What a refreshing change to read a book and have no idea how it’s going to end.
The novel took me back to the seventies and eighties with descriptions which evoked childhood memories of the smell of loose biscuits and Tweed perfume.
Lauren leads a relatively straightforward life in the 1970’s. She lives with her parents in a cul de sac in Cheshire, opposite her best friend Debbie. The only unusual thing is that she “sees” metal sunbeams though which she can view visions of the future.
When Lauren has an accident, the lives of the people near to her change course forever.
An engrossing read and one which leads onto great discussions

The First Time Lauren Pailing Died by Alyson Rudd is a fantastic novel about love and loss, friendship and families. It is set in the 1970’s and moves forwards in time.
The novel has a unique storyline with the theme of parallel lives. It is all very cleverly constructed. The characters all revolve around Lauren Pailing, reacting to the events in her lives. They change subtly each time she dies. There is one unifying element that never changes, running at a constant throughout.
There are different points of view given as the reader becomes acquainted with the characters. Their reactions to loss are varied but one thing is sure – loss hurts and keeps on hurting.
There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to grieve. One must do what one can to travel through it. Others come alongside to help us on our journey through grief.
Guilt may accompany loss. We may feel guilty because of what we did or didn’t do. “One day you will understand that it is not your fault, and one day you will be able to smile again.” We will always wonder if death could have been prevented but the ‘what if’s’ will not do us any good. We should not feel guilty for beginning to live again.
Love runs throughout. Love propels us forwards even when we do not realise it.
The First Time Lauren Pailing Died was a compulsive read. It was something different that captured my attention and imagination. I think it would make a fabulous movie. I found the whole novel engrossing and read it in just two sittings.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I really liked the original concept of this book and was looking forward to reading it. However I found it quite confusing and rather slow going. I'm sure though that lots of people will enjoy it but it wasn't for me.

Lauren is much loved in all of her lives and the people she leaves behind are affected in different ways each time she dies.

Lauren is also affected, her memories get jumbled, and confuse her and the people around her.

There is one constant in all of her lives, Peter Stanning, he disappears with no trace or explanation.

It's engaging to read this book and it's a really good concept. The story switches between different characters in the different timelines. This sounds complicated, but it is actually handled very well.

The blurb of this book sounded intriguing.
A girl who keeps on dying, yet finds herself alive in different versions of her life.
It took me a while to get into the story, but I was intrigued to find out what was happening, and why.
Not my favourite read, but not the worst.
Many thanks to NetGalley, and HQ Publishing for an ARC of this book.

I usually like stories that time travel and alternate reality so I was really looking forward to reading this story.
It started OK up to the first time Lauren died. Then it just un ravelled for me. I found it hard to keep track of all the characters and which reality they were in. In the end, regrettably, I just gave up.
Thanks #Netgalley for the advance copy for an honest review. Sadly I couldn't be more positive

An interesting read about a person dying in one life, then waking up in another, as the same person, but with a different life. All the different threads, with the different people, made it confusing to follow at times, however it made for an interesting read

I was drawn to this novel because it's about parallel lives and I love the simple but evocative cover which just screams 1970s Britain to me (even though I never lived in this era, I love books that evoke past eras and this one definitely does). But if you go into this expecting some weird and wonderful sci-fi, you may be disappointed. This is actually a simple but effective character study about a British girl called Lauren and her family, and a few of the lives she may have lead. This book didn't suck me in at the first page; it's not an in-your-face, punchy story - it's a slow, subtle and thought-provoking relationship drama. It took me a little while to warm to, but after a while I was hooked.

Essentially, Lauren Pailing leads a pretty average life. She has a happy childhood, she grows up (in some lives), studies, works, falls in love, marries and starts a family. The beauty in this story is in the ordinary. It shimmers with the emotions of the every day; a mother's love for her child; a husband's love for his wife. In some of Lauren's lives she dies young, and we follow the grief of those left behind. In some she lives on, but the tone feels more and more fragmented as her other lives begin to catch up with her.

This book was in some ways more and some ways less than I expected. The concept of past/parallel lives isn't explored as much as I'd hoped - there's actually a lot less lives than I'd expected - but there are some interesting takes on it in the final third when Lauren begins to attempt to confront her past. I felt for small characters in this story more than I'd expected, while my feelings for Lauren remained fairly neutral - I didn't dislike her, but I didn't love her either. There's a feeling of displacement throughout the novel and her changing lives which maybe stopped me associating with her as much, but overall it works - I was sucked into the subtle drama of the lives of Lauren and those around her. The author effortlessly captures life, love and loss in a relatively short, quiet novel. It didn't quite tick all my boxes but there's something quite beautiful about this debut novel - I'll be looking out for more from this author.

I was sent a copy of The First Time Lauren Pailing Died by Alyson Rudd to read and review by NetGalley.
I mainly enjoyed this novel, the premise and some of the new ideas in this style of ‘parallel life’ story, however I didn’t really enjoy the way it was written. The author’s style just seemed to be a bit detached and matter of fact and I do like to get really involved in a story and its characters. That said, I would still recommend it as a thought provoking read, just don’t expect to get blown away by it!

Intriguing, 'Sliding Doors' type book - well drawn out characters, who you feel invested in. Not a book to dip in and out, one to finish over a weekend. Look forward to more from this author

The First Time Lauren Pailing Died is an exceptionally moving novel that, once I got past the first few chapters, I could not put down. Alyson Rudd has managed to capture the beauty of human existence by creating a story with life's most beautiful and most harrowing moments, resulting in a powerful narrative that packs an emotional punch.

Growing up, Lauren Pailing has an inkling of other lives running parallel to hers. However it's not until later in life that she truly comes to learn the devastating fact that she may have been living in two maybe three dimensions at once. Each of these lives has its similarities but also many differences which make it such an enthralling read.

A book that haunts you during and after reading and will leave you wondering about the many paths life can take.

This is a tale of a young girls and her first death aged 13 as well as her subsequent lives and the impact on those around her. The only constant is the disappearance of her father's employer Peter and her desire to understand what happened to him. This is an intriguing read, I really enjoyed the concept and the way it was set out made it easy to read. I particularly enjoyed the way that the parallel stories interlinked but I have to admit to getting lost in parts and had to reread sections to clarify the stories.
The comparison to sliding doors is appropriate but I think that there is just too much going on.
It is definitely an interesting story and if you like the idea of parallel existences definitely worth a read.

I found this to be a very intriguing book but with all the 'alternate' lives I'd definitely recommend reading it in large chunks, it's not really a book to be dipping in and out of as you may lose where you are.

Lauren is the main character and it starts off with her as a child, but then when she reaches 13 things change. In one life she dies, but then sort of time-slips to an alternate universe where she's alive and things are nearly the same, but not quite. Her current day family continue on without her (sort of), but her 'new' family isn't quite like they were before even though they were exactly the same people, and events were slightly different. And this goes on throughout the book as Lauren gets older, she has a few different lives and deaths with the same cast of characters but in different sorts of places. A bit like the film 'Sliding Doors'.

The only thread throughout it was Peter Stanning, her Father's boss, who went missing. I kept waiting for something to happen with him, and whilst it did eventually it wasn't quite what I was expecting, a bit disappointing in the end.

It was one of those books that I had to keep reading to find out what happened, and once you got into it you managed to keep in your head which life we were in for each character, and it wasn't as confusing as I thought it may initially be. But it did sort of lose a bit of momentum as it went on, and the ending was a bit... anti-climatic I suppose. I thought, oh is that it?

But having said that the concept was great and I did enjoy it, but it just needed a bit more happening in the second half and a more satisfying ending.

This is an absorbing book - very cleverly written.
Laura is thirteen when she first dies. Every time she dies the people who are closest to her start a new life as well.
The one constant is a man called Peter Stanning who has disappeared in each of her lives and Laura sets out to find him. Each time she dies she gets closer to him but will she find him and what will happen when she does?

I am sorry but the more I read the more confused I became. It was hard trying to remember how each bit of the story connected and in the end I gave up wanting to know what the ending would be.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A book I read in one sitting and couldn't put down.
It's original, enthralling and well written, I loved the plot, the well written and fleshed out characters.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed this book. If you like stories that would give you the vibes of Sliding Doors or Life After Life, I'd highly recommend it. It's complex, well written, interesting characters. I read it in a short time charmed by the story.

Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a brilliant book, had me hooked from start to finish. Just as you got comfortable as the reader, things got shaken up again! Lots of different stories being told in one, but without confusing or losing the reader. Made me both laugh and cry and you really get attached to Lauren Pailing, particularly as the book goes on. I can thoroughly recommend this book, very much like Life After Life!

This is a book to confuse your mind as you need to stay on the ball with remembering each underlying story.

It was a funny one to read as I finished it not being sure if I liked it but it kept me in for the full ride to see what happened

So very different and thought provoking. I was intrigued by the thought processes as the story progressed. Well written and enjoyable.