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Maybe in another life
THE CREATOR"The unconscious doesn't dream to escape reality. It dreams to remember what reality was supposed to feel like."
Death welcomed Cali better than life ever did.
Her mind has been her worst enemy since childhood—abandoned by a celebrity mother she has no identity of, knowing her only through envelopes of child support that held a different address and sender every month. Oscillating between abused and abuser, her sins and scars built a life on the edge. And just as the world rejects the one dream she had left—her manuscript returned with another rejection letter—she lets it push her off.
So she takes her own life.
But nothing in Cali's life ever went smoothly. Why would death be any different?
She wakes up on the other side of the planet, her small grey town in the woods replaced by the seaside city of Santa Monica. Her sickly house replaced by a mansion by the coast.
She's still Cali, but without scars.
A Cali with a family and an amazing pre-made best friend. She's a girl who just moved to a new state and is about to become the new student at a prestigious private high school.
But something is deeply wrong, she can feel it. Some people are…strange, her dreams are petrifying, and some eyes are a shade darker than they should be.
And someone has noticed she doesn't belong here.
He moves like he knows what happens next, a shadow—tall, broad, foreign to this narrative just like her. Charged with warnings she doesn't yet understand.
With eyes that could raise hell and send heaven crashing down to earth.
Or maybe she’s just paranoid, who knows?
Death welcomed Cali better than life ever did.
Her mind has been her worst enemy since childhood—abandoned by a celebrity mother she has no identity of, knowing her only through envelopes of child support that held a different address and sender every month. Oscillating between abused and abuser, her sins and scars built a life on the edge. And just as the world rejects the one dream she had left—her manuscript returned with another rejection letter—she lets it push her off.
So she takes her own life.
But nothing in Cali's life ever went smoothly. Why would death be any different?
She wakes up on the other side of the planet, her small grey town in the woods replaced by the seaside city of Santa Monica. Her sickly house replaced by a mansion by the coast.
She's still Cali, but without scars.
A Cali with a family and an amazing pre-made best friend. She's a girl who just moved to a new state and is about to become the new student at a prestigious private high school.
But something is deeply wrong, she can feel it. Some people are…strange, her dreams are petrifying, and some eyes are a shade darker than they should be.
And someone has noticed she doesn't belong here.
He moves like he knows what happens next, a shadow—tall, broad, foreign to this narrative just like her. Charged with warnings she doesn't yet understand.
With eyes that could raise hell and send heaven crashing down to earth.
Or maybe she’s just paranoid, who knows?
- GenresFantasyDark Romance
327 pages, Paperback
Published March 29, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 11, 2026
what do you mean this book is barely known while booktok is full of the same ahh books?
April 12, 2026
I found this book through tiktok and I absolutely love books with these magical type plots. The concept of the book was definitely something unique and interesting.
For a debut novel I wish maybe the author put a little more time into refining the final version of this bc i feel like so much was missing in the story. I noticed a lot of grammar mistakes that kind of inhibited flow of the book and trust me i’m the best at ignoring mistakes for the plot, but i truly had to skip sections bc I didn’t understand what was trying to be said. Another thing is plot holes. I am still confused abt Ashers background and how he replaced Eric in the manuscript?!? I also think that we missed a lot of Cali’s life bc what I thought was a couple of weeks, was actually 9 months of her living there.
The characters I loved though and I can see a lot of time was spent on them. Although some side characters truly felt like they were only there for moments that had to do with the main character (they are still ppl that exist in story), it felt very flat in that sense.
I think I also got lost when the author was trying to explain how exactly Cali ended up in the manuscript. As well as how the author put it “conscious and unconscious” version of Cali. That whole plot line was a big WTF. Which ig it a majority of the book.
I can’t be a hater bc the parts I did understand were written with intent and passion. I can see the author is a good writer, but this book definitely needs some more work bc it feels truly finished (to me at least).
I hope to see more stuff by this author and see her progress.
For a debut novel I wish maybe the author put a little more time into refining the final version of this bc i feel like so much was missing in the story. I noticed a lot of grammar mistakes that kind of inhibited flow of the book and trust me i’m the best at ignoring mistakes for the plot, but i truly had to skip sections bc I didn’t understand what was trying to be said. Another thing is plot holes. I am still confused abt Ashers background and how he replaced Eric in the manuscript?!? I also think that we missed a lot of Cali’s life bc what I thought was a couple of weeks, was actually 9 months of her living there.
The characters I loved though and I can see a lot of time was spent on them. Although some side characters truly felt like they were only there for moments that had to do with the main character (they are still ppl that exist in story), it felt very flat in that sense.
I think I also got lost when the author was trying to explain how exactly Cali ended up in the manuscript. As well as how the author put it “conscious and unconscious” version of Cali. That whole plot line was a big WTF. Which ig it a majority of the book.
I can’t be a hater bc the parts I did understand were written with intent and passion. I can see the author is a good writer, but this book definitely needs some more work bc it feels truly finished (to me at least).
I hope to see more stuff by this author and see her progress.
July 25, 2026
I usually don't leave reviews under books but this one got me flying off the edge. And without knowing I managed to devour it in less than 2 days, because I was eager to know what would happen next.
The characters, the story building and the plot itself, everything clicked to me just right. The two main characters were so tragic I actually sobbed at the end, but I'm happy that they managed to reconnect in another life..
I feel lucky that I was able to get in touch with this book through one assignment for college 😄 So if the author ever reads this I just want to say how much I enjoyed your book, since I'm too shy to tell you this in real life haha
I'm looking forward to reading the next book!
The characters, the story building and the plot itself, everything clicked to me just right. The two main characters were so tragic I actually sobbed at the end, but I'm happy that they managed to reconnect in another life..
I feel lucky that I was able to get in touch with this book through one assignment for college 😄 So if the author ever reads this I just want to say how much I enjoyed your book, since I'm too shy to tell you this in real life haha
I'm looking forward to reading the next book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2026
"His smile curves slowly, almost if knowingly. The kind of smile that could convince you to step off the edge. And death help me, part of me wants to."
I ate this book in two days without expecting much from a debut book I picked out of tiktok. The premise was creative af, the author seemed genuine in all her viideos, so I decided to give it a try.
When I tell you I was blown away by how raw the book is, I mean it. It's not an easy read, just like the Poppy War was (two completely different books, I speak about pacing), because everything has a meaning, a symbol, just like the various purple objects and things made us understand she was living in an illusion (very Coraline vibe).
"The color of the Crown chakra, also known as Sahasrara . This chakra is located at the top of the head. This chakra connects one with the infinite consciousness. Purple represents cognitive dissonance: the space between perceived reality and actual truth. It's associated with escapism, fantasy, and constructed narratives that feel authentic but lack foundation. The color captures that specific psychological state where belief overrides reality, where magical thinking replaces critical analysis. Essentially, purple is delusion that feels like certainty."
Also the style she has is deffinitely something interesting, as I undestand she did the whole thing by herself, and I personally loved the personal touch.
I actually cried at the end since it resonated with me (my father OD'd), and I do think he's somewhere in the universe, among stardust.
I applaud A.P.Mary for this book, I praise how she managed to get me both in my detective mode as in my feels, and for those that read this take a highlighter and catch every word, because everything has a meaning.
I ate this book in two days without expecting much from a debut book I picked out of tiktok. The premise was creative af, the author seemed genuine in all her viideos, so I decided to give it a try.
When I tell you I was blown away by how raw the book is, I mean it. It's not an easy read, just like the Poppy War was (two completely different books, I speak about pacing), because everything has a meaning, a symbol, just like the various purple objects and things made us understand she was living in an illusion (very Coraline vibe).
"The color of the Crown chakra, also known as Sahasrara . This chakra is located at the top of the head. This chakra connects one with the infinite consciousness. Purple represents cognitive dissonance: the space between perceived reality and actual truth. It's associated with escapism, fantasy, and constructed narratives that feel authentic but lack foundation. The color captures that specific psychological state where belief overrides reality, where magical thinking replaces critical analysis. Essentially, purple is delusion that feels like certainty."
Also the style she has is deffinitely something interesting, as I undestand she did the whole thing by herself, and I personally loved the personal touch.
I actually cried at the end since it resonated with me (my father OD'd), and I do think he's somewhere in the universe, among stardust.
I applaud A.P.Mary for this book, I praise how she managed to get me both in my detective mode as in my feels, and for those that read this take a highlighter and catch every word, because everything has a meaning.
April 12, 2026
okay so i picked this up not knowing what to expect and now i'm sitting here at 2am absolutely not okay. like i genuinely need someone to talk to about this book RIGHT NOW.
this is not a light read. the prologue especially doesn't romanticize anything, which is something I really appreciated. also not a light read the writing; it's heavy with the author style, there are no errors as I expected from a foreign author, but there is a certain style in the writing that's non-conventional; but if you keep up, you can swim through it, and maybe authenticity is what made me love the book so much.
the premise sounds insane on paper and it IS insane, but it also somehow makes complete sense the whole time? the way it's written you're just as confused as cali and you piece everything together with her and it's so satisfying when it clicks. The scattered clues, the conciousness deep-dive and the extreme details makes you undertand how much effort the author had to put in the book.
cali is not a "nice" main character and i loved her so much for it. she's sharp and cold and a little scary and you understand completely why; watching her slowly let people in without even realizing she's doing it broke something in me.
It's no literary masterpiece, it's very raw and unique in it's sense, but it is what i needed. it singlehandedly brought me out of a book slump. I'm very curious to read more of what the author has to offer!
this is not a light read. the prologue especially doesn't romanticize anything, which is something I really appreciated. also not a light read the writing; it's heavy with the author style, there are no errors as I expected from a foreign author, but there is a certain style in the writing that's non-conventional; but if you keep up, you can swim through it, and maybe authenticity is what made me love the book so much.
the premise sounds insane on paper and it IS insane, but it also somehow makes complete sense the whole time? the way it's written you're just as confused as cali and you piece everything together with her and it's so satisfying when it clicks. The scattered clues, the conciousness deep-dive and the extreme details makes you undertand how much effort the author had to put in the book.
cali is not a "nice" main character and i loved her so much for it. she's sharp and cold and a little scary and you understand completely why; watching her slowly let people in without even realizing she's doing it broke something in me.
It's no literary masterpiece, it's very raw and unique in it's sense, but it is what i needed. it singlehandedly brought me out of a book slump. I'm very curious to read more of what the author has to offer!
April 12, 2026
4.5
It's my first time buying a book from a random tiktok video and I was hit hard. I never expected to love it, and for an indie author this is insane.
I loved the characters and the plot twists were really good, plus the world building combined really made this book such a ride. I unexpectedly really liked the author's style in writing and I do love how I glided through the book so easily.
There were some small parts that felt bumpy, but I realised it after, and that's the only thing keeping me from giving the book 5 stars.
It's my first time buying a book from a random tiktok video and I was hit hard. I never expected to love it, and for an indie author this is insane.
I loved the characters and the plot twists were really good, plus the world building combined really made this book such a ride. I unexpectedly really liked the author's style in writing and I do love how I glided through the book so easily.
There were some small parts that felt bumpy, but I realised it after, and that's the only thing keeping me from giving the book 5 stars.
Did Not Finish
April 21, 2026DNF.
EN: the idea for the story is definitely creative and original, but i do not get what i am reading. reading this book was a bad experience for me, i think it is not my time for this one. will come back to this in the future tho.
PL: zamysl na fanule jest definitywnie kreatywny i oryginalny, aczkolwiek czytam, czytam i nie mam zielonego pojecia co ja wlasciwie przyswajam. strasznie topornie mi sie to czytalo, nie sadze, aby to byl moj czas na te ksiazke. w przyszlosci zapewne wroce i sprobuje jeszcze raz.
EN: the idea for the story is definitely creative and original, but i do not get what i am reading. reading this book was a bad experience for me, i think it is not my time for this one. will come back to this in the future tho.
PL: zamysl na fanule jest definitywnie kreatywny i oryginalny, aczkolwiek czytam, czytam i nie mam zielonego pojecia co ja wlasciwie przyswajam. strasznie topornie mi sie to czytalo, nie sadze, aby to byl moj czas na te ksiazke. w przyszlosci zapewne wroce i sprobuje jeszcze raz.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews