You Were There Too

It was a good book. Made me cry at the end and I still feel sad for the ending even after reading it. It's a little slow and slightly hard to get into at first, and sometimes Mia is super frustrating. But it was overall a good book!

What Is Meant To Be Will Be... This book has a unique premise from the get-go: a happily-married woman has been having dreams of another man for years. No harm, no foul. They are only dreams. The twists begin when she runs into him in real life. Oh, and secondary twist? He's been having dreams of her, too. The out-of-the-ordinary play upon an alternate lives yet "everything happens for a reason" theme, as if you could almost see where the characters might have ended up if they had made different choices, was very appealing. Each character is battling their own internal struggles. And while not being too heavily focused on any one of the minor players, their problems are linked and fleshed out for the best possible understanding of each person. And for good reason, when the ending in revealed. It was gasp-inducing and tear-jerking with a twist ending that I (gratefully) did not see coming. This may have been my first Colleen Oakley novel but it certainly won't be my last. In fact, I wanted to re-read it the second I closed the cover. Five heart-wrenching stars and a huge thank you to BookBrowse, Colleen Oakley, and Berkley Publishing for supplying me with this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars You Were There Too was a beautifully heartbreaking novel. I was fascinated by the blurb and thought the story would go one way, but it ended up zig zagging a few times and ending in a way that may upset some readers, but that I felt was appropriate and fitting for the story. I will say that I would not classify this book as a romance. It has romance and romantic elements, but I think it would be better labeled as women's fiction. This story was so incredibly relatable. The excitement and exhilaration of new love. The comfort and happiness in the day to day. The struggle and heartache of loss and all the growing pains that go along with creating and maintaining a marriage and family. Harrison and Mia's story really resonated with me and made me reflect on my own marriage and journey to parenthood. My emotions were all over the place and there were times I had to put the book down and simply breathe. It was impacting me so profoundly that I even commented to my husband that the story felt almost too intense at times. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, so my review will be purposefully vague, but I will say that Colleen Oakley's writing completely blew me away. I highlighted so many passages and I was definitely reaching for the tissues by the end. The majority of the story is told from Mia's POV, but there are some point of view shifts that helped paint a clearer picture of the events, but that I also found a little distracting. I understand that the way this book concluded might not be for everyone, but for me it made sense. I think the greater message of carrying on is so important. We choose every day to fight or run, love or hate. I like the idea of fate and it's inescapable pull, but I think this quote says it best: "That in the random chaos of life, you and I met somehow. And out of everyone else in the world that we know, we choose each other. Every day." You Were There Too is a unique love story that is sure to take readers on an emotional ride. *I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*