Joe Heap always has such novel concepts for his book and this is no exception.
A beautiful love story, but so much more.

I have been plodding through this book for a couple of weeks now but having got to halfway through I'm giving myself permission to stop.

Sorry but I'm finding this hard work and not sure where the story is going.

Well I was not keen on this at first, it was fragmented and I did not really get the concept. I do not like to give up on anything too easily though and about 20% in, the book had me totally spellbound and had reeled me in. The main characters, Jem & Mika, both have their own idiosyncracies and encounter one another regularly in different places/times and recognise each other . Although it sounds a bit farfetched, you do understand their deep connection which runs throughout the book. The book became a pageturner and I am so glad I have perservered with it.
Sometimes sad, sometimes lighthearted the book is mostly optimistic and unusual.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

I was sent a copy of Life Number Nine by Joe Heap to read and review by NetGalley. I enjoyed reading this novel. I’m quite sure people will liken it to The Time Travellers Wife, but I personally think that it is much better than that particular book. The concept was really interesting, as were the statistics that were scattered throughout - although there were times when I just wanted to get on with the story. I wouldn’t say it was the best I have read in this particular genre but it was very readable, if a little long.

I loved parts of this novel, but was intensely frustrated in others.
The relationship of Jem and Mike through several incarnations was an interesting one and took the feeling of knowing someone instantly upon meeting to a new level.
I didn't warm to Mika's character in any of her/his forms. I just wanted Jem to be happy.
Thank you to netgalley for my ARC copy of this novel in return for my review

This is a well-written, original and thought-provoking story which features different timelines throughout. I found the premise very intriguing and gripping, and really enjoyed this book.

Life Number Nine by Joe Heap is a poignant exploration of love, destiny, and the connection that transcends time. With a unique narrative structure and a compelling love story, Heap takes readers on an epic journey across centuries, blending historical elements with contemporary life in a way that feels both grounded and dreamlike.

The novel centres on Mika and Jem, two individuals who, upon meeting by chance in present-day London, immediately recognise each other—not from this life, but from a shared vivid dream. Their connection is strange and intense, yet both are hesitant to form any new relationships, burdened by their respective struggles: Jem, recovering from a near-fatal accident, and Mika, living under the threat of deportation due to her undocumented status. As their dreams, or perhaps memories, of past lives together grow stronger, they are forced to confront the possibility that their bond has spanned multiple lifetimes, across different eras and locations.

What sets Life Number Nine apart is its intricate narrative structure. Each trio of chapters alternates between present-day events and insights into scientific and statistical information, including birth rates and hours spent giving birth, alongside creative elements such as poetry, play scripts, and tablet carvings. While initially disorienting, this fragmented approach mirrors the complexity of the couple’s connection, reinforcing the idea that their relationship has evolved over many lifetimes, each new encounter shaped by the echoes of the past.

Heap’s characters are richly drawn, with depth and nuance that makes their journey both captivating and heartfelt. While the narrative’s dreamlike quality can at times make the story feel confusing, especially as the lines between dreams and memories blur, it ultimately adds to the sense of mystery surrounding their shared history. The themes of freedom, belonging, and self-discovery are thoughtfully explored through Mika and Jem’s experiences, and the book’s exploration of time, travel, and connection offer a thought-provoking reflection on the human experience.

While the pacing occasionally slows, particularly in the sections focusing on the dream sequences, Life Number Nine remains a beautifully written and creatively structured novel. It is a touching love story that reflects on the beauty and complexity of finding your place in the world—and the timeless connections that bind us all.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

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Book 11 of 2025

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advanced copy of ‘Life Number Nine’ and my sincere apologies for the lateness of my review . I have read Joe’s previous novels so was thrilled by the opportunity to read his new one and what a love story he has written. It is experimental, original and certainly interesting. Our story is set in London when Jem and Mika meet as strangers but feel that they have met before. The fact is that they have met before and have shared dreams having met each other in these dreams. Jem and Mika are complex characters, both carrying their own baggage and fair share of tragedy. But their stories intertwine and cross many different lives - nine as the title proves. Jem spends his time closing bank accounts of the recently deceased and Eastern European Mika is illegally employed as a chef after reaching the end of her time in the UK. Their romance is not a traditional one but they form connections and within them Joe has created two characters who certainly are memorable.


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Thank to both author and publisher and to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a real challenge of a book. A magical love story, hidden in multiple experiences and some truly special, at times experimental, writing. Jem is a bank worker and Mika an illegal immigrant working in the hospitality industry. They meet by accident and begin to encounter each other in a series of dreams. They don't particularly like or want this but are gradually drawn to each other.

Suspend logic, set your expectations to one side, don't expect this to make much sense at first. Travel with Jem and Mika, see where love will take them. It will take you to the most gentle, poetic, passionate, exasperating love story. It will teach you what love means. Stick with it and Jem and Mika will stick with you.

Thank you for this exasperating, confusing and beautiful experience... Where will love take you today?

Not my usual genre but Life Number Nine is a well written very original story. I found it quite confusing at times with the different timelines and characterisations but I was drawn to Jem and Mika in all their various guises and found it all rather emotional.

A creative well-written book about connections and finding your place in the world.

This is a story set in London, about a couple who meet as strangers but have a feeling of familiarity about each other. They share dreams that feature each other in other places and different times, like both being Roman gladiators, for example. They each have their own baggage, but not abusive relationships or mental health issues, the type of things that are too common in novels, but recovering from a car accident and an expired visa.

Each trio of chapters focuses on one month in the present day, but it begins with what is happening scientifically in the world, how many hours are spent giving birth and other statistical information. The end of the chapter includes poetry, playscript or tablet carvings. All interesting stuff. Within the chapter are the events and thoughts of both characters, so sometimes a re-read is needed to put the narrative into context. A little irritating at first but then I came to realise that the two people are intricately connected that this jumbled up storytelling is actually perfect for a tale such as this.

The couple are interesting with depth of character and are compassionately depicted, especially the man. Their story is touching and immensely readable. The dreams (or memories?) are at times a tad confusing and tend to drag a bit in places. The themes of freedom, finding your place, travel and belonging to the world are reflected in his interest in birds and her owning a bus.

Perhaps not a unique idea, this book is original in its imaginative situations. Rather sad, it's not one of those romantic love stories. Nice to read something different by a very talented author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of Life Number Nine in exchange for a review.
Ever since I read ‘The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August’ by Claire North a few years ago – thoroughly recommended by the way – I have been caught by the idea of someone living the same or (slightly different) life over and over again. ‘Life After Life’ is a perfect example too, even something like ‘Dark Matter’ and ‘The Midnight Library’ explore this idea and that is what Life Number Nine does. We follow a couple, Jem and Mica, who have been known to each other in their past lives. So, it is concept closely related to soul mates and reincarnation – more specifically than the books I mention above, but still has that vibe. A what if, a how life could be different, of a link between two people that can’t be extinguished and there was no way I was going to be able to resist this book.
Jem and Mica are living in a modern London and meet through a lucid dream workshop. He’s uptight and lonely, she’s more carefree and assertive and their attraction springs from their shared dreams. I thought the idea of shared dreams was such an interesting one – as what is more intimate that your dreams? The thing no-one else ever shares and the idea of these two people connecting because of it was a fascinating concept. So interspersed with their lives as modern Londoners, we spend time with them in the middle east in the 14th century, as gladiators in Roman Spain and a 1970s campsite. These vignettes are written in different styles, including movie scripts, which I’m not sure really worked but I liked the idea of. When you consider the diversity of ways of telling stories in, for example ‘A Visit From the Goon Squad’, Joe Heap didn’t really offer as much of a range as he could. But that is a very small fault and to be honest, I was so hooked that I just wanted to know what happened next, where they were, when they were and how was it going to end.
I loved the ending – the glimpse into the future – that was so much fun!
In fact, most of the book was fun. There were sad bits, and Jem’s back story when it comes is tragic, but there is a lot of humour in the book. One thing I particularly liked was the enormous canvas that it was painted on. We were encouraged to look at the universe, then the earth, then the country before narrowing in on this one couple. So, we’d find out things like how many people are born every minute, how far the planet spins, and loads of other bits of random trivia that helped us see the broader view. It wasn’t necessary for the plot at all, but I felt added so much to the writing.
I will be recommending this book to all and sundry and I was genuinely sorry to end it. I had such a book hangover as a result of it. Looking forward to reading what the writer does next!

An interesting read. I found this book to be a bit different to what I normally read and took a bit if getting into it was well written and I'm sure it will appeal to lots of readers but I'm afraid it wasn't really for me it was a bit too complicated but I hope it does well

Life Number Nine is the most ambitious of the novels I've read by this author. In the present day, Mika and Jem don't know each other. They are both complex, flawed individuals trying to live well but constantly faced with conflicts. Both experience life-changing events, which make them aware of the other, and when they meet, this time, it is at a lucid dream workshop. The story explores their interactions in the present and dreams, which are so vivid they are like memories. The format for the dreams is varied as the author experiments with differing literary styles. It takes a while to appreciate some of these, but they all make the story original and resonating. It's a humorous, heartbreaking, and heartwarming emotional journey, showing the spectrum of human emotions and interactions. It's a story to savour and read more than once.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

The scope of this book is at once vast and all-encompassing while being at the same time achingly intimate, and Joe Heap navigates these two modes throughout the book with a force of lyrical language that is breath-taking.

Jem and Mika meet again and again in different lives, back as far as we can imagine history, and each time they meet and part, to both their regrets. Through the medium of shared dreams they find each other in the present where a pregnant Mika meets Jem at a lucid dreaming workshop and have an on-off relationship as they share the memories of their dreams.

The contrast between the elegy to history, time and space, and the everyday love story is exquisite at times, and so very very emotional as their love story continues. All the feelings, beautifully written, and saved by events from being overly sentimental.

This is a story of love, hope, and of two people who are soul mates.
How often have your paths crossed with the person that you have ended up with - and not just during this lifetime. Across centuries.
It is an emotional book and one that kept me on my toes and very difficult to review without including spoilers.

If you're looking for something different to read, this is the book for you

Oh my God, this book is so unbearably sad! I found Life Number Nine extremely frustrating. I was willing Mika and Jem on to a breakthrough throughout the book, and it took too ong!
If I had written this book, I would have called it If Only She Had Been Nicer. Mika and Jen continually have these beautiful moments in shared dreams, and most of the time they meet in real life, Mika is defensive, horrible and badly behaved towards Jem. What had Jem ever done to her?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this great ARC. I love how this love story is told through different eras of time with different narrative styles which help separate the actual chapters on the present day from those time skips, it is very original. The story itself is quite well-paced and it makes you believe that everything happens for a reason, especially love.

Enter the world of Mike and Jem who meet but feel they have known each other in previous lives. Their story ebbs and flows as they meet and float off again across time .
Not an easy read but thought provoking

Life Number Nine by Joe Heap
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date: 06/03/2025
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What an interesting concept for a story. A story of love over many lives- 9 lifetimes in fact.
Jem and Mika’s lives have intertwined over many lifetimes, meeting and falling for each other time and time again. In the present, having vivid dreams, shared at the same time, allows them to relive the past meetings, and heartbreaks.
This is a great story and a really unusual concept- unlike anything I’ve read before. It got me thinking about all those times you see someone who you think you know but perhaps it’s from a previous lifetime.
Thank you to NetGalley, Joe Heap and Harper Collins UK for this ARC in return for an honest review.
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