Lydia Bird's beloved fiancé Freddie Hunter is killed in a car crash as he drives to her birthday meal after making a detour to pick up his best friend. Lydia subsequently discover that a trial sleeping pill produces vivid dreams of a parallel universe where Freddie is still alive.

Hmm, I found this to be one long wallow. I persevered, but it seemed like one long variation on the theme of how much Lydia missed Freddie.

Lydia’s fiancé, Freddie dies on her birthday in a car crash. Her world has fallen apart and she has no idea how she is going to cope without him. When she is given a chance to be in another life where Freddie is still alive, should she take it?

Why do authors have to write such sad books??!! I think I started crying by the end of the first chapter and was on and off right through to the end of the book! Can it just be known that being red-eyed and tear stained really isn’t an attractive look! Lydia Bird is a wonderful character though. You feel an immediate connection with her, partly because of her loss but also because she seems like such a nice person who doesn’t deserve any of what has happened to her. Even if you haven’t suffered such a loss, surely everyone could relate to her and understand why Lydia would want to hide away from everything with what she is going through.

I honestly didn’t guess where this storyline was going until it happened. A chance at another life with your loved one…who wouldn’t want that? Lydia’s story pulled on every heartstring I have and yet I loved every minute of her heart-breaking and empowering journey. If only we could choose a different life when we needed to but unfortunately, the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side. I loved the other characters who were around Lydia – her sister, Freddie’s best friend Jonah and her mother, who added a little bit of a smile into my tears as I fondly thought how mothers like to fuss over their children no matter how old!

Yes, it is a sad book and it does deal with the death of a loved one. The author though has dealt with the issue of grief so sensitively in her writing that even I, who has struggled to read books like this since the death of my dad, could manage to finish it with a lighter heart, a smile on my face and a feeling that perhaps sometimes good does come out of bad. It is so full of emotion and has taken me on such a rollercoaster of a read that I’m not quite sure whether I’m still on there!! Beautifully written with many life lessons to be learnt, be sure to have tissues to hand as I’m sure there won’t be a dry eye in the house.

I was really lovely king forward to reading this - I loved One Day In December.
Lydia Bird’s husband, Freddie, has just died, and Lydia can’t imagine her life without him. A bottle of experimental sleeping tablets seems to take Lydia to a parallel universe where everything is ok again ... or is it?

I liked the Sliding Doors idea, but I don’t think it was taken far enough, and the obvious difficulties that would ensue just seemed to be glossed over. As well as the ending being incredibly obvious from the start, the main flaw for me was that Freddie seemed an absolutely charmless buffoon!

This all makes it sound like I hated the book, which I didn’t at all, I just found it formulaic and a bit disappointing. Good beach read, but nothing new.

A story of love, loss and change. A beautifully written emotional read.
My thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for this advanced reader's copy... I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this book. I loved Josie Silver's One Day in December and this one didn't disappoint. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Oh my goodness. I needed that. I had an idea pretty early on how it was going to end but it was even more wonderful than I imagined. One Day in December was so good that I worried whether Josie could match it. She did. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is just as good if not even better! This book is about love and loss and change. There’s something here that every single person can relate to. I had several little cries while reading this book and I’d do it all again. Nothing felt unnecessary. Everything was poignant. I’m grateful for every single tear, laugh, smile and heartache this book brought on.

Lydia and Freddie have been childhood sweethearts and planning their wedding until tragedy strikes and Freddie dies in an accident. Stricken with grief Lydia exhausts herself by her day to day life and another life , courtesy of sleeping pills, where Freddie is alive.
Oh my god this book wrecked me! I felt every emotion conveyed across the pages and it was beautifully written. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review:

I’d like to formally request to be able to give this 6 stars please... (at least; the ending, and Jonah’s eyelashes may have pushed it into 7 star territory). Utterly captivating, Lydia’s story is heartbreaking but at the same time reassuring - life carries on, and the life that you thought was over isn’t all it was cracked up to be. Elle, her mum, Jonah and Dee are a fantastic supporting cast, and then of course there’s Freddie, but the love story is really the second happy ending, and a message that will stay with you for a long time after you turn the last page. A gorgeous read.

After falling in love with One Day In December, I was thinking this next book couldn’t be as good, but I was thankfully wrong!!

Lydia and Freddie are engaged, their love should last a lifetime but how long is a lifetime? Sadly on Lydia’s birthday, Freddie and his best friend Jonah are involved in a car accident and Freddie dies.

Lydia is a great character, you can really feel her pain and despair at losing her true love. Lydia wants to hide away but with help from friend Jonah and sister Elle, there may be light at the end of the dark tunnel.

Then something happens, Lydia is given the chance to live her life again with Freddie, but at what cost? And what if her happiness comes at a cost to others.

The journey of Lydia’s grief is heartbreaking to read, but I loved her transformation from heartbroken to taking control of her life. This story sends out hope to anyone who has lost someone close to them.

This book didn’t just tug at my heart strings, you stole my heart and kept it long after reading this book. I cried loads and would keep telling my husband what was happening with tears streaming down my face!!

Josie Silver writes about grief in a sensitive and understanding way where, with the help of friends and family, there is hope and maybe the start of a new life.

I can’t recommend this book enough.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Heartbreaking all the way through. I started reading without knowing a single thing about this novel and I was definitely caught off guard by how gut-wrenching it is right from the very beginning. The book starts with Freddie’s death and then quickly establishes the dual life situation.
I found it to be very emotional and a realistic portrayal of grief and moving forward. I felt on the verge of tears at every point of this.
The ending wasn’t what I wanted to happen but it makes sense that that was the way to close the book. I love the author’s work and definitely would read anything she wrote so it hasn’t put me off lol.

The two lives of Lydia Bird is an emotional journey of a read. Having lost her husband Freddie in a car crash, Lydia is overcome by grief, no one is able to help her. In desperation her mother and sister persuade her to take the anti depressants her doctor has prescribed. When taking the pills Lydia enters a dreamworld where Freddie is alive and life carries on as if nothing as happened and Lydia feels happiness again.
Unfortunately real life is all too present, Jonah, her and Freddie’s best friend who survived the car crash with only a small facial scar is living with survivors guilt and Lydia can hardly bear to look at him, so they are both going through their own turmoils.
As the story continues you only wish the best for these two, the aspects of grief are beautifully written and heartbreakingly real, but slowly as the grief becomes a little easier to handle and Lydia starts to live again it is truly lovely.
I do not wish to give away the ending but for me although not at all disappointing it just seem to come with no build up or clues and no real follow up which left me wanting more...a lot more.
That said an uplifting and very satisfying read.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Such a lovely book ! Full of emotion - it is a story of grief and coming to terms with it.
Lydia and Freddie were to get married then Freddie unexpectadely dies and Lydia is heartbroken. However in her dreams Freddie is alive again - I really enjoyed the story and the characters were lovely.for me it was a heartbreaking and heartwarming read.

Josie Silver is fast becoming my new favourite author. Now I know this is probably not politically correct these days but she writes “chick lit with a heart” and she gives me all the feels. Her first book had me an emotional wreck and this one had its moments as well - actual tears running down my face. Loved the concept of the story - very original and well written with characters I was invested in. My only issues were the constant referral to Freddie and Jonah by their full names and the fact that Jonah and Lydia got together literally in the final paragraph I wanted more of them happy!!!!! Especially after I had invested so much emotion in Lydias grief it felt like I couldn’t truly enjoy the happy ending. Though if I remember rightly it was the same with One Day In December. That being said I can’t give it any less than 5 stars because I enjoyed it so much. Thank you to the author, Penguin and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The very talented Josie Silver has another hit on her hands. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is sweet, sad, funny and heartwarming. I laughed, I cried and I thoroughly enjoyed an endearing cast of wonderful characters - this sorry is simply gorgeous!

I had been eagerly awaiting this book for months since reading One Day in December. Then I got an email to say I was one of the lucky people who got to read it early (I was so happy!)
Weirdly the synopsis didn’t really match the book but I enjoyed it all the same. Lovely story, very sad in parts.
I don’t want to give too much away about the story but I will say it was completely different to Josie’s first novel. The only slight criticism was the ending wasn’t totally believable. There was no kind of build-up, it just happened which spoilt it a bit more for me.
Excellent read though and thank you to the publishers for letting me read it early 😊

This book was ok , I ploughed on through it as I don't like to leave a book unfinished but I didn't really enjoy it

Set in 2018 and 2019. This was a romance novel. It was also about friendships, family relationships, bereavement and grief.
Lydia Bird is engaged to Freddie Hunter. They were best of friends since they were fourteen years old. Freddie is killed in an accident as he was rushing to Lydia’s Birthday party. Freddie’s last words to Lydia were “Over and Out” They were his usual phrase when ending a conversation with Lydia.
Lydia falls to pieces and spends her nights sleeping on her couch unable to sleep in her bed. Lydia’s mother and sister try to help her in the grieving process.
I loved the way Lydia gradually started getting her life together. There is a lot of humour sprinkled throughout. There is a scene at Freddie’s favourite bar when Lydia is finally coaxed to go out with her sister. Freddie’s mates acknowledge Lydia by giving her shots of vodka, gin and brandy.
At night Lydia escapes into a fantasy world where she dreams about Freddie and what could have been and during the day she lives her life remembering Freddie and what he meant to her.
As I was reading this novel, I was reminded by P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern and the way Holy grieved for Gerry.
I loved this novel and I loved the ending.

Oh where to start, this book was utterly beautiful. I read One Day in December by Josie Silver and I loved it, so when I started this book I was worried it wouldn't match up but I had no need to worry. The characters are wonderful and also very real, the story line was great and I read it in two sittings as I just couldn't put it down. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

I read this book start to finish without stopping. I loved it, as I knew I would. This is every bit as good as One Day in December, also by Josie Silver, and it’s heartbreaking and heartwarming in turns. The story pans out exactly how you hope it will and it’s so lovely. The characters and relationships in it are wonderful and it’s just the loveliest tale.

Two Lives. Two Loves. One Impossible Choice.

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 car accident.

So now it's just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob 'til 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.

But then something inexplicable happens, which gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened. But what if there's someone in in her new life who wants her to stay?


Due to thing happening in my personal life over the last 9 months or so, this book has been so difficult to read - but my God, I couldn't put it down.

I have cried and laughed but mainly cried throughout the reading of this book.

I was more than a little nervous to begin reading it as I was such a fan of One Day in December but I needn't have worried.
Josie Silver certainly writes about grief with such understanding and the connection that I felt with Lydia was unprecedented.