I really loved this emotional story from Josie Silver! I had just finished Silver's other book One Day in December when I picked this up. I liked ODID but sometimes did not like the main characters. I had no such issues with Lydia, the main character from this book. Lydia is getting ready to celebrate her birthday when her fiance Freddie is killed in a car accident. Lydia has been with Freddie since high school and her grieving process is of course lengthy and complicated. Even though she has a supportive family and a great best friend in Jonah, she feels alone after Freddie's loss. She discovers that when she takes a certain sleeping pill, she is able to visit an alternate reality where Freddie is not dead. This gives her an untold level of comfort but while she is enjoying this alternate place, her real life starts to suffer. Great book!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This is about self discovery, about life after a loss. It is about Lydia Bird's journey after her fiancee is killed in a car accident she gradually makes her way through the overwhelming grief and eventually discovers there it is possible to have more than one great love.

There is a touch of the magical that kept things interesting and moved the plot along

It was wonderfully written and unexpectedly mesmerizing.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Josie Silver for the opportunity to read her sophomore book. I absolutely adored her first, One Day in December, and this book stole my heart as well. 5 glorious stars!

Lydia and Freddie have been together since they were teenagers - happily, madly in love and planning their wedding. On Lydia's birthday, Freddie and their other best friend, Jonah, are in a car accident and Freddie dies. Lydia is consumed by grief. Her mom and sister/best friend, Elle, do their best but Lydia can't find her way out. Until she discovers a way to see and interact with Freddie in her dreams. But what will living two lives cost Lydia and the ones she loves?

This is a fabulous story about grief and learning to live again. I loved Lydia and all of these characters - I didn't want it to end. This is a must-read author for me - highly recommended!

I read Josie Silver’s One Day in December a couple of months ago and absolutely fell in love with it, so much so that I immediately requested her newest novel, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. Just as with the case of One Day in December, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird captured my heart as soon as I met the main character.

Lydia Bird has been in love with her fiance, Freddie, for over a decade. She has adored Freddie with every fiber of her being since she was a teenager and so is utterly devastated when he is killed in a car accident on her 28th birthday. Silver does an incredible job of making Lydia’s pain feel so real and my heart broke more and more for her with every page. Lydia is truly in despair and can barely function without Freddie. Her doctor finally prescribes her some sleeping pills in hopes of getting Lydia to rest, and what Lydia discovers when she takes the pills is that not only does she dream deeply, but her dreams are filled with Freddie, of a whole alternate life where she can experience what her life would be like if Freddie hadn’t died. Her dream life quickly becomes her preferred place to be since she still has Freddie there.

Throughout the novel, we watch Lydia try to navigate her life in both worlds as she both clings to the what-ifs of a life with Freddie, but also tries to consider the possibilities of what her real life will be like without Freddie. I loved the support system that Lydia has surrounding her throughout the story – her sister and her mom, both of whom she’s very close to, her wonderful coworkers, and perhaps most importantly, Jonah Jones, who is her oldest friend and who was also Freddie’s best friend. Jonah understands her grief perhaps better than anyone else she knows and is there for her every step of the way.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a moving story about love, loss, and about how individual the grieving process is. It beautifully conveys the message that we all grieve in different ways and move through the process at our own pace. At times, this is a truly heartbreaking story, but I was happy that it offered glimmers of hope throughout as well. I did feel that the ending was a little awkward and would have preferred something different, but I still adored the book even with the ending as is.

I’ll admit I was underwhelmed by One Day in December, but this title did not disappoint. It was very sweet, but touched on deeper topics: grief, coping and life after loss. This book really hit home with me in a lot of ways and I think I will find myself recommending it often.

I was hoping this book would be a metaphor for how our memories get us through a loss of a beloved. It didn't work for me. It was pretty pointless and shallow considering the subject matter.

Novel construction with a heroine SO reluctant to move on🤔

This story kept me reading because I just HAD to believe that Lydia would push through all of her depression and grief to restart her life. Her little pink pill world is strangely inventive as Lydia can't seem to control it yet seems to favor it over the life she can influence. The story's construction was unusual and author Josie Silver can create some top-notch imagery,

If only I had liked Lydia more. Throughout most of the book Lydia's purposeful self isolation is a bit too selfish, especially where Jonah, the third musketeer in Lydia and Freddie's close friendship, is concerned. And though she seems to believe she's close with her sister Elle and the mother who raised them single-handed, it seemed to me she barely tolerated their involvement in her life until she finds they are no longer ready to rationalize away her behavior. Fortunately, Lydia does change and mature by the story's end.

Overall, I found Lydia's story thought-provoking and well-written, a moving tale of the crushing weight of grief and the struggle to overcome it when a close loved one suddenly and unexpectedly dies. In Freddie's case, his youth and vigor, paired with Lydia's hopes for an imminent happy marriage, made his death that degree more tragic. But I felt the story was a bit drawn-out with unnecessary detail and the darkness almost swallowed up the bits of joy along the way.

Thanks to Random House publishers and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

💗 Book Review 💗
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The Two Lives of Lydia Bird | Josie Silver
Pub Date: 3/3/20
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RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
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SYNOPSIS: Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’d been together for more than a decade and Lydia thought their love was indestructible. But she was wrong. On Lydia’s twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.
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REVIEW: I will start by saying overall I felt it was more a book about grief than a love story. I did really enjoy reading the book and found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it (my personal standard for a good book), but I didn’t expect it to mainly be so overall sad. The weird time/world travel I was kinda meh about - just hard to put myself into the book when something so out there was happening. I’m not sure if there a sequel planned but I wanted more at the end! It was beautifully written and definitely pulled at my heart. I would read a sequel and recommend this to someone with the understanding it’s not your typical romance love story!
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So thankful for @netgally and @randomhouse for the eARC! This book comes out on TUESDAY!!! (3/3/20)

This was a light read about Lydia Bird losing the love of her life. She discovers a parallel universe in which she can see what would've happened had this tragedy not occurred. As she spends her time split between real life and a life full of "what ifs" she learns to discover herself and a life different than the one she had always imagined for herself.
Through at times a bit cliched, I enjoyed the back and forth format of the story. It was interesting to see all different angles of the characters in both worlds. Overall, I enjoyed the arc of the story and the full circle, feel good ending.

I read One Day in December almost two years ago and it immediately became one of my favorite romances ever. It gave me gut-swoops (that thing where a book is so cute and romantic that your stomach gets brief butterflies) and surprised me with it's depth. Needless to say, I was very excited when I got approved to read Josie Silver's second book, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird on NetGalley. This book wasn't what I expected, but it turned out to be a poignant novel about life and death, and what it truly means to live and move on.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird has one of the most unique and quietly somber takes on time travel that I've ever read. The best part is the fact that it's not even true time travel - Lydia is recovering from the untimely demise of her fiancé and is basically existing in nearly a fugue state. She begins to take sleeping pills, and she finds that when she falls asleep after using a pill, she dreams of a world where her fiancé did not pass away. This dream world is realistic and not centered around Lydia's wish fulfillment or giving her an imaginary happily ever after - she experiences heartbreak and her relationship with her fiancé is far from perfect. The chapters were a mix of the waking world and Lydia's dream world, and having these two different worlds juxtaposing each other was a fascinating way to drive Lydia's growth and help her progress through the stages of grief.

I love a strong female character, and Lydia was exactly that. She had experienced immense loss, but was plowing through her grief nevertheless. Her motivations were complex, and she clearly cared deeply about the people around her. This was made clear by the fact that she woke up everyday and did her best to live her life for the sake of her family and her friends. Reading about how she handled the dreams and the temptation to continue taking the pills was the meat of this story - the story doesn't focus on whether she'll find love again or if there's a way for her to magically live in the dream world - it's about whether she will choose to move forward with her life. Her journey through the stages of grief were dark and at times heart-wrenching, but it all added up to a beautiful book and a very complex and dynamic character.

One of the ways Lydia must negotiate her life is presented through the two romances she finds herself a part of: one between Lydia and her dream fiancé (Freddie) and one very very slow burn relationship between Lydia and Jonah. Having the two relationships contrasting each other really created an interesting compare and contract scenario and forced Lydia to finally decide: should she continue to live in her comfortable delusions, or should she move forward and embrace her present.

One of the unsung hero characters of this book is Jonah - we slowly learn about his involvement in Freddie's accident as Lydia comes out of her grief and starts facing her reality. Once the two start interacting, it becomes clear that Jonah is up to his neck in grief but is handling it completely differently than Lydia is. This presented an fascinating study in grief and an odd foundation for a relationship. That foundation was solid, and their chemistry was strong. My only compliant was that they should have had their big romantic moment earlier in the book so we could see how their mutual grief impacted their relationship and how they supported each other.

While it's not quite as butterflies-in-your-stomach cute as Josie Silver's debut, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is still a great contemporary romance with an entertaining time traveling twist. It deals with loss gracefully, beautifully handles the concept of wish fulfillment and what it means to truly live. If not for the slow pacing in the middle, this would have been a perfect five star read for me. If you haven't already, you should definitely go check out One Day in December for more of Josie Silver's work. 4/5

I read to 53%, and was completely bored so I started skimming. I then read the last 5% and realized I could not care less what happened between 53% and the ending so I set it aside.

I enjoyed the authors last book but this one was not for me. I’m leaving it unrated.

Lydia Bird was all set in life. She had a loving husband, they shared time with Jonah, Freddie's best friend and her childhood friend. That is until a stupid mistake took Freddie from Lydia. And so begins the two worlds of Lydia Bird . The waking world is one Lydia just endures until her sleeping one,one that includes Freddie transforms her life into one that helps her cope with the other. As the two move closer to the other Lydia must make a choice. I leave you to decide if her choice was right. Happy reading

As a fan of One Day In December also by Josie Silver I was excited for this ARC and it did not disappoint. Following the main character Lydia on her journey of a life with Freddie and a life without him in a sliding doors type dream world of both awake (without him )and asleep (with him) which really ends up being a journey of reading about grief and loss, but also finding a way to a new beginning.

I loved this story from the first page !!! These characters will stay with me for a long time!, highly recommend

Of course Lydia is devastated when Freddie dies on her birthday. She shuts down, not really sleeping or eating or taking care of herself. She's on leave from her job and truly struggling until her discovery. The chapters are either "awake" - grief-stricken Lydia, or "asleep" - where things aren't the same. A bit of the way into the book, I worried it would just go back and forth, but based on how much I enjoyed her previous book, I should have trusted that Silver would have Lydia show growth and perseverance. I ended up really enjoying the book. Lydia's mum, her sister, and her and Freddie's best friend, along with various other characters, all have a hand in Lydia surviving the first year plus after Freddie's death and how she reinvents her life.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All the freaking feels, yall!!

I was already sobbing within minutes. It is as much an endearing novel as it is raw and touching. It is a story about grief and the ups and downs that coexist with it. We follow Lydia after she loses her fiance (whom she has been with for over a decade) as she learns to navigate her life and tries to make sense of everything. In the midst of it all, Lydia has found a loophole that allows her to live a double life. One where she and Freddie can still be together. We watch as she learns to juggle between the two lives.

For a full review, check us out on our blog, www.acourtofbooksandbrews.com and let me know your thoughts on this book!

With many thanks to netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an eARC in exchanged for an honest review!

Lydia and Freddie have had the perfect love story for more than a decade & their wedding is fast approaching. The only problem in their relationship is Freddie's best friend, Jonah. The three of them grew up together & have always spent time together, but sometimes Lydia resents Jonah always being around. On Lydia's birthday Freddie is supposed to be on his way home to pick up Lydia to go out to eat for a fancy family meal when he calls to say he needs to stop and pick up Jonah on the way. Lydia begs him not to be late so the restaurant won't give away their reservation, and he promises. On the way home he has an accident and is killed but Jonah walks away with barely a scratch on him. Lydia falls into a deep depression and it isn't until her mother convinces the doctor to give her some pills is she able to get some sleep. When she sleeps she enters a world where Freddie is still alive and all is as it should be. Eventually she will have some tough realizations to make from her nighttime journeys. For now though, she just plans to enjoy Freddie for as long as she can have him.
I really enjoyed this book. Parts of it reminded me a bit of P.S. I Love You, the way she was so mired in her grief and had such a hard time moving on despite everyone else around her being able to. I really got invested in Lydia and Jonah's stories. This is one of those books you don't want to put down because you need to keep reading to make sure everything is going to turn out ok. I highly recommend it.

Long after I read the last page I’m still all in my feels over this book. This book tugged at my heart strings and absolutely just stole my heart.

Now that my tears have dried I’m trying to put into writing how much I loved this book. Lydia is a great character. I can totally feel her pain. The journey of Lydia’s grief is heartbreaking to read. But her transformation is so inspiring!!

Josie Silver is totally becoming one of my favorite writers. I highly recommend this one!! Five amazingly awesome stars!!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 Stars. I loved Lydia and thought it was an accurate portrayal of her struggle with grief and adjusting to life after losing Freddie. I teared up in a few parts which showed me I was very connected to the characters. This wasn't overly sad, but I liked how the reader went with Lydia through her struggles and successes. This was a unique perspective to see Lydia without Freddie when she was awake, but able to live a realistic dream life with him there. I loved the timeline was clear with the dates following the accident. Thank you to Random House Publishing -Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book that comes out March 3rd.

I loved Silver’s debut novel, One Day in December, and I was so. excited. when I saw that she was releasing a new novel this year. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird follows the grief and healing of Lydia and the people circling her after her fiancé dies in a car crash. ️This story is equal parts tender and sad, thoughtful and hopeful. I loved the sliding doors component and found myself rooting for Lydia more and more with every page. This book grapples with heavy themes, and yet I still found myself smiling throughout the chapters. ️The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a love story—it’s about lost love, love of friends, love of family, and love of self. I adored this book even more than I anticipated. ️The Two Lives of Lydia Bird comes out next Tuesday, March 3!