This book just did not work for me. While I appreciated the message that the author was trying to convey, by the end of the book, I felt like I had been bludgeoned over the head with it. I generally love a magical realism premise, and I thought the plot device of having the main character learn her supposed “death date” could have been interesting. But this book was far too convoluted and heavy-handed. There is way too much time spent going back and forth to the wellness clinic that gives Olivia her death date, without any eventual payoff of any importance. The relationship between Olivia and her best friend, Marian, is confusing and unbelievable for most of the book. They are annoyed with each other for superficial and/or inexplicable reasons most of the time, and every time that it seems they will make amends, they just spiral back into another odd estrangement. It’s difficult to understand why they were friends in the first place. The relationship between. Olivia and her husband is also unrealistic. He spends most of the book being overly indulgent to her selfish and odd behavior. When she quits her job on a whim without any consideration of how this may affect her family (and then wonders why he calls her selfish!?!), he finally shows some frustration, but within a few pages, he has seemingly forgiven her and moved on (while also deciding to have a mid-life crisis of his own). The “twist” ending was obvious from very early on and ultimately just felt contrived to further hammer home the “be thankful for what you have and live your life to the fullest” messaging. These messages may be true and important, but they are also overdone and generic. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Can relate to this book as someone that feels like just yesterday I was 32 and now I am going on 45. I feel like I am constantly running out of time too.

I wanted to enjoy this book, but the MC was unsufferable and dislikeable to such a degree I almost didn't want to finish. I wanted to see more of a relatable story, but it was so erratic and focused on death. The plot wasn't bad, just the characters were not well developed and relatable.

An original premise, but it could have been better executed. I struggled to get into the story at first; it was chaotic and all over the place. Olivia seemed a bit like a whiner. However, halfway through, it gets better. It was unfortunate that Olivia and Marian's friendship cooled for a relatively stupid reason. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the storyline involving Sunshine.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the cover for this book, it was what immediately got my attention - it’s so fun and inviting! The writing was easy to follow and read and I found the topic relatable. At 39 years old, Olivia Strauss is worried about getting older and she has a long list of things she would like to achieve in life. As a once aspiring poet, she feels as though this dream is no longer within reach now that she has to deal with the day-to-day life of adulthood and being a parent to a young child. Her best friend Marian, however, seems to haven’t had changed much since college and is still enjoying life with a stable writing career. For their shared birthday, they take a questionable genetic test that determines their expected death date. Olivia’s results only concern her more and she tries to make amends to her lifestyle and start living for herself.

Whilst the subject matter was relatable, the book didn’t really hold my interest for too long. Olivia constantly stresses about her death date to the point of obsession and begins to annoy Marian about it without even considering the fact that maybe her best friend is going through a tough time as well. Olivia comes off as selfish, assuming that Marian’s happy with her life just because she has achieved some things that Olivia wish she had. The two could have better communication as it ends up a bit messy and bittersweet for them in the end, even if the lying and mistruths were intended for good purposes. I did like reading about how Olivia tried to turn her life around by making rash decisions.

Really more of a 2.5 star. Almost a 3!

This book does have strengths. I thought the original concept was intriguing, it has some humorous moments, and usually I hate first person narration but I actually enjoyed it here, which is saying a lot for me. I also liked the overall pacing, and for the most part I liked how the novel was structured. The overall plot was an interesting one. I saw the twist coming early on, but it didn’t ruin the journey.

But, to be perfectly honest, if I was one who DNF’d books, I probably would have DNF’d this at least midway through. In the end, I am glad I didn’t because the last quarter or so actually did rescue it for me a bit. That’s where I felt there was more emotion and connection to the characters.

I think the reasons I didn’t like this probably have a lot to do with my personal taste. I read primarily for characters and language, and I really didn’t find that the characters or the relationships had a lot of depth. I felt like I was supposed to be invested in the relationships, especially the one between the titular character and her best friend, but there was nothing that really earned that investment from me. A lot relied on clichés. Even with the weighty topic, I felt like everything was surface level until maybe some parts at the end. I wish that last part was explored more.

And, this might just be me, but I found the child character to be absolutely obnoxious. His dialogue made him come across like he was much younger, and to me it felt a little unrealistic and pretty convenient for the plot in some places. I also felt like the younger colleague was a cardboard cut-out.

All in all, it wasn’t for me, but there were aspects that I think other readers would appreciate. The author bio in the back of the book mentioned that the author is at work on her second book, and I actually would consider giving her another try depending on the concept.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher (Little A), and the author (Angela Brown), for the opportunity to read a free eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.*

This is a great book to read at the start of a new year! It made me feel all the feelings, I love the sarcasm, it was my kind of humor and I found those parts pretty funny. I like that this deals with major themes and gives an insight into a world not everyone can relate to but is nice to see talked about!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this!
As a 35 year old I really enjoyed this concept: what would you do if you knew how much time you had left? Would you change the way you approach life? It seemed like a version of The Measure and I was very onboard.
A lot of Olivia's musings about aging, finding worth in her family, career dreams versus reality: they all really hit for me. I absolutely understood so much of what she was thinking. Then it dragged on for a really long time. It got a bit repetitive and I found myself skimming.
I saw the 'twist' coming but didn't really mind, I just wish it happened sooner. I needed Olivia to have her character defining moment earlier and to get a bit more out of her interiority.
I still give this 3 stars because I did genuinely enjoy her internal ramblings and the examination of the women of communities: this was truly just great. I just wish it got to these points a bit quicker!

Maybe it was part of the poetic experience for me to sometimes have to feel the weight of them (Failure)

Olivia is me.
It's all of us.
With that anger inside us that boils hidden under the apathy…. Waiting to erupt.
It’s anger against ourselves, against the world that puts us in front of choices that are too difficult to make, against the need to necessarily let something go.
But at the same time we are stuck, because we don't know what we really want, what will make us feel good. It’s an ever-increasing frustration.

Olivia Strauss is running out of time is, at the same time, easy and difficult to read .
Easy because it has a fluent, light and digestible writing, perfect for having a book with content but without heaviness.
Difficult because puts you in front of life, the things you don't want to see, and the things you don't want to think about.
I think it's a book worth reading, because every now and then we need to remind ourselves that our life is now.

Really enjoyed the storyline of this book. It carried an unusual one and it was nice to read something other than a romance. Highly recommend for an easy to read and enjoyable book with likeable characters.

If you had the chance to take a test to see when you would die, would you take it? Would the results make you live any differently?

I loved the meanings behind this book 🥰 especially as this one had a slightly dystopian element to it, with the test that they can take to find out the date on which they will die. It was so interesting seeing how the characters reacted to the tests and their initial attitudes to it and how that changed. I felt there came a part in the book where I realised what was likely to happen in the end but that didn’t make me want to stop reading it. I only wish that there had been some chapters which spoke from Marian’s pov as Olivia’s character got slightly repetitive at times.

‘There is no such thing as a perfect life. There are only perfect moments’

A pretty good read but overall terribly predictable. Olivia was very selfish throughout the book which made it so uncomfortable to read. A terrible friend to her supposed best friend, making everything all about herself. Me me me all the time. And then she decides she has to stop her life and focus on…herself? I think this book would have worked better if Olivia wasn’t such a selfish character.
The plot with the date card was just too obvious and predictable for me.

Plot summary: Every year right before her birthday Olivia Strauss writes a list of things she wants to achieve in that year. Every year, the list remains uncompleted, with none of her aims met. On the night before her 39th birthday, Olivia vows that this will be the year that things change. And, when dramatic things happen when her best friend Marion takes her out for her birthday, Olivia suddenly has a sense that she is running out of time to do the things that she want. Her life will never be the same again.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this book. I read it in a day while on holiday and it was absolutely perfect beach reading. I found the author's voice engaging and entertaining. One slight issue I had is that Olivia is incredibly self-obsessed. She is a terrible friend to Marion and to the women she hangs out with and a really awful wife. It was entertaining for most of the book but towards the end, particularly when she completely ignores a request Marion makes of her, I got a bit annoyed. But, not enough to not finish the book.

Verdict: A solid debut. I will definitely read more written by this author.

I went into this book thinking it was just a funny book about going into our forties. As a woman in her forties, I can totally understand the sentiments behind this book. We’ll just to let you know man this book got deep. I didn’t expect all the feelings it caused in me. It’s a story of friendship, love, mistakes and the things in life we have let pass us by.
As the saying goes, we all think we have more time. What happens when we realize that time has run out?

I received an advance review copy for free, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fast-paced and relatable, OLIVIA STRAUSS IS RUNNING OUT OF TIME is the entrancing story of Olivia Strauss celebrating a what turns out to be a milestone birthday at 39 when a friend's gift detonates her fantasy of getting her life together once and for all and checking off all the boxes. Up against a ticking reality check, Olivia must make choices and go for her dreams if she is ever to live them at all: reigniting her marriage, enjoying her precocious son, going for the art and the poetry she presumed would be her lifelong work. I enjoyed the voice, the situations, the friends and conversations, some of which hit really close to home. A fast and enjoyable read. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Okay so let me start this review by saying, it was eerie how much I connected with the FMC right away. I am about to celebrate my 37th birthday (in less than a month) and she is also around the same age. The subject of the book really makes you think about life and one important question, if you COULD know the exact date of your death, would you want to know? It was insane how spot on the author was about how life is for a woman hovering around this age. About our thoughts and feelings, observations about our lost dreams, etc. With that being said, I was a little frustrated with the FMC and some of the choices she made and some of the ways she treated those around her. However it makes you think, would I have acted the same way if I were put in that situation. The author really made you think about of lot of different topics. I would definitely recommend this read to anyone who asks.

Olivia Strauss Is Running Out of Time, is the book to read when you feel like you’re stuck in life. When the should have, could have, would have inhabits your mind and won’t let go.
Olivia is almost 40 and feels like she has nothing to show. What happens when you take a test to find out the exact date you will die? Will you panic and stay still or would you knock things out on the to do list? I loved the premise of this story however I felt it lacked excitement. I found Olivia to be one of the biggest complainers in literature and in the end I didn’t feel like she accomplished or realized anything substantial. I do wish that we would have gotten to know Marian a bit more and the falling out the two had was so minor it was annoying. Great writing I just felt like there was no big moment where I wanted to get people to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Angela Brown, and Little A for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

What would you do if you found out you had one year left to live? That is the basic storyline of this novel as Olivia struggles with turning 39 and feeling like she's yet to accomplish her dreams but finds out she only has one year left to live.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I think we've all had a friend like Marian, or possibly been Marian to someone else. Marian is Olivia's long time best friend who continuously drags her into adventures Olivia would not take on her own. In this story Marian makes an appointment with a "doctor" who can tell them their death dates. While I knew the plot twist early on, it was still an interesting read as you walked with Olivia with the many challenges in life that come with facing 40, long term friendships, marriage and motherhood.

This isn't what I'm usually drawn towards, but something about this gorgeous cover spoke to me, and I had to grab it ASAP. I wasn't disappointed, with the story having a little bit of a magical element (something I adore) and the writing was mesmerizing.

I saw the "plot twist" coming a mile away, but I still enjoyed the way everything unfurled. The story is super adventurous, reflective, sad, and fun. Yup that's a crazy mix, but I LOVED it. Of course, it's completely character driven, and the MC is on a reinvention journey. I think this book is a delightful celebration of life and beautifully expands on the realization of a mortal body.

If you're looking for something addictive and food for thought, this book is for you!

This book is about a woman having a birthday. Her friend arranges for them to go visit someone who will tell you when you are going to die. The woman has a job and family and she is just not happy with life. She really wants to be a writer, The book shows us that we should enjoy and live life each and everyday. Her friend wands up being really sick. A really good and interesting read. This book would be great for a book club discussion.