Wonderful debut novel by Sarah Adlakha! I was instantly drawn in to the story from the first chapter. I absolutely loved this author’s writing style and I couldn’t put this book down. The storyline and flow had an eerie element at times almost giving it a mysterious feel.

Maria is a wife, mother of two— soon-to-be three— and daughter overwhelmed with her life. As she juggles it all, along with her career as a psychiatrist, trying to keep everything in perfect order she never expects to wake up one day facing to make a decision that can change her whole world as she knows it.

What would you do if you could change the future by going back and making things right but at a huge cost? Would you give up your life and the life of the ones you love to do the right thing?

Fast paced, bittersweet, heart wrenching, and truly thought-provoking. I will be looking for more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC of She Wouldn’t Change a Thing in exchange for my honest review.

Heartfelt and empathetic, SHE WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING asks the question: could you give up everything you love to do the right thing?

Maria is a stressed-out mother of two (soon to be three) with a busy psychiatry practice and a surgeon husband who can’t always provide enough support at home. One morning she has a new patient who claims to have been sent to Maria to fulfill a specific purpose - and then delivers a very disturbing message. The next day, Maria wakes up in her 17-year-old body and must ultimately make a choice between getting back to the life she knows or preventing a life-altering tragedy.

While the book has its suspenseful moments and several characters whom you’re not quite sure whether to trust, the pace is somewhat meditative - a good thing for this subject matter. I love that it’s willing to ruminate a bit on these moral questions. It’s not as simple as Maria’s life versus someone else’s, and I appreciate that the decision is not clear cut. As Maria struggles with her choice, another message that comes through is that we don’t get just one “soul mate” or chance at happiness. A satisfying and thought-provoking read!

There is something about time travel that is utterly intriguing, and I can rarely resist the temptation of a unique take on this subject. SHE WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING held a special allure, because who has not wondered how their life would have turned out if they had had the opportunity to change an event that would ultimately change their life forever and propel them along on a certain path? This is the situation wife and mother Maria Fossman finds herself in when she suddenly wakes up in her seventeen-year-old body in her childhood home, but still with memories of her life as a thirty-nine-year-old. She doesn’t know how she got here and why, but she soon learns that she has been sent back for one purpose: to prevent a terrible tragedy that is soon about to befall her husband’s family, and which will have lasting effects on him in future.

The thought of stepping back in time and righting a wrong or changing history is an intriguing one, and I eagerly read on to see how the author would consolidate aspects of time travel we often hear about, such as the butterfly effect. In her current predicament, Maria is faced with a terrible decision: to right a wrong and maybe forfeit her future as wife and mother as she has known it, or do nothing and be returned to her old life. What would you do?

As with most time travel stories, some aspects here worked well for me and prompted reflection, and others were a bit confusing. I think I would have preferred if Maria had woken in her childhood body questioning whether her memories were real or delusions, because her adult self in a child’s body was just a little bit too strange for me and I had trouble putting myself in her situation and fully empathising with her. That said, it certainly was an intriguing and original concept I had not encountered before in any other time-travel themed books, and it kept my interest to the end. I also found the story’s conclusion satisfying, as the author stays away from stereotypes and yet manages to conclude her concept in a way that tied up most of the threads neatly in the end.

In summary, if you enjoy books that revolve around moral quandaries, time travel, fate or reincarnation like themes, then SHE WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING will make for a refreshingly original and thought provoking read.

3.5 stars

I’m not quite even sure where to start with this review because this book brims with so much goodness! It’s a complex, compelling, and engaging read that still has me thinking about it! The story begins with a realistic portrait of Maria, a harried working mother of two (soon-to-be three), something many of us can relate to. Adlakha nails the grittiness and mundanity that can sometimes overwhelm parents of young children as we shuffle kids here and there and try to find time with our (also working) partners. But that ordinariness is something Maria yearns to go back to when she wakes up as a teenager back in her teenage bedroom. Soon, Maria learns that returning to the life she knew won’t be so easy: she will need to make a choice between saving a life and getting back home to the people she loves. She Wouldn’t Change a Thing has it all—time travel, romance, mystery, moral implications, mental health issues, suspense—and I’m looking forward to more from Sarah Adlakha.

This book is phenomenal: a mystery with a provocative speculative twist. Maria is a psychiatrist trying to balance her work with her family life, fretting about the lack of support from her husband, her pregnancy, and whether she'll be able to make it all work when a woman sits down for a therapy session and announces she's there to change the course of Maria's life, and prevent something devastating that looms just around the corner.

The action takes off from there, spinning between Maria's POV and that of another woman, Jenny, whose connection to Maria serves as one of several mysteries that will become clear by the end of the book.

I loved how active Maria was: she didn't wait for things to happen to her. Against everyone's advice, she dives headfirst into the mystery, and then when she ends up in an unthinkable situation (no spoilers, but it's mindbending!), she approaches that with the same take-charge agency.

This is a book about the deep, intense love you have for family and other loved ones, but also about the fact that there's maybe no one right course for your life, or one right set of people--I liked that being in tension. It's deeply emotional, with both Maria's and Jenny's journeys filled with a lot of harrowing moments, difficult choices, and catharsis--which as a reader, is so satisfying to read.

The way things tie up in the end--not a loose piece in sight--is truly masterful, and very gratifying to watch come together. This is a book that will stretch your mind. I know I'll be thinking about it for a very long time.

Maria Forssmann is 39, pregnant with her third child, and working as a psychiatrist when a patient gives her an ominous warning. When a series of events send Maria back in time to her 17 year-old self, she must make a series of difficult decisions about what things to change, what to do the same, and how to convince others of her sanity.

Told from alternating points of view between Maria and Jenny, She Wouldn’t Change a Thing explores concepts related to mental health, family, time travel, reincarnation, purpose, and free will vs. fate. There were pieces of this story that I really enjoyed. I liked the friendship between Henry and Maria, Maria’s use of her knowledge as a psychiatrist to try to prove her sanity, and how she grappled with how her decisions would impact her loved ones. I enjoyed the way the storylines intersected, and really liked Dr. Johnstone as a character.

Though She Wouldn’t Change a Thing works specifically to establish itself outside of the context of any particular religious tradition, as a nonreligious reader, I still found the certainty that the concepts related to purpose and reincarnation themes to be alienating. I wish that the whys/hows of how Maria’s time travel occurred had been more ambiguous throughout.

The plot in this novel was very ambitious and moved pretty quickly, and it took a little while to follow the shifts in perspective as the relationship between the characters is not immediately apparent. As a result, I think at times I missed out on knowing more about the characters, and I didn’t find myself particularly connected to any of them. I found the relationship between Jenny and Rachel to be the most intriguing, and would have liked to see more of that story as it progressed.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy plot-driven novels with thoughtful female characters, and who appreciate spiritual undertones.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan/Tor for an advanced copy for review.

SHE WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING
BY SARAH ADLAKHA

WOW!!! I really LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this novel. I don't think my review can even attempt to do it justice. It was a surprise because I have been having bad luck lately with being disappointed with my choices not living up to my expectations. This one did. This one really blew my mind it was just soooooo great. It deserves to win an award for its originality. I can promise you that if you take a chance on adding this novel to your must read list for 2021, you won't be sorry. First of all, the genre defies a category. I don't know if I would say that it is magical realism, Science Fiction or Fantasy but whatever it is it absolutely works.

I have never repeated the synopsis description in all of the year's that I have been reviewing for Net Galley, which has been I think seven years but I am going to make an exception for this outstanding debut from Sarah Adlakha. "Sliding Doors meets Life After Life." I have no idea what "Life After Life," is about, but I am certainly familiar with Sliding Doors, which is old enough to date myself for it must have come out at least ten year's ago and I am just estimating. This was one of the most beautiful, bittersweet novels of fiction that I have ever read in my life. It is the favorite novel I have read in my life that is so unique that it is in a class all by itself. If I could give it 1,000 stars I would because it is so fresh and yet flawless.

The plot is interesting and the characterization's so well developed that they are also flawless. Even the background character's sparkle with belief. This heartbreaking story is about a married woman who loves her husband and two young daughter's. They have been happily married and their names are Maria and Will. They are both doctors who have two young daughter's and Maria is expecting to give birth any day to a boy. Maria is a psychiatrist with her own private practice. As the novel begins Maria's first patient warns her of events to happen and Maria thinks that her patient is schizophrenic, but as things take a twist the story changes.

This really was a very pleasant surprise and I hate to say this but I am afraid that this novel has ruined me in the best of ways. What I mean is that I know that I will not read anything so fantastic that can compete with this. I hated to see this one end.

Would you give up your life and the family that you love to save someone that you never met before if you had to choose? This novel is so rich with selfless love it is also bittersweet. This is so great because you cannot predict how this story plays out. This one gets such high praise because I have never read anything quite like it before and the plot is just so unlike anything I will read again. I will be sure to watch what this author writes next because this was stunning, brilliant and not done before. I will be recommending and gifting this to everyone that I know. This one will be bought by me and is sure to be a lifetime favorite. I am so grateful that I had the good fortune to discover this fabulous debut and I will say it again--it is flawless!!

Publication Date: August 10, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, the talented Sarah Adlakha and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#SheWouldn'tChangeaThing #SarahAdlakha #Macmillan-Tor/Forge #NetGalley

This was kind of a weird book for me that involved some time travel. Main character goes back in time and has to decide whether to change something that will make her old life (which includes her husband and kids) disappear. I enjoyed the story to some degree and thought the moral quandary was interesting, but I'm generally not a huge fan of time travel.

I feel like this book was overly complicated with its slightly sideways version of reincarnation. It was an interesting read but I felt disconnected from the characters for most of the story, probably because the reincarnation with a purpose theme wasn't what I was expecting and not something I would choose to read. A few scenes at the end were emotional and touching.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for access to this arc.

If you could go back in time and change the course of lives, including your own, would you do it? Such is the dilemma of Maria whose struggle to decide what to do creates a captivating novel. It makes you wonder how you would really react to the chance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

***Blog link to follow upon release ***

She Wouldn't Change a Thing is an amazing book by Sarah Adlakha.

It's a complicated read, definitely disjointed and hard to follow at times, but that is purposely done. With this writing style, the author fully brings us into this difficult to follow, confusing, and fragmented world.

This is a story of time travel, sort of. It's a story of reincarnation. Sort of.

What I do know is that it's set in a world where people are brought back in time, with a purpose to change something.

When Maria is shot, she wakes us as a teenager in her old home. But all she wants is to be back with her husband, two daughters, and her soon-to-be-born baby boy.

What follows is the messy, emotional, and surprising story of Maria's experiences in this reversal of time. Decisions are life and death. Decisions are full of sacrifice and totally gut-wrenching.

She Wouldn't Change a Thing is a riveting and powerful read. This Sarah Adlakha tale will leave you questioning your own strength and decisions. It's a fantastic read. I couldn't put it down.

Thought provoking and psychologically thrilling, this book really posits the question of a purpose and choice in life that goes beyond a minor case of deja vu. Maria had to do what is best for Will and her children including her unborn child in order to save a little girl's life. Jenny was true to herself and Hank in order to protect Dean and Rachel. It is intriguing to see how all lives intertwined. I am definitely thinking of this book beyond the ending.

Wow! I loved this book so much. This easily could have been one of those books that I sat down and read in one sitting had I not been so busy. I loved following Maria on her journey. There were times I would find myself frustrated after she went back in time, however, it also felt like a very real interpretation of how it would be if something like this were to happen.

As a mother, I could also relate so much to her maternal instinct to want to get back to her husband and kids, and also constantly feel like you are a failure despite trying so hard and always falling short. All around she was a very relatable character, which I think helped add to the suspense of watching her go through a terrible internal debate and battle as she did her best to navigate what she wanted versus the moral implications of right and wrong.

I loved that this was a book that really made you think and ponder while also being incredibly entertaining. I also enjoyed the use of the different points of view and the inter lapping storylines. It really added to the story and made it that much better, especially since I couldn't wait to see how it all came together. Truly a great read and one I will recommend to everyone!

After a strange encounter with a patient, 39 year old Maria is sent back to her 17-year-old body with the opportunity to save the life of her husband's little sister. But if Maria saves her life, she might lose everything she has back home: 2 little girls, a baby boy on the way and her husband. What path will she choose? What is she willing to risk for the life of an innocent little girl? This tale interviews the lives of several characters as it examines what is our purpose and what will we regret when we make the choices we have.
While at times the craziness of Maria's reaction to her predicament can get a little frustrating, the book is a fascinating look at what people would do when they have to choose between their life and someone else's. There are so many lessons to learn from this book and it will get you thinking.

What a thought provoking novel!
This is one you don't want to miss. I read way past my bedtime to finish this last night and then stayed up half the night thinking about it. I think this will be a big 2021 hit.

Given the chance to prevent a tragedy, what would you do? What if meant losing the people who meant the most to you?

That is the dilemma facing Maria, a psychiatrist and a mother to two, soon to be three, children. The book opens with her struggling to balance her family life with her practice, but these relatable challenges pale in comparison to what awaits her. She Wouldn’t Change a Thing is a heart-wrenching tale of the choice one woman must make between doing the right thing, and returning to the family she loves. While time travel is the mechanism by which Maria explores this question, the book is really one about relationships and finding your path in life. This was an emotional and suspenseful book that kept me turning the pages, eager to find out how all the pieces and characters related to one another, and anxious to see how Maria’s life would turn out. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Picked this up due to the Life after Life comparison, but it really wasn't for me. No history sweep, no philosophy, character not interesting to me. I didn't get very far so judgment may not be fair. Seemed very telling-not-showing, and seemed like there was a huge gulf of events between chapter 1 and 2 that were conveyed woodenly.

I can’t stop thinking about this book. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down until the end, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m not typically a fan of time travel fiction, but this was done in such a way that it didn’t have that sci-fi feel to it. A thirty-nine-year-old wife, mother, and psychiatrist is pregnant with her third child, dealing with the apparent suicide of a patient, and has just been questioned by police about it, when she finds herself back in her seventeen-year-old body. Not only does she have to figure out how she got there and how she’ll get back, but she has to convince the people around her that she’s not crazy. Add to that, the knowledge that something terrible is about to happen to her husband, something she can now prevent, and she has to take a step back and ask herself: Will this change my fate? This is a brilliantly written story with phenomenal character development that will leave you asking the question, “what would I do?” I’m eager to see what this author writes next. Thank you for the ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.