The Start of Us

by Hannah Emery

A moving and page-turning love story perfect for fans of Roxie Cooper, Josie Silver and Isabelle Broom.

Daniel and Erica
From the moment they meet their worlds are changed forever. They know that fate has led them to each other.
Daniel knows Erica is special, but he doesn’t quite understand how special she is. Because Erica has a unique gift: an ability to slip between worlds and observe a life she’s never lived, made up of all the paths she didn’t take.
But just as their lives seem perfect, tragedy strikes.

Erica’s gift offers them hope – a chance to re-do their lives. But going back comes with risks.
What if Erica can’t find Daniel again? What if their paths were never meant to cross?

What if going back means Erica has to give up all the happiness – and pain – of today?
What if you got the chance to live another life…would you take it?

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary

400 pages, ebook

Published July 31, 2020

Reviews

[Naomi (3starsandup) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger Warning: Death of an Infant

"All endings are horrible. If you only ever thought of the end of something, you'd never start anything, would you?"

SYNOPSIS | Erica has the ability to slip between worlds and observe a parallel life she has never lived before made up of decisions that she didn't take. She has been able to do this since being a little girl and her first episode was on the day that her mum and dad split up and she was forced to moved out of her childhood home. She doesn't know why these episodes happen or how long she is gone for when she slips into her other life. In her late twenties, tragedy strikes and she decides to actively use her gift for a second chance at happiness.

MY THOUGHTS | This story felt very similar to The Two Lives of Lydia Bird except the writing was not as strong as Josie Silver's. The ability to slip between worlds wasn't particularly well explained and all of the characters felt two-dimensional where I didn't root for any of them in any of the timelines. I liked the underlying message that "the grass isn't always greener on the other side" but that is about it.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

Wow, what a beautiful read! Erica and Daniel will stay with me as characters for a long time.

We get to know Erica and Daniel as they meet and fall in love and start their life together. Daniel is able to cope with and embrace Erica's "idiosyncrasy" but then tragedy strikes. The couple are thrown into turmoil and lose their way, and their connection to each other. Erica believes she has the power to reconnect them but its not without risks.

Favourite quote, although there were many:
"All endings are horrible. If you only ever thought of the end of something, you'd never start anything, would you?"

This book has the feel of Sliding Doors and how we make so many tiny decisions every day that all add up in the end.

Out in Kindle now and the paperback is out 15th October 2020.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of The Start of Us.

I'm not a fan of chick lit but I'm interested when the premise catches my eye so I was excited when my request was approved.

I was looking for a story similar to The Time Traveler's Wife, which was great (the movie was not), but The Start of Us was more about a woman desperate not to be alone and find a man to be with.

I wish I hadn't started The Start of Us.

I love puns but that wasn't punny enough.

** Minor spoilers ahead **

From the start, I couldn't stand Erica. She's dull, she's not adventurous or ambitious.

Her ability to time travel is never fully explained, and when she does travel, its nothing exciting, just watching herself with another (yup!) man and what that possible life might lead to.

I have no idea why she and Daniel are together.

They have no rapport or chemistry to tell me otherwise. He's a nice guy but also one dimensional.

The last half of the book deals with grief and sorrow, and surviving an unimaginable loss.

* Warning to mothers and any readers who are sensitive to the loss of a child *

Erica spends most of the time wishing for a new life to escape her grief, seeking comfort in the multi-verse to escape her grief, which is understandable but also awfully selfish.

It doesn't help that I don't like her.

The ending is predictably happily ever after, after a not surprising revelation when Erica wonders if she had taken another path to find Daniel, would they have still met?

I couldn't stand this book.

I couldn't stand Erica. I didn't believe in her relationship with Daniel. I didn't feel the love or believe theirs was a great love.

What little time travel did occur was bland and uninteresting. I feel gypped after reading this.

[Jypsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Start Of Us
By: Hannah Emery

REVIEW ☆☆☆
I was surprised that I didn't love The Start Of Us like I thought I would. For a romcom chicklit type story, this one leaned too much towards sad for my taste. I just couldn't connect with the overall concept at all, and unfortunately, this book was not for me.

[Ashley Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a free E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
First, I would like to warn people before reading this book that there might be a trigger warning- death of an infant.
What first drew me to this book was the summery! I thought it was going to be a typical romance, but boy was I mistaken. This book takes the reader on fantastical journey with a woman, who is able to slip through time and see different outcomes of possible futures and chance meetings. This book was a beautiful story about loss, the what-ifs of the infinite choices people make everyday, and love.
Erica is a strong woman that holds many people at a distance due to her unique secret of being able to slip into different alternate realities. While attending a party, Erica meets Daniel and decides he will be the person outside her family to learn of her secret. As they are building a life together, tragedy hits them hard. Erica and Daniel finds everyday harder and harder to bear the grief that is slowly consuming them. In order to find their better selves, Erica begins to believe their true lives belongs in the alternate versions of themselves. Erica must make a choice over which life does she really want? Can going back and changing the decisions bring them a better future?
This book has a lot going for it! The premise of the book reminds me of a mix of different movies that have a similar time travel theme. The pacing was very good. The author did a great job writing deep and well written characters that are realistic in the choices and reactions they have throughout the story. Erica, especially, showed a lot of growth with the people in her lives that ultimately helped her to make the best decision! The ending was beautiful and well deserved for the characters. Overall, I recommend this book to people who love a couple who overcome a lot of obstacles in order to be together! I can't wait to read more by this author!

[Norah Gibbons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. The Start of Us by Hannah Emery explores the question, “If you had a chance to live another life…would you? At the time of her parent's divorce, Erica discovered she could leave the present time and observe things that happened in the past. It was more of a curse than a blessing because she never knew when it was going to happen and disappearing for hours on end played havoc with her relationships with people because who would believe her? She thought she had outgrown it until it started to happen again after her boyfriend dumped her at a party. Only this time, it’s not someone else’s past she’s watching it’s a version of her who’s parents didn’t get divorced and who she thinks is stronger and more adventurous than she is. That party is a turning point in her life because she meets Daniel at the party and they fall in love and begin a life together, but there is always that what if … and when she and Daniel lose their infant son she begins to wonder if a world without that loss wouldn’t be a better place. The book reminded me a bit of the movie Sliding Doors, I enjoyed reading it and do recommend it. Publishing Date: July 31, 2020. #TheStartOfUs #HannahEmery #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter #HarperCollinsCanada

[Natalyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC of “The Start of Us” by Hannah Emery.

“The Start of Us” follows Erica as she deals with a tragic loss. Erica has always known she was different. As a child, she discovers that she is able to time travel to a parallel life in which everything is different. When this loss occurs she wonders if she can fix things in her other life to have all the same relationships without the loss. This begs the question: if you got the chance to live another life, would you?

The premise of this book is very interesting. Being able to switch between different storylines of your own life sounds like an easy fix. But of course a different life means different decisions and ultimately a different you. This idea could go a lot of different ways, but this one was pretty predictable. 

This book didn't grip me the way I had hoped. It was slow moving and the climax seemed pretty anti-climactic. I didn't have enough time with the pre-loss world to fall in love with it, so the loss fell flat for me. The stakes just didn't feel high enough.

I did enjoy Erica as a character though. She is sweet and cautious, if a bit predictable. I wanted to root for her and see her do great things, I just don't feel like she had enough time to develop or grow.

Sadly, I could only give this book 2 stars. There were just too many gaps and holes for me to fill in as a reader. It's pretty easy and go with the flow, so perhaps some people might love it, but it wasn't my style.

[Libby Charlotte Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I'd probably give this 3.5 stars. It isn't my usual book at all but I found it was fairly well written and easy to read. Although I cannot relate to the incident in the book, I did find myself dreaming of other lives I could have lived. I'm a dreamer and always think "what if?" and weirdly, this book has helped me realise a few things of my own - added bonus! It was weird, but actually surprisingly enjoyable. I like a unique take on a book and not quite sure what genre it fits into.

My main gripe is the fact the author made Daniel quite two dimensional compared to the MC, and he should have been so much more! I'd also say it's quite a slow burner at the start (but enjoyable) then a lot happens quite quickly in the last quarter of the book.

[CwtchUpBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully poignant story which goes deeper than your average romance to discover if they life you chose really is the best it could be. If you could visit another version of you, loving another version of your life....would you stay there?

[Tiffany Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this book. this wasn't even one that i found that had amazing reviews and that i had read online or from my "tbr" list. i stumbled across this at a local craft store that also sells a limited amount of books and since there was a sale i just grabbed this one. i didn't even really think it would be that good. but after spending an entire day reading this i have to say i completely loved it. it has everything I've been really into recently since I've been really getting into contemporary paranormal reads. i loved Erica's power, especially since the paranormal books i have been reading have all been centred around time, how it can be manipulated and the consequences of being able to change your past or create a new life for yourself. i thought Erica was a very relatable character and not just because i'm finally reading a book set in the UK, i thought she was funny, charismatic and enjoyable to read. i wanted her to be happy. i felt her pain and her struggles and found her commitment issues to be unique for a contemporary style book. i loved that her gift was so unique in itself, being able to watch a different version of herself was very clever and i was immediately intrigued right from the off. i enjoyed her story with Daniel and appreciated that we did have some time jumps, and i found their journey together to be beautiful and humorous, the fact that they kept missing each other and could never keep in time with each other was a clever way to broadcast that theme of time and its relativity. i loved every tiny surprise we had along the way, the death of their baby left me dumbfounded, i couldn't believe it and never saw it coming. i absolutely adored the way the author used that tragedy to highlight Erica's desire to find out more about her parallel persona. i also really appreciated how he author wrote about the death of Joshua, it was such a hard thing to write about and to do it in a way that left me understanding and feeling their grief and pain without cringing was very well done. a lot of the time when writing about something like this it can be difficult to fill in that gap, and the fact that it was never in too much detail gave a real authenticity to the pages. it wasn't sugarcoated with poetic words, it was a real mother grieving the loss of her child, a real family broken by this loss and i felt that very strongly. that ending, i'd say those last few chapters, were insane. Daniel dying on the day they were supposed to have their first date...that was amazing, my jaw was on the ground reading that. though part of me feels as though it wasn't necessary to kill this alternative version of him off, it was relevant to Erica finally appreciating that she still had him and for that i understand completely. in the end it was a very good book with some very strong messages about grief and loss and the way that every decision you make forms the life you experience now, and how if one thing had changed then you might lose everything altogether, that was very prominent. if im going to be critical, which i am every time i read a book i don't know why i just cant help it, i'd say it was a little chaotic at times. between Erica going to the new world, Daniel getting mad at her for being with Mike as her other self, the loss of their son, Erica trying to control her gift, it just felt like a lot all at once as if i were being bombarded a little. as well as that i didn't really feel as though i got to know Erica as a person because there was so much focus on her journey to seeing her other self and wanting to change her life. it felt as though without those few personality traits, we didn't really find out much about who she is. but maybe thats just me, i can be picky when it comes to books. overall i loved it, it was amazing and heartbreaking and fascinating and painful and it'll take pride and place on my shelf, i cant wait to forget the plot and read it all over again as if it were the first time.

[Jenni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of us was a book that intrigued me immediately because it’s essentially all based around the multiverse theory; the theory that says that there are infinite universes, playing out infinite versions of reality all at the same time. It’s a theory I love, if not wholly believe in (I believe in the power of THIS universe and the fate that this one provides). But the blurb sent me off in a slightly different direction so the book more than exceeded expectations. Essentially, Erica has a gift. Ever since she was young, she’s been uncontrollably catapulted to different dimensions, moments from her own past and the pasts of her family. But having not had it happen for a while, when it starts up again after her boyfriend dumps her, this time the gift is different. She’s no longer being transported to the past but to the now; to the different versions of her current reality. She gets to witness another Erica - a her whose parents stayed together and who never moved to Blackpool and who is adventurous and wanderlust in a way the real Erica isn’t. But is it a gift to see another world, or a curse? Erica has always seen it as the latter, but when she meets Daniel, he certainly believes the former. Loving her and accepting her for who she is, Daniel is her missing puzzle piece and it looks like the two are set for happily ever after. But when tragedy strikes, will her ability to travel to different worlds give her the reality she really wants? So first of all, I loved the premise of the book and her powers and the different worlds she sees. It’s never really explained how or why she does it but I think it’s written really well, especially as she begins to understand it more and starts to learn to control it. I also loved the characters. Sure, Erica was a little whiny and woe-is-me but I really believed in and became invested in the connection between her and daniel, especially the way he chose to love her despite her uncontrollable disappearances (very Time Travellers Wife). Despite the two following a very conventional path (buying a house, getting married, having a baby), the author managed to write it in a way that felt exciting and unexpected. My guess after reading the blurb, was that the tragedy was going to be Daniel dying. But the reality was so much better and more complicated and more heartbreaking than that (spoiler alert and trigger warning). After just six months as a happy family of three, their beloved baby tragically dies, ripping their world apart. So the question isn’t whether she could find another version of Daniel in another life, but whether she could find a version of the two of them that was happier and more free from pain. I loved that this book dealt with such a difficult subject matter and you really felt the blackness of their grief in the chapters that followed the event and could definitely see why it normally tears couples apart. So as Erica attempts to process what has happened and is ever tempted by the other version of her who hasn’t been through what she has, she gets to explore the question that so many of us sometimes toy with. What if? I loved the last few chapters and the way the story ended. My only gripe was that Erica was adamant her and Daniel would have a happily ever after in the other version of reality, whereas he kept reminding her that life goes wrong all the time and it’s never without pain and if not this then it would’ve been something else. He kept telling her that you have to be thankful for the things you DO have. I didn’t like that it took her seeing a very different version of the two of them for her to come to that realisation too. Otherwise, it was a really well written story about how the grass isn’t always greener and that it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

[Gaele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since she was a child, Erica has known she was different: able to lose herself in ‘another reality’ for minutes, hours or even days. It only happens when she is alone and troubled, so she does everything within her power not to visit her past. But, with the dissolution of her relationship with Mike, she’s in a weird spot. See, she can see, but never interact with these slices of time from her own personal history, or moments that inform who she has become.

Then she meets Daniel and feels as if she is able to share “all” of herself with him – and readers are meant to see this as the ‘relationship of the ages’ for the two of them. And being honest with Daniel about the ‘time slips’ also brings her into a crisis point of sorts. Never having been able to ‘interact’ with those moments, she thought they were ‘messages’ of how things should be – when they were more ‘alternates’ to the world she lives in. Forcing some questions (of course) and several attempts to see if ‘changing’ something in her actual reality is going to affect the alternate – or even which is the ‘real’ reality. Confused yet? As a premise it is wildly intriguing and interesting – and makes you want to read on through the end despite the issues.

And yes, there are some issues – the connection between Daniel and Erica feels ‘rushed’ with Erica’s character being wholly formed and palpable, while Daniel was more transparent and felt cobbled together – for the romance to feel substantial and real, he needed to as well – and for me he just didn’t. Additionally, the pacing and often large gaps of time that left the reader wondering about time lapse – where one paragraph jumps into months and another is simply minutes – the disparity there is jarring and takes far longer than it should to adjust to that. Unique, individual and more challenge than I expected, I would have appreciated some tweaks and tighter editing, but the concept was unlike others I had read before and made up for the construct issues in small ways.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at I am, Indeed

[Jena Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t usually give instructions to readers, but for this book I must give you this imperative. If you read it- you have to read it through to the end. You may feel upset, unbalanced or discombobulated as you read, but you must push through your sadness and finish the book!

The Start of Us is the atmospheric and evocative story of Erica. Erica has the disconcerting ability to be able to go back and view scenes from her life. One minute she is in a café in Blackpool and then suddenly she is back in her childhood home in Yorkshire, watching herself talk to her father. She can’t interact with her other self, and the people she sees don’t know she is there. Since the age of twelve, she has visited many “episodes” of her life. As she reaches her late twenties, she realizes that she is actually seeing herself in a parallel life- a life that shows what would have happened if she had made different choices. What if she had been braver and had travelled the world? And then tragedy strikes and in her grief, Erica wonders if she can go back and “rewrite” her life.

Erica tells her story in the first person. Since she is not firmly grounded in one life, she is shy and quiet. But, you will never forget her. She is involved with two men who are opposites- the earnest and nerdy Daniel, and the devil-may-care Mike. Erica lives in an old, neglected house in Blackpool, a home that once was a grand place. Like Erica, the house has had many lives and memories.

The ending of the book will jolt you- but everything will finally make sense. Have you ever asked yourself, “What if?” “What if I had gone with my friends to Thailand” or “What if had left the party early?” This book is an intriguing look at the moments that form the puzzle of our lives. This is a moody and melancholy read that will fascinate you.

Thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollinsUK, One More Chapter for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first saw this, my first thought was that it would be a more whimsical version of The Time Traveler's Wife. However, this ended up being quite different. After the end of one relationship, Erica begins a relationship with Daniel. What Erica once thought were memories, end up actually being glimpses into another life, much like a "what if" situation, begging for her to consider if she should have made different choices in her own life, as well as, in relationships. Initially, I found this to be an interesting premise, but for some reason, it just didn't work for me.

I think my main issue with the book was that I never became invested in Erica or her relationship with Daniel. I didn't feel any great romance between them, making it hard for me to root for them, much less care about them either way. Daniel felt like any other secondary character and it just didn't work. Some of my favorite books include secondary characters that truly help drive the story, but this was pretty much the Erica show, and unfortunately, she just wasn't a very likable character. 

Another huge let-down for me was Erica's glimpses, time-travels, or whatever you want to call them. Overall, not much happened so I was left wondering, "what is the point?" Despite ups and downs the story has an overall HEA, not much happens during the travels, and although there is certainly some reflection about life choices, I didn't feel that much of a statement was made. 

I do applaud Hannah Emery's creative vision and ideas for her plot, but as a whole, this just wasn't a great read for me. 

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an unusual book. The main character Erica has the ability to travel through the past. She disappears from present day for minutes or hours and visits moments from her own past. She has no control over when it happens, has no real clue as to why it happens to her, but she does know that as long as she has company she won't disappear from the present. After her boyfriend breaks up with her, she experiences a moment not from her past, but from her present in an alternative life. Shortly after, she starts a relationship with Daniel, but tragedy strikes and Erica has to decide if she should risk using her unusual gift to make things better.

I had a hard thing getting into the story. I felt like the pacing was off, with months sometimes going by in the space of a paragraph and one day sometimes being exhaustively explored. This created some dragging moments. I also had a hard time connecting with Erica, and at times found her to be quite dull and boring. Her relationship with Daniel was similarly dull, with no real chemistry between them.

The story plays with the Sliding Doors idea, how little decisions we make throughout the day all start adding up at the end. It felt very similar to The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, but unfortunately I prefer Silver's writing to Emery's.

(I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

[Fiction Addition Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most unusual books I've read in a while. Recommended for Josie Silver fans I took a gamble and dived in.
Erica is special because she has a whopping secret that hardly anyone knows, she can and does travel through time. In an instant she can go to a different time in her or families lives and see what happened. She can also go onto the future.
So when she gets dumped by her boyfriend in steps Danny who is like no-one she's known before. She had made plans following the dumping to be brave and go back packing but now she's met Danny she's not so sure.
This was so well written and I really enjoyed it. As the story unfolds there is such a realness to the characters you find yourself willing everything to be ok. But the story is real and like life there are lots of highs and a very very low episode. So the book deals with grief and loss.
As Erica can time travel she has to make a decision does she stay or go back in time to alter her life's time line. What would you do if you got the chance?
This is a charming story and definitely one to get lost in. Thank you for the advanced copy Netgalley.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book we meet Erica who has a huge secret, she can travel through time and see flashes of memories of events that happened around her life and her family as well as the future too.



After her ex dumps her at a party she meets and falls for kind, caring Danny unlike her ex he makes her feel like she's properly in love.



Only as she plans to travel and he gets offered a job abroad, their lives swerve away from each other, can they make it work?



As they progress on they experience heart ache, love, loss and ultimately, Erica has a decision to make, stay in this true life or travel into her other life and never appear to Danny again.



In a Goodnight Sweetheart-esque style book, this was an emotional story and very moving touching on some tough subjects such as family, death and the point of living even. But for all the seriousness, there's a beautiful true love story that shows as Erica ultimately does follow her heart's desire. One not to miss giving a read!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

[Colin Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the joys of receiving advance copies of books on Netgalley is the opportunity to read books that I might not have otherwise picked up. In this case the story concerns Erica, who has the ability to travel to alternative time lines and her previous history. She has no real control on where and when she goes, which gave her real issues when she was younger as she could disappear for hours whilst on her travels.
After splitting with her boyfriend's she meets with Daniel and starts a new relationship. When they experience a tragic loss she wonders whether she can find a way of avoiding this tragedy.
This does seem to be a "Marmite" book, personally I found that I was drawn into the story and ended up finishing it in a late night session as I just needed to find out what happened in the end. Overall a book that I did enjoy and would recommend if you want to try something a bit different.
Thanks again to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity of reading an advance copy of this book, however this did not influence my review.

[Catriona Fyfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star rating

TW: grief of an infant

Erica is more special than people could ever imagine. She can let herself travel to past moments, see her parents meet for the first time. But after her boyfriend dumps her just before her 28th birthday, she does something she’s never done before - she travels to an alternate world. A world where she’s adventurous and confident. But when her relationship with Daniel takes off, she has to make a decision - stay in her life with him and face the bad, or transport to this other life.

I loved the concept of this book and the author did an amazing job of tackling difficult themes. For me what the book was lacking was a true essence of romance that I initially thought this book would entail. Daniel doesn’t really seem as big a character in the book as expected and for me the storyline jumped in time very sporadically with some chapters starting weeks and months later and others being only days later. Didn’t feel very consistent and made the book feel dragged out. But overall it was a cute read ✨

[Prerna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book thinking it was a romance, which I love. However, it wasn't.

This book is about choices. The choices we make, why we choose what we do, the outcome of those choices, and most importantly, the difficult, messy and uncomfortable feelings that come up as a result of those choices.

While this is something that everyone goes through, the main character here has the ability to actually experience the impact of different choices made by her, as well as those made by the people in her life.

This book is not meant to make you happy. It intends to make you reflect, sit with discomfort and experience the regret, sadness, and hurt that choices can cause. The characters are complex and display a variety of emotions. Their relationships are vulnerable and emotional, and can often leave you feeling deeply sad. This book does not shy away from diving into the ugly, but if you can empathize with the characters, it will leave an impression you'll never be able to forget.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the premise and plot of this book. Yes, it did remind me of "the Time Traveler's Wife" but it was written differently. Each time Erica has an episode of viewing herself at a different time of "do-over/do it differently" and tries to find Daniel again. Daniel helped her at a party when her boyfriend dumps her.

I loved that this book kept you at the edge of you seat wanting to know if Erica and Daniel's relationship survive and lasts. It also wasn't predictable which is a huge positive! The other side characters add to her story without distracting that her and Daniel are the focus of the story.

I would definitely recommend this as a different kind of thrilling somewhat romantic read. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 7/31/20

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC via Netgalley and was under the impression that this would be a standard contemporary romance; it's not.
It's unusual, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
I tend to reach for these cartoon cover romances when I need a light-hearted escape, but you shouldn't make that mistake. You should read this book understanding that it is about loss and grief, but most of all love. THE START OF US deserves an infant loss trigger warning.
I requested an ARC based on the unusual premise, that Erica can slip through worlds and maybe fix her relationship. She compares her life and choices to these alternate versions of herself struggling with what might have been and how she could prevent it. While Erica's story will break your heart, it will put it back together. I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did.

[Kookie9200 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Erica never lets anyone in too close, a result of a weird phenomena that has her dropping into other times. When she meets Daniel at a party though, that changes. She shares her secret and they begin to build a life. When a tragedy occurs her will to fight the pull of leaving falters, and she has to decide whether to stay in the life she has, with all the pain, or fly away to her other self, and the unknown.

i felt the premise was interesting, and the writing kept me involved. I wish Erica had been more proactive about finding out why she had this ability, and how to better control it. That part of the story wasn't explored at all. I also wish there was a little more character development Other than that, a decent book that I would definitely read again.

[Gemma Hawthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book even with it's unbelievable storyline.
The focus of this book is Erica, a young woman who at the age of 12 found that she could time travel and also visit herself in a parallel lifetime, although this is out of her control and somewhat unwanted. When Erica is unceremoniously 'dumped' by Mike at a party she is rescued by Daniel and their romance unfolds. Moving to Blackpool, marrying Daniel and giving birth to their son, Joshua, they have the idyllic life. However following a tragedy in their lives Erica sets out to visit her parallel self in an effort to make everything right. Does parallel Erica really live the life that this Erica wants, and can she find Daniel in the other universe and make him fall in love with her all over again.
A fantastic read!! Loved everything about this book.
Thanks for allowing me to read!

[Nailah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, emotional, heartfelt... The Start of Us is about what-ifs and taking risks.

Erica has a gift , she can travel through space and time to revisit her past and a world where she is living a different version of her life.

But...the grass is not always greener as they say. When Erica meets and falls for Daniel she is faced with a choice, will she continue to live her life in the present with all its experiences, or fully become her parallel self?

This is a beautifully written and unexpected story, with a great twist, likeable central characters in Erica and Daniel, and a lovely romantic but very real element to it.

A pleasant surprise, great and uplifting read carrying a message about appreciating your life and taking risks. I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC.

[Lauren K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this is one of the most unusual books I have read in awhile. The idea of someone time traveling back and forth between two worlds really intrigued me and I was excited to go on Ericas journey. At times she seemed a bit dull but overall I enjoyed learning her story. I will warn you that some parts of this story are extremely sad and there was a point I wasn’t sure if I wanted to finish. However I urge you to read to the end because it is very intriguing and I enjoyed how the author concluded this story. I do wish we learned why Erica was able to travel through time but overall the plot was good and the story moved quickly. I give this book four out of five stars. Thank you to netgalley and publisher for the early read.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I expected a light yet thought-provoking novel, 'The Start of Us' served up a heaping dose of 'Be careful what you wish for'. The story was a somber reminder that sometimes we need to be grateful for the blessings that we do have. The time-traveling aspect of the story that was necessary for Erica to explore the 'what-if' of her life without Daniel was a bit muddled as far a logic is concerned, but the story still held its ground. With a narrative containing a surprising depth, teeming with emotion, 'The Start of Us' was one of the few books that doesn't take the easy way out. Very good read.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Hannah Emery for and ARC of 'The Start of Us' in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

[Victoria Wilks · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Start of Us follows the story of Erica as she deals with an awful loss. Erica has known she is different for a long time now, as a child she was able to time travel to another life in which everything panned out differently. When she is trying to work her way through her recent loss, she finds herself contemplating whether she can go back and use this ability to remove this loss, yet keep everything else exactly as it is.

I thought the storyline for this book had so much promise, as it is certainly a different spin on most romance novels you encounter. I did however find some parts of this story somewhat predictable, and unfortunately this story just didn't pull me in as I had so hoped it would.

[Lindsey (Bring My Books)]

Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter, & HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

DNF @ 25%

The idea of this book is brilliant - being able to flit in and out of different paths your life could have taken, if only you had made different choices ... but it did not pan out for me. I normally don't really mind not having good explanations for fantastical elements (see: the movie About Time), but here it didn't work. The characters held appeal and I was interested in seeing what happened to them, but ultimately the plot held me back and I struggled to get to 25%.

[Vivien Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is The Time Traveller's Wife meets Sliding Doors. Erica has been disappearing since she was twelve, watching glimpses of the past and seeing herself as she might have been in an alternative life, if only things had been different. If her parents had stayed together, if she hadn't moved to Blackpool, if she had stuck with her boyfriend and gone travelling. But then she wouldn't have met Daniel, bought a house, suffered the most terrible thing to ever happen to her. If only she could go back, become that other Erica, start again... but sometimes it's better not to find what you wish for. An unusual book, a bit slow in places, but with absolutely the right ending