This book was so heavy in so many ways that I was completely not expecting, and even though the synopsis doesn't lie at all, it still somehow felt like it wasn't really describing the book I read.

Colleen Oakley writes beautifully, and I was wholly invested in the story from the first page - but man I was not expecting the heartbreak of this story. Major trigger warnings with infertility and miscarriage; I have never read about them in such an unflinchingly honest and real way. I have conflicting feelings on the relationships of almost all of the characters, but I did like that there was no infidelity in any of the relationships, as that's rarely a trope that ends up working well for me.

It's hard to really talk about this book without giving something away, but I would say the main takeaway is that even though it was sad, I think it was written beautifully and worth the read. Just have the tissues handy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the gifted book and opportunity to read and review it prior to its publication date! This in no way affected my review, all opinions are my own.

4.5 STARS

What an outstanding novel! I am obsessed with stories about what might have been. Why do certain people come into our lives? Is it all just coincidence? Mia and Harrison have a wonderful life together. Things are not 100% perfect but whose life really is? They are happily married but have experienced real sadness in their marriage. Nonetheless, they remain in love and devoted to each other.

Mia has dreamed about a certain man for years and once she and her husband move to a small town in Pennsylvania, she is stunned to actually meet him in real life. The stranger from her dreams turns out to be the real-life Oliver. Did Mia and Oliver know each other at some point in their lives? Mia is shocked when she learns that incredibly, Oliver has dreamed about her as well. What did all of this mean? Oliver and Mia cautiously share their ideas with their family and friends and begin to explore the meaning behind their shared dreams. All of this also leads Mia to question her current life with Harrison.

“It doesn’t feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.”

As Mia slowly begins to adjust to her new life with her husband in their new home, she also senses Harrison pulling away from her. He works long hours as a physician and recently experienced a traumatic event that deeply scarred him. Mia has also suffered, and Harrison shares something with her that she is not sure their marriage can recover from.

"I can’t help but wonder if Harrison’s stopped choosing me. If we stopped choosing each other."

There is no question that Mia is deeply committed to her husband. But what if she was meant to be with Oliver? Every person in this story, every scene is meaningful and it all comes together in the end. I could not put this book down! I love Colleen Oakley's writing style. The characters are all fully developed and the emotional impact of the story was profound. My predictions about the book were completely wrong and the ending was filled with surprising twists and turns. This is an extremely emotional book and the ending had me reeling. I love books about married couples and all throughout the story, I was on the edge of my seat, guessing which direction Mia would take.

"I’m standing on a precipice with him in this room and if I take a step—if I move my foot three inches forward to brush against his, there’s no turning back."

This was a standout read for me and I highly recommend this book. It is filled with some very powerful and emotional scenes so be prepared to have your heart broken a few times. Don't expect a perfectly neat ending tied up with a bow. This is an original and very moving novel that should be on your must-read list.

"Maybe instead of wondering why we’re all connected, what’s important—the only thing that’s important—is to know that we are."

3.5-4 stars
So I believe in fate and I believe that dreams are either subconscious wishes or maybe foretelling of past or future events. I love the idea of what could be, what could have been, and the choices we have to make in our lives that could lead us down different paths in life. Reading the blurb for this book made me feel like it was right up my alley.
I loved Mia and her husband Harrison. Seeing their real life struggles with their marriage, their wishes for children, the on the job stresses was so realistic and so heartbreaking at the same time. I loved Harrison so much because he really tried to make his wife happy but my heart broke for him because some of inner struggles with his profession.
When Mia encounters Oliver, the guy she’s been dreaming of for years, I didn’t know how this story would go. With their missed encounters over the years, the connections between friendships, were they meant to be something more than friends? I was torn because I truthfully loved both men.
I was captivated by this story and couldn’t stop reading but when we got to the end, I felt rushed, I wanted more, and above all else I wanted closure or some kind of HEA and I felt that I was left wanting more.
I was so sad about the ending hence the rating but I do love this authors stories and will definitely read more.

4+ "I bet you can't read this book without needing tissues" stars for this poignant and drama-filled book. I had my hand over my mouth with tears running down my face at one point and I don't want to spoil it for anyone else. When you read the plot synopsis, you may have an idea of what will happen. I suspect you will be wrong. The way this book deals with issues like fertility and infidelity turned me into a fan by the end. Great choice for book groups, too!

A big thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Colleen Oakley for the opportunity to read and review her latest book. I was a huge fan of her previous book, Close Enough to Touch, so was excited to get an opportunity to read this book - I wasn't disappointed! 4.5 stars!

Mia and her husband, Harrison, have the seemingly perfect life - he's a doctor, she's an artist, they have a great relationship, and they are trying to start a family. When they move from Philadelphia to a small town where everyone knows everyone, Mia is startled to see the man of her dreams - literally. Mia has been dreaming about the same man for years and she meets him in the market and then finds that he has been dreaming of her too. While issues happen in Mia's marriage, she feels pulled towards her dream man, Oliver.

You may have to suspend a little belief in the subject of dreams and psychics, but this is a wonderfully-written story of love, fate and choices. Great read!

I’m already looking forward to the day I re-read this book and experience the excitement, joy, ache, anticipation, and awe for the second time. You Were There Too is un-put-downable and sits atop my 2020 Favorites list!

I don’t want to say too much about the plot because I don’t want to ruin even the smallest detail, twist, or nuance for readers. But what I do want to say is I thoroughly enjoyed the writer’s voice, the characters she created, and the mysterious dreams facet of the story. And the emotions! Oh my. I was pulled through a multitude of them!

Mia is easy to like, and though this story includes multiple points of view, it mainly centers on her. I sympathized with her desire to have a baby. I connected with her quickly and loved that she was a creative soul married to a professional. The opposites-attract adage is true in my own life.

Harrison is an active, attentive, and complex doctor and husband. His thoughtful yet logical demeanor pairs well with Mia’s imaginative, artistic view of life. I love the humor they share, and how their comfortable relationship is tested.

Oliver is both familiar and mysterious. He exemplifies understanding, tenderness, and appeal. I was charmed by his sincerity and honesty and absorbed by his place in this story. I eagerly trekked beside him on his search for the possible meanings and outcomes of his (and Mia’s) dreams.

I’ve always had vivid dreams and I’m fascinated by how our brains continue delivering images, thoughts, fears, joys, and messages as our bodies sleep. My guess is, this story will come to mind if I have any surreptitious dreams in the future.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.

I had very high hopes for this book, and I was let down big time. I thought the idea of two people dreaming about each other was aa cute premise. However, I feel like that wasn't the focus of the second half of the book at all, and something that was never really resolved either. Which made me feel like I had wasted my time reading all about the dream stuff in the first half of the book.

There is a lot of talk about pregnancy, miscarriages, and infertility in this book. There was nothing in the synopsis to let you know this, but it was a huge topic in this book. I didn't like the way it was wrapped up at the end of the book. It was too cheesy and predictable. Just a magical happy ending.

The ending of this book really frustrated me. First of all, it seemed to wrap up really quickly. The book moved pretty slow until the ending and then all of a sudden several major things happened. Second of all, the storyline kind of went astray for me. < spoiler > I hated that they killed Harrison right as things were getting happy for them again, and then she's just magically pregnant. And she gets the baby that she wants without having to convince him to have a baby. < /spoiler > Not only that, but I feel like the whole idea of the dreams was still not resolved!

2 stars
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

The cover originally caught my eye, but the synopsis sold me. A happily married woman has been seeing the same man in her dreams for years. Then she meets him in person. And to complicate things he's been having dreams about her too.

The story left me with definite mixed feelings. For the first 80% I inhaled the pages. The story had depth and was emotionally gripping. I was invested in the characters. I had to know what would happen. Then the last 20% took a turn I didn't expect. It felt like my heart was being manipulated. It felt forced somehow. I know it makes me sound like a 7 year old- but I just didn't like the ending.

Ending aside, the writing was great and it certainly sucked me in. But- I just can't stop thinking about that last 20 pages.

For what it's worth- I would classify this book as Women's Fiction, not romance.

It was an ok read, but not memorable. I would recommend to friends. It was interesting but not predictable! I did not see the end coming

This is the story of both a marriage and the circle of life…or is it all just quantum physics? In this heart-wrenching novel, Oakley explores the meaning and significance of dreams, the challenges of marriage, the impacts of grief and guilt, and the idea that love is both infinite and cyclical.

As the book opens, artist Mia and her surgeon husband Harrison have recently moved out of Philly to a small PA town after he loses a young patient on the operating table. Shortly afterwards, Mia suffers her 3rd miscarriage and both events begin to put a strain on their marriage, although their love is a steady presence. However, the dreams and nightmares she’s been having since high school featuring the same man are a guilty secret she keeps from Harrison. When she meets Oliver in real life, the surreal connection between them makes her begin to question both her sanity and the purpose of their connection. Oakley masterfully combines the often painful realities of love with the unexplainable and unprovable mysteries of the subconscious, deftly using metaphors, rich dialogue, and descriptive characterizations to weave a tragic, yet magical love story that leaves us hoping for a sequel.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkeley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

“It doesn’t feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.”

You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley is our first book by this Author, and what an impact she’s left on our hearts! We were intrigued by the synopsis, however, the story is so much more than what is hinted at. In fact, the synopsis really doesn’t touch the depth of the lives of Mia and Harrison. The emotional psychology and human behaviour in the face of tragedy was brilliantly written. It felt raw and painful to bear witness too. It left us heartbroken at times, yet it showcased strength, resilience, compassion and ultimately healing through love.

‘…he knows one thing for certain: Mia’s sadness is his sadness and he’d carry it around with him like water in a bucket until the end of his days if it meant that she didn’t have to.’

Mia and Harrison have recently settled down in a small town where Harrison continues his surgical career in the local hospital and Mia continues her aspirations of becoming a renowned artist. They are fleeing the city –emotionally- and the move almost serves as a new beginning for them. However, unresolved emotion has a tendency to follow you. Harrison has a heavy weight on his shoulders and Mia cannot escape her dreams, dreams which features a man who she recognises. She needs to know what these dreams mean and we were right there alongside her, marvelling at the vivid imagery and hidden symbolism. Our heart broke for her and we understood her frustration, her confusion and her sadness. Her need to solve a mystery directing her thoughts and feelings away from the intense pain in her heart.

“I dream about you, too.”

Harrison is silently going through a rough time after a grave tragedy for which he blames himself. Not only that, he shares a heart-breaking loss with his wife. Mia, caught up in her own deep sorrow, chasing a dream analysis, is unaware of Harrison’s internal struggle. His erratic behaviour and decisions. Unbeknownst to her, Harrison is suffering, greatly. Whist they have their bad days, never once did we question their love nor their marriage.

‘I learned happiness was a fleeting thing – something that’s here one minute and snatched away the next, like a shooting star or a moonbeam that can’t be caught or held or locked up in a cage.’

Going through life, how many of us have questioned the plausibility of whether there truly is a connection between our dreams and our reality. Whether the extremity of our dreams have a base in some deep-rooted feeling or fear of something yet to come. Many of us have felt déjà vu, subconsciously triggered memories and premonitions or had that nagging gut feeling before something happens. It’s a fascinating area of psychology and we loved how well it was written in this novel. Whilst we absolutely loved You Were There Too, we did feel that the ending was rushed and we didn’t feel quite convinced of closure. When you feel like your heart has been dragged over barbed wire and you didn’t see it coming you need something extra to give you your breath back.

I think of the banal platitude: Love isn’t supposed to hurt. But really, if you’re doing it right, love hurts all the time.’

Thank you to Berkely Publishing for our review copy.

IF YOU DEAL WITH INFERTILITY, please read my review before reading this book.

I think this has been one of the hardest books for me to rate in my entire life of reading. I honestly have two different ratings for this book, depending on my life circumstances. My initial rating for this book was going to be a 4.5 star, because this book does so many things I love.
I LOVE the emotional writing, I LOVE the heartache, I LOVE the sad story, I LOVE the imperfection marriage, I LOVE the weird dreaming/almost magical realism/almost alternative reality, and I LOVE the infertility rep (for the majority of the book).
What made me upset and angry, is the ending - not the sad ending, but the happy ending, and I ended up also wanting to rate this book 2 stars to prove a point).

I would have been perfectly ok if the ending had ended with the huge heartbreaking, gut punch twist (if you've read it, you know what I'm talking about). I was extremely disappointed when the story kept going after that scene, and her infertility <spoiler> ended up with a miracle. </spoiler>

I HATE WHEN BOOKS DO THAT.

For those of us dealing with the ups and downs of infertility, we don't always get a happy ending. For those of us reading stories like this, it makes us feel EXTREMELY depressed, lonely, and life seems incredibly unfair.

Authors: please stop doing 2 things. STOP including infertility stories in your thrillers, where the lady ends up crazy and murdering everyone, and 2, stop including infertility stories where you pretend you relate to us, and then boom, you crush our dreams.

4.5 stars for the main storyline AND 2 stars for the lack of empathy regarding infertility.

Absolutely fascinating. A tale to share with a book club, or hoard to yourself. Surprising and scintillating, a great read!

I love the premise of this one, the whole reoccurring dream thing actually fascinates me to no end and this took that idea to a whole new level. It definitely requires the reader to be open minded and just take the book for what it is, but if you can just go with the flow and be open to strange happenings and odd coincidences you may enjoy it.

Based on the description alone I really expected this one to be highly emotional and gut wrenching and I felt like for the majority of the book I was waiting for an emotional punch that never came until the very end. It wasn’t even that there was a bunch of buildup and then a big payoff in the end, it was more that it was lacking something for me, maybe a connection with the main character, Mia? I’m not sure but there was definitely something missing for me and despite a tumultuous ending that packed a punch, I can’t say the rest of the book held up for me. This isn’t a bad book by any means, and it did have original components, but it didn’t wow me as much as I had hoped.

What if you constantly dreamt of another person that you didn’t know? What if you met that person and they had dreams about you? Would you chalk up to weird coincidences or something more? This is what Ms. Oakley explores in her latest novel.

This novel is an emotional roller coaster. In the end it gutted me in a way I haven’t been by a book in a good while.

I took extra care with choosing my first read of this new decade. The cover was as inviting as a glass of Veuve and the story felt both real and magical at the same time. You also genuinely like Mia. If you loved the movie Serendipity... #youweretheretoo “a novel that reminds us that the best life is one led by the heart.”

A Romance Mingling Dreams and Reality

Mia is married to Harrison. She seems to have it all except the baby she longs for. Miscarriages keep happening. In Hope Springs, Mia and Harrison hope to have the life they’ve dreamed of, but strange things happen. For years Mia dreamed about a man. Suddenly he’s there. She never expected to meet Oliver, and the strange thing is that he’s been dreaming of her.

Trying to figure out why they have dreams of each other, they spend time together. Are they meant for each other? Mia doesn’t think so, she loves Harrison, but it’s hard to understand what the dreams mean. Sometimes dreams seem more real than reality.

At first, this book feels like a typical romance. Two men are interested in the same woman. However, it isn’t that simple. Mia, Harrison, and Oliver are complex characters, and there’s the element of dreams and what they mean.

I liked Mia and Harrison and the life they were trying to build. It seemed cruel to have Oliver suddenly appear. I thought the story would revolve around making choices. What do you do when you love your husband, but you meet someone who may be your soulmate? However, it was more complex than that. I felt the author did a good job of building up to the ending, but it didn’t make it easier to accept.

This is not an easy book to read, but if you like romance that is more edgy than the typical love triangle, it’s well worth the time.

I received this book from Berkley Publishing Group for this review.

This book was fantastic. A contemporary fiction/romance, this book was great. This book tells the story of Mia and her husband Harrison. Harrison goes through struggles within the book, as a surgeon. Mia meanwhile has dreams of a man. She meets the man and the rest of the book leaves Mia split between her husband Harrison, and the man in her dream turned to life, Oliver. This book was interesting, fast paced, and left me unsure who to cheer for. The ending wraps things up, but isn't my favorite ending ever--it did seem abrupt.
All in all, a fantastic book!

You Were There by Colleen Oakley is a story about love and fate. The novel follows Mia Graydon, an artist who dreams of starting a family with her husband Harrison. Luck has not been on their side, however, and they have suffered several miscarriages. Frustration has set in and has started to put a strain on their relationship, especially as Harrison is also battling some internal demons of his own. Even though Mia and Harrison really are happily married, Mia has been having recurring dreams about another man for several years. The dreams themselves are odd enough, but what’s most odd about them is that Mia has no idea who the man is. She has never met him before. When Mia and Harrison decide to relocate to a small town in Pennsylvania, Mia unexpectedly meets Oliver, the mystery man from her dreams. Not only that but he tells her that he has been having dreams about her too. Determined to make sense of it all, Mia and Oliver dive deep into their pasts, looking for any possible connection between them. As Mia and Oliver grow closer, Mia starts to think about fate and what her life would be like if she was with Oliver instead of Harrison.

I loved this story, mainly because I was just so immediately invested in the relationship between Mia and Harrison. The two of them were so sweet together and so clearly in love and it just hurt to see them struggle so much to start their family. Then when I learned more about the demons that Harrison was battling and saw how it was tearing him apart inside, it just hurt all the more, especially when Oliver appears on the scene and unintentionally threatens all that they have built together. I think the ‘What Ifs’ that Mia starts experiencing are what really made this story so engrossing for me. I could understand where she was coming from in wondering what life might have been like if she had met Oliver sooner and even though I wanted to be angry with Mia for even thinking about it, I could especially understand it as Harrison’s demons start to consume him more and more and because Oliver was such a likable guy.

You Were There Too kept me reading late into the night because I just had to know what Mia was going to do. Does she embrace the idea of fate and go after the man who has haunted her dreams for all these years or does she stay faithful to the man she vowed to be there for in good times and in bad? If a heart-wrenching story about love, fate, and making hard choices appeals to you, Colleen Oakley’s You Were There Too is the book for you.

You Were There Too is an epic tale of love, loss, connection and discovery. Do you believe in fate? Are things in life meant-to-be? I’m not sure but after having read You Were There Too I’m much closer to being a believer. The thoughts and ideas of the story will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book.

Harrison, Mia and Oliver light up the pages. Each searching for the unattainable when perhaps they’ve had it all along. I felt the pressure to understand each of them. To want them all to be happy, and to find joy and balance in seemingly impossible situations. The range of emotions I felt reading their story was unprecedented. I love that through it all they are always honest with each other. They don’t hide from the truth. While that adds to the confusion and uncertainty it also adds to the realness. The revelations that come to Mia when stepping outside herself are as heartbreaking as they are beautiful. Four simple words that mean everything.

This is a truly unique novel. The dreams are vivid, the characters lovely, and the ending will undoubtedly keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend.