Expected more from this than it delivered. I've enjoyed her books before but just couldn't connect with the characters in this

An enjoyable book, which I have to say I struggled with a little in the beginning, as it does flit between two different lives (as the title says!). However, once I got used to this, it was much better. The story is about Lydia struggling with the loss of the love of her life and how she deals with this, whilst still being with Freddie in her sleeping hours. Sounds complicated but it does make sense when you read it!

A pleasant book, nothing particularly earth shattering but a nice read. And it had the ending I was hoping for (and could probably see coming). Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird asks the question if you could change the past, would you?

Meet Lydia, she has just lost the love of her life, Freddie, in a cruel accident. When dealing with her grief she finds that she can still see, speak to, live with Freddie but it may come at a cost.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird made me smile so much. It was such a sad story but one that really made me think about what I would do in that situation. It reminded me of the Alan Rickman movie Truly Madly Deeply. It hold a bright light up to just how wonderful and indeed excruciating love can be.

Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a must read.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver is available now.

For more information regarding Josie Silver (@JosieSilver_) please visit www.josiesilver.com.

For more information regarding Penguin (@PenguinUKBooks) please visit www.penguin.co.uk.

Struggled with this book. I found the book too lacked substance. Sadly it didn’t really deliver.
Failed to finish it

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver is an utterly captivating story of love, loss and life-altering choices. The reader is taken on a whirlwind of emotions as they join Lydia's journey from the depths of sorrow to her discovery of hope. The beauty of this novel lies in its bittersweet optimism. Lydia experiences immense heartbreak when her beloved Freddie passes away on her 27th birthday. As she begins to come to terms with her grief and search for a way to honor his memory, an unimaginable twist of fate leads to an incredible opportunity for Lydia.

Throughout the book, Silver creates memorable characters and creates an intimate, powerful dialogue that make you truly feel for the struggles of her protagonists. As Lydia faces an impossible choice between two separate lives, we are pulled into the center of her moral dilemma and watch as she discovers what she truly desires.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a beautifully crafted novel that truly celebrates the power of love, resilience and hope. Silver has crafted a heartbreakingly poignant tale that is sure to remain in readers' hearts for many years to come.

I really struggled with this book. I felt the story dragged and that Lydia most of the time had no backbone. There were glimpses of something promising, but having finished the book I'm not sure I really enjoyed it.

I am a MASSIVE Josie Silver book but although this was brilliantly written in Silvers usual great style, I struggled to get through it. It took a 4 attempts before I finally finished and although it did get better as the story progressed, it was still a bit of a miss for me.

Had high hopes for this but it disappointed. Unlikable characters which garnered no sympathy from me. Thought about giving up and didn't gain anything by finishing it.

Not what I expected and have to say I struggled with the concept of this book at the beginning. It did get better and I got into the story. It was so heartbreaking at times but so well written.

This was a book that was formatted in a different way to books I have usually read but it was interesting. This contained some honest emotion of how to process and work through grief and how people might deal or want to deal with it in different ways. It added some aspects that would make you thinks. Thanks NetGalley for me being allowed a preview copty.

I was not a huge fan of this book.
I was bored halfway through and decided to DNF.
I do think however that this book could be loved by so many people. It just wasn’t for me

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver. I loved this book. Lydia and Freddie had been together for 10 years and were soon due to be married but tragedy struck and Freddie was killed in an accident. Lydia was given the chance of another life, should she take it? This is an upbeat, imaginative book that kept me wanting more.

We meet Lydia whilst she is waiting for Freddie her fiancé to pick her up for her birthday dinner. Freddie has to do a detour to pick up Jonah, who is his best friend, although Jonah was friends with Lydia first.

That detour sets in motion a fatal car accident and the loss of Freddie and the story centres on Lydia and her loss, how she copes and how she puts her life back together. However, she has 2 lives as she discovers that when she take a pill, she is catapulted back to a time where Freddie is still alive. We trace their 2 parallel lives throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this book and would read more from this author. May have been first but won't he the last.

'Most of life's defining moments happen unexpectedly; sometimes they slide past you completely unnoticed until afterwards, if at all.'

Lydia Bird is almost the happiest girl in the world. She has a great job, a loving family, and is counting down the months until the day she finally marries the love of her life, Freddie. But everything changes when, on her 27th birthday, Freddie dies. Lydia is devastated, unable to imagine life without Freddie, and so when she stumbles across a miraculous way to be with him again, she grasps it with both hands. But life is for the living, and Lydia is soon faced with an impossible choice...

Wow. Wow wow wow. This is one of those books that's completely unlike anything I've ever read. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't say anything at all about how they are together again, but I can promise you it's not what you expect it to be. Instead, I want to tell you how beautiful of a book this is. How much it moved me, and made me realise all over again how wonderful it is to be alive, to be loved and have people to love in return. Life is a gift, and books like this remind you of that in such a beautiful and poignant way. Yes, it deals with grief, and so there are sections of the book that are hard and painful and challenging, but is also deals with moving forward, with the importance of love in all its forms, with the unwavering message that there is hope, that the sun will rise again, and that life and love are both gifts not to be wasted.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

This was my first time reading a book by Josie Silver and I’m delighted to say I really enjoyed The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. The story was original and kept me hooked from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future

Having previously read ‘One Day In December’ I was excited to read about Lydia Bird. I’d been putting it off for a while as I had been warned it was quite an emotional book. It’s the story of Lydia - who’s upcoming wedding, and future have been snatched away one fateful night. After losing her fiancé in an accident Lydia must learn how to live without him, how to grieve for him & who she is without him. Unfortunately Lydia also has some sleeping pills which when taken transport her back to a parallel time when her fiancé is still very much alive. This is such a beautifully written story. It’s sad, funny, relatable, far fetched and everything in between. Highly recommend.

This is such an engaging story. Romantic but with realism. The author explores Lydia's grief with emotion and sensitivity. Her feelings are relatable to anyone who has lost someone close. She doesn't take her bereavement journey in isolation there's a cast of believable characters, who support her
along the way.

There's a twist to this story a parallel life as the title suggests. She has a choice to make, which affects her and the lives of her family and friends. Lydia is a lovely character, easy to empathise who self-deprecating humour lightens this often heartbreaking story.

The ending is romantic and uplifting and makes all the heartbreak and soul searching worthwhile.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Books UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately I had to purchase a new Kindle device and could no longer access this book. I will come back and review if I read this in the future.

Really enjoyed this book! There were a lot of tears and some of the decisions she made were really difficult - I'd just have loved a bit more about how and why the pills did what they did!