Title: I Loved You in Another Life
Author: David Arnold
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: October 10, 2023
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph
Summary
Evan has plans for the future. Take a gap year in Alaska, take care of his mom and little brother, and continue to process the fact that his dad left. However, all that changes after his mom’s diagnosis. And he starts to hear a song no one else can hear.
Shosh had dreams before her sister died after being hit by a drunk driver. Originally, she was going to head to a performing arts college in LA. Now all that remains is a mysterious song that no one else seems to hear. Pulling together love stories from across time, Evan and Shosh might be destined to meet. But how will that affect their future?
Review: I Loved You in Another Life
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an advanced copy of I Loved You in Another Life by David Arnold to review! David Arnold is one of those authors where you never really know what to expect with his books. They’re a little abstract, and that’s what I like about them. They are open to interpretation!
The concept of this book is so interesting. A song that basically connects soulmates across time, and we get to see it play out in a teen couple in the present. As characters, Evan and Shosh work so well, both grieving but in different ways about different things. In a way, they both need each other, and it’s this mysterious song that brings them together.
As much as I enjoyed each of their stories individually, I do wish we got to see more of their relationship progress overall. This is billed as a romance, so I wanted to see that romance play out more on the page. They have such a great connection, and we only get to see a glimpse of it, really. I wanted more!
While I enjoyed the little snippets of other romances throughout, I think some of them could have been taken out to help further Evan and Shosh’s relationship. It makes the book seem more poetic in a way, and though that’s not a bad thing, I’m not sure it was entirely successful.
All in all, if you’re looking for a romance that’s a bit more existential, this might be the book for you!
3.5/5 stars