Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing this book for my honest review. This is a cute rom-com that starts off with the amnesia/second chance trope. It evolves into so much more than just a typical rom-com. It’s also about finding oneself and healing and learning from the past. I struggled a bit to connect with the characters and their chemistry with one another. I think this might be due to too many side characters. Overall, I really did enjoy this book and loved the aspect of self discovery and loving oneself. Thank you again for the opportunity to review this book.

Okay I'm going to start this out by saying I definitely think marketing this as a romance was a miscategorization. Yes, there's a romance at the center of it, but I definitely would not agree that. genre-wise, that's what this story is. And because my expectations were so wildly off going into this book, I struggled a lot with the beginning, enough so that I almost DNF'd. I'm glad I pushed through, though, because I ended up really liking it.

Layla has always been the odd one out, the chaotic one in her family of seven. She's failed a lot, and lives with the reminders of that every day. The one decision she's sure has been a good one is Ian, her boyfriend of almost two years. At least, he was, until he broke up with her two weeks ago. But she's just gotten a call from the hospital-- Ian was in an accident, and is now asking for her. His girlfriend. As it becomes clear he doesn't remember the breakup, Layla knows she should come clean. But it's so nice to be with him again that she finds herself putting it off.
As she steps into a new role at work--one that involves Ian's estranged brother who's recently come to live with him--she wonders how long she can hold onto this new, happier, more capable version of herself, and whether it might all just be another lie.

Layla pretending she and Ian never broke up made it hard for me to root for them. She won't sleep with him while the lie hangs over them, which I appreciated, but I had this creeping feeling of dread pretty much the entire time, which is the exact opposite of what I look for in a romance. Once I was settled into the book (and basically just told myself to ignore the Romance label) I ended up liking how much I disliked Layla's choices-- she was messy and chaotic and a deeply flawed person, but I was intrigued by all that. And then Ian's brother Matt shows up and I was pretty immediately more interested in him than in Ian, which, again, felt weird considering I'd gone into this expecting a second-chance romance.
The ending also felt a bit rushed and a little too neat--I wish it had been drawn out just a little bit more, but I was ultimately happy with where things ended up.

Overall, I really liked this book, I thought it was very well written, I loved that I didn't always like the protagonist... I just really, really wish it had been marketed more accurately. I'd definitely recommend this book, just not if what you're looking for is something that reads and feels like a (genre) Romance novel.

3.5/5

This was a very cute lighthearted read! It definitely felt a bit more like a transformation story with a side of romance, but there were times it had me blushing and giggling. Layla’s journey back to herself and learning to be okay with her past was very moving and relatable.

I did feel that the pacing was very off. It took over a quarter of the way through the book before Matt was even introduced and then the ending felt very rushed. I also think Matt and Layla’s conversations needed more sexual tension in them. She’s supposed to be falling for him while dating his brother, yet the tension between her and Ian was talked about way more even if it did seem awkward because of the lies.

I guess I needed more than just a few confessions and friendly talks after arguing to really feel the connection with Matt, although I did love him more than Ian. I think this book could have been GREAT if we were given that. It also could’ve been a huge step up if Matt were introduced at the hospital in the beginning (say maybe he was on the phone with Ian when he got hit) and if we got a dual POV with him.

Overall, this book was good, waiting for it to be great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ohhhhhhh mannnnn I loved this book.

The story follows Layla, who we meet two-weeks post-break up. She's incredibly upset, doesn't know what went wrong, and still reeling. Then, she gets a call from the hospital. Her ex was in an accident. She's his emergency contact. Can she come immediately? Panicked, Layla races to the hospital only to discover her ex Ian doesn't remember their breakup—the entire last month is fuzzy in his memory. He thinks they're still together. She decides to just go with it for the time being until she can get him home safe—but then she keeps the charade going. It must be fate, right? Ian, for his part, also believes the accident was a sign, and he decides to make some changes in his life, starting with reaching out to his estranged brother Matt and inviting him to come move in. Matt and Layla butt heads, but when the theater she works at has a crisis and Matt's the only person who can save them, Layla has to force herself to work with him. Suddenly, her life is just that much more complicated.

Annette Christie is the queen of writing flawed characters who fuck up but keep going. Reading her books is the women's fiction equivalent of covering your eyes to avoid watching a trainwreck but then peeking through your fingers because you don't actually want to miss a thing. I loved The Rehearsals, so I was excited to read this, and I wasn't disappointed. I thought the characters were well thought out and interesting, and there were many times when I genuinely didn't know what was going to happen in the end. A great read, though if you're in it solely for the romance, I'd warn this skews more toward women's fiction than romance in my opinion.

Solid 4.5 stars.

For Twice In My Life by Annette Christie is a romantic comedy about a woman who gets a second chance after her boyfriend breaks up with her.

Story Recap:
Layla has a good life, made even better by her boyfriend, Ian. He’s everything she’s always wanted in a boyfriend and more. So, imagine her shock when he breaks up with her out of the blue. Layla is devastated and confused as she doesn’t know what went wrong. Two weeks later she gets a phone call from the hospital that Ian had a bicycle accident and is in the emergency room and he needs a ride home. Layla is surprised to be called, but thinks she must still be listed as his emergency contact. But, she’s even more surprised when she gets to the hospital and realizes that Ian has short-term memory loss and doesn’t remember breaking up with her.

She realizes that this is a great opportunity to find out why he broke up with her, and mend fences. But, will he remember their breakup, and will he be angry about it?

My Thoughts:

I always have a problem with a story like this where one of the main characters is involved in a deception. Plus I don’t think she has a great reason for not telling Ian about the break-up, as she had several good opportunities to talk about it.

The writing was good, but these characters are just not likable. I never felt like I got to know Ian very well at all, and Layla is very indecisive I just couldn’t like her after she deceived Ian for such a long time.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

For Twice in my Life asks the reader the question: if all is fair in love and war, how much lying does that include? A modern twist on While You We’re Sleeping, the heroine’s ex-boyfriend gets in an accident and loses the memory of their break up two weeks before. Is this Layla and Ian’s perfect second chance? Or is this the perfect way to break her own heart a second time?

I appreciated the exploration surrounding lies and truth. The lies we tell in relationships, to lovers, to our families, to ourselves, and it constantly had me reflecting on my own life which is always the sign it’s a great read, in my opinion.

While billed as a romance, I think FTIML will appeal to readers who love a good commercial/women’s fic and romance crossover as the romance *IS* there, but so are a lot of other plot lines. Also, for anyone wondering, it’s closed door.

As a Seattleite who also worked in the Seattle theatre scene for over five years, Christie did an authentic job describing both the setting and the industry!

I did feel like the ending was rushed a bit with the love interest as I would have loved to see them have a bit more time together because I grew to love their characters, I absolutely was sold on their love for each other. 4.5 stars rounding to 5

Love triangles are always my favorite. And I really liked this one because of it AND because it reminded me of the movie 'While You Were Sleeping'.

But more than being a romance, this book was heavy on self-discovery and knowing your value. I enjoyed Layla's dynamics with both Ian & Matt. Both of them had so much do with the plot; especially the banter with Matt.
I did wish to see more development & scenes with the love interest. It would have been honestly mind-blowing to get more of their interactions. Overall, I really enjoyed it.


Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

I really enjoyed For Twice in My Life! I'm usually not a fan of love triangles but Annette Christie presented the ties between Layla, Ian, and Matt in a way that was fun and interesting. I found myself loving each character for different reasons, and at times had trouble figuring out which way I wanted the ending to go. I will say I was satisfied with how everything wrapped up, and will definitely be reading Annette Christie's work in the future!

Thank you Annette Christie, Little Brown, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of FOR TWICE IN MY LIFE!

Iam a sucker for second chance romances so I loved the premise of this book. Layla was recently dumped by her boyfriend Ian, the breakup had come out of the blue leaving Layla confused as he was everything she had dreamt of ambitious, reliable and thoughtful. While she is still trying to figure out what went wrong she gets an unexpected phone call from the hospital to inform her Ian has been in an accident and she is listed as his emergency contact. She quickly realized he has amnesia and doesn’t remember their breakup. She decides not to tell him in hopes this may lead to a second chance. Much to Laylas delight the accident seems to have given Ian a new perspective on life. The only reason he had given her for breaking up with her was they didn’t get to see each other enough but now they are both making an effort to spend more time together.

This book is a love triangle which can be a fun storyline but I just felt like something was off. The first part of the book was very slow and I didn’t connect with the characters for quite a while. I really appreciate Annette Christie writing characters who are flawed and messy, it makes them much more relatable but I just didn’t see the connection between Layla and Matt. To me it really came out of no where, I even went back to re-read the chapter where they had their spark to see if I missed something. I really struggled with how quickly Layla went from dating Ian, her so called dream man to dating his brother. Matt says a couple of times that because Layla and Ian broke up they aren’t actually together but if they are both ignoring the breakup and going on as if nothing happened then to me they are still in a relationship, thus leaving very little time between the end of Ian and Laylas relationship and the beginning of the relationship with Matt. I guess I just don’t see how their relationship will ever work, I wish Matt had been a friend of Ian and not his brother. I cannot imagine how awkward Sunday dinner will be having switched brothers, just doesn’t sit right with me. I really wish they had been more time between the two men and that we had seen more of the relationship with Matt develop, as written it felt rushed and out of left field.

Despite this book not quite hitting the mark for me I do love the way Annette Christie writes and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

This has a delightful premise: Layla, devastated by a recent break-up, gets a call that her ex is in the hospital.

She was still his emergency contact… so Layla rushes there only to discover he has amnesia and is thrilled to see her. She can’t resist taking this second chance at their relationship.

The beginning was really good… but I felt like the overall pacing was a bit off. We spend too long on the breakup bit, and not enough on the character growth / denouement.

But all in all it’s a cute, closed-door romance with a novel concept.

I was intrigued by the premise of this one, which sounds a little bit like While You Were Sleeping, a fave rom-com. But I struggled with the heroine's inability to move past a previous relationship mistake that didn't seem quite as dire as it was intended to be (plus it seemed like it was quite a few years back?), and the hero was rather surly and not very charming or likable for most of the book, so it made it hard to understand why she suddenly felt she was in love with him. There was very little chemistry/heat in this romance overall, which certainly strained some credulity for Layla and Ian. The theatre background/setting was fun and I'm glad the heroine finally sorted out her career goals and moved herself forward. Overall, this wasn't a slam dunk for me, but I would try another by the author in the future.

I want to start with the positives: I loved Christie’s first book The Rehearsals and I was so excited to get an arc of this one. However, what I loved about her first book was really missing for me in this second one.

This felt very off pace to me. The entire first 1/2 felt very slow, very off, then bam we had some action and a fun story line, then it ended. The ending literally was just there. All of a sudden. Over.

I needed more in the ending - it needed more development before we got there and the opening half could have been condensed.

I never connected with the characters, even though I so badly wanted to.

I really liked this book and could not put it down! I think it was mainly because of the Main Character, Layla. She was flawed and relatable and interesting. I really identified with her. I loved the setting of Seattle (made me miss living there so much).

The premise is interesting - if you want something like While You Were Sleeping but WAY less creepy, this is the book for you. It's also a closed door romance (no sex on page).

However, there was a big downside that could trip up some readers. Most of this stems from the fact that this is a love triangle, something I have nothing against in theory, but in practice means that we don't get enough time with either love interest. Both brothers were so great in their own way, and I liked them both.

I loved the premise of this book, but not the execution. So bummed, but this just wasn’t for me. I never really felt connected to the characters and skimmed the story for the most part

2.5 Stars In For Twice in My Life by Annette Christie, Layla is devastated when she’s unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend of two years, Ian, without so much as an explanation. A couple weeks later, Layla has a second chance when she receives a call from the hospital that Ian’s been in a bike accident. He cannot remember the last month or so and believes that she’s still his girlfriend. As she takes care of a recovering Ian, Ian’s brother Matt shows up and Layla feels drawn to him.

I found it a bit hard to connect with the characters, especially Layla. She had a lot of insecurities, which partially explained her actions. Ian was also pretty selfish and hard to connect with as well. The ending was a bit rushed and I could’ve used more of an explanation for why things went the way that they did.

This book is all about second chances and whether second chances are worth the risk.

Layla has recently been broken up with by her longtime boyfriend (of YEARS!). Weeks later he is admitted to the hospital with a concussion. The kicker - he still thinks they are together and doesn't remember breaking up with her. So Layla is stuck in a predicament - does she tell him that he broke up with her? Or does she allow herself another chance to prove to him that they belong together?

While he is recovering, she meets his brother and they end up connecting on a whole other level than her and her boyfriend. What is she to do?

I loved Layla's character and I honestly loved how the story ended! I am not going to give it away, but I think that most readers will be happy with the ending.

This was definitely interesting. I didn't really feel a spark or connection between the characters so I was let down that way and the supporting characters weren't really all that helpful either. Overall pretty let down.

Earlier this year I really enjoyed The Rehearsals by Anette Christie. I was so excited to read more from her. Once again, I loved her intricate, flawed characters as they navigate messy relationships and situations.

Layla is devastated when Ian breaks up with her. But two weeks later she receives a phone call from the hospital stating he's been in an accident. And that's not all. Ian has limited memory from the last month, meaning he doesn't remember their breakup. Is Layla given a second chance with the one that got away?

As you can tell from the cover, this has a love triangle—but ultimately it's about Layla healing from her past, rediscovering herself in the process. I really loved the contrast of her ideal, comforting life battling against her acquaintance with Matt, Ian's aloof, judgemental brother who is hired within her theatre company.

I think this story had a great message! But I wanted more from the endgame romance to really solidify their connection. Everything sort of fell into place at the end without consequences, which felt a bit ill-fitted for such a tense storyline. It was still a very fun read, though! I liked it!

The Rehersal was a book that I have always seen at the bookstore and wanted to read but for some reason I have not gotten to it yet. After reading For Twice in My Life I definitely read to read it immediately. This book just pulled on my heartstrings in the best way. I have a real soft spot for mirrorball girlies and that is what Layla is. She tries so hard to be perfect and to be her best self and it just makes me tear up a bit. I also loved the chaotic-ness of some parts of this book. And you can’t forget the banter!!! I really enjoyed this book and I am really grateful I got an arc of it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company Publishers and Annette Christie for the opportunity to read this ARC. This is my honest and unpaid review of this book.
I read this book in an afternoon. I was expecting something rom com like but once I started I realized I was diving into something with much more depth. I also realized I knew I was going to enjoy the novel when the first page made me chuckle.
This story had a lot of inner turmoil that made me feel conflicting things at various points in the novel. Were things going to work out with Ian, was Matt going to ruin it all, was Layla going to ruin things for herself? Good thing I’d planned to make frozen pizzas for the kids supper tonight because it was hard to even put this book down for the half hour required to do that.
I liked discovering things about Layla’s character throughout the story at the same time that she was too. It was interesting being inside of someone else’s head on their path of self revelation.
This book was the perfect weekend read for me while it snowed…again….here in Alberta 🇨🇦.