Thanks to NetGalley and random house for the ARC!

Lovely magical realism with a unique plot. I enjoyed all the different pov from the characters but it did get a bit distracting. I don’t mind instant love so the timeline of the romance worked for me just fine. Overall enjoyed it and would be great for those who are big fans of magical realism.

I love Evelyn Skye and the imaginative way she uses the present and the past and the future to weave her stories together. And I really liked this one! The imperfect main character was actually the perfect way to get across the things she really wants us to hear: about embracing what you have, seeing love where it lies, and being true to yourself. Sometimes a flawed MC can be incredibly annoying and actually ruin the book, but this time that was not the case. And I loved how Matias was also imperfect, so the solution wasn't UTTERLY obvious to the reader. This is really an organic, human story of love that just happens to contain time travel.

I love Evelyn Skye’s writing style. I enjoy how she tells a story and weaves all the details together. This book focuses on a straight lace woman who falls in love with a chaotic artist who is an in coma after an accident. His soul separates from his body and only Claire can see it. She wants to help him return to his body, but the only way to do so if for his soul to fall in love with her again. Their chance meeting and whirlwind romance was a fluke the first time, so Claire has no idea how to make the seemingly impossible happen again. I loved seeing how Claire interacts with Matias’ soul and the unfolding of their relationship. My only hang up is I felt the book ended abruptly. I wanted more at the end and instead it was suddenly over.

"One Year Ago in Spain" by Evelyn Skye delivers a heartwarming tale of love, introspection, and second chances but leaves room for improvement. The narrative follows Claire, whose life turns upside down when her boyfriend, Matías, is tragically injured. Claire must navigate through guilt, fear, and love all while learning to overcome her fear of commitment and letting go.

The book has all the makings of an emotional rollercoaster but it struggled with pacing. The romance feels very rushed, as Claire and Matías's relationship blossoms rapidly, leaving little room for chemistry to build. I struggled to "buy" their relationship. The sudden shifts in the narrative were also jarring.

Skye's attempt to weave in multiple perspectives beyond the main couple was also unnecessary. While it gave some interesting insight and context to their relationship, they really felt like sidetracks and I think were unnecessary. I would have liked to spend more time on their relationship, how it grew and began to evolve, and then had the accident be the midpoint instead of the inciting incident. I think I would have cared more and felt more invested.

That said, I still enjoyed this story, and thought it tenderly handles the concept of opposites attracting and paints Claire's evolution beautifully.

While this novel may not fully meet my expectations, its honest exploration of love and personal growth holds plenty of appeal. For those willing to look past its pacing issues, Claire and Matías's story promises an enriching journey to the depths of the human heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I adore Skye’s books. Like her earlier work, this was romantic, dreamy, and sweet. Absolutely loved the male main and abuela.

Having been enamored with Evelyn Skye's The Hundred Loves of Juliet, I was excited to dive into her latest novel, especially since my husband and I are planning our 20th wedding anniversary with a trip to Spain.

One Year Ago in Spain is opposites-attract, second chance supernatural romance which should have hit all the marks for me. Claire is a Type A personality, high-profile attorney and her boyfriend Matias is a Spanish surrealist who is also addled with ADHD and has a propensity for over-the- top romantic gestures. When Claire discovers her boyfriend is planning on proposing during a trip to Spain, she immediately cops out with cold feet and sends Matias back home on his own where he promptly has an accident and ends up in a coma.

Honestly, I wanted to love this book so much, but I had major issues with Claire. Every single decision that woman made drove me crazy and I did not blame Matias family once for their reactions. I also usually love me a really good supernatural romance, but the magical realism laws for this one were all over the place. It didn't make sense that his soul could become corporeal His random popping in and out was only loosely explained and honestly, the chemistry between the two of them was severely lacking. I had a very difficult time rooting for the two of them when Claire couldn't even be bothered to stay with him the hospital The multiple points of view, including some random chapters of family members did not add to the story in any significant way and seemed oddly out of place. I can't even say this is really a second chance romance because one of two people in the relationship never even knew the relationship was broken.

For me, this one had a great set up but failed to stick the landing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Evelen Skye, and Ballatine Del Rey for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the plot of the story and thought it was well written. I liked the characters and feel interested the whole way through.

This was a cute story! It is about love, second chances, and learning to let go and just be. I like the magical realism in this story.

Some of the Spanish had translation, but a lot did not, and I was confused. Overall, I am glad I read this book. I felt it ended rather abruptly though.

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

This book was really different and interesting. I ended up enjoying it very much, even if there were some moments towards the beginning that didn't quite work for me. It seemed like the relationship between Claire and Matias progressed extremely fast, and this felt odd. But by the end, it all came together and made sense. I loved how this story unfolded and how beautiful and heartwarming it was.

One Year Ago in Spain was my second book by Evelyn Skye, and I'm hooked! I can't wait for the next one.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love a good love story and One Year Ago in Spain fits the bill perfectly. I especially love that there isn’t any miscommunication or third act breakup (two things that drive me crazy!).
Claire Walker is rigid, uptight, and orderly, qualities that make her a great corporate lawyer, but not great for relationships. When she meets Matías de León, a creative and free spirit artist, she doesn’t understand their chemistry. When Matías is in an accident that leaves him in a coma, Claire discovers she can see and communicate with his soul, though his soul has no memories of her since he’s from before they met. Claire needs to get his soul to go back to his body and in doing so realizes that while they’re complete opposites, they are actually meant to be. She just has to pray that it’s not too late.
This is really one of the best romances I’ve ever read (listened to). The love story is sweet, but that’s not why.
Evelyn Skye has given us such phenomenal characters and the chemistry between them is insane. As a reader (listener) I could actually feel the heat they were generating.
All of the descriptions in this book from the characters to Matías’ paintings to the hospital room and more are so vivid that it feels real. I only wish I could actually see Matías paintings for real because they sound amazing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced copy of this. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it. One Year Ago in Spain hit the shelves on July 30th.

This book unfortunately didn't meet my expectations. I LOVE magical realism, which is why I was quick to pick this ARC, but the layout and writing of this book was VERY messy, very scattered with so many (in my opinion) scattered irrelevant point of views. I never knew if the writing was in past or present, and I feel like I didn't want the story from many other characters beside the main characters.

I loved the premise of the plot, again, that's why I requested this arc, but I really found it hard to concentrate and want to finish this book. The writing itself was pretty mature and easy to follow in terms of literature level, but it was just very messy trying to incorporate everything.

I also am not a big fan of insta-love and they literally had the biggest, fastest "love at first sight" but then she didn't like him, and only wanted him once he was dying. It wasn't for me.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a honest review.

this book was okay. it was cute in its moments, but lacked something for me.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

I looooved “The Hundred Loves of Juliet” and this book had a similar vibe, where the FMC had to find a way to reconnect the MMC’s soul to his body after a horrific boating accident.

I loved the honesty of this book… I feel that we all have slumps in our relationships and the author did a good job showing this. Sometimes, some people perceive this as time to move on. For the FMC, it took a catastrophe to make her realize how much she loved her boyfriend.

I love Matias character - he is so passionate and loving. I didn’t love his ex girlfriend… you’ll see why if you read the book!

Evelyn Skye is quickly becoming one of my favs! I fell in love with her writing when I first read The 100 Loves of Juliet, and One year ago in Spain was just as good! When the chaotic boy meets the neat and tidy girl, I loved Claire and Matias characters! The writing is always so easy to read and follow, I am never confused when reading an Evelyn Skye. I got a lot of Charlie St Cloud vibes while reading, and I love the creativity she has in all her novels. Love a good second chance novel. I cant wait for more from her!

Evelyn Skye is what happens when Matt Haig and Elena Armas are mixed together.

Wonder, magic, love, and romance.

What an incredible read, I could not believe how heartwarming this story was.

If you are looking for a feel good, clean romance, this is the one for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey Publishing for my DRC.

I liked the idea of this but the execution was both too repetitive and cheesy for me. Everything that happened felt way too coincidental, and the end? Like they all just immediately forgive each other and believe what she says happened? Insane. I did like the epilogue though, 10/10 for that.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine for the advanced copy!

“One Year Ago in Spain” is a beautifully written and evocative novel that transports readers to a vibrant landscape filled with rich cultural details. The characters are well-developed, and their journeys of self-discovery are both relatable and inspiring. The pacing is strong, with a perfect blend of humor and heartfelt moments. While some plot twists may feel a bit predictable, the overall experience is engaging and immersive. It’s a lovely exploration of love, loss, and the transformative power of travel. A delightful read that stays with you!

One Year Ago in Spain follows the uptight Claire, lawyer who after loosing not only her birth parents at 8 and then her adopted parents when she graduated from school she tries to be in control of what she can. Enter Matias, an artist that sweeps her off feet in a whirlwind romance and then when she finds out he might propose on a trip to his home country of Spain she backs out of the trip to focus on a big merger she is in charge of. When Matias is in a boating accident Claire drops everything and heads to Spain where she learns more about herself and their relationship. I liked the growth of Claire's character as she comes to realize what's really important and I adored Matias. I really enjoyed this story and you will too if you want a little fantasy in your contemporary romance.

While I was looking forward to reading another romance with sci-fi elements, this book was a miss for me and I didn’t enjoy as I’d hoped.My biggest qualm with this book is that we miss most of the romance. We miss seeing Clair and Matías fall in love as it starts on their first date then jumps to almost a year later. And while Claire has to try and make Matías fall in love with her again, there just isn’t enough of it as she’s also focused on the real Matías and finding his soul. This shows her love for him but we don’t really get to see them in love and fall in love which if what I love about romance books, not the being in love but the falling in love. I also didn’t like the side character povs. It took me out of the book and didn’t add anything to the story.

Overall, I didn’t like this romance.