A poignant and caring family drama.

The lives in question are those touched by Rosie, now lying on a hospital bed in a coma. Despite being comatose, Rosie can hear everything around her, but can't communicate. Neither can she remember much of her past life.

Rosie remembers being run over by a bus and knows she fell out with her family, but why? Did she throw herself under the bus or was it an accident? Did she have a man in her life? She is desperate to find out and only has three days to do so. Rosie is a sympathetic, but flawed character. You can't help rooting for her, hoping she finds answers to her questions. This is the story of how her sister Daisy and other loving people try to help her to understand herself. Will she live to see her family again?

An ingenious take on the experience of being in a coma

An endearing story of love, loss and family!

Rosie and Daisy are sisters and that is about the only thing they have in common. Rosie the free spirited, fun loving girl that likes to live life on the edge and Daisy the sensible polar opposite. Unfortunately, the pair are not on speaking terms but a tragic event brings them crashing back into each others lives.

An accident leaves Rosie in a coma and fighting for her life and we are taken on a journey through Rosie’s past memories where she tries to figure out what went wrong.

We are simultaneously taken on a journey by Daisy who tries to figure out whether Rosie’s accident was really an accident.

I found the writing so incredibly real and heartfelt. The Lives We Touch is moving and a real standout novel as my first read from Eva Woods.

This was my first read by Eva Woods and now I want more. Beautifully written and moving., a huge 5 stars from me !

The story focuses on two sisters Rosie and Daisy. Rosie is a free spirit, has dreams of being an actress, lives in a grotty bedsit and has a string of unsuitable men come in and out of her life. Daisy on the other hand is sensible, has the job, the car, the house, the man. But neither of them are happy. And they’re not talking to each other after having a falling out.

Then one day, Rosie is hit by a bus, landing her in a coma and bringing her family rushing to her bedside. Did Rosie walk in front of the bus on purpose? Over the next 3 days Rosie is visited by people from her past to make her remember her life. And Daisy must piece together her sisters life to find out if it was an accident.

I know this is supposed to be life affirming, but actually I found it a bit depressing reliving Rosie’s bad memories and seeing where she kept going wrong. No friends, no career, no life. And there’s a big love story line running throughout the book that I found unconvincing. But, saying all that, I did find myself caring about the characters. It was a good ending and I might have got a bit teary.

I also like the idea of the butterfly affect, that our actions have consequences and affect other people without us even realising. It is also about second chances. What would you do differently if you realised life was too short and you could start again?

Sisters Rosie and Daisy are as different as chalk and cheese, Rosie is an independent free spirit whereas Daisy is safe and steady. That is until Rosie steps in front of a bus and then both their worlds change.

As Rosie lays in a coma fighting for her life, she relives past memories and how they have had an effect on her life. Can she fight her way back to consciousness and right the wrongs she has caused? Meanwhile, Daisy who is estranged from Rosie, wants to find out what really happened, did Rosie step in front of the bus by accident or was it deliberate? As she seeks the truth, she is surprised by what she learns.

The Lives We Touch is a story of how events of the past can affect the decisions we make throughout our lives. A touching tale which I would recommend.

Thank you to Little Brown Book and Eva Woods for the opportunity to read and review this book. The lives we Touch is a poignant novel about a young girl, Rosie who is in a coma reliving past experiences and the people she has met during her life.

What influence do the people we meet have on our lives and we theirs. Rosie is fighting a battle to return to life and amend past mistakes. Will she be given the chance. This novel makes you sit back and think about why we meet the people we do and what each person in our lives mean to us. Reflective and emotional.