Twice in a Lifetime by Melissa Baron is a captivating and emotional read that is perfect for fans of romance, time travel, and stories about mental health, who will be drawn to Isla's relatable struggles and Ewan's poignant attempts to save her, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a heartwarming and captivating tale of love and self-discovery.

Isla's depression and anxiety went into overdrive juggling her mom's failing health and an all-consuming job. After her mom's death, Isla needed a change of scenery to reorient herself. Freshly situated outside St Louis, Isla's still working on building up her confidence when she gets a strange text from a man claiming to be her husband... in the future. While at first she has no reason to believe him, it's ultimately a boon for our awkward, socially anxious protagonist to skip past the getting to know you phase and talk to someone who already knows and loves her. But it's not all rainbows and sunshine. Ewan's trying to prevent a nebulous disaster in Isla's future, one that left him grief-stricken and desperate for these text conversations with Isla of the past. They're as much to soothe him as to help Isla avoid her own destruction.

As is common with stories that spotlight mental health topics, things get quite heavy and could be triggering for some readers. The timey wimey aspects only elevate it. Isla struggles a lot with negative self talk, which can be hard to read. It helps somewhat that she's aware her self esteem is low, and it's an area of immense growth as the plot develops. We also see Isla have on page panic attacks, bouts of social anxiety, and all-too-relatable depressive episodes where nothing can bring her joy and all is hopeless. But we also see her do hard things, things that only with time can she acknowledge as brave-- take herself to therapy, put herself in stressful social situations to build important relationships, go on adventures even if they're overwhelming at first, and stick up for herself to loved ones though it could mean confrontation. We also see Isla pick up a paintbrush and acknowledge the artist she is. Through this strange opportunity to speak to a future loved one, Isla finds a needed avenue to confront herself and build the future she wants.

On the romantic front, I found both phases (the twice in a lifetime) equally compelling in different ways. It's an interesting concept to see a romance between the same two people play out twice in the same book without being quite a second chance trope. The book takes up thoughtful opposition to the romantic assumption that love is a cure-all for life's many ills. Isla and Ewan can support each other through life's toughest moments, but only Isla can do the work to love herself and make space for her hopes and dreams. Despite that, the power of love in its many forms is never in question throughout, even bending time itself to its will. There are moments both cute and devastating woven together beautifully. I feared the story's tragic elements throughout and admit to a fair bit of ugly crying before all was said and done. But I didn't appreciate the sweeter elements any less, and in fact, the happily ever after was that much more cathartic for it.

This book succeeds on many levels. By messing with time, it plays with concepts of destiny and free will. The author gives us two fully fleshed out protagonists in Isla and Ewan. From their work and hobbies to their family and friends, the complexities allow you to see right to the heart of them. It makes the romance more impactful because it doesn't detract from the many other meaningful parts of living. Cheers to a book that destroyed me but was kind enough to put me back together again! Thanks to Alcove Press for my copy to read and review.

This felt like The Lake house but with more emotion. There definitely needs some trigger warnings because parts are really heavy.

A great message in a beautiful, beautiful story.

I cannot believe this is a debut! All the feels, all the stars--this book broke me and I enjoyed every second of it.

This book has a different quality about it that makes it very easy to read and make you think about it after you put it down. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

This was a fantastic time travel mixed with elements like Oona Out of Order, which is an all time favorite of mine. I really enjoyed the love story between the 2 main characters. I also thought the anxiety representation was very good and quite accurate and true to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Thank you for the advanced readers copy Netgalley, but this one ultimately was not a book worth finishing for me.

Thanks to Alcove Press, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

I am know I am late with this review, as this book was published at the end of last year, but I wanted to be in the right frame of mind to read it.

The story, after all, is about coping with severe anxiety, depression and grief. Isla receives a text message from a person claiming to be her future husband, Ewan, who has lost her and is dealing with the pain of that loss. Isla is trying to cope with anxiety and self-doubt. Half way through the book, everything starts to look better, but the reader has to struggle through some dark stuff to get there. It's well-written, so that helps, but it's still tough. Then about 3/4 of the way through I wanted to throw my kindle across the room.

I'm glad I didn't, but I won't tell you why. It's a lovely read, whimsical at times and empathetic. I did think it was a little drawn out, but that's probably because I read the whole thing it one sitting rather than taking a rest here and there. It's heavy content so be warned but don't be put off like I was, delaying reading this. The end is uplifting and real in a beautiful way, even though the path is fantastical.

FLEW through this excellent, incredible book. Tightly written, earnest, laugh-out-loud funny at several parts—one of the best fantasy books I've read in ages

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

A unique and cute romance that was a quick listen on audio. A different take on time travel and I thought this one was well done. I enjoyed this one but felt like there was just something missing for me to really feel connected and attached to these characters. Still a cute one!

This book was so original and sweet yet I couldn't help being bewildered and intrigued. It reminded me of the lake house with Sandra bullock and Keanu reeves. I couldn't help but be pulled in and was transformed into the story

This is the story about Isla who has fled her city after having a rough time. She is now in Missouri and she receives texts messages from a man claiming to be her husband. Obviously she doesn't trust him but then he sends her their wedding picture.

I had an enjoyable time reading this book. When I first read the synopsis, I thought it'd be a lighthearted rom-com but this book was so much serious than just a rom-com. There were many heavy topics in this book including death, grief, mental health concerns and so on.

The mental health representation was great in this book. Isla had chronic anxiety disorder and it was shown in a proper manner.

Though I enjoyed for the most part but I felt few parts were kind of repetitive.

Overall, a good book and I'd definitely recommend it.

If you like to read your romances with a requisite box of Kleenex beside you, this is a book for you! Pulls on all of the heartstrings at multiple points throughout and leaves your heart somewhat worn out but with a deep sense of fulfillment. I cannot believe that this is Melissa Baron's debut novel because of just how well it is crafted. Just absolutely beautiful and I still remember it fondly, even several months after reading it!

Raw, Painful, Heartbreaking, but so so so Hopeful.

Looking for a change after a particularly hard year, 29-year-old Isla decides to leave Chicago to move into a gorgeous little cottage in a small town outside St Louis in Missouri. In the midst of building her new life in a new city, with a new job, struggling with her self worth and her mental health, Isla receives a mysterious text from Ewan, a man claiming he's her future husband, who tries to set her on a different path, one that'll hopefully see them happy together forever.

Twice in a Lifetime is not a time-travel romance. Not in the sense one might generally intend it. There's a time-loop element that the author cleverly uses throughout the book not just as a device for the story, but also and most importantly to show Isla's growth and healing.

The characters are well fleshed out and very human in their thoughts and struggles. Isla's story is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. Her struggles with her self-worth really resonated with me and I teared up so many times while reading. I just wanted to give her a hug. I loved watching Isla work on herself and pushing herself out of her comfort zone, despite being absolutely terrified. She's her own knight in shining armour. It made her and Ewan's happy ending that much sweeter.

The writing is captivating and powerful. I was hooked from chapter one and I struggled to put the book down, despite the heavy topics the author deals with in the book. Melissa Baron does not shy away from the ugly truth of living with severe anxiety and depression, but handles these topics with the care and respect they deserve.

While this is a hard book to recommend to just anybody, due to the many trigger warnings, I encourage you to pick this up (if and when in the right frame of mind) because it really is an amazing story. One of strength, resilience and love.

Hats off to Melissa Baron for this heartbreakingly beautiful debut novel.


Trigger warnings: depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks, TBI, mentions of suicide attempts, parental neglect and verbal abuse, bullying

***Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the eARC of Twice in a Lifetime in exchange for my honest review***

I had high hopes for this book and although it was well-written and characterised, I couldn't quite get to grips with it and in fact have just realised I never finished it. I'm not sure why - perhaps just not for me. It's an ambitious and intriguing premise, well executed... in fact I will return to it at some point and give it another go!

TWICE IN A LIFETIME has Isla leaving the city for a slower paced life in a small town to try and manage her chronic anxiety. When she receives a text from a man who claims to be her husband, it ultimately leads to her wondering about the truth and the trajectory of her life.
I thought this was an interesting concept and was able to not focus too much on the specifics of the time travel, but ultimately I didn't really feel the chemistry between the main characters. The whole storyline felt weird and manufactured. Despite trying to go with the flow, my questions often brought me out of the story.
I appreciated the representation and thought the writing was good, so potentially this plot just wasn't for me but I would give this author's next work a try.
Thank you Alcove Press for the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this story. Its main focus is anxiety and how to let others in to help. The romance was sweet if a little to good to be true. Near the end of the story I was getting choked up, which never really happens to me while listening to a book, and I credit it to the author making characters that have a true connection with each other.

A tender and heartfelt story of acceptance and love that transcends time, perfect for fans of The Lake House. I’m calling it as early as now, this is definitely coming in as one of the best books I’ve read this year! It’s been over a week since I read this and I still have a massive hangover that I’m not able to pick any romance or women’s fiction up at the moment. I just love everything about this book and I can’t believe that this is a debut.

While adjusting to her new and quiet life in a small town in Missouri, vastly different from the fast-paced one she left behind in Chicago, Isla Abbott receives a text message from a man she has never met claiming to be her husband and from the future, Ewan Park. What ensues is a journey of how these two will come together, the lengths they will go through, and the choices they will make, despite the odds, timelines and all.

Baron gave us a deeply sensitive and raw portrayal of navigating everyday life with a chronic anxiety, and also how debilitating it could be just as much as a physical disability. It can be exhausting even to the point of deciding to just stop it. Depiction of the realization of loving one’s self first before giving or receiving it is another aspect of this book that I love so much. No amount of external love can fill the void if such void is coming from within.

And Ewan! He is the perfect cinnamon roll! While others may criticize his character as too perfect, I liked that he balances Isla’s out. Baron also gave us a look at someone who is living with a person with such a mental illness through Ewan.

This was quite a heavy read from the get-go but it was all worth it through the end. Be prepared to be gutted but also mended when you decide to pick this one up.

Thank you so much to Alcove Press, NetGalley and the author for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.