2 out of 5 stars

Some books are smart, and some try to be smart. In my experience, books that are trying to be smart have the characters use big words, speak in quotes, and tell the reader that they are smart. “We Meet
Again” by Brownell Landrum is a book that is trying to be smart.

This book follows Marielle and Dante, a very special girl whom everyone loves and who is talented in every way imaginable, and the artist who is entranced by her. Along with these two, the book also follows Roque and Dulce, a priest and a nun who were sent on an important mission in 1932 Brazil.
These two couples are connected through art and reincarnation.

Sixteen percent in and I knew this was not the book for me. Even with this thought, I was determined to keep going in hope that it would get better.

It didn’t. Okay, that is not entirely true, it got a tiny bit better.

Let’s begin with a list of things in this book that made me uncomfortable:

1. Marielle not being allowed to speak when Dante hires her as a model.

2. A love story between a priest and a nun (more is revealed about these two, but they still make me uncomfortable).

3. Dante putting up secret cameras in his studio and Marielle’s friend telling her she is overreacting after she discovers them because it is his place and he can do what he wants.

4. Everyone around Marielle and Dante constantly telling them to kiss or saying how they are the perfect couple. They never talk about anything else.

This book did not have one likeable character. Marielle constantly talks in complete quotes, and everyone just seems to know who she is quoting (because they are all so smart). Dante is a creep, but it is okay because he loves Marielle. Roque and Dulce are just not very interesting. The two couples are so similar that it is hard to get into the story. Just because they are reincarnations of each other does not mean they have to share all the same characteristics.

Outside the story, I did not like how this book is set up. It is split up into eight parts that randomly go into short snippets from “Today” to “1932”. This set-up makes it hard to get into the story. It jumps from one setting to the next so quickly that it is not enjoyable. It also does not leave convenient stopping points.

I am super bummed about how much I dislike this book. It contains my all-time favorite trope: reincarnation. Two people connected over time through multiple lives has so much potential, and this one just fell flat for me.

This was just a great read. I was just drawn in to this story so thoroughly. I just had so much fun reading this story.

We Meet Again is a reincarnation romance with an intriguing premise: what if the person you just met was someone your soul had known for centuries? That question drives the story of Marielle and Dante, two strangers who feel a deep, almost immediate familiarity. Their connection sparks a journey through lifetimes—modern day to 1930s Brazil, Renaissance Europe, the Middle Ages, and even Ancient Greece—as they uncover pieces of a prophecy that could change the world.

There’s a lot to admire here. The concept itself is ambitious, and Brownell Landrum clearly put a great deal of thought into the historical and metaphysical elements. The past-life flashbacks are some of the most engaging parts of the book, full of rich details and settings that transport the reader across time. Landrum seems especially at home writing about spiritual themes and metaphysical ideas, and readers interested in fate, soulmates, and destiny will find plenty to chew on.

Marielle and Dante’s bond is compelling, and I appreciated the way the narrative wove together threads from different time periods to create a bigger picture about love and purpose. There’s definitely a sense that this is just the beginning, and for readers who enjoy long-arc, multi-book love stories with a spiritual twist, the rest of the trilogy could be worth exploring.

Overall, We Meet Again is an imaginative and layered start to a metaphysical romance series. It’s not perfect, but it offers something different, blending history, passion, and a touch of mysticism in a way that might really resonate with the right reader.

This is my first read by Landrum and I love discovering upcoming authors.
I enjoyed this thrilling, adventurous love story! Spicier than I expected but still very good!
I would read from this author again!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

OMG, I can.not.put.this.book.down. It's historical fiction meets the DaVinci Code... and I'm swept away.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this preview arc but I will be not finishing it. I decided to DNF at 33%, having read enough of the book to realize I was not enjoying it enough to continue.

The book follows Marielle, a college student looking for a way to pay for graduate school and her little sister’s expensive hospital/medical bills. To do so she takes a job posing for a mysterious artist as his muse. After they meet they both begin to have visions about a priest and a nun protecting a painting deep in the jungle of Brazil.

While the idea of reincarnated lovers drew me to the book, the writing style put me off. It constantly switched between past and present tense without really describing the characters or their surroundings. It was more dialogue than anything. The formatting is confusing as well, without chapters but rather a compilation of scrnes seperated by “today” and the year of the flashbacks (they jump around randomly as well).

I feel like maybe I wasn’t the intended audience for the book as I prefer to read fantasy settings, but I was drawn in by the historical settings mentioned in the synopsis. I hope that others who enjoy romance novels and the idea of reincarnated lovers enjoy it!

I enjoyed aspects of We Meet Again, especially the reincarnation bits; however parts of the storytelling were cumbersome. It's a great premise tho.

We Meet Again by Brownell Landrum was a really good read.
I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were interesting. I found the story to be well paced and enjoyable throughout the whole book.

This was a very ambitious, sprawling story involving reincarnation and multiple time periods. I found the premise fascinating, the execution less so. The writing's decent and the story was plotted out well. It just didn't fully grab my attention. I ended up skimming a lot, but there was definitely a lot of promise here.

I read a copy of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This book centers around Marielle and Dante, two people whose connection feels so deep and familiar that they begin to wonder if they have crossed paths in a past life. From there, the story weaves through romance, history, adventure, and suspense.

As someone who loves romance, I found this book definitely scratched that particular itch. The love story is compelling, and the author does a fantastic job of making the relationship feel timeless, spanning multiple lifetimes. I especially enjoyed how Landrum incorporated historical elements, creating a world that felt rich with depth.

However, be warned: this book is quite spicy so it may not be suitable for younger readers. If you're looking for a romance with some intense moments, this is definitely it.

The world-building is another strong point. Landrum has clearly done extensive research on the different cultures, religions, and settings featured in the story, which allows the reader to truly immerse themselves in both the present-day narrative and the historical flashbacks. The details in the settings and the character's experiences felt authentic.

That said, despite all these positive aspects, something still felt missing. While the story is intriguing, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it lacked a bit more emotional depth or connection to fully elevate it. Overall, it was enjoyable, but not mind-blowing, so I’m giving it 3 ⭐.

Thank you Netgalley for this amazing read!
The story was immensely gripping and very beautifully written reincarnation! I enjoyed the character's chemistry, the mystery surrounding them and the small notes mentioned between the story made it more interesting and inquisitive to read and learn more about the couple!
An extremely wonderful and unique writing style! Loved it a lot

I am so glad that I requested this book. I really enjoyed it. I think the author did an amazing job, and I couldn't put it down. I was fascinated by the ideas of the book, and I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give it away. The characters were well thought out and descriptive. The plot was flowing so well. I can't wait for more from this author. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and Amazon

Absolutely fantastic! This had everything I love in a book! I will definitely be on the look out for what’s next!

WOW! This is how you do fated lovers. This gave me everything I wanted, found lovers, angst, fighting to get back to each other. give me the sequel now!!!!

I found this book difficult to read. It has what I believe is a great story, but I found it slow. The intrigue woven in is good, but the romance left much to be desired. The pacing and some of the other elements of the book took away from the romance for me.

On the one hand, there is this great story of two souls finding each other again and how it shapes the artist's work and how he sees the woman, but then the way the artist's desire to paint overshadows the romance at critical moments killed the vibe for me.

Not very enjoyable, writing is decent enough but the story structure is nonexistent. It jumps between dialogues so often, in the same paragraph at times, that you can’t be certain which conversation is the current. The story skips events but then refers back to them with little descriptions that I wondered if I missed pages. There is intent to build mystery but just comes off as creepy. The characters are not relatable and remain strangers to the reader thru the entirety.
Would not recommend.

This was a strong start to this series and had that reincarnation element that I was looking for. I was invested in what Brownell Landrum was writing and enjoyed how unique the reincarnation mystery element worked. The characters worked well overall and enjoyed how good they worked with the story.