Trigger Warning: Substance Addiction

"I miss Freddie, and I miss dancing, and I miss love." He doesn't answer me, because there aren't really any appropriate words.

SYNOPSIS | On Lydia's 28th birthday, her husband Freddie is picking up his best friend Jonah when he dies in a car accident. Lydia is understandably distraught and whilst she struggles with the grief of navigating life without her husband she is also having issues sleeping. Her doctor prescribes her some medication to help her sleep however it also unexpectedly takes her to an alternate timeline where Freddie isn't dead. Lydia tries to live in both worlds which has an emotional toll and she doesn't have an unlimited supply of medication.

MY THOUGHTS | This plot line reminded me a lot of In Five Years and Forever, Interrupted (both of which I read earlier this year). It took a while for me to feel invested in Lydia's loss and I didn't enjoy the frequent comparisons between Jonah & Freddie. It felt like the author was setting this pairing up from very early on in the book and while this is a romance story, I didn't want it to be THAT romance story. Overall, I really did enjoy it though.

I cannot think of a better time to read such a wonderful love story than now in this crazy world. Reading can take us away from all of it for a few precious moments and this one definitely did.

Lydia loses her fiance Freddie in a tragic accident and as she tries to deal with her grief, the little pink pill she takes at night to sleep seems to take her into another life, one where Freddie is not dead. She begins to live for those sleeping hours. It starts to take a toll on the real world. You do wonder just what is real and what isn’t at times. I started to get a little confused, I admit. They are lovely little moments for her but she has such a wonderful support system in the daylight. You will fall in love with all the cast of characters, their quirks and all, especially Jonah, Freddie and Lydia’s friend since childhood. You will definitely know the way you want this story to play out.

Grief is such a crazy thing. It is so different for each who grieves and Lydia’s was written so beautifully. Your heart breaks for her and you cheer her on as she becomes the Lydia she is inside.

Yet another wonderful read by Ms. Silver. She has the handle on a love story, that’s for sure! Yes, I was crying. My heart was full.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for a copy of this lovely novel. The review is my own opinion but I know I am not alone.

This was actually my first book from this author since I have yet to read One Day in December.
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I think the concept of this book was very interesting. Lydia’s fiancé, Freddie, has a tragic accident while he is picking up his best friend to go to her birthday dinner. Told over the course of a few years we see how Lydia deals with her grief in the real world and the alternate universe that she lives in when she takes her sleeping pills. In this alternate universe her fiancé is alive but she slowly realizes that maybe it’s better living her real life even if her fiancé is not alive in it.
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I will admit that some parts were emotional and it brought up a lot of interesting things that can be discussed with others. However, I also felt like something was missing for me. What helped me bump this one up was the ending. I found myself really thinking about the last chapters after I finished the book so that was a plus. I think many will still fall in love with this book!
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Thanks to netgalley and publisher for my review copy!

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is the second book by British author Josie Silver. In a most unique story, Lydia Bird, a young woman who tragically loses her fiancé Freddie in a car accident, finds solace in her alternative dream world. However, the dream world is not as idyllic as she would like and the things that happen there have their own repercussions.

Jonah Jones, best friend to Lydia and Freddie since childhood, is going through his own torment. His best friend died in the accident Jonah walked away from. In his own journey through grief, Jonah feels he has lost himself in that he has lost both Freddie and Lydia as a result of the accident.

As they each distance themselves from home and the constant reminders of their loss, can they find their way through grief and back towards friendship and the future?

This was such a different story. A little bit fantasy, a whole lot of drama, but with healing as the theme throughout. I truly enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me. I tried hard to get into the story for 100 pages, but still found myself bored and lacking an eagerness to pick up the book. I had extremely high hopes for this book after loving One Day in December. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird sounded exactly like a story I would love, but I found the plot to be repetitive and mundane. I didn't feel the emotional pull towards the characters I hoped for. Though this should have been an evocative novel, it instead felt like a cheapened version of P.S. I Love You.

4/5 ⭐️
Okay so I really enjoyed this and how it went from two different time lines. I also really enjoyed Fred’s character. I enjoyed how there was so much grief in this book, but the MC came above it and became stronger. It was a bit confusing at first, so be warned.

I've recently experienced a loss similar to Lydia's so this book really resonated with me. I nodded in recognition at her grief and how she handled it because I'm going through the same thing (though I don't have any pink pills to help me through it).

This is a beautifully written book that handles with great sensitivity something many people must go through. The characters ring true and I was so glad for Lydia that she came through this stronger than ever.

What wouldn't most people give to bring back to life their loved ones who have passed? What would you sacrifice to be able to see them just one more time? Such a concept is explored in Josie Silver's new novel The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. Silver returns after much success with her first novel, One Day in December, to explore how a 20-something woman moves through grief after her fiance is tragically killed in a car accident on her birthday, yet finds a way to, in a sense, bring him back to life.

Lydia Bird has just lost her fiance Freddie. He died making a detour on his way to her birthday dinner, and as can be expected, Lydia is in the throes of horrible, dark and deep grief. Unable to sleep to much effect for months, Lydia gives a new sleeping pill a try and discovers that she can be with Freddie in her dreams. Here on the other side of sleep is a parallel universe where Freddie is alive and their plans to be married are moving forward. Lydia cannot believe her luck, and pretty soon the temptation to spend more and more time with Freddie in her dream world is overtaking her life in the physical world. Grief is exhausting enough as is, but living two lives is even more emotionally taxing. Will Lydia choose to live her life in her dreams, or will she find a way to cope with her reality - a life without Freddie here on Earth?

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a pensive, heavy-hearted book about living with grief. Focused much on how Lydia copes with the death of her fiance and how she molds her life around his loss, this novel is not a sweet romance, but instead a story about what it means to have loved and lost in the worst possible ways. But while this story is sad and tragic, it is also hopeful, showing that although grief forever changes us, people do persevere and find ways to remember and cherish their loved ones who have departed and live their life again. Author Josie Silver also examines the very real other side of grief, which is living too much in the past. Lydia struggles to maintain balance between her dream world and her real world, making her grief more complicated and heartbreaking. In all, this book is a story of personal growth and self-awareness; a novel about a young woman coming to terms with a life she never expected to live.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy bittersweet stories of love and loss. Heartfelt and character-driven, this novel will appeal to those who love quiet, introspective books where not a lot happens, but the characters grow and learn more about themselves. Sometimes slow, plodding, and muddling, readers who can only tolerate books that move swiftly with clear focus may lose interest with this novel's languid pace and should take that into consideration before reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

After reading One Day in December, when another Josie Silver book came around I jumped. With high expectations going in I was worried, but The Two Lives of Lydia Bird did not disappoint. Lydia's heartbreak is devastating, but when she gets the chance to live life with Freddie again, who wouldn't jump at that chance. Seeing the toll it takes on Lydia makes you wonder how long one could keep this up. I felt every emotion in this book: heartbreak, love, passion, laughter, anger, sorrow... you name it. I can't recommend this book enough. Thank you NetGalley for the early review copy.

I had a hard time getting into this. I took sometime to read my other choices. I then started back with Lydia and I really began to enjoy it. Her involvement with others after Freddie's death made the book much better. Lydia mourns and then slowly learns to live again. The book covers over a year of time. She finds a new Lydia. A new Jonah.

I liked the characters in this book. They evolve with her. I am glad I went back and finished.

This is a good book, dealing with the trials and tribulations of the grief caused by losing a loved one. It takes you through the ups and downs on an emotional roller coaster and leaves you with a smile on your face.

I really liked this story, it was sweet and at the same time it had an interesting premise. It caught my attention when it was compared to Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, which is one of my favorite books ever, but it wasn't really like it. In spite of that, I felt like there was a lot of repetition that didn't really add to the story and I started growing tired of Freddie somewhere in the middle of the book.

Once I got over that hump, I enjoyed reading about Lydia regaining her sense of self and her confidence. I loved the dynamic between the Byrds, loving people, but far from perfect, with a true sense of family and loyalty.

Without giving anything away, I was hoping it would end the way it did, but all throughout I was cheering Lydia on.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Josie Silver beautifully captures grief and life after loss with The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. She made me feel every emotion and I felt like I could completely connect with what Lydia was feeling in every situation. Everyone experiences grief and continues living differently, and this story had some beautiful messages embedded throughout.

This story was a hard one for me because it is heartbreaking right at the start and that really hit me. I loved the writing though and the uniqueness of the story right away too. This book really delves into the themes of loss, grief and love in a way that I haven't seen before. Overall I enjoyed this beautifully written and touching story.

This one was a DNF for me. I did like the writing, but the story itself fell a little short. I wasn't really invested in the characters enough to continue past the halfway point.

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird tells the story of Lydia, a 27-year-old woman who has been engaged to Freddy Hunters whom she has known since she was 14 years old. On Lyds birthday Freddy dies in a tragic car accident. This leaves Lydia Heartbroken as she tries to live each day with the loss of her loved one. One day her family gets some pills that will help Lydia sleep better. Those pills transport Lydia magically to a "parallel" world where Freddy Hunters never died.
I love reading books on that subject of parallel universes so this captivates me from the first page. This book is about finding your true self , leaving behind the things you cannot changed and how to start with hope to live your life again.
4.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC

Trigger warnings: death, loss, grief

Review: I read this book, and I loved it. However, I can see how you can pick it up, expecting something light and frothy, and being slammed like a Mack truck by the emotions this books elicit. Sometimes, we aren’t ready for that, and it can color your reading of a book, no matter how good it is (one day, I’ll tell you about the books I started and ended after my ex and I ended things last summer).

Admittedly, this isn’t the same buoyant holiday read that “One Day in December” is — but that does have its dark moments, if I remember correctly? — and I can see how people might be bummed out by the story line. The bright and happy cover does hide a book that is about grief and loss and learning to love again, and had I not been expecting that, I am not sure I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did.

The “Two Lives” referenced in the title are the two worlds that Lydia straddles after her fiance’s tragic and unexpected death: one (the real world) where Freddie died and she’s trying to move on, and the other (dream world) where Freddie didn’t die and life continues on “as usual.” I much preferred the awake story line, and I am glad that it was the predominant narrative. Y’all know that I read a lot of what I would consider “rom com” novels, and I appreciated that this one mostly turned that convention on its head. Seeing Lydia go through the lows, and the lower lows, of grief — in both the real world and the dream one — made me appreciate her highs so much more.

It does require a bit of suspension of disbelief that there are two universes, one only accessible by a sleeping pill, lived in by the same person (unless you’re a sci-fi fan, I suppose), but I didn’t find it that much of a stretch. I liked the “Sliding Doors” nature of it after all, and I felt Lydia’s relief that there was a place in the world where Freddie lived on. It was interesting to see their relationship there, in the dream space, and how it was different than what she romanticized. Freddie (and Lydia) were real flawed people, and their relationship wasn’t perfect; even though I think Freddie was done a little dirty in the dream characterization, I think it’s an important reminder to remember both the good and the bad.

I also have a note to self that I called the ending on page 44 — I’m not like Shannon, who typically does this — so just know that the happy ending is in sight from almost the beginning. Knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel is the ultimate message I got from this book, and it’s nice that the author gave us that gift with the plot, as well.

TL;DR: An incredibly moving and nuanced portrait of love, both lost and found, and how grief can shape us. It is hard read, but one that ends on an ultimately happy and uplifting note.

This book was delightful! I felt like I knew what was going to happen within the first few chapters, but I really enjoyed how it got there. I loved Lydia’s growth throughout this book and how she came to terms with her grief and her double life.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book.

This review may contain spoilers.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me an opportunity to read this beautiful story earlier than most with an Advanced Copy. Well, now that I was finally able to clear my eyes of tears I can tell you this was such a heart-wrenching novel that there were times I wondered why I was purposely putting myself through that amount of sadness, but I needed to know what would happen to Lydia and how she took herself out of this despair.
Lydia essentially goes back and forth between two worlds - one where her fiancé is dead and she has to learn to live without him and another where he’s still alive and life is proceeding as usual, but she can only get to that second life in her sleep (thanks to a sleeping pill prescribed to her). The first time she purposely takes the pill now knowing what will happen you think, “Oh, no, Lydia. Girl, this isn’t going to end well,” but you also can’t help but want her to see the man she loves again. You feel so awful as you witness her cope with his loss in the real world, all while wanting to exist in the world he’s in instead. It’s a sweet novel with many characters you come to love and like simply because of who they are in her life or how much they care for Lydia. You love the Freddie she loves and so you understand her madness in a way, but you also root for her to learn to exist in this real world without him too because there's so much for her to be part of out here, you don't want her to miss out on it.

I’d recommend this novel to any friend who doesn’t mind a few tears on the road to a happy ending.

While I overall enjoyed this book, I do think it was marketed wrong... its labeled a romance, and while there is a love story in it, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is more about a young woman coming to terms with her fiance dying on her birthday. The book is sad and it's emotional to see Lydia grieve.

Reading over the synopsis for the book, I don't feel its entirely accurate. It says that its emotional for her to return to her alternate world where Freddie is alive because theres someone in her waking life "who wants her to stay". That's not entirely true. Lydia makes the choice to stop going back, she doesn't stop going to her dream world because age realizes she has feelings for Jonah, as the description implies.

The ending was a bit rushed, though it was a nice touch (though terribly cliche and tropey). I will say there were some hints at it, but I didn't feel like it was enough -- Lydia all of a sudden decides to go for Jonah in the last 5% of the book.