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Almost Life
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Almost Life is Kiran Millwood Hargrave's breathtaking story of love and longing, of the lives we almost live and the choices we don't make — and finding the courage to embrace who you really want to be.
One chance encounter can define a lifetime
Erica and Laure meet on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur in Paris, 1978. Erica is a student, relishing her first summer abroad before beginning university at home in England. Laure is studying for her Ph.D. at the Sorbonne, drinking and smoking far too much, and sleeping with a married woman.
The moment the two women meet the spark is undeniable. But their encounter turns into far more than a summer of love. It is the beginning of a relationship that will define their lives and every decision they have yet to make. Spanning cities, decades and heartbreaks, fate brings them within touching distance again and again.
But will they be brave enough to seize the life they truly want?
One chance encounter can define a lifetime
Erica and Laure meet on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur in Paris, 1978. Erica is a student, relishing her first summer abroad before beginning university at home in England. Laure is studying for her Ph.D. at the Sorbonne, drinking and smoking far too much, and sleeping with a married woman.
The moment the two women meet the spark is undeniable. But their encounter turns into far more than a summer of love. It is the beginning of a relationship that will define their lives and every decision they have yet to make. Spanning cities, decades and heartbreaks, fate brings them within touching distance again and again.
But will they be brave enough to seize the life they truly want?
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 12, 2026
23 people are currently reading
9752 people want to read
About the author
Kiran Millwood Hargrave
34 books2,622 followersKiran Millwood Hargrave is an award-winning writer whose work has been translated into over 30 languages and optioned for stage and screen. Almost Life, her third novel for adults, will be published by Picador (UK) and Summit (US) in March 2026.
Her debut adult novel The Mercies debuted at number one of the The Times bestseller list, was a top-ten Sunday Times bestseller, and was selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club and the Richard and Judy Summer Reads. It was a finalist for the prestigious Prix Femina in France, won a Betty Trask Award, and was called 'unquestionably the book of the 2018 London Book Fair' by The Bookseller. The Dance Tree was shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award and picked for the BBC Two Between Two Covers Book Club, as well as Florence + the Machine's Between Two Books Book Club.
Between them, her children's books have won numerous awards including the Wainwright Prize, Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Historical Association Young Quills Award, and the Blackwell's Children's Book of the Year. They have been shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize, the Barnes and Noble Award, Jhalak Prize, the Little Rebels Prize, the Branford Boase Award, the Blue Peter Best Story Award, Costa Children's Book Prize, Foyles' Children's Book of the Year, and thrice-longlisted for the Carnegie Award.
Kiran lives in Oxford with her husband, the artist Tom de Freston, their daughter, cats, and usually a litter of foster kittens.
Her debut adult novel The Mercies debuted at number one of the The Times bestseller list, was a top-ten Sunday Times bestseller, and was selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club and the Richard and Judy Summer Reads. It was a finalist for the prestigious Prix Femina in France, won a Betty Trask Award, and was called 'unquestionably the book of the 2018 London Book Fair' by The Bookseller. The Dance Tree was shortlisted for the HWA Gold Crown Award and picked for the BBC Two Between Two Covers Book Club, as well as Florence + the Machine's Between Two Books Book Club.
Between them, her children's books have won numerous awards including the Wainwright Prize, Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, the Historical Association Young Quills Award, and the Blackwell's Children's Book of the Year. They have been shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize, the Barnes and Noble Award, Jhalak Prize, the Little Rebels Prize, the Branford Boase Award, the Blue Peter Best Story Award, Costa Children's Book Prize, Foyles' Children's Book of the Year, and thrice-longlisted for the Carnegie Award.
Kiran lives in Oxford with her husband, the artist Tom de Freston, their daughter, cats, and usually a litter of foster kittens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
December 18, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
Gosh, I don’t even fully know how to begin to describe how I feel about this book.
It’s an understatement to say that it rocked me to my core (& made me cry countless times) honestly, because this book and the whole story somehow managed to make me completely forget that I was reading about fictional characters and not something that happened in real life.
First of all, I want to say that this book shines through the way the story is told, the writing magnificent and the storytelling just as much. I could really connect to all of the characters, our mains Erica and Laure, and all the side characters like Michel, Laure’s friends or even Erica’s husband. The story is told through both, Laure’s and Erica’s POV and not gonna lie, it has been such a gift! Especially because I had my moments where I disliked Erica quite a bit and just longed to see Laure’s side and then when it happened, I felt myself fully enyoing the moments we got to see.
Since we’re already speaking about the characters, I want to dive a bit deeper into that.
First, Erica. We start off with her in her young adult years just before she enters university, and folllow her till she is in her middle age. I liked her character at the beginning, due to her being around the same stage of life as I am now, I felt like I could easily connect to her, however, as the story progressed I felt like she didn’t have quite the character growth I wished her or even expected her to have. Which, on one hand, added to the complexity of the characters as well as the realness but on the other hand, left me increasingly frustrated at times.
Then, we had Laure. Dear god, I adored her right from the beginning and let me tell you, I cried so many times reading her side of the story. I think she seemed quite arrogant at the beginning but then just had such an excellent character development and growth which just wowed me away! I kept thinming about her and Erica’s love story over the days that I read the book and found myself so immersed in her chapters and opinions in the story. I also adored her relationship with her friends, especially Michel (gosh, I adored him sooo much), but also all the others. It was so nice to see how thesy grew and struggled too and how we got glimpses of what happened to them over the years. Though, I still wish we could’ve gotten even more detail especially when the time jumps appeared in the story.
Besides, the pacing of the story was great. As I mentioned the storytelling was phenomenal and this is surely a book which I will buy as a copy for my bookshelf and to re-read in a few months when it’s officially published. I really highly recommend!!
Thank you to Netgallay and Pan Macmillan for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchnage for a honest review.
Gosh, I don’t even fully know how to begin to describe how I feel about this book.
It’s an understatement to say that it rocked me to my core (& made me cry countless times) honestly, because this book and the whole story somehow managed to make me completely forget that I was reading about fictional characters and not something that happened in real life.
First of all, I want to say that this book shines through the way the story is told, the writing magnificent and the storytelling just as much. I could really connect to all of the characters, our mains Erica and Laure, and all the side characters like Michel, Laure’s friends or even Erica’s husband. The story is told through both, Laure’s and Erica’s POV and not gonna lie, it has been such a gift! Especially because I had my moments where I disliked Erica quite a bit and just longed to see Laure’s side and then when it happened, I felt myself fully enyoing the moments we got to see.
Since we’re already speaking about the characters, I want to dive a bit deeper into that.
First, Erica. We start off with her in her young adult years just before she enters university, and folllow her till she is in her middle age. I liked her character at the beginning, due to her being around the same stage of life as I am now, I felt like I could easily connect to her, however, as the story progressed I felt like she didn’t have quite the character growth I wished her or even expected her to have. Which, on one hand, added to the complexity of the characters as well as the realness but on the other hand, left me increasingly frustrated at times.
Then, we had Laure. Dear god, I adored her right from the beginning and let me tell you, I cried so many times reading her side of the story. I think she seemed quite arrogant at the beginning but then just had such an excellent character development and growth which just wowed me away! I kept thinming about her and Erica’s love story over the days that I read the book and found myself so immersed in her chapters and opinions in the story. I also adored her relationship with her friends, especially Michel (gosh, I adored him sooo much), but also all the others. It was so nice to see how thesy grew and struggled too and how we got glimpses of what happened to them over the years. Though, I still wish we could’ve gotten even more detail especially when the time jumps appeared in the story.
Besides, the pacing of the story was great. As I mentioned the storytelling was phenomenal and this is surely a book which I will buy as a copy for my bookshelf and to re-read in a few months when it’s officially published. I really highly recommend!!
Thank you to Netgallay and Pan Macmillan for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchnage for a honest review.
August 19, 2025
Unbelievable. It's 2am and my face is wet with tears having been unable to put this down until I finished it. I think it's safe to say that this book really spoke to me.
For me, Almost Life was a perfect blend of A Little Life, One Day, Past Lives, Saltwater: aching, passionate, beautiful, crafted, it follows the interwoven lives of two women who meet on the steps of Sacré-Cœur in Summer 1978. What could be, what is, how long something can last, what makes something work - these are the central questions of Almost Life and captivated me wholly. Sapphic romance doesn't do this book justice: I found the depiction of Laure and Erica's connection through the years to be so beautiful and nuanced, so real, that on multiple occasions I reread whole sections so I could relive the scene and experience the emotions afresh. Alongside this, the story had dynamism and social commentary and humour and sex and depth and pace and I just never wanted it to end but couldn't rest until it did (which, on reflection, sort of parallels the plot).
big, big yes for me.
For me, Almost Life was a perfect blend of A Little Life, One Day, Past Lives, Saltwater: aching, passionate, beautiful, crafted, it follows the interwoven lives of two women who meet on the steps of Sacré-Cœur in Summer 1978. What could be, what is, how long something can last, what makes something work - these are the central questions of Almost Life and captivated me wholly. Sapphic romance doesn't do this book justice: I found the depiction of Laure and Erica's connection through the years to be so beautiful and nuanced, so real, that on multiple occasions I reread whole sections so I could relive the scene and experience the emotions afresh. Alongside this, the story had dynamism and social commentary and humour and sex and depth and pace and I just never wanted it to end but couldn't rest until it did (which, on reflection, sort of parallels the plot).
big, big yes for me.
December 28, 2025
Thank you Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review! This book was excellent. The writing, the story, the characters; all of it was brilliant. I absolutely adored Laure and her character development. I would do anything to protect Erica. Books like this remind me of why I love reading and why stories like this are so important.
Almost Life follows Erica and Laure and spans many decades, first loves, heartbreaks, marriages, affairs, life, and death. There’s a lot of beautiful imagery about art and paintings that envelope the story in such a meaningful way. The primary setting of Paris leaves such a lovely landscape for Erica and Laure throughout the years, especially with its politics. I would go more into the story itself, but I think it can be summed up with those sentences above. I don’t want to spoil anything.
The yearning in this book was top tier! I fully believe that queer romance like this is just so beautiful and important to read. It has the historical fictional aspects since it begins in the 70s, and all of the political undertones throughout the novel, from class to sex, felt so necessary to tell this story. I will never stop reading and recommending queer fiction because when things feel fraught, it’s books like this that remind me of how beautiful and tender these relationships can be.
And all my love for Michel! He was the backbone of this story. I can’t wait for this book to be published so readers can fall in love with Michel and keep spreading his story specifically.
I’m sorry this review is sort of disjointed. I am looking forward to pub day because I need a physical copy of it. I want to annotate it and bring it everywhere.
Almost Life follows Erica and Laure and spans many decades, first loves, heartbreaks, marriages, affairs, life, and death. There’s a lot of beautiful imagery about art and paintings that envelope the story in such a meaningful way. The primary setting of Paris leaves such a lovely landscape for Erica and Laure throughout the years, especially with its politics. I would go more into the story itself, but I think it can be summed up with those sentences above. I don’t want to spoil anything.
The yearning in this book was top tier! I fully believe that queer romance like this is just so beautiful and important to read. It has the historical fictional aspects since it begins in the 70s, and all of the political undertones throughout the novel, from class to sex, felt so necessary to tell this story. I will never stop reading and recommending queer fiction because when things feel fraught, it’s books like this that remind me of how beautiful and tender these relationships can be.
And all my love for Michel! He was the backbone of this story. I can’t wait for this book to be published so readers can fall in love with Michel and keep spreading his story specifically.
I’m sorry this review is sort of disjointed. I am looking forward to pub day because I need a physical copy of it. I want to annotate it and bring it everywhere.
September 16, 2025
A powerful, stunning read about love that continues to bloom over the decades even as two people go their own separate ways. We see how they both try to move on and start their own separate lives and how they keep intersecting again every now and then. I loved both Erica and Lauren’s personalities so much in this book. The emotions were so palpable I felt them myself. I was constantly wondering where the next few years would take them, and if my guesses would be right. This is a beautifully written complex and relatable love story and I will certainly read it again and again.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 20, 2025
2,5 stars tbh. I have so many notes. The whole book was giving the author studied abroad in Paris and needed the world to know.
Firstly, Laure fell into such french caricatures at first and then finally had character growth. Erica on the other hand was the opposite! She fell into the typical woman who loses herself in marriage and motherhood trope but not in a well done way. Secondly, the dialogue was infuriating! Poorly done. Why was it mainly in french at first and then, until the end, all in english? Also if you're going to write in french have the decency to check if it's correct... because it wasn't...
This read like a wattpad book especially in certain descriptions. I do enjoy reading a bad book once in a while though! Reminds me how good books are good!
Firstly, Laure fell into such french caricatures at first and then finally had character growth. Erica on the other hand was the opposite! She fell into the typical woman who loses herself in marriage and motherhood trope but not in a well done way. Secondly, the dialogue was infuriating! Poorly done. Why was it mainly in french at first and then, until the end, all in english? Also if you're going to write in french have the decency to check if it's correct... because it wasn't...
This read like a wattpad book especially in certain descriptions. I do enjoy reading a bad book once in a while though! Reminds me how good books are good!
August 1, 2025
Adored this. A heartfelt story set in the 70s up until present day about two women, Erica and Laure, and the paths they could’ve chosen. The writing was immaculate and the characters felt so human - I loved them both in different ways.
Full of longing and heartache, I highly recommend ❤️🩹
Full of longing and heartache, I highly recommend ❤️🩹
October 22, 2025
What happens when the perfect summer romance turns into something richer and stranger and far more complicated? Erica is spending the summer in Paris before going to UEA to study for her degree. Laure is doing a PhD at the Sorbonne. One accidental meeting turns into a summer that changes both women in ways neither could predict. In the years that follow they deal or fail to deal with the fallout of that epic summer, occasionally meeting but always connected. Their futures are shaped by that first, heady love and we watch them both together and apart as they try to come to terms with what they mean to each other. I love a novel that spans lives and this does that excellently well. The peripheral characters are also drawn well and have meat on their bones which gives the whole book a sense of reality and lived history. I loved it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book.*
I thoroughly enjoyed Kiran Millwood Hargrave's queer adult novel that spans decades. The representation of France, French and Paris in terms of historical accuracy etc. I cannot rate, but I enjoyed the setting. The star-crossed lovers who were doomed to be interrupted by life was well done but I found it a bit sad how it's yet another story about queer love that does not end positively. Good representation of bisexuality even though our main protagonist is quite unlikeable sometimes. Tragic depiction of the AIDS crisis. I enjoyed this book, especially the lavish prose. I was transfixed. A great yet sad read.
I thoroughly enjoyed Kiran Millwood Hargrave's queer adult novel that spans decades. The representation of France, French and Paris in terms of historical accuracy etc. I cannot rate, but I enjoyed the setting. The star-crossed lovers who were doomed to be interrupted by life was well done but I found it a bit sad how it's yet another story about queer love that does not end positively. Good representation of bisexuality even though our main protagonist is quite unlikeable sometimes. Tragic depiction of the AIDS crisis. I enjoyed this book, especially the lavish prose. I was transfixed. A great yet sad read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This story of two women falling in love in 1970s Paris and how their relationship develops over the decades absolutely captured my heart
The Parisian setting was so evocative and vivid, the inherent romance of ther French capital heightening their early romance. Both Laure and Erica though different were each very real and relatable, with their doubts and hopes and fears and their affair is a transformative experience for each of the women.
The path of their relationship and their struggles both as individuals and through their romance were so well written and I felt so invested that when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about the characters. I'm still thinking about them long after I’ve closed the book.
Wonderful supporting cast too bringing cafe culture, alcoholism and the AIDS crisis into the story.
Almost Life is a gorgeously written, emotional and authentic story. Another incredible book from Kiran.
Huge thanks to Pan McMillan and Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy
January 15, 2026
Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve just put this book down and all I can say is wow.
I’m not sure if anyone remembers the scene in Rick and Morty where Morty plays that video game of a simulation of a regular human life, then when he finishes and gets pulled out he’s so disoriented and probably traumatised that he struggles to remember who he is?
Well that’s me right now.
This book was a rollercoaster of emotions, from first love to figuring out your path in life to toxic relationships to complicated middle age to heartbreak and the ending leaving me buried in so many feelings.
Amazing characters and beautiful settings, sweeping emotional stories and it all just feels so grounded and real.
I think about 25% of the way through I said to a friend that this book was “clearly very well written and thoughtful, but I don’t think it’s for me” and while I still agree with that to some extent, I also think I needed to read the whole thing to truly understand it. It’s like One Day with lesbians. Rip my heart out and make me care about these people, rinse and repeat. Holy crap.
If you want a book you can sink into, cry along with, and lose yourself in (while picking up a smidge of French), this is the book for you.
Wow.
I’ve just put this book down and all I can say is wow.
I’m not sure if anyone remembers the scene in Rick and Morty where Morty plays that video game of a simulation of a regular human life, then when he finishes and gets pulled out he’s so disoriented and probably traumatised that he struggles to remember who he is?
Well that’s me right now.
This book was a rollercoaster of emotions, from first love to figuring out your path in life to toxic relationships to complicated middle age to heartbreak and the ending leaving me buried in so many feelings.
Amazing characters and beautiful settings, sweeping emotional stories and it all just feels so grounded and real.
I think about 25% of the way through I said to a friend that this book was “clearly very well written and thoughtful, but I don’t think it’s for me” and while I still agree with that to some extent, I also think I needed to read the whole thing to truly understand it. It’s like One Day with lesbians. Rip my heart out and make me care about these people, rinse and repeat. Holy crap.
If you want a book you can sink into, cry along with, and lose yourself in (while picking up a smidge of French), this is the book for you.
Wow.
November 19, 2025
Never in my life have I cried this much at a piece of media or writing or music than I did the last hour reading this book.
I know I feel things deeply but damn, like having to stop reading because I couldn’t breathe type of crying. Maybe it won’t hit with everyone, in fact, I think it definitely won’t - some people will find these main characters so unlikeable and their lives frustrating and pretentious and they won’t connect at all - but half of the moments in this book hit so close to home, both in an emotional way and actually physically close to homes I’ve lived in, in places I’ve known and loved and hated and grown in, and half of it touched on a history I feel so desperately devastated by that I can barely handle thinking about it. I’d like to write more of a proper review but I don’t know if I have the words (that’s a lie I just, unsurprisingly, probably have too many).
Kiran Millwood Hargrave you never cease to amaze me and make me feel like I’m drowning at the same time.
A wary thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
I know I feel things deeply but damn, like having to stop reading because I couldn’t breathe type of crying. Maybe it won’t hit with everyone, in fact, I think it definitely won’t - some people will find these main characters so unlikeable and their lives frustrating and pretentious and they won’t connect at all - but half of the moments in this book hit so close to home, both in an emotional way and actually physically close to homes I’ve lived in, in places I’ve known and loved and hated and grown in, and half of it touched on a history I feel so desperately devastated by that I can barely handle thinking about it. I’d like to write more of a proper review but I don’t know if I have the words (that’s a lie I just, unsurprisingly, probably have too many).
Kiran Millwood Hargrave you never cease to amaze me and make me feel like I’m drowning at the same time.
A wary thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
December 10, 2025
This is a love story between Erica, an English tourist, and Laure who is supremely French. It begins when the two meet on the steps of the Sacre Coeur in Paris. Over decades they lose and find each other, they fall in love with other people, they experience loss and joy and keep finding their way back to each other. Erica is bisexual, and so this is also a novel about incompleteness, the inability to get everything you need from a single relationship.
All of this sits against a stunning portrait of the gay community in Paris that begins in an 80s counter-cultural explosion of art and poetry and dancing, and finishes in 2013, when gay marriage is finally legalised. It’s gorgeous and tender and completely tore my heart apart.
All of this sits against a stunning portrait of the gay community in Paris that begins in an 80s counter-cultural explosion of art and poetry and dancing, and finishes in 2013, when gay marriage is finally legalised. It’s gorgeous and tender and completely tore my heart apart.
December 7, 2025
god this book was incredible!!!! It completely broke my heart and I was so invested in these characters. The main characters are so different and they change in such unexpected ways. The side characters had my heart too and were all so well developed with their own stories.
The love story felt realistic because they’re both imperfect people who are still learning about life and about themselves and who aren’t completely able to share their love as two women in the 70s.
It really felt like these characters and their story was real. I loved this!
Thank you Simon & Schuster for sending me this book!
The love story felt realistic because they’re both imperfect people who are still learning about life and about themselves and who aren’t completely able to share their love as two women in the 70s.
It really felt like these characters and their story was real. I loved this!
Thank you Simon & Schuster for sending me this book!
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January 14, 2026Kiran is one of my favourite authors and I will read anything she writes. For some reason I didn't find the characters likeable but what I loved about the book was the portrayal of relationships and their nuances. The portrayal of people and how complicated we are. How things aren't always black and white. How you could easily spend half of your life missing something you only had briefly, imagining what life would have been like if you made different choices. Not being able to let go of the idea of someone, of what could've been.
It is a beautifully written, heartbreaking book. Kiran has a way with words and I will always admire her for that.
It is a beautifully written, heartbreaking book. Kiran has a way with words and I will always admire her for that.
September 18, 2025
What a love, and what lifetimes! I didn’t cry when I finished this book, but I came close. In the day and change it took to read this, I felt like I had come to know Laure and Erica (and all of their friends and loved ones) like I know the people in my life.
Almost Life is exactly what it says on the tin. Laure, a French reprobate, and Erica, a British student on holiday, meet on the steps of the Sacre Coeur and spend the rest of their lives entwined, in love and friendship and loss. This isn’t a novel about a summer romance so much as it’s one about the lives you almost live, come close to, and then run from. Sometimes out of fear, justified or not, and sometimes because your loves can pull you in many different directions.
Sometimes I think that calling novels “tender” is getting a little too in vogue, but this one deserves it. The nuances and desires of these characters drive them, and they feel real. They remind me of people I know. Their hurt feels like mine, and so does their love. Kiran Millwood Hargrave fills the world of this book with incredible light. The prose is tight. The pacing is wonderful—even through time skips, necessary for the decades this book covers, I never got lost or wondered what happened.
This was the perfect thing to cap off my summer reading. As I read through the seasons of their lives, I felt an incredible longing to be with my friends and loved ones. And what better endorsement for a book than that?
Recommended for: bisexuals, anyone who remembers their first love, people who want to read a version of A Little Life that isn’t torture porn.
Thanks to S&S/Summit Books for this ARC!
Almost Life is exactly what it says on the tin. Laure, a French reprobate, and Erica, a British student on holiday, meet on the steps of the Sacre Coeur and spend the rest of their lives entwined, in love and friendship and loss. This isn’t a novel about a summer romance so much as it’s one about the lives you almost live, come close to, and then run from. Sometimes out of fear, justified or not, and sometimes because your loves can pull you in many different directions.
Sometimes I think that calling novels “tender” is getting a little too in vogue, but this one deserves it. The nuances and desires of these characters drive them, and they feel real. They remind me of people I know. Their hurt feels like mine, and so does their love. Kiran Millwood Hargrave fills the world of this book with incredible light. The prose is tight. The pacing is wonderful—even through time skips, necessary for the decades this book covers, I never got lost or wondered what happened.
This was the perfect thing to cap off my summer reading. As I read through the seasons of their lives, I felt an incredible longing to be with my friends and loved ones. And what better endorsement for a book than that?
Recommended for: bisexuals, anyone who remembers their first love, people who want to read a version of A Little Life that isn’t torture porn.
Thanks to S&S/Summit Books for this ARC!
November 23, 2025
4.5* (Proof copy)
This was incredible! Reminded me of all the other bittersweet soul connection love stories in media that I so dearly love (Normal People, One Day, Past Lives, La La Land, etc.), which is one of my favourite story types overall. The writing style completely absorbed me and I had no idea what page I was on for the majority of the reading process. It was gorgeous!! The only thing I disliked was the very end, I think there were other options for that, but okay. Overall definitely one of the favs of the year!
This was incredible! Reminded me of all the other bittersweet soul connection love stories in media that I so dearly love (Normal People, One Day, Past Lives, La La Land, etc.), which is one of my favourite story types overall. The writing style completely absorbed me and I had no idea what page I was on for the majority of the reading process. It was gorgeous!! The only thing I disliked was the very end, I think there were other options for that, but okay. Overall definitely one of the favs of the year!
October 15, 2025
What a treat to read this before it’s out! It took me a while to get into and I really disliked Laure in the beginning but that’s the gift of longer books - it allows you to grow with the characters. By the end I shed a little tear - a beautiful queer tale
October 9, 2025
Ok this one fucked me up. I felt both Laure and Erica’s characters viscerally. This story spans 30 years and is both happy and sad; beautiful and messy. Some bits were a little too close to home for me. This is the kind of book that I will continue to think about daily.
Although I received an ARC from NetGalley, I loved it so much I will be purchasing this when it is released.
Although I received an ARC from NetGalley, I loved it so much I will be purchasing this when it is released.
October 24, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel!
Oh my god, I genuinely could not put this book down. It really feels like you're experiencing life through the character's eyes and it all felt so vivid that I just HAD to know what happened next. Sad, wistful sapphic pining with plenty of angst. I mean how much more could you want from a book? Can't recommend enough!
Oh my god, I genuinely could not put this book down. It really feels like you're experiencing life through the character's eyes and it all felt so vivid that I just HAD to know what happened next. Sad, wistful sapphic pining with plenty of angst. I mean how much more could you want from a book? Can't recommend enough!
October 5, 2025
'Almost Life' filled my heart to overflowing - all four ventricles bursting with love, loss, hope, longing - all of the emotions. The story of Laure and Erica filled my heart completely, a story of love like no other love story I've read before.
'Almost Life' could win, should win, must win every accolade, indeed every literary prize going. Superb.
'Almost Life' could win, should win, must win every accolade, indeed every literary prize going. Superb.
September 24, 2025
This was a deeply poignant and intimate exploration of how love can take root so profoundly that even a fleeting encounter can blossom into a lifetime of desire, longing, and missed opportunities. Laure and Erica’s relationship is rendered with such aching beauty and precision that it almost feels intrusive to witness. As a reader, you’re granted the privilege of observing their love unfold, with all its raw, messy, and tender moments, yet you're powerless to steer them toward each other. You're left watching as time and societal expectations pull them apart, only to draw them together again and again. A powerful take on queerness, society, and the passage of time, this will be a book that stays with me for a long time.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
November 16, 2025
KIran Millwood Hargrave’s ‘Almost Life’ is one of my most anticipated reads of 2026, so I was over the moon to receive an early proof (desperate begging there may have been, but I have no regrets).
And what a book! It’s a gut punch of a novel. Exquisite writing, tactile and messy, sexy and vulnerable. Kiran’s writing pulses with vitality and a maturity which is a joy to read.
1978: on a heat-drenched summer day Erica and Laure meet on the steps of Sacré-Cœur, Paris. To Erica, abroad alone for the first time before starting university, Laure appears effortlessly cool, studying for her Ph.D at the Sorbonne and sleeping with a married woman.
It’s a meeting which will transform their lives, and will, forever after, be at the heart of every choice & decision. An instant spark transformed into a love affair, which rewrites their beings and derails their paths.
This is a story about choices and regret, desire and bravery. The certainty of youth, lost as we age. Self knowledge borne from mistakes we make. It’s about what happens when we become enmeshed in another persons story. The wanting that can eat away at you, when choices truly seem impossible. The numbness of depression and grief. Romantic, yes, but god, it hurts.
Passionate, sticky and slightly dishevelled, it evokes the textures of 70s Paris, its queer community, the hope, the violence, the loss. Norfolk in the 80s, academia, creativity and lives lived in quiet details I could touch. These character felt true. There was such honesty in their fuck ups, failings, fallings out and the magnetic draw between them, I both ached for them, AND wanted to shake them in such frustration.
Fizzing with life and sensuality, ‘Almost Life’ is gorgeous, melancholy, heartachingly moving and quietly ripped my heart to shreds. Out in March, this is one to you NEED to read!
And what a book! It’s a gut punch of a novel. Exquisite writing, tactile and messy, sexy and vulnerable. Kiran’s writing pulses with vitality and a maturity which is a joy to read.
1978: on a heat-drenched summer day Erica and Laure meet on the steps of Sacré-Cœur, Paris. To Erica, abroad alone for the first time before starting university, Laure appears effortlessly cool, studying for her Ph.D at the Sorbonne and sleeping with a married woman.
It’s a meeting which will transform their lives, and will, forever after, be at the heart of every choice & decision. An instant spark transformed into a love affair, which rewrites their beings and derails their paths.
This is a story about choices and regret, desire and bravery. The certainty of youth, lost as we age. Self knowledge borne from mistakes we make. It’s about what happens when we become enmeshed in another persons story. The wanting that can eat away at you, when choices truly seem impossible. The numbness of depression and grief. Romantic, yes, but god, it hurts.
Passionate, sticky and slightly dishevelled, it evokes the textures of 70s Paris, its queer community, the hope, the violence, the loss. Norfolk in the 80s, academia, creativity and lives lived in quiet details I could touch. These character felt true. There was such honesty in their fuck ups, failings, fallings out and the magnetic draw between them, I both ached for them, AND wanted to shake them in such frustration.
Fizzing with life and sensuality, ‘Almost Life’ is gorgeous, melancholy, heartachingly moving and quietly ripped my heart to shreds. Out in March, this is one to you NEED to read!
November 26, 2025
First off, I’d like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its publication. It is no overstatement to say that Kiran Millwood Hargrave is one of my most cherished authors and an endless inspiration. Before I was even granted the special opportunity to review this book, I had already pre-ordered “Almost Life (Signed & Dedicated Indie Exclusive Edition).” If you would like one too, you should check out Millwood’s Instagram account. She has a link to it in her bio. Pre-orders for this limited edition are open for a few months, closing on March 12th, 2026.
Now, let’s turn our attention to “Almost Life.” I had to let this book burrow and simmer in my soul for two weeks before putting words down and pouring my opinion into the world, so that I wouldn’t have to accept that it was over. Alas now, almost two weeks later, I must let it out and share my thoughts so that this sensational author can receive all the praise she deserves. I need you all to understand that the story’s profound complexity is impossible to capture in a summary, and my review will still not fully do it justice, but I will try my very best.
Blurb: Paris, late 70s a chance encounter brings two women together. One a tourist traveling alone abroad for the first time, and the other a French-born citizen. Passion, art, and heartbreak will define a love story set in one of the world’s most romantic cities. These elements will follow these star-crossed lovers throughout their entire lives, pulling and pushing them, and placing them both in front of many difficult choices.
So where to start? I shall start with the emotional impact. This book was one of those books I both powered through and stalled on. Now don’t read this the wrong way. I did not struggle to get through the book, not at all! Quite the opposite! I was walking around my home with my phone in hand, reading and “trying” to complete daily tasks because I physically could not put it down. Yet, at times, I had to pace myself a little, because the emotional impact of the story felt so consuming I could burn, but also, I really (reallyyyyyyyy) did not want it to. But what was so consuming about this novel? Everything. Hargrave made this love story so real I could brush it with my fingers, I could smell it, taste it, I could hold it in my heart. The characters, all of them (even the minor ones), were incredibly real in my mind, and four days after finishing this book they still are. I can’t express just how emotionally drained I am from missing them. I smiled, raged, and cried real tears, all throughout the narrative, and I would choose to experience it all again. I think “Almost Life” is the kind of book that has the power to make anyone cry, regardless, but if you are reading it from a place that resonates with you in more than one way, then this narrative may become even more excruciating and gorgeous. In any case, you just won’t be able to stop the big ugly tears from coming, so be prepared! Hargrave takes the themes of queerness, and especially of bisexuality, and coats them in art, literature, beauty, history, and a heart-wrenching love story that absorbs and renders the reader unable to pull away, silencing the outside world. The characters are exceptionally well-developed, and if you’re familiar with this author, you’ll recognize her skill in crafting complex characters. As I mentioned above, she does a wonderful job of bringing every character in the story to life in a way that truly matters to the reader. And about characters! Let us discuss the two main characters, Laure Boutin and Erica Parker. Laure and Erica are a perfect storm, both so different and yet so connected. Laure is a 24-year-old French socialist and proud lesbian studying Art Theory at Sorbonne University in Paris. She is self-assured, deeply smart, sarcastic and unapologetic, with a hard past that she keeps at bay. Erica is an 18-year-old from England embarking on her first solo summer trip overseas before attending EUA, where she plans to pursue a master’s degree in creative writing. Insecure, passionate, clumsy, and naïve, Erica is coming to terms with her bisexuality, which is still a relatively uncommon subject in the 70s. “Almost Life” explores the lives of these two women who encounter each other in Paris during the late 70s, a time of significant change in a city that was brimming with freedom yet still evolving. We delve into their young love, their identities, as well as the background stories of some of the incredible supporting characters that surround them. We will watch them all grow together, changing, making hard choices, making wrong choices (choices that at times we will disagree with, yet choices that make this story the more compelling). I was completely invested in Laure and Erica’s struggles, feeling their desires and suffering, and there were many moments I wanted to give them both a good shake (particularly Erica, although I felt that way more about Laure as things progressed!). Erica was often at times a difficult character to come to grips with for many reasons, partially because she could be unpredictable sometimes, and partially because there were pieces of her, I recognized in myself and I just wanted her to take specific turns; instead, she kept taking different ones. But is this not what this narrative sets out to be? A what if…and an “Almost Life”? As always, Kiran Hargrave Millwood did not disappoint me. Yet another beautifully poignant narrative that I was fortunate to read ahead of its release. I can’t wait to receive my special physical copy!
Now, let’s turn our attention to “Almost Life.” I had to let this book burrow and simmer in my soul for two weeks before putting words down and pouring my opinion into the world, so that I wouldn’t have to accept that it was over. Alas now, almost two weeks later, I must let it out and share my thoughts so that this sensational author can receive all the praise she deserves. I need you all to understand that the story’s profound complexity is impossible to capture in a summary, and my review will still not fully do it justice, but I will try my very best.
Blurb: Paris, late 70s a chance encounter brings two women together. One a tourist traveling alone abroad for the first time, and the other a French-born citizen. Passion, art, and heartbreak will define a love story set in one of the world’s most romantic cities. These elements will follow these star-crossed lovers throughout their entire lives, pulling and pushing them, and placing them both in front of many difficult choices.
So where to start? I shall start with the emotional impact. This book was one of those books I both powered through and stalled on. Now don’t read this the wrong way. I did not struggle to get through the book, not at all! Quite the opposite! I was walking around my home with my phone in hand, reading and “trying” to complete daily tasks because I physically could not put it down. Yet, at times, I had to pace myself a little, because the emotional impact of the story felt so consuming I could burn, but also, I really (reallyyyyyyyy) did not want it to. But what was so consuming about this novel? Everything. Hargrave made this love story so real I could brush it with my fingers, I could smell it, taste it, I could hold it in my heart. The characters, all of them (even the minor ones), were incredibly real in my mind, and four days after finishing this book they still are. I can’t express just how emotionally drained I am from missing them. I smiled, raged, and cried real tears, all throughout the narrative, and I would choose to experience it all again. I think “Almost Life” is the kind of book that has the power to make anyone cry, regardless, but if you are reading it from a place that resonates with you in more than one way, then this narrative may become even more excruciating and gorgeous. In any case, you just won’t be able to stop the big ugly tears from coming, so be prepared! Hargrave takes the themes of queerness, and especially of bisexuality, and coats them in art, literature, beauty, history, and a heart-wrenching love story that absorbs and renders the reader unable to pull away, silencing the outside world. The characters are exceptionally well-developed, and if you’re familiar with this author, you’ll recognize her skill in crafting complex characters. As I mentioned above, she does a wonderful job of bringing every character in the story to life in a way that truly matters to the reader. And about characters! Let us discuss the two main characters, Laure Boutin and Erica Parker. Laure and Erica are a perfect storm, both so different and yet so connected. Laure is a 24-year-old French socialist and proud lesbian studying Art Theory at Sorbonne University in Paris. She is self-assured, deeply smart, sarcastic and unapologetic, with a hard past that she keeps at bay. Erica is an 18-year-old from England embarking on her first solo summer trip overseas before attending EUA, where she plans to pursue a master’s degree in creative writing. Insecure, passionate, clumsy, and naïve, Erica is coming to terms with her bisexuality, which is still a relatively uncommon subject in the 70s. “Almost Life” explores the lives of these two women who encounter each other in Paris during the late 70s, a time of significant change in a city that was brimming with freedom yet still evolving. We delve into their young love, their identities, as well as the background stories of some of the incredible supporting characters that surround them. We will watch them all grow together, changing, making hard choices, making wrong choices (choices that at times we will disagree with, yet choices that make this story the more compelling). I was completely invested in Laure and Erica’s struggles, feeling their desires and suffering, and there were many moments I wanted to give them both a good shake (particularly Erica, although I felt that way more about Laure as things progressed!). Erica was often at times a difficult character to come to grips with for many reasons, partially because she could be unpredictable sometimes, and partially because there were pieces of her, I recognized in myself and I just wanted her to take specific turns; instead, she kept taking different ones. But is this not what this narrative sets out to be? A what if…and an “Almost Life”? As always, Kiran Hargrave Millwood did not disappoint me. Yet another beautifully poignant narrative that I was fortunate to read ahead of its release. I can’t wait to receive my special physical copy!
June 18, 2025
Loved, read this queer one day in a day! Not many books out there that depict a nuanced portrait of bisexuality too but this does it beautifully.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s Almost Life traces the intense, transformative love between Erica, an art research student from Norfolk, and Laure, a Parisienne studying philosophy at the Sorbonne in the charged, queer underground of 1970s Paris, they fall into a love that is as intoxicating as it is impossible.
Hargrave offers an exquisite exploration of love, identity, and the messy contradictions of growing into oneself. Erica and Laure’s connection is immediate and intellectual, yet deeply complicated by their contrasting desires for the future. Erica longs for stability and a conventional kind of happiness, while Laure’s fierce independence and rejection of societal norms make her unable, or unwilling, to offer the future Erica hopes for.
Their summer together navigating smoky cafés, rebellious nights, philosophical debates, is a whirlwind of passion, but the cracks are visible from the start. When Erica ultimately chooses safety over Laure’s precarious world, both women spend the following years grappling with what remains: memory, regret, and the lives built in the aftermath. When fate brings them together again, they must confront the question that has shaped them since that first summer: What might have been, if they had stayed? It is truly an ‘almost’ life. Their final reunion was strange, tender, drunken, and full of the ghosts of who they were.
Hargrave’s writing captures both the emotional and intellectual intensity of their relationship, evoking a vivid nostalgia for the 1970s queer bohemia. Paris feels wonderfully alive: a city of lovers and misfits, where ideas and desires collide. Almost Life deftly portrays the complexities of being young, in love, and on the brink of self-discovery, with a striking honesty free of judgment. At times, it gave me 'contemporary sapphic version of Baldwin's Don Gionvanni' vibes.
The novel subtly reflects a time when queer life was both vibrant and endangered. Laure embraces this world with idealism and political fervour; Erica fears its risks. Their tension between visibility and survival underpins the choices that shape and separate them. A particular standout moment takes place in Gay’s the Word, the queer bookshop in London: a scene I found deeply moving, a reminder of how far we’ve come, how much can change in a lifetime, and how vital it is to protect the progress we’ve made.
Almost Life is a meditation on the roads we take and the ones we leave behind. Hargrave’s exploration of love, loss, and identity is tender, devastating, and full of bittersweet resonance. I finished the novel heartbroken for these characters, with their endearing idiosyncrasies, and overwhelmed by a thousand “what ifs.” #pudseyrecommends
Thanks to Pan Macmillan | Picador and NetGalley for the ARC.
Hargrave offers an exquisite exploration of love, identity, and the messy contradictions of growing into oneself. Erica and Laure’s connection is immediate and intellectual, yet deeply complicated by their contrasting desires for the future. Erica longs for stability and a conventional kind of happiness, while Laure’s fierce independence and rejection of societal norms make her unable, or unwilling, to offer the future Erica hopes for.
Their summer together navigating smoky cafés, rebellious nights, philosophical debates, is a whirlwind of passion, but the cracks are visible from the start. When Erica ultimately chooses safety over Laure’s precarious world, both women spend the following years grappling with what remains: memory, regret, and the lives built in the aftermath. When fate brings them together again, they must confront the question that has shaped them since that first summer: What might have been, if they had stayed? It is truly an ‘almost’ life. Their final reunion was strange, tender, drunken, and full of the ghosts of who they were.
Hargrave’s writing captures both the emotional and intellectual intensity of their relationship, evoking a vivid nostalgia for the 1970s queer bohemia. Paris feels wonderfully alive: a city of lovers and misfits, where ideas and desires collide. Almost Life deftly portrays the complexities of being young, in love, and on the brink of self-discovery, with a striking honesty free of judgment. At times, it gave me 'contemporary sapphic version of Baldwin's Don Gionvanni' vibes.
The novel subtly reflects a time when queer life was both vibrant and endangered. Laure embraces this world with idealism and political fervour; Erica fears its risks. Their tension between visibility and survival underpins the choices that shape and separate them. A particular standout moment takes place in Gay’s the Word, the queer bookshop in London: a scene I found deeply moving, a reminder of how far we’ve come, how much can change in a lifetime, and how vital it is to protect the progress we’ve made.
Almost Life is a meditation on the roads we take and the ones we leave behind. Hargrave’s exploration of love, loss, and identity is tender, devastating, and full of bittersweet resonance. I finished the novel heartbroken for these characters, with their endearing idiosyncrasies, and overwhelmed by a thousand “what ifs.” #pudseyrecommends
Thanks to Pan Macmillan | Picador and NetGalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
They meet on the steps of Sacré-Couer under deep blue skies and in the sweltering heat of 1978. Laure and Erica, the latter being so beautiful but doesn’t know it. A Parisienne and a young English woman. Erica, 18, is a student and starting university in September whilst Laure is older and studying for a PhD at the Sorbonne. It’s Erica‘s first time in Paris, indeed in France and she loves it. The pair become close and Laure introduces her to a world of which she is perhaps, innocent. Inevitably Erica leaves but her impact on Laure is a lasting one. This is a love story, one which spans several decades but with many obstacles to overcome, can they finally have a future together, perhaps as the fates intended?
This latest novel by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is beautifully written, capturing Paris of the 70s and captivating Erica and transporting me into the evocative and atmospheric storytelling. This is accompanied by the prejudice of that time. It’s a love story but not as you necessarily know it, after all, Paris is the city of love and lovers.
The storytelling is full of tension both sexual and other and it’s intense, very intense with their very differing personalities reacting to the situations that they find themselves. how they navigate this through the decades is a gripping and frustrating tale! It’s a rollercoaster for both of them and those around them. It’s portrayed vividly with palpable emotions on many occasions.
Of the two central characters, it’s Laure that resonates the most with me, she spikey at the start perhaps understandably, but her character growth and the changes that her life undergoes make me admire her more and more. Erica is initially very gauche and charms me but I like her less so as time goes on. Their on/off relationship is complicated and complex and is portrayed so well that it takes me through a range of emotions and at times, breaks my heart. This is particularly true of the tragic story of Michel and at the ending - which does however, feel right.
This is a tender and poignant story spanning the decades and each period of the time of time is distinctive and reflects the changes especially in attitudes. I’m sure this will wow many readers with the very high-quality of the prose and how it makes you feel.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan Macmillan/Picadour for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
This latest novel by Kiran Millwood Hargrave is beautifully written, capturing Paris of the 70s and captivating Erica and transporting me into the evocative and atmospheric storytelling. This is accompanied by the prejudice of that time. It’s a love story but not as you necessarily know it, after all, Paris is the city of love and lovers.
The storytelling is full of tension both sexual and other and it’s intense, very intense with their very differing personalities reacting to the situations that they find themselves. how they navigate this through the decades is a gripping and frustrating tale! It’s a rollercoaster for both of them and those around them. It’s portrayed vividly with palpable emotions on many occasions.
Of the two central characters, it’s Laure that resonates the most with me, she spikey at the start perhaps understandably, but her character growth and the changes that her life undergoes make me admire her more and more. Erica is initially very gauche and charms me but I like her less so as time goes on. Their on/off relationship is complicated and complex and is portrayed so well that it takes me through a range of emotions and at times, breaks my heart. This is particularly true of the tragic story of Michel and at the ending - which does however, feel right.
This is a tender and poignant story spanning the decades and each period of the time of time is distinctive and reflects the changes especially in attitudes. I’m sure this will wow many readers with the very high-quality of the prose and how it makes you feel.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan Macmillan/Picadour for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 stars. This is a very well-written and thought provoking novel by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. My first by her . . . but I immediately put her The Mercies on hold and will be reading this one soon. This would be a great book club book because there are several characters (all of which I loved and hated at some point throughout the book which means they were well-described); several situations that could go either way (and sometimes they do); and several outcomes that just beg for a good discussion.
Erica, living in the UK, is about to begin university and goes to Paris for the summer before. One day while out walking she sees Laure and thus begins a decades-long relationship, one that sees the natural progression of time and emotion and age, which makes this book so good because the characters are well-developed and change throughout time as we all tend to do. Our once "black and white" opinions tend to become grayer as we age. The supporting characters are also so well discussed that you truly feel like you have known these people forever. You just want to be friends with this group.
One con for me is the incredibly long chapters - like sometimes almost an hour to read one chapter (and I'm a fast reader). I would have much preferred shorter chapters which would have spurred me to continue reading the next one. The paragraphs at times can be quite lengthy and at the beginning of the book my mind would wander and I'd lose my place.
If you love the way Sally Rooney writes you will likely love this one as well as I felt very similar vibes between her novels and this one. Or Claire Daverley's Talking at Night is another one that I think is very similar in writing styles.
And when it ended . . . well even though this is such a long book ... I just wasn't ready for it to end. I wanted it to keep going on because I felt so invested in these two women's lives and saw them through the beginning of first loves, deaths, marriage, illness and more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Simon & Schuster / S&S/Summit Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. This one publishes on March 24, 2026 so put it on your TBR list now and curl up in a big chair, somewhere quiet and enter the world of Erica and Laure.
Erica, living in the UK, is about to begin university and goes to Paris for the summer before. One day while out walking she sees Laure and thus begins a decades-long relationship, one that sees the natural progression of time and emotion and age, which makes this book so good because the characters are well-developed and change throughout time as we all tend to do. Our once "black and white" opinions tend to become grayer as we age. The supporting characters are also so well discussed that you truly feel like you have known these people forever. You just want to be friends with this group.
One con for me is the incredibly long chapters - like sometimes almost an hour to read one chapter (and I'm a fast reader). I would have much preferred shorter chapters which would have spurred me to continue reading the next one. The paragraphs at times can be quite lengthy and at the beginning of the book my mind would wander and I'd lose my place.
If you love the way Sally Rooney writes you will likely love this one as well as I felt very similar vibes between her novels and this one. Or Claire Daverley's Talking at Night is another one that I think is very similar in writing styles.
And when it ended . . . well even though this is such a long book ... I just wasn't ready for it to end. I wanted it to keep going on because I felt so invested in these two women's lives and saw them through the beginning of first loves, deaths, marriage, illness and more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Simon & Schuster / S&S/Summit Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. This one publishes on March 24, 2026 so put it on your TBR list now and curl up in a big chair, somewhere quiet and enter the world of Erica and Laure.
November 12, 2025
Almost Life follows Laure and Erica from their first meeting in Paris up through the final years of their relationship.
Their relationship, in romantic terms at least, seems to be a strong case of “can’t live with them, can’t live without them”. I really struggled with the first part of the book, when Erica is visiting Paris before starting university, and Laure is an art student in Paris.
After surviving that part of the book, I’m convinced I didn’t like it because Hargrave is probably a good writer. Both young women are oblivious and self-centered, and Laure in particular came across as a snob.
She was actually the character I ended up liking better throughout the rest of the story, taking the breakup with Erica at the end of the summer badly and ending up in a controlling and toxic relationship. Despite her inability to ever truly get over Erica, it forces Laure to reevaluate her relationship with alcohol and her father, and allows her to view her friends with a unique clear sightedness.
Erica meanwhile, goes to university and then on to her MFA for creative writing, where she meets and ends up marrying Ant, a wealthy man who is never used to things not going his way. Struggling with his success and a lack of her own, Erica ends up back in Paris, reconnecting with a more grounded Laure than she knew before.
Naturally this isn’t the last time they meet, the book revolving around the intersections of their lives. The characters gain depth as they age, even if they struggle to move on from their first feelings of true love. One thing that stood out to me was observing Ant from Laure’s perspective. She can see the struggles that Erica is battling with, but she also sees how even though Ant loves Erica, he forces her into a box where her life revolves around his wants, leaving her constantly feeling less than herself.
This book won’t be for everyone. And while a queer relationship is at the heart of the story, the evolution of those two women over time is the meat of the book, and the best takeaway from it.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Their relationship, in romantic terms at least, seems to be a strong case of “can’t live with them, can’t live without them”. I really struggled with the first part of the book, when Erica is visiting Paris before starting university, and Laure is an art student in Paris.
After surviving that part of the book, I’m convinced I didn’t like it because Hargrave is probably a good writer. Both young women are oblivious and self-centered, and Laure in particular came across as a snob.
She was actually the character I ended up liking better throughout the rest of the story, taking the breakup with Erica at the end of the summer badly and ending up in a controlling and toxic relationship. Despite her inability to ever truly get over Erica, it forces Laure to reevaluate her relationship with alcohol and her father, and allows her to view her friends with a unique clear sightedness.
Erica meanwhile, goes to university and then on to her MFA for creative writing, where she meets and ends up marrying Ant, a wealthy man who is never used to things not going his way. Struggling with his success and a lack of her own, Erica ends up back in Paris, reconnecting with a more grounded Laure than she knew before.
Naturally this isn’t the last time they meet, the book revolving around the intersections of their lives. The characters gain depth as they age, even if they struggle to move on from their first feelings of true love. One thing that stood out to me was observing Ant from Laure’s perspective. She can see the struggles that Erica is battling with, but she also sees how even though Ant loves Erica, he forces her into a box where her life revolves around his wants, leaving her constantly feeling less than herself.
This book won’t be for everyone. And while a queer relationship is at the heart of the story, the evolution of those two women over time is the meat of the book, and the best takeaway from it.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 4, 2025
I will read anything by Kiran MH so was delighted to have been approved for an advanced copy of her latest novel for adults.
Almost Life has been billed as a sapphic One Day, where a chance encounter on the steps of the Sacre Coeur sparks a passionate summer romance, leading to an almost-but-not-quite relationship which spans decades.
You may or may not be pleased to hear that this is not One Day. The story is grittier, messier, and the characters are far more deeply flawed. Laure is aloof, edgy, knowledgeable and passionate. Had I been twenty years younger, I probably would have fallen for her too. However, with age comes wisdom and a heck of a lot of experience, and the cracks in Laure reveal a vulnerable and disordered individual. Laure’s lover, Erica, is younger, innocent, and full of the teenage curiosity and entitlement born of middle-class privilege.
The novel relays the choices made by both women and demonstrates the impact they have, not just on each other, but their wider circle of friends. Letters written in the heat of the moment wound, and those which have taken longer to write cut even more deeply. We are carried along in a whirlwind of emotion with little room to breathe, and the likeable cast of supporting characters add to the frenzy.
I finished the novel some time ago but have found it very hard to review. In some ways, Almost Life is an easy read, yet having worked in the field of addiction I recognise only too well the chaos and squalor that comes with an addict, as well as the vulnerability. Seeing one character attempt to move on, grow and mature, whilst the other blindly and selfishly takes advantage of them is unsettling and infuriating. It may be an accurate reflection of life, I suppose, where people are ruled by their hearts and ignore the consequences of their wants and desires, but seeing the impact on other people can make for hard reading.
I found the novel left me feeling rather cold and empty, although it has stayed in my mind for some time. I know that, already, many people utterly adore this novel and have fallen in love with the characters, but alas it didn’t have such an effect on me.
Almost Life has been billed as a sapphic One Day, where a chance encounter on the steps of the Sacre Coeur sparks a passionate summer romance, leading to an almost-but-not-quite relationship which spans decades.
You may or may not be pleased to hear that this is not One Day. The story is grittier, messier, and the characters are far more deeply flawed. Laure is aloof, edgy, knowledgeable and passionate. Had I been twenty years younger, I probably would have fallen for her too. However, with age comes wisdom and a heck of a lot of experience, and the cracks in Laure reveal a vulnerable and disordered individual. Laure’s lover, Erica, is younger, innocent, and full of the teenage curiosity and entitlement born of middle-class privilege.
The novel relays the choices made by both women and demonstrates the impact they have, not just on each other, but their wider circle of friends. Letters written in the heat of the moment wound, and those which have taken longer to write cut even more deeply. We are carried along in a whirlwind of emotion with little room to breathe, and the likeable cast of supporting characters add to the frenzy.
I finished the novel some time ago but have found it very hard to review. In some ways, Almost Life is an easy read, yet having worked in the field of addiction I recognise only too well the chaos and squalor that comes with an addict, as well as the vulnerability. Seeing one character attempt to move on, grow and mature, whilst the other blindly and selfishly takes advantage of them is unsettling and infuriating. It may be an accurate reflection of life, I suppose, where people are ruled by their hearts and ignore the consequences of their wants and desires, but seeing the impact on other people can make for hard reading.
I found the novel left me feeling rather cold and empty, although it has stayed in my mind for some time. I know that, already, many people utterly adore this novel and have fallen in love with the characters, but alas it didn’t have such an effect on me.
November 9, 2025
Almost Life is a novel about the lives two women did and could've led, as their love story never quite goes the right way. Erica is eighteen and in Paris for the summer before starting university, where she meets Laure by the Sacré-Cœur, a doctoral student at the Sorbonne. They are drawn to one another and fall in love, but the summer cannot last forever, and each choice they make changes their lives in different ways.
Told both from Erica and Laure's perspectives, this novel spans through their lives, using time jumps to show the impact of what happens in each section. Some moments were particularly powerful, like the depiction of a character with AIDS and his friends' support, and Laure's reflections on not having children, and the book delves deep into the idea of lives not lived, though at times this imagining feels a bit overdone, wallowing in miscommunications. I really liked some of the characterisation, for example Laure and Michel's friendship, and how the book explores the messiness of human connection. However, it did feel like any love that Erica or Laure felt other than for each other was stated by them a lot, but not really shown in any depth, even though these relationships were meant to be very important to the plot and their own relationship with each other.
This is a sad, queer 'what if?' type novel that hinges a lot around miscommunications and missed chances, exploring how sometimes romantic relationships never seem to get the right opportunity. Occasionally the conceit of everything being 'almost' was a bit wearing for me, but generally it is an emotional novel that feels like a successor to the gay novels mentioned in the book itself.
Told both from Erica and Laure's perspectives, this novel spans through their lives, using time jumps to show the impact of what happens in each section. Some moments were particularly powerful, like the depiction of a character with AIDS and his friends' support, and Laure's reflections on not having children, and the book delves deep into the idea of lives not lived, though at times this imagining feels a bit overdone, wallowing in miscommunications. I really liked some of the characterisation, for example Laure and Michel's friendship, and how the book explores the messiness of human connection. However, it did feel like any love that Erica or Laure felt other than for each other was stated by them a lot, but not really shown in any depth, even though these relationships were meant to be very important to the plot and their own relationship with each other.
This is a sad, queer 'what if?' type novel that hinges a lot around miscommunications and missed chances, exploring how sometimes romantic relationships never seem to get the right opportunity. Occasionally the conceit of everything being 'almost' was a bit wearing for me, but generally it is an emotional novel that feels like a successor to the gay novels mentioned in the book itself.
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