Member Reviews

I do not know what is was about this book but I absolutely loved it! I felt as though I was in Geneva with Daniel, Max, Fiona and her daughter. The family they built together was so special considering the unfortunate circumstances. Max and Fiona's friendship is so special. Daniel is hands down the best brother. Ready wrote this creative story and the narrator brought it to life in a way that I felt as though I was a part of the novel. Shakira Shute's narration kept me captivated from the first word.

When Fiona sleeps she goes to an Island where she lives a completely different life than her very busy one in Geneva. It is slow paced and she is married to a wonderful man, Aaron. He is accurately a dream man. The book kept me guessing what was really going on and I, along with Fiona, was falling for this dream man. By Chapter 42 I was a blubbering mess having become so attached to all of these characters. I enjoyed this book from the very beginning to the last word spoken. This story will forever hold a special place in my heart!

Was this review helpful?

“She meets the man of her dreams in her dreams.” What a dynamic summary of this book-borrowed from the author, of course! I listened to this book after not knowing much of the premise and was surprised at how much the story captured me. Fiona, a busy single mother and entrepreneur who isn’t quite happy with her current life, is given a family heirloom, a watch, that allows dreams of what you might be missing in your life. As she dreams, she is transported to another life with a husband and family. The magical realism plays out beautifully and is so immersive, and you just want to find out if Fiona’s dream can become reality. There are many amazing one line quotes, but I fell for this one in particular: “He is the tide that washed over me and opened me to all the good that love can bring.” This is the third book in the series but can be very much a stand-alone. The narrator’s voice was captivating and emotional and added to the experience of this book. A special nod to the spectacular cover design with the colors! The world’s colliding! The characters!

Was this review helpful?

This book was lovely, heart wrenching, real, and had you rooting for the 2 kind and wonderfull protagonists fated to be together.

We have Fi, a smart single mom based out in zurich, but very deeply hurt so she does not open herself to love. We have Aaron, an island boy, with a wife of 15 years and 2 kids. His marriage is on the rocks and his wife is duplicitous and selfish.

Fi is given a magic watch that enables her to live her dreams. Suddenly she is Becca on this island having a relaxed life, with a wonderful husband, 2 cute kids and a close knit island family. Fi and Aaron start falling in love, but the clock is ticking down and the inevitable heart wrenching break happens. Towards the final part of the book, the pace really picks up and through a series of time shifts and events, Fi finally finds a path to live her dreams.

An emotional tug of war, that was engaging and narrated very well. You could hear the tension, the passion and the love.

Was this review helpful?

This was my first book by Sarah Ready and I will definitely be reading more!

I was sure what to expect during the first few chapters, but I found Fiona’s storyline to be raw and honest. She is trying to heal, physically and emotionally, and open herself up to trust and love again. I felt that the contrast of the two main settings spoke to the cautious but beautiful love story that grew between Fi and Aaron. I could feel the chemistry between them and I loved how Ready involves the concept of time and the watch to navigate the plot line.

Fiona meets the man of her dreams, in her dreams. This was a beautiful story that really amped up towards the last quarter of the book. Dive into this book, you won’t regret it!

A special thank you to Shakira Shute for bringing the characters to life.

I’m so thankful to #NetGalley, Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC. #Fated

Was this review helpful?

This may be my favorite book of the series!! ❤️❤️

Is it wrong to say I like a book that can emotionally manipulate me? It’s not that I like the tug-of-war. I just enjoy a book that causes me to have an emotional reaction….. not a stress induced reaction.

This is one of the few books where most of the main characters are all so genuinely kind they are impossible not to love. I also really hope that Max gets his own book because I am heartbroken for him. I wasn’t rooting for him in this book, but he deserves his own happy ever after.

Since this story takes place before book one (Ghosted), I love the nod Sarah gives to Daniel’s character when she references Daniel posing in an ad shirtless. It was the perfect touch!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Was this review helpful?

i'm always looking for magical realism books and this one definitely hit the spot. for people who love ashley poston, this book might also be for you. i wasn't really sure how it was all going to tie together, but i enjoyed the ride. i have also read the author's other book which was another romance/ magical realism book so i highly recommend you check that one out as well. this is a standalone so no need to read the other one.

the narrator really brought this one to life

Was this review helpful?

I received an advanced copy of the audiobook for review. This is my own opinion.

First, the narrator did an excellent job on this one!

Fiona is the CEO of a Swiss watch company, and after a traumatic event, is unhappy with her life. After a lost heirloom said to allow the holder to bring their dreams to reality, she begins to dream of a whole other life. But will she be able to reconcile these two opposite halves of herself and bring her two lives together?

This one kept me on my toes. I wasn't sure how it would all play out, and I love that. I kept coming back to it, trying to get to the end to figure out how it would all come together.

If you like the Sandra Bullock movie The Lake House, you'll enjoy this one!

Thanks to Netgalley, Swift&Lewis Publishing, and Sarah Ready for the ALC.

Was this review helpful?

Synopsis: Fiona Abry excels at keeping busy, running her family’s Swiss watch company, and guarding her heart. She’s so busy she doesn’t have time for a vacation much less a love life.

But then she’s given a family heirloom rumored to let you dream your greatest desire.

Suddenly, Fiona is spending her nights on a tiny tropical island in a completely different life.

She’s married. She has two kids. She lives in a colorful cottage on the beach.

This dream life is so different from her hectic, busy life in the city that Fiona decides to live her dreams to the fullest.

Swimming in the turquoise sea. Picnics under palms. Star-gazing on the beach. It’s a slow, seductive dream life that conveniently stays in her dreams.

But after kisses and confessions and long nights on the beach, Fiona starts to fall hard for her dream husband and her dream life.

But what happens when opening yourself to love means falling for a life that isn’t real and a man who doesn’t exist?

Because in the end, it’s not fate, it’s just a dream.

Review: I'll be honest, this one took me longer to get into than the other ones, but once. I was in it, I was IN IT. I'm not sure what it is about this series by Sarah Ready, but I have just loved all of these characters. The magical realism of it, the fun, I just love it so so so much. These books should be talked about more. Way more. They just make my heart so happy and I just never want this series to end.

Was this review helpful?

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Fated" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audiobook. I almost gave up on this book because I didn't care for the beginning. Since it was a audiobook I just listened while I was doing other things. The book did get better. I like magical realism stories. I think the book could have been shorter and overall it was ok.

Was this review helpful?

Third installment in a great series!

I was so happy to get approved for this - thank you, NetGalley & Sarah Ready.

A book that includes both romance & magical realism - Fated pulls at the heartstrings while also making you laugh & kick your feet.

The perfect summer read as part of the book’s setting includes a tropical island!

Was this review helpful?

Telling the story of Fiona a CEO of a watch making company, who has closed the doors on Love after life shows her how fairytales aren’t really true. She is given a gift that changes her life forever.

An enjoyable book which is an easy listening and reading.

Was this review helpful?

Fiona is a businesswoman running her family's Swiss watch company. One day, her mother stops by to give her a lost family heirloom that she stole; and the watch has magical powers. So at night, in her dreams, she gets to spend time to the life she has on a tropical island..
This magical realism romance is book 3 in the Ghosted series. And as with the first 2 books, this was a tad too long for a romance. Also, I was lost through most of the book. I started following a ***little*** better past the halfway mark (which was way too late for me to really enjoy this). As many other reviewers, I found the last 15-20% of the book very interesting, fast paced, and I wish, that tension came sooner. The twists thrown at us in this part were predictable, but still fun. I prefered the first two books to this one. I liked that we got to see Daniel a bit in this one too (he's the MMC in the first book of the series, and this book happens before book 1). I also like that even if all of her books contain magical realism, the element of magic is very different from one to the other. The narrator did a great job in the audio book.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Was this review helpful?

Wow. What just happened? Is this real life or am I the one dreaming? I had read 'The Space Between' by #SarahReady so when I saw this #arc I thought, I liked the author so I'll give it a go. WOW was that an understated feeling. This book was raw, real, ethereal love. The characters, the story line, the feelings of hope and despair. I don't want to say absolutely anything that would be a spoiler for this amazing book that kept me hooked the entire time and had me up fighting sleep and getting up early to turn it back on. Absolutely 5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

3rd instalment in the ghosted series, however they are all complete standalone. This is the best one yet.
Fiona is a watchmaker from Geneva and after a very traumatic incident and having been given her uncles 'very special watch' starts having very vivid dreams of an island paradise where the literal man of her dreams thinks she is his wife.
As Fiona tries to live her real life whilst pining for her dream life can she reconcile the feeling she has for Aaron her dream hunk vs her real life best friend who wants nothing more than to make her happy.
With a bit a time travel and a last ditch effort to save an island from impending doom. This is a romance for magical realism lovers.
This book was just the type of magical realism I've had in my head for a long time, whilst it's not the exact execution I would have chosen it is still a good story having tandem read and listened to this and I can easily recommend either version as an intriguing read or a well narrated audio.
Thanks NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for granting me copies of the book and audio in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Ready for giving me a copy of this book for an honest review. This is the second book of Sarah’s I have read. She is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me. I switched between the ebook and audiobook. The narrator was so good that I preferred to listen to the book versus read it. The plot of this story was super unique. I will admit, I struggled with the beginning of the book. I kept waiting for Fiona to start dreaming so we could get a look at her island family. Once that started, the story really picked up. I loved every second she was on the island meeting new people and getting to know her new “family”. I will say even though the beginning was a little slow, it was so necessary for the story. I don’t want to give too much away but this was a beautiful story about a woman not being afraid to dream. Plus, the vibes were vibing and you can’t really ask for more than that. I’m so excited to read Sarah’s other books.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book! This is my first ARC and it was a hit for me. I was captured by Fiona's story and her journey to love and be loved throughout the book. I've never considered how dreams and reality are connected and the author did a great job. The characters were lovable and I felt. connected to them. I was on the edge of my seat several times and could not stop listening. Lots of feelings from this book! I will be reading more from Sarah Ready for sure.

The narrator was great. Her accent fit the characters. Each character had a defining tone and it was clear when each character was talking. I prefer audiobooks and this is a great example of why. This narrator enhanced the book and added another level to the story,

Was this review helpful?

Wow...I did not expect this book to grab me in the chokehold that it did! And that twist towards the end completely blindsided me too!

This was a real pleasure to listen to, and I found the pacing slow at first but settled rather nicely after the first 10% or so. Being the third book in the series I expected to be more confused than I ended up being. The storytelling was fantastic and the romance elements were so well done.

That being said, I also did my fair share of crying too. In a (sadistically) good way, I love when books are able to wrench emotion from me as a reader. This book managed to do that pretty easily haha.

It's made me want to go back and read the first two of the series!

Was this review helpful?

When I saw this book was coming out I was excited. I loved Sarah’s other book Switched. I enjoyed Fated. Fi’s dreams felt so real. The book did take awhile to get really good but once it did the outcome was fantastic. Thank you Net Galley and Smith & Lewis Publishing for the advanced copy of the book

Was this review helpful?

Fated by Sarah Ready an audiobook narrated by Shakira Shute was.... OH MY GGAAAWWWDDDDDD! Shakira Shute made this story really come alive. I felt like I was there myself. I literally loved every single one of the characters in this story which is very rare.

i definitely recommend everyone listens to this audiobook!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I’ve listened to almost all of Sarah Ready’s books and they are my most recommended books. This was my first book that I was really caught off guard with the story. I judge it really early with the storyline and with the narrator’s European accent. I’m here to say.. this has probably got to be my new favorite book. It takes place in two different timelines but one is in the present and one is in a dream. She is searching for love but the only sense of romantic love she has felt was in a dream. She finds herself trying to dream more frequently to spend for time with the man from her dreams. While, in the present she has a man who is asking her hand in marriage. She feels torn.

This book was amazing and it had romance, mystery and conflict.

Was this review helpful?