Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They've been together for almost a decade, and Lydia thinks their love is indestructible. But she's wrong. Because on her 27th birthday, Freddie dies in a tragic accident. So now it's just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to live her life well. So, enlisting the help of his best friend and her sister Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world and starts to live - perhaps even to love - again. Then something unbelievable happens, and Lydia gets another chance at her old life with Freddie. But what if there's someone in her new life who wants her to stay?

This is a lovely, cosy read to get stuck into. Everything about it exudes warmth and love and despite being very emotional I found myself thoroughly enjoying this. Silver has two time threads throughout; the present day and an alternative world of which I will not say much about as I do not want to spoil it.

Personally, I preferred the present day a lot more as it is realistic and very emotive. The alternative world is not believable and to be honest I thought it could be cut from the book and the book would be just as strong. Make of that what you will. Everything about Lydia's real world is tender, emotive yes but offers hope and displays her resilience and strength, I simply adored reading this.

Silver's characters are gorgeous creations as well. A cliché I know, but they really felt like friends by the end of the read. Reading this, you immerse yourself as Lydia and co go through a horrendous time, you cannot help but feel for them and experience the trauma and hurt they go through. The characters are incredibly real and display emotions perfectly, they only add further enjoyment to the read.

'The Two Lives of Lydia Bird' is both desperately sad and full of hope and joy. I cried and laughed reading this. Most of all I loved my time spent with Lydia and this achingly beautiful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for an advance copy.

My thanks to Netgalley for The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, the first book I've read by Josie Silver. It was not the book I was expecting, it was so much more.

A captivating, romantic tale with real characters that you actually get to care about. If you enjoy modern romance and have a box full of tissues (for happy and sad tears) then I totally recommend this book to you.

It was obvious early on in the story how it would ultimately end but it was so beautifully done that I didn't mind.

I could have done with more signposting as to which life each chapter was in at times, but that's as likely my fault as much as the writer's.

I absolutely loved this book as I did the authors first book. This has left me wanting more though I loved Lydia & need to know what happens next! I would recommend this to anyone.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

I read One Day in December and absolutely loved it so I was thrilled to be able to preview the Two Lives of Lydia Bird. It is a very different story but has the same sort of feel. Josie Silver writes with real empathy for human nature. You can’t help but instantly warm to her characters, get to know them and love them.
This story is about Lydia Bird who loses her fiancé Freddie just before they are due to marry in a fatal accident. The story is about her grief and anger and complete sense of loss in losing the man that she has been in love with since her early teens. Her family and friends try to rally round but her grief ends up as a very long drawn out process. Lydia is also annoyed with Freddie’s best friend Jonah Jones who survives the crash, but he is also grieving and both of them are finding it hard to come to terms with their loss. The other ‘life’ refers to sleeping tablets that were prescribed to Lydia to help her sleep. These enable her to envisage her life just carrying on with Freddie as it would have done including her wedding day. In the early stages she lives for the moment when she can dream and be with him. But as time goes by, she realises that this ‘other world’ is not really helping her come to terms with her loss.
My one criticism would be that there were times when I wasn’t sure which of the two lives she was in and so found this slightly confusing, but overall this is written with great sensitivity and I love Josie Silver’s style of writing. There are numerous characters dotted through the book and almost without exception they are wonderful people who love Lydia and look after her. This ability to create these great characters is one of Josie Silver’s great strengths and I look forward to reading many more books by this author. Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I loved this story of love, loss and recovery. Lydia has a great life and a strong support structure in family friends and colleagues. When she suffers a life-changing bereavement, her coping strategies are tested to the max. She discovers a way to reconnect with her ‘alternative’ self who is not bereaved, and lives through many ‘ should have beens’ whilst slowly moving forward and coming to terms with her new realities.. This was a great read from the brilliant author of “One day in December “ I am delighted to have had the opportunity to read this ahead of publication thanks to a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review..

Overall a very enjoyable read, if a little predictable. I found the first half dragged a little and was somewhat depressing. You kept wanting to tell her to pull herself together and get on with life. The premise of the book was interesting, if rather unbelievable, but then it is fiction. It was a case of suspending belief and going along with it.. It was well written and the movement backwards and forwards in time well done.
The second half seemed to pick up and I found it more of a page turner. With out giving anything away, I thought the ending was well structured.

A wonderful exploration of love in all its guises and how there’s always hope to be found in the darkest of times. A very moving read - not a dry eye at the end.

This book made me cry and that very rarely happens. I felt her heartbreak and at one point I stopped reading as I couldn't handle her depression. The book then got uplifting and even though I knew how it ended I still wanted it to end the other way so badly for her.

I was sent this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review. I loved 'One day in December' so was really pleased when this book came up by the same author.

Lydia loses her Freddie on her twenty-eighth birthday. They have been together for what seems like forever and when he's gone she just wants her life to be over. She sees the Dr and she gives her some strong sleeping pills. When she takes the little pink pills she travels to an alternative life in which her a Freddie are together and planning for their wedding.

I enjoyed this book - it reminded me a little bit of Sliding Doors, However, I felt that the time Lydia spent with Freddie became a bit too surreal towards the end of the story, which is why it's 4 stars not 5. I would recommend this book to anyone who liked 'Me before You' and 'PS I love you'.

This is a well written,thoughtful story which takes the reader through the emotions of losing ones soulmate at a very young age. I felt pretty sure i knew how it would end from the beginning and was not disappointed. I think for me I would have preferred the author to spend more time on the actual life of Lydia rather than the imaginary life, although it did do a great job of developing Freddie's character.Neverthe less an enjoyable read

Oh. My. God. This book... this book had me in tears 2% into it. 2%!

It's not an easy read, not if you've ever lost someone - but it is a must-read, because the author really understands grief and how it can affect you. I found myself empathising with so much that was written, thinking 'Oh My God yes it really is like this! And I'm not alone!'

Lydia Bird's grief over her fiance is described in eviscerating detail, but is truly heartfelt. The concern felt by Lydia's family and friends is very real as they desperately try to support her whilst dealing with their own grief. Elle is a wonderful sister and best friend rolled into one lovely compassionate character. And then there is Jonah.

It's complicated with Jonah. He and Lydia were close friends before Freddie came on the scene, and the two men became best buddies. Jonah walked away from the accident which killed Freddie, with merely a scratch - something Lydia finds hard to come to terms with.

I will share this review on my blog and social media near publication date

Then Lydia discovers a whole new life, when she takes a tiny little sleeping pill. In her dream world, Freddie is very much alive and well, and Lydia is torn between her harsh reality without her fiance and the world where the accident never happened, and life carries on as planned. Two conflicting versions of life, but which one is the best?

I adored this book. Yes it is sad, devastating and rips your heart out, but it is beautiful, warm and gradually heals that broken heart.

What if you could live your life between worlds? What if you could live your life but escape to another reality completely? For Lydia Bird, this notion is all too real. She has the perfect life, the perfect relationship and is engaged to be married. That is until the night of her birthday meal, her fiancé Freddie Hunter is tragically taken from her and Lydia is thrown into the depths of grief, the bottomless pit of denial, loss and unimaginable pain. Until her doctor prescribes her a little pink pill to help her sleep and suddenly she’s with Freddie again and living the life she had before he died. Suddenly Lydia is wrestling with the loss that she is dealing with in her real life, but also the life she has with Freddie in her dream ‘reality’. Not only does Josie Silver once again show us just what a talented writer she is, but she’s really able to captivate the feelings of what Lydia is going through, and the feelings of her family and friends who are grieving the loss of Freddie too. Non more so than Jonah Jones, Freddie and Lydia’s childhood best friend who also was in the accident which claimed Freddie’s life.

Silver doesn’t just give us an insight into what Lydia and Freddie’s life could have been, but also what could have been for her friends and family. And the consequences of that comes when you’re fighting between worlds, and fighting to be two people at the same time. You not only feel the loss that Lydia is feeling, but you’re on a journey with her. A journey of rediscovery, discovering the woman who she was before Freddie, and post Freddie and what her life could be if she allows herself to grieve the loss and move on with her life. All this plays out through this truly mesmerising second novel from Josie Silver who brought us the fantastic ‘One Day In December’ last year.

I throughly enjoyed ‘The Two Lives of Lydia Bird’ and would recommend this to anybody who enjoyed Silver’s first book. I wasn’t crazy about the ending I have to be honest, but that doesn’t mean I’m writing the book off at all. It was fantastic and Josie is a seriously talented writer. I just didn’t feel it was a natural end for Lydia after all she had been though.

‘The Two Lives of Lydia Bird’ is released 3 March 2020 and I urge you all to purchase a copy.

How could I not give this book 5 stars?

I finished this book misty-eyed and hopeful, just as I anticipated I would. When Freddie Hunter dies in a car accident, Lydia spirals into despair and the prospect of adjusting to a life without her fiancé is unimaginable. However, Lydia discovers a way to return to a world where her teenager sweetheart is alive and none of the tragic events of the past few months has happened. Lydia is living two lives at once, but at what cost?

My heart broke for Lydia. Nonetheless, the supporting cast of family and friends in Lydia’s life warmed up this otherwise sorrowful book. Her jovial mum, and best friend and older sister, Elle smothered her with love, and her co-workers’ unquestionable support warmed my heart. Then, there’s Jonah Jones, Freddie’s right-hand man and Lydia’s best friend before her late fiancé stepped into the scene. Her emotions are conflicted, but her journey of self-discovery was incredible. This book is an acute exploration of grief that emanates hope for anyone who has ever lost someone they profoundly loved.

As with One Day in December, this book radiates a magical, cinematic quality. The fluid storytelling, charming characters, and touching ending all amount to a sweet love story that I know I’ll be replaying in my head for a long time.

I really enjoyed this book and looked forward to picking it up and continuing with the story.
The main character Lydia is well described and brought to life throughout the story. Her emotions play a huge part in the story and it it easy to empathise with her.
On paper the story line could seem a little far fetched but on reading the book it just flowed beautifully.

Having enjoyed previous books by this author, I was excited to start this one, however, I have to admit I struggled to get into it. I persevered & enjoyed it eventually

I have to be truthful and admit to struggling a little to connect with this book. Its very well written, the story is a good one and the characters are interesting and likable. I sadly just didn't engage in the book. I am however going to try reading again after the festive season when i can give it all my attention. Please don't let my opinion sway you from reading fir yourself.

Lydia Bird has the ability to see glimpses of someone living a different life! The story kept me gripped to the end but I did feel the ending and answers to the what was happening to her, was a little rushed. I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to others

Enchanting, raw and heartfelt read - this story makes the reader appreciate what they have before its too late. After reading her previous book, I knew Josie Silver was not going to disappoint me.

As with most other reviews, I read the author’s previous book and fell in love with it. I’ve recommended it to anyone and everyone. So when I heard about The Two Lives of Lydia Bird I was beyond excited.

The story is well written and characters very likeable. It was sad, but uplifting. Overall, I enjoyed this book...not as much as One Day in December, but it is a recommended read.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

Overall I really enjoyed the story and I think the course of Lydia’s real life was well written however I just found it more of a slog to read than I’d expected although I genuinely don’t understand why, I liked the characters, it’s very well written and the story follows a good course. I think many people will enjoy this but for some reason it just didn’t resonate with me.