This book is everything! I adored the scientific element of parallel universes combined with the human element of love and loss.

Jonas and Amanda are deeply in love when Amanda is tragically killed in an accident. Jonas can't bear to think of a future without her, so he endeavours to shift to an alternative universe where she is still alive. But which one is that? And what other challenges will he encounter on his journey?

I really liked Jonas and Amanda and was rooting for them all the way through, having my heart broken along with them time and time again. There were some really funny moments too, like when Jonah shocks his neighbours by returning from the dead, which gave a light-hearted element to a very emotional story.

Sometimes the universe knows better though and certain things are meant to be. Altering parallel universes and timelines, could well lead to disaster and even more heartache.

Wonderful writing and a fast paced and clever plot.

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Marc Guggenheim and Lake Union for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for gifted access via NetGalley. All opinions below are my own.

This is basically Dark Matter with a little more romance. I was entertained but it didn’t feel that original.

In Any Lifetime is a dual timeline story about a physicist who is trying to find the lifetime in which his wife is alive after she is tragically killed in a car accident.

Jonas is jumping timelines to find Amanda when she’s alive and well. Sometimes the universe works in a certain way that will carry out the same fate no matter which timeline you’re in. We get glimpses of the past when Amanda was alive and follow Jonas through his journey to find her. This book started off with numerous exaggerated metaphors and dramatic writing but when the action began, that style of writing ended and we were thrown into the story. I love a dual timeline but on the timeline where Jonas was jumping timelines, it felt very clunky and had an overall theme of telling not showing. The other relationships were confusing and I was never invested in the characters. It was a neat concept that unfortunately fell flat for me but I can see why others would enjoy it!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Marc Guggenheim, and Lake Union Publishing for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This publishes on August 1st.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, and in my Facebook book club.

WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion review!!

I honestly wasn't expecting this to happen. It was cover love at first sight, and I was immediately intrigued by the premise of In A Lifetime with the time travel element as well. I've been looking forward to dive into this story and learn more about the parallel universes in play, but sadly it wasn't ment to be after all. While I can't deny that the concept is both fascinating and unique, there was just something about the execution that simply didn't work for me and I ended up struggling considerably to even make it to the final page.

Like I said, In A Lifetime has an absolutely fascinating premise and its one I've been looking forward to explore. Sadly, there were multiple aspects about the execution that simply didn't work for me. First of all, the whole parallel universes talk. There was too much science involved, and quite a lot went straight over my head. Definitely not the easiest concept to properly understand without background knowledge! I also wasn't a fan of the romance at all. The way Jonas felt about Amanda was more an obsession slash insta-love rather than a true connection, and as a result the romance just wasn't believable. To make things worse, there is a second dose of insta-love with Eva?! Seriously, the way the romance was developed in In A Lifetime completely ruined the story for me.

I was also surprised by the amount of violence incorporated into the plot, which I didn't expect based on the blurb. The worst part was probably the revenge plot with Victor as your typical villain, which was both terribly cliche and simply not credible at all. Both his motivation and everything that happens in the plot made my eyebrows work overtime, and I started to resent every time I had to deal with Victor. The revenge plot is just so over the top, and it didn't seem to fit the rest of the story at all... Other than adding conflict and violence for the sake of violence.

One of the most pressing issues had to do with the writing style and tone though, which I somehow ended up clashing with considerably. I know this is subjective and I seem to be in the minority, but the writing just wasn't a good fit for me AT ALL. I confess that I started skimreading long before the halfway mark, and in a way I wish I had just DNFed it instead. There is no doubt that In A Lifetime wasn't the book for me, but don't give up on my account as most readers do seem to have a better experience so far.

I really enjoyed this novel, this is the perfect combination between sci-fi, romance and thriller. I could feel the pain of the chracters and yes, I got emotional in some pages. This is an amazing novel.

In Any Lifetime is an ambitious book that left me wanting something more from it once I finished. I feel like the author may have tried too hard to mix genres and it feels like the story never takes a firm direction as a mystery, or a romance, or as a sci-fantasy read, which kept me feeling separated from the characters and the story itself as I read.

As a scientist, I was a fan of the science brought into this story, but I fear that the average reader may not like it as much since there aren't explanations for some of the theories presented.

Overall, I enjoy this, and would recommend it to certain people who I think could appreciate it. Marc Guggenheim gets my respect for what he was trying to do with this story, but it does not quite it the mark for me.

In Any Lifetime is a very imaginative, very clever book. The story centres on Jonas' search for his wife through multiple parallel universes. It therefore contains a fair bit of technical and scientific language around the quantum physics necessary for this which went straight over my head. However I didn't find this detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I did find it got a little tedious in parts due to what amounted to the repetition of the same story in various multiverses. I think it was very obvious throughout the book that Mr Guggenheim writes for TV and film.
Thank you to NetGalley and the
publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Jonas Cullen is a scientist by passion and a bit of a shy nerd. Five years ago he met Amanda, an artist and the woman of his dreams. He knew right away that he wanted to ‘look at her for the rest of his life’. They get married and this should be their happily ever after. Especially when, three years later, Jonas wins the Nobel Prize for his Many Worlds Theory achievements, and the couple travels to Sweden to attend the ceremony. Tragedy hits when newly pregnant Amanda dies in a car accident afterwards. Jonas is devastated and-prepared to risk his own life- frantically works to find Amanda alive in another, parallel universe.
The story is told in three alternating timelines which I liked a lot: five years ago (when Jonas and Amanda met), two years ago (when the accident happened) and the present. Especially in the beginning, there is quite a bit of scientific language which - I admit - went completely over my head, and I had to te-read many passages. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book and admired Jonas’ determination and devotion to Amanda. Unfortunately, it got a bit repetitive after a while, and I nearly lost interest. However, I found the idea of a multiverse fascinating enough and kept rooting for Jonas to the end - eagerly awaiting a happy ending for him and Amanda.
A solid 4* reading for me. I thank Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

It was difficult for me to get into the story with the scientific jargon making it a challenge to know what was going on. It was a lot to keep track of with the different timelines and universes.

I just don't think this worked for me right now. I wish it had!

3.5⭐️ I recently determined that time travel wasn’t my niche, but who knew I’d be down with traveling to alternate universes?

Part love story/part sci-fi adventure, this story begs the question: if you could find a way to save the one you love, how far would you go and what risks would you take to save them? I really loved the way physicist Dr. Jonas Cullen loved his wife so fiercely that he would stop at nothing to find a way to be with her again. Elements of this novel reminded me of The Adjustment Bureau, which is another of those genre bending stories that was just SO good.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an opportunity to read this arc!

In a daring and thought-provoking narrative, a devoted husband embarks on a journey against the odds to reunite with his beloved wife in the only universe where she still lives.

Although it's often advised not to judge a book by its cover, the captivating design of this novel initially drew me in, and I'm glad it did.

While it took some time to fully immerse myself in the story, the novel offers a rich tapestry of scientific concepts intertwined with a poignant romance. The abundance of scientific terminology may feel daunting at first, particularly for those not accustomed to heavy sci-fi elements. Additionally, the narrative's exploration of multiple timelines can be disorienting for some readers.

However, despite these challenges, the book delivers a compelling narrative, richly developed characters, and intricate relationships that span across different universes. The meticulous attention to detail in depicting these alternate realities adds depth to the story.

For readers who appreciate a blend of science fiction and romance, this novel offers a gratifying experience. While the scientific aspects may be overwhelming at times, and the narrative's timeline shifts may require some adjustment, the overall storytelling remains engaging and rewarding.

Gratitude to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing the eArc.

It is tricky to write a time/dimension travel book where the science makes sense without taking over the narrative, and where all the pesky paradoxes are dealt with in a believable way. This novel, along the same lines as What Dreams May Come,, follows a man willing to go to any lengths to reunite with his deceased wife, using technology based on his equations for traveling through the multiverse. I did not find some of the limits on his travels quite satisfying, especially the notion that the universe tends towards certain patterns so that only a small countable subset of universes have a particular woman alive in them. Still, this was a fairly satisfying and enjoyable. The science is not too technical, which may mean it will age well as our real world science improves, and the love story that forms the backbone of this adventure is complex enough to balance the multiverse adventure part.

This was an extremely mind-bending, romantic and deep book and every time I put it down, I found myself thinking about the last parts that I read and how it all fitted, what was to come next and the impossibility of the ending that I wanted to happen. The sure sign of a great book is that it doesn't leave your thoughts in a hurry.
I'm hoping that I find this book in every multiverse as It is a definite winner!
I found that some of the words and scientific theories went way above my head but the way it was written made that part null and void as you were always able to read on and experience the next sentence and idea and get lost in the plot again.
Some parts were a little slow but overall, the book called for different paces for different parts.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. It was not a very enjoyable read and yet I felt compelled to keep reading to discover the ending.

Jonas Cullen is a brilliant physicist who won a Nobel prize for his proof of the Many Worlds theory of the existence of parallel universes. His professional success is eclipsed by his wife’s announcement that she is pregnant despite medical opinions that said it was nearly impossible. Then tragedy strikes in the form of a car accident that takes the lives of his beloved Amanda and their unborn child. For the next two years, Jonas perfects his proof by developing a practical application – one that will allow him to travel to another dimension where Amanda still exists.

The storyline shifts back and forth between the present and the five previous years when they met, fell in love, and married. Several things proved challenging in this book. First, it tries to be too many things – a thriller, a romance, and a sci-fi fantasy without successfully balancing the genre. The thriller part involves Jonas’ pursuit by a malignant narcissist (even sociopath) resulting in way too much violence. (I went back to read the promotional summary to see if I missed something in choosing this selection. I did not. There is not a hint of the tone this story takes.) Second, the scientific jargon begs for at least a passing familiarity with quantum theory to grasp the significance of Jonas’ work. Lastly, Jonas’ “devotion” to Amanda borders on obsession rather than a healthy love.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This was just midling for me. I love the premise but just didn't connect with the book emotionally. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, because it's a similar type of story- I just wasn't as connected here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to this in exchange for an honest review!

This was an interesting read, to say the least, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. If you’re a fan of science mixed with romance, this will probably be right up your alley.

In Any Lifetime delves into a Nobel Prize winner’s attempts to find a parallel universe where he can be with his wife again after she is tragically killed in a car accident.

There are some phrases/sentences in different languages that aren’t translated so those would’ve been nice to have as footnotes, but not a dealbreaker. The characters are mostly likable except for the main antagonist (but duh on that). I did get pretty frustrated with the main character in that it felt like he was being extremely selfish at many points throughout the book.

The multiverse traveling was interesting and it definitely makes you think about all the infinite possibilities there could be if one thing was changed or if seemingly small events never occurred.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of In Any Lifetime.

"The universe always favours an outcome"

This book was really enjoyable. It took a little bit to get into it. The book does use quite a lot of scientific jargon and is quite a heavy sci-fi romance novel. The book does jump between multiple timelines so It can be a little confusing at times if you aren't used to it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, the characters, the relationships, the detail between the universes. 4/5 as I felt it was a bit too scientific for me and again too much jumping back and fourth, but overall the story was great!

5 star, would give it a 6 star if I could.

I loved this book - the plot, the characters, the fast pace. I would highly recommend this book.

The story features a scientist who has just proven that there is such thing as parallel universes. On the night he receives the Nobel Prize for this, his wife dies in a car accident and he is left alone.

He contemplating joining her on the other side but decides instead to use his research and try and find a parallel universe where his wife didn't die in the car accident. So begins the story - racing through parallel worlds to find the one woman he loves and can't be apart from.

The only problem is that the universe might not want them to be together and in such makes for a very interesting story.

Once I got into the flow of the book I couldn’t put it down. An intriguing subject that is very different, leaving the reader glued to the story. I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Would recommend this one.

Not exactly what I expected when reading the blurb, but a book that surprised me in many ways and that I really liked. Maybe a bit too rough and gory at times and the romance/action ratio is a bit unbalanced for my personal taste but it had me glued to the page with suspense, twists and turns until the very end. The topic is fascinating and challenging for this very non-scientific mind but it adds to the charm of this book.
I'd love to see a film ( or even better, a TV series ) made out of it.
Definitely recommended.
With many thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for an early copy.
#InAnyLifetime #NetGalley