Come Again is the first novel by award-winning British actor, comedian and author, Robert Webb. The audio version is brilliantly narrated by actor, Olicia Colman. Nine months widowed, and all Kate Marsden wants to do is drink herself daily into oblivion, where at least she can dream of Luke. If the dream of their first encounter is never quite right, her memories always are.

Since Luke was suddenly taken by a sneaky, slow-growing tumour he’d had since before they met, Kate has withdrawn, merely existed, worked her IT job on auto-pilot. But when her mourning fog momentarily lifts, she uncovers an explosive piece of information: something with far-reaching effects for the world. Trouble is, deciding what to do when you are grief-stricken, suicidal and half-drunk is an undertaking she’s not sure she can face.

On reaching the milestone of ten thousand days since they first met, Kate decides the appropriate step is to stop living; just one more Luke dream, and then she’ll take the pills and the vodka. But when Kate wakes, it’s in her single bed in Benedict College, in her eighteen-year-old body, on the day she first met Luke Fairbright, back in October 1992. It’s not a dream.

Her immediate instinct is to save Luke: “it was perfectly straightforward. She was going to convince Luke that she was from the future and he needed to get a tumour removed from his brain otherwise he would drop dead at the age of forty-seven in his kitchen, which was incidentally also her kitchen because she was his wife. Fine.”

And if that’s not challenge enough, another tiny problem becomes apparent: her forty-five-year-old brain is more irritated than charmed by nineteen-year-old Luke, his lies, affectations and his pretentious manuscript. For his part, Luke is both sceptical and angry about the bizarre and rather disturbing revelations this (clearly crazy) total stranger dumps on him.

What an absolute treat Webb’s first novel is! He gives the reader a clever plot, marvellous characters, witty dialogue and an action-packed finale that features Russian thugs, a car chase involving a fleet of London cabbies, an avant-garde Shakespeare production, MI5 and quite a lot of karate. It is filled with generous helpings of brilliant British humour, much of it quite black, especially the insults, though some readers may object to the expletives.

Webb’s descriptive prose is wonderfully evocative: “The main body of the bar was the setting of a vast, ongoing brawl between broken tiles, strip-lighting and chipped Formica. The walls were brown, but with that hint of yellow that gives horse manure its element of drama. Around the edges were a series of semi-circular ‘booths’ featuring red plastic banquettes and tiny, quivering tables guaranteed to immediately spill any drink they came into contact with. The metal chair legs had all lost their rubber stoppers years ago and the effect of a hundred of them scraping against the ‘terracotta’ floor was – until you learned to tune it out – what insanity might sound like if it lived with a dentist. It was a room that couldn’t hear itself think and which understood no smells but tobacco and last night’s beer. Kate felt immediately at home.”
This is an outstanding debut novel and whatever Webb puts his hand to next will be eagerly anticipated.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and Hachette Audio

Listening to this book reminds me of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Novel.. Forever Interruption. The sadness and grieves of losing the love ones. Love the story.

I found that the audiobook is great and interesting. The narrator's intonation made the story more to live. It's a wonderful opportunity to receive this book. My utmost appreciation to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this opportunity to listen to my first audiobook on NetGalley.

This book deserves 4.5 stars rating.

This book was emotional, funny, and unique. A new take on romance that asks- can you fall in love for the first time twice? The author did a great job expressing the emotional state of the main character without making me feel overwhelmed. There was a lot to be liked about this book.

I think my main issue with this book is it felt like a mix of three different stories that overlapped but never really meshed. I liked the beginning and was excited to see where it would go. The second part was amazing and I loved seeing how the character handled being thrown into her past. However, the third part was a little over dramatic and was hard to believe.

AUDIO: The narrator was fantastic. She did a great job with the emotional and funny scenes.

The epilogue was... confusing. The author tried to get readers to suspend disbelief but it was honestly not successful. I kind of wish that would have been completely left out because it made zero sense and was not necessary for the story. Also the music in the last minute of the epilogue was incredibly annoying and too loud.

No, wasn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t really relate to any of the characters. I struggled a lot to get into it. The Audio narrator Incredible though.

I struggled with this book. It has a lot of interesting elements (perhaps too many) that fail to come together as an engaging well-developed story. I couldn't tell what this novel wanted to be: endearing second chance romance?, political statement?, sad account of grief?, exploration of middle age and longing? I could pluck isolated elements that resonated, but they didn't add up to a satisfying reading experience as a whole.

I loved the narration but ugggh the story was not my cup of tea. It was extremely odd to see the heroine fall in love with an immature college student when she was mentally in a different stage in life. I don't think it worked at all.

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now so when I spotted the audiobook on NetGalley AND discovered that Olivia Colman was narrating it I immediately downloaded it!

Come Again follows Kate, a woman in her 40s who is mired in grief following the sudden death of her husband Luke a few months earlier. She’s really struggling and trying to cope as best as she can. Then she discovers something awful on her boss’s computer and gets fired. I really liked Kate right from the start, I felt so sorry for her that life had turned so bad for her. I was rooting for her to find a way to hold on through her grief. Olivia Colman is perfect to narrate this book, the warmth of her voice was spot on for Kate’s character.

In the second part of this novel Kate wakes up to discover it’s 1992, she’s 18 years old and just starting uni in York! She quickly realises that this might be her chance to save Luke. Very soon it becomes apparent that it’s impossible to make things happen exactly as they did the first time and I found this part of the book so much fun to read. I loved seeing how Kate met her long term friends for the first time and how she met Luke. It was really quite funny seeing her make off-the-cuff comments about events that hadn’t happened yet in 1992, and dealing with her new friends asking her questions about the future because they think she might be psychic. This whole part of the novel is so nostalgic and lovely.

Part three of the book is set back in the present and Kate is in her own time again. If I’m to be honest this part of the book didn’t work as well for me initially. The novel seems to veer in an unexpected and slightly ridiculous direction that doesn’t make sense and doesn’t fit with the rest of the plot. Thankfully Webb does get things back on track and ultimately I did love how the novel ended.

The narration of Come Again is perfection! Olivia Colman really added something to this book for me and the time I was listening flew by as I got absorbed in the novel. I love that she is a similar age to Kate so her voice was authentic and it made the chapters set in 1992 feel so believable because Kate still sounded like she was in her 40s even though her body was now 18 again. I hope she narrates more novels in the future.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it on audio because Olivia Colman really adds something special with her narration, which is warm and funny and brilliant. Come Again is a good first novel and I would definitely read more by Robert Webb in the future.

I usually find books focusing on time travel to be too unrealistic to enjoy. However, this sweet story about a widow that suddenly finds herself back at the night where she met her husband. The author captured the beauty of the second chance she received and also the heartbreak that she endures. This is well written with likable characters.

With so much thanks to Netgalley for providing an audiobook of Come Again by Robert Webb. Yes Netgalley has audiobooks now! This is seriously game changing. With how life is currently audiobooks are the main way I’m reading right now. While the narrator wasn’t brilliant, they did grow on me and I was able to thoroughly enjoy the book.

The main character Kate is grieving the death of her husband Luke who was her partner for 28 years. In the last 9 months she has pushed away all her friends and family, has just been fired from her job and is preparing for her suicide as she feels that’s the only option left for her.

One morning she wakes up in 1992 on her first day of college, first day of meeting Luke etc. This gives Kate the chance to change the future and attempt to prevent Luke’s death. With a solid cast of characters and an enjoyable storyline I would definitely read a book by this author in the future.

A solid 4⭐️ read.

Kate fell in love with Luke instantly when she was nineteen on the very first night at Uni. Twenty eight years later, the love of her life is gone- a brain tumor. How can she reconcile her new life- devoid of her husband? Was there anything they could have done? These questions circle around in her thoughts constantly. Every day is a struggle- she no longer takes care of herself, has closed herself off from all her friends, and now finds herself without a job. Everything has fallen apart, and there is only to welcome the end…
Then one morning she wakes up in the wrong bed… the wrong room… the wrong body. Kate finds herself, once again, meeting Luke and her friends- given a chance to save her husband. The thing is, he isn’t the man she lost; not really. He is nineteen year old Luke with all the annoying habits. She is no longer starry eyed nineteen year old Kate, but Kate in her forties- a Kate that hasn’t got the patience for bullshit. Still, if she can do everyting exactly the same, if they can fall in love again… maybe she can save him. Maybe they can find out about the tumor in time. It’s worth a shot, right?

I loved this story! I got it yesterday as an early release audiobook from Netgalley and Hachete Audio, and I have to admit that I didn’t think I would be able to finish it in time- less than 24 hours to get through an audiobook is a stretch and not one I would have thought I could do, but I was just so excited! The premise is one that, on the surface has been done before- the timetravel to save one’s dead love- but there are so many other layers and interesting nuances! There’s also the fact that I love Kate- even when she’s prickly and at the end of her strength, talking to a mouse and surrounded in filth. Her reaction to her newly found widow status seems natural, if heartbreaking. Her reaction to young Luke and friends is amazing. I love the interactions- how they all got on together. I also love that she didn’t make it easy- that Luke didn’t just accept everything, get well, marry her and live happily ever after without any questions- and that Kate could have her own questions. More than anything I loved Tobey- we all need one in our lives.
This book was packed with emotion- sadness, grief and laughter. I was charmed by it. While I will be buying this book, I don’t know if it will be the audiobook- this seems like one I would rather read through. It’s a great story with a good flow to it- it doesn’t hurt that there’s never a dull moment. I loved the story lines, and could not get enough of the characters. For me, this is a five star book.
On the adult content scale there’s a lot of language, and drinking, along with some violence and mild sexual content. I would still say it was apropriate for any reader above, say, 13. Let’s give it a three.
I feel very blessed to have been given an early release audiobook from Netgalley and Hachette audio in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

I received a free audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't heard of this book but the description was intriguing. The description reminded me of 13 Going on 30 meets PS I Love You.

I enjoyed the narrator's voice and would definitely listen to audiobooks that she narrated in the future.

I thought the actual book was ok. I couldn't determine fully what the intended audience was. Was it supposed to be a light hearted romance book for the masses? Or was it a book intended for mature audiences? I feel like the author needs to pick one and stick with it.

I liked the characters but would have enjoyed it more if they were more developed. It seemed rushed and the ending didn't seem as believable.

Overall I thought it was a good book, though! Thank you!

Come Again is a charming story by Robert Webb that follows Kate, a grieving widow whose husband Luke recently dropped dead of a brain tumor. One day she wakes up in the past- right before she’s supposed to meet Luke during their first week at University together.

Can she warn him about the tumor and save him from his fate? Or are some things just destined to happen either way?

Or what if meddling in the past causes bigger changes than Kate could ever anticipate?

Come Again explores these options and is a love story, a story of working through grief, is light, funny, and even has a car chase or two to keep things exciting.

This is a quick and light read. You’ll love the 90s nostalgia and Kate’s second chance at falling in love for the first time. I do wish the book had really gone for it and made me ugly cry like I’ve come to expect from books with time travel elements- I made it through this one with dry eyes- but it was still an enjoyable read.

I listened to this book in audiobook format and thought the narrator did a great job at bringing the characters to life.

I’ve been looking forward to this book since I got to hear the author talk about it following its UK release. Well, today is the US publication date, so American readers can finally get their hands on it too!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown, and Company, and Hachette Audio for the advance copies.

This book was enjoyable. I loved Kate's sarcasm. Unfortunately the netgalley app that this audiobook played through kept stopping and would jump from chapter to chapter so was a little confusing at moments but I would definitely happily listen to this again once the issues are sorted out