It's been so long since I read this novel but I remember liking it. I wasn't too much of a fan of her self-medicating so she could get back to her dead love and how awfully she treated Jonah and her sister. I also thought the end was too depressing.

This was an ok story. The plot was fairly basic. The characters were ok. I hadn’t read this author before, so there weren’t any expectations. I’m not sure if I’ll try this author again.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Josie Silver knows people. She writes straight from her heart; all the pain, love, torment, joy is written in ways that cause you to live out each book. Her first one, One Day in December, was a book club super pick because of the connection the author prompts us to have with her characters. And hold onto to your heart - this book is no exception!

Grab a blanket, cup of coffee or tea and prepare to inhale this book! Oh yeah, and don't forget the tissue! I must add, it's so captivating at times that I hade to personally take a few breathers. Not everyone else in the club felt this way, so it may be linked to personal experience.

Without a doubt The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a super winner at 5-incredible stars for us all!

I enjoyed Josie Silver’s One Day in December so was looking forward to reading her newest novel. It is a satisfying read for those who enjoy women’s fiction/romance.

Early on readers learn that Josie faced a terrible loss. How will she cope with this? Who will be there for her? Will she be able to move on?

Through a plot twist, readers watch as Lydia both moves forward in her life and also engages with what her life would have been like had her true love not died. How will Lydia deal with this strange incongruity? What will she choose? Read the book to find out!

One caveat, be prepared to read about grief if you pick up this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title . All opinions are my own.

I don’t feel like there’s much to say about this one. It’s sad and sweet and predictable. Do we all wish we could live a different version of things? Sure. I found Lydia’s relationship with her sister more compelling than any of the other parts of the story.

Lydia’s little escape to Croatia should have been the whole book. I really didn’t care about her boring life back home, sorry.
Oh to be British and be able skip off to a foreign country for nine weeks and still have a job when you return. Amazing.


CW: death of a partner, grief, car accident, drug trial/ sleeping pills, frequent drinking, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth scene

Josie Silver is not known for her happy love stories, yet she is known for her serious deep thinking love stories. This book follows Lydia Bird who has the most perfect man Freddie. She couldn't ask for anything better that is until he dies in a car accident on her 28th birthday. With the help of her friends she tries to move past her sobbing cries and leave her bedroom until she begins to have extremely vivid dreams where Freddie is alive and well. This book pulls you back to the present and what could have been. A heartbreaking love story.

Josie Silver is my favorite new English author. Similar to Jojo Moyes, her endearing characters feel like friends and you end up rooting for them all the way.

I loved the concept of the two different lives. It was written extremely well and I enjoyed the fact that we learned that Freddie wasn't perfect and that Lydia thankfully moved on.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver is a predictable but heartwarming story. I loved how this book dealt with palpable grief and brought through glimmers of hope and of a new life. This book is somehow quirky and fun, as well as sad. It is life affirming and romantic as well. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I read 50 pages of this one and haven't had the will to pick it back up. I'm not sure if it's me or the book at this point. I'll try again in a few months.

If you've ever wondered what might have been, boy, does Josie Silver have a story for you. Like an episode of Black Mirror dipped in the rosy glow of a romance novel, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird introduces us to Lydia, who has been in love with Freddie for, well, ever. When Freddie unexpectedly dies, Lydia's life is upended. She knows she has to move forward, to move on - so she begins. But then, an inexplicable chain of events opens up a door to Lydia's alternate life. A life where Freddie is still alive. In a rollercoaster of heartwrenching emotions, we get to see Lydia in both lives, and all alone - where she must decide which path, which lifeline, which story, will be hers to keep.

DNF @ 22%, so no rating.

This book had an interesting premise, but at the end of the day, it just didn't hold my attention. My mind kept wandering, and I kept wanting to pick up a different book. And it's too bad, because I really wanted to like this one.

Also, some spoilers I read have turned me off to finishing.

I loved the authors last book and was so excited to get my hands on this one. Josie Silver did not disappoint! This book is much different than her last book, but it still delivered all the same. I read this in one sitting - it just sucked me in. It’s emotional, realistic and well written.

Such an interesting premise! I enjoyed this book, though I was frustrated at times and wanted to change up the ending with my own plan. Haha. But I have recommended this one to several of my friends. It's a nice change of pace in the usual contemporary fiction romance genre. I'm a big fan of Josie Silver and the emotional depth she delivers in her romances. This is very grief-heavy but beautiful.

**I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book through NetGalley from they publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Silver’s follow up to the delightful “One Day in December” takes grief and the process of healing to a whole new level. Lydia is struck a devastating blow when her fiancé is killed in an automobile accident. To cope, she finds herself escaping into a dream world, where Freddie, her fiancé, is still alive, and life is going on as normal. Except, she must move on sans Freddie in her real life. Complications and perception ensue in both worlds. What is real? What is fake? And, what does Lydia want in her new world?

I struggled a bit with this one. In the end, it was a three star read for me, as I was overall engaged with the story and had to find out about Lydia. The dual storyline – in the real world and the dream world – did not quite click with me. I found myself a bit frustrated by Lydia in her dream world, and I am definitely not a fan of Freddie. Silver’s focus on grief and the healing process demonstrates how everyone copes with grief differently. I appreciated this part, and it was interesting to see how each of the characters coped well, or did not cope well, with the sudden change in their lives, both in the real world and in the dream world.

I look forward to Silver’s next book.

“I wonder why it is that we fall in love with some people and not others, even when we wish we could. Billions of humans, all of us scurrying around the planet, falling in and out of love with each other for no reason explicable by logic or number or common sense. How unaccountably strange are we.”

Lydia Bird fell in love with Freddie Hunter when she was 14. There was never a future she imagined where he was not in it. But one night, a normal conversation turns into their last conversation because Freddie is taken too soon.

“Most of life’s defining moments happen unexpectedly; sometimes they slide past you completely unnoticed until afterward, if at all.“

Lydia is swimming in grief. The life she once knew was over and now she must learn how to cope without Freddie. But she finds that she can still live her life with him when she closes her eyes.

Two Lives of Lydia Bird is told from Lydia’s point of view but alternations between her two lives, awake and asleep. In one she has to navigate grief and live without Freddie. In the other she gets to move forward with their life and wedding together. But like everything, Lydia has to choose which life she is going to be apart of before one swallows her up whole.

This is the second book by Silver I have read and like One Day In December, I liked this one. It made me smile. It made me cry. It ended just like I hoped it would.

A very clever take on the usual novel about loss. It was both sad and hopeful. The main character was well done and the pacing just right.

This book was far more sad than I expected it to be!! Oh my goodness, I was SOBBING at some points. It took me a little longer to get through because I had to hype myself up every time I opened it.

While I enjoyed the writing, this story focused mainly on grieving and overcoming loss, and I was hoping for more romance.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found myself pouring my time and energy into this book the further it went on, and I found myself crying as Lydia described herself being torn between the two worlds of Freddie and Without Freddie. As much as there were some cliches, I still loved Lydia’s most vulnerable moments. I recommend this book for softies and fellow romantics.