In this funny and poignant novel, two strangers learn that their soul mate might be both as close as breath and as distant as a star, from British Fantasy Award recipient Sarah Lotz.
Bee thinks she has everything: a successful business repurposing wedding dresses, and friends who love and support her. She’s given up on finding love, but that’s fine. There’s always Tinder. Nick thinks he has nothing: his writing career has stalled after early promise and his marriage is on the rocks, but that’s fine. There’s always gin. So when one of Nick’s emails, a viciously funny screed intended for a non-paying client, accidentally pings into Bee’s inbox, they decide to keep the conversation going. After all, they never have to meet.
But the more they get to know each other, the more Bee and Nick realize they want to. They both notice strange pop culture or political references that crop up in their correspondence, but nothing odd enough to stop Bee and Nick for falling hard for each other. But when their efforts to meet in real life fail spectacularly, Bee and Nick discover that they’re actually living in near-identical but parallel worlds. With a universe between them, Bee and Nick will discover how far they’ll go to beat impossible odds.
Sarah Lotz has written something entirely original and a story that keeps you completely on edge as far as the ultimate fate of the romance between Bee and Nick. It is incredibly brilliant, impossibly charming, and wonderfully written.
Part of the beauty is how well the characters are written. Both Bea and Nick are complex but far from perfect. Yet, it is the dialogue between them, the emails and their interactions with their respective worlds that makes the plot so charming. I especially love the different perspectives from the main characters and how their friends react. The emails between them adds to the charm as well as you get a peek at their conversations with each other.
The plot, one where the romance takes place between dimensions, is incredibly unique. The thrilling part is how the pair, Bea and Nick, deal with the impossibility of being together and how they maneuver around the respective counterparts in their worlds. And every time you think there might be a chance for them to be together in some way, there is another obstacle. So the thrill is in how or if they will manage to cross the divide of alternate dimensions to be together or if they will be separated forever.
Sarah Lotz does an excellent job of keeping readers guessing for the entire novel, right to the very end. I won’t spoil that but I will say her writing is engaging, her characters impossibly charming, and the story riveting. I couldn’t wait to read it and I truthfully wouldn’t mind reading it again.
Rating: 5 out 5 alternates
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