Almost Life

by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

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?

Genres: Queer, Adult, LGBT, Fiction, Lesbian, Literary Fiction, Contemporary

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 12, 2026

About the author

Kiran Millwood Hargrave is an award winning poet, playwright, and novelist.

Her books include the bestselling winner of the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017 The Girl of Ink & Stars, and Costa Book Awards- and Blue Peter Awards-shortlisted The Island at the End of Everything, and The Way Past Winter, Blackwell's Children's Book of the Year 2018. A Secret of Birds & Bone, her fourth middle grade title, was published in 2020. Julia and the Shark, in collaboration with her husband, artist Tom de Freston, was Indie Book of the Month, Scottish Booktrust Book of the Month, and has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2021.

Her debut YA novel The Deathless Girls was published in 2019, and was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize, and long listed for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. Her first book for adults, The Mercies, debuted as The Times number 1 bestseller, and at number 5 in the Sunday Times Bestseller Charts. Writing for the New York Times Book Review, Emily Barton called it 'among the best novels I've read in years', and it won a Betty Trask Award.

She is represented by Hellie Ogden (UK) and Kirby Kim (US) at Janklow & Nesbit. Kiran lives in Oxford with her husband and their cats, Luna and Marly.

Reviews

[Em Anderson-Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Ellenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 ❤️‍🩹

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Sam Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Milly · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Johan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

I also thought it was clever how much you ending up rooting for them to somehow end up together - just like the characters themselves, you eventually realise how it's been a fantasy for them the whole time and realistically could never work out for so many reasons. Oh, but that ending really got me though. The idea of her dying three whole years ago and Erica no longer being a big enough part of her life for anyone to let her know. Will be thinking about this book for a while yet!

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

'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.

[Aimée Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Siobhan Slattery · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Chelsea Knowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

Almost life follows Erica and Laure as they meet on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur in 1978. Laure is a French woman who is studying for her doctorate and she is a lesbian who is sleeping with a married woman. Erica is eighteen and waiting to start university in England so she goes on a trip to Paris. There is an instant connection when Erica and Laure meet and they have a summer fling. Their story is far from simple though and their love story is far from a linear path.

This book was a very random pick for me and I’m so glad I took a chance on this. I think this might be one of my favourite books of the year and possibly of all time. It’s filled with sapphic longing and the love story does not have an easy path. It’s a complex story and as a reader you’re not sure who to root for. The writing is brilliant and the story is just so beautiful. I loved this so much and got emotional several times whilst reading this. I will be recommending this and I think this needs to be on everyone’s lists for 2026. I just love this book so much and this story and these characters will stay with me for a long time.

Favourite quote (subject to change upon publication) - “In her mind, she walked towards Laure on the right-hand steps of the Sacré-Cœur, exactly as she had. She smiled into the face of a person she would come to love. She opened her mouth, and in her best bad French said, Bonjour.”

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was brilliant and I felt rather devastated by the end. In the first chapter, I felt a little unsure as to whether I would enjoy following Erica and Laure but by the end of chapter 2, I was fully in love with both of them. All of the side characters were equally engaging and I feel like I could have read a whole book from many of them from their perspective about their life with Erica and Laure featuring on the side. Hargrave really nailed character work in this book as everyone felt realistically flawed, yet intriguing and often lovable. (However, I do feel like Erica’s friend Emma faded and just became someone for Erica to compare her experience of motherhood against. Although it is also likely that that was intentional as Erica began to see her only as a point of comparison instead of a friend.)

The comparison made in this book’s publishing to ‘One Day’ by David Nicholls is apt in that you follow Erica and Laure from their first meeting over many years as they slip in and out of one another’s lives, and I loved seeing how the characters evolved over this long period of time. I also love to read books were the characters don’t necessarily achieve everything they once hoped for when they were younger, and how they cope with that inevitability.

The atmosphere evoked in the locations in this book was also great, particularly all the places in Paris, however briefly they were visited (and (very slight spoilers) Monet’s gardens and Laure’s father’s farm).

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

[Ashley Adamian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost Life is a story about how life diverges and clinging to the idea of this different life you could have. The two leads have a romantic entanglement that endures through the years and through partners. They're left to wonder what could it have been like? What life could we have had?

The characters in this novel were very well-developed. They felt real and personable. Both of the main characters were brilliant and I enjoyed reading about their connection and how it developed. Some of the supporting cast members shine as well. At first, the novel felt a little difficult to sink into: many references to Paris that mean little to me. But once I got invested, I was hooked. The story was emotional and definitely philiosophical. I'm also at a stage in my life where I have to think about finally making big choices and soon, I too may wonder what my other life could have looked like. The themes were deep and I enjoyed reading about how the characters handled it and the other problems in their lives. Serious topics were also depicted well in the novel as well, such as alcoholism, abuse, and more. A truly amazing read.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dr Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read and I sped through it in a couple of days. The French characters of Laure and Michel, in particular, were well-drawn and deeply affecting. I wasn’t so convinced by Erica and Ant, maybe because they had less of a back story (we find out very little about Erica’s family or early life before the book starts, whereas we meet Laure’s father).

I liked the depiction of the 1977-onwards (I was born in the 70’s and remember much of the periods described) and the descriptions of Paris, Rouen and Norfolk were beautiful. The plot was well timed and we didn’t really know whether or not the women would get their timing right up until the end. I think the author’s choice of ending worked well and enjoyed the slight sliding doors moment near the end as well.

I think this was as good as the Mercies and the best from Kiran Millwood Hargrave since that book (or maybe just more my kind of read). I am sorry I’ve read it now already and don’t have it to look forward to, but will definitely re-read it when it comes out. I was gifted early access via Netgalley, for which I’m grateful.

[Annabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts in 1978 where Erica and Laure meet in Paris and fall in love. This story then spans across decades, and we experience their love, heartache and lives across this time.

This synopsis feels very bare to what this story actually is. I think I feel choked up right now. I don’t entirely know what to write. The ending pulled at my heart strings and there are tears in my eyes. A lot of this book didn’t sit comfortably, with the characters making chaotic and passionate decisions. The characters of Erica and Laure are very fleshed out, with them being so multi-faceted. There are so many layers, and elements of the characters I liked and strongly disliked. There are also the surrounding characters like Ant, Michel (who has my heart), Barbara and others and we really see glimpses into their worlds too. Hargrave knows how to write people. She knows how to write imperfect people and how to tug at your heart.

I think I need to sit for a bit and fully digest this book. It will definitely remain in my heart for a while.

[elereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5/5⭐
Almost Life is a deeply moving story about the relationship between two women throughout time, and what it entails for a woman to love another woman, not only in society but for the self. Hargrave’s prose is beautiful, reminiscent of the classics, and allows you to fully immerse yourself into the lives of Laure and Erica as they grow up separately and together. I had to take my time reading this novel. At times it felt so heavy I had to go outside and walk until my head would clear. Perhaps it is because of how strongly I resonated with it, but I sometimes found it hard to distinguish between reality and fiction. I hated the characters as much as I loved them, Erica in particular, but that's what made the novel feel so much more raw and intimate. This wasn’t like the idealized romance we read in today’s time. This was a real relationship between two real human beings, it was life itself. Almost Life has left a lasting impression on me, and I look forward to purchasing the official release once it’s out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the arc in exchange of an honest review!

[Sienna Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kiran Millwood Hargrave has cornered the market on tragic lesbians. Almost Life is an almost love story, following two women over the course of their lives as they come together and fall apart over and over and over again.

As always, Kiran's characters are complex and fully realized — Erica and Laure are not easily digested. Erica was a character I struggled with immensely. She is selfish and cowardly, for reasons I sometimes understood and sometimes couldn't tolerate. The portrayal of her bisexuality is nuanced, and not always flattering, but felt true to the way that many women think.

I am glad to have read this, as Millwood Hargrave's writing is always a treat, but I don't believe it can be compared to either The Mercies or The Dance Tree -- both of which I could rave about for hours.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC!

[Kate Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, I love a great novel about lesbians (and bisexual women) and the two main characters in this book are easy to love while still being deeply flawed humans.

In 1978 Erica is a British student, spending her summer abroad before returning to England for university, and Laure is a Parisian native studying for her PhD at the Sorbonne. When the two meet on the steps of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, they quickly fall in love. When summer ends and Erica must return to England, the two part ways, but the love they have for each other is harder to shake. The women find themselves drawn together throughout their lives despite marriage, children, careers, and the countries that keep them apart.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

[Miriam Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

*With thanks to Netgalley for the ARC*

I loved this book, which tells the tale of the relationship between gawky teenage Erica and sophisticated twenty-something Parisian, Laure, who meet one day in 1978 on the steps of the Sacre-Couer and whose lives afterward - through the events of the 80s, 90s and onward - are inextricably linked.

The characters are so well drawn. I found myself thinking of them often in the days after I finished the book, so immersed was I in their lives. Even the peripheral characters, such as Laure’s friend Michel, leap from the page.

I can’t wait to read more by this author.

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Almost Life” is a story of missed opportunities, what might have been, and trying to find contentment in the life one has chosen. Both Erica and Laure will have good lives — with their fair share of sorrows and struggles as well — but both will be burdened by the chances they didn’t or couldn’t take with each other.

The story has an interesting and eclectic cast of characters, and a lot of creativity as to how the lives of Erica, Laure, and others unfold.

I was somewhat surprised by the dual endings, and I have a definite preference for one ending. However, the dual endings fit in well with the overall theme of the book.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a work book club but I LOVE Kiran’s writing so it was always gonna be an auto buy for me regardless. Very different to her previous work, set from the 70s onwards about two women oscillating each other and the paths they almost chose but decided against. Heartfelt, tragic, lyrical. I enjoyed it a lot! As always, themes of bisexual erasure, loss, queer identity and female empowerment are woven throughout. Michel is a true babe. The end did send me into a bit of a sad spiral but not in a tragic way, more in a cathartic, reflective way.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by publisher:

This is a beautifully written and emotionally rich story.
That said, I wasn’t in the right headspace for tragic lesbians when I picked it up, so I chose to pause rather than push through. 100% my fault.

It’s the kind of book I can see myself coming back to when I’m ready for something that lingers and aches a little. Even from what I read, it’s clear this author has a strong grasp on character complexity and emotional truth.

[Priyanka Menon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that aches in all the quiet ways- heartache, yearning, the weight of what could have been. Reading it felt like slipping between A Little Life and Past Lives, tender yet devastating. It stayed with me long after I closed the last page. I can’t wait to hold the physical copy in my hands when it’s out.

Thank you Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken

[Katie Brighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

i flewwww through this and really enjoyed it!!

[Gulp · Rating 1 out of 5]

This ends with one of them dead and one of them married to a man? Lol?

[jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my normal people