In this genre-bending novel, there is no such thing as chance and every action is carefully executed by highly trained agents. You’ll never look at coincidences the same way again. What if the drink you just spilled, the train you just missed, or the lottery ticket you just found was not just a random occurrence? What if it’s all part of a bigger plan? What if there’s no such thing as a chance … thing as a chance encounter? What if there are people we don’t know determining our destiny? And what if they are even planning the fate of the world?
Enter the Coincidence Makers–Guy, Emily, and Eric–three seemingly ordinary people who work for a secret organization devoted to creating and carrying out coincidences. What the rest of the world sees as random occurrences, are, in fact, carefully orchestrated events designed to spark significant changes in the lives of their targets–scientists on the brink of breakthroughs, struggling artists starved for inspiration, loves to be, or just plain people like you and me…
When an assignment of the highest level is slipped under Guy’s door one night, he knows it will be the most difficult and dangerous coincidence he’s ever had to fulfill. But not even a coincidence maker can see how this assignment is about to change all their lives and teach them the true nature of fate, free will, and the real meaning of love.
Part thriller, part mystery, part love story–Kirkus calls Yoav Blum’s The Coincidence Makers “a smart, unpredictable, and heartfelt adventure story.”
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OH. MY. GOODNESS. What a lovely, lyrical story this was, and what a talent Blum possesses! This book was such an absolutely beautifully and delicately crafted tale (even more so than the evocative cover!) – I didn’t even realize how much so until near the end, when the purpose of all the coincidences finally became clear. (I can’t say more because it would be a huge spoiler, but trust me.)
It’s funny – with some books, the review writes itself. Either the plot or characters pour themselves out in such a way that they are easy to encapsulate with words. I’ve found this to be true with books that I really enjoy and ones that I don’t. But then sometimes, the review is tough – and this is, oddly, also true with books I enjoy as well as those I don’t. Sometimes, especially those I like.
I think it’s because there’s magic in great stories, and sometimes that magic defies explanation. I try to explain the plot or characters that so captured my imagination and find that the words I use fall flat or, worse, sound banal or cliched or hackneyed. That’s what happened here – everything I wrote to try and describe the magical glittering glory of this perfect, poignant, construction of Blum’s read like weak, watered-down tea. The words felt listless and full of ennui, like the story itself was actively refusing to allow itself to be captured, like the magic could only be experienced firsthand.
And maybe that’s what it is. This was One of Those Books that you read and enjoy on one level, as a pure construct of fiction, while at the same time word-worms wriggle their way into other, less conscious, levels of your mind – the levels that consider Big Things like destiny and purpose and the whys and wherefores that make life so damnably, confoundingly, phenomenally, indescribably intriguing. That’s why you should read it. Because it’s beautifully crafted and full of glorious ideas and bursts of language. Because it’ll make you smile one one page and make your face fall on the next. Because it’s thought-provoking and original and also – coincidentally – fun. Because it’s a way of viewing the world that tries to make sense of the nonsensical, seemingly whimsical everyday-ness of life. But ultimately, and most importantly, because it’s just grand storytelling.
My review copy was provided by NetGalley.
What a quirky and completely original book! I loved the theories and ideas woven throughout the story, and this was well written. I do wish that we would’ve gotten a “why” on the last coincidence though.
“How beautiful it was to sit opposite a tree swaying in the wind, with a cup of coffee and croissant in hand, with a past, and with a future, and with a present.”
There are times when you come across something so particularly amazing and gripping that you wonder how is it not possible that this actually exists?
The Coincidence Makers by Yoav Blum is one of these rare gems.
We meet quite an array of different characters from the first chapter but they come to life in such a way that they don’t overwhelm you or have you moving back to make sure who they are, its bizarre and brilliant and enough to keep you hooked.
We first meet Guy who is a coincidence maker that is in the process of fulfilling an order. He is quiet and good at what he does and he too, has a history that we learn of in due course.
There’s Eric and Emily who are friends with him since they started their journey. These three have known each other since day one and they make an odd, but well paired group.
For the most part the focus is on them and what role they play on how things pan out for certain people.
Alberto Brown is someone who you can’t help keeping a soft spot. He’s a gentle giant of a man and he is initially meant for so much more that he wants for himself. He is certainly by far one of my favourite people in the book due to his calming nature even when he’s expected to do the unthinkable.
“When do you draw the line between actions carried out due to an internal need, and actions that were nothing more than a version of one ceremony or another that helps us define our emotions?”
This books is everything and so much more!
Deserving of five-fantastic-stars!
**Review by Angelique, Late Night Reviewer for Up All Night with Books**
This is definitely a very different story! I enjoyed it.
Can you imagine that there are people that can make coincidences occur to set the rest of the theme for things to happen in someone’s life?
This is exactly what happens and it really does give us food for thought as we go thru our days!
Loved the writing of this as well!
After reading the blurb for this one, I was excited to start reading it, so I loaded it up on my Kindle immediately and dove in. More than a month later, after laying it aside numerous times, I was still trying to finish. I did finally make it to the end, but for such an intriguing premise, the delivery fell quite short. The book is a bit of a hodge-podge of genres ranging from Sci-fi to romance and even some mystery. The reader is treated to some rather boring, textbook-like ‘excerpts’ from the Coincidence Makers… Umm… Manual? But, that wasn’t the worst of it for me. No, that came when I finally hit about 50% and was still waiting for something to happen to show me where this convoluted tale with its lackluster characters was heading. At that point, I started skimming, but that didn’t work either because then things made even less sense. Maybe this one just wasn’t for me, but I came away sorely disappointed with the end result of what started as such an interesting concept.