Member Reviews
Thank you Netgally and the publisher for this ARC!
This was a heart-felt, warm and fuzzy book with the addition of impending doom. It is about a family that is dealing with the news of the world ending and how they decide to deal with it while also celebrating the holiday season.
This book is entirely about perspective and how each person deals with the news on their own. It really makes you think about what;'s important and life and how you would spend your last days if you knew it was coming.
A family receives two life changing pieces of news: a family member has a terminal illness and a cosmic blast is ending humanity in a matter months.
I sped through this one in a day. It was hard to put down. It reminded me of the movie Don’t Look Up. It manages to be light and heart-warming while dealing with the ultimate tragic event: the end of the world. I loved how it followed the individuals of one family and we get to know them personally. The quantum physics aspect of it was really interesting, although only lightly introduced and hinted at.
“If you could choose what to believe, he would believe the world isn’t ending. But you just don’t get to choose.”
I Think We’ve Been Here Before comes out 12/1.
A really interesting perspective on the end of the world. Something we all know might happen, but have no idea how we would actually handle it. This novel explores that through the POVs of one family. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the overall message, but I only wish some of the magical realism moments were explained better, or maybe that would have made it less impactful. There were also some parts I thought were a bit unrealistic, like if the end of the world was happening in real life I highly doubt the world wouldn't descend into chaos and stores would still be open and so forth. I would definitely read more from Suzy in the future. 3.5/4
No doubt about it, Suzy Krause excels at writing quirky stories with unique characters that will make your heart swell. I THINK WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE is the third book that I’ve read from the author, and I’ve been impressed with her writing style each and every single time. It’s so perfectly eccentric and fresh, that I can’t even think of another writer to compare her to. I believe this is the highest compliment.
The characters in ITWBHB are in an impossible situation. Actually, it’s the worst possible situation that anyone could be in. They are preparing for the end of the world. A cosmic blast will hit earth in a matter of months, so of course emotions and anxiety levels are running high.
QUICK SYNOPSIS:
“𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙠𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙎𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙄 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪.”
I absolutely loved that the majority of this novel was set in Saskatchewan. I was born and raised in rural Manitoba, so it felt like home to me. But honestly, the characters truly stole the show. They were so well-developed and wonderfully crafted. Perspectives changed throughout the novel, and not once did I favor one over the other. I always looked forward to each character’s storyline.
READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:
- Apocalyptic fiction
- Canadian setting
- Quirky storylines
- Unique characters
- Dark humor
- Family and community
- Thought-provoking reads
- Slow-paced plot
What surprised me the most was how uplifting and warm this story felt. Sounds crazy, right? Ummm, the world is ending!!! Family, friendship, belonging, connection, and community are strong themes that brought much comfort to a somber situation.
I THINK WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE releases on December 1st, but is currently an Amazon First Reads selection for November, so go download it now! It gets 4/5 stars from me!
I loved this thought provoking and poignant post apocalyptic read. It was interesting to see how each character handled the months leading up to the end of the world. I questioned how I would have reacted if I was in their place. The ending was very moving.
This book was sooo comforting. It's amazing how comforting this story is while discussing such a sensitive topic. really enjoyed it
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book!
A cosmic blast is set to render humanity extinct within a matter of months. We read the point of view of multiple families and their reaction to the news and the few months they seemingly have left of their life. What would you do if you knew the world was about to end?
This book is well written and Krause kept the normal, boring, routine parts of life whilst they were all dealing with highly stressful news. I struggled with the book myself, I think I felt confused through the whole book and it took me to about 80% until I fully figured out who the different characters were.
Definitely an interesting read, that ended exactly as I wanted it to, especially as I am not normally a sci-fi reader. I didn’t hate it but didn’t love it either!
I really wanted to like this. It sounded great. I just don't think it was for me.
Unfortunately, I just was not hooked at any point. I'm sure the audience for this is out there - there's an audience for anything. I just wasn't that person.
I may try to give it another chance in the future, but for now I'm passing.
Marlen Jorgensen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Him and his wife are trying to navigate this tragic news when more news hits them. A cosmic blast is set to take place resulting in the end of the world. Their daughter, Nora is on another continent and not answering her phone. Their nephew goes missing and everything seems oddly familiar as though they've been there before.
The characters navigate their last months on earth together and Nora works on finding a way back home. The story is told in multiple points of view and slowly unravels. I did have to push myself to continue reading this taking much longer than expected (took me over two weeks). I sometimes mixed up characters but the ending wrapped everything up nicely.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing/Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Suzy Krause – 4.5 stars rounded up!
In the same week, Marlen and Hilda’s family receives two big pieces of news. Marlen has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. And a cosmic blast is set to destroy the world within months. The upcoming Christmas will be their last.
This was a magical book that will have you quickly turning the pages to figure out exactly what is going on. Things seem familiar to these characters that shouldn’t be familiar, characters hold onto whatever hope they can, and everyone figures out just exactly what is important. The characters are wonderful and relatable, and I felt for all of them as they each coped with the impending apocalypse. It’s about family, friends, community, and some magical realism. I loved it!
Loved it! The characters, the plot, the Canadian connection, and the ending... oh, the ending. I didn't expect a story about the end of the world to be so tender and hopeful. I'll be thinking about this one for a while - and encouraging lots of people to read it.
Thanks very much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital copy of I THINK WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE in advance of publication.
3.5 Rounding up
This was super charming and managed to feel very lighthearted while dealing with such a heavy topic. I liked the different ways each character went about their last days and the connection they had to each other. I enjoyed the explanation at the end.
I did struggle with the pace in the 2nd half. I felt like I was flying through the beginning but lost steam at the end. I enjoyed this authors writing style though and would say this is accessible for all readers. It is technically SciFi I guess, but doesn’t feel that way.
I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I found the plot intriguing, but struggled to get into this novel, I think chiefly because I didn’t really like any of the main characters! This was a real shame as the different settings were interesting, but I just didn’t care enough about the characters to worry about them dying!
Writing a review for this book is much like reading it. I have no idea where to start, how to end, or what to put in the middle. I’m utterly flummoxed.
The basic premise is that a cataclysmic cosmic event is forecasted to bring about the end of the world. Told from multiple points of view, the story focuses on the members of an extended family and how they respond to this dire prediction. I fear the subject matter and plot ore too esoteric for me, though others who enjoy speculative fiction may find this book fascinating (and, based on reviews, they do).
It’s well written and the characters are deftly drawn. I simply could not get past my own confusion to fully enjoy it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.
Actually really enjoyed this book. A book full of all the emotions. One min I was laughing then the next crying!
I just finished reading this book a little earlier today and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. In fact, I have a feeling that it will stay with me for a long time. It was beautiful, emotional, thought-provoking, and important. Though the premise of the book is about the end of the world due to a highly unusual and unlikely event, we read about how different people deal with this news as they prepare their last few months alive. Though there is certainly some sadness, fear, and pain, there is also a lot of happiness, love, and positivity. I found so much of it to be fascinating, and I learned a lot, too. O am also a sucker for things like deja vu, synchronicities and the like so I was thrilled to read about those, too. There is so much presented in this book that makes you stop and think, and I think it would be great for a book club. It would also make a fantastic movie!
"You think things like this are going to change you into someone else, but generally they make you more of who you already are."
I Think We've Been Here Before is a charming, lyrical, quirky story about the end of the world. It most closely follows Nora, a young woman who has just moved to Berlin, and her parents Hilda and Marlen in Saskatchewan. These characters cope with an unimaginable disaster not with heroism or insanity but by becoming ever more human, their shortened lifespan intensifying their longing for both independence and connection, their desire to find hope in the future and their need to cling to the past.
I absolutely loved this book. I loved the way the author used a somewhat bizarre premise to illuminate characters and feelings that felt fully grounded. I loved the moments of stark insight, funny and tragic and everything in between, and the lyrical turns of phrase. I loved how every time I got caught in the sadness of the story's premise the book offered a sweet moment or charming detail, not negating the sadness but offering an upbeat counterpoint.
Even though it had a totally different premise and characters, the vibe of this book reminded me of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. 5+ stars.
Took me a while to get around to reading this book, no idea why, just the initial premise maybe?
Anyway, such a well written book, so much detail and attention given to giving all the character life, including their thoughts, surroundings and feeling, made it feel very real. But, somehow I didn't feel close to any of the characters, didn't find myself rooting for them, I cared for the cat though, kinda sad about that. With such a dark topic, the whole book was deep, meaning of life kinda vibe which wasn't for me unfortunately.
I got a bit bored of not much happening, a slow burner, yet the pages were filled with deep meaningful thoughts from each character reflecting on their lives and navigating their final days before being faced with the end
.
Although some bits can be a tad confusing at times, everything is wrapped up very nicely at the end and makes sense even to my simple mind. The ending feels warm and happy although I hoped it to be all a dream or Marlene's book or something.
A really well written book, with some strong take home messages... Be nice, you don't know how long you have left. Just wasn't my vibe.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.
This book is about a girl named Nora, but it’s also about her parents and a few people from her home town. The backdrop to this story is the world is ending, but it’s about so much more than that. It’s a little peek into the lives of these characters, their dreams, their anxieties, and their everyday experiences. I fell in love with these characters. While the book switches between the different characters, I didn’t mind that at all. Usually that bothers me, but I enjoyed each character’s point of view. And that ending… !!!
I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I have read Suzy Krause's previous books and enjoyed them very much. Neither book prepared me for this one, however. It is an interesting, well written book , with a bizarre plot line. The only way I can describe it , is as a pre apocalyptic romance. It follows the lives of several people in a family, who have just found out 2 very disturbing things. Marlen , Hilda's husband and Nora's father, has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Second, there will be 2 gamma ray bursts in a few months and the world will end. It is an oddly engaging book, with good characters and numerous pov's. There is also a recurrent feeling of deja vu among the characters, as well as the fact that Marlen has written his first book- about gamma rays bursting and destroying the earth. It is not for everyone, but it is a good read.