I was really excited by the premise of the book and it has some excellent ideas and themes within, but for me it just seemed a bit disjointed. The narrative flow was all over the place, the characters seemed pretty flat and those who had some dimension to them were objectively unlikable. The rape storyline could have been handled with a touch more sensitivity also.
That’s not to say that I think the book was terrible, I can see why people other people have enjoyed it-the themes within are interesting, and the Van Gogh heist was a great idea. I just feel like the multiverse aspect needed to be a bit more fleshed out and we could have spent a little more time getting used to a time and place before jumping to the next one.

A vey unusual light science fiction read that I really enjoyed though it can be a little hard to follow the narrative at times.

This is an unusual story, fantasy-science fiction. A woman in her 50's, going through a mid-life crisis moves back to her old neighborhood and encounters her identical twin. She learns she is part of the Lost. Aliens who colonize planets and determine if the civilization should survive. I liked the travel back into time with historic figures. At times the plot was a little stretched but with fantasy I guess that is allowed. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

2.5 stars rounding up to 3

The Road Not Taken by Susan Rubin was a different version of fantasy/science fiction than I was expecting. It was an usual read that offers A whole new kind of escapism. The story begins with Deborah, doctor's wife, who is suddenly widowed at 50 and who has only experienced her adult life as a housewife that lives within social expectations. She goes on a shopping trip and meets a woman who, quite to her amazement, looks and dresses exactly like her. She wonders if this woman is her long lost twin or if she has a brain tumor, that may be causing her to hallucinate? Deborah Soon finds herself on a journey of self discovery, quite literally, a journey that takes her through time and space. I find myself having a difficult time getting into the book. Some parts just didn't seem plausible and we're too fantastical for me to truly immerse myself in. It was a decent book, just not my cup of tea.

I would like to thank BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. I was so excited to read this book and I ended up falling in loves with this book l.

An ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via @netgalley in return for my honest review.

The Road Not Taken by Susan Rubin is a very unique fantasy/science fiction book. Like nothing I have read before, this strange little read takes escapism to a whole new level.

Suddenly widowed at 50, a doctor's wife, having only known the life of a housewife and what was socially expected of her, is now left feeling without purpose.
On a shopping trip, Deborah meets a woman who unbelievably, looks and is dressed, exactly like her.
Is this strange woman her long lost twin?
Does Deborah have a brain tumour, causing her to hallucinate?
Deborah is then cast into a journey of self discovery, a journey that takes her through space and time itself.

The story lacks a plot, the actions of the characters make no logical sense at all, and in general, the elements are all over the place. The publisher lists it as a fantasy comedy, but I struggle to find anything humorous among the seemingly unconnected events that happen to the main character. The thing that frustrates me the most about the protagonist is that while countless absurd things start happening to her, from seeing her dead parents sitting in her living room to time traveling to Ancient Egypt, she never even questions any of it! Instead, she just accepts it as if it was as common as drinking a cup of coffee. I kept asking myself: is there supposed to be a deeper meaning to all this? Perhaps a message the story was trying to allude to that would explain my confusion? But sadly, there was none to be found. Unfortunately, this is not a book I would recommend.

It's spring in Manhattan and the weather is warmer. She meets a woman that looks exactly like her but with better style. They later meet up again

This was the most wonderfully strange little read. I flew right through it! Parts felt like they wouldn't have been out of place in an episode of Doctor Who (my absolute favorite show). While dealing with some heavy subject material at certain points, it never felt like the story lagged or got uninteresting. I did feel the ending was rather abrupt, though. All in all, a highly enjoyable bit of escapism that I will recommend to all who enjoy this type of read. I look forward to its release, I have a few patrons in mind at the library where I work that will enjoy this!

I have absolutely no idea where to start! What was the purpose of this book? It was like an unsophisticated acid trip into a disjointed fantasy that was simply asinine. Having sex with Osiris? Seeing her dead husband? Discussing the merits of religion? The writing was very simplistic and something that perhaps a high school student would hand in. With so many other books on the market, I couldn’t put this book down fast enough so that my time wouldn’t be further wasted. Sorry... not a fan!