"The Two Lives of Lydia Bird"

"The Two Lives of Lydia Bird"
Written by Josie Silver
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

"The Two Lives of Lydia Bird" picks up with Lydia, a few weeks after her fiance has passed away in a tragic accident. In her mourning, Lydia starts to notice that her dreams appear in a magical way, as if she is still living the life she would, if Freddie was still alive. This book combines the best elements of Taylor Jenkins Reid's work and my favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". The story shows Lydia in two perspectives, "AWAKE" and "ASLEEP". As we read through each perspective, it's interesting to see the journey that Silver takes Lydia, her family, and her friends on, as they all begin to heal in their own way.

This heartbreaking yet charming novel is an absolute delight to read. Although it has darker, more tough topics strewn in with happier ones, the sweet and sour combination creates a fantastic love-then-lost romance novel.

Lydia and her fellow cast of characters are truly interesting. Silver creates very sympathetic and easy to love characters, as expressed in their realistic dialogue and interactions.

An aspect that I was not thrilled with is that many of these types of stories, including those by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Jojo Moyes, Laura Barnett, and Cecelia Ahern, is that many tragic love stories offer a new man to fall in love with. Sometimes, when reading stories like this, I often think, "Hmm. Do we need this character riding off into the sunset with a new love?

In conclusion, I did really love this story. This is one that I plan to recommend, to those who like a bit of a gimmicky romance novel like me. I enjoy limited time romances and ones that occur in parallel versions. I think this was a sensitive yet wonderful story that I will enjoy and think on for years to come.

I received an advance review version of this novel in exchange for reading and reviewing purposes.