I want to extend a huge thank you to Octopus Audio and NetGalley for giving me the chance to listen to an audio ARC of Who Wants To Live Forever by Hanna Thomas Uose. I genuinely appreciate the opportunity to dive into this book ahead of its official release.

This novel offers a profound exploration of love, mortality, and the desire for eternal life, weaving together elements of dystopian fiction, speculative science, and philosophical reflection. It follows characters whose aspirations lead them to challenge the boundaries of human existence, raising ethical questions, personal conflicts, and the timeless inquiry—if you had the option, would you choose to live forever? With a narrative that spans decades and various locations, this book delves into the cost of immortality and the emotional burden it entails.

The concept of this book is truly brilliant—a blend of science, dreams, love, romance, ambition, potential, and politics. I was eager to embrace it as a lifelong favorite. However, I felt something was missing. I yearned for more—more emotion, more drama, more intense challenges. I wanted the story to resonate more deeply on a personal level, to pull me further into the characters’ struggles. That said, I’m not suggesting the book is bad—far from it! It just didn’t connect with me as strongly as I had anticipated. But trust me, this is a brutally realistic tale, and if you enjoy authentic science fiction that tackles themes of love, loss, and the pursuit of possibility, you might find yourself captivated by this book in a way that I couldn’t.

On a brighter note, I absolutely adored the narrator's style, which enriched the experience for me. I also have a deep respect for the author's vision, and while this book wasn’t a perfect fit for me, I would love to explore more of Hanna Thomas Uose’s works in the future. This is a story that will surely resonate with its ideal audience, and I truly believe that many readers will be touched by its depth and realism.

I loooooooooved this book!!! It was like a mixture between Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, and like...the Soulmate Equation??? It was a really consuming look at love and relationships, and given the chance in a changing world, what would we give up for immortality. I loved the characters (they were the WORST - but written well). Ugh. Adore

Thank you NetGalley and Octopus Audio for the ARC

Unfortunately I didn't vibe with this story. I found the concept very interesting, but was bored during the story. I think it might've been to hard for me to sympathise with the characters and therefore I felt alienated by the story. That said I can see the appeal and I think the story will be a huge success with another audience than myself.

TITLE: Who Wants to Live Forever?
AUTHOR: Hannah Thomas Uose
PUB DATE: March 2025
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

WHAT I LIKED:

☆ Thought-provoking premise
☆ Beautiful, immersive writing
☆ SO many feelings!

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

☆ Absolutely nothing, I LOVED IT
☆ -
☆ -

SYNOPSIS:

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Sam and Yuki are soulmates, dreaming of a lifetime together, that is, until Yareta comes along. A revolutionary drug that halts ageing, it divides the world into two camps: those who embrace eternal youth and those who refuse to stop time. Yuki is firmly against it. Sam, however, can’t resist. And just like that, their future together is shattered.
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As the story unfolds, we meet a whole host of characters dealing with the emotional, political, and ethical consequences of immortality. Love, loss, power- everything changes when death is no longer a certainty. But in a world where time stands still, what does it mean to truly live?
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THOUGHTS:
☆
I LOVED this book. It’s the kind of story that lodges itself in your brain and refuses to budge. The writing is absolutely gorgeous, achingly human, tender yet somewhat upsetting, full of quiet heartbreak. It made me question EVERYTHING: love, mortality, even the meaning of existence. Would I take Yareta? Would you?
☆
The exploration of different values, the fear associated with death, the very idea of immortality and what that does to our perception of time, is incorporated fully into this wonderful novel. Heavily philosophical and entirely thought-provoking but never dull or boring.
Honestly, I’ll be thinking about this book forever (ironic, really). An easy five stars…read it immediately!
☆
Huge thanks to Netgallery and Octopus Audio for and advanced copy of this. Simply gorgeous!
☆

RATING: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Thank you so Hanna Thomas Uose, Octopus Audio and Netgalley for this Arc.

Wow wow wow!

In Who Wants To Live Forever, we follow Yuki and Sam as a new drug is developed which can extend a human life to over 200+ years. Yuki is on the campaign trail to make sure this drug isn’t released into the UK, meanwhile, Sam is feeling like his like is at a standstill and thinks a few more years could be useful so he can follow his dreams.

This book is genius!
I can’t even begin to put into words how much I loved this and I truly think the author captures EXACTLY how the world would react to a drug like this being made available.

*mild spoilers ahead*

I imagine the ending maybe a little frustrating for some but I think this shows that even if we try our hardest to control our life and the time we have, total control is truly impossible.

Looking forward to buying this for all of my friends over the coming year!

wow, I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audiobook at the same time as I was reading the galley. It’s a bit longer than the books I usually read, but I enjoyed it until the end. Thank you so much.

Thank you for granting me early access to this audiobook and a special thank you to the narrator. What a performance. I loved it so much.

Absolutely loved this thought-provoking book! Well written characters, flawed and human, set in an all too believable world.

Yuki and Sam are perfect for each other from the start, but niggles creep in. Life doesn't pan out how they'd hoped, Sam's dream of fame is slipping away from him, and Yuki has had to put the dream of children out of her mind.
But there is a way to make time stand still, the wonderdrug that stops the ageing process in it's tracks. It's super expensive, but can you put a price on having the time you need in life? Is it worth risking your life 'now' for the hope of a better 'now' in the future?

Not only are the characters well-rounded and real (think Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow), but the choices they make leave you questioning what choices you would make in their shoes.

My only complaint is that it ended too soon!

I was lucky enough to have an ARC of the audiobook gifted by NetGalley and the publisher Octopus Audio. The narration was impeccable 👌

Such an amazing debut and I was hooked from the first moments. When Yareta, a drug that extends human life indefinitely (or to 200 years+ which is basically indefinitely), hits the UK market, we meet Yuki and Sam, both wrestling with the implications in different ways. What ensues is a time-bending story that centres in what it really means to be human if you remove aging, ailing, dying, etc, but only from the portion of the population that can afford it.

I listened to the audiobook, and Lydia Thomas' characterizations and accent work were *chef's kiss.* Her Frank especially, with his California-cool, laissez-faire to the highest bidder attitude was so well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Octopus for the opportunity to listen ahead of publishing!

I loved this book. It's one of those books that I got into straight away. The plotline is fantastic and i didnt want the book to end, it kept me up reading into the early hours of the morning. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters. A definite 5 star book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Do you ever think that you could become the perfect version of yourself if only you had enough time?

I cannot stop thinking about this beautiful book! The story follows Sam, Yuki and Maya, weaving back and forth between the late 2010s and the not-so distant future. A life-extending drug is on the market - but there are strings attached. Only the super-rich can afford it without making major sacrifices, and those who are on it can't have children without a permit. The story focuses on a couple who are divided by whether or not to take the drug, but it also explores the political, social and ethical repercussions of extending the human lifespan. When the story is starting to feel heavy, Uose gently reminds us of the insignificance of our mortality by narrating from the point of view of anthropomorphised plants and natural objects. It is a thoughtful story, beautifully written, with heart-breakingly flawed characters. I can't wait for this debut so I can start recommending it!

Who Wants To Live Forever imagines a world where a drug is available to dramatically slow down the ageing process and extend life expectancy several times over. This medication is prohibitively expensive for most people and the novel explores the moral issues raised by the development that isn’t available to everyone. Married couple Sam and Yuki are deeply in love and aligned in many ways, but what if one of you felt the drug is immoral and dangerous but the other one wants to take it.
This is a thought provoking novel that raises many questions about our need to seek immortality but at what cost and do we really want to live forever if our loved ones don’t.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book, it was so unique and thought provoking. This is a story that stays in your mind long after you’ve finished the book, making you question everything about love, mortality, and the cost of eternal life.

At its heart, the book follows Yuki and Sam, two soulmates seemingly destined to spend their lives together. But when a innovative drug that pauses aging becomes available, Sam chooses immortality, sacrificing his relationship with Yuki in the process. Told through multiple perspectives and spanning decades and continents, the story explores the profound consequences of this decision. However, it can be a bit challenging to follow exactly when certain events take place.

With the rapid advancements in AI and technology happening in our real world today, this book feels strangely relevant. It raises a haunting question: if eternal life were possible, how would humanity respond? This is a book that doesn’t just tell a story, it makes you reflect on the future and what it truly means to be human.

Lastly, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for offering an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One of those books that has you questioning what you would do in this situation. Where would your ethical stance be and which of the characters would you side with. It was fascinating to listen to the multi time framed tale develop and I loved it. Yuki and Sam the two main characters are both so interesting I loved them both.

I loved the concept of this book. It was so unique and interesting. Although I loved the plot, I didn’t particularly warm to the characters. I found them quite unlikable

This is a book that will stay with you long after you've finished it and leave you questioning just about everything!
The author takes the premise of eternal life and grounds it in reality in the novel . Would you take a drug to give you eternal life even if meant living without your current loved ones? So many huge ethical and moral questions are raised as the story evolves.
Beautifully written, expertly narrated and utterly captivating.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this highly recommended audiobook.

A uniquely compelling debut novel that had me pondering the question 'what price would you put on immortality if presented to you and what would you be willing (if anything) to sacrifice in order to gain it?'

We follow Sam & Yuki. A young married couple trying to start a family and madly in love. Sam is an aspiring musician who dreams of more time to complete his ambitions in life. Yuki campaigns against a new drug, Yureta, that promises to pause your aging, letting you live for as long as you take the drug, effectively giving you immortality. Sam decides to take the drug, leaving Yuki and their dreams of a family behind but at what cost? As the story unfolds we are introduced to several other POV's all with uniquely different experiences and thoughts on the drug. As the world is changing people start to become divided. Is Yureta worth the amount of money it costs? and what would you sacrifice in order to reap the benefits it promises of more time.

I was hooked from the start. The writing is beautiful and so easy to get lost in. It's political, it gets your brain working and I found the story to be impactful and very thought provoking.

The audiobook was amazing and the narrator did an absolutely fantastic job of bringing the characters to life.

Thank you so much to Octopus Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this arc!

If you had the opportunity to extend your life for an unknown amount of time, while sacrificing your love, would you take it?

“Would you want to live for ever?” To me is an ambitious debut novel, speculative fiction navigating topics around “immortality” or “longevity”, ageism, racial disparity and love.

The pairing with this narrator made it even more compelling! I could not stop listening to the book and read it in one day. It left me pensive, a bit sad and curious to see what other books this author will have to offer.

This book is going to be on my mind for a long time!

Audiobook Review 🎧 | NetGalley ALC

Narration Overall: 5

Voice: 5
Energy: 5
Pacing: 5
Emotions: 5

Story/Writing Overall: 5

Prose: 5
Entertainment: 5
Emotions: 5
Storyline: 5

Spice level: 🍦

Thank you to NetGalley and Octopus Audio for providing an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I don't really feel like this one was all too similar to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Honestly it was so much better and had me thinking throughout the entire novel: would I want to live forever? Poignant, bittersweet, and thought-provoking. Even though I didn't really connect to the main characters (although who hasn't had a boyfriend like Sam?), I'll be thinking about this novel for a long time.

I was not ready for this. Romantic, breathtakingly bittersweet, time bending and beautifully poetic - Who Wants to Live Forever is a timeless tale about humanity, love and loss.

Starting with immediately crafting the most stunning settings - a cool spring in Tokyo, 2039 or a rainy London afternoon in 2019 with such vivid intensity that I could smell the cherry blossoms and wet grass; and it only got better, with tiny details that created in-depth scenes, small notes that fully immersed us in the story.

The story moved weirdly, but it works — almost dreamlike, moving easily from scene to scene and slipping from the past and future and across continents with brilliant pacing, meandering through different stories and places first, taking just enough time to let us settle before time marches slowly onwards. The writing itself was magnificent, and the narrator had a very poetic, songlike style of storytelling that, while, beautiful, I'll admit at times made it a little difficult to follow if you're not fully paying attention as it wasn't as clear as I'd have liked.

We meet Yuki as a young idealistic liberal woman; speaking out against the political, social and healthcare concerns an untested immortality drug could bring and I fell in love with her. Strong, outspoken, realistic but always desperately hoping for good things and not accepting reasons why they’re not possible. And of course, she makes us wonder too — what would we do in that situation?

As we watch Sam and Yuki, scientist and creator Frank, new loves and the other players from above, snapshots of life - science, heartbreak, love, friendship, work - slowly merging together to create a complex tapestry of people and places — fragmented little moments that work together and create one amazing story. Almost like a fly on the wall, we watch all the characters in the third person moving between them; at first it was dizzying switching so quickly but it soon falls into a familiar and easy to follow style that resembles a dreamscape more than a straight narrative. And while we look away for a moment, we see how society has changed around our cast - people living more, or being even more scared of dying, people dividing and new rifts and communities forming all around.

If you’re looking for something neatly wrapped up, this isn’t going to give you that satisfying rounded conclusion; at first the ending felt entirely out of character based on the style of the storytelling throughout but once I’d sat with it for a moment, it worked in an oddly real way.

Love a sweepingly thoughtful sci-fi with a side of romance and existential moral crises? Here you go!