Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book ever that I review from NetGalley, so...very well. What I can say about this book is that it is...singular...interesting...and really entertaining. The truth is I judged this book by its cover and that was the reason I clicked on it in the first place, to see what it was about. I can say I got intrigued but also skeptical about this book because, what could I find in a book where the main character wakes up jumping 6 days in the future, has amnesia and then go back to the past? It seemed interesting but not that believable and the truth it was like that...at the begining. When I got more inmersed in the story I realized that I was getting in the upside down life of a girl that doesn´t remember anything from the last days and has to deal with being ignored by her friends, family drama and a strange and mysterious boy that came from nowhere but is helping her. And it was awesome. It had me waiting and waiting for more, biting my nails, trying to discover the adventures and troubles she got in and couln´t remember.
The book has topics like the value of a true friend - and the annoying fake ones -, the influence of divided family, sexual assault and the importance of appreciating the moments in life, but backward. Towards the past.
Even when it was hard to conect with this strange reality at the begining , I fell in love with the characters - and wanted to slap others- that brought life to this story.
My backward life is a book I enjoyed a lot.


Gracias a NetGalley y a la editorial quien proporcionó un ARC (copia avanzada) de este libro a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Este es el primer libro que reseño de NetGalley, así que...muy bien. Lo que puedo decir de este libro es que es...singular...interesante...y muy entretenido. La verdad es que caí en la trampa de juzgar a un libro por su portada. Esa fue la razón por la que di clic en primer lugar para ver de qué trataba. Puedo decir que me dejó algo intrigada pero escéptica al mismo tiempo porque, ¿qué sería lo que encontraría en un libro donde la protagonista despierta brincando 6 días en el futuro, tiene amnesia y luego viaja hacia el pasado? Me pareció interesante pero no tan creíble y la verdad así lo fue...al principio. Mientras fui avanzando en la historia me di cuenta de que me iba adentrando en la vida patas arriba de una chica que no recuerda nada de los últimos días y tiene que lidiar con el ser ignorada por sus amigas, un drama familiar y un chico extraño y misterioso que aparece en su vida sin más, aunque parece su único guía. Y era genial. Me tenía esperando y esperando por más, comiéndome las uñas, tratando de descubrir las aventuras y líos en los que se había metido y no podía recordar.
El libro toca temas como el valor de un verdadero amigo - y lo odioso que pueden ser las falsos-, la influencia de una familia dividida, la agresión sexual y lo importante de apreciar los momentos de la vida pero hacia atrás. Hacia el pasado.
Aunque al principio me costó conectar con esta extraña realidad, me enamoré de los personajes- y quería abofetear a otros- que logran dar vida a esta historia. La autora cuidó muy bien las descripciones que hacía de cada personalidad y creaba un contexto que me permitió disfrutar mucho de esta historia.

Really loved this time-slip book. 🙂. A young teen girl learning how to deal with bullies and being supported by the ‘guy’ in her life. Highly recommend.

“How did you savor each moment, appreciate the small things, and embrace the hardships, unless you were in the process of trying to accomplish something? A journey by definition meant traveling from one place to another. A journey needed a destination.”

‘My Backward Life’ is the story of Louise Doors, a high school student preparing for GCSEs who finds herself in a time loop. She attends a concert with her best friends, gets drunk. When she wakes from her slumber six days have passed and nothing is the same. Her friends humiliate her, her parents have marital issues. The only person on her side is this pyromaniac Dylan who gives her a letter that she wrote to herself. And when she woke up the day after, the days seemed to progress back to the day of the party. Louise needs to figure out what happened and fix it with the help of Dylan. She also believes she will probably die. Can she fix the chaos in her life without losing Dylan? Or worse, herself?

This book must have been difficult to write. My instinct tells me that Claire Merle worked extremely hard on this book. Louise Doors aka Galaxy Doors is a good protagonist. She is smart, sensible, and kind. Louise sees good in everybody. Louise and Dylan had good chemistry.

“I felt like a thread in the middle of it all. A thread with a color all of its own, weaving in and out, skimming their worlds, wrapping tiny cross stitches around Dylan and me.”

I didn’t know any of the characters well enough to connect with them although all the situations were extremely relatable. It gave me severe ‘Speak’ vibes in the beginning. ‘My Backward Life’ will relate to people struggling with mental health issues. Louise Doors' disregard for authority, peer pressure, family issues will appeal to the target audience.

“Listen, sweetie, forget what everyone says about your teens, being the best years of your life. It’s rubbish. Being 16 is like being inside a bubble and you’re suffocating and trying to slit the sides, but all the adults have made you believe that if you break the bubble, the vacuum outside will swallow you up.”

There were many literary techniques used in diverse ways, many vivid characters with flaws. It gave me severe ‘Speak’ vibes in the beginning. The writing was sophisticated and there are so many things worthy of praise. ‘My Backward Life’ had unique diction that matched the unconventional plot. The character growth of Louise was inspiring. There are so many thought-provoking incidents that take place in the book. ‘My Backward Life’ contains an unhealthy dose of symbolism. I have more to say about this in the spoiler section.


‘My backward life’ had weird pacing. It got slow in between and the ending felt rushed. Although it made me curious, this book is meant to be read slowly. There was so much detail. The author tried to convey too much information than the plot could handle. The book felt disorganized, it wasn’t well-balanced. I appreciated what Claire Merle wrote but it didn’t transition smoothly. The paragraphs were pieces of a puzzle stacked on top of each other rather than connected. Despite all the sentiments this book consisted of, there was a detached tone. The climax was satisfying but not justified because when people redo their past they will face unexpected consequences in the future and a bittersweet climax would’ve worked better for this book.

Spoiler Section:

Okay, spoilers are necessary because I’d like to clarify a scientific fact mentioned in the book.

“Did you know an agitated electron can jump orbit? Just disappears and reappears somewhere, spinning around the nucleus?”

The symbolism worked but that was a scientifically inaccurate statement because it is based on the Bohr’s orbital theory which has been proved wrong by many other scientists as it didn’t explain the dual nature of the electron and wasn’t following Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.

End of spoilers.

I recommend this book to YA readers who are in the mood for something unconventional. Trigger: Mention of Rape, abuse, and eating disorders.
ARC provided by BooksGoSocial and NetGalley. Thank you.

My Backward Life focuses on piecing together the past six days of Louise's life, as she's been asleep since she went to a gig and collapsed in the street. Even more bizarre is that her whole life has turned upside down during that time, and that her life is moving backwards instead of forwards.

I really liked the premise of My Backward Life; the timeline sequencing was fun, different, and kept the reader guessing. The idea reminded me initially of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, but the book is actually quite a different structure and take than the whole "reliving the same day again and again" timeline that I've seen in a lot of books and movies as of late. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes young adult fiction with sequencing elements.

After a night out with friends, Louise Doors wakes up to discover its six days later. She has absolutely no recollection of those six days but does come to find out that her parents are getting divorced, her friends all seem to hate her and a random guy is somehow now involved in her life. As she tries to find out exactly what has happened, Louise realises she’s reliving each of those missing days in reserve order and working her way back to the last day she can remember.

I was intrigued when I first read the blurb, it reminded me a little of Before I Fall (which I enjoyed) so I decided to give it a go.
I was slightly confused with the timeline at first but it didn’t take long to realise what was happening. I read the whole book in one sitting, although it was somewhat predictable at times, I was eager to see how it turned out.

I found the ending to be a little rushed but overall I think My Backward Life is a well written book with an intriguing plot and a great mix of characters, some of which were definitely flawed but very realistic.

3.5 stars

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher who provided a free ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I picked up this book mainly because of the intriguing premise, but not expecting much as well, thinking it wouldn't really blow me away because I'd already seen this done before. However, this was a ver pleasant surprise.
After a weird night out Louise Doors wakes up six days later with no recognition of what has been going on with her life in the meantime- her parents are separating, her friends hate her and this random guy seems to know who she is all of the sudden. On top of that, her days start going backward (roll credits). She has to figure out what's going on and maybe do some retrospection on the way.
Firstly, I must admit that I was scared that all of her friends hating her after she woke up would mean the same old cartoonish slut shaming girl hate that I thoroughly despise in books (especially in YA). Thankfully, this wasn't the case. The relationships between our protagonist and her friends, inspite of not being the most human and real thing ever, felt grounded. As a matter of fact, all of Louise's bonds with people did, and this added many layers to the plot and the characters, which made the novel all that much more enjoyable.
In addition to this, even though maybe this book's premise sounds a bit chaotic, it was very well executed, with the confusing timelines and everything. Partly due to the pacing being so endearing.
Still, I did feel at times (mainly the beginning) that the writing stye didn't flow that well with me and once we reached the ending chunk it dragged on for a while.
In conclusion, I think that if you're looking for a fast-paced contemporary read with some sci-fi elements in it, this one is for you.

Told from a non-chronological timeline perspective, we follow Louise as she tries to fill in the gaps of what happened to her from Friday night to the following Thursday. When she wakes up and looks at the date she realizes she only remembers a small bit of what happened 6 days ago. Through an unpredictable chain of events, Louise moves backward in time through each day starting to put the puzzle together. As Louise tries to piece together the events and people, we as the reader are left just as confused as her. I found the plot and twist somewhat predictable and felt there were some big hints. However, I was compelled to continue reading to see if I was right.
Lousie’s memory came back fragmented and in chunks, as the novel wove forward, as the reader we slowly found out who some new people in her life at the same time Lousie did. This book is filled with mean girl antics, rumors, self-doubt, and a strong personal sense to find answers. This novel was intriguing at best and kind of dark at other points. We are witness to the struggling relationship between Lousie and her mom and some of the hardships of being a much younger sibling. There is also a sense of strong denial of what may or may not have happened, and I found that hard to connect with at times.
I did appreciate that it felt like a lot of theories of why Louise’a memory was gone was ruled out, trying to keep the reader guessing and interested. There was part of me that enjoyed the fragmented timeline and other parts in the book I was just confused. In the end, I would recommend this to others for the interesting unfolding of events and character development.

This was a fun twist on a time loop - I stayed really interested the whole time and couldn’t wait to find out what she’d missed!

thanks for the ARC. this was a sweet book with a heroine that we can root for. we watch her life go in a backward direction as she attempts to correct events and heal relationships and ends up growing up. It lightly explores philosophical questions

My Backward Life follows Louise who wakes up after she collapses only to find that six days have gone by, the story then deals with the events of the six days in reverse order.

I liked the writing style of the book and the characters especially the main character in the book. One thing I did find weird was that the main character easily accepted her situation, of the reversing days and the six day gap and was not freaked out that much. Aside from that, I really enjoyed the story and pace of the story. I did find it weird that in each day there was not much going on, maybe one important plot point and so the days went fast however near the end the character lives through the days again but in a chronological order which was done in a way that was not repetitive or boring.

I did find the friendships and the romance in the book cute and did like the side characters in the story, I felt they were well written and there was enough of their presence in the book to impact the story. However, the love interest makes a comment which was sort of victim blaming which I did not expect from his character.

3/5

I loved how this book made me feel just as confused as Louise! I felt like I was right there with her on her journey. When everything started to snap into place I was overjoyed!

It was an interesting concept watching Louise live the 6 days she lost backwards.

She finds out things about her family, friends and herself and deals with issues such as eating disorders, sexual consent and more. They are all dealt with sensitively and really adds some teenage angst to the story.

A really good read!

When Louise realizes she has lost several days of her life, she is desperate to find out what is happening to her. Her parents are divorcing, her best friend hooked up with Louise’s crush, and the other friends in her group ate ghosting her. Louise is distraught, but when she regains consciousness after fainting following a band concert, her life is saved by a mysterious boy named Dylan. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. This is an excellent novel about taking chances in a life that might just be backwards.

A masterpiece of intricate proportions. Every part from the confusing beginning to the wonder as the pieces click together were amazing. I had almost started reading right in the beginning because of the confusion, but then I imagined being Louise and it could not be written any differently.

Highly recommend this time travel / parallel universe / mystery with a touch of romance!

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in return for an honest review.
What a wonderful concept, travelling backwards one day at a time, from the future. I normally avoid books about time travel after studying it at Uni. I spend any time travel movie shouting at the screen and ruining it for everyone. But this works. Not only is it a really good idea, but it's probable too within the laws do physics. I love the uncertainty too, the not knowing whether Louise will die, and the teenage angst of being torn between wanting to be a better person and help others, and the knowledge that your own happiness might have to be sacrificed. This is really well written, has a good pace and is relatable to teens. Haven't we all wanted to tell someone what we think of them but stopped because we are scared of the consequences?
My only niggle, the ending. I was waiting for a sudden twist and had the Kleenex on hand. Not a real issue, just my opinion. Definitely worth a read.

Such a great book! The story and character development are fantastic, I was completely hooked. There was intrigue, family drama, friendship drama, the idolized secret crush, self discovery and growth, and finally THE boy! Being taken along for Louise’s, I was able to connect with a lot of the things she went through. The book ends with all loose ends tied up, which IMO is the perfect way to end a book.

*Thanks to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review*

Never heard about this book before, but the title and description intrigued me. Finally, Finally, Netgalley agreed to approve me this copy, I am not sure but maybe after a year, I got an eARC from Netgalley.


My backward story is about, Lousie who slept on Friday night and woke up on Thursday morning, missing 6 days of her life. The stranger thing is that no one realises that. Everything took a turn of 360. Her parents are getting divorced, her friends are turned against her. She suddenly got a kinda boyfriend and a friend. Everything got more complicated when the next day she realized that her life is going backwards.

The concept of the story was fun, timelines weren't confusing, character development was good, pace of the story was good. It was writing which didn't go well with me. Though I enjoyed the book.

Good book...I enjoyed reading it. I was not expecting much from the genre as I have read many stories and watched films with this kind of opening but this book held my interest and made me turn the pages.

My Backward Life has a great premise and I admire Merle for going to task and making this plot line in 'retrograde' work. Louise and Dylan were exciting characters and I found myself rooting for them
I had a bit of a challenge following all of the school terms (since I live in the US) on top of all of the tangled plot lines. It all resolves in the end, and I am really astounded at how quickly Louise matures and gains perspective on her friends and family members. Sure, it's a little far fetched, but it is entertaining and thought provoking.

Merle has written a completely enthralling young adult novel with 'My Backward Life'. It reminded me of the wonderful 'Before I Fall' by Lauren Oliver, but managed to put a clever spin on the popular 'Groundhog Day' trope. Louise Doors attends a gig on Friday night and remembers collapsing in the street. When she wakes, six days have passed and her life has completely altered. As she lives those days backwards, she gets to know her mysterious saviour Dylan and grapples with drama in both her friendships and home life.

At first when Louise relived her lost day backwards, I was as confused as her. There are many baffling small details which make no sense... at first. This is the beauty of this book! The reader is right there with Louise on her journey of discovery and gradually realise the intricate details to the plotting pull themselves together beautifully. Merle manages to craft Louise's journey with a huge number of issues relevant to teenage life ranging from divorce to eating disorders to sexual consent; they are dealt with sensitively and as Louise matures as a character, we increasingly support her response to these situations. I fully expect my teenage students to find this book gripping but also as a springboard to some important conversations.

All in all, Merle has written an excellent young adult novel which will resonate well with its target audience. Let's hope Netflix snap this up to give it the TV series treatment too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Backward Life by Claire Merle is geared toward a YA demographic, but as someone who is well beyond this target audience agewise, I really enjoyed it. The idea of living in reverse time is a unique one, and certainly something that proved a fun concept to explore.

Teenager Louise Doors collapses on her way home one night and vaguely remembers the boy who was trying to revive her. Six days later she wakes up, only to find herself having no memory of the previous week. Suddenly the lost time begins to play out again, this time in reverse, and Louise grows closer to a boy named Dylan, learning that he is the same boy who tried to assist her at the time of her collapse. The revelations that come are illuminating, and Louise feels that she has been given a second chance to make things in her life right.

This is an engaging story and, although it is one that will probably not stay with me, it is an altogether charming read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this ARC.