The basic idea of how a relationship would work out depending on what age and what situation in life that you meet is explored through various scenarios of Ivy and Abe. In somesituations it works, and in others it doesn't. Sometimes the stories get a little muddled as the author jumps around. The premise is great, however too much attention is paid to the family illness and not enough to the relationships between Ivy and Abe at times.

This is a well-written book, which deftly avoids the potential trap of losing the reader amongst so many different mini-stories, or lives of Ivy and Abe. By tying all the stories and personalities/characters in each parallel world of Ivy and Abe meeting at different points in their lives, and what subsequently happens to their relationship, it successfully integrates as one novel.

I enjoyed this book, and in particular the emphasis on how just a slight change from the previous story altered the impact of how their lives and relationships played out so significantly.

I'd recommend this book, and certainly to readers who enjoyed similar novels such as The Versions of Us and One Day.

Ivy and Abe meet in their seventies and know they should be together. Inevitably, old age means they don't have long - what if they'd met earlier in life?
Ivy and Abe meet in their sixties... how will their relationship fare at this pointment in time? What if they'd met ten years earlier, or twenty?
A sweet and clever exploration of meeting the right person at the right or wrong time, and how things change from one chance meeting. Recommended.

An enjoyable read, the same two characters in different stories, meeting at different times in their lives. Most of us wonder 'what if' and this book explores that concept fully. I was occasionally a bit confused with what was going on with the characters particularly as the book went backwards in time, so at certain points in the story we knew more about what was going on in the characters lives than they did! But overall a different approach than normal making the book memorable.

I found this book difficult to engage with, because of the format of revisiting different timelines and possibilities. I would connect with the characters and start getting to know them in their current circumstances, then be ripped out of that reality. While the writing was very enjoyable, the book was ultimately unsatisfying, as there was no clear path to follow in the story. I'd like to read something else by this author, with a more straightforward storyline..

A bit odd! I enjoyed most of it, and several of the individual sections were really good, but I did find it a bit confusing at times, and it felt like there were a few inconsistencies. Didn't really understand why when she met him in later life she had met before as a child but in all the other's she hadn't!
While the hay bale lorry appeared in I think all the time zones the implications of that seemed to be overly random too - it even turned up in France once.

That said I did enjoy reading it and the premise was good and in the main carried out well.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, after all I could relate to the subject matter very well having met up with my first love after 30 years apart, our lives still seemed entwined together. But this book was just too disjointed and, dare I say it, annoying? The characters were only skin deep and the backwards timescale was confusing and ultimately unpleasant to read. I thought this would be a happy book, but it didn't leave me with any positive thoughts. Sorry.

I loved the premis of this novel which sounded exactly like my type of book. Sadly for me it didn’t live up to its promises. I found it disjointed and there was a lack of magic. A similar themed novel was Lisa Jewell’s Vince and Joy which for me was magical.

I am sorry to say I didn't really enjoy this book. It was an ok read but quite repetitive and I didn't really care about any of the characters. I kept waiting for something to happen and it just didn't. I don't like to leave bad reviews but it just wasn't for me.

Ivy and Abe are soulmates: destined to meet in every possible timeline. I loved the premise of this, very similar to The Next Together by Lauren James where two people meet across multiple timelines. It’s a much simpler story than that though (less history and tragedy) and we meet them at different stages of their possible lives as they keep meeting. Unfortunately it did get a little repetitive, and occasionally confusing, but on the whole this is a nice romance book with a twist.

(Thanks to the publisher who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review)

I loved the idea of this story and going through all the what if's. It's very well written and a very clever story. Unlike any book I have read before.

Although I must admit that I found it to be quite repetitive towards the end and I found myself losing interest.

Time forks perpetually towards innumerable futures...

“Ivy and Abe” takes the theory of the multiverse and uses it to tell the story - the many stories - of two people destined to meet in many different timelines. Sometimes Ivy and Abe meet as children, sometimes as adults, at different ages. They’re friends, or lovers, or a married couple - sometimes, they’re just passing strangers. But there’s always a connection of some kind. Their story - stories - are told through a series of narratives by Ivy which are self contained yet interconnected.

Some things echo throughout: a lorry load of hay bales, a family shadowed by hereditary disease. The words “I’m so glad I found you.” From time to time Ivy experiences a sense of deja vu, that what she’s experiencing is somehow familiar.

I very much enjoyed the book’ which takes an original concept and executes it very well. I was afraid it would feel ultimately unresolved, but in fact the end is satisfying. I did at times, when I had put the book down and returned to it later, find it difficult to recall - due to the similarities between the timelines - what the relationships were in the current timeline and had to flick back to remind myself.

Incidentally, thinking about the book yesterday while driving to a meeting, I suddenly found myself stuck behind a lorry piled with hay bales, small pieces of hay flying off and hitting my windscreen. It was a little bit unnerving....

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I choose this book based on the blurb its a different genre to my usual read but I fancied a lighter read after finishing my last thriller and I was not disappointed. I really quite enjoyed it. I loved the way this book travelled back through time following Ivy and how she met the same man Abe but all in different alternative realities. It was really thought-provoking and made me think about love and loss. I liked the characters too overall a good lighthearted read!

Absolutely loved this book! Loved the way that common threads appeared throughout the different versions of Ivy and Abes life. Nice change from psychological thrillers.

I loved the idea of this book. It has been very cleverly put together and is a good read. I thought all the quotes and the way it goes backwards is brilliant.

I really loved the idea of this book - multiple versions of a relationship between two soulmates. Unfortunately the storylines became rather repetitive with the constant 'What ifs?' gradually losing their appeal by the half way mark and to be honest this was a book that 'plodded' for me, failing to live up to expectations.

The book intrigued me with the concept of two people meeting over time in different parallel universes. Is there a soul mate for everyone? Are you destined to find them? The book starts with Abe and Ivy finding each other in later life. We get an idea about what type of people they are and I liked it that Ivy found solace in her life by swimming. However as the book progressed, I found the alternative scenarios repetitive and I began to lose interest. I think the book would have been better written chronologically because I found going back in time disjointed. A book that makes you think and an enjoyable read.

Really enjoyed the opening chapter... felt great promise.... but then chapter 2 gav3 me an alternative version,... as did chapter 3 and then 4. And I confess I was unable to continue as I just couldn’t get it to hang together for me. It felt more like a collection of short stories than the novel I think I was really hoping for. So sadly not for me but I know so many have loved it that I’m sure I’m in the minority

I truly wanted to love this book and sometimes I did. Cleverly written - the same event would crop up on more than one occasion but might involve a different protagonist. However, it was at times confusing. I occasionally had to return to the beginning of the chapter and remind myself where we were. Perhaps overly long too.

I was attracted by the blurb and the cover of Ivy and Abe, which is why I chose this book. It started off very well with the first story being about how Ivy and Abe are childhood friends who meet each other after many years.

But as I read on, the charm started wearing off. The short stories have a few constants, like Ivy, Abe, and Richard, some of the children, a truck with bales of hay, and being architects and fountain designers, among other others. The stories didn't seem very complete, and they felt very rushed. For example, in the first story, it seemed like it was all too facile for Ivy and Abe to sort out things and get married. I am not disgruntled that things went very smoothly for them but the fact that all decisions by everyone there seemed too fast.

I liked the concept of the book, and I did like a few passages here and there. But I could not read on halfway through the book. The repetitive 'what if's' without too much going for them did not give me incentive to continue.

A big thank you to Penguin UK/Michael Joseph for sending me the ARC for this book via NetGalley.