"Fated" by Sarah Ready is like a cross between "The Seven Year Slip" and "Freaky Friday."

Although the story was a bit slow to grab my attention initially, it became truly interesting once the FMC and we, the readers, started to realize what was happening and how the magical realism element worked.

Max deserves better, but Aaron deserves all the good things in the world. I adored Aaron; he is an absolute gem of a human being. I just wanted to hug him and find a way for these two characters to come together and live happily ever after. Thankfully, that’s what we got in the end, though it was quite a journey to get there.

I am always struck by the creativity of magical realism, as it makes magic feel real. Sarah Ready crafted a unique magical component in this story that made me very invested in the characters and their story arcs.

Fiona's character arc focused on her desire to be loved but her struggle to let anyone in, fearing they might hurt her again. She feels she can love freely in her dreams but is afraid to love anyone in real life. Watching her discover what it’s like to be truly loved and how she proceeds with her relationship decisions is both frustrating and satisfying in the long run.

Shakira Shute's performance was good, but it didn’t particularly stand out. The narration didn’t immediately draw me in or keep me engaged at the beginning. I contemplated DNFing in the first 20%, and I wondered if that was due to the narration. However, after reading a few other reviews, it seems many people weren't thrilled by the beginning of the book. It is worth sticking with it, as the payoff is worth the slow start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the ALC.

Another great read from Sarah Ready!! I read Switched a couple months back and this is another book in the Ghosted series. They are the cutest little love stories and I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series. I love that they can all be stand-alone books as well

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this ARC

I listened to the audiobook of this title that I received as an ARC from NetGalley. I have read some of the other titles by this author so I was excited to get the chance to listen to this one.
The narrator did a good job of changing up voice tone and accents enough to keep my attention and the story flowed easily. I was super annoyed with how Becca acted while Fiona was back in her world. (No spoilers but omg I wanted to kick her butt).
I do feel that’s the sign of a well written story when I am so drawn in by the story and a character (or 2 as was the case in this book) who make me hate them. I was blindsided by the ending but in a good way.
A solid magical realism book. I hope to read more by this author in the future.
All opinions are my own.

In Fated by Sarah Ready, Fiona is a busy executive juggling her work life balance while running her family's respected Swiss watch company. After a life-changing experience, she receives a family heirloom that lets her dream of things she doesn't feel she can wish for when she is awake. When she sleeps, she lives a simple and beautiful life on an island with a husband and two kids. As she begins to fall in love with the life she is dreaming, she realizes she must learn how to do the same with her real life.

Listening to this audiobook was so enjoyable. When I wasn't listening to it, I was wondering when I could listen to it. The magical aspect of the MC dreaming their desires was so fun and would feel so familiar to anyone who has woken up from a dream they did not want to leave.

I was a bit conflicted about the main character and the speed at which it felt like they were changing. Given the plot line of the book I don't think the aim was for the character development timeline to be realistic.

I enjoyed how this storyline surprised me at times and am looking forward to going back and reading the first two "standalone" books in the Ghosted series. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to get lost in a dream for a while.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the ARC.

Absolutely adored this book! Being content with your life but believing that there is someone out there for you. Your desire to have that one true magical love. Fiona has her wonderful daughter and best guy friend Max who loves and adores here but there just isn’t that ‘spark’. Given a magical chance to find the love of her life, Fi thinks it’s all a dream until she realizes it isn’t. This incredible magical book will transport you to such a beautiful island filled with love, sacrifice, and heartache. You’ll be rooting for the characters the whole way through.

I’ve never read any of Sarah Ready’s books, including the previous ones in this series (Ghosted). So I was reading this with very fresh eyes. And I really enjoyed it!

I’ve read many contemporary romances, even ones with time-shifting/reality suspending plots. I think I’ve enjoyed this one the most. I feel like I can always guess the plot twist. This one kept me guessing, though my initial guess was right. But I was doubting it a bit. I enjoy when authors do that. I don’t want to see the plot twist coming a mile away. And there were a couple!

Fiona (Fi) is the owner of a successful watch company. She has a young daughter, and she is busy, busy! At their Christmas Eve Gala, she is shot by a mysterious woman. This causes change to come about in her life. Her mom briefly returns to give Fi a watch that’s been in their family since the beginning and supposedly can show you your dreams. Fi uses the watch, and when she dreams she’s on an island living the life of another woman. The woman is having an affair trying to leave her husband, while Fi is slowly falling in love with him.

Overall, I really liked this book! I don’t say that about romance books often. I would even read this again, which I have never said about a contemporary romance book! I think the plot was so well developed and the author really thought through it. It was complex enough to keep you curious and captivated, and simple enough to make it fun and easy to read. I would definitely read more in this series, and more by the author.

The couple things I didn’t enjoy are minor. I’m not a fan of graphic/descriptive sex scenes. I prefer closed door. There was at least one scene that was descriptive. But I do appreciate that it’s labeled as New Adult and not Young Adult because of that!

My other critique is the cover. Don’t judge a book by its cover and all that, but I feel like it’s a GOOD book—give it a GOOD cover. And this cover didn’t really reflect the story well and seems more generic to me. I wouldn’t be drawn to this cover in a store.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Shakira Shute. I listen to 90% of books, and not all narrators are the same. Shute did a great job! I enjoyed listening to her, and her character voices.

Thanks to Swift and Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for the arc. This is my honest review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fiona Abrey is a talented watch maker, keeping her family's legacy alive. She works tirelessly to make sure everything is taken care of in the company alongside her brother Daniel. Aside from Daniel and her best friend Max, Fiona doesn't have anyone else she trusts.

Fiona is gifted an heirloom pocket watch. Allegedly, with this pocket watch in hand, you can dream about whatever your heart desires. Fiona quickly learns her heart desires love.

Fiona meets McCormick in her dreams. At first, she is very confused by this man she's sharing her bed with. But then she realizes she's not in her bed at all, she's on an island far away from Geneva. After their first meeting, Fiona keeps going back and forth in her dreams to spend more and more time with McCormick.

Fiona realizes in her dreams is her biggest heart's desire and she wants to keep chasing that dream every night.

I read Switched by Sarah Ready before Fated. Although, i did enjoy Switched more, I still enjoyed the magical realism of Fated. A well-done love story about finding love in all the wrong, but right places. I would definitely recommend! Thank you to Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this advanced readers copy!

This is the angsty book in the series but it still gets almost all my stars, I couldn't put it down or pin down what was happening next and I needed to know desperately even if that crush me. It is told from Fiona's voice and point of view and as beautiful as it is, full of details, like only Sarah Ready can write, I felt the pull and nostalgia along with her sorrow and her guarded heart.
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The narration was perfect and helped me continue reading despite feeling sadness and nostalgia. And with the same passion I felt a lot of surprise and happiness for Fiona at the end. I feel like this would be a perfect movie like “The Lake House” with Sandra Bullock
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Fiona Abry is dedicated to keeping her Family watch company and legacy alive. After years of effort with her brother to save the company left her exhausted and with a huge void and the feeling that she can't trust in anybody else outside of her brother and best friend 
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But when an antique heirloom clock comes into her hands with the possibility of showing her the dream her heart desires, she decides to give it a try, and see what could happen. But when she closes her eyes she finds herself on a small island married with two children.
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During the day she works and lives with her little daugther in Geneva but at night she dreams away in a life in a little island with two kids and the man of her dreams
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As time passes and her nights are filled with summer beach days, and she begin to feel that her heart remains in those dreams. But it can't be love because it's just a dream, and none of people in there exists, right?
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As always, in every book she writes, it is full of images and flavors so vivid, full of colors and sensations that when I heard the audio version, narrated by Shakira Schute I could close my eyes and live on that beautiful island and return to Geneva.
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Also seeing Daniel again made me want to read Ghosted, the first book in the series. And as if deciding which one is my favorite wasn't difficult, I found the cover of the next book and I'm in a state of shock, imagining how great it's going to be, I can’t wait to read more.
If you enjoy romantic fantasy/ Magic/ Science fiction stories you are going to love this serie and this book would break and put together your heart
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Thanks to Sarah Ready and her team for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

I was able to listen to an advance copy of this book. I loved, loved, loved it. The story is about Fiona, a gifted watchmaker, who has spent almost her entire life at her family's watch making company in Geneva, Switzerland. She has a young daughter, a brother, and a devoted male friend who make up her daily world, along with her company. Her mother gave her an old family watch with the instructions to follow her dreams through the watch.

Fiona finds the love of her life on an island. She dreams of him nightly but when she comes to Aaron in her dreams, she comes in the body of his wife, who wants nothing to do with him nor of island life. Fiona and Aaron fall deeply in love. He has two children and Fiona loves them, too. But are they real? Should she forsake her dreamworld happiness in exchange for the love of her best friend?

I wondered how the author would finish this book. Would I be happy? Would I be sad? I will say that it was a creative and satisfying close to the story. And I will be searching out more of Sarah Ready's books.

The narrator was fantastic.

The audiobook is outside of my usual genres, since it’s based on magic/paranormal activities. Having said that, it was quite enjoyable! I had to free my mind, because the book is based upon a magical watch that creates an alternate reality while dreaming. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but it does end with a HEA. It’s book 3 of a series, but can be read as a standalone. Highly recommend for lovers of this genre or if you’re interested in something a bit different & fun.

I loved this audio book!! A little slow to start, but then it really took off. I loved this premise of loving in your dream life, like an alternate reality. Very creative and well done!

*thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my review*

This is by far my favorite Sarah Ready book. Fiona is a beautiful and complex character, and her story will keep you guessing until the end. I went into this read completely blind, and I’m so happy that I did. I actually recommend a blind read to everyone because it will make the ending so much more satisfying.

So here’s what you need to know—this book is heart-wrenching and beautiful. The characters are complex and relatable, with varied backgrounds. Ready shines in this narrative about what it means to dream, and she will take you by surprise and even warm your heart as Fiona’s story unfolds.

This book is, at its core, a compassionate story. A rare gem where we get to explore both platonic and romantic love. It’s incredible and you will love it. The narrator was AMAZING and made the experience SO SO GOOD!

Stuff and things:
-single mom
-attempted murder??
-found family
-love triangle
-open door
-guaranteed HEA

Thank you to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, and NetGalley for this ALC.

A time travel romance weighed down by too much plot.

Synopsis: Single mom, Fiona owns a high end watch manufacturer in Geneva, Switzerland. She comes into possession of a watch that allows the owner to “live their dreams”. As Fiona begins to dream of someone else’s life on a Caribbean island, she finds solace in the small community and healing in Aaron, a marathon swimmer with a traumatic past.

Review: The book starts with a long backstory and takes a lot of time to get going. Six chapters pass before the Fiona has her first dream. There’s just a bit too much going on— multiple traumatic events in Fiona’s life to setup her need for healing.

The love story is the best part of this book. Fiona and Aaron’s love through a dream, was beautifully written and kept interesting by the life happening while Fiona is away. But the author takes it a bit too far with a time travel pretzel and overly complicated characters.

Author Sarah Ready can describe a scene. She creates a beautiful island community and describes it so precisely the reader can see every grain of sand in their mind. This is nice as a listener, but adds unnecessary bulk to an already long story.

At 13h 34m, this audiobook feels its length. A little too long for your typical romance.

Narrator, Shakira Shute, has a very smooth style and lovely accent. She is easy to listen to. Her narration may be the only reason I stuck it out.

Fiona is given a family heirloom for her birthday/not birthday that allows the user to see what they wish and dream for in life. She falls asleep one night with it in her hand, and wakes up in a new life as Becka, an unhappily married mother of two, who is cheating on her husband with her husband's best friend. And when she is awake and not in the other world, she is a single mother, who is pregnant, and her best friend is in love with her.

Throughout the story, it explores Fiona as Becka, as she learns more about her husband, and falls for him and finds herself wishing for her dream life to be reality. Due to the heirloom "showing her what she wishes for", she also decides to give her best friend a chance (As normal Fiona), hoping that this is what she is meant to do.

This book was so well written and well-paced, and the descriptions of the scenery were so descriptive that it made it so easy to close my eyes and picture the scene itself.

Also, how dare you give us that emotional rollercoaster about 80%-90% through the book.

I've heard that the next book is based around Max, and I will be keeping both eyes wide open waiting to see that that book has dropped. Even though I had a feeling that he would not be who the FMC would end up with, I still became emotionally invested in his story and hoping for a happy ending for him.

I will fight for this book until the end of the world. I went into this, not having read any other book by this author, but after this book, I will be adding the rest of the series to my TBR and adding this author to my following list. I was first drawn in by the cover, which is stunning, and then the synopsis, which is a concept that I have not read about before.

I am fascinated by Sarah Ready’s mind. Every single one of the books in this series has gone a different way than I initially thought it would and I’ve enjoyed the journey SO much. It felt like Sarah was saying ‘just trust me on this,’ taking me by the hand, and creating a beautiful garden for me to explore and overanalyse the paradoxes of.
And the tension in the audiobook narration?? I spent a good portion of this book being like ‘is X bad thing going to happen?’ And I was wrong every time - everything fell into place in the most satisfying way and Fi’s love story was arguably my favourite in the series to date.

Thank you NetGalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and Sarah Ready for is EARC in exhange for an honest review.

Fated is the third book in the Ghosted series, but can be read as a standalone.

Here we have Fiona, a busy boss woman, who has lost sight of what she wants from life. Until she is given the opportunity to find what her heart most desires.

When her dreams leak into her reality, she begins to understand what she finally wants. Because in the end, it’s not fate, it’s just a dream.

This book! I was so gripped and invested in the Fi's adventures. I would love to see this as a film. Sarah Ready's writing is great, it is so beautifully written. I could picture all the settings and was emersed into the dream world.

A great message - Believe in the power of your dreams!!

3.5 stars. Audiobook ARC.

Fated was okay. I preferred the previous books in the series of standalones. This felt out of sync as it goes back before Ghosted as a sort of prequel.

I'm not a big fan of the FMC/MMC with kids trope. And it didn't really explain where the real Becca went while Fi had taken over.

It was a slow start but I did find it enjoyable for the most part even though the mundane is overly described. But it had an interesting premise.

“I don’t trust easily, I’ve learned a long time ago that if you don’t trust then you’ll live a lonely life. You have to choose. You can trust or you can die alone. I chose trust” Sarah Ready’s stories are full of emotions, feelings, plot twists you never see coming and a magic that keep you reading until the end. Fated is Fiona and Aaron impossible story. They meet in a dream that feels so real that they can’t help but fall in love even if they are worlds apart. The audiobook with Shakira Shute brings the story and their characters magically real. The narration tugs at your heart and you can’t help but fall in love with all of them.

I love this series from Sarah Ready, the magical realism is written in vivid detail, I kept getting lost in this world. The execution was perfect. Three potential love interests that are eliminated one by one as the story goes on, it was such a fun time getting to know these men and realizing they weren’t it.

Fated by Sarah Ready
NetGalley Audiobook
Narrated by Shakira Shute
Overall: 5
Narration: 4
Spice: 3

I am in love with this book.

Fiona Abrey and her brother Daniel have worked together to revitalize their family watch business in Geneva, Switzerland. With a successful business, strong relationship with her brother, a happy 8 year old daughter, and her best friend Max, Fiona has everything she could dream of - except for a love life. Her busy life doesn’t leave much room for love and her past experiences have her avoiding it at all costs. After a traumatic experience, Fiona’s mom gives her a family heirloom watch that is said to have the magical property of showing you your greatest desire. It shows you this in your dreams. While skeptical, Fiona gives it a try and soon finds herself on a secluded tropical island and married with two kids. She greatly enjoys her time on the island and finds herself falling in love with her dream husband, but what is the point of falling in love with a man who isn’t real . . . or is he?

I had previously read Sarah Ready’s book Switched and loved it, so I was excited for this one. It did not disappoint and I felt it was even better! I’ll be reading the first book in this series, Ghosted, as soon as possible. I don’t want to say too much in my review so I don’t give anything away as I was happy that the marketing blurb did not give much away as I read the book and it revealed things very differently than I had expected. The unique approach and the subsequent twists and turns made it a book that was hard to put down/hit stop. If you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you know that I love my romance with a bit of magic and Fated definitely delivered in that area. It was also a book that kept you thinking about the perspectives of the different characters and what you would do in their shoes. The chemistry between Fiona and her dream husband is palpable with just one steamy scene on the pages. Any author that has me crying and questioning the HEA is a winner and Ready definitely had me worried and wondering how it could all work out. I laughed, I cried, I worried – this one is an emotional journey, but well worth the adventure. I will recommend this book to everyone I know and will be reading more by Ready.