This is a beautiful gem of a book. Absolutely delightful. I slipped into Lydia's worlds every time. Big sigh!!

Oh how I LOVED this book. The first five star read of 2020 for me!

Lydia Bird has everything that she's ever wanted, a job that she actually enjoys, a close, healthy relationship with her mother and her sister, and a best friend, Jonah Jones, that she shares with her fiance, the love of her life, Freddie Hunter. Until the night of her birthday when Freddie and Jonah are in a car wreck on the way to her birthday dinner and Freddie dies leaving Lydia and Jonah behind to pick up the pieces of themselves.

Lydia is in the darkest pits of despair until she discovers that sleeping pills prescribed by her doctor give her the magical ability to visit Freddie in an alternate version where their lives go on, together. Told in alternating chapters of "awake" and "asleep" we see how Lydia's life might have played out if Freddie hadn't died in that car accident.

As someone who is wont to spiral when thinking about the death of loved ones this book was hard for me to read but even harder for me to put down. It is a story of grief, despair, rude awakenings. but most of all hope that there is always a chance for another happy ending.

Meh. I just couldn't connect to this book. I kept expecting something more. The alternate world thing was just ... a way to show literally a world where Freddie hadn't died. How punishing to keep going in and experiencing what you know you'll wake up from. I understand that it's about grief, and grief makes us do things we wouldn't normally do, but I just didn't understand the point. The alternate world wasn't different or revealing or more interesting in any way other than Freddie isn't dead.

Here's were I admit that I reached 50% read, and just couldn't stomach the idea of wasting more hours/days reading this to keep having the same feeling, so I tabled it. I still don't feel like anything revealing is going to happen, or that I missed anything except her getting past her grief, which is fine, but just not something I want to read. Meh.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sending me an ARC of this book.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is unlike any other romance that I've read, though I'm just starting to explore the genre. In fact, I'm not even sure if I would categorize it purely as romance. It's more an exploration of grief and recovery than anything, and I think with that expectation from the start, the book does a good job exploring these ideas. On her birthday, Lydia's fiance Freddie is killed in a car accident. The book essentially start here, and follows Lydia's journey of recovery, as she attempts to find herself again, While her friends and family try to help her, Freddie's friend Jonah is the only person who truly knows what she's going through.

Silver's "hook" if you will, is that Lydia begins taking sleeping pills and having extremely lucid "dreams" about an alternate life, one in which Freddie is still very much alive, and they are still planning their wedding.

My thoughts on this book are...complicated. On the one hand, I really appreciated Silver's depiction of grief and loss. She doesn't make it look easy, nor does she have her narrator just bounce back with someone new immediately (although I understand there are real cases where this happens and makes sense). What threw me off honestly was the "double-life" aspect. I couldn't figure out how realistic it was supposed to be, and I found myself really enjoying the "awake" chapters (when Lydia is living her real life) versus the "asleep" chapters (when Lydia is "visiting" Freddie). I think I understood the purpose: for her to realize that she's not simply standing still in this life, and she has to move forward.

I really enjoyed some of the central relationships in the book, and I think I would perhaps have given this 4 or 5 stars, if those central relationships had been explored more in-depth, rather than spending that time on Lydia's dreams?

This is a book that will really resonate with anyone who has ever lost anyone they loved (so, pretty much everybody). Who among us hasn't wished to spend one more moment with that loved one? After Lydia's fiance dies in a car accident on the way to her birthday dinner, she finds that the sleeping pills prescribed to her allow her to slip back into their lives as if it never happened, experiencing their wedding planning and the start of married life together. She struggles, especially at first, to be fully present in her waking world knowing that Freddie and her alternate life wait. She ultimately has to decide what shape her life is going to take going forward, and the journey of getting there with her was really wonderful.

While this was similar to Silver's One Day in December, I liked this better. For me, it held more meaning; Silver's slow-burn style of writing pairs well with Lydia's navigating her grief after the death of her fiance. As in One Day in December, the side characters are incredibly detailed and are fleshed out as well as Lydia herself (occasionally at the expense of Lydia's character development); it made Lydia's progression feel more concrete.

One warning: don't read this in a public place...I teared up several times.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver is a beautiful story of the struggle with grief after the loss of a loved one. Lydia loses her fiance unexpectedly on her birthday and faces a new life without him; a life she believes she cannot handle. But thanks to doctor-prescribed sleeping pills she has access to that past life - she dreams as if the accident never happened. In her dream world Lydia is there with Freddie living her everyday boring life as if nothing happened. And then she wakes up and deals with loss again and again. Over time her dreams start to reflect her growing strength and independence of living alone and moving on and now Lydia must decide whether to continue to live only in the past or to make the best of her new life - both good and bad.

If you read Silver’s One Day In December, be warned that this is not another contemporary romance but a deep story of love and loss and handling the emotional trauma of grief. She has a way of writing to make you feel emotionally invested in the story as if these were your own friends with which you're crying, healing, and growing with while reading.

At one point Lydia reflects on Tennyson’s famous poetic line “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” As she walks the line between post-traumatic accident and dream world, I often came back to that quote. You can feel Lydia’s transition between rejection of and acceptance/understanding of this quote throughout the book.

I was going to read this author's other book last year but it didn't happen. I actually didn't realize this was the same author until after I requested it because I just was intrigued by the premise from the get-go. I was pretty pleased with what I read but I did lack that deep emotional connection.

Lydia Bird has lost her fiance on her birthday. Like her, I would be devastated. I wouldn't want to eat, sleep, and I'd just be an uncontrollable crying mess. She is that but with the help of sleeping pills, she can relax but then the dreams about her husband happen. This is where the book splits into two realities, her husband being alive in her dreams and the real world.

I thought that it was such a unique concept to have two different realities. The thing is, I just had a hard time having a deeper connection with Lydia or the other characters. It was also quite slow in the beginning and I really didn't start feeling anything until over 50% into the book.

There were certainly a couple plot twists and the biggest one of all I saw coming from the beginning. This could also be why I didn't love the book.

Overall, it was a good book. I feel like many will fall in love with what the author created but the slowness in the beginning just kicked me out from truly enjoying the story.

4.5 imaginative stars!!

Wow! I really loved The Two Lives of Lydia Bird! I’ve read books where the main characters have 2 simultaneous lives, but this book was a bit different being that Lydia was actually living both of them as one person. One asleep and one awake. And the writing was great and the storyline was interesting too.

I was pleasantly surprised with the path that Lydia eventually took and in my opinion, the books ending was perfect!

4.75 swoon worthy stars

I loved Josie Silver’s first book “One Day in December” so I jumped at the chance to read an early release of this one. Now she is on my must-read list! This book was such a romantic, yet heartbreaking story. The ending made me cry! I loved it! (Although the plot sounded a little far-fetched when my daughter asked about the book I was reading)

We have Lydia Bird and her amazing boyfriend/fiancée Freddie – they’ve been together since age 14 and are planning their wedding next year. The perfect life comes to a hard stop when Freddie dies on Lydia’s birthday in a car accident. Grief takes over her life and Lydia can hardly function.

Strangely, she’s reunited with Freddy in her sleep and they seem to live their lives as if the car accident never happened. Lydia finds herself torn between her sleep life and her “real” life. Can she maintain the dual lives?

I especially liked the dynamics with Lydia’s sister and mom and found their relationship added quite a bit to the story. Lydia’s best friend Jonah tries to pull her out of her grief, but he’s struggling with his own demons. How can Lydia get past her grief to embrace life and maybe even find love again? The character of Lydia was so real, her grief was heartbreaking, and it was quite the journey for her to process this huge loss.

Mark your calendars, this one comes out 3.3.2020 – I highly recommend it, especially if you need a good cry!

Thank you for the ARC in return for an honest review. Unfortunately, I have to DNF this book. I wanted so much to like it but it crept along at a snail's pace. I dreaded opening my Kindle knowing this was the book that would turn up.
Loss of a spouse leads to a whirlwind of emotion and Lydia handles it in her own way. She is whiny and not really likable.

I received this book "The Two Lives of Lydia Bird" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I really like these types of books, magical, fun, things that you know really can't happen but it takes you to a different place. Although it is a story of losing the love of her life, I liked how Lydia was also coping by going into her dreamstate. This book really makes you think about your own life and what would happen. I wanted more of this story! I didn't read the authors first book "One Day in December" but after finishing the Lydia book I downloaded it and read it.

After her fiancé dies in a tragic accident, Lydia Bird tries to process her grief by returning him to life in her dreams, but as time goes on she begins to wonder if this is the healthiest way of dealing with loss. Bittersweet and romantic, this novel is an emotional rollercoaster ride from start to finish. With a tight plot and sympathetic characters, this novel is heartbreaking in the best of ways!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Josie Silver does it again! I started this on a plane ride and was sobbing within minutes (super cute look). This was another case of picking up a book that I had no idea what it was about, but I love the author, so I blindly read it. Having known that Freddie dies, I maybe wouldn’t have started it on a plane? Totally worth it though! This book is emotional, but in the best way possible. I loved how supportive the women in Lydia’s life were for her and that she was, over time, able to become a strong woman that she had never thought possible for herself.

I really enjoyed this novel by the author of One Day in December. The main character suffers a loss and the reader is taken on a journey through her processing of her grief. A quick and bittersweet romance.

Already a fan of One Day in December, this new novel by Silver hits all the right notes. Sweet, mystical, sad, empowering, and strong it's the perfect blend of grief and hope.

I made it through 25% of this book. Not much has happened and I don’t love the concept. I saw it playing out differently from the synopsis. The chapters are short and taking a sleeping pill to be reunited doesn’t sit right with me. I wish this was done a bit differently. I am DNFing this for now but may come back to it later.

This book was just ok for me. I didn't hate it but I certainly didn't love it. The first half is very slow. Josie Silver previously wrote One Day in December and this follows much the same pattern.
However, if you're a fan of P.S. I Love You or the movie Sliding Doors, this romance book might be for you!
Thank you to Netgalley for the free, advance copy.

What an incredible novel!! Josie Silver blew me away with her debut novel (One Day in December) so I was thrilled to get an opportunity to read an early copy of The Two Lives of Lydia Bird!

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird literally grabbed me by the heart from the beginning. The characters were so incredibly endearing and that combined with a fantastic storyline had me never wanting this book to end. The premise was completely original and the writing was superb! I went completely blind in this book (after Josie’s first book, I new she was a sure thing) and I’m so glad I did!! The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a complete 5 star novel!! I already know this book will be in my top 5 for the entire year! I can’t recommend this book enough!!!

This book is different from other sliding doors type of books in that it’s not a case of choosing one path or another and living out those options. I appreciated the awake and asleep timelines which made it more unique. I did thing the ending was predictable but think it’s a cute rom com type book or something light to read at the beach.