It took me a while to pick this book up, but it was a good read once I did. I don't always love a story with this type of storytelling of two lives, but in this case, it was a good book to read. I enjoyed the characters and I found it to be a nice story.

What a debut!! Honestly loved this one, it’s the perfect read to make me feel more summery vibes instead of the horrible winter weather we find ourselves with. The characters drew me in straight away and had me hooked and then I just couldn’t wait to find out where the story was going next! It was heartwarming and uplifting and exactly what I needed!

The premise of this was interesting, but I felt like it could’ve been executed better. There were a lot of comments about weight and self worth which could definitely be triggering to some people, and there were some unsavory comments about mental illness in the book. I think if some of that had maybe been reeled in or revised, I would’ve had a more enjoyable time with this.

It’s quite rare to make me fall for the chapters and the writing and this one hit like a crane.. What a beautiful story with such raw, honest and authentic characters. I liked how flawed they’re and how intricately woven. Along with that I really liked the characters’ arc and growth, especially Susie’s. In my humble opinion, it deserves 5 stars and so much more

Although I thought the book's idea was intriguing, I didn't believe the tale was handled particularly effectively. Because the characters lacked "character," it was hard to feel a connection to any of them. Additionally, I thought the steps the character(s) had to do to return to their original timeframe were a little bit harsh.

Josie has my heart! This book was such a sweet one to read and so fun to explore what another version of her life could have looked like. Josie was so relatable and as much fun as her second life looked, the author kept it very real as to show that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
As someone who sometimes wonders this, it was interesting to see her perspective on things as they are and could have been,. In both version of Josie's life, she loses someone she cares very deeply about but she also plays two very different roles in each life.
I did think the story dragged on a little bit longer than in needed to and there were times I was confused by the two separate Josie's as opposed to one Josie living two different lives but the author kept it very clear and consistent to avoid any possible confusion.
And can we talk about the cover for just a minute? It's so gorgeous and depicts the story beautifully!
Overall a great read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This book is so well-written that I immediately felt Josie's confusion and turmoil when she awakes from her bike accident in hospital. Her idea that she's living a parallel life is the stuff of fantasy but it is so credible this book completely hooked me in. The author has written it in such a clever way, with alternate realities that I felt for Josie as she juggled her relationships in each life. It became very sad towards the end as the romance / love side of Josie's life became set almost 12 months after the accident, I found it very moving.
This is a wonderful love story across a fantasy (or is it?) situation, I agree that lovers of Audrey Niffenegger and Diana Gabaldon (the Outlander books, not the tv version) will love it. I've signed up to follow this fantastic author after reading this book.

Great relaxing read with substance.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my feedback.

Ahhh this book was just beautiful. It was very heartwarming, and I enjoyed the characters. It was well written, and had a very interesting premise. Highly enjoyed.

I’m sure we’ve all had moments where we think about the what-ifs of choices we may or may have not made. Yes, Josie’s life isn’t completely perfect, but things seem to be looking up and she even may be making progress with the guy she’s been crushing on. When he gets in an accident on her 36th birthday, she wakes up in the hospital with a strange man claiming to be her husband.

What made this story so interesting is that even though Josie has everything she thinks she wants in this new life there are some drastic changes in people that she’s missing. This made everything more realistic as she’s trying to find her way in her new life. That being in both worlds, because there is also a Josie that wakes up in the first world we read about. I know this sounds confusing, but it definitely makes you think even more seeing both sides.

Add some romance elements and Josie’s story had me hooked and wanting to know whether she would stay in her current life or go back to her new one. It’s hard to say more about this book without spoiling, but it definitely makes you think about what you would do if you woke up in a different life the next day.

The Love of My Other Life was a thought-provoking, heartwarming, and interesting story.

In the Love of My Other Life, the main character Josie is on her way to celebrate her 36th birthday with friends. Along the way, she gets into a biking accident and the trajectory of her life changes. She wakes up to a life that is not hers - living in Manhattan, married, and working for a successful real estate company.

I love the idea of a "what if" point of view - where the character has two different lives and the decisions they make. I loved the character Josie and really empathized with the her as she tried to sort out these two lives. There were some parts of the book that were a little slow, but the novel was beautifully written, and the plot flowed smoothly

Thank you, C.J. Connolly, Joffe Books, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

THE LOVE OF MY OTHER LIFE
BY
C.J. CONNOLLY.

Josie is in her mid thirties. Her life is ok, she lives in New York, has an ok job and a small apartment. She hasn’t quite hooked the man of her dreams, but all in all, things could be worse.
On her way to meet friends to celebrate her birthday, Josie is involved in an accident.
The next thing Josie is aware of is waking up in hospital, but she doesn’t wake up to the life she had before the accident. For starters there is a rather handsome man sat at her bedside and apparently he is her husband. This new life seems to be everything that her old life isn’t, but at what cost does the new life come?
Will Josie choose to go back or will her new life be enough to make her want to stay?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the premise of the story and I’m always drawn to a sliding doors style storyline.

This is an emotional read - there were tears!

The Love Of My Other life is so well written. It has real depth and some endearing characters.
It’s full of love, finding strength and seeking acceptance.

A beautiful read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out now on all formats.

With thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for a digital arc of this title.

You know when you’re going through something, and then you read a book and it brings up those emotions and makes you ball like a baby? That was this book for me.

Summary
On Josie’s 36th birthday she gets into an accident and upon awakening realizes she’s in some alternate reality. Gone is her job at the radio station, her choir group, the man she had been pining after, her house, her body, and so much more. In its place is an elevated, wealthier, skinnier, more successful version of herself. She the last 3 years of her life are completely different, and the biggest change of them all is a husband. As she begins to navigate this new life she realizes that all her wildest dreams have been handed to her on a platter, and now she must decide if this flashy new life is worth all that she would lose by giving up on her old one.

Thoughts
Ugh this was SO much better than what I was expecting. The Love of my Other Life deviates from the typical structure of alternate universe stories (not that I've read many), but I enjoyed the questions it brought up and how Josie really has few reasons to go back to her own life but still questioned her decision to stay because she knew this life belonged to some other version of herself. I loved how the choice to stay in the alternate reality wasn't an easy one because the cost of what Josie would giving up was priceless, but at the same time she would get everything she's always dreamed up in return for this sacrifice. The parallel between the two Josie's, their similarities and differences was an interesting juxtaposition. I think her husband was a little too perfect, but last few chapters brought some intriguing complexity to his character which I wish had been explored further. Overall, this was a well-paced, wonderfully complex story the author weaved that aroused many questions and prompted me to reflect on what I would do if faced with the same challenges as Josie.

Rating: 5/5
Spice: 1/5

Characteristics
- Alternate universe/parallel realities
- Millionaire H
- Push/pull
- Marriage in trouble
- Forced proximity
- Mutual Pining

Great story, really enjoyed this plot. I'd recommend this book to people who enjoyed the time Travelers wive or the lake house. Parallel live where there are points where they crossover.

Beautifully written, I'll definitely buy more from this author.

This book was amazing and very hard to put down. It's difficult to pull off the two timelines mixed with some magic and make it seem plausible but this author did it. I loved the pacing and the premise and would highly recommend it. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Could not finish, the main character was just not likeable. She was spoiled and rude and not relatable at all.

Josie had an accident and wake up in completely new reality. Before, she was a single woman living in a small flat, with no great prospect for the future and after, she is married woman, living in the penthouse and on the magaiznes' covers. What a change!

Jodie is lost. She suffers from the memory lost, so she feel insecure, absent in her life. Then, she starts to remember... but remember her live before the accident. And anyone believes her... She decide to find out what happend.

And here is the moment when everything in this book went wrong.

Her ideas, actions and explanation what had happend are unreal. This is full of holes, repeating all over again and it just started to be boring. I struggled to get to the end to get the ending that I don't like at all.

I expected this story to move in complete different direction, so I found it unnnatural and I don’t buy it at all

I've read other books with a similar plot line, but this one just didn't seem to pull me in. I may pick it up and try again, but for now it moves to the bottom of the virtual pile.

I love anything to do with time travel or multiverse, so this book was right up my alley. It’s very well written and easy to follow. ( sometimes they are not ) I enjoyed the two timelines as they were very different. I didn’t love Josie 2. I felt like she was very different to number 1. She wasn’t terrible, but definitely not as good a person. (Which is interesting if you think about it) overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the author again soon.

The Love of my Other Life was such a fun twist on the alternative reality trope! Josie gets in a crash on her 36th birthday and wakes up as an another version of herself in an alternative reality. She has to get used to living in a reality that isn’t hers and then has to decide if she should stay or try to go back to her real life.

The interesting part for me was that Josie switched places with the Josie whose reality she took over. It has several parts, going between the two. It really explores the idea of what makes your life fulfilling. It also makes you think about how your life might have been different if you did one thing differently.

I really enjoyed this book overall but did find parts of the ending a little strange. It is a little predictable and slow at times but overall I would recommend it!