Meet Me on the Bridge

by Sarah J. Harris

Can true love ever survive across time?

Everyone says falling in love is supposed to be easy. But what happens when you meet the perfect man…in your dreams?

Especially when you find out he was real and died one year ago – on the bridge you had agreed to meet on for your first date. Wouldn’t you try to go back in time and change the course of destiny to create your very own happy-ever-after?

But the path to true love is never without complications, and meddling with the past can have unexpected consequences…

The must-read time travel romance for fans of Maybe in Another Life, Sliding Doors and About Time.

Genres: Romance, Time Travel, Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Ebooks, Contemporary

380 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2024

About the author

Sarah J. Harris is the author of Meet Me On The Bridge published by Lake Union in June 2024.
Her debut adult novel, The Colour of Bee Larkham's Murder, won the Books Are My Bag Breakthrough Author Award in 2018 and was a Richard and Judy pick. It was published by HarperCollins.
One Ordinary Day At A Time, her second adult novel, was published by HarperCollins in June 2021.

Reviews

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! I swooned, I sobbed, I chewed off my nails with anxiety, I grasped my heart so many times full of emotion!

“We’ve kissed, made love, wept, argued, and made up, and started over. Because that’s what life is, isn’t it? Carrying on, continuing loving, no matter what cruel curveball is thrown at you.”

5 alluring stars!!

There's a little bit of everything :

✨ Romance
✨ Found Family
✨ Female Generational Love
✨ Time Travel
✨ A little mystery

I was pulled into this book from the first page, the story is so engaging and I desperately needed to know what happened.

So much so that I haven't heard from Bruna yet today and I finished it anyway 😭😭 I'm so sorry bestie but I just couldn't help myself. I couldn't resist with the little bit of free time I had today.

Terrible, look what you do to me Sarah J. Harris!



Frankly, there isn't too much that I can reveal about the plot of the story without giving SOMETHING away and I would hate to ruin this reading experience for anyone so I'll just tell you how it made me feel.

╰┈➤ I didn't want to put this book down. Not once. Sure, I mean, I had to from time to time but only out of necessity. The writing is beautiful and enchanting, the story so inviting.

╰┈➤ I am completely enamored with this book. It's so magical yet down to earth, it doesn't come across fantastical but just the right amount of magical realism that hits that sweet spot for me.

I was so comforted in this story yet filled with anxiety, just waiting for something bad to happen - I mean has anyone read The Time Traveler's Wife? IYKYK. On one hand I was basking in this charming narrative, and on the other, I was biting my finger nails of.

It's a perfect combination in my opinion, it's a driving force that just keeps propelling you forward in the novel. I'm telling you, never in 367 pages was I bored or dissatisfied in any way.

This book evoked so much emotion out of me - Well done, Sarah J. Harris. I will be looking forward to reading your other novels and of course, I now need this in physical form.

'We've only shared the briefest of time together, but it's been the happiest and saddest experience of my life.'

'When you meet that person, everything falls into place. They feel like home. It's like returning to your favorite painting and loving each brush stroke all over again." 🥹

Thank you for buddy reading this with me Bruna love you bunches! 🩷🤍🩵
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ Connect with me on Instagram ˗ˏˋ★‿︵‧ ˚ ₊⊹

[bruna · Rating 3 out of 5]

i finally finished a book after over a month yay i’m so proud of myself!!! anyways... this one was not bad, but it was not that great either. i do think the story had a lot of potential to be something really great, but the execution was just not the best which kind of sucks because i had high expectations. ☹️

rtc. i think?

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·˚⊹ ┆ pre–read:
↳ started on may 11th, 2024.

time travel romance? give it to me right now, thank you. 🤭 i’m such a sucker for those so i’m SUPER excited to start this one! hope it doesn’t disappoint or i’ll riot. <3

━ buddy read with my favorite bestie heather. 💌

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I fell in love with him at first sight. We've only shared the briefest of time together, but it's been the happiest and saddest experience of my life. When you meet that person, everything falls into place. They feel like home. It's like returning to your favorite painting and loving each brush stroke all over again.”

This is essentially marketed as a time travel romance, (time travel is my absolute favorite due to the introspection and thrill of it) however, considering the Hockney women's familial connections, it was much more than that. While time travel can be an amazing phenomenon as some of us would run at the chance to change a moment in time provided by parallel realities—it can also be incredibly painful or disastrous and Julia (our protagonist) and her family’s connection to it was reflective of that.

In being as vague as I can, the ripple effects and causation to the time jumps Julia underwent was pretty intriguing. Especially with the unique concept of it all being inherent and how that unfolded when it came to distinguishing her reality from what was happening to her. I was completely hooked throughout it all and I swear it was somehow giving me the time travelers wife and the unmaking of June farrow vibes (I recommend this)

“i see a life loved and lost repeatedly, and a new one rising phoenix like from the altered palette.”

I deeply felt Julia's anguish and emotions as I read and followed her on her journey as is (the author exemplified this well in making you feel it all) but also in trying to save the love of her life from a fate that felt unrelenting by traveling through time in order to guarantee their HEA. The odds felt like they were against them but her determination to see it through was quite bold and I thought it was sweet how it ended 🥹 life can really surprise you

In the end, this story was so riveting and heartfelt as it delved into the intricacies that is loss/heartbreak, choice, hopelessness/hope, love, secrets and mystery. I had an “I knew it moment” and I didn’t mind it as other things became apparent. However, I didn’t anticipate something at the end and I was just happy to see julia stand her ground. The premise and execution was exceptional to my surprise and I’m thankful it wasn’t confusing to follow along. My only qualm was wanting the romance to be more prominent but that might just be me because otherwise I did adore it. I do have to say I wish books like these were dual pov as they could benefit from it

This was the first Amazon first reads book that I managed to finish so I’m proud of that! it’s a testament to how thoroughly enjoyable this was for me. Also, this is random but I found it strange yet cool to see a month and date that’s significant to me being repeated here as that never happens lol

[Casey Reads &#x1f338; · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. ⭐️

What a heartbreaking story that will rip your heart out several times and finally put it back together in the end.

A family of time travelers. If you could travel back through time to change certain events- would you? And the better question is- should you?

This book captured perfectly how traveling back in time with good intentions can cause a ripple effect that can hurt many others. There were so many storylines, but it was never confusing. It always came together perfectly.

I literally could not put this book down. I loved the main character Julia and her journey. Her story with Alex gave me goosebumps at times.

A lot of you know I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon First Reads books and it’s more hate than love. But this time I picked the PERFECT one! This was amazing! Thank you to Amazon First Reads for the free copy!

[Melissa]

Selecting this as my Amazon First Read book selection this month. I'm choosing to ignore the single 2-star review--without context--for this book given the author's other books have high ratings.

[Em (semi-hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're looking to be riveted, keep looking. This book is a genre potluck where every dish clashes, leaving your literary taste buds thoroughly bitter and bored.

[elizabeth rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meet Me on the Bridge by Sarah J. Harris is a fun dive into time travel and romance. The story follows a woman who meets her dream man in, well, her dreams. Things take a twist when she learns that he was real but died a year ago on the bridge where they were supposed to meet for their first date. Determined to rewrite destiny, she attempts to go back in time and change the past.

The concept is super intriguing, and who doesn't love the idea of bending time for love? The book is a quick read, making it perfect for a weekend getaway into a world where dreams and reality blend. The time travel bits add a cool layer of excitement and keep you hooked to see how things will turn out.

However, the beginning could have been clearer. It takes a bit to get into the groove of the story, but once you're past that, it’s smooth sailing. The characters are engaging, and their journey is filled with the right mix of romance and suspense.

Overall, Meet Me on the Bridge is an enjoyable read. It’s not without its flaws, but if you're into time travel and romantic twists, this book will give you a good time. Not perfect, but still worth checking out!

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and well written, but I found this too confusing to follow and the several different subplots were great individually, but seemed a bit forced in how they connected at the end. I can see this being a good book club read for people that have the time to properly dissect it, but it was simply too overwhelming for me.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it so much

I can't resist a time travel romance. This had a little bit of everything. Mystery, romance, family, longing. It was the perfect story.

[Manda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good time travel/alternate reality book, and this one has all the feels. It breaks your heart, and then puts it back together. It does take a bit to get where you are going, but I never felt impatient getting there. I felt like we were on this journey with our FMC, and I was rooting for her to figure it out. You can tell the connection between the two main characters, and it was well portrayed. The side characters were well developed, and I was even surprised at the end by one thing that was revealed. Overall, worth the read!

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine the man of your dreams, and I mean the literal man IN your dreams. And then imagine finding out he really exists - how exciting! But then you discover he died a year ago, on the bridge you were meant to meet him on your first date. If you could, would you travel back in time to change the course of history so that you could be with him?

This is exactly what happens to Julia when she dreams of Alex. And as luck (or maybe not all that lucky when she discovers the consequences later) would have it, Julia is able to time travel and she takes herself back to the time just before Alex died in order to save him so that they can fall madly in love and live happily ever after. If only life were so simple eh?! If you've read any other time travel novels, watched any time travel films, or indeed just consider the science, you'll know that changing the course of one moment in history can have a ripple effect. You may have achieved your own personal happily ever after (or indeed, have you?), but you'll have caused potential misery to untold others.

Throughout the book, Julia discovers the impact that time travel has on her health, so her many attempts to save both Alex and then anyone else impacted by the changes to history she has made eventually start to take their toll. Will she ever be able to have the man she loves without having a devastating impact on others, or does she need to face the fact that that man in her dreams will never exist in her reality?

They say that books sometimes come into your life at just the right time, and there were elements of this book that gave me such an emotional punch to the gut, particularly Julia's discovery of a family legacy. I'm going to say no more here as it would be a massive spoiler!

I listened to Meet Me on the Bridge on audio, and it is only my third ever 5 star audiobook! It was read beautifully by Nneka Okoye. I listen to audio a lot when I'm driving and there were moments I had tears in my eyes and probably should have pulled over! A beautiful story of love and hope, with some gut wrenching story lines, and the sheer tenacity of some humans to only ever achieve to be good despite the consequences for themselves. Loved it!

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this one so much! The family connections with Mom, Gran and Julia were so beautiful woven throughout the story. The time travel aspect was amazing and the way it was written made it feel fresh and stand out amongst the other time traveling books I've read. I'm not gonna lie.... Alex is to dream for. 😍 Perfect book Boyfriend! It was bittersweet but beautiful. I loved the ending and how it wrapped up neatly. The author has an amazing writing style, I plan to check out other books by her as I thoroughly enjoyed this one

[Haylee Wireman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was this a fever dream?

No seriously. Was it?
This book made me feel the same way as Freshman English class did reading Charles Dickens for the first time. It was wild. Half the time I didn’t even know what was going on, but I can tell you I consistently knew, with every fiber of my being, that Alex and Julia were meant to be.
10/10. I’ll be purchasing this book in paperback, so I can have a little trophy of our time together.

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cool concept. A time-bending romance following Julia, a woman with narcolepsy who meets the man of her dreams ... only to discover he died one year ago.

With stories like these, I always really enjoy the concept of attempting to change fate. With a ripple effect of repercussions following her every move, is her happiness worth the pain of others?

Additional to the romance, there was also a very dramatic but interesting mystery involving a serial attacker being brought to justice. It was clever how everything came together in each timeline. Some reveals I did not see coming!

But for such a passionate story, I wish the romance went deeper. It was the definition of insta-love. There really wasn't much interaction between these characters. The intensity of their connection was not believable for me.

(heat level: closed door)

[Cassidy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We’ve kissed, made love, wept, argued, and made up, and started over. Because that’s what life is, isn’t it? Carrying on, continuing loving, no matter what cruel curveball is thrown at you.”

Oh my goodness I devoured this. I did not want to put it down! This will tear your heart out and piece it back together by the time you’re done.

I LOVE time travel dramas and romance, so I reached for this immediately. It never gets old how many times I read it, because there’s always some kind of unique aspect to it. This story follows main character, Julie, who has a family gene and heirloom that allows her to time travel after her 25th birthday. It’s the perfect example of fate and how the tiniest actions can have a huge effect on the future. It’s so well-written and I felt completely immersed in every single scene.

Julie’s character was incredible. She’s so selfless and you see her growth as a character and person throughout the story. I can feel her pain and anxiety throughout her decisions. Alex is just delightful. I was rooting for him so badly and each time jump gave me so much anxiety! This book delivers on the romance and is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It’s so much more than just a romance though. It also has a ton of mystery which keeps you turning pages until the very. last. page. I had some theories about where the story was leading; some turned out to be true and some were more shocking! The ending was perfectly wrapped up and satisfying to me.

“You remembered!”
“I never forgot… you.”

Pick this up if you’re a fan of:
• The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
• One Moment by Becky Hunter
• This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

Content warnings: grief, abandonment, infidelity, suicide attempt, nightmares, murder/stalking

[James McRay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s good that the author references the movie "The Butterfly Effect," because that’s essentially what we’ve got here in Meet Me on the Bridge (though less dark).

For the most part, this book was enjoyable. The one tick is that you must buy into the ‘love at first sight / soulmates’ plot hook right away and stick with it; or else the romance is completely implausible. Much of the—no, scratch that—most of the MCs’ romance happens in flashback. So, whenever the FMC, Julia, mentions how much she loves Alex, we just must take her word for it because they’re only together onscreen for a short amount of time.

Oh, and time-travel stuff happens using Hermione’s Time Turner, revolving around Julia’s absent mother, her dementia suffering grandmother, and a serial killer. You’ll have to read the book to make sense of that sentence, which for the most part, I recommend you do.

[LGVReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

An Amazon Read of the month. I got in 47 e-pages and said F it.

[tatireader · Rating 3 out of 5]

“spin the stone and make a change.transform the world and rearrange” this book had great potential, time travel, narcolepsy and cataplexy a run away mother set in London (Hammersmith bridge)but was execution was just not the best. this is a time travel romance that I had no emotional connection too the narcolepsy was pretty interesting your dream are reality you can move thought time universe. But other than that a very forgetful book.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled to get into this one and after making it to about 70% I decided to DNF. Sadly this was a miss for me but I did appreciate the time loop story and the great mental health (Alzheimer's rep). Okay on audio - this story just didn't hit for me unfortunately. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

[Susan Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a sucker for time traveling love stories...

as am I, this is a great one. I like time traveling stories and love at first sight stories, and especially when they're combined. This is probably the best one I've read, and I've read them all and/or seen the movies. I believe in love at first sight and that it happens when you find your soul mate because it happened to me. I wish that happiness for everyone.

[Marie L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this as a first read on Amazon. Maybe it’s a me issue on this one because it was good, but not mind blowing.

This is more about a mother’s love for her child than a love story and I very much enjoyed that part. Which length a parent would go to, to save their child from harm.

I did figure out a lot of the story before the ending. I figured out her mom was the person from the bar. I also figured out her mom had saved her from the night stalker and that she eventually would have to go back and do the exact same thing.

There is one thing I cannot figure out though and that’s how she dreamt about Alex the first time. That hadn’t happened in any timeline.

[Kelli Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think we all occasionally wish we had the ability to rewind time to change the past. I loved everything about this book. The storyline, the characters, I’ve never been so invested in the final outcome of a book and hoping so hard for the story to go the way I want it to. I felt so much emotion- so much heartbreak, grief, anxiety, and happiness. Julia may be one of the best characters and this is for sure one of the best books I have ever read. I’ve already got a book hangover and not sure I can start another book right now. So well done. Also I got this from an Amazon First Reads giveaway and I am thrilled. I’ve never heard of this author before so it’s possible I would never have come across this book and would have missed out otherwise.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this because it sounds similar to The Time Traveller's Wife. However, the story was very repetitive and ran out of steam. I found it quite tedious reading the same scenes over and over and ended up skimming a lot of it.

[Catherine Lamoureux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story idea, but poorly written.

[Jen Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meet me on the Bridge was a May 2024 Amazon First reads option that intrigued me but I ultimately did not choose. When I saw it offered on NetGalley as a read now, I had to grab it.

The premise is interesting. A woman with narcolepsy turns 25 and is suddenly able to time travel. Julia has never believed in love at first sight. But when she meets Alex in her dream travels, that changes. The only problem? Alex died a year ago. In her quest to manipulate fate, Julia travels back in time. Only she finds much more than what she was looking for.

I loved the beginning and the end of this novel. The middle dragged on and lost my interest a bit. But I can honestly see why loyal readers of time travel and love at first sight tropes would devour this one. There are a few heart-wrenching moments and the characters are likable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this digital reviewer copy.

[Jaden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh I love magical realism. I thought the idea seemed similar to books I’ve read recently but it ended up having some uniqueness to it. I loved how it all came together. 🥹🫶
I recommend especially if you enjoy books like Seven Year Slip and The Unmaking of June Farrow (obv not as good as Adrienne Young’s but kinda similar vibes).

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an advanced copy of “Meet Me on the Bridge” by Sarah J Harris free through Amazon First Reads May 2024 (book publishes June 1st 2024). This book was a combination of a time travel romance and a whodunit mystery. This book kept me interested from start to finish and I loved it!

[Taralyn Knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride!

I literally couldn't put this book down. I read it in 24 hours!
This book has all the feelings. The twists, the turns, the heartbreak and the love.
Wow! What a ride!
Do yourself a favor and read it!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I was blown away by this book! It was one of my random Amazon purchases so I had pretty low expectations, but it was so, so good. If you liked 11/22/63 or Time and Again by Jack Finney you will love this book. It kept me guessing until the end and I thought they tied up all the loose ends and questions really well.

[Diane Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only because i don't love time travel stories did i give it 4 stars. It was an intriguing plot about a girl with narcolepsy and an inherited ability to travel back and forth to another period in time.