mia seems to have these days. Because what would make her world complete would be to have a child of her very own. After several heartbreaking attempts, it seems that fate has other plans for her.

Strangely, her dreams are always haunted by a mysterious man that she’s certain that she should know but can’t seem to place. Until the day when she comes face to face with him in the most unexpected place.

“And I freeze. A cold electric current runs from the base of my skull down my spine. My heart thuds once and then stops.
Maybe forever.
It’s him. And then, as if I’ve willed him to do it, he looks up, eyes locking with mine.”

Unlike his sister who settled in a small town, Oliver always refused to put down roots. He travelled the world searching for something that he could never quite grasp. And then there was her.

The woman that came to him in his dreams is now flesh and blood. The connection that they share is undeniable but only one of them is free. The more that they delve into each strange coincidence, the more questions that they uncover.

Do soul mates really exist? Is fate written in stone? And does love really last forever?

“That’s love. For all the great mysteries in the world, perhaps it’s the most mysterious of them all.”

In You Were There Too, Colleen Oakley leads you on a poignant exploration of love in all its forms. Her writing is lush and introspective. It makes the unexpected twists of the story that much more astonishing.

Each of the characters shine brightly even as they fight their own inner battles. The choices that they make are guided by their strength. Everything then culminates in an ending that left me both stunned and hopeful all at the same time.

This is a book that had me devouring every word until the wee hours of the night. And I'll always remember the mark it made on my heart...

What initially appealed to me about this book was the metaphysical dream element. The meeting of souls through the dream world and the possible meaning behind it. Could two people know each other before they ever really meet? Are we predestined to be drawn to one person over any other in our lifetime, or is everything purely circumstance and chance? The idea of a married woman having a bizarre connection to a mystery man in her dreams was highly intriguing to me! You Were There Too was masterfully choreographed to its heart-pounding ending by Colleen Oakley with perfect precision. When I flipped the last pages, not only was I a soggy mess, I was turning over how and why we got there and managed to feel at peace with it. Without spoiling things, the ending of this is pretty difficult to read. But it's a mixture of happy and sad tears because she wrote a lot of beauty in that pain.

Mia and Harrison are a married couple who just moved to a small town from Philadelphia. They needed a change of pace and scenery, but now that they're starting fresh it's been difficult for them to acclimate and adjust. On top of having a new home to furnish, a new town, and new job for Harrison, they tragically dealt with miscarriages. This has been a heavy blow to their otherwise seemingly healthy relationship and your heart really goes out to both of them for the pain they're going through. The author does a phenomenal job helping you to know each character in an insightful way. Almost from the very start you feel as if you understand what sits so heavily on their hearts and minds. You care for what happens to them without having to try.

Mia is floundering to find her creative inspiration as an artist, and trying to make her new house become home. But after their horrible losses, she becomes fixated on finding a way to carry a healthy baby to term. She once wasn't sure she ever wanted children, and now isn't sure can live without one. She goes through many stages of emotions: devastation, helplessness, hope, and depression. When a couple isn't on the same page about having children, it can be a ticking time bomb for the marriage. In Harrison and Mia's case, the fissures start early and crack a wide gulf that they struggle to bridge. There is a huge lack of communication on his part as he internalizes his guilt and pain, which makes it hard for her to be the support that she needs to be. On the other hand, she was stuck in her own confusion and heartache that she often failed to see the signs that he needed her.

Despite the faults they each had, I loved them both equally. I rooted for them, I ached for them, and shed lots of tears. They had a natural camaraderie of two people who've been together for years and know each other's idiosyncrasies. The banter between them, and revisiting those moments they cherish in their relationship journey were really special. It brought some much needed levity and heartwarming moments. I loved his dry sense of humor and how he was as solid as a rock for her when she needed him. She was under an unbelievable amount of stress, and always managed to try to see the positives in her situation. To keep putting one foot in front of the other and face hard circumstances in life, head-on. They were, in a word, special.

Enter Oliver. A figment of her imagination, until he waltzes into her life in the flesh and her emotions go into a tailspin. Even stranger, not only has he dreamt about her too, but they share a specific dream. They are both noticeable shaken and confused, determined to make sense out of a mystifying situation. As they race to find answers, you feel as if you're running downhill on unsteady legs. Trying to reach the final destination as quickly as possible but not sure you can make it there without falling. You just know you're heading for heartache, but you have to know.

I don't want to give too much away about the plot and spoil the experience for anyone. What I will say is that if you're on the fence about reading this one, worried that it may not be the book for you, I urge you to at least give it a chance. This is one talented author and I'll definitely be revisiting her work in the future. It's not often that a book rips my heart out the way this one did, and for me to have that reaction she did her job well. I was worried that the ending might feel manipulative for emotion's sake, but that wasn't the case at all. Looking back, everything happened for a reason, and the sacrifices were not senseless or in vain. This is on the heavier side, but so worth the difficult moments. This was my first read of the year, and I really started things out with a bang.

Artist Mia Graydon and her husband, Harrison, a general surgeon, move from Philadelphia to Hope Springs, Pennsylvania, a quiet suburban town, where they hope that the quality of life will be more to their liking. They are happy together, but because Mia has been unable to carry a pregnancy to term, her heart is breaking. A combination of factors, including Harrison's hectic schedule, a lack of critical acclaim for Mia's paintings, and her history of miscarriages, has taken a toll on the Graydons' marriage. Another strange element comes into play. For a long time, Mia has had recurring dreams about a man she has never met, but one day she comes face to face with that very individual, whose name is Oliver. Mia and Oliver get to know one another, and soon realize that they have a great deal in common. However, the mystery remains: Why do they have such a strong psychic connection?

In flashback, we learn a bit about Mia and Harrison's backstory, and we also observe how well they fit together, both physically and emotionally. Unfortunately, daunting challenges lie ahead for this couple. Harrison is and guilt-ridden over the loss of one of his patients, an eight-year-old boy. In addition, Mia is professionally unfulfilled and is considering looking for a paying job. The most serious test of their relationship is the attractive and sensitive Oliver, who has broken up with his latest girlfriend; he is as attracted to Mia as she is to him.

"You Were There Too," by Colleen Oakley, is at times, romantic, funny, and heartwarming. However, too many of its heavy-handed and melodramatic developments feel contrived. Furthermore, Oakley spends too much time focusing on secondary characters who, for the most part, serve as little more than sounding boards for the angst-ridden hero and heroine. Nor does the author provide clear-cut answers to explain the book's supernatural phenomena. Instead, she lets us draw our own conclusions about what is actually going on. Colleen Oakley has shown in the past that she is a gifted author, but this novel is not as compelling and polished as some of her earlier works of fiction.

You Were There Too stole my heart and captured all of my attention. I simply could not stop reading this latest novel by Colleen Oakley. She has created amazingly unique stories in her books and each one somehow tops the last.

Dreams are a fascinating thing we experience and no one really knows why. Is it our mind decompressing the day, making sense of our emotions, our stresses? Can we predict the future? Do they mean absolutely nothing at all? What if we dream about someone and then meet them? Which I coincidentally did this weekend and it blew me away. I didn’t even remember the dream until I was in the moment. This wasn’t just deja vu. This was a portion of a dream I specifically remember having. Creeped me out a little to be honest. Anyway, as I was saying. Oakley takes this mysterious phenomenon almost all of us experience and gives us something so emotional, raw, and imaginative, it makes you believe the wildest things are true.

You Were There Too will grab you in a hold and won’t let go until the final page. You’ll fight yourself on whether to devour it or savor it. This is one of the most unique stories I have ever read and it was expertly executed.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.