After reading the author’s intro I was positive I was going to roll my eyes throughout this book. However, surprisingly, I loved this book! It’s not quite time travel nor sliding doors. It reminded me a little of Jenkins’ One True Loves. It’s about a woman loving two different men. There are triggers: cancer, death etc. The pace of the book was perfect! I couldn’t put it down. The audio was also very good.
Thank to Harper Collin’s Focus for the ARC copy.

𝗜𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 is a story where I became quite emotionally involved from the beginning. I could just feel the emotions from every character leap of the page and into my heart.

✔️𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:

Love and loss
Dying wish
Second chances
Growth and healing
What if?
Parallel Universe
First Love
Magical realism

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

Jennifer Jill Araya truly brought each character to life and even more life to the story.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?

Engaging and steady

In Every Life follows Harper, 30-something high school art teacher living in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She’s madly in love with her film score composer husband Ben. But during their honeymoon, the couple is unpleasantly surprised by the news that Ben has stage four pancreatic cancer. After rounds of torturous treatment, Ben decides to quit treatment and comes up with an interesting proposition for Harper… he wants her to fall in love with someone new basically to become his successor as her husband. Then the only other man Harper has been in love with turns up at their door as the journalist assigned to write about Ben’s life… and his idea of finding Harper another love. Harper’s emotions are all over the place which leads her to take a chance on a full moon ritual that throws time travel and alternate realities into the mix. There was one trope in this book that I usually hate but I kinda rooted for it in this one. I will say a comment one of Harper’s best friends makes about grief really rubbed me the wrong way. The whole book is about grief and she makes a comment that grief doesn’t last forever, which I very much disagree with. Grief is something you carry with you the rest of your life. You may “move on” but the grandness of loss doesn’t go away. Overall, I enjoyed the story and really wanted to keep listening to know what happened next. It made me think about the impact of our choices, and how different our lives may be in other universes. I always love books with creative MCs and the art descriptions in this one were intriguing. I’m also from Chattanooga so the imagery in that setting was very nostalgic. Narrator Jennifer Jill Araya portrayed Harper well and kept me engaged throughout. I would recommend this one to fans of One Italian Summer and Oona Out Of Order.

Than you Harper Muse for my gifted copy

A newly married couple's lives are upended when the husband is diagnosed with terminal cancer. His dying wish is to help his wife find her new love.

This was a heartbreaking yet uplifting mix of women's fiction, romance and magical realism. While the premise is unique and compelling, parts seemed a bit far fetched. That said, I was able to suspend disbelief and get lost in the story, and ended up enjoying it, overall. Narrator Jennifer Jill Araya, a fave, is outstanding in her performance and really breathes life into this story.

3.75 to 4 stars.

I went into this book blind and couldn’t stop listening. WOW! The author makes you wish this book never ends. No spoilers here. Just do yourself a favor and TBR it. One of my top 5 of the year. It will make you laugh, cry and live rent free in your head forever! Well done.



Thanks Netgalley & Harper Muse Audiobooks for this advanced copy of this audiobook. I wish I could listen to it over again and over again for the first time.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse books for this ARC for review. I should have known by the book description, but this should win the award for "Makes you cry within the first 5 minutes of reading". Ben and Harper just got married and are living in Chattanooga and planning their life together when Ben gets sick. Ben is diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. After all the treatments are done, Ben has one final wish he wants: He wants Harper to find someone to love before he dies. This tore me up how this all played out, but I have to say I really LOVED how it ended. Such a beautiful and heartrending story. FYI: Bring tissues.

Thank you NetGalley, Rea Frey, and HarperCollins for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book started off so well and then just started getting on my nerves. I understand Harper’s struggle for wanting to constantly save Ben, but at some point she needed a wake-up call to see how her actions were impacting those around her. It constantly revolved around what she wanted, when she wanted it, and how she wanted it. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to enjoy the life she has.

Wow, all the emotions with this one. The author told a gripping story here and could just love how it pieces together. I love how hard she fought for Ben and how hard he fought for her. And Liam. It’s just a great way to sum up a lot of “what if” questions. The main character had so many choices to make and it ultimately lead to the same person but I’m very, very different ways. Fair warning, the end of this book nearly ripped my heart right out. I was so hopeful and refused to see what was in front of me. Beautiful, heart breaking, and yet so much love.

Ben and Harper are on their honeymoon, when he collapses and their world turns upside down. What was supposed to be the beginning of their happy life, is cut short at the start with an unforgiving cancer diagnosis. In comes Ben’s brilliant plan—he wants to help Harper find “someone new to love” and chaos ensues.

When media outlet’s get ahold of Ben’s romantic plan, they send journalists to convince the couple they can tell their story. Finally, a journalist, Liam Hale, from the New York Times is picked, the only problem is, that it’s the one person in the world Harper does not want to talk to since he’s “the one that got away” more than ten years ago.

What follows is a somewhat predictable and sad love story, that isn’t quite a love triangle and dabbles in the science fiction with time travel. I personally wasn’t a fan of Ben helping Harper, as it implies she cannot survive on her own, and she complains throughout the novel about needing to prove her ability to do things without assistance. The time travel also felt very implausible rather than whimsical.

Overall In Every Life is a quick happily every after type read, but as someone who recently lost someone I loved to cancer I struggled especially with the whole I can meditate cancer out of my body vibe. I am in the minority though, so perhaps it just wasn’t the right time for me to read a novel like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and author Rea Frey for the advanced copy of the audiobook. In Every Life is out now. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved Harper but Ben stole my heart. While Harper's journey was the main focus, everything she did was because of what was happening with Ben. He was hard not to fall in love with.

I did not realize this story would have a time jump in it, but I think it was done very well. The second time hop confused me a little, but I think it really tied the story together to get us to the ending that we all knew was coming. It was beautiful and heartbreaking.

The audio was fantastic. I highly recommend the audio for those that listen. Thank you so much to Rea Frey, HarperCollins Focus, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen and review.

I was so emotional during and after reading it that my heart hurts a little every time i think of this story. I loved it from the begining to the end.

It's sad and heartbreaking but at the same time it give us hope.

If you're looking for a romance novel that will crack you, this is it!

Thank you to Netgalley, Rea Frey, and Harper Collins Focus for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

In Every Life is a beautiful and inspiring story that explores love, loss, and the pursuit of dreams. Ben and Harper’s marriage begins with a cancer diagnosis—a storm that threatens their future. But they celebrate as Ben goes into remission, cherishing every moment. When cancer returns, the doctors deliver devastating news: no viable treatment options remain. As Ben creates a bucket list, he hatches an unconventional plan: he wants Harper to find a new love before he passes away. Harper is resistant, unwilling to imagine life without Ben. Yet, when a journalist learns of Ben’s wish, their story captures hearts.

Enter Leo Hale— the journalist who wants to write Ben's story and the man who got away. A decade ago, Harper spent a perfect week with him and begins to question what would be if she had stayed and chosen differently all those years ago? Now, faced with old feelings and the ultimate what-if, she grapples with the pain of losing the one she loves. The story weaves together love, alternate realities, and the pain of loss, leaving readers pondering their own life-changing moments.

Rea Frey masterfully combines elements of magical realism with genuine emotion. Harper’s exploration of alternate lives and her connection with Leo make this novel a captivating read. It’s a reminder that our choices shape our destinies, and sometimes the grass isn’t greener—it’s right where we stand. If you enjoy heartfelt romance and thought-provoking narratives, In Every Life is definitely worth adding to your reading list.

As someone who recently lost a loved one to pancreatic cancer, this story hit hard for me and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It's a good reminder that life is full of twists and turns that often lead us to unexpected places. If you decide to read In Every Life, I hope it resonates with you as much as it did with me.

This is an emotional story that will appeal to many readers. The premise was unique, and I liked the way the idea of "what if" was fleshed out. The ending was perfection!
I personally didn't enjoy the aspect dealing with tarot cards and manifestation candles. It felt less like magical realism and more like witchcrafts/sorcery.

Ty to NetGalley and publishers for the audiobook!!

The Notebook meets P.S. I love you

Read if you like:
-what ifs ✨
-parallel universes
-cancer stories
- the art world

This book is so gods damñ sweet. 🥹

It follows Harper & Ben Foster following a cancer diagnosis. Ben is insistent on finding his wife someone to love before he dies.

Liam pulled at my heartstrings, and I somewhat wish she would have stayed. ❤️

But in the end, Harper found someone to love (no spoilers) and everything worked out for our beautiful FMC.

Don't walk to B&N for this one, run!

What happens when a husband’s dying wish is for his wife to find a new love . . . before he’s even gone?

I was intrigued by this synopsis because it's a little unique and I thought it could be interesting. I wouldn't call myself a romance reader but I know there are ways it can be done that isn't cheesy.

Starting off, the narrator, Jennifer Jill Araya's voice is so perfect that I thought maybe it was one of those AI narrators. I usually listen in 1.25 speed but that made her sound even more like a robot. I did get more used to it as I continued listening but it threw me off a little. I don't like my narrator to be too perfect/perky.

The subject matter is a little intense because the love of Harper's life is dying right after getting married to him. Some situations are going to be dramatic naturally. But I did find some of the dialogue and writing to be a bit hokey. Again, I'm not the biggest fan of romance novels so others may not mind this at all.

I was hoping for the parallel universe thing to be a bigger part but that doesn't come until halfway in the book. This is my first book by the author and I'm not sure I'd read more.

I think if you enjoy romance with a twist, you'll enjoy In Every Life. Thank you to NetGalley, Rea Frey, Jennifer Jill Araya, and HarperCollins Focus/Harpers Muse for the opportunity to read it! I have written this review voluntarily.

This one is everywhere and rightfully so. It takes a morbid thought, your husband is dying of cancer, but spins is to, he wants you to find happiness… but, plot twist, he wants to see you happy before he dies. Consider me intrigued.

All of the heaviness is handled with grace and “what ifs” and “what nows” and my bleeding heart could barely take it. This one made me cry, made me think, and it made me believe in magic. What more could you want?!

It was beautiful, it was morbid, it was heartbreaking and honest and it also put my heart's shattered pieces back together. It's an emotional ride, but definitely still such a good one.

The hook of this book is "What happens when a husband’s dying wish is for his wife to find a new love... before he’s even gone?", but that's not what this book is about. Ben doesn't really ever help Harper find a new love. He states that that's his intention and arranges to have a journalist come in to document the search for love (which, again, never happens), but then said journalist conveniently happens to be Harper's good-looking ex... ish.
The first two thirds of the book deals with this love triangle, which is really only ever happening in Harper's head, as nothing major occurs IRL, and then, just when you think you're approaching the end, you suddenly get an entirely different book-- again, not the one promised, and now we've switched genres. I think the then/now/what if would've worked if the wish had occurred as an inciting incident in the first third of the book, but to come in so late in the game? It felt unmotivated and jarring.

3.5 stars. I don't often read romance or magical realism, but overall I enjoyed this quick, thought-provoking read. The MC frustrated me at times with not being upfront with Ben or Liam and giving up on her dream for minor reasons seemed far-fetched. I did enjoy the descriptions of Brooklyn, art and way the book made you think of those key decisions you make in your life.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was a good fit to story. A big thank you to Harper Muse Audiobooks for this audiobook. All opinions are my own, given willingly.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to listen to this audiobook. I loved the concept of this book and the way Rea Frey made me constantly wonder how it was going to end. I absolutely loved the ending and the narration by Jennifer Jill Araya was fantastic. If you're a crier, grab the tissues!

Harper and her new husband are on their honeymoon when they lives come crashing down. He is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Just weeks after promising to love each other until death do us part, death is already knocking. As they work their way through treatment, Ben hatches a plan for Harper, find a new husband before he dies.
A roller coaster of emotions come with this book. Ones where I find myself usually on Harper's side. (Are you kidding me Ben?) but occasionally I found myself understanding where Ben came from. He wanted to take care of his wife, even after his passing. Throw in some really fun characters and you really have an interesting read. Even though it is the story of Ben and Harper, you meet the "one who got away." Which really does change the aspect of this story.
A thought provoking story of what would you do?