I received How to Save a Life by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke as an ARC from NetGalley. I have read other books by these two authors so I was interested in reading their new one. How to Save a Life is the story of Dom and Mia. It's an interesting take on a rom com. Dom is in a coffee shop when he runs into Mia , 10 years after he proposed to her. He proposed because he thought that he was ready but then decided after she said yes that he was ready for marriage. Seeing her in a random coffee shop leads Dom to believe that running into Mia is fate. So they decide to go on a date. Things are going fine until Mia dies. Dom tries to save her but can't so he wishes that he could save her life. The next day he wakes up and he is reliving the day before. He continues to relive that day, like in Groundhog Day, and he continues to try to save Mia's life. I thought this was a very interesting take and an enjoyable story.

How To Save A Life is basically Groundhog Day. Imagine being stuck in a time loop that makes you relive the death of your ex fiancé.

I was immediately drawn by the synopsis of this because it sounded so intense.

In this book we meet Dom who runs into his ex fiancé Mia 10 years after they broke up. They believe it’s a sign and decide to go on a date. It’s on this date that Mia keeps dying and Dom keeps reliving it, trying to find a way to save her life.

I enjoyed the suspense of trying to figure out how this would end. Could he save her? How does he stop this loop? I had so many questions! I don’t wanna give away too many things so I’ll just say that this was a good book!
It kept me on the edge of my seat.
This is my first book by these authors and I’m definitely gonna get my hands on more.

Many thanks to netgalley and lake union publishing for the eARC of this book.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title for review.

To be honest, the synopsis of How to Save a Life didn't really speak to me - magical realism just isn't my bag. And it took me awhile to get into this story (San Diego was a huge draw, but a male narrator, judgy comments about people who are homeless, and being hung up on an ex weren't). But I'm pleased to report that I really enjoyed this book!

I think this is a book best read in a day - it'd make a perfect beach read, but it's also a good one for when the world is overwhelming and you want a bit of an escape. Dom is reliving the same day over and over, which I worried would get annoying (especially in the time of COVID), but Lisa and Liz so skillfully pulled me in and made me need to keep flipping those pages.

I also really appreciated that those negative thoughts regarding homelessness are taken to task. It's just a little side plot, but I am *here* for pro-social content slipped into contemporary fiction!

I thought the theme of this one was great too. It's not too in your face, but it's easily understandable (and something I hope I'll take with me).

I really wanted to like this book since I have enjoyed some of their previous books. The Groundhog Day idea was unique, but after the same woman died multiple times, it got kind of monotonous. Sadly, this one fell short for me. I would still read their future books. Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this review copy.

"How far are you willing to go to save the life of someone you love?"

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a chance to read and review it.

This one is my first book by the author duo but I have heart about it and was pretty damn excited when I got a chance to review it. The plot was pretty unique and interesting and I knew I was in for an emotional wheel ride. I was right on both instances. This book was very emotional and the story is something I have never read before. Both Dom and Mia's characters were well developed (specially Dom's) and I could feel Dom's desperation through the digital pages of my kindle. Heartbreaking and liberating with a lot of emotional moments- that's how I would describe this book. The ending was bittersweet and I loved that. If the writers wanted to make me cry then they succeeded. But overall, I liked this book. I wouldn't say that I loved it but yes, I liked it very much and I will definitely recommend it. If you are looking for an emotional read then go for it. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke won't disappoint.

Happy reading.

It is always hard to make a repetitive situation seem engrossing, and the authors, in this case, tried their best, but my heart was not in it. We have our lead Dom who is reliving a day where he goes out with his ex-fiancée and loses her on the same day. It takes him a couple of days to get to grips with what is going on around him but then once he does, he uses all the information in his power to find a way to break the loop. Now, here is where I had a problem: From the very first time the day repeats there are things Dom thinks, hears but still does not use that information to figure out the crux of the situation. It was overtly obvious about the emotions of all the supporting cast. It was well written, and I actually could finish the book, which speaks to the quality of it. Despite finishing the book though, I did find my mind drifting at every next day and hoping it would be the Thursday that he figures it out. There is not much more I can say since the entirety of the plot if basically as simple as I described above.

⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Sliding doors meets ground hog day. The title comes from the song the main character wakes up to in this book, reliving the same day over and over to save the love of his life Mia. Somewhat predictable was still an easy beach read.

Lisa and Liz are amazing!!
Every book that they touch is fantastic!

I really enjoyed the idea of this novel and the rollercoaster it took me on.
do yourself a favor and pick up a copy!!

Imagine going on a date with the one that got away.. but it screeches to a tragic hault. now let's say you have the chance to change the ending. but no matter how hard you try it keeps ending the same way.

Would you relive this last day of bliss just to spend time with your soulmate.. of would you find the strength to let go? I love this author duo, they are so good at asking tough questions and getting you to think?
I can wait to see what they come up with next.

3.5. How to Save A Life is a Groundhog Day look at reliving the same day over and over when the love of your life dies at the end of the day. Dom and Mia were deeply in love, but he breaks off their engagement and walks away. Yet he never gets over her. Then years later they run into each other and plan a date for the next day, but unfortunately tragedy strikes and she dies. Over and over. Can Dom save her as he keeps reliving the same day?
Overall, the book was entertaining but I never fell in love with Dom or Mia. Dom is shallow and it was hard to get to know Mia as most of the book she's dead, but we learn more about her from discussions of the past. Sill, she was never a full, vibrant character for me. There were parts toward the end that I did like quite a bit involving other parts of Dom's life of his repeat days.
An entertaining solid read that lacked some qualities for me to move it into the great category with more stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing How To Save a Life in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved all the books by this duo and this book was no exception. Was so happy to get this book as as a wish gift from the publisher and NetGalley. Thank you so much. reading about a Groundhog's Day type of experience is especially poignant to me as I have a groundhog baby- Born on Feb 2 and also currently feel like we are living in a scary loop where one day is the same as the last. I really enjoyed the premise and the way the plot moved along. It was not predictable and the characters were endearing. I am very glad I was able to read this ARC.
Again huge thanks to NetGalley. Can't wait for the next book by this dynamic duo!

So I don't know if this was the best book when I have been feeling groundhog day-esque, or the worst, but I absolutely loved it! Stuck in a time loop. reliving every day to try to save the love of his life that just waltzed back into it, our main character has a lot of learning and discovering to do. Liz and Lisa did a wonderful job with the time loop, and restarting Thursday over and over without anything feeling reduntant yet still getting across that groundhog day feeling.

My favorite duo does it again!!! At first, I was thinking I was reading a romantic version of Happy Death Day but and it is one of the most romantic, heart touching, original books I've read in a long time. Thank you ladies for knocking it out of the park and giving me another incredible, unique reading experience!

Thank you so much for my copy - I read 30% of this but while it is a groundhog's day set up, it was tough to get into and quite repetitive. I really appreciate my copy but could not finish my book.

From the moment I opened this novel I was captured by the storytelling Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke created. This novel follows Dom after his ex-fiance Mia tragically dies on a first date years following their estrangement. Dom awakens the next† morning to find she is still alive and he has a chance to repeat their date. This novel brilliantly asks the question of "what if" following a terrible accident. Dom finds himself reliving her death each day. You will love this novel especially if you have lost a loved one and have found herself asking a similar question.

This wasn't the most original of plots but it was still engaging and entertaining. I did like the characters, but at the same time I wasn't fully invested in their relationship.

How to Save a Life has a unique premise: Dom reconnects with his ex-fiancé Mia, the woman he has pined after for a decade. Mia says it must be fate that they ran into each other, and Dom believes he’s finally getting a do-over with the love of his life—but on the night of their date, Mia tragically dies. Dom is devastated—until he wakes up the next morning, and realizes that he’s reliving the same day. Over and over again, he tries to save Mia, and every day, she dies as he watches helplessly. But he’s determined to find out not only how to save her, but how to keep her in his life forever.
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I’m not sure how to categorize this book, because it’s not a romance even though it explores love. The story is more focused on Don’s emotional journey as he learns who he is, and comes to terms with his past actions with Mia and decides the person he wants to be in the future. I found it to be an absolute page-turner and finished it in a day!


Thanks to @amazonpublishing and @kccpr for sponsoring our July #BLCVIPBookClub. This is a great discussion book.

Liz and Lisa are one of my favorite writing duos. I love their books and this one was no exception; in fact, it might be my favorite of theirs. It really took a premise and went deep with it in a way that really surprised me. I don't often cry at books but this one did make me tear up. Well done, and thanks to Net Galley for the chance to review this advanced copy!

Imagine being stuck in a Groundhog’s Day where you relive your first love’s death over and over, unless you can save her! 😱 ⁣
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I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. Don feels like he’s getting a second chance at true love when his ex-fiancée Mia shows up in his life again. Unfortunately their carnival date ends in tragedy when Mia dies in a freak accident. Don finds himself in the hospital, inconsolable and wishing things had gone differently. His wish comes true, when he finds himself in a loop of the fated day. Can he alter events and save Mia?⁣
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We go through numerous re-dos with Don, each time finding out a bit more about Mia and why she’s suddenly returned. I enjoyed this aspect of the story though the mystery reader in me probably spent way too much time trying to figure out each new way she would die. I couldn’t help it though - it was fun to try to guess her mode of demise! 🤣 ⁣
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I didn’t really get why Don was so stuck on Mia. 10 years had passed and it felt like he was obsessively stuck in place. I wish we had more of a backstory for their relationship that supported this huge inability to move on - it felt forced and I just couldn’t get on board with it. ⁣
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Overall, this was an interesting premise although the story was a bit of a slow burn as it unfolded. I enjoyed how it all turned out but I don’t exactly know how I’d categorize this book. It wasn’t a rom-com, suspense or second chance romance in the traditional sense. I think it was more about learning to let go, making peace with the past and finding a way to move on. ⁣