The blurb for this book grabbed be straight away - I enjoy 'what if' stories where we get to see how characters lives play out in different ways if they'd made a different decision/gone a different way etc. while this book certainly delivered that it didn't grab me as much as others of a similar style have done. I think this was partly because the segments were fairly short and we never really go to know Ivy and Abe well - compared to say Kate Atkinson's brilliant 'Life after Life' where you got to know Ursula extremely well throughout the book and absolutely rooted for her.

Still it was an enjoyable enough read. With thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ever wondered if two people are meant to be? Ever wondered if them being meant to be depends on where they are in life, what their ages are? Where they're living? Well, you should probs check this out.

Two people. One love story. A million possibilities.
They're soulmates.
Ivy and Abe were inseparable as children until an accident tore them apart. Several decades later, when both are in their seventies, a chance encounter reunites them. But time is not on their side.
What if they'd met in a different time and place? 
In another life, Ivy and Abe meet in their forties, when both are married already. Unable to resist the attraction between them, they embark on a passionate affair. 
In yet another, they marry young, with a bright future ahead of them - only for a dark shadow to threaten their happiness.
Throughout various incarnations of their lives, they come together and go their separate ways, fall in and out of love, make or break promises. 
In every universe, Ivy and Abe are meant to meet. But are they meant to be? 

I'll be honest, I mostly picked this up because the cover is super cute and the premise sounded interesting - I've got a weird fascination with the idea of fate and things being destined. The idea of soul mates is one that intregues me and who doesn't love seeing people, friends or otherwise, that just seem to fit together, like two pieces of the same puzzle. So, I grabbed this.

This was super cute, Ivy and Abe were just so adorable but I did struggle with the layout of this in places, because this visits the same characters in a multitude of different circumstances and at different ages. The first introduction was my favourite - but it did get old very quickly, I really liked the concept of the book but I did start to struggle by the half way mark. The repetitiveness just got a bit much for me.

Ivy and Abe is told through a series of short stories which visits different versions of them in different circumstances, putting them together and exploring the idea of them being meant to be. I loved the characters, Ivy and Abe were both amazing and I loved how they interacted with each other and it was nice reading about people older than 18 for once! I do get stuck in a YA rut from time to time! I think this would be the perfect holiday read, especially if you're on a beach because each segment is so short and sweet it doesn't matter if you get distracted, you can easily finish off one version of their lives without losing the thread too much. I just found for me, the individual chapters were a little too short, I wanted more from everyone!

Thanks to Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the e-ARC, this is, as ever, an unbiased review.

I loved the premise of this book. Two people, in a multitude of similar universes (no scifi here, although that would have been cool, lots of really alternative universes), who are destined to meet in different ways throughout, sometimes meaningfully, other times fleetingly. There are things that stay somewhat static, Ivy's family's medical problems, an accident involving a bale of hay, but other things change. The book begins in the future with a meeting between an elderly Ivy and Abe, and each chapter moves backwards to a childhood friendship that brings the book full circle. And the book did deliver. So why three not five stars? The problem with each chapter being a very different encounter is that the backstory for each scenario needs setting so there is a LOT of explanation of how Ivy met her husband/who her kids are/health situations etc, far more than would be normal in a novel, and that really slows the pace and made some bits feel really repetitive. Also, Abe was kind of unlikeable in nearly all scenarios which was a shame! But it was an interesting read and a thought-provoking look at 'what if'.

A really interesting concept, executed well. The author did a great job at keeping the characters consistent, despite the changing time periods and situations. I particularly liked the ending which was unexpected to say the least! I'd definitely recommend this book as a really refreshing alternative to standard romance / chick-lit fiction.

The basic idea of how a relationship would work out depending on what age and what situation in life that you meet is explored through various scenarios of Ivy and Abe. In somesituations it works, and in others it doesn't. Sometimes the stories get a little muddled as the author jumps around. The premise is great, however too much attention is paid to the family illness and not enough to the relationships between Ivy and Abe at times.

This is a well-written book, which deftly avoids the potential trap of losing the reader amongst so many different mini-stories, or lives of Ivy and Abe. By tying all the stories and personalities/characters in each parallel world of Ivy and Abe meeting at different points in their lives, and what subsequently happens to their relationship, it successfully integrates as one novel.

I enjoyed this book, and in particular the emphasis on how just a slight change from the previous story altered the impact of how their lives and relationships played out so significantly.

I'd recommend this book, and certainly to readers who enjoyed similar novels such as The Versions of Us and One Day.

Ivy and Abe meet in their seventies and know they should be together. Inevitably, old age means they don't have long - what if they'd met earlier in life?
Ivy and Abe meet in their sixties... how will their relationship fare at this pointment in time? What if they'd met ten years earlier, or twenty?
A sweet and clever exploration of meeting the right person at the right or wrong time, and how things change from one chance meeting. Recommended.

An enjoyable read, the same two characters in different stories, meeting at different times in their lives. Most of us wonder 'what if' and this book explores that concept fully. I was occasionally a bit confused with what was going on with the characters particularly as the book went backwards in time, so at certain points in the story we knew more about what was going on in the characters lives than they did! But overall a different approach than normal making the book memorable.

I found this book difficult to engage with, because of the format of revisiting different timelines and possibilities. I would connect with the characters and start getting to know them in their current circumstances, then be ripped out of that reality. While the writing was very enjoyable, the book was ultimately unsatisfying, as there was no clear path to follow in the story. I'd like to read something else by this author, with a more straightforward storyline..

A bit odd! I enjoyed most of it, and several of the individual sections were really good, but I did find it a bit confusing at times, and it felt like there were a few inconsistencies. Didn't really understand why when she met him in later life she had met before as a child but in all the other's she hadn't!
While the hay bale lorry appeared in I think all the time zones the implications of that seemed to be overly random too - it even turned up in France once.

That said I did enjoy reading it and the premise was good and in the main carried out well.
Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, after all I could relate to the subject matter very well having met up with my first love after 30 years apart, our lives still seemed entwined together. But this book was just too disjointed and, dare I say it, annoying? The characters were only skin deep and the backwards timescale was confusing and ultimately unpleasant to read. I thought this would be a happy book, but it didn't leave me with any positive thoughts. Sorry.

I loved the premis of this novel which sounded exactly like my type of book. Sadly for me it didn’t live up to its promises. I found it disjointed and there was a lack of magic. A similar themed novel was Lisa Jewell’s Vince and Joy which for me was magical.

I am sorry to say I didn't really enjoy this book. It was an ok read but quite repetitive and I didn't really care about any of the characters. I kept waiting for something to happen and it just didn't. I don't like to leave bad reviews but it just wasn't for me.

Ivy and Abe are soulmates: destined to meet in every possible timeline. I loved the premise of this, very similar to The Next Together by Lauren James where two people meet across multiple timelines. It’s a much simpler story than that though (less history and tragedy) and we meet them at different stages of their possible lives as they keep meeting. Unfortunately it did get a little repetitive, and occasionally confusing, but on the whole this is a nice romance book with a twist.

(Thanks to the publisher who provided me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review)

I loved the idea of this story and going through all the what if's. It's very well written and a very clever story. Unlike any book I have read before.

Although I must admit that I found it to be quite repetitive towards the end and I found myself losing interest.

Time forks perpetually towards innumerable futures...

“Ivy and Abe” takes the theory of the multiverse and uses it to tell the story - the many stories - of two people destined to meet in many different timelines. Sometimes Ivy and Abe meet as children, sometimes as adults, at different ages. They’re friends, or lovers, or a married couple - sometimes, they’re just passing strangers. But there’s always a connection of some kind. Their story - stories - are told through a series of narratives by Ivy which are self contained yet interconnected.

Some things echo throughout: a lorry load of hay bales, a family shadowed by hereditary disease. The words “I’m so glad I found you.” From time to time Ivy experiences a sense of deja vu, that what she’s experiencing is somehow familiar.

I very much enjoyed the book’ which takes an original concept and executes it very well. I was afraid it would feel ultimately unresolved, but in fact the end is satisfying. I did at times, when I had put the book down and returned to it later, find it difficult to recall - due to the similarities between the timelines - what the relationships were in the current timeline and had to flick back to remind myself.

Incidentally, thinking about the book yesterday while driving to a meeting, I suddenly found myself stuck behind a lorry piled with hay bales, small pieces of hay flying off and hitting my windscreen. It was a little bit unnerving....

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I choose this book based on the blurb its a different genre to my usual read but I fancied a lighter read after finishing my last thriller and I was not disappointed. I really quite enjoyed it. I loved the way this book travelled back through time following Ivy and how she met the same man Abe but all in different alternative realities. It was really thought-provoking and made me think about love and loss. I liked the characters too overall a good lighthearted read!

Absolutely loved this book! Loved the way that common threads appeared throughout the different versions of Ivy and Abes life. Nice change from psychological thrillers.

Ivy and Abe is the tender story of two people that are soul mates. Two people that are meant for each other meet in various places and times, under different circumstances. In timelines that extend from 2032 all the way back to 1965, these two people meet in different stages of their lives, always finding something that draws them to each other. Sometimes they end up together, other times they part ways, but there is always a strong connection between them. This is a story of a million possibilities, a thousand different combinations, and a lot of what-ifs. And it is geniously displayed for the reader.

Ivy and Abe is an intelligent collection of different relationship versions of the same couple. It is a book that invokes a lot of thinking on timing, and how crucial it can be on your present, your future and your relationships. But it's not just about romantic connections. The stories involve more people in the protagonists' lives. Parents, siblings, conditions of health and sickness, and so many different ways a human can cope with everything, from happiness to loss and betrayal.

This is a book with a distinctly unique concept. Exceptionally well written, it invokes feelings without stretching the concept too far. Ivy and Abe is an enjoyable, thought provoking read, strongly recommended to all fans of fiction.

I loved the idea of this book. It has been very cleverly put together and is a good read. I thought all the quotes and the way it goes backwards is brilliant.