My thoughts on this 'parallel lives' novel ......
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
BY
ALI HARRIS
Published ~ June 2014
Publisher ~ Simon & Schuster
Pages ~ 464
One decision + two different paths = how many happy endings?
Have you ever wondered 'What if…?' What if you'd taken that other job, gone on a date with that sweet guy, moved to a different city? Would an alternative life path have led to a happier ending?
Now imagine if you could have taken both paths…
When Bea Bishop slips while walking down the aisle on her wedding day, she is momentarily knocked unconscious. And in a flash, her world splits and two separate parallel lives take her on two very different journeys. In one, Bea flees back down the aisle and out of the church. In the other, she glides blissfully towards Adam, her intended.
Each path will take her on a very different journey. And each will see her life change for better and for worse. But which story will lead to her happy-ever-after?
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I love the film 'Sliding Doors' so when I saw the synopsis for this book I was instantly intrigued. Instead of Gwyneth Paltrow's character missing or catching her train, in this 'alternate life' here is Bea walking down the aisle about to marry the man she loves when she suddenly slips and is thrown into two separate worlds.
The novel quite cleverly takes us on a journey with both versions of Bea, at the start of the chapters I knew which was which by the surnames, the married Bea Hudson and the still single Bea Bishop, so that made it easy to follow.
I immediately liked Bea, she's indecisive (like me!) and hates being asked for her opinion. It seems that everyone's been making all her decisions for her all her life, apart from the one place she feels at home - her garden. Her father left when she was only seven and they shared a love of gardening. She feels that her husband Adam is too good for her, she doesn't deserve him and, deep down, she's scared that he'll leave her too.
The runaway Bea's first love, Kieran, appears at her wedding and we learn that he too left her eight years ago after a tragedy involving his brother, he promised to return but he never did, breaking Bea's heart.
Who does she choose, should she look for her father, should she choose none and learn to stand on her own two feet and make her own decisions?....all these questions and more are answered in this thought-provoking story, lovingly written by Ali Harris.
I thought it was heart-warming, verging on the sentimental a few too many times for my liking, though it does deal with depression, suicide, guilt, so not too soppy, but overall an absorbing story that I enjoyed.
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About the Author
Ali Harris is a magazine journalist and has written for publications such as Red, ELLE, Stylist, Cosmopolitan and Company and was deputy features editor at No.1 women's magazine Glamour before leaving to write books and have babies. She lives in Cambridge with her husband and their two children. - See more at: http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Written-in-the-Stars/Ali-Harris/9781471125522#sthash.FjQ9jhyi.dpuf
Follow Ali on Twitter @AliHarrisWriter
On Facebook at www.facebook.com/AliHarrisWriter
Find out more at www.aliharris.co.uk
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Available to buy from
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I received a copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
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