This was unlike anything I've ever read before, and I find myself in a tricky position of wanting to tell you why but not wanting to give any of the story away because you should absolutely read this one for yourself.

I will say, there is something about characters falling in love via text / email / letters that I am 100% here for right now. It's my new favorite thing.

At first it took me a minute to warm to the characters, and they didn't seem to be painting themselves in the best light, but as the story progressed and we get to know them more I was completely in their corner to work through their challenges and baggage from the past and get together.

This is a slow burn, but with plenty of twists and turns to keep things more than interesting. Did I know I needed a sci-fi romance in my life? I did not. Am I still thinking about this book weeks after reading it? Yes, I absolutely am.

So read the synopsis, check your expectations at the door and dive on in.

A funny, sweet, sad, but mostly uplifting romance novel that has a hint of science fiction to it. It reads really quickly and never lags. A fun weekend-type of read. I definitely recommend!

What could have been better?
This book could have been 100 to 200 pages shorter.

I also didn’t really love the characters as time went on, I liked them less.

What I enjoyed?
This book was cool in the parallel universe parts! It was such an interesting idea to think about and put myself in their shoes!

I think it was also well done in all the ways the different worlds were portrayed without it being confusing.

The email exchanges were so cute and made the book go quickly in a lot of ways.

I liked that the chapters were pretty short because f paired with the emails made it feel like I was flying through it until I got closer to the end.

If you’re interested in a book with short chapters, contemporary romance and a sci fi twist? Check this out!

NEW UNDER-THE-RADAR READ!

SUMMARY: An misdirected email leads to online flirtation and ultimately a life-changing connection between Nick and Bee. But when the two try to meet in person, they realize they exist in very similar yet disparate versions of the same world.

I really liked this genre-bending story of two people who find connection across worlds! There are romantic and science fiction elements to the story, but it read more like contemporary fiction to me.

It was interesting, funny, and thought provoking—so much of what happened led me to wonder how I would handle a similar situation—so book clubs and buddy readers would have a lot to discuss! It’s also one that I’ll be thinking about for a while.

I feel like it’s a good pick if you liked any/all of the following: The Time Traveler’s Wife, Oona Out of Order, or Sliding Doors (the 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow movie). I also think it deserves way more buzz than it’s getting, so I encourage you to check it out!!

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book so adept at inspiring, sustaining, and rewarding my curiosity as a reader as The Impossible Us.

It’s the story of Nicholas – Nick - a Leeds-based (ghost)writer and Rebecca – Bee - a London-based small business owner (of For Frock’s Sake, a company that turns wedding fashion into anything from a coat for a grieving widow to cushions for a happily married couple) who are brought together by a mis-sent email. They begin an epistolary romance that comes to a pause when they discover a problem - they don’t live in the same world. Bee’s world is our/the reader’s world, while Nick’s is, in the words of the book “Quaker capitalism with a side order of socialism”. His world doesn’t have Tinder but does have Marvel, because apparently there truly is no corner of space or time where it is possible to elude the Avengers and their hundreds-strong entourage. Shocked but undaunted, Bee and Nick resolve to be together - even if they can’t be with the same version of each other. Their lives - and those of their alternate selves - will never be the same.

Much as Bee alters clothes, Lotz uses sharp humor, well-drawn characters, thoughtful plotting and a dash of sci-fi instead of needle and thread to reinvigorate the standard formula of British women’s fiction. You think you’ve met these characters before - the Everygirl heroine with her beleaguered married-with-kids best friend/sister. You think you’ve encountered this storyline before – ‘what if in another life . . . ?’ And you have, but the quality of execution is as different as cheap polyester is from silk.

Nick himself jokes about trying to categorize the story - “seems Quantum Anomaly Fuckup Land has spawned its own romance genre” he says. The Impossible Us artfully splits the difference between HEA romance and heartbreaker fiction/sci-fi. It develops and deepens the main relationship the way the best romances do - all show, no tell - and funnels the high-stakes (life, death, and a love that transcends worlds!) action through two main character PoVs that are observant and wry, ensuring the book never gets bogged down with maudlin, synthetic sentimentality.

The truth about The Impossible Us is this: while you may have read something like it recently, you’ve also probably read nothing like it in a long time.

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This was a fun and touching read but also bittersweet, knowing these two have found the person for them but also knowing they can never be together other than by text. This book was well written full of good humor and the classic love story. I laughed, I cried and just like you will find yourself doing hoping for a happy ending!

OK. This book! This one had me flipping pages like no other! I was reading this on our way home from Florida and I found the concept so good that I was sharing it with my husband. He then kept interrupting my reading just to find out what was happening!

The writing is fluid and easy with a mix of email correspondence making it an interesting style. The concept was incredible and left you scratching your head as to if this could really be true; parallel universe with doppelgängers? This is easily one of my fave reads of the year so far! (Which goes to show that you can enjoy books outside of your go-to genre!!)

I rarely look at a synopsis before starting a book and I’m so glad I read The Impossible Us with no information. Otherwise I would have been denied that gasp out loud moment.
I’ll tell you that it’s a unique love story and you need to read it. Just trust me and go in blind.
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I didn't know quite what to expect when I started this, but I was pleasantly surprised by the mix of romance and sci-fi!

This was not at all what I expected and I ended up loving it. The characters were great and the story was engaging. So much so, that I finished it in a day. The time travel/alternate dimension twist was very original. Will definitely recommend.

Confession time: I have a soft spot for Sci-Fi Romance. I love sci-fi, and I very much enjoy a cute love story, and when you put them together it’s like chocolate and peanut butter. (Just in case you’re outside the US: yes, that’s a very good thing.)

The Impossible Us was right up my alley. This book is like “You’ve Got Mail” with a multiverse sci-fi twist. Nick, a soon-to-be-divorced freelance writer, and Bee, an endlessly-Tinder-dating designer, strike up a friendship as the result of an email sent to the wrong address. Their conversations bring them closer and closer together, but when they finally arrange to meet, they inexplicably can’t find each other – because somehow, they’ve managed to connect across parallel worlds.

I adored the relationship and sparkling banter between Nick and Bee, who are perfectly suited to one another, but I really enjoyed a lot of their relationships with side characters as well. Nick has a really touching bond with his stepson, and Leila and Bee’s friendship is fierce. I even liked Nick’s eventual friendship with Geoffrey, the Berenstain Society kook (who turns out to be a lot less loony than he first appears.)

Overall, this book gave me some strong star-crossed lovers, “Time Traveler’s Wife” vibes, though it turned out to be less of a tearjerker than that one (thankfully, since I read this at work.) If you’re a sucker for a sci-fi romance mashup like me, don’t miss out on The Impossible Us.

Representation: Major side character of color

CW: infidelity, infertility, abortion, suicide

The Impossible Us is such a hard book for me to rate and review. It was such a unique book and I loved the concept. Our author incorporated so many cool ideas into this novel. Even taking ‘false memories’ or the ‘mandala effect’ and explaining it via the use of alternate universes. In this novel, ‘displaced people’ is the term used for people from that have memories pertaining to a parallel universe to their own; one example is the whole Berenstain/Berenstein Bears debate.
I was very invested from the beginning. Two people from connecting universes who are miraculously able to converse through email and fall in love? Yes, please. Somewhere around the middle, I started to lose a bit of interest. The decisions our characters were making frustrated me, although some of them were understandable. Our characters definitely acted selfishly over and over, and became a little less likable for me. The plot also started taking a bit too long to progress and I found myself only reading short bouts at the time.
The ending chapter was pretty fantastic though, and took quite a cool little turn. The end left me feeling a bit unsettled but that’s not a bad thing.
I enjoyed that this was a blend of science fiction, time travel, and romance. I don’t get to read that blend very often and it was a refreshing change of pace,

Book hangovers are real, y’all. Seriously. I had the hardest time figuring out what to read after finishing The Impossible Us, by Sarah Lotz. When I finished reading, I believe I hugged my Kindle to my heart and sighed. After the roller coaster of emotions, I think that was probably the only justifiable reaction. Keep reading for my review of The Impossible Us, by Sarah Lotz.

I didn't have any personal triggers from this book, but there are a couple of situations when a side character is in an abusive situation. It is heavily implied, but never outright spoken, so the triggers should be minimal. The character's situation is important to moving the story forward, but I appreciate the author's not stating anything outright. 

Most Relatable Character?
Probably Bee’s best friend, Leila. She is loyal, protective, and blunt with Bee. There are several times in the book that Bee avoids telling her things, because she knows how Leila will react. I found it appealing and encouraging that Leila fought infertility and ended up with twins. Since I’m fighting my own infertility battles, every encouragement, fictional or otherwise, is welcome.

Would I recommend The Impossible Us?
Absolutely, wholeheartedly, yes I would! I loved every single bit of the story, and think that every reader can find something enjoyable. The dynamic between Bee and Nick, despite it all being told through emails, is so fun. They don’t hold much back, so their individual personalities shine through. The switch between POV was easy to tell, since the author labeled each chapter with whomever was speaking.

Bee and Nick have a really fun dynamic that the author perfectly described through the emails that they send back and forth. Their falling in love seems perfect for the world we live in, because so many people these days meet online. Their desperation to find a solution for being in different universes jumps off the pages, and will definitely ensnare you in their drama. I definitely recommend The Impossible Us, to sci-fi fans and romance fans alike. The book has so many relatable characters, and I think it has something for everyone.

Two strangers connect over a misdirected email, forming a friendship and maybe something more. But when they go to meet in person, realize they may be living in alternate realities.

I'm not one to typically enjoy a sci-fi or speculative type of novel, but I was intrigued by this one from the start. I enjoyed the format that alternated between Bee and Nick's perspectives and shared transcripts of their email exchanges. I was hooked on their connection and wanted to see how their worlds would come together.

The middle of the book dragged on a bit for me. While the pair tries to find their real world doppelgangers, the story lost some of its spark and I got frustrated by the manipulation. Overall it's a story that will make you think about how you'd react in a similar situation, and what kind of ripple effect a small change may make in the world (a la The Midnight Library).

The characters are quirky but there are some humorous moments. I wish we got a bit more from the end, but also can appreciate it was left a bit open. Pick this up if you want a unique story that's unlike any love story you've read before.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild ride! I love romance and I enjoy sci fi, especially stories that feature the multiverse, so I couldn’t resist reading this book since it combines both of those into one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read.
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I of course had to suspend disbelief at the idea that Bee and Nick, in parallel universes, could somehow find one another through an email. Once I convinced my brain to go along for the ride, I settled in and quickly became invested in Bee and Nick’s story.
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I loved their chemistry and easy banter and found myself rooting for them to find a way to defy the impossible odds of them ever actually meeting. I mean, seriously, how can you have a romance if a happy ending is actually impossible?
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It’s best to go into this story blindly so I’ll just say Lotz does a brilliant job of making Bee & Nick’s story seem entirely plausible & of creating riveting suspense as they desperately explore all of their options.

The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz is a romantic science fiction fantasy story. The story in The Impossible Us is one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters in the book. It’s also one that is partly done in epistolary style with email correspondence between the characters.

Nick has a client that hasn’t paid their bill so he shoots off an email trying to chase down his money but instead of his client’s mail it ends up in Bee’s. Bee can’t help but reply to the random sender but she never expects to strike up a friendship with a man she knows nothing about.

As Nick and Bee go about their daily lives vowing not to give out personal details about one another they both can’t help to imagine their new friend. When the relationship is better than all her random Tinder dates Bee suggests meeting but somehow the two can’t find one another at the designated spot and soon realizes they are worlds away.

I’m usually a bit hesitant to pick up books dealing with multiverses as some can be really confusing but I sure was glad that I decided to take a chance with The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz. I’m not sure all science fiction fans will be thrilled because this one is more heavy on romance and lighter on the sci-fi side but I found it to be incredibly engaging being a lover of both genres. I couldn’t help but want to get to know both characters and root for them and their love story and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough when learning of their dilemma. The only thing I would change is take out the political jabs as I read to escape that type of attitudes from either side but otherwise I’d say take a chance on this one if a romantic sci-fi sounds fun.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a tough book to rate. The Impossible Us by British author Sarah Lotz was unexpected in a really good way. Main characters Bee and Nick are incredibly normal people. Bee has given up on finding true love so she’s a serial Tinder dater, all about the one-night stands. No commitment. No chance of getting hurt. She’s empowered, running her own small business repurposing wedding dresses, but not especially heroic. She originally wanted to be a fashion designer and has slipped into this niche that suits her. Bloom where you’re planted and all that. Despite early promise, Nick is a failed writer in a failing marriage. He drinks too much and doesn’t seem to be able to quit smoking. His wife has pity on him so she hasn’t quite gotten around to divorcing him, hoping he can get on his feet before she pulls the plug. All of us can relate to dashed dreams along the path to paying the bills.

These two meet when a ranting email from Nick to a non-paying freelance client goes to Bee instead. He’s mistyped the address. Because he’s a writer and not without talent, it’s a really good rant and Bee feels compelled to respond, letting him know the object of his anger and distain has not received the missive. That should have been the end of it, but Nick has time on his hands so he writes back. The two begin exchanging emails. The banter is really excellent. Funny. Sarcastic. All the things we Americans love about British humor. For instance, there was a reference to someone who was in “tinfoil millinery land” referring to people who wear foil hats so space aliens can’t read their thoughts.

Oddly, there are a few discrepancies in their exchanges that come up over pop-culture references, but they are easily explained away. Bee calls their exchanges “e-mails” and Nick calls them “i-mails.” Ironically, I had to stop and look up a lot of those references since they are almost all unique to the UK—including some slang which was totally appropriate, just not in my mental reference library. Quickly, we learn that Bee and Nick are actually living in parallel universes. This premise has so much potential. What fantasy/sci-fi reader hasn’t imagined their life in another world? In a parallel universe I’m a successful pastry chef with my own television show on the Food Network. I beat Bobby Flay with my carrot cake (it really is remarkable) and am a regular judge on competition shows. I teach and tour, write cookbooks, and have my own line of baking products, currently on sale at Target.

We know at the outset this is a doomed couple. Even the casual movie goer knows you can’t cross the multiverse without a lot of intervention and danger. Spiderman just proved this and why it’s a really bad idea. It’s a non-starter so what’s there to talk about the entire rest of the book?

The rest of the book is… clever, full of real emotions like jealousy, loving someone enough to want the best for them at your own expense, and the mess that is real life—just superimposed on quantum physics.

I’m happy to report that Lotz does not follow the tradition of British authors who embrace the tragic ending. Her solution is, unfortunately, a little predictable. She brilliantly wrote herself into a corner and then took an easy-ish way out. I wanted it to be just as clever as the rest of the book. It wasn’t a cop out, but it didn’t seem proportional or carry the same energy as the lead up to it. I will admit to wanting a more “American” ending, more flourish and punch, but Lotz’s subtly is appreciated. She does not leave us wondering how the characters ended up or unsatisfied. I loved the premise. I loved the writing. I loved parts of the story and only liked others. I liked the characters, related to them in some ways, but wouldn’t want to be them. Is it worth reading? Definitely.

My Rating: A+/B+

I was SO excited to read this based on the synopsis. I really almost DNFd it at Chapter 3. I ended up skimming through the rest of the book for major plot points and to see how it ended. I was not a fan of the writing style or any of the characters. The essence of the plot was there, but I was hoping for a different vibe I guess.

A similar plot was executed much more enjoyably in The Firebird Trilogy by Claudia Gray.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for access to this arc.

First the cover said “investigate me.” So I did. Then the blurb said “You know you want to read me.” And I did. The opening email screed had me in stitches and I was hooked as Nick and Bee began their relationship through emails. Or in Nick’s case – imails. For much of the book I was frantic to find out “What would happen next” as this book is something I adore – unpredictable. Then it sort of started to change into something I wasn’t expecting and didn’t particularly care for. And that was before the ending.

I don’t want to give too many spoilers but the blurb basically hands over a big one. At this point, one character begins to investigate and realization of what may be happening arrives and is accepted very quickly. My brain would have been reeling. In the service of getting on to the next stage of the plot, some science hand waving goes on and everyone who knows settles down. Well everyone except for the people who aren’t told what’s going on until the plot needs them to know. A whole lot of people end up knowing.

Still I was caught up in the story. It’s different – at least I hadn’t read anything like it – and emotional and as I said, I didn’t know where it was going. Then it sort of turned into a pig on roller skates going in directions I hadn’t expected and ending up all over the place. Was it a romance? Or was it Sci-fi/fantasy? If a romance, was it happy or bittersweet? If Sci-fi/fantasy, was it vague or detailed? It couldn’t seem to decide what it was going to end up being. The characters are mostly well rounded and given enough flaws to make them feel real. I also liked that Bee and Nick are slightly older than the average romance couple.

Bee has a brilliant idea of how the two of them might work out a way to be together. But the more they traveled down this road, the more I didn’t like it. Several people who are aware of what is going on tell both of them that this isn’t right. I was nodding along with this. Bee and Nick manipulate people, lie, commit what might be thought of as “infidelity” (the characters seem to view it as this), and it made me very, very uncomfortable. Things go tits up in multiple ways and I couldn’t find it in me to be sorry about this even as I was concerned about how the book might end. Yeah and that left me unsatisfied on both counts. Nick, a writer, even mentions how sometimes book endings have readers leaving reviews in which they rail about “how could the writer have ended the book this way?” Yes to this.

What I wanted to happen didn’t. Or did it? The book finally uses some of the heaping amounts of set up situations, characters, and clues that have been sprinkled laboriously through it to get to an ending that might or might not be what readers want. I’m still unsure and am just going to accept that I’m apparently being left to decide what I want and that, whatever that might be, I now have it. This isn’t my personal choice – I prefer cut and dried over hazy maybe. YMMV and I know a lot of people will love this book but enough other things left me unsatisfied that the unusual-to-me plot and initial enjoyment of the banter and relationship couldn’t carry the day. C+

I got to read The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz as part of the Berkley Besties program. What I love is that when we discuss it in the group, it opens my mind up to other perspectives and helps me see the books in different ways. I really enjoyed this one and found it hitting a couple of different check marks. Emotional, funny and thought provoking, it held my interest throughout. Using the emails as a way of communication was a really fun device too. Would it still be called epistolary if it’s emails instead of letters? Anyway, I think this is a book that will appeal to wide range of readers.