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Our Lives In Between review by RabbitFolkReviews | LitPick Book Reviews
Our Lives In Between review by RabbitFolkReviews
Age Range - 12 and up
Genre - Fantasy
Five Star Award

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 17
Reviewer's Location - SOMD, Maryland, United States
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Our Lives in Between follows a young woman named Veronica…until she dies. Next thing she knows, her name is Harmony. As her mind floods with the thousands of lifetimes she has lived, a pattern begins to surface. Veronica’s boyfriend, Seth, or as Harmony knows him, Kaleb, appears to be a catalyst for tragedy in each life. For Harmony, what had begun as just a hypothesis has spiraled into much more. As she incidentally begins to pull back the curtains of her world, newfound love, extreme fate, and budding conspiracy slowly worm themselves out of the shadows. What hides below the surface of her reality? How far is she willing to look? And, most of all, where will her relationship with Kaleb go? 

 

Opinion: 

Billie Kowalewski’s distinct narrative voice truly drew me in: I certainly was not expecting to be addressed by the characters in the story. The text’s narration style provides a stronger sense of who Harmony is, simultaneously reminding the reader that we are only receiving one side to the story. The premise of the story itself is both imaginative and attention-grabbing, giving a unique answer to the question of what happens after death. The novel’s plot is a refreshing subversion of expectations, which makes it difficult for reviewers not to gush about its course of events. But, even with the complex worldbuilding, the romantic side of the story is not neglected. Harmony and Kaleb’s relationship does not fall flat and their personalities complement one another, even though they fight sometimes. On the topic of conflict, character arguments, stressors, and emotions are all quite believable and make sense in the given situations.  The author does a good job of giving emotional reasoning without being right on the nose about it. There are a few editing errors throughout the print version with misplaced, or otherwise missing, italics when characters are thinking, which interferes with sentence clarity a bit. I think Our Lives in Between is still a fantastic read and should be appreciated for its content. This is the first LitPick book I have given five stars, and it completely deserves it. The ending leaves much anticipation for a sequel, and I cannot wait! Most fans of fantasy worldbuilding would enjoy this.  But, I especially recommend it to fans finding themselves in a reading slump since it is as great as it is digestible – a great book to get you back on your (metaphorical) feet (used for reading).

 

Rating:
5
Content Rating:

Content rating - some mature content

Explain your content rating: 

There is some profanity and Harmony’s relationship with Kaleb is at the forefront of the plot. But, there is nothing explicit to be worried about. The YA rating stands.
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