Impossible

by Sarah Lotz

This is not a love story. This is IMPOSSIBLE.

‘Sometimes love doesn’t come in the form you think it will.’

Nick: Failed writer. Failed husband. Dog owner.

Bee: Serial dater. Dress maker. Pringles enthusiast.

When fate brings them together over a misdirected email, the connection is instant. They feel like they’ve known each other all their lives . . .

It should have been the perfect love story.
Instead it was IMPOSSIBLE.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Contemporary, Audiobook, Magical Realism

448 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 2022

About the author

Sarah Lotz is a screenwriter and fiction novelist with a fondness for the macabre and fake names.

Reviews

[MarilynW · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz

When Nick sends a foul mouthed rant to a customer, who he thinks is trying to avoid paying him, his text message is received by Bee. Nick is a failed novelist who has just ghostwritten a book for his latest client. Bee operates a very successful business re-fashioning wedding dresses. Nick's depressed, in a very going nowhere but down marriage, wallowing in his failure to get off the couch and make something of himself. Bee escaped a bad relationship years ago and is happy to never again experience more than one night stands. In fact, after her latest disaster at meeting up with someone, she's happy to swear off dating at all.

But that one misdirected message sparks joking back and forth messages between Nick and Bee. They really enjoy their banter and there is no pressure to be anything but themselves since they plan to never meet. Once they realize how much they like each other, how they seem to mesh so well, they change their minds and try to meet up. That's when they realize there have been "red flags", signs that their worlds aren't exactly the same.

Turns out that they seem to be living in alternate realities, with all kinds of obstacles towards ever meeting because of "science stuff". I won't try to explain it because I can't and because I don't even understand it. Whenever I tried to think things through, while reading the book and after I finished it, I have a suspicion that things make even less sense than when I didn't try to think about what is going on, so I stopped thinking about it and just enjoyed the story.

At first I wasn't sold on this friendship. Bee seems nice, successful, and smart, but Nick is in such a slump of feeling sorry for himself and inertia, that about the only reason I cared about him was because he loves his dog, Rosie, and because he is pretty funny. I wasn't sure that was enough to carry a relationship, even one with no pressure, but once Nick gets off his couch and tries to make things happen, he seems worth giving a chance.

Things are bittersweet, knowing these two have found the person for them but also knowing they can never be together other than by text. But eventually they realize there might be something that's not the same but similar and they both work towards making that happen in each of their worlds. In many ways, things go from hopeless to even worse than hopeless. What was fate's reason for bringing them together by text? Is there some higher reason than just them getting to be in each other's lives?

There are a lot of people to keep track of in this story since both worlds have some version of most people in them. Knowing what happens in one world, that does or doesn't happen in the other, can be heartbreaking or inspiring. This book was funny, sad, and thought provoking, although I seemed to enjoy it the most when not thinking much at all.

Publication: March 22, 2022

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group/Ace, and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy! I love this sci-fi plot a lot that reminds me of Reeves and Bullock’s Lake House meets Fringe series!

The execution of the plot via emails was smart.
The correspondences were sharp witted, sarcastic, resembling British sense of humor!

Imagine you finally found your soul mate but there’s small obstacle! She/ he lives in another universe and you can only reach her/ him via emails because there’s a glitch keep those universes separated!

Well, I personally brainstormed a lot to find alternative ways how those lovers may reunite! I crossed my fingers so the author might find a better way I imagined on my mind!

I can happily say the conclusion was hopeful and truly satisfying! I yay-ed myself and put my e-reader on my desk with the biggest smile on my face!

This is one of the most unique, unconventional , intelligent, addictive novels I’ve lately read! I highly recommend it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

[Will Byrnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now understand why desperate people find religion, or end up believing in aliens or conspiracy theories. Because sometimes the rational answer doesn’t cut it. Sometimes you have to look outside the box. And my hope-desperation twofer had led me way outside the box, all the way to a Willow Green allotment in fact, where, God help me, I was waiting to meet a bunch of people who even the most charitable among us would label “raging nut-job weirdos.”

You think your relationship is complicated? You have no idea what complicated is. Nick and Bee, now that is a truly complicated pairing. Guy sends a flaming message, raging about (and to) a client who has not paid for editing/ghost-writing services, and it somehow gets misdirected. Woman checking her e-mail receives said message and responds with great, subdued humor. And we have achieved our rom-com meet cute.


Sarah Lotz - image from A.M. Heath

Obviously the pair hit it off, as messages go zooming back and forth across the wires, ether, or whatever, and we get to the big Deborah Kerr/Cary Grant rendezvous scene. As this is London instead of New York, it is set under the large clock at Euston Station instead of at the top of the Empire State Building. And, well, as one might expect, it does not come off as planned, putting a huge dent in the “rom.” Pissed, Bee is about to write it all off when her bff convinces her to keep an open mind, and a good thing too. Turns out, her correspondent had indeed shown up, well, in his London, anyway. The two have somehow been the beneficiaries of a first-order MacGuffin, well a variant on one, anyway. Nick and Bee, while they may be able to exchange messages, are actually living in parallel universes. So I guess that makes their connection more of a meet moot?


Big Clock at Euston Station image from AllAboard.eu

Still, the connection, divided as they are, is real. They try to figure out what to do. And that is where the next literary angle comes into play. Sarah Lotz adds into the mix references to Patricia Highsmith’s (and Alfred Hitchcock’s) Strangers on a Train. But not for the purpose of knocking off each other’s unwanted spouse. (Although now that you mention it…) If they can’t be together, maybe they can use their insider knowledge to find their side’s version of each other. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy tries for very similar girl? I mean really, what would you do if you found the one, but were precluded by the laws of physics from realizing your dream?

Lotz has fun with literary/cinematic references, even beyond the two noted above. There is a Rebeccan mad mate, chapters with titles like Love Actually and One Wedding and a Funeral, and on. This is one of the many joys of this book. Catching the references, the easter eggs deftly scattered all about. Cary Grant’s Nickie in An Affair… is Nick here. Rebecca of the story of that name is Bee in one world, Rebecca in another.

There are lovely secondary characters, Bee’s bff, Leila, is the sort of strong supporting sort a fraught leading lady needs. Nick engages with a group of oddballs who have some off-the-grid notions about space-time, and what rules should apply when contact is achieved. There is a grade-A baddie in dire need of removal, a harsh landlady, some adorable pooches, and a very sweet young man.

Another bit of fun is the repeated presence of David Bowie references, including an album you have never heard of.

There is some peripheral social commentary as Nick and Bee compare the worlds in which they live, what programs have been enacted, which politicians have gained office, or not, where the world stands with global warming, things of that nature. These offer food for thought, actually more like dessert to go with the main course of the romance.

Time travel romances have made an impressive dent in our overall reading time. The Outlander, and The Time Traveler’s Wife pop immediately to mind. Other stories have been written about people communicating over time, but this is the first use I am aware of that makes use of parallel universes as an impediment to true love. You do not want to look too closely at the explanation for the whole parallel universe thing. Just go with it. suspend your disbelief. In fact, send it off for a long weekend to someplace nice.

Lotz has done an impressive job of delivering LOLs and tears all in the same book. I noted seven specific LOLs in my notes, and I expect there were more that I failed to jot down. On top of that, we can report that copious tears were shed. No count on that one. So Lotz certainly delivers on the feelz front.

Bee and Nick’s relationship may be insanely complicated, but there should be nothing complicated about your decision to check this one out. The Impossible Us is not only very possible, but practically mandatory. This is a super fun read that you should find a way to make happen for you, whether or not you have a tweed suit, a red coat, a rail station with a large clock, or a dodgy internet connection.

Review posted – March 18, 2022

Publication date – March 22, 2022

I received an ARE of The Impossible Us from Ace in return for a fair review in this universe. My much more successful self in that other place will have to handle the review on his side. Thanks, folks. And thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.



This review has been cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!

=============================EXTRA STUFF

Links to the Lotz’s’s personal, FB, Instagram, and GR pages

Sarah Lotz writes under various names. Impossible Us (Impossible in the UK), is her eighth book under that name. Then there are four books written with her daughter, Savannah, as Lily Herne, five with Louis Greenburg as S.L. Grey, three with Helen Moffatt and Paige Nick as Helena S. Paige, and that does not even count screenplays.

Items of Interest
-----Parallel Universes in Fiction
-----MacGuffin
-----Rebecca
-----An Affair to Remember
-----Strangers on a Train

Reminds Me Of
-----Meet Me in Another Life
-----The Midnight Library

[Michael David (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!

This is not a love story that anyone would be able to predict…

Bee and Nick e-meet when he accidentally sends a rude, angry email to her inbox. Bee finds it amusing, and emails him back to let him know she is not the intended recipient of his wrath. They continue to email each other after that, both finding the other’s banter refreshing and engaging. After a while, they decide to meet up…

…All I’m going to say is that things don’t go according to plan. That’s all you’ll get out of me, but the blurb of the U.S. edition is spoiler-ish if you’re so inclined.

Honest thoughts: I almost DNF’d this one. The twist frustrated me at first, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it…making the next few chapters unenjoyable. Then, I told myself to get a grip. There was no way I could DNF it because I just HAD to know what was going to happen.

I’m so glad I soldered on. This is an original story with wonderfully human characters…messy but lovable. There are moments that are sweet, some that are funny, others that are touching, and some that are pretty dark.

While I never quite understood the “how” of the plot twist, I ended up really getting into it. The story is complex and makes you think. The ending was absolutely perfect, and yet I wanted a few more chapters.

I definitely recommend this book if you want to read something a bit different and possibly impossible to forget.

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for a widget of the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 3/22/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just how far would you go for love? ❤️

That is the question posed in this UNEXPECTED love story, written by British FANTASY Award recipient Sarah Lotz.

Nick sends a non-paying customer a not-so-nice message but mistypes the recipient’s email address.

Bee, receives the misdirected email and decides to respond to let him know.

So, begins a correspondence between the two who discover that they enjoy their playful banter much more than anything else going on in their current lives. They get to know each other through their messages for about the first 25% of the book and that’s where the story really kicks in.

They decide to meet at the Euston Station, under the clock-Bee in a red coat-Nick in a tweed jacket.

Both claim to be there-but they are unable to connect, and Bee decides that she has been played, and blocks further contact. Until……

I will leave you in suspense from here, but suffice to say, that Nick isn’t giving up so easily. But, his will may not be enough….

Will their ending be everything he imagines it could be?

If you are searching for a love story unlike any you have read before-and you don’t mind a SCI-FI / Dystopian vibe this story is now available!!

Thank You to Elisha at Berkley for my gifted copy! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's surprising, touching, and just "out there" enough to be fantastical yet still believable.

On the surface, it's impossible. Yet it is overall a hopeful love story between two people who cannot be together.

I don't want to spoil it because the experience is just better if you go in blind. It's a fun book and was just right for my mood at the moment.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. all opinions are my own.

[L.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected enjoyable read! Blown away... probably not, but this was a cleverly written time-glitch love story. When two different universes collide by way of an accidental email between strangers, an encounter abounds.

Bee is searching for happiness on Tinder after a failed relationship while she works away on refurbished wedding dresses from failed marriages. Nick has low confidence and feeling hopeless in his marriage and career as a writer. When he sends an angry email unintentionally to Bee, a complete stranger, she is amused and replies. The conversations through email become good therapy and they plan to meet in person. This encounter or lack of brings reality their meeting may never take place. What does occur is an incredible realization and a creative level of characters. This is a sweet love story and I enjoyed their banter back and forth....laughing aloud. This is not usually a choice I would have made....Sci-Fi can be hard to grasp....but glad I finished!

Thank you NetGalley for this title in exchange for my honest review.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bee is the wrong recipient of an explosive, angry and sarcastic email sent by Nick. They then exchange very funny emails and you laugh along with them. There’s obvious chemistry and so they arrange to meet at Euston (a London station) but it proves impossible and that’s your lot!!! To see what evolves you’ll just have to read it! The story is told via emails and from alternating perspectives which works extremely well with the storyline flowing seamlessly.

This is so not what you expect when you first start reading, it’s a very different, a quite original go with the flow read for ultimate enjoyment. The characterisation is excellent throughout with central and peripheral characters crafted well and there are a couple of delightful canines for additional pleasure. Bee is smart, funny and immensely likeable, Nick is also very witty as they bring out the absolute best in each other. They’ve both got baggage and we learn about this as the book progresses and there are some darker topics that appear later on. The dialogue is great being funny when it needs to be and puzzling or sad at others and so there’s a good balance.

Overall, if you want to read something that is different from the norm, with a great premise and which is well written, with characters you want to spend time with then this one will fit the bill.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brain is in a tailspin after finishing this new work of speculative fiction. As I am sorting through what I just read, here are a few of my thoughts starting with What I really liked:
1) The epic love connection between Nick & Bee. Reminded me of Dark Matter.
2) The parallel worlds like in the series "Fringe." If I'm being honest, I also loved that series, because I have had a crush on the actor Mark Valley since I first saw him on Days of Our Lives decades ago.
3) The text exchanges between Nick & Bee are at times snarky and amusing and at other times so heartwarming.
4) The meeting under the clock reminded me of Time After Time where the two main characters from different timelines meet during Manhattanhenge.
Now, for what I did not like:
1) The language. There's the Gen X in me coming out. Too many F bombs.
2) It was too long! Could have used a bit more editing.
3) Sometimes I felt a little discombobulated and had to recalibrate to who was narrating and which world they were living in. Probably a given due to the dual realities with the doppelgänger effect.
All in all, a fascinating read and one that I will remember for a long time.

Thank you to Ace (Penguin Random House) and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[K.J. Charles]

Ingenious romance. Two strangers connect by a chance email and fall in epistolary love, only to discover they're on divergent worlds--one here with Trump and Brexit, one on a version where we did slightly better like that would be hard. They can't ever meet, so they try the obvious (OH MY GOD NO) course of finding the alt-versions of each other, which the book fully admits isn't healthy. It's cleverly worked out and overall satisfying, though I found the ending a bit pat, but then that's probably because it's what had to happen.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz is a romantic science fiction fantasy story. The story in The Impossible Us is one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters in the book. It’s also one that is partly done in epistolary style with email correspondence between the characters.

Nick has a client that hasn’t paid their bill so he shoots off an email trying to chase down his money but instead of his client’s mail it ends up in Bee’s. Bee can’t help but reply to the random sender but she never expects to strike up a friendship with a man she knows nothing about.

As Nick and Bee go about their daily lives vowing not to give out personal details about one another they both can’t help to imagine their new friend. When the relationship is better than all her random Tinder dates Bee suggests meeting but somehow the two can’t find one another at the designated spot and soon realizes they are worlds away.

I’m usually a bit hesitant to pick up books dealing with multiverses as some can be really confusing but I sure was glad that I decided to take a chance with The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz. I’m not sure all science fiction fans will be thrilled because this one is more heavy on romance and lighter on the sci-fi side but I found it to be incredibly engaging being a lover of both genres. I couldn’t help but want to get to know both characters and root for them and their love story and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough when learning of their dilemma. The only thing I would change is take out the political jabs as I read to escape that type of attitudes from either side but otherwise I’d say take a chance on this one if a romantic sci-fi sounds fun.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Virginie Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🌟: the plot and ending deserve 4 stars, but I'm giving 3.5 because it was a bit too long (there were some lengths in the middle). Very interesting sci-fi/love story!

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh I ADORED this. From the very first exchanged messages between the two main characters to the very last heartfelt words I lived this book.

Bee and Nick face impossible odds but they do say love conquers all - whether it can in this case I'll leave you to find out for yourselves and I highly recommend that you do.

I've been a fan of Sarah Lotz forever, Impossible is a departure for her whilst at the same time being exactly what you hope for in so many ways. I laughed and cried a bit during this story and I have never NEVER begged more whilst reading a book for it to have a happy ending.

Did it? Well maybe. I mean nothing is impossible...

Highly Recommended.

[SHOMPA · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF!

It had an interesting idea, but doesn't quite follow through. The characters and plot don't fully develop, making it hard to stay engaged.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the weirdest blend of The Lake House and You’ve Got Mail and I loved every second of it. I especially liked the implications that there were so many i-mails we didn’t get to see because the relationship definitely developed faster than than what we saw. Bee and Nick connect by complete accident when Nick sends her a message meant for his latest freelance employer who hasn’t paid him. Instead of writing it off as a crazy person (or phishing) she responds to clarify she isn’t the right recipient and they just never stopped talking. At first they just let the “red flags:” go and think it was an error or one person pretending to know about something they didn’t but evening they realize they live in parallel realities and can only talk to each other through their messages. A heartbreaking relationship ensues where they realize they can never exist in the same time and the same place. This book was well written and full of good humor, fun science fiction, and a good old fashioned love story.

[simona.citeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

O poveste de iubire cu protagoniști care trăiesc în lumi alternative.
În timp ce legătura lor devine mai puternică, fiecare caută în lumea lui corespondentul persoanei de care s-au îndrăgostit și descoperă cum arată viața lor în altă lume, ba chiar intervin în traiectoria lor bazându-se pe informațiile din lumea alternativă.

E o călătorie interesantă, presărată cu emoție și suspans.

[Becca Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is BONKERS. My friend told me this book was a romcom that read with the pace of a thriller and that's dead on. I don't know how to describe this without spoilers, but if you're ever feeling like you've read every romcom trope there is... this one will bust you out of that rut, guaranteed!

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful wild ride of a love story.

[ellsbooknook · Rating 1 out of 5]

i feel like i now know exactly what chastity church meant in ‘ten things i hate about you’ when she said

‘i know you can be underwhelmed and you can be overwhelmed, but can you ever just be … whelmed?’

i am whelmed.

what did i just read

[Stephanie]

DNF @ 16%. I have been looking forward to this one for awhile, but I just can't keep reading it. These characters are insufferable. I scanned through some reviews and got the gist of how the story unfolds and that reinforced my decision to DNF this.

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

*delightfully bonkers, is what I meant earlier!

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible, also titled The Impossible Us, is a novel by British author, Sarah Lotz. It’s a missent email that puts Nick Belcher in touch with Bee Davies, but they quickly have each other’s measure and the silly banter they swap is fun. They bond over everyday nonsense, there’s a natural spontaneity to their exchanges: somehow they just connect.

And, as is often easier to do with strangers, they share things about themselves that they might not have done in person. Bee has a successful business repurposing wedding dresses to order, and often ends up being part tailor, part therapist during client fittings.

Nick considers himself a failure: a failed writer, teacher (confirmed by his continued misuse of personal pronouns, I/me) bread-winner, and husband. He has a sinking freelance career editing self-published novels, and the only thing he’s OK at is being a step-dad and dog owner. But together, they’ve managed to, as he puts it, “lance some inner emotional boils”.

They agree to be Strangers on the Interweb, initially as DB and Bee. Eventually, they progress to first names, and then a series of small occurrences sees them deciding to meet, at midday, under the clock at Euston Station.

They both turn up, but can’t find each other, despite descriptions, messages assuring each other they are right there, calling out, waving. Mobile calls don’t connect. Eventually, a very disappointed Bee decides Nick has been scamming her and blocks him. Nick, heart-broken, realises he’s been ghosted.

And that’s where it should end. Except…

Except some things about their conversations have Nick puzzled. Clutching at straws, he ends up meeting with a bunch of very strange individuals calling themselves the Berenstain Society. Nick is highly sceptical of their theory, and later, when he and Bee reconnect, they agree the whole thing is funhouse-mirror weird.

Much more can’t be said without massive spoilers, but the four hundred-plus pages fly by with twists and surprises keeping the reader enthralled. Th characters are much more than one-dimensional; the dialogue is smart and snappy; and the plot is clever and imaginative. A very entertaining romcom.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK.

[Littlebookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Impossible Us tells the story of Nick and Bee, starting off in fairly typical chick-lit style, as we get to know them both, with chapters told from their alternating perspectives. Nick is a failing author, generally finding himself in rather a rut in life and in a failing marriage. Bee is a dress-maker who has her own business, and is also a serial dater on Tinder. We follow both characters as they navigate their lives and strike up an online friendship, after a misdirected e-mail, which very quickly for both becomes something more. It is only after they decide to meet up that the story takes a turn in an unexpected direction, after which it is hard to review this book without giving away spoilers.

Personally, I was aware of the twist to this story going in, and it was what drew me to read the book, as the notion sounded rather different from the average rom-com. Certainly it makes for a read that at times felt incredibly bizarre, but always kept me engaged, and whilst there is definitely a sci-fi element to this book, at its heart this was a very 'human' story, with messy and complicated relationships in play.

The story is told in a dry and witty style, the e-mail correspondence between Nick and Bee in particular is always very sharp and engaging, the chemistry between them very apparent in their banter and how they spark off each other. I have to say that I didn't always like Nick or Bee, and did find some of their actions questionable, both of them coming across as rather self-absorbed at times. I did also feel that too much time was spent on 'operation doppelganger', and yet the consequences were never really explored. For instance when all goes pear-shaped with Nicholas, Bee just seems to slot back into her old relationship with Nick very easily and without any real guilt displayed. Also whilst the whole story is bizarre, towards the end it just gets even more so, with everything that Nick contemplates doing.

There are quite a lot of supporting characters, again many of whom are rather eccentric, such as the whole group of Berenstains/Berensteins, but they do add colour to the story with some engaging dynamics.

Personally I didn't spend too much time dwelling on or trying to think through the 'how' of the story, but rather just accepted it as the bizarre concept that it was, as certainly this story requires a suspension of disbelief.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting twist on a classic rom-com trope, let down for me personally by the story dragging a little in its middle section, and by the fact that I didn't always care about the main characters. The plot itself, whilst very outlandish, did keep me engaged, and the ending itself was both somewhat unsettling and yet also felt right. 3.5 stars

[Brooke - Brooke's Reading Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

*www.onewomansbbr.wordpress.com
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr

Impossible by Sarah Lotz. (2022).

Nick is a failed writer, failed husband and a dog owner. Bee is a serial dater, dress maker and a Pringles enthusiast. One day their paths cross over a misdirected email. Their connection is instant, electric. They feel like they've known each other all their lives. They arrange to meet under the clock at Euston station. Think you know how the rest of the story goes? They did too... but this is a story with more twists than most. This is impossible.

I really enjoyed this clever contemporary romance with a twist. I accidentally saw a spoiler for it (don't worry, I won't say it here!) and I wish I hadn't because I think learning the twist while reading would have been super cool and had a big impact. I found both Nick and Bee very likeable characters and any reader will be hoping they are able to have a happily ever after. Their relationship is full of witty banter while they try to work through their obstacles, making for a very entertaining read.
Overall: highly recommend for those that enjoy romance stories with a bit of a twist.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a dilemma with this one when I saw an ARC was available. Should I request it or not?

On one hand, I really like the work of Sarah Lotz - great writer. On the other hand, this appeared to be ...a romance. And I just don't do romance. I decided to take a gamble that maybe with it being Sarah Lotz it won't just be a romance and may have some of her fantastical overtones.

And it turned out it WAS a romance with a twist. But make no mistake, it is very much a romance, and ultimately even Sarah Lotz couldn't sell that to me.

The story follows an "impossible" romance between Nick and Bee, who meet on the internet. The characters feel real and there's lots of humour in the banter between them.

I think lots of readers will fall in love with the book and will be on tenterhooks wondering if things will work out for Nick and Bee. I wasn't. This could be because I'm a cold-hearted bugger but as the book progressed I found that Nick and Bee's continual "riffing" with each other became a bit grating and exhausting, like two David Brents trapped in a room. This wasn't because the dialogue was bad, it's just that there was so much of the back and forth email banter that I became tired of it.

By the end, I wasn't really invested in how it turned out. I think this book will have a big audience - it's light, fun and has heart - but I'm personally hoping Sarah Lotz returns to matters supernatural and sci-fi rather than matters of love and romance.


Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story this is, well for the reader, not so much for the two main characters, which I adored, by the way. When a stray e-mail appeared in Bee’s inbox, it amused her, and she wrote back. The e-mails continued with ease between Nick and Bee as they had never experienced from anyone else before. It is difficult to write about a book sometimes when you are bursting with wanting to yell about it from the highest building. It is a great love story, laced with perfect banter and swooning moments.

I hadn’t read anything about the story, I like to jump in, so I went along with it all. I got to know all about Nick, a lovely bloke with little self-esteem and Bee, who was aptly named because her life was so busy, and she buzzed with one lined humour. They hit it off straight away. Finally, they were going to meet. I was so excited but ……………………

What a story this turns out to be. I was like, Noooooooooo! I liked these characters so much, but now it was like a story in a story! I laughed when they did and felt frustrated beyond words. There are some great characters and some dangerous consequences to consider. But how far would you go for your soul mate?

I liked how the author brings in the moral element and crossing a line, no matter how well-intentioned, and that actions have consequences. But could you give up on the perfect connection with someone? This book had my heart sink and soar, race and nearly burst. It is a curl your toes love story, highly recommended.

I wish to thank the publisher and Net Galley for an e-copy of this book, which I have reviewed honestly.

[Nelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t really know how to rate or review this book… I loved the start, it had me hooked, so much potential and then, as the story progressed it started to derail to the point of ridiculousnesses and ultimately ended with me thinking “what have I just read?!”

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Impossible Us by author Sarah Lotz is a quirky, fun, heart-breaking sci-fi rom-com that bursts at the seams with originality. I usually inhale books like oxygen, racing through the pages in record time. Here, however, I found myself savoring the moment and wishing the pages would stretch into eternity.

Nick and Bee meet online when Nick accidentally misdirects a scathing message meant to go to a client who hasn’t compensated him for ghost writing a novel. Bee, a seamstress who repurposes wedding wear, receives the missive and responds, thus beginning one of the most beautiful and frustrating love stories ever penned. Back and forth they banter, until finally they both agree it’s time to remove their blindfolds and meet in person. Clearly they are soul mates who have finally found one another. When both arrive at Euston Station for their first encounter, they are unable to connect, in spite of the fact that they are texting in real-time, both insisting they are in the exact same location. Bee is convinced she is being ghosted, but Nick feels there are forces at work that neither of them fully understand. When they finally compare notes, it’s clear that they WERE both at Euston Station—in parallel worlds. Somehow a glitch in the mesh between their worlds has allowed them to connect electronically. Both quickly realize that trading barbs via the internet will never be enough. The novel follows their love story as it unfolds, and the two reach out, grasping only the space that separates them, as they are forced to acknowledge that sometimes even soul mates aren’t guaranteed a future.

First and foremost, the plot is incredibly clever. Melding romance and quantum physics is no small feat, yet Lotz pulls it off with aplomb. Her use of brilliant character development in advance of the parallel world twist is nothing short of genius, as it first allows the reader to establish an investment in Bee and Nick. In doing so, if the reader wants the relationship to continue, it is imperative to suspend disbelief and accept the premise. The investment pays off in ways both large and small, as Lotz delivers barriers and obstacles against a backdrop of a profound connection between the truly star-crossed lovers. As the book winds it’s way to a conclusion, the reader experiences sadness and joy, rooting for the impossible and hoping for a Hail Mary pass.

I cannot recommend this novel strongly enough. Set aside a few hours, find a comfy chair in front of a fireplace or a quiet spot on the beach, and allow yourself to be whisked away on a romantic adventure that will leave you with both smiles and tears.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for allowing me access to an ARC for review. The scheduled date for publication is March 22, 2022.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with Impossible (also published as Impossible Us) by Sarah Lotz a sublime romance with a fantastical twist.

When Nick sends an angry email to a late-paying client that is erroneously delivered to Bee’s inbox, her witty response and his sincere apology leads to daily exchanges, that quickly shift in tone from cautious and friendly to candid and flirty. Meeting in person is the obvious next step, but though they both claim to be waiting under the clock at Euston Station they can’t seem to find one another. While Bee assumes that her best friend, Leila, is right and she’s been had, Nick realises that something strange is happening…something impossible.

Unfolding through the email exchanges and first person narratives of Nick and Bee, Impossible offers a heartfelt romance thwarted by rules of physics. I don’t want to attempt a clumsy explanation of how this happens because you deserve to be drawn into their unconventional love story, and convinced by Lotz that the impossible is possible.

This is a book that appeals directly to the romantic at heart with numerous direct and oblique references to film and literary classics such as The Lake House, You’ve Got Mail, Sliding Doors, Rebecca, and Strangers on a Train, with a little David Bowie thrown in as a bonus, but nevertheless the plot feels creative and fresh. More serious issues are touched on too though including infidelity, suicide, domestic violence, and environmental harm.

I was entertained by the witty banter between Bee and Nick, and Lotz develops their chemistry with ease. Both protagonists are older than you might expect, Bee, a fashion designer with her own small business repurposing wedding gowns, is in her early to mid thirties, while Nick, a largely unsuccessful author, is forty-five. Credibly portrayed with a mix of strengths and flaws, they are appealing characters that I found easy to invest in.

Though quite different in tone and theme to her last book, Missing Persons, Lotz’s flair for original storytelling, dynamic characterisation, and expressive writing remains compelling.

Witty, poignant, surprising and absorbing, I recommend you embrace the Impossible.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an unexpected treat. I chose it on NetGalley because I needed something easy to read and fun, this was perfect. Bee is a tailor, she creates wonderful wedding dresses for people from her home. Nick is an author, not a particularly successful one. He takes a job ghostwriting for a man writing his memoir, a vanity project for an odious old fellow. Nick fires of an email in a fit of rage and it somehow ends up in the inbox of Bee. They exchange witty banter, they set up a meeting, but when both turn up to the same place at the same time, neither can find the other. Something weird has happened. They are trapped in separate timelines.

The story takes place in emails between Bee and Nick, the bond between them is strong and they gradually fall in love. They are fun, witty, the banter is next level. I loved it. This is quirk of the very best kind. A feel good, not without it's challenges, time crossed love story.

Thanks so much to NegGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this. I hope it is a massive bestseller.