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Review

5 stars!

Wow! This book is just… wow! A brilliantly written, unique and intriguing story that captivated me from start to finish, I’m just sitting here basking in it all.

I’m going to try and keep my review vague, and I warn you not to do too much research into this book before you read it, because it’s fantastic watching it all unfold. Just dive in and enjoy it for the wonder that it is.

Swayze Samuels spent her childhood bouncing around special schools and being tested by doctor after doctor at the insistence of her parents because they were convinced she was gifted. She always felt perfectly normal, but she knew things that a child her age shouldn’t know. Now, she’s 21, has just gotten her teaching degree, has a boyfriend who she adores, and who adores her right back, and life is pretty good.

And then one day she sees Nate. Nate is an old friend, and Swayze immediately launches into reminiscing stories about their childhood together, only to learn that Nate has no idea who she is, and that the memories that she has all took place before she was even born. It’s not the first time that Swayze has had memories that don’t appear to be her own, but she tries to just forget about it. Until she applies for a Nanny job, and learns that the baby she will be caring for is Nate’s.

Professor Nathaniel Hunt lost his wife in childbirth and is looking for a Nanny for his 1 month old daughter, Morgan. Despite their odd first encounter, Swayze is the best person for the job and clearly cares for his baby girl, so he hires her, and she’s great at her job. But she knows things that she shouldn’t know, and she says things that take him back to his childhood and the best friend and first love that he tragically lost. How can she possibly know the things that she knows?

It’s a really intriguing set-up, and it all plays out so, so beautifully.

Swayze is a fabulous character with a great, somewhat quirky, sense of humour, and I just love her. I also love her boyfriend, Griffin, their relationship, their passion and adoration for each other, and I loved that we got to see so much of their romance and how freaking adorable they are together.

“We’ll figure it out. You’re not crazy. And you’re not alone.”

There’s a lot of confusion when Nate comes into the picture, bringing a lot of questions with him. I could feel both Swayze and Nate’s confusion and fear over all of the things she knows, and I could feel their draw to each other that is so perfectly written to show the connection but doesn’t make the book feel like a love triangle. There is something there, and that something is to be explored more in the next book, and I’m loving watching it all unfold.

“The people in our lives give color to our existence. When we love, we choose to let part of our heart — part of our soul — live inside of another person. Their happiness is our happiness. Their grief is our grief. And when they die … part of us dies too.”

Nate himself is just awesome. Lost and grieving, he’s figuring out being a single father to an infant, he’s dealing with the resurgence of grief that Swayze’s memories draw out, and he’s struggling with all of the feelings and questions that are swirling around her. He’s smart and serious, but insanely lovable, and I love the chapters from his POV, which also take us back to his childhood as he reminisces about his past.

This book absolutely mesmerised me. It’s a story of friends, lovers and soul-mates, grief, loss and love, and my head is absolutely spinning with possibilities of where it’s all going to go from here. There is a mystery to unfold, and it gets deeper and twistier the more the book goes on, finishing in a minor cliffhanger that will bring a bit of a shift for things in the next book. I am both nervous and ridiculously excited, and I’m diving in right now!

5 stars!

Note – the audiobook is narrated by Andi Arndt and Stephen Dexter, who tell the story beautifully. I definitely recommend listening to this one!