The Day Our Lives Collided

by Laura Pearson

It’s the first day of term, and the lives of three new university students are about to collide. They’re going to introduce each other to more friends too. People who will be in their lives forever.

They’re young when the weddings start. Tash and Adam seem destined for each other, only 22 but with a baby already on the way. Even when a chance remark from Adam’s best man about their other friend, Hayden, puts everything at risk.

By the time the second wedding comes around, everything’s changed. And even more by the third…

Because it turns out, our soulmates aren’t always who we think they’ll be. And life has a funny way of switching things around. Just when you least expect it.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 6, 2026

Reviews

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story which really featured relationships and friendships which were sometimes at breaking point. It was a very clever idea and I loved reading about all the ups and downs of love, marriage and sadly divorce. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great! Pearson grabbed my curiosity from the contents page. Seeing the book divided into six weddings made me incredibly intrigued. I loved the concept of returning to the core characters over the years, watching relationships made, relationships crumble and lives change.

I think Pearson completely portrays the essence of university life in the opening scenes. From the excitement of being away from home to meeting new people, I felt like I was reliving my own memories. The literal collision between Adam, Tash and Hay sees their worlds come together forevermore and the awkwardness these strangers initially felt certainly reminded me of the effort of trying to make new friends – impressing people without looking embarrassing. Whilst Hay is convinced she has seen the man she is going to marry, Tash and Adam hit it off and this shapes the rest of the novel to come.

I loved trying to predict whose wedding we would move on to next, what the friendship circle would be like and the state of relationships. All of the events are so unique and this helped keep track of the range of characters. At the same time, there is a metaphorical shadow hanging over the narration, implying that sad events are due to come. This added an edge to the plot, so it wasn’t just all sweetness and wedding vows.

The more I read, the more this story stayed with me. I found I just could not get it out of my head and I was distracted by thinking about what would happen next. Although the story is divided into the different weddings, this is segmented into various character perspectives, so readers get a true insight into feelings and secret desires. I think this enhanced the story even further, making all of the characters feel vivid and like you were reading about genuine people.

A fantastic read from Pearson, truly flawless. I loved the highs, the lows and everything in between. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[KDRBCK]

The Day Our Lives Collided by new to me author Laura Pearson is a stand alone published by Boldwood Books.
I read the blurb and thought why not give a try.
The story goes like this.
Six friends, their bond was formed in college are living thier lives. Meeting at weddings, 6 weddings to be exact, where secrets are revealed, friendships are destroyed, and there's drama baby dram, and tensions galore.
Outstandingly written and highly, highly entertaining, this book is a winner imo.

[powerlireads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows a group of friends who first meet at university. Each chapter is set at a different wedding, and through these celebrations, we see how their lives have changed and how their friendships adapt as the years move on.

The narrative is told through the perspectives of the three main characters, and even with some heavier topics throughout, the book remains a very light and easy read. I felt like it perfectly captured the nature of friendships and how they can change through the different seasons of your life.

With the wedding‑to‑wedding format, I did feel that some of the key emotional moments didn’t hit as hard as they could have, simply because we only see the characters at these milestone events. Some of the bigger life changes are mentioned more in passing, and I think for me, I needed a few more detailed scenes at certain points, as I think that would have had a bigger emotional impact.

It’s worth bearing in mind that this could be more of a personal preference, as it’s something I’ve noticed with other books I’ve read that use a similar format. I always find myself wanting just a little more of the in‑between to fully connect with the characters.

That said, I really enjoyed watching how these friendships shifted over time, especially the journeys of the three main characters, and I felt fully invested in their stories.

Overall, this is a thoughtful look at friendship, adulthood, and the way our lives can drift apart and reconnect through the different seasons. I just found myself wishing for a little more detail in certain chapters of their lives.

[Namo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

If you want to love it like I do, just read the book blind without know much of the synopsis. Just remember all the names.

The story follows Tash, Adam, and Hayden, three university students who unexpectedly intersect on their first day of the university. Their lives keep drawing to each other as the years pass and everything is always changing.

What a lovely and incredible story. This book plays very well with the love, relationship, and everything about life. It follows several weddings where everyone seems to gather and meet again. Of course, after reading it for a while, I knew a lot of things would happen at the weddings. Those things still startled me. Very unexpected and unpredictable. Reading this also fell like I had been with those characters’ life from the beginning to the end. Just like growing up with them and seeing how they grow up and deal with their own life.

[Roz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, quite simply, a simply beautiful piece or writing which I read through the night as I couldn’t bear to put it down without knowing what would happen in the lives of the characters that the author so cleverly brings to life. Having read other books by the author I knew that I was in for an emotional journey and would be following the lives of characters that I would soon know and love.

Hayden, Tash and Adam literally collide at the start of their university journey. Adam is enamoured by both of the very different girls, however soon pairs up with Tash, with the trio becoming firm best friends.

The book follows them with others in their family and friendship groups from one wedding to the next, beginning with the wedding ceremony of Adam and Tash.

The writing is simple, just a perfect example of how normal people can become extraordinary with a talented author telling the reader about their lives , plans, hopes and experiences. I loved the characters of all 3 of the protagonists and the changing relationships between them. I enjoy books where people grow together and apart over time and this is a good example of that. There are some very humorous moments along with joy and utter heartbreak in places. More than a few tears were shed.

I cannot recommend this book more highly and will be purchasing this for friends and family.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kayleigh Lunnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really beautiful read with warm characters who you are all invested in throughout. The way that each wedding talks about what's been happening with each of the characters works really well. I couldn't wait to read on to know what happened next.
Highly recommend

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read 📚 👍
We meet Tash, Adam and Hayden when they’re university students and their lives collide during their first days at uni. From there, we follow them and their friendship through the years, with the story unfolding around a series of weddings and showing how their relationships, friendships and lives change along the way.
Tash and Adam seem destined to be together, but then Hayden becomes part of the equation and things definitely don’t go quite as expected! There are friendships, first loves, weddings, heartbreak, secrets, second chances and plenty of twists along the way.
A great read !!

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Day Our Lives Collided is another fabulous read by Laura Pearson. I have to say that Laura is one of my favourite authors and I don’t even read the blurb for her books, I just dive straight in. This one had me engrossed from the start and not once did I feel I was getting bored or fed up reading it. I just love when a book hooks me in quickly. The characters were excellent in their own different ways I loved the way each chapter was told from the perspective of the three main characters. Another read by this author that I highly recommend.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a warm, emotional story about friendship, love and the way life doesn’t always turn out quite how you expect.

I liked getting to know these characters and watching their relationships change as they grew up. There’s something really relatable about how complicated love can be, and how the person you think is your soulmate at one point in your life might not necessarily be the person you end up with.

The characters were easy to connect with and there was a lovely mix of funny, sweet and more emotional moments. A really enjoyable read with plenty of heart.

[Clare Fairclough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished The Day our Lives Collided’ by @laurapauthor for #thebigbuddyread and absolutely loved it! A perfect cast of characters intertwined into a wonderful story, with some bumps in the road along the way!

This buddy read came into being due to the unfortunate position @laurapauthor found herself in when this novel was published, and I am so glad I found this title - I hope to read more by this author now.

[Jane Couttie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! I loved the title and I loved the story! How many people do we meet by our lives colliding? I love that destiny might be meant by who we bump into. This story is written so well, 3 people meet by colliding then we join them through their uni, early twenties and thirty’s and how their lives are entwined and how the end up.
Really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend!

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went back and forth on this. But tell the people you love that you love them

[Authentic Annalist · Rating 1 out of 5]

Middle Class People Baffle Me The Way They Swap Partners With Each Other Like Underwear. The Way They Keep Bringing Lottie Into It...Gross.

Imagine marrying someone you watched marry someone else.

Hahaha fuck Adam.

Hayden wouldn'y have stuck around these users and abusers into her 30s.

Thats when the one bullied, and yes bullied, Tash laments about Hayden's senaitivity and looking forward to bringjng her to tears over tiny things, because shes a fucking bully.

And Hayden, the bullied, wouldn't have put up with it into her 30s.

Thats why she was hung up on Jude for so long because Tash and Adam bullied her.

But Middle Class people think love is tension and needs to be earned.

Fuck that, you fucking bullies.

[Kelly Leahy · Rating 3 out of 5]

🎧2.5 or 3 stars- this one had so much potential, but didn’t work for me.

I loved the premise: a group of friends from uni reunite over the years each time someone has a wedding. Love this idea of reconnecting with the friend group over the course of weddings (reminds me of 28 Summers where we only reconnect with Jack and Mallory every Labor Day weekend). This also has One Day in December AND The Wedding Game vibes, but I prefer those books much more.

I felt like this was just filled with synopses of the author telling us about each character (and there are many) and so never really connected with the characters or felt any butterflies.

[Jilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. It gave modern vibes of Four Weddings and a Funeral. We follow a group of friends (starring Hay, Tash and Adam) through marriage, divorce, death, parenting, etc. I enjoyed following them through these stages of life.

One thing did confuse me, though: why did the last few chapters suddenly have Hay directing her comments to her newborn? It was an odd departure from the style of the rest of the book. Odd.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura is fast becoming one of my favourite others. This is a gorgeous story about a group of university friends and how their lives evolve over the years, with the main characters being Tash, Hayden and Adam then their larger circle of friends. Great characters and the story is an easy, pacy read told through different points of view at the various group of friends’ weddings over seventeen years. Laura is excellent at portraying relationships with all their ups and downs and creating emotional, heartwarming stories that leave you with a glow inside. A great read.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I have never hidden my love for Laura - as she is well aware - and I have read all her books bar two, which I do own and I promise will get to read soon (so many books so little time). But basically, her books start at five star and then it's up to it to keep that high, and not once have I ever had cause to drop a star because they have all been so perfect.

Once again we have a beautiful cover.

The majority of Laura's books I've read are speculative fiction, almost fantasy in a way. But recently, I've read a few that are more like your traditional contemporary novel, and I was concerned that maybe I wouldn't enjoy them as much because they don't have that magical element. But they do. It's just the magical elements are the characters, the emotions, the nuances of everyday life, rather than the obvious magical elements. The fact that you can identify with the characters and their situations gives it that edge.

What I particularly liked about the way it was written is that, hopefully, each reader will identify with a particular part. Now, I haven't been married or had children so I can't identify with those bits, but the Uni bits I can, the friendship groups, going to weddings etc. which brings the reader closer to the characters and the story as a whole.

Each section is narrated by Tash, Adam, or Hayden. It was a really clever way of giving us there POVs but keeping it concise and easy to read. Apart from those three, we follow the same cast of about a dozen characters through University to marriage and parenthood. I didn't find them all likeable, but that's reality, you can't like everyone. But they were all interesting to read about. And even though the whole story is told through Tash, Adam, and Hayden's POVs, the other characters aren't on standby, we get to see their own lives grow and change.

I admit I was a little concerned to begin with. I wondered that having half a dozen weddings attended by the same cast of characters, that it might get repetitive and dull. But somehow, and I'm not sure how she's done it, but each is similar enough to feel familiar and like we are a part of this group, but different enough that each section feels fresh. And I actually think by having the same characters throughout it, it means we can dive deeper into each character with each wedding, rather than having to start with new characters each time.

It's not got the heart-in-mouth moments of a thriller, or the fantastical elements you may read with your jaw dropped in a fantasy novel. It's very normal, very everyday. And that's where I think it excels. There is nowhere to hide. The prose must be engaging, the storyline capturing, and the characters strong - and she's managed all three. It doesn't hide away from the difficult moments but overall it's so uplifting and has such a level of hope that it's a joy to read.

According to Google, the average page length of a novel is 250-350 pages (300-350 is my sweet spot), so this is closer to that lower end, and yet you never feel shortchanged. And whilst I owuld have loved to have kept reading, I think if she'd made it much longer you might possibly get to the stage where it feels repetitive. As it is currently, she's got the right balance. And by being relatively short, it means I finished it in just two sittings because it's so easy to read and absorbing.

How does she keep bringing out banger after banger after banger?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Day Our Lives Collided feels like a cross between Four Weddings and a Funeral and How I Met Your Mother, while remaining unmistakably a Laura Pearson novel.

The story follows three central characters, Tash, Adam and Hayden, known as Hay, whose lives repeatedly intersect through six weddings. Each section moves to another wedding within their wider friendship group, sometimes jumping forward by several years. It is a clever structure that allows us to watch relationships develop, fracture and change while certain wonderfully memorable members of the group keep wandering back into proceedings. Some are lovable, some are walking disasters, and some manage to be both at once.

The story moves between the perspectives of Tash, Adam and Hay, giving us access to three very different versions of the same interconnected history. There is also an intriguing additional layer to Hay’s narration. Occasionally, she addresses an unidentified person directly and hints at things that will happen later. These moments become more frequent as the novel progresses, creating a How I Met Your Mother-style mystery around who is listening and why Hay is telling them this story. The eventual answer is emotionally satisfying, and I shall say absolutely nothing else because spoilers will not be receiving an invitation to this particular wedding.

Laura Pearson writes wonderfully flawed characters. They make poor decisions, hurt one another, misunderstand what they want and sometimes allow fear to interfere with happiness. They feel entirely human, and I can imagine many readers recognising parts of themselves or their own friendships within these pages.

Ironically, that realism was also what occasionally made this less suited to me personally. I often read to escape reality, whereas this story arrives carrying several large suitcases filled with hurt, heartache, complicated relationships and genuine human emotion. I would have welcomed a little more happiness along the journey and perhaps a few fewer opportunities for the characters to emotionally drive into one another without indicating.

The ending does offer hope and happiness, but the route towards it is considerably more dramatic and painful than the romantic premise might initially suggest. This is not a criticism of the writing, which is perceptive and emotionally intelligent, but a matter of personal reading preference. Readers who enjoy realistic, flawed characters and stories about the complicated ways people enter, leave and alter one another’s lives may connect with it even more strongly than I did.

Cleverly constructed, moving and full of recognisably imperfect people, The Day Our Lives Collided shows how a handful of shared occasions can tell the story of entire lives.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Silke · Rating 4 out of 5]

By now, I’ve read quite a few of Laura Pearson’s books, and I can safely say she is one of my favourite authors out there. And the main reason? She writes small stories. Everyday life stories.

No huge plotlines, no cliffhangers, no world-ending drama. Just… life. Her characters could live on your street, be the lady standing next to you in the grocery store, or the teacher at your child’s elementary school. The storylines are small and realistic, but Laura has this incredible way of telling them that completely pulls you in. Before you know it, you’re flying through the pages.

And The Day Our Lives Collided is another perfect example of that.

In this story, we follow college friends Adam, Hayden and Tash through the years, but we only get to see their lives unfold through six weddings they attend together over the years.

Now, let’s be honest: SO much could go wrong with that setup.

First of all, a whole book revolving around wedding venues could get boring very quickly. But don’t worry — it doesn’t! The six weddings are all completely different, and each one becomes the perfect backdrop for whatever is happening in their lives at that particular moment.

Okay, second problem: we only spend one day with these characters at a time, and then suddenly we jump years ahead. Surely that’s not enough time to properly follow their story?

I don’t know how to explain it other than… it just works.

You fly through the years, but you never get the feeling that you’ve missed out on important parts of their lives. Laura gives you exactly the pieces you need, and somehow, all those little puzzle pieces fit together perfectly.

And then there’s the third problem: three POVs, so little time spent together, and so many years passing between scenes. Surely I won’t form a proper connection with the characters?

Oh, yes you will.

And not just with Adam, Hayden and Tash. Even the side characters manage to sneak their way into your heart. Our three college friends have other friends who keep popping up at these weddings, and before you know it, you’re invested in their lives and their stories too.

That’s what I love so much about Laura Pearson’s books. She takes ordinary lives and ordinary moments and somehow makes them feel completely captivating.

Another beautiful, heartfelt and wonderfully realistic book from one of my favourite authors. ❤️

Another Laura Pearson book, another five-star read for me!

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a group of friends find their lives repeatedly intersecting across six weddings, long-buried secrets, fractured friendships, old loves and unresolved tensions are brought to the surface. As each celebration unfolds from a different perspective, the characters are forced to confront the choices that have shaped their relationships and decide whether forgiveness is possible.

I enjoyed the multiple points of view and the unusual dynamics within the friendship groups. The premise of following six weddings initially made me worry that the story might become repetitive after the first few ceremonies, but Laura Pearson manages to keep each one feeling distinct. Every wedding brings a different atmosphere, perspective and emotional focus, allowing the story to evolve in unexpected ways.

Hayden and Tash were the characters I connected with most. Their fractured friendship was often frustrating to read and there were several moments when I wanted to give them both a shake and tell them to move on. Falling out over a man felt like such a waste of a meaningful friendship. However, the fact that I reacted so strongly is a testament to how invested I became in their story, even when their decisions exasperated me.

As is often the case with a large ensemble cast, there were some characters I never fully warmed to, particularly Jude. However, I don't see this as a significant weakness. With so many central characters, it's natural for some to resonate more than others, and every reader will likely have different favourites.

Friendship, forgiveness and second chances are at the heart of this novel. Despite my frustrations with certain characters, I felt their journeys were worthwhile and emotionally engaging. Compared to the other Laura Pearson books I've read, this one had a noticeably younger feel. The writing style seemed simpler and perhaps more contemporary than I have come to expect from her previous novels. That's not necessarily a criticism, just an observation that may appeal to readers looking for a lighter, more accessible read.

While The Day Our Lives Collided wasn't my favourite Laura Pearson novel, I still found plenty to enjoy and appreciated the way the interconnected stories came together. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

[Sneha R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book of Laura Pearson and she delivered a deeply heartfelt and emotionally resonant story that completely resonated with me.

The Day Our Lives Collided follows Hayden, Tash, and Adam from their chance meeting at university through the next seventeen years of their lives. What makes this novel stand out is its unique structure, with the story unfolding across a series of weddings that reunite the same group of friends at different stages of adulthood. It is a clever concept that allows the reader to witness relationships growing, changing, strengthening, and occasionally fracturing over time.

The alternating perspectives of Hayden, Tash, and Adam work beautifully. Each voice feels distinct and adds depth to both the central friendships and the wider cast of characters. I became genuinely invested in their lives, celebrating their successes and feeling their disappointments alongside them.

What I loved most was how authentic everything felt. There are no grand gimmicks or over-the-top plot twists here. Instead, Pearson captures the ordinary moments that ultimately shape our lives: friendships formed at university, changing priorities, marriages, parenthood, loss, jealousy, forgiveness, and the gradual evolution of who we become as we grow older. The characters are imperfect, relatable, and wonderfully human.

The wedding centered structure could easily have felt repetitive, but it never does. Each section feels fresh because the characters themselves continue to evolve, and every reunion reveals new layers to their relationships. The emotional range is also impressive, with moments of humor, warmth, heartbreak, and hope woven naturally throughout the narrative.

Laura Pearson's writing is compassionate and engaging. She has an exceptional ability to create characters that feel real and stories that stay with you long after the final page. This is an uplifting, emotional novel about friendship, love, and the unexpected ways our lives intertwine.

A beautifully observed and thoroughly satisfying read that I would highly recommend to fans of character-driven contemporary fiction.

Thank you Netgalley, Laura and Boldwood Books for the reader copy!!

[Teresa Nikolic · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the first day of a new term for students at Birmingham University and, for three students in particular, their lives are about to change when they literally collide. Tash, Hayden and Adam immediately hit it off, Tash and Hayden become best friends, Adam and Tash start dating and their friendship group grows over the next three years and everyone is happy. At the age of twenty two Adam and Tash, with a baby on the way, decide to get married, the first wedding of many within the group and the couple seem solid, when the second wedding rolls round a lot has changed and more by the third. Will this group of friends, that have been there for each other all these years, go the distance or will there be obstacles along the way?

The Day Our Lives Collided is the latest novel by this author, following the lives of Tash, Hayden and Adam, from the day they bumped into each other at uni and through early adulthood. The story is told from the perspectives of the three friends, but we also learn about the wider friendship group and follow their lives as well. The premise of the story is different, broken down into chapters about six different weddings, they're lengthy chapters but, within each one we hear from the three main characters so it feels like you're reading smaller chapters, which I think is very cleverly laid out by the author. This is a story that will be relateable to many readers, we've all gone through different aspects of it, whether it be uni, marriage, parenthood or, for some, all three. It's a tale of friendship, love, loss, jealousy and forgiveness and the author doesn't glamourise any part of it, the characters are all mainly likeable and down to earth people, although I didn't really care much for Jude, whose actions shape their lives for the future. I loved the whole concept of this book which flowed well and, although this is only the second one I've read by her, I do have others on my kindle waiting and will definitely be bumping them up the list.

I'd like to thank Boldwood Books and Netgalley for inviting me to read this, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

[UKDana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hayden, Tash, and Adam literally bump into each other during their first week at university. Over the next seventeen years, we follow the complexities of their friendship through the weddings they attend.

You can never be too sure what you are going to get when you pick up a novel by Laura Pearson. It could be something with a quirk in the tale, such as the narrative being seen through the eyes of children before they are conceived, or being able to see the different routes your future could take. Other times, the author delivers a 'standard' tale, for example, twins raised separately and suddenly finding each other, or a woman surviving domestic abuse. What you can always be sure of is a story that digs deep into emotional territory and characters that become such a part of you that you don't want the book to end.

The Day Our Lives Collided is a straightforward story about three people who meet at university and form a close friendship. I loved the way in which we followed the lives of Hayden, Tash, and Adam, along with their social circle, through the years by focusing on weddings. Weddings are emotional events in their own right, but using them as a vehicle to examine the way in which relationships, both romantic and friendship, developed and changed over the years really helped to focus on how people were feeling.

Every emotion is covered, but the main focus of the story is how a strong friendship can be damaged when jealousy rears its head. It is impossible to pick a side, as you sympathise with all the characters involved. I simply wanted a happy ending for everyone involved, without the book actually ending. I would have happily read on for another 200 pages, following how the lives of such engaging characters developed.

If you enjoyed my review please check out my book blog, Reading For Leisure
https://readingforleisure.blogspot.com/

or follow me on:-
Twitter; @Debbie_Hart_UK
Instagram; @reading_for_leisure_blog

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Day Our Lives Collided by Laura Pearson is a simply beautiful book set over a series of weddings from 2008 onwards. Three friends who met at Birmingham uni seventeen years earlier, share the celebrations over a number of years.
The action is told through three alternating points of view in the first person. The reader gets to know each character intimately.
We witness the highs and lows of life as we follow the wider group of friends down the years. Some are party animals; others are of a quieter nature.
We see rifts in lives. Some marriages make it; others don’t. And there is a funeral. “We couldn’t know… that one of our group would die within the year. If we’d known that, I wonder whether we would have done anything differently. Loved harder or lived more fully.” When death hits, there are always regrets. When death hits the young, it is tragic, especially if children are involved. True friends step in with a life-changing offer.
One character has a disabled sister who is in a wheelchair. “The first time they met… Tash spoke to her like she would anyone else… All too often people crouched down and spoke to Grace as if she were a little kid.” I can empathise as I used to work at the local high school and often worked with teens in wheelchairs – far too often people would speak over their heads to me, asking how the person was. I used to reply “they are sitting right here, why don’t you ask them.”
We witness many different type of weddings from traditional to Las Vegas! All are memorable days but it is most important to remember: “It’s not about the wedding, is it? It’s about the marriage.”
Weddings bring out the best and the worst in people – especially if alcohol is involved!
I thoroughly enjoyed The Day Our Lives Collided. It was a beautiful story of love and loss, and friendship and families. I am sorry that it is ended.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review is not required. All opinions are my own.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of ‘The Day Our Lives Collided’ by Laura Pearson, due to be published on 6 September 2026 by Boldwood Books.

Laura Pearson returns with another beautifully observed and deeply emotional novel that explores love, loss, family and the unexpected moments that can change the course of our lives forever.

From the opening chapters we are introduced to Hayden, Adam and Tash who meet in Freshers week at University. They, and the supporting characters in their friendship group are all relatable characters, each carrying their own burdens, regrets and hopes for the future. As their individual stories unfold, seemingly unconnected lives gradually begin to intertwine, revealing how one chance encounter can have a profound impact on everyone involved.

Laura has a wonderful ability to create authentic, believable characters whose emotions feel completely real. As the story progresses, the relationships develop naturally, with moments of joy, heartbreak and quiet reflection balanced perfectly throughout. The narrative gently builds towards an emotional conclusion that highlights the importance of forgiveness, second chances and appreciating the people who matter most.

The writing is warm, engaging and heartfelt, making it easy to become invested in every character’s journey. While there are poignant moments, they are balanced with hope, kindness and optimism, leaving the reader with a genuine sense of satisfaction by the final page.

This is a moving, thought-provoking novel that reminds us how lives can change in an instant, and how even the smallest acts of compassion can have far-reaching consequences. An emotional and uplifting read that will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laura Pearson The Day Our Lives Collided Boldwood, September 2026.

The Day Our Lives Collided adopts a popular theme: a group of friends is established at university, the core group extends to others through marriage, the wider group continues to meet over the years through regular celebrations.

In this novel the celebrations that bring the core friendship group and their extended group together are weddings. Six take place, each moving the group forward through marriages, a divorce, the birth of children, a death, and dealing with alcoholism, commitment (or lack of it), parents and job choices. The story is told through the main characters, the three who collided in their first university days, Tasha, Haydon, and Adam. Through their perspectives and experiences other characters’ lifestyles and choices are described and judged, providing a panorama of viewpoints throughout the novel.

Although well planned, with some character development and analysis of ideas, personal conduct, and events, I found the novel lacking in depth. None of the almost one-dimensional characters became someone for whom I had a pressing desire to achieve a successful outcome. The plot device of giving most attention to Haydon and her longing for Jude and close friendship with Tasha and Adam, suggests that it was Haydon with whom the reader’s sympathies should lie. However, the narrative around her, apart from her relationship with Adam and Tasha’s daughter, was almost lacklustre. Overall, engaging with any of the characters and moral dilemmas Pearson’s narrative introduced was difficult. For me, unlike other reviewers, this novel was a disappointment.

[Amy Capewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s amazing how one small event can have the power to shape the rest of our lives.

As the title suggests, this book starts with a collision that sets off a series of events that will last a lifetime. When Adam, Tash and Hayden literally run into each other in Freshers’ Week at university in Birmingham, coffee is spilled and firm friendships are formed. Tash and Hayden become best friends, while Tash and Adam fall in love.

Over the following 17 years we visit their extended friendship group through a series of six weddings, finding out what has happened to each of them throughout the intervening years. The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Tash, Adam and Hayden, which is wonderfully managed and each character maintains a unique and compelling voice, often sharing the same events from different perspectives. This isn’t a group of perfect people, each person is realistically flawed making the story believable and bringing each of the characters to life.

It would have been easy to fall into the trap of simply retelling six cookie-cutter weddings, each with their happily-ever-afters, but that’s not what happens here. Each relationship and each wedding remains fresh and unique, told as the characters reach different points of adulthood. At different stages of life we each have different priorities and The Day Our Lives Collided seems to cover a great breadth of experience - including friendship, love, lust, marriage, parenthood, alcoholism, loss, jealousy and forgiveness. As readers we get to see the close friendships growing, changing, fracturing and reforming.

Whilst we watch each of the friends moving through various friendships and relationships I do feel that at the heart of the story is the friendship between Tash and Hayden - can their connection overcome some of life’s hardest challenges?

The Day Our Lives Collided is a tender, heartwarming story of love, friendship and life. The novel is well-paced and keeps you wanting to find out what happens next to the point that it’s heard to put down. It’s emotional and uplifting and reminds us that life can change in an instant.

It turns out that our soulmates aren’t always who we think they’ll be and life has a funny habit of unexpectedly pulling the rug out from underneath you when you least expect it.
Another excellent read from Laura Pearson!

[Tierney Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read, and loved, a number of Laura Pearson’s books, so I dived into The Day Our Lives Collided with pretty high expectations... aaaaand I loved it! Another complete winner from this author.

I was hooked by the brilliant setup of six weddings, tracing the main characters' lives forward by two or three years with each successive ceremony. A super structural device, though I should note that the story started a bit more slowly than is typical from Ms. Pearson’s stories. It’s simply a result of the narrative construction, which relies on deliberate jumps forward alongside flashback scenes and scattered seeds and callbacks. So it might take readers a little longer to fully bond with the characters as their distinct personal traits and inter-character dynamics unfurl and shift.

But stick with it! (You’ll regret it if you don’t!) Somewhere around the halfway mark, the narrative has full clicked into place, and you’ll suddenly find yourself hugely invested in where these lives are heading. Ms. Pearson’s trademark narrative sparkles throughout the prose, ensuring that palpable chemistry, simmering frustrations, and sharp reveals bubble underneath the surface the entire time.

The character work is exceptionally well-handled. Tash and Hayden are an absolute delight to read, while Adam emerges as perhaps more nuanced and interesting from a male point of view, but a strong and compelling character nonetheless. The emotional complexity and clever framing make this a super read from start to finish. It is a brilliant, engaging exploration of love, time, and changing relationships that is not to be missed.

Thank you to the author and publisher and to NetGalley for the chance to attend some amazing weddings in this ARC.

[Di · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been enjoying this author's books for the last few years. They have been light, whimsical and fun stories. The last one (What Happened That Summer) and this one have been a departure from what I call her regular style. I loved WHTS and the versatility she demonstrated by switching styles. I’m still not sure about this book.

The style and format are unique. It is about a group of young people who met on the first day of university. It is told through the POV of three of them. But the reader can only catch up with them when a group member gets married. The book has six weddings. So, there are constantly 2-3 year gaps. There are ups and downs, marriage breakdowns, children, and a death. All things that happen over the course of a lifetime.

Even though there are many characters, it was not hard to follow. The only problem I had was with the 3 different POVs, sometimes I would lose track of which voice was narrating. But, the storyline only scratched the surface. I wanted more. Some of the secondary characters seemed like they could be interesting, but the reader gets just a snapshot of them.

This isn’t a terrible book, but, if this were the first book I had read by the author, I probably would not be in a rush to read another. There just wasn’t enough for me. As I said, I admire that Ms Pearson is trying out different writing styles. And I loved her previous books. I still look forward to her next endeavour.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.