Think We've Been Here Before by Suzy Krause is a beautifully quirky and deeply emotional novel that explores the fragility of life, the connections we share, and how we face the unknown. The premise—two big revelations: a terminal illness and the end of the world—could easily feel heavy, but Krause has a gift for infusing the story with warmth, humour, and an underlying sense of hope.

The Jorgensen family’s struggle to accept their reality, both personal and global, is portrayed with such depth. Marlen and Hilda’s art projects, the sudden appearance of a long-lost visitor, and the mystery of Hilda’s daughter’s journey home all add layers of complexity to the narrative. I found myself completely absorbed in the lives of these characters, each grappling with their own understanding of what it means to live—especially when time is so uncertain.

Krause’s writing is sharp, evocative, and filled with moments of quiet beauty. The blend of cosmic disaster and deeply human storytelling makes this a unique read. There’s a sense of nostalgia and déjà vu that runs through the novel, which keeps you guessing until the very end.

This book is a poignant reminder to cherish the present and embrace every moment. I can’t recommend it enough for anyone looking for a thought-provoking, emotional, and ultimately uplifting read. It’s a novel that stays with you long after you finish.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved the story (although it gave me 2020 flashbacks). The premise was interesting to think about and the ending really wrapped up all the odd loose ends throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a thought provoking (but not too heavy) read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of I Think We've Been Here Before by Suzy Krause!

With all that is happening in the world, I am so glad my health has finally allowed me to catch up on some ARC reading-especially this one. Art and storytelling are so important right now and we certainly need more quirky books about hope and humanity and deep interpersonal connection-my favorite thing. I often feel like things are the end of the world and think the attempt to comfort and reassure readers is adorable and I love that the author says we're all in it together. This was a super different read and it may be hard to wrap you head around for some but the depth and thought provoking is worth it!

“As it turns out, the way to keep sane when the world is ending is the exact same as when it’s not.”

A bit of a slow burn but one that I loved the steady pace of. We learn quickly of the world ending and we watch each person struggle to understand what to do now. Some don't believe it and ignore the news. Others stop working, hang with family, and start doing those things they'd always put off, thinking they had more time. Some cook together, steal together, finally hold hands and kiss. There were so many touching moments, characters to fall in love with, all the while a feeling of doom that rises with each few chapters. For so many reasons, this story both comforted me and made me so sad. Beautifully written and a bit mind bending in all the best ways.

I enjoyed this as an audio and I highly recommend it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

It took me a long time to pick this book up, but once I did, I was so glad that I had! Definitely a bit different than what I have been reading lately, but it was done really well and was thought-provoking!

Suzy Krause has put together an extremely well-done end of the world tale. Without too much scientific explanation, she has really let the characters, and their emotions take center stage.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I just didn't connect with this one. I should have anticipated that it would be heavy but I just didn't prepare myself for the content.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

A lot of fun— a perfect choice for readers who enjoy a bit of mystery with their slice-of-life stories, and it offers an uplifting journey of second chances and personal growth. Slow burn, and totally unique!

I was instantly intrigued by the premise of this book and was excited to read it. It was a bit slow to start and took me time to get into the characters, but I ended up really enjoying it. It reminded me a lot of the movie Don’t Look Up.

This is definitely a very unique book that left me thinking of it long after I finished it. I found myself relating to each character in different ways and understanding why they are reacting the way they are.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. It will be sticking with me for a while. Thank you to Suzy Krause, the publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC!

This book is so different from anything I have read before. It is not even the typical type of dystopian futuristic climate fiction that I wander into from time to time. I really liked the deja vu and parallel universe aspects - this is a novel that makes you “think” and really spend some time pondering how these things could happen. Everyone has such different responses to the idea that the world is ending and what they will do with the time they have to prepare. From Irene being in denial to Ole running away, the elderly grandfather just focused on finding joy, Marlen being a prophet and the young couple finding love in Berlin and experiencing their own deja vu. The story is so thought provoking. The characters who chose to pour themselves into artwork were inspiring and I had to appreciate that everyone’s responses were unique and just what they needed. Unfortunately, this book could represent the current political climate in the US which may feel like the world is ending for many - we need to learn to respect each person’s fears and how they handle them. And I definitely picked up on the cat clue even though I looked for more resolution about what the cat represented. I found the book a little slow at times but overall, enjoyed the creativity and uniqueness of the story.

My brain is having a hard time trying to wrap itself around this novel and process it (in a good way).

This is a very unique read! Often we (or I at least) can speculate on the world ending. Sometimes these hypotheticals involve talks about exploding into a great ball of fire and other times it's fuelled by reading a novel involving a post-apocalyptic universe. However, I don't know if I've ever read a book where there is a set date and the characters just have to...wait for it to happen. There isn't anything they can do about it. That fact alone introduces a heavy discussion on the dichotomy of fear versus surrender but I digress.

This novel was very thought provoking and FILLED with philosophical and existential gems. If you want to truly THINK about life, whether it be past, current, or future...this is the book to pick up. I think it also is a book that really captures different emotions and the different stages where they could be felt separately or simultaneously together whether it be fear, anxiety, nostalgia, happiness, grief, contentment, etc.

Even though this is a book that is excellently and incredibly written, you can't help but feel like maybe there's a part of it that you don't fully understand. Simply through the amount of depth and thought that goes into reading this book. It really is a complex story!

***Thank you to the author for sending me an e-ARC to read and review.***

*I Think We’ve Been Here Before* is a thought-provoking and beautifully written exploration of fate, love, and the nature of second chances. A compelling, emotional read that lingers long after.

This was unfortunately not a book for me. I get that it all kind of makes sense at the end, but the path to get there was more for me than I wanted to invest in the book. The characters were nicely written and I would have loved to see more of Nora and Jacob.

Thank you for the ARC! I loved this quirky little book about the end of the world. It made me laugh and make me think about what I would do in that situation.

"Life just ended suddenly one day, right when people were in the middle of it."

It’s bad enough finding out you’ve got a terminal illness and you’re going to die soon, but then you find out even if you somehow survive, it’s the end of the world anyway.

This book was breathtakingly complicated. It was hopeless, tragic and heartbreaking but also beautiful, a moving snapshot of what being human, being alive really means when it’s all you have left. A truly unique end of the world story with a quietly beautiful twist and a lot of soul.

We follow the family over the last three months of life on earth, starting in relative mundanity. Nora tries to start a new life in a new city after a heartbreak, Hilda and Marlen have their family over for dinner, Iver contemplates his life as he grows old, Hank and Irene try to understand having a teenage son; perfectly normal lives before life itself becomes chaos and memory, reality, history start to unravel and what it means to be alive is called into question. Each of their perspectives being carefully recorded and their personalities still shining even in a third person style with each person finding solace, anger and comfort in different places.

The storytelling was slow, but it worked - it was slow in the way of someone taking their time, taking in their surroundings and stopping to think about everything they see. The writing was almost dreamlike, ethereal and invoked an almost hazy effect as it moved seamlessly from one moment to the next.

This story explores loss on multiple levels. The loss of a relationship, the loss of health, or love, or life. Hilda is angry that Marlen is dying, but heartbroken. Ole has gone missing in a different kind of loss. It truly takes time to hold a mirror to the feeling and show just how complex yet universal it can be.

A poetic portrait of life and death that captures the universally understood experiences of being human.

The cover of this book is a bit offmatched from the themes of this work of speculative fiction that explores themes of what do you do with your last days - both in light of terminal illness and the world coming to an end. I will look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Something about this book rubbed me the wrong way. It’s full of anxiety and not great things. I found it hard to get into the story due to the characters themselves. I will revisit it in the future.

"𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆."

What would you do if you knew the world was going to end? The Jorgensen family is preparing for the inevitable after an official NASA announcement reveals that a cosmic explosion will extinct humanity in months. The upcoming Christmas will be their last.

The concept is quite unique and complex but in a good way. There were some things I did not fully understand but the writing was excellent and the ending made perfect sense with a beautiful underlying message for a depressing topic like the end of the world. I felt that some of the characters needed more depth and the narrative slowed down a bit.

It is still a fascinating read about how different people behave differently and poses the question 'If the world ended, who and where would you want to be?'

Thank you @netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC to read and review.