I Loved You in Another Life

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I Loved You in Another Life by David Arnold
Narrator: Carlotta Brentan, Michael Crouch, Sigrid Zeiner
Published by Penguin Random House Audio, Viking Books for Young Readers on October 10, 2023
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Length: 8 hours 29 minutes
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

New York Times bestseller David Arnold returns with a poignant love story about two teens whose souls come together time and again through the ages—for fans of Nina LaCour and Matt Haig.

Evan Taft has plans. Take a gap year in Alaska, make sure his little brother and single mother are taken care of, and continue therapy to process his father's departure. But after his mom’s unexpected diagnosis, as Evan’s plans begin to fade, he hears something: a song no one else can hear, the voice of a mysterious singer . . .

Shosh Bell has dreams. A high school theater legend, she’s headed to performing arts college in LA, a star on the rise. But when a drunk driver takes her sister’s life, that star fades to black. All that remains is a void—and a soft voice singing in her ear . . .

Over it all, transcending time and space, a celestial bird brings strangers together: from an escaped murderer in 19th century Paris, to a Norwegian kosmonaut in low-earth orbit, something is happening that began long ago, and will long outlast Evan and Shosh. With lyrical prose and original songs (written and recorded by the author), I LOVED YOU IN ANOTHER LIFE explores the history of love, and how some souls are meant for each other—yesterday, today, forever.

I liked this book! I hate to admit that this one is probably the least favorite out of the books by this author that I have read so far. But it is still a very solid read. I loved the idea of two people drawn together again and again during different lifetimes and I am always a fan of books that involve music. I am glad that I gave this one a try.

Evan is dealing with the fact that his father left and his mom has cancer. He is very close to his brother and wants to be there and be strong for him. Shosh’s life has taken a wrong turn after she lost the sister that she was extremely close to after she was hit by a drunk driver. Both of these characters hear a song that nobody else seems to hear which brings them together.

I really liked Evan and Shosh. They both have so much to deal with and I loved that they were able to connect so completely. I really wanted to see good things happen for both of them. I did get a bit confused at times when the narrative switched to a point in a different time but I eventually came to expect and look forward to those glimpses of different lifetimes.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Carlotta Brentan, Michael Crouch, and Sigrid Zeiner did a great job with this story. I thought that each of the narrators had a very pleasant voice which was easy to listen to for hours at a time. I liked the way that they were able to bring this poetic story to life. I believe that this is the first time that I have listened to at least two of these narrators but I am certain that their narration only added to my enjoyment of this story.

I would recommend this book. It wasn’t my favorite but it was a solid, although sometimes confusing, story. I definitely feel like this one was worth the read and look forward to reading more of David Arnold’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Penguin Teen and Penguin Random House Audio.

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