'You Again' is an audaciously constructed novel, an unboxing of memory, desire, and regret—and an electrifying portrait of a woman hurtling toward a key crossroads in her life, where a secret lies buried like an undetonated bomb. Many thanks to the ever awesome Sarah from Titan Books for sending me this gifted review copy of this novel, which is out now!

This is the story of a woman meeting herself coming backwards, a phrase often used in daily life to mean you are fighting time, but in this case, Abigail really is.

Her narrative which comes in the form of journal entries puts you deep inside her perspective as she encounters the younger version of herself at a time when her life is poised to implode. She has traded her art in for a safe job in illustration, her relationships with men for the safety of marriage and raising two children. As her older son becomes more socially aware and involved in a antifacist movement, threatening his entire future self, Abigail finds his journey echoed in her own as she examines her repsonsibilities to her younger self. Does she warn herself about where she is headed? Or does she let herself repeat the same steps? And what will be the results if she does?

Contrasted against this are the investiagtions into what are referred to as 'the incidents of 2016', which create a sense of tension and apprehension for an event which is both in the past and forthcoming for Abigail and her younger self.

Playing fast and loose with the concepts of self and time, Abigail refinds her passions as she confronts through medicine and analysis what exactly she is experiencing. Past and present collide as the moral imperative raises itself-if you could warn, or stop, or change something by meeting your younger self, would you? Maybe your life is meant to be exactly how it is, whether you like it or not, and your only duty is to live it at its fullest.

I loved the almost magic realism and dream like nature of the plot, where it takes you from being inside Abigails' conscious mind, to the doctor who is surreptiously trying to analyse her brain imagery and make sense of something her colleagues are disregarding. Abigail feels she is going mad at the same time , it awakens something in her that begins to challenge and overthrow the comfortable cocoon she has constructed around herself, to look at why she has made this a safe space and face headon, events which are deeply buried. And as she does so, her escalating sense of agaitation is reflected in the activities her son is involved in. Both find themselves increasingly out of their depths, and the consequences of chasing enlightenment by being 'seen', are not eniterly victim-less...

This is a very different, very insular and thoughtful read which leaves you pondering the meaning behind the facade of what constitutes a life well lived. I finished it, and rushed to download Debra Jo's first novel,'Captives', because of how well she writes, and constructs her female characters. She nails the sense of disatisfaction with doing the done thing, as well as showing how easy it is to fall into a trap you have constructed for yourself.

Oh boy, did this book floor me. The blurb made it sound like the kind of twisty turny thriller and I love. And it was. I love the way the book is structured, long chapters split into smaller vignettes narrated by Abbey and various neurologists and specialists looking into her experiences. The author drip feeds information in very small doses often will large gaps between revelations so for large chunks of the book, I had no idea what the truth was. Did Abbey really see a younger version of herself? Why? How? Is she hallucinating? If so, why? The sections narrated by Abbey certainly seem to be too different people so I found myself thinking some sort of clone or double was plausible. The extracts of reports from doctors only left me with more questions. I couldn’t stop reading because I had so many questions and so much I wanted to understand. This is a totally original thriller. It’s a corker.

I greatly enjoyed this book, thank you for giving me a preview copy. The plot was interesting and fast paced and I sympathised with the characters. This is the first novel I have read by this author but I hope it will not be the last!

A strong 3* Good Read.

Abigail Willard is in a cab on her way home from a long day at work when she spots a young woman she recognises, it's herself from many years before.
What begins as a possible hallucination, develops into much more in this emotional, beautifully written story as Abigail's family life shifts and she spots her former self in various places. I particularly enjoyed the elements quoted from her therapist and others.
It's not an easy read and is very confusing at times. However, stick with it, it's worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview this unusual, beautifully scribed, unique read.

This book has failed to grip me, although i like the author's writing style something has definitely been missing from this book for me.
I will say that the concept has been unique and original.