This book was great, really interesting premise and well told through engaging characters and plot lines. It reminded me of The Time Traveler's Wife.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book.

This was very different to the normal novels I read, but I enjoyed it. I liked the different outcomes and parallel threads that were described. Each character was well developed and I found it fascinating to the end.

Laren Pailing grows up in Cheshire with her parents. an only child, she is cherished and her childhood is good. Though she does see these shards of light, that when she looks into them (when, never if, they compel her) she sees different versions of her existence and that of those around her. And then she dies and nothing is the same again.

It really is hard to say more on the premise of the novel without giving away spoilers, but as fascinating as the plot is, and it is a truly fascinating portrait of what might be and what could be and what was, there is one enormous problem with it - it is just that, a plot. The incessant head hopping and the preponderance of tell and not show 'Lauren felt this and Bob thought that,' mean there is no character built along the way. Little dialogue furthers the story, it is almost all a narration. It makes the plot clear but it causes a total lack of character that spoils what could have been a masterpiece. We see how events change in Lauren's world, but because there's no character, it is very hard to see how characters develop and change depending on their situation, how they are destined to be different due to differing experiences and changes in their world - beyond being told they're different instead of it being demonstrated. That I would have loved to see.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ for an advanced copy of this book.
I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Without giving too much away, we follow Lauren in different lives. I found myself intrigued reading about Lauren’s lives and her loved ones. I liked how Lauren’s parents were still her parents, whichever life she was in, although there were always subtle little differences to them.
This story is quite an emotional read and I found myself going through numerous feelings depending on which life Lauren was leading at that time.
A great story and I shall certainly be looking out for more books by Alyson Rudd in the future.

Reminiscent of The Time Traveller's Wife and Sliding Doors, this novel was completely believable and very enjoyable. Lauren dies at the age of 13 following a car accident, but in a parallel world she appears to continue living. The effects of her death (and non-death) on those around her are carefully woven into the story, with each different life leading to a different outcome until Lauren begins to realise that there may be other versions of her elsewhere in time or space.

This book was very well written. There are many versions of Lauren and her family running throughout it, but I did not struggle to keep hold of the different threads. This is the sort of book I would need to read more than once to ensure I had the full story, as I am sure there are things I missed the first time through. A great book, and different to anything else I've read lately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really liked this. I loved dipping in and out of all the parallel worlds and seeing how my favourite characters were faring in each of their lives. I didn't find it confusing at all - it was fun working out which world I was in as I read. Definitely one to try!

A great premise, & I was captivated by sections of Lauren’s lives. But at times, I must admit that it felt as though there were too many & I got a bit lost trying to differentiate between them all.

Really enjoyed this book. I love the concept of parallel lives, very much the ‘sliding doors’ concept, whereby you’re existing in many lives at the same time. Kept me on my toes as the story progressed and more and more characters were introduced. 5 star review

All I can say about this book is that it’s enchanting. I can’t believe it’s the first work of fiction by Alyson Rudd. It’s accomplished and sensitive. I look forward to reading more of her books but, first of all, I want to read this one again!

An illustration of the many worlds theory, this story is barely science fiction or fantasy. It is very much realistic but poetic. A really interesting concept which made for a good story.

I really don't know what to make of this book because in some ways I really liked it and in others I just didn't.

Lauren Pailing has been able to see shards of light that give her a peak into other, parallel worlds all her life, She learnt to hide this fact from her parents but the visions she gets appear in her art creations - the silver dress that her mother never owned in her first life, the neighbour from across the street sick in hospital, all passing and fleeting but visions which are returned to later in the book.

At 13 Lauren dies - at least in her first life. She wakes in hospital in a parallel life where she has memories from the first life that are similar too but not quite the same as things in her second life. And this is where the book gets confusing. We follow a small cast of characters - Lauren, her parents Bob and Vera and then some peripheral figures that enter their lives at latter points in the book, however, the time slips between the action left me occasionally confused about which life we were referring to.

Lauren's third life I found particularly distressing, not least because life 2 ends with her death in childbirth, but that in life 3 she is aware that she has died in childbirth and is distressed because her child is out there in another life missing her - call me a snowflake if you like but I worry about people who have lost children or parents and are struggling to cope reading this book and feeling a similar distress because of this suggestion of different lives.

I loved the beautiful evocative descriptions of place - the sweet shop van from Lauren's first life is beautifully described so that I could almost see the van and taste the sugar in the air. This type of description recurs for other events and places in the book and Alyson Rudd does create this sense of place in a way I have rarely seen. I feel kind of mean only giving it a 3 star but, for me it would have scored a solid 4 or 5 had it have followed just one of the lives instead of flicking around the way that is does.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book, I enjoyed elements of it and it is probably the most original time slip book that I have read but I was left disappointed by the ending.

Lauren Pailing is a young girl experiencing a new found freedom when she is involved in an accident. What follows is the imaginings of the story from different perspectives. In some strands Lauren survives and recovers and in others she has died and her family are left to try and find a way through. These stories also split until there are multiple threads of stories told in alternating chapters.

The story is undoubtedly very clever however with so many variances I never quite felt that all of the characters were fully formed. Their personalities seem to change with each re-invention but you can never quite find each characters truth.

There is a second narrative within the story, the disappearance of Peter Stanning and with so much energy focused on his story and his whereabouts I was sorely disappointed when this was finally revealed and the ending felt a little rushed.

What a gem of a book. Easy to read, in the sense that it is well-written and flows, gripping, thought-provoking and original. The first part of the book is light but as the stories progress it becomes denser and more complex but never to the detriment of the tale. Lauren Pailing has different lives and although initially unaware of this, she gradually realises that there are subtle changes in her memory, things she can't quite grasp. The book shifts between various characters and their perspectives and time scales but it all works rather wonderfully. The ideal book for a book group but just a really good read for anyone looking for a little bit more.

After reading the synopsis of this book, I felt I just had to request it, and I was overjoyed to be accepted for an arc.

The first time Lauren Pailing died, gave me sliding doors feels.... it's the kind of book that really gets your brain thinking, and even when you're not reading it, you'll be thinking about it. I lost myself completely in this book about the parallel lives of Lauren and her loved ones.
Lauren can see secret sunbeam's that when she looks into them, she is shown glimpses of her 'other lives' aged just 13 when she first dies, she is transported into another life and journey.... still Lauren, still the same parents, but slightly different. This book is full of grief, loss and love.... I found it incredibly touching with a sparkle of magic. Its both moving and heartwarming in equal measures.

My favourite book of the year so far, 5 shiny stars.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this book as I love any stories that involve a sliding doors type scenario. In this story we follow Lauren and the different lives that she leads. We also learn how things that happen to her affects the lives of her family in different ways. We also have a missing person mystery which is the common thread throughout Lauren’s different lives. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read any other books this author writes.

This is one of the best timeslip stories I have ever read. The blurb does not do justice to the incredibly clever writing!
Lauren dies for the first time as a teenager and is then catapulted into other versions of her life, each time as a slightly older woman, with many of the same people around her but who are all slightly different, except Peter Stanning, who goes missing in every version of Lauren's life and in every version she feels compelled to find him.

The way the book is written, from 3 main standpoints, allows you to easily keep track of which time/experience/reality Lauren is currently in and who is there with her and what is different.. The variations in her life keep you hooked, along with the ever present mystery of what happened to Peter Stanning.

I can't say more without spoiling the book for others, so will end by saying buy it and read it- it is amazing!

Whoa! This book was very well done, I've definitely never read anything like it before.

It's quite hard to review without spoiling, and I think this is one you should go into knowing as little as possible. I wasn't HOOKED until about halfway through, but when the hook started, it was strong.

I really enjoyed this story! Five stars!

This book is gripping and sometimes confusing.
When the first Lauren is born in the 1960's and become a teenager in the 1970's her life couldn't be happier until a holiday turns into to tragedy and she dies, for the first time.
Lauren is now born in the 80's and living life in the 90's but her old life keeps creeping back with shiver of silver lights and she cant remember what this is happening.
Every time Lauren dies and comes back there is only one person that comes back with her thoughts and that's Peter Stanning. Why is he so important to Lauren and can she find him.

Part One opens in the 1960’s with the narrative voice of, Lauren Pailing, a child who is able to see mysterious shafts of light which appear arbitrarily at random time, and which only she can discern. To reveal more about these sunbeams would be to reveal a spoiler. By the end of Part One, it is the 1980’s and Lauren Pailing has died. I wasn’t immmediately captivated by Lauren’s story, but I persevered and I’m so glad that I did because this is a real slow-burner of a story and by the time I reached Part Two, I was thoroughly absorbed by this time-slip ‘Sliding Doors-esque’ premise.

Part Two switches between various different narrative voices across time and is underpinned by the mysterious disappearance of Lauren’s dad’s boss, Peter Stanning. A sparkling and inventive read, which I found to be poignant and moving, and would chime with fans of Life After Life, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and Netflix’s The OA. This is an impressive and accomplished debut novel and I will definitely seek out any future books by Alyson Rudd.

I found this book fascinating.

Lauren Pailing sees other worlds through beams of light. I really think the best way to learn about this story is to read it, so I won't go any further in describing the plot!

The book is confusing, but in a good way. You are forced to keep reading to try and piece together the clues and see if you can complete the picture. I read this book in a morning, taking it out and about with me and reading little chapters at every opportunity. The writing allows for this sort of dipping in and out and lends itself well to readers with a short time frame. I found myself musing on the plot lines and characters and I know I will read this book again and again.

This is an absolutely stunning novel and I look forward to reading other books by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy.