Sadly, I couldn't get into this book. I wanted to love it, especially because I liked the premise of the book. There were some really good points, the story was interesting . I may be old fashion but there were some scenes that I don't think added too much to plot other than to shame the characters in a way that did surprise me. It almost seemed like the author didn't even like her own characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I started this book kinda rocky, I would pick it up, then put it back down, and it took me a bit to get into it. But I am SO glad I did, because boy, was this an experience. The writing style was impactful, and the subjects covered in this book are/can be triggering so just a heads up, check out the TW before reading this. But I really loved the concept, and the questions about life and death, the idea of alternate realities...just wow. I recommend EVERYONE to pick up this book!

DNF
I couldn't get into this. Loved the concept, but the beginning deals with it so explicitly and exposition-y that I just couldn't get into it.

This book is first book in the Skipping Sideways series.
This was a little confusing and a lot of interesting read.
I truly never read a book like this, and I really enjoyed.
This boy isn't a light read, no sir.
It deals with lot a heavy topics.
The writing is executed marvelously.
I really enjoyed reading it.
This is good 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers, Skipstone, for granting me access to a most puzzling read that had me scratching my head in equal confusion and wonder.
Having finished, I’m still not entirely sure I’ve grasped some of the finer points of the concept. I found myself reading, then having to pause to actually digest what I’d read and try to work it out/link to what I already knew. I would liken reading this to me trying to solve a Rubik’s cube...I know there’s a knack to it whereby everything flows seamlessly, but I work in fits and starts without really getting anywhere, then by a freak occurrence something will slot into place and it’s done.
When I started reading I wondered what was true and what was in our character Laney’s imagination. She writes stories about alternate universes where different characters sharing her name experience different things. She interacts with people who reference events she thought were dreams which seem to have really taken place. Piece by piece she starts to realise some of these events are merging. This idea of alternate universes and time frames may make more sense to students of maths or physics.
The story as such is not a pleasant one. Laney reads a story about two skeletons found in the woods, dated to a time that she recalls finding her father having sex with an old girlfriend. She is fascinated by what she recalls of that incident and is convinced that the skeletons are the bodies of her and her twin sister (a twin who doesn’t exist in the story we start) who were killed by a sadistic pair of brothers - one of whom is friends with her now. The Laney we follow is switching experiences/times in order to hunt the person who in another time/place killed her and tortured then killed her sister.
For every choice there’s a range of possibilities. Watching Laney try to manipulate her experiences was intriguing. I confess to not always following Laney’s thought process, and the book seemed to give some conflicting messages about addiction and sexuality, but as a whole it was a read I’d recommend.

The format and storyline was a huge risk in this book but I think it really paid off. I felt so confused through parts but when it clicked it was like coming from darkness to day. I love the thought the author put into that payoff at the end. Definitely reading book 2.

An interesting take on the multiverse and how one single moment can create so many alternate realities. I wish I'd enjoyed the tone a bit more as I found Laney a little whiney at times but overall a cool and quick read!

I reading this book, the reason being is that there was parallel universe theory as a plot point to the story. And I love reading about parallel universe.
The starting is bit slow.

CW: Violence, sexual assault, death, animal death, sexual situations, suicide

If there is one thing I love, it’s a good mystery. And let me tell you, Some Laneys Died is a good mystery. But it’s not just a mystery. It’s a mystery with a science fiction twist to it.

What makes this mystery unique is the addition of the Many Worlds Theory/Interpretation. I can’t really tell you too much without giving away a good portion of the book, but let’s just say that things aren’t necessarily what you think they are in the world. And those flashes of memory that you can’t explain because you know you’ve never done something? Yeah… that’s probably because of the many worlds theory.

In any case – there is a large cast of characters, all of whom are well written. You don’t get a big info dump on their backgrounds either. You find out bits and pieces about each one along the way and you don’t find out those bits and pieces until you need to know to understand the story.

The basic gist of the plot is this: Laney is obsessed with writing stories of what might have happened if she’d made different choices when she caught her father cheating. This leads to her finding out about the many worlds theory and realizing that something isn’t quite right in her world. Mayhem ensues as she fights to understand what is happening to her.

I was intrigued by this book. I read 70% of the book in one sitting, then read the other 30% in another sitting. It was very fast paced and kept me wanting to continue reading, even when I needed to go to bed and get some sleep. Most books, even mysteries, haven’t been able to do that lately, so this was a breath of fresh air.

The science/science fiction twist is what really makes this book so darned hard to put down. That and the fact that the plot is excellent and extremely well written.

I loved Laney. I loved how she wished she was a twin. I, too, was an only child and I wished often that I was a twin. So she was very relatable in that aspect. I also loved how she just couldn’t let anything go – how she needed to figure out what was going on and why she felt the way she did.

Jag was another favorite character in the story. His love for Laney is instantaneous and obvious. The fact that neither of them can seem to stop thinking about the other is another thing I thought was adorable – they are teenagers after all, so that kind of puppy-love, infatuation is pretty common.

Of course, there are characters I didn’t like much, but that’s OK because you’re not really supposed to like them4.

This book is one of those books that you just have to read to understand why it’s such a great book. The best thing? It’s part of a series and the second book is slated to be released soon. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

I give this a five out of five stars because it is innovative, fun, fast paced, and just a great all-around read.

**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

I really, really, really wanted to like this book, but it was too much.
The trigger warning at the beginning of the book is nowhere near specific enough.

The concept is a good one, but execution is so lacking that only the concept is what allows me to give it one star.

The dialogue feels as if a 40-something woman is trying to hard to be "hip" with "Gen Z" (I have no clue how old the author is or anything about her background, this is just how it reads). It also felt as if the author was constantly trying to push her world views onto the reader, especially her views on sex, drugs and race.

The book is both far too padded and yet I still don't have enough info at times, there's just no balance in how the information is given. There's an old saying that good characters can save a bad plot, but bad characters can kill a good plot. This book had neither good characters or good plot. This feels like a first draft that went straight to the printer rather than undergoing a good edit.

Overall, the book just tries too hard. I really think this concept would work as a TV series, but as a book it just fails.

I didn't like this book at all. I had to push me to finish it so I could review it, but it's just... not good. I felt like the writing was all over the place, confusing at times, and the dialogue didn't felt natural. It could use a lot more work. The ebook copy we get was also weird, badly diagrammed.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise seemed interesting, and I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately it fell flat. The story was quite slow, and I didn't really vibe with any of the characters.

I'm sure it would be great for some, I just didn't enjoy it.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

I had to DNF this book.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise was intriguing but I just could not get in to it. I started it twice. The first time I read 35 pages and had to put it down. Then I waited about a month and tried to pick it up again and got 50 pages and again just could not get into it. I had a hard time connecting to the beginning unfortunately and could not get past it.

I have conflicting feelings about this book.

The premise is incredibly interesting. The main focus is around choices and multiple realities that are created through these choices. This concept plus a murder mystery? I was sold!

However, the execution wasn't as great as it could have been. The first half was pretty solid, building intrigue and questions around the main mystery. I didn't like the hyper sexualization - it didn't feel like I was reading a 16 year old at all - but the main points were engaging enough that I kept reading. The failings began as explanations began.

Too much exposition - there were so many moments were Laney is retelling what has already happened or notion that had been suggested was then reitorated more explicitly. There were moments that were meant to be weighed but mostly just felt like a waste of time. There were plot points that didn't make sense at all and the concept of 'skipping' between different versions of Laney ultimately meant that at one point, there were two Laneys exisiting. Then there was the twin that somehow has a body despite not having a body in the current world that she is exisiting in.

Jagger is a cool character, but the introduction scene where one of the only BIPOC character is introduced reads like a token written by a white women. Laney literally says the words 'I don't notice colour'. It felt like Skipstone wanted to address racism but in the most blanant and inoffensive to the character currently as possible. That isn't to mention that he is only introduced at the 50% mark and yet he is basically insta-loved and ends up being far too willing to go along with the craziness this random girl he thought was cute brought with her.

The story extended longer than it needed to be, with extra chapters that seem like they're trying to wrap things up but really there isn't much of a build up or payoff with any of them.

I'm really disappointed with this read. I started with such excitement and eagerness and it quickly became reading to be finished.

This one was weird. The concept was fascinating, and actually executed extremely well. Its also extremely adult and there are a lot of potential trigger warnings (more so than were described at the beginning.)

My biggest problem was Laney. I know she isn't actually meant to be a likable character, but I just couldn't enjoy her character at all.

Also, I like a story that makes me confused. But this one had me completely lost at times.

In conclusion this was a pretty neutral book for me.

I will admit i almost gave up on this one as it was a bit confusing, but I'm glad I stuck it out. An interesting take on alternative realities and heavy but a good read

Some Laneys Died is an interesting work of fiction that revolves around the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. After seeing her father cheat on her mother, Laney is introduced to this concept of a myriad of worlds each made up of Laneys that made different choices than her own. It is a complex theory of physics but the author does a really good job of making it understandable for the average reader. I am not even remotely science-minded and I quickly caught onto the idea.

This is a good book, it's very original, and the characters are very likable. However, I found Laney to be somewhat naive at some times and I didn't get as invested in the supporting characters as I usually would. I felt very blasé about the mother and the father seems kind of equally meh. Laney was a very forgiving character in a way that seemed unrealistic, I'm not sure how fond a teenage girl would be of the woman who drove her parents apart. The positive family image probably would've benefited from a little more normal teenage angst but I understand what the author was trying to create.

All in all, this is a good book. It's a quick read, has a pleasing ending, and I maintained interest throughout, finishing it in just two sittings. I would suggest it to a friend.

This book was FANTASTIC! My mind is left all screwy and I love it. Laney was a great character. I was drawn in from the very start. I read Brooke Skipstone's first book and loved it as well. She does the magical realism thing so good. This story had dimension skipping. My brain hurt, but I love when I have to really think. She seems to have a way of completely absorbing me into her stories. I can't wait to read what she decides to write in the future.

One heck of a fast, interesting read. The MC regrets choosing to tell her mother about her father's affair which broke up their marriage and her life. Thus begins a story about choices and their consequences. Except Laney learns that no matter what choice she makes, she will make the opposite choice in another universe. She wonders whether she can skip to those other worlds. Strange things begin to happen after skeletons of twin sisters are found in a river near where she discovered her father's liaison. She sees an alternate self and has visions of her own tryst plus disturbing memories of something awful which may or may not have happened to her. In her frantic search for answers, she discovers she can skip to alternate selves. Along the way, she renews her relationship with her father and discovers more about her past. The science is extremely compelling, mind-blowing, yet not difficult to grasp. This is a story of renewed relationships and the strength of love even in the most difficult circumstances. Highly recommended.

<b>UPDATE: not mere hours after posting my thoughts, the author decided it was an appropriate move to message me on my Goodreads account with a 5 paragraph essay explaining all the reasons why I was wrong about not liking their book. As an artist myself, I found this incredibly arrogant and, frankly, immature. I will not be reading anything else by them ever again. </b>



<b>Yeahhh— I really wanted to like this</b>

And truthfully, it’s not that I didn’t, per say... the concept itself is right up my alley, so I truly enjoyed the parts that were heavy on dimension “skipping”, as this book calls it. I’m a big fan of multiverse stories, paradox theory, all of that. I also love YA— when they’re good.

<I>But...</I>
(And it’s definitely a large qualifier)
At ~25-40%, the author really started to let her biases show. The following dog whistles went off:

— <b>kink/sexuality shaming</b>; I was a pretty prudish 16 year old, but I didn’t have the kind of utter disgust and horror that Laney does for discovering her mom’s toy drawer. Like, I get it, it’s always a weird event when you’re a teenager and you have the revelation that your parents fuck, but the way in which the character is written really rubbed me the wrong way.

There’s actually an entire part of the plot that centers Laney and two other girls from school filming each other masturbating with a vibrator— which in and of itself is absurd and just not something that actually happens???— but the way it’s written, has so much shame in it, that I was not only frustrated with the fact that this was (an “important”, nonetheless) part of the plot in the first place, but also frustrated that the author was suggesting that young women should be ashamed of their sexuality. It was just weird, y’all. Definitely made me uncomfortable. It could be very possible that this was the author’s intent, but I kind of doubt it.

— <b>addiction shaming</b>; they seemed particularly focused on weed for some reason, despite its legality in many places, and there being little evidence to support it being addictive in the way that <I>actual</I> substance abusers struggle with.

Laney’s father’s girlfriend struggles with addiction issues, but the only substances that the author names are alcohol (totally valid) and weed (why???). She has miscarried in the past, according to the author, due to this substance abuse. She was also fired because she smoked weed at her job <I>inside</I>... who does that? And look, weed, like other things, is not for everyone, and that’s fine. But to have it be the main struggle for someone who’s supposedly an addict was weird.
It’s just silly. If she’s an alcoholic, say she’s an alcoholic. There’s not nearly enough scientific research to suggest that weed usage during pregnancy causes miscarriages, and there certainly <I>is</I> enough research out there for the consensus to be that weed is no more addictive than caffeine (technically caffeine is more addictive...)

The way that Laney’s perspective on these issues is written really gives off the impression that the author is letting her personal feelings on the subject of sexuality and cannabis usage show, which is fine, it’s her book, but it really alienated me as a reader who both has some kinks in her sexual preferences, and also, to be transparent, uses a lot of weed both recreationally and medicinally, someone who also worked in the legal cannabis industry for many years.

— <b>casual racism</b>; Laney’s friends flash “gang signs” ( the author’s words 😒🧐) in photos. She also goes out of her way to describe a black or brown (we don’t know because Laney literally describes him as something to the effect of, “could be African-American, could be middle eastern”) boy working at the camping/outdoors store. It’s just always a bad look when all of the white characters are not described exclusively by the color of their skin and then the one BIPOC shows up and that’s their leading descriptor.

There are trigger warnings at the beginning of the book which is <I>so, so, so, so <u>great</u>! </I> Seriously, more authors/publishers need to do this. What’s strange is that some of the bigger triggering themes were not listed in this warning, and in all honestly, the trigger warning is strangely broad. Like, if you’re going to warn us, you should be specific.

“<I>This book contains scenes of violence, sexual situations, and suicide.</i>” Really doesn’t cover it, imo. There’s a sexual assault scene that will honestly probably haunt me and it would’ve been nice to get a heads up.

Listing both ‘violence’ and ‘sexual situations’ is not enough, nor helpful. If you really care about a reader being triggered, say what it actually is, don’t beat around the damn bush... not to mention the, ya know, <b>incest</b>.... why on earth is that not listed?

I know that this is an ARC and hopefully enough people will talk about these issues, but this overall, these were big negative marks for me that had me, mid-read, docking it from 4 stars to 3 within the span of maybe 20 pages.

Overall, I just really didn’t connect to a lot of the writing style. The dialogue felt particularly forced. Never at any point did I feel I was being narrated to by an actual teenager. It gave me, “I’m a cool, hip 30-to-40-something who totally knows how teens interact nowadays,” vibes, but they really, truly <I>don’t. Like, at all</I>.

It’s a 4/5-star concept with 2/3-star execution 🤷🏻‍♀️
**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC**