I am sorry to say I could not get into this book at all. The parallel universe of Freddy and Lydia just did not vibe with me, I could not see the purpose of it. The "awake" chapters were better, but even then they did not hold my interest. I was expecting more of a typical romance and this book was not it for me. However, fans of Josie Silver and contemporary romances may like it and should read it.

I really liked this. Nice fun read. Lots of humor but also a bit sad. I loved her first book and like this one just as well. Will definitely recommend for purchase!

4.5⭐ The book started off a little slow, but once it picked up, it was SO good. We journey through grief with Lydia after her fiance, Freddie, dies in a car accident, and see her coming to terms with this new life, sans the man she's been involved with since she was 14.

She is prescribed sleeping pills that, when she falls asleep in this world, is transported to another one, where Freddie is alive. So she is trying to function and move forward in her "awake" life, while still seeing Freddie in her other life. The best thing about the other life is that it isn't some idealized world. Things still go wrong, and life isn't perfect.

What she goes through in both worlds feels so real and raw. It's hard to say much without being spoilery, but I think anyone who has suffered grief (whether it's the loss of a partner, good friend, or family member) will resonate with the emotions Lydia goes through as she grieves.

"You don't get over losing someone you love in six months or two years, or twenty, but you do have to find a way to carry on living without feeling as if everything that comes afterward is second best." One of my favorite lines of all time.

What a clever idea for a novel! Who doesn't wonder what their other life could be if things went differently? I felt like Lydia was a fully developed character as was Jonah but I didn't see what the appeal of Freddie was. When they stayed together in her "sleep", they didn't seem to have anything in common or a good relationship at all. The book was well written but I didn't get any sense why they were a couple beyond that they had been together since they were young teenagers.

I also thought it was weird she never once questioned how the pills worked or talked to her doctor about it. It was some experimental drug she took a fair amount yet she never returned to the doctor or seemed to get a refill at any point despite her very unusual circumstances! I had thought that would have entered into the book more---either there were other people involved in the study (I had thought Jonah might have been) or finding out it wasn't the pills at all or something. It was odd to use it as a plot device and then not really address any details.

That said I really enjoyed it! The author seems to have some issues around men traveling for business internationally--it was a major plot point in both of her (unrelated) novels.

So, in retrospect, a book in which the love of the main character's live does on page 1 is probably NOT the <i>best</i> choice for a honeymoon read?

But, I love <i>One Day in December</i> by Silver so much I kept on with this one anyway. And I'm glad I did. It was sad, sure - it was kind of "P.S. I Love You" meets <i>Maybe in Another Life</i> a little bit? Except still it's own thing.

Silver does a great job of taking the reader on a journey with Lydia through her grief over losing Freddie, the man she has loved since she was 14. She's heartbroken and angry - at Freddie for dying, at their closest friend Jonah for being the reason Freddie detoured on his way home, at the world for taking him away from her - but she also needs to find a way to move forward because she is still here.

The whole book is Lydia trying to come to terms with living a life that no longer includes Freddie. Early on in her grief, she is prescribed sleeping pills to help her rest. Lydia discovers when she takes the pills, she falls asleep in this world, but wakes up in one where Freddie is still alive, and their life is still moving forward.

So Lydia balances trying to function normally in her daily life with the knowledge that she has a means of escaping it, seeing Freddie again when she wants or needs to.

This concept could be cheesy or feel overwrought, but somehow it doesn't. Somehow it all....works. I think because the characters are well-crafted, and you see Lydia make hard, brave choices and evolve throughout the book. Lydia and the other core characters feel very real and genuine. Nothing really feels forced or fake. They're all just people trying to navigate the challenges that life brings.

And even Lydia's "other" life isn't perfect. Things take place there that are hard and unexpected. Helping Lydia understand that even if Freddie were still alive, life wouldn't just be sunshine and roses. She acknowledges that his premature death makes it easy for her to imagine a future for them that is perfect and rosy and wonderful - but her brief forays into her alternate life with Freddie remind her that that just isn't how the world works.

I saw the very end telegraphed early on in the book, which I thought would bother me more than it did. But even that somehow worked. Maybe I'm being generous, but maybe it's further testament to how Silver made her characters earn the ending that felt right in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I just loved this book. Lydia, Freddie and Jonah, all great friends since grade school. I loved their relationship. It is a little sad but there are very funny scenes. Lydia and her sister and mother are laugh out loud funny. It's a little bit of a tear jerker, but I still loved it. I also loved Josie Silver's other book, One Day in December.

Josie Silver writes heartwarming, compelling stories and this is no different. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird has made it onto my list of 2020 Winter books I'm super excited to talk about. I can't wait for others to read this!

I read about 30% of the book and decided that this would go on my Did Not Finish list. There wasn't enough in the story line to draw me in. I had no idea if the story was actually moving forward or not and didn't have any connection to the characters.

My second five star read of the year! I couldn’t put this down and fell in love with Lydia, my heart broke with her and laughed with her. I loved her awake and asleep worlds- I so wanted Freddie just to be there! But I wanted Lydia and Jonah to hurry up and get together! I thought this 2nd book by Josie Silver was fantastic- quick and fun even though the subject was deep. Loved this book!
Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

I received this book from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the Random House for this ARC! ⁣
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The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver⁣
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (above average!)⁣
Pub. Date: March 3, 2020⁣
Good with: Coffee/wine and chocolate! ⁣
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Brief Synopsis: The book follows Lydia Bird, who is grieving the death of her fiancé, Freddie. She discovers that she is able to live two lives, awake and asleep, and when she’s asleep, she’s able to be with Freddie, going out to dinner, on her wedding day, and even on her honeymoon.⁣
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“Lydia is pulled again and again through the doorway to her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there’s an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there’s someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.”⁣
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Review: This book was extremely enjoyable, and just what I needed to get me over a reading slump. What I liked the most about the book is that it showed the grieving process—self-doubt, anger, fear, and even selfishness. It was truly heartbreaking and romantic, and I enjoyed the character development of those who were grieving.⁣
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Though some parts were predictable, I still enjoyed it. Sometimes you need some predictability in your books! There were a few parts, however, that I wish had more explanation but I hope you all grab this one when it’s released in March! ⁣

I absolutely loved Lydia and her journey through grief. The pace of this story grabs you right away. Lydia is getting ready for her birthday dinner, annoyed with her fiance for stopping to pickup his best friend first. Then the unthinkable happens, and Freddie is killed in a car accident with his friend Jonah walking away just fine.

As Lydia tries to survive the grief and loneliness, she tries some new sleeping pills for relief. When she takes a pink pill, she seems to be transported to another timeline where Freddie is alive and well. She can visit him and participate in this other life anytime she takes a pill. But their is a cost-- she risks not moving forward in her real life and not being present with the people who are in her life.

I liked this even more than One Day in December, but Silver's signature longing is present in both titles. Highly recommend!

One Day In December was one of my top books of 2019. I absolutely devoured it! So, of course I was ecstatic to get my hands on Silver's new novel!

Well.... would it be any different for me to be the outlier on a book? Nope haha! I really struggled with this book and was a very very slow burn of a book.

I think the premise of the book was great.... Lydia adjusting to the love of her life Freddie dying in a car accident. The concept of grief and coping is heavy throughout this book and felt more of a darker mood.

The novel focuses on an interesting concept of Lydia in a dream-like state still being with Freddy and having conversations etc/real life with him. Than Lydia goes back to her "awake" state and living in present of Freddy no longer being alive. For some reason I couldn't connect with this one at all. I hit 50 percent and was completely bored? I'm not sure why maybe the mood I was in?

But, this was just "ok" for me and nothing that hit home for me. I felt the romance wasn't particularly there in this novel but maybe this was just a side note and it was focusing more on moving on from grief/death.

Overall, I would give this one a try and maybe it's something you will love.

3 stars for me on this one.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 3/3/20
Published to GR: 1/10/20

Lydia is engaged to Freddie and they have been together since high school. On Lydia's 28th birthday, Freddie dies in a car accident. Lydia has a difficult time coping and takes a prescription to help her. When she takes the medicine, she wakes up in an alternate timeline where Freddie is still alive. Should Lydia keep living these two different lives or does she need to stay in her real life?

I really liked this whole book. I found it endearing and something I could share with friends. It will definitely be a huge hit for this year and I can't wait to see it get the recognition it deserves. It was well-written, witty, and just an all-around good read.

Lydia Bird has a lot to look forward to: she's meeting her fiance, Freddie, for her birthday dinner. They're getting married the coming year. They recently bought the house of her dreams.

Then, Freddie dies in a car accident the night of her birthday. Freddie's best friend Jonah was in the car as well but walked away with a few scratches.

Lydia is so emotional about her loss. She can’t sleep and is perpetually full of tears waiting to seep down her cheeks. Once she’s on sleeping pills she dreams of Freddie. Part of her wants to see Freddie in her dreams, but part of her knows when she wakes up he won’t be alive. In this other dreamworld, she's within an arm's reach of her happily-ever-after.

Lydia hovers in a place where she wants to cling to Freddie’s memory but also needing to build a new version of herself.

I liked that Lydia's ability (or lack there of at times) to handle her grief was very relatable. This was a pretty easy read to get through. Did I like this better than One Day in December? Not even close. But nonetheless a good read.

Thank you Netgalley/publisher for the book!

I absolutely loved Josie Silver's last book, One Day in December, and could not wait to dive right into this one. Josie has an amazing way of writing her characters that makes you feel the same exact emotions that they are going through. (Spoiler alert: grab the tissues)

This book was beautiful. I laughed, I cried, I was heartbroken, and I fell in love.

What a beautiful, hypnotic love story!

Lucky Lydia! She has it all. Let’s start with her charming Fiancé Freddy, then there’s her best friend (and Freddies’) since they were school kids, Jonas. And let’s not forget her dear mom and sister. She’s positively over-the-moon happy with her picture-perfect life.
Today is Lydias’ Birthday. But there won’t be anything happy about this day. Life is about to take a serious turn for the worst after her Freddie is involved in a tragic accident

Lydia is in the grips of immense grief and finds it quite impossible to move on.
Finally her sister steps in, taking her to get some much needed help. First step... sleep! If Lydia can just sleep a few hours then maybe the healing process can begin.
She’s given a prescription for a trial medication. One that will let her sleep deeply and dream vividly! But are these really just dreams?! Is she still able to have the life she always wanted?

When I read Josie Silver’s previous book One Day In December I was captivated. So when I saw her latest release was available, I was first in line! And yup…I loved this one even more!

Josie Silver writes from the heart. A profound love story that touched my soul and left me once again in a puddle of tears. An absolute must read for 2020!

A buddy read with Susanne that we both loved💖

Thank you to NetGalley Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Josie Silver for an ARC to read and review

I am an outlier here. Just did not care for this book at all. The premise was that someone can have a person die, and yet have them very much in their lives. Lydia and Freddie are engaged. On Lydia’s birthday, Freddie and best friend Jonah are in a car accident and Freddie dies.

Lydia is in pain and despair and at age 28, believes her life to over. With help from her sister, Elle, and friend Jonah, she starts putting her life back together again. Lydia is then given a chance to live her life again with Freddie. At night, instead of sleeping, she is living in this quasi-alternate universe, continuing to make wedding plans with Freddie, continuing to go out to eat, all the things she had been doing in the before Freddie dies life.

And what's with the fifty-some-odd bereavement days? Most people are lucky if they are able to take a week off for the funeral and "putting affairs in order."

Oh this book.
I nearly had to stop reading it. Josie Silver did an amazing job of writing honest grief. It was unbearable at times. It was all-consuming at times. It was too much at times. It was grief.
But then, our main character finds an escape. That escape comes at a cost. And Lydia must decide if it's worth the cost.
It's just a beautiful book...with painfully well-written grief and the one thing everyone needs more of. - HOPE.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird surely has an interesting premise: after the life-shattering death of Lydia's fiancé, she copes by visiting an alternate realty where Freddie is still alive and life, albeit slightly differently, continues on. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird focuses around grief and ways in which to cope with that grief. This book was pretty heavy and didn't include too many light-hearted moments to break up all of the darkness. I wasn't a huge fan of any particular character in this story, although I did sympathize with Lydia and was rooting for her to pull it together. The alternate dream plot line wore out its novelty quickly and I can't say that I enjoyed those chapters very much, but I think there was a solid conclusion with that particular plot line. The romance in this book was tough, as Lydia is a grieving fiancé for the majority of the story; that being said, I didn't really enjoy the final romantic beats of this story, and wish there were more moments along the way that made the romance more satisfying. Overall, this book had an interesting premise, was filled with really heavy moments, and ended with a hopeful, yet muddled, conclusion.