Two lives. Two loves. One impossible choice. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Reese’s Book Club Pick One Day in December . . . “I read The Two Lives of Lydia Bird in a single sitting. What a beautiful, emotional gift Josie Silver has given us.”—Jodi PicoultWritten with Josie Silver’s trademark warmth and wit, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a powerful and thrilling love story … Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a powerful and thrilling love story about the what-ifs that arise at life’s crossroads, and what happens when one woman is given a miraculous chance to answer them.
Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’d been together for more than a decade and Lydia thought their love was indestructible. But she was wrong. On Lydia’s twenty-eighth birthday, Freddie died in a car accident.
So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants is to hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life—and perhaps even love—again.
But then something inexplicable happens that gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened.
Lydia is pulled again and again through the doorway to her past, living two lives, impossibly, at once. But there’s an emotional toll to returning to a world where Freddie, alive, still owns her heart. Because there’s someone in her new life, her real life, who wants her to stay.
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I read The Two Lives of Lydia Bird in a single sitting. What a beautiful, emotional gift Josie Silver has given us.
Such an interesting book about two parallel universes and two realities. In one, her fiance has died. In the other, he is very much alive. It was fun to watch how her life unfolded in each universe.
If I had four thumbs, they’d all be up and urging you to run, don’t walk, to read this wonderful story. Beautifully written, characters who grab the heart, uncertainty leading to…well, I won’t spoil, but oh, what an ending! I’ve read Ms Silver before and loved her work; I’ll be eagerly awaiting more in the future. A beautiful story I’m still sighing over.
I enjoyed reading this book. Freddie and Lydia are both very likeable characters. Lydia loses Freddie on her birthday, in the following year she mourns him but also comes to realize a lot about their long time relationship. A must read.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is a fantastic touching story of love, loss, heartache, strength, courage, friendship, and growth. I loved this book so much. Lydia’s story is so touching. Josie Silver writes characters so well. You feel their heartbreak and their victories. I felt so many emotions in this book. The concept is very moving. For a person to feel loss and have the ability to continue in the life they lost is so though provoking. I feel Josie Silver did fantastic to show consequences of her choices. I also feel she showed Lydia’s growth so well. She captured the feeling of time moving on during grief. I loved how she showed different types of love, and how surviving grief and loss can make you a different person. I cannot say enough, how much I loved and learned from this book.
This book was an interesting read because it touched on reality and the might be future. But it was a slow read. It started fast but was slow to the end.
I loved Josie Silver’s first book, One Day in December. I waited a year for this book to become available from my library and it was worth the wait. A story of love, unimaginable loss, and finding the strength to carry on. I only wish there had been one more chapter and then maybe one more. 4
Within the first few chapters, I could see where this book was headed. That’s not intended to sound presumptuous or imply that I’m disappointed. On the contrary, it’s a feather in the cap of this brilliant work. And it’s a testament to the fact, in literary form, that life is less about the destination and so much more about how we arrive there (and who we meet along the way).
The cast of characters in this novel complements each other extremely well, and the split reality setting creates a tangle of emotional and physical situations that play off each other in compelling ways through both of Lydia’s worlds.
I could feel the angst alongside the elation, like a rollercoaster ride that that’s caught in a vicious cycle, high after low, over and over again. But the calming influence of all those individuals representing the support system around the main character smooths out those violent swings until her double vision comes into a solitary focus.
Catching a glimpse of what might be possible in a parallel world… it’s tempting to entertain those visions. And even inside the safe confines of a fictional story, Ms. Silver shows just how complicated and dangerous it is to take that detour, but also how incredibly eye-opening and influential it has the potential to be, if we remember to focus on the life that waits for us when we open our eyes and begin each day anew.
Two lives become one. It’s an overarching theme to this novel, in so many different ways, and it reminds me of a quote from Mae West: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Lydia Bird does it right, and she serves as an inspiration for everyone looking to find their way through grief and pain to find comfort and love.
I may be one of the few who have read this book without having read “One Day in December’, but after reading this book I most certainly will do so. Such an interesting concept. Who amongst us wouldn’t want more time with our loved ones no matter how much time we have had with them? To say good morning, a hug, a quick meal. You know, the regular stuff that we all too often take for granted. One last I love you, hug, kiss, making sure we say all the things we want or need to say. And yet, we are all touched by death. It starts the day we are born. It’s inevitable and yet a conversation no one ever wants to have. As if not talking about it will make it not happen.
Lydia is and has always been happily and joyously in love with Freddie. They met in grade school and their friendship grew into a wonderful love story. Along with them was their constant companion Jonah. He was the hapless goofy guy who would lose his head if it wasn’t attached to his body. Perpetually irresponsible and yet the kind of guy everyone loves so the world continues to take care of him and pick up after him. He also holds a very important secret that he can never ever share with anyone. One that ensures he will forever live with a hole in his heart.
Lydia would give anything for more time with Freddie and through the help of an experimental little pill she gets the opportunity to do so. In her dreams she goes to a parallel universe where no accident happened and Freddie is alive and well and with her. Their relationship continues to move along. Then morning comes, the pill wears off and she wakes up. She ultimately has to decide which world she wants to live in. One in which Freddie is alive, but changing into someone very different from the Freddie she loved or the real world in which he is gone, but life can move forward with everyone else and maybe even someone she never thought about in that way before.
The characters are wonderful, the writing compelling and I really want to know what is next for her. I was sorry it ended!
I just loved this story. It was so different from a typical romance novel. Lydia has lost her husband and it’s one of those small decisions made that changes your life forever. She is able through a coping mechanism within herself or a drug trial (you decide) to live these parallel lives where he still exists in one and where he doesn’t in the other. I thought the author did an excellent job of making Lydia’s grief and emotions feel so authentic. One day you are coping ok and maybe the next you can barely get out of bed. I loved Lydia’s thought process watching each life play alongside the other one and what moments she misses in either one. I thought the way it was written where she actually had to choose what to ultimately do was so well thought out and beautifully portrayed. I really appreciated the uniqueness of this story.
“Living one life is less stressful than living two.” My goodness…
One small decision has monumental consequences. Lydia’s fiance dies unexpectedly and seemingly without reason. Lydia can’t sleep and is overwhelmed with grief. Her heartache is palpable and, for large portions of the book, so was mine. Her mother insists on requesting a prescription to help her sleep. Once Lydia does, her life splits between hours of awake and those when she’s asleep, where Freddie is vibrantly alive and she gets to live the life she expected.
There is so much about this book to love. It’s more than her love story with Freddie. Lydia copes with love and loss through her relationships with Freddie, her sister, mother, and friends. While the grief is understandably heavy, there is light and empowerment through her road to a new life.
Josie is fantastic at drawing out sympathy and empathy. She did an amazing job weaving in fantasy with realism and the supporting cast is so great. I loved so much about this book and I know this is one that will stick with me.
Thank you, Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy! All thoughts in this review are my own.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird By Josie Silver
Lydia Bird’s fiancée Freddie, the love of her life, was killed in a car accident on the night of her birthday. Weeks passed and Lydia was still unable to get through her grief. Her mother demands for her doctor to prescribe something. The first time Lydia takes the pill and falls asleep, she wakes up to a life where Freddie is very much alive.
I have never read a more creative style of storytelling about the process of grief so well told through a glimpse of what life might have been and what life could be. I read this in one sitting and you will too. As Lydia’s life takes a turn, you will not be able to stop until you know what happens next, as Lydia navigates life’s crossroads. What you end up is a character that is completely changed and an ending that will surely satisfy.
I cried, laughed and I swooned. The characters were a delight to spend time with even her coworkers at the community center all had amazing personalities that come alive through the pages. Silver truly understands the human psyche that when one becomes broken in sadness, grief and despair, one can also be made whole by opening our hearts to possibilities.
This was a true delight to read and should not be passed up. Highly recommend!
We follow Lydia Bird after her fiancé, Freddie, dies in a car accident. She can’t sleep so she begins taking prescription sleeping pills to help her get some rest. However, while she’s asleep she goes into another world where Freddie is alive and well. As she continues to try to live both lives, one life suffers. We follow her as she tries to come to terms with everything that has happened.
I don’t want to give anything bigger away so I’ll stop with that. For me it was a bit of a slower read but I’m so glad I kept going back to it! The ending was beautiful and sweet. I do recommend this book and if you too find it slower…keep reading!
Author Josie Silver has referenced Sliding Doors as an inspiration in interviews. After studying the idea of multiverse, she gave her main character, Lydia Bird, an opportunity to see her relationship with her soul mate continue. But at what cost? Things are similar but not the same in Lydia’s two worlds/lives.
I loved the tight-knit Bird family. Lydia, her sister, Eleanor, and their mother are just lovely. Lydia’s description of her perfect partner, Freddy, make him seem like the romantic boyfriend that every one wishes for, but after a while, I found him to be less than perfect. His boyishness eventually feels self-centered and irresponsible. Jonah Jones is a lifelong friend to both Freddy and Lydia. He is at times the gangly third-wheel, the rival for Freddy’s attention, and potentially the unrequited admirer of Lydia Bird. The cast of secondary characters, which consist primarily of co-workers, add extra charm and appeal to the story.
In interviews, the author leaves it to the reader to determine for themselves whether Lydia actually experienced a dual life (multiverse theory) or if her experiences were dreams where she worked through her loss. Whatever your interpretation, the story is delightful. There are scenes that broke my heart. There are scenes that stole my heart. While the plausibility of the story was difficult at times, there are so many lovely parts that make it a beautiful tale of family, friendship, and love.
These characters will remain with me for a while. I pulled for all of them, and was so glad that it ended in the best possible way. The story is about a girl who loses her husband in a tragic accident, and shows that you can have another happiness in this life. It just takes time, and, in her case, some uncommon ways to cope.
I read this book because her other book was so good. Can’t wait till she writes another.
New to me author, worth the risk! I was drawn to the cover and the premise and was delighted with the contents. The story is well written and fully engaging. I could imagine myself in Lydia’s place, completely torn between the two worlds. Many moments of thoughtful reflection caused me to stop and ponder as well. Overall, a clean read. I highly recommend branching out and taking the chance on this book, you will not be disappointed.
I loved this book. I wasn’t expecting to read what I read. Great imagination from the author.
Thoroughly enjoyed it and I recommend it.
“This life has to be my only option, but more than that, my best option.”
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I became a huge fan of @josiesilverauthor after I read her first book, One Day In December, and now she has sealed my fan status with this wonderful read! It isn’t your traditional “romance/chick lit” read and wasn’t at all what I expected, which was a wonderful surprise! I was expecting a light, boy-meets-girl type of love story, however, I would say this is more of a haunting/magical love story which I found thoroughly entertaining! When book groups are able to resume, I would definitely recommend this read for a good “what would you choose/do?” discussion. Can’t wait for another book by Silver and she is now firmly cemented into my “go to” author category!
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird is the second book by British author Josie Silver. In a most unique story, Lydia Bird, a young woman who tragically loses her fiancé Freddie in a car accident, finds solace in her alternative dream world. However, the dream world is not as idyllic as she would like and the things that happen there have their own repercussions.
Jonah Jones, best friend to Lydia and Freddie since childhood, is going through his own torment. His best friend died in the accident Jonah walked away from. In his own journey through grief, Jonah feels he has lost himself in that he has lost both Freddie and Lydia as a result of the accident.
As they each distance themselves from home and the constant reminders of their loss, can they find their way through grief and back towards friendship and the future?
This was such a different story. A little bit fantasy, a whole lot of drama, but with healing as the theme throughout. I truly enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!
4+ Stars!!
I’m tempted to call Josie Silver the British Taylor Jenkins Reid. At least, when considering TJR’s earlier published works. At times, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird read like a mash-up of TJR’s “Forever, Interrupted,” “Maybe in Another Life”, and even a little “After I Do.” To be fair, they have their own distinct styles, but it was where my thoughts went a few times during my reading. Like Reid, Josie Silver’s writing is original and impressive. Some might not like the story line, but not many can say she doesn’t write well. The author took an original story direction and didn’t try to make me believe the unbelievable, but gave insight into the heroine’s grieving mindset. The story was women’s fiction with romantic undertones. Not a romance per se, but a love story. It’s also a journey through grief with second chances in life and love.
As Lydia traversed her dream life, there were a few occasions where it dragged down the pacing a bit. I think that was due to the fact that I knew those moments weren’t “real” and they didn’t have the same impact as the chapters in her “real” life. At the same time, there were interesting correlations between Lydia’s two “lives” that helped propel the story forward by giving her insight into the what-ifs. In spite of the few slower-paced moments, I really enjoyed the overall story. And the ending? SO WORTH IT!