Cover Image: How to Save a Life

How to Save a Life

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Member Reviews

I’m not sure how to rate this one. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was not what I was expecting. This author duo has quickly become one of my favorites over their past few books. A good thriller is my true north, my comfort food, and these two are so good at providing that.
How to Save a Life was not that, but the story grabbed me and didn’t let me go until it was finished. I loved the repeating days narrative and thought it was a clever way to slowly tell the back story of Don and Mia. I had no idea how this was going to end. Since it was marketed as suspenseful and thrilling, I was kind of holding out for something more, but even so the ending did not disappoint.

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How to Save a Life was the perfect summer read! When I first read the description of this one I wasn’t sure it was for me, but I’m so glad I gave it a chance and picked it up. It was a good one!
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Since this is a “Groundhog Day” type read I was afraid that it would become repetitive but it doesn’t and each Thursday I was rooting for Dom to save Mia’s life.
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I also had The Fray’s song stuck in my head every time I picked this one up.

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Thank you so much for the copy of How to Save a Life. I was intrigued by the cover and synopsis for this one. I tried to pick it up a few times, but I was not able to connect with the story line and characters. I think it was the the 'groundhog day' feel of it that I just could not get in to.

Unfortunately, it did not work for me. I'm sure that others will like it and I have seen several favorable reviews for it. Thank you again for the opportunity to read How to Save a Life.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I will not be sharing my thoughts/reviews outside of Netgalley in a review

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I listened to this via audiobook and really enjoyed it that way. This was really an interesting concept, a different take on Groundhog Day if you will, and I thought it was very well done. It did take a little bit for me to get into, but once I was in, I couldn’t stop until it was finished. I had to know how Dom was going to get himself out of this!

The premise is Dom that is continually living a Thursday over and over and he cannot make it stop, one that involves his ex-fiance dying at the end of the day. Mia recently showed back up by chance in Dom’s life in a coffee shop, and as he never really got over her, he feels like it is fate and they are meant to have another go at it. When she dies on their date, he wishes he could have a do over to save her, and he gets his wish, over and over. He is desperately trying to figure out why he is stuck waking up to the same Thursday each day, and no matter what he does Mia keeps dying. He needs to figure out how to move forward from this so they can both get to Friday. Along the way, Dom learns things about himself, about Mia, their relationship, and other ancillary events that happen that day.

I liked this one a lot, it was not a light read, but that was just fine, and if you haven’t read anything yet by Liz and Liz, you need to fix that, I really love their books. However, be warned that this one might have you shed a tear or two if you didn’t already gather that from the premise, but it was absolutely worth it. And yes, you will have The Fray in your head while you read this….

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the egalley to review!

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I have read a few other books by these authors and enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to this one. It’s a “Groundhog Day” type of premise, complete with a male protagonist stuck in a “time loop.” It’s a good story worth reading, although it wasn’t exactly fun and fluffy if that’s what you’re looking for. I was actually in the mood for a less serious story, but it turned out to be one that explores life and how (and why) we live it. It’s emotional and it’s main character is a male with insecurities (which some readers may find unbelievable - like one of my friends did), but I liked it in the end. (Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley and then won a free copy of this book as part of a giveaway on the authors’ Facebook page.)

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This book is a movie in the making. Dom bumps into his ex, the one that got away, the one he never got over. He asked her out and she said yes! What could possibly go wrong? Well..
She does and not once either!

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Groundhog’s Day meets Happy Death Day meets Always Be My Maybe in Lisa Steinke and Liz Fenton’s latest novel, How to Save a Life. Lisa and Liz never fail to bring something entirely new and different from what they’ve done before each time they write a book, and this is no exception. Emotional and cathartic—this is a great read!

This book is hard to describe in genre—I think I’d call it contemporary fiction with suspense as the subgenre. I love how Liz and Lisa continue to surprise and stretch their writing boundaries with each book. This is very different from their other books, most notably because it is much more of an emotional read than a psychological thriller. It actually made me tear up several times! It has all of the gripping, hard-to-put down qualities of a thriller, but it is a book about the heart, love, loss, and moving on. It is about learning to let go of the past and live in the present. And most notably, it is about how experiences and people can fundamentally change us for the better.

I wasn’t sure how they’d get into the head of a male narrator since I tend to think writers do better with their own gender than the opposite when narrated first person. They nailed it! Dom is a great mix of serious, rigid, thoughtful, and sensitive. In execution, they nailed him as a character! The only way I could tell this book was written by two incredible women was that Dom identified one of the characters as wearing a “black bandage dress”! (How many straight, single men in this world do you think know exactly what a bandage dress is??)

When Dom happens to run into the one-who-got-away ten years earlier, he can’t believe it. He has been looking for Mia in every woman he meets. It was a mistake to let their engagement go, and he isn’t over it. As the story progresses, Dom begins to relive the day of their first date after the ten year gap over and over again, unable to stop the loop. Even worst, despite everything he tries to do to change the outcome, Mia dies at the end of the day each time.

I don’t want to say too much about the outcome because it is so wonderful experiencing what Dom goes through as a relives the same day over and over. I loved seeing him try to find and piece together clues to save Mia and break the cycle. I also loved how Dom changed by each of these experiences, as he breaks his routine life to try to understand how to save his love.

Beautiful with a lot of thought-provoking moments and lessons, and enough suspense to keep you glued to the book until the very last page!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

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I started out really liking this novel, but unfortunately it was rehashed groundhogs day, minus the groundhog. It even has the selfish protagonist giving and taking care of a homeless man. I kept expecting him to utter, watch that first step, it’s a doozie!

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This one started out slow for me but picked up. I did end up enjoying it but it wasn’t my favorite. It seemed slow and repetitive. The ending helped and I appreciated the lesson that was learned, but it drug on and just wasn’t the book for me. I love these authors and have loved their other books and will continue to read them, this one just fell a little short for me.

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Wow this was a good and tough read. This is very similar to the movie Groundhog's Day. I enjoyed it but felt it was pretty graphics for the poor character that to keep reliving each day over and over again. I really enjoy the authors Liz and Lisa, they always have such interesting ideas!

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Love, love this book. A little different as it goes from past to present. From dreaming to reality. Very interesting love story of Dom & Mia and the love they had for 10 years. Are they going to finally get to the real love they deserve? Read it and find out. These authors are also excellent reads.

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After meeting his former love Mia ten years after their breakup, Dom finds himself reliving the day in which she tragically dies. He tries everything he can to change the outcome of their date.

This was an interesting premise. I can't imagine being Dom and watching someone you care for die over and over. The book had enough suspense to keep me reading. You could feel Dom becoming more and more frantic. However, I had a hard time buying into Dom and Mia's great love. You only get Dom's perspective. Maybe hearing from Mia or showing some flashbacks from when they were together would have helped. There were several good supporting characters and I liked Amanda's role. The story had both smiles and tears.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for my giveaway win.

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A sudden chance meeting set up by the gods of Fate, while Dom is waiting for a source for his story in a coffee shop, Dom runs into Mia who is back from Illinois after ten years. The story is uplifting, heartwarming, lots of great subplot within the story, and the book read like a Hollywood movie – and what a great movie that would be. It was such a great story that when I started, literally read through in a sitting – it was that amazing!

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I really liked an earlier title from these writers and though I knew this wasn’t suspense, I gave it a go. Interesting concept but one I’d seen before, reliving a day again and again to try to change the outcome, but I’ve seen it done better by Lauren Oliver. Dom, the main character, annoys me the whole way through, playing it too safe and making bad decisions. Mia seemed a lot more likable even when she made bad decisions. But the kicker for me was the ending. What was all this for then?

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I really liked the idea of this book and thought the storyline was really unique and fun but I do tend to have a hard time with repetition in a book. The "time loop" element added a lot of repetition so I ended up feeling less and less interested as the book went on. I also didn't bond with any of the characters (probably because they didn't have time to develop because the same day was starting over and over again). I did love the writing style and I will definitely check out other books by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke always write fantastic books, and they certainly don’t disappoint in How to Save A Life. This book is easily in my Too 3 books that they have written.

Picture a book version of Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day, only much more tragic, and you will have a general idea of the plot of How to Save A Life. It goes so much deeper than that, though. This book dives deep into the life of the main protagonist, Dominic, and follows his journey as he learns to let go of his past to allow new possibilities for his future. Unfortunately for Dominic, his adventure takes the form of living the same tragic day over and over again.

The characters in this book are very well written. Dominic is very set in his ways and is reluctant to change, though not totally unwilling. He is extremely against taking risks. Mia, on the other hand, is almost the exact opposite. Her entire life is ever changing and full of risks. She is one that can and will pack up and leave at a moment’s notice. Their differences make for very interesting interactions.

I feel that How to Save a Life has a perfect ending. It is both heartbreaking and hopeful. It is a complete ending, although it leaves a very important question unanswered - how/why did all of this happen?

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I know I'm in the minority, and I know that I've loved Liz and Lisa in the past, but I just did not care for this book. At all. By the third Thursday I found myself skipping ahead because the description was so monotonous. Dom was an awful person; I did not like him at all. Also, I think it's great that L&L chose to use a Latino character, but felt a lot of his description was stereotypical and really didn't need to be. To me, it would have been better to use a white character than to use a Latino male full of stereotypes. I didn't see this mentioned in any of the reviews I read so maybe I was oversensitive to this.

Also, Mia. Why? What was SO great about their relationship that he drives himself crazy (literally--the hospital scene?) to save her. Granted, I'd save anyone that I could, but he puts her on a pedestal and we're never really told why. If their relationship was so great, he should have married her at the beginning.

The ending: don't get me started.

I look forward to more from L&L. I was happy to see them step away from the thriller genre, as I like their women's fiction much more. I wanted to like this, but it just wasn't for me.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

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A quick, easily digestible read with fun banter and likable characters.


The plot was rather thin but overall this was an enjoyable book written by fabulous women.

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This was my 4th book by this duo, and though it wasn’t my favorite of those I’ve already read, it did have a unique story line and held my interest throughout. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was lacking, but there was just something missing or off to me. Maybe it’s because I can’t imagine very many men being hung up on one woman for 10 years. I did love that I was left guessing until the last few pages to figure out how it all would end!

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I thought the premise of this book was a very interesting concept. Unfortunately, I thought it fell a little flat. I didn't connect with the characters enough to be emotionally invested in the outcome. The writing was engaging and kept me interested, though. Overall I felt it was a solid, well written book, but I just found something lacking.

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