This book was beautiful, from start to finish I was enthralled with these characters, and the need to know why these two characters had to kill each other in every life, just to be reborn and do it all again. I loved how the dual timeline allowed us to see snippets of their previous lives in between their current one and how this book took place all across the world

Having read and loved The Invisible Life of Addie Larue I was captured by the description of Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven and had to get my hands on it, then it was just a case of finding the time and space to sit and experience the many lives of Evelyn and Arden.

Evelyn has lived many, many lives and can remember them all, the people she has loved and lost, the multiple incarnations, genders and chapters of lives that she has lived, all of which end with her death or murder before her eighteenth birthday. Evelyn can’t remember why she has lived all these lives or why in each and every one she has had an irrevocable bond with Arden but, she can remember that in each she dies and in this life that’s a very real problem.

Evelyn loves the life she has now, despite the loss of her father in an accident, and the hardships her family have faced, including her sister’s urgent need for a bone marrow transplant that only Evelyn can provide. Evelyn must live long enough to save her sister and to do that she must find who is hunting her and find out why they are hunting her, and most importantly of all NOT fall in love with them.

I was totally drawn into this story, whilst firmly set in present day there were numerous flashbacks to past lives and timelines that Evelyn and Arden have shared, each providing insight into their past lives, love and deaths. The interweaving of their past lives with their current lives added insight, depth and pure poetry to their story, truly embedding the line ‘Love can make a villain of anyone.’

The flow of the story as snippets from their past lives emerged from the flashbacks laid a path towards the reveal near the end, which was beautifully tragic, and I had no idea before I read it. This gradual development of the plot and journey towards the reveal as Evelyn and Arden’s 18th birthdays approached truly touched my soul and broke my heart piece by piece.

“ ‘Like the sway of the sea and the tug of the tides, love is a moving, eternal thing. Let us not be afraid of the wax and the wane, the rise and the fall, the eternal undertow. Each time our souls meet, let us submerge our bodies in the bright-blue cold, and let the waves make us anew.’ A tear slid down the apple of her cheek. ‘I love you, and I have loved you, and I will love you.’

Laura Steven has delivered a work of art that is truly majestic in it’s beauty, pathos, lyricality, perspectives, pacing, and sheer heartbreak and totally deserves all of your attention. Thank you so much, Penguin Random House, Netgalley and Laura Stevens for the devastation of this beautifully tragic ode to life, love and grief. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book had such an amazing premise but sadly it did not deliver. Being really honest, if this hadn’t been an arc and I hadn’t already DNF’d an arc this month, I would have DNF’d at around 25% because whilst there were kernels of story that peaked my interest on the whole I was mostly bored.

I was mildly interested in finding out why they had to die/kill each other before their 18th birthday, and I liked some of the different lives we got to see but eventually switching to different time periods and trying to work out what was happening constantly became annoying. I wanted to know more about certain lives and find out more about this epic love between the two MCs but it only ever felt surface level.

We did get more insight into Evelyn and Arden through the ‘Wales’ chapters but again this wasn’t enough to hold my interest. Thankfully these chapters had some fantastic side characters in Gracie and her mum who were brilliant, but I was disappointed that they were forgotten about and not given a fitting conclusion.

From a writing perspective, everything just felt so slow. I understand the need to build in the emotion and angst given the content of the story but it was far too slow for my liking and again I think that prevented me being more engaged.

Finally, I was hoping the twist at the end would be worth the wait and would explain everything but unfortunately it was anticlimactic and felt forced.

Sadly this just wasn’t for me but the idea is fantastic and I’m sure there will be many readers who love it.

2 ⭐️⭐️ (for the premise, Gracie and some of the past lives).

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher (Penguin Random House UK Childrens and Puffin Books) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

This book ate me up. I've admired Steven's writing for a while now but this book is next level. Reading it is as bizarre an experience as the set-up itself. Two souls are going through centuries always destined to kill each other before they turn 18. Their relationship is disturbing, emotional, moving. The book moves between a 'current' narrative plot and previous lifetimes, slowly revealing the complexity of their existence and pulling you into their emotional vortex. I can't say much about the plot other than it moves in ways I could never have predicted and held me so fast that I couldn't think about anything else while I was reading it. Beautiful writing, careful plotting and pacing, characters that will stay with you long after it finishes- read it already!

A heart-wrenching, glorious, utterly superb read.

I haven't read something like this in a very long time, if ever!

Evelyn and Arden (and by extension Laura Steven) had my absolute heart and soul through this book. I devoured it - as I just couldn't tear myself away from the next chapter in the love story spanning millenia.

The premise of loving someone throughout time is not new, but this? This definitely is something gloriously new.

I will attempt to dry my eyes and 'I still believe' that everyone deserves to hear 'I love you. I have loved you. And I will love you.'

Absolutely incredible.

Gorgeous book that had me hooked from page 1.

I loved every new lifetime and I was utterly rooting for the couple.

❤️ Emotional
❤️ Beautiful yet traumatising romance
❤️ Brilliant ending and twist!

✨4.5 stars✨

This was such a beautiful story following Evelyn and Arden who are destined to meet in every lifetime, and kill each other before they turn 18.

I really enjoyed following the two characters in every iteration, but especially the modern day where Evelyn is trying to stay alive in order to donate bone marrow to her sick sister.

I honestly couldn’t put this book down as the different lives and the reveals throughout the book had me hooked!

I would 100% recommend this book to all when it is published in February.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Our Infinite Fates was simply magnificent. It was easily one of the best books I read last year.

It has such a fantastic premise—I mean these lines are irresistible: “They’ve loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They’ve killed each other in every one”. That is a killer hook that draws you in and promises an epic, tangled knot of a story to unravel. Luckily, Laura Steven builds on this brilliant premise to deliver a devastating and delightful ode to the power of love. It is the type of book that imprints onto your heart and leaves a trace long after the final page.

While being careful not to spoil anything, the characterisation is stellar in this book. We get a main timeline with two central characters and also various glimpses into the lives they have inhabited before. As a long-time reader of Steven’s work, I knew going in that characterisation was one of her strengths in her extensive toolbox but this aspect really shines here. They just feel so believable, with great development, dialogue and chemistry. Everyone feels three-dimensional and you find yourself caring about their hopes and dreams. A special shout-out has to go to the snarky, hilarious Gracie who you will lose your heart to.

Truly, it is an epic tale that stretches across aeons and countries. The excerpts from each lifetime are haunting fragments that establish character deftly and effectively in just a few lines. You get a sense of each person and the life they have inhabited, as well as the sense of love and inevitable loss about to hit them. It is doomed and tragic and yet you still root for them to succeed. The skill to be able to pull this off in often just a few pages is incredible. Steven pours so much heart and soul into this book. It is emotional lightning in a bottle—fraught and tender. You find yourself being pulled into these pages and hoping for a happy ending this time despite all the odds.

These excerpts also serve as chilling reminders of the effectiveness of this endless cycle. It is fated to always end in death. You have that ticking clock on your mind throughout, after one hell of an opening chapter clearly establishes the stakes and set-up of the journey you are about to embark on. It is action-packed and has a deliciously dark sting in its tale. From there, Steven has you in the palm of her hand. It is exquisitely paced, with a constant sense of tension permeating the pages. We move from timeline to timeline and person to person seamlessly. I was astounded to never feel a let-down in tension despite these interludes. Instead, they had the opposite effect of just reemphasising this vicious cycle over and over again. There is also a touching celebration of love overcoming all within these—it is a force regardless of gender and sexuality, meaning that we get various examples of potential match-ups throughout time but that central connection is between these two souls. It powerfully emphasises love being beyond a body or physical appearance, instead as an unknowable, intangible thing that just brings people together. That kind of message is wonderful.

Also, this is packed full of surprises and twists. Throughout, you have the mystery of this cycle and what kickstarted it. Steven keeps you guessing through the pages, leaving little crumbs along on the path. It is such a well-crafted mystery and the twists are nothing short of jaw-dropping. I think about those final few chapters most days since reading. Every detail is sewn together excellently and feels cohesive.

Our Infinite Fates delivers superb characterisation that builds on an ingenious premise and spins it into a story that you will never forget. It was absolutely phenomenal, moving and bound to be the book on everyone’s mind.

5 STARS ⭐️

“The cruelest fate the gods and stars had ever written: the person I loved most in the world was the person that would ultimately destroy me.”

Our Infinite Fates is one of those rare, unforgettable reads that reminds you why you love books in the first place.

This book is so beautifully written. I loved every part of it. The way it shows their bond throughout the years kept me hooked. The entire story was just perfect.

The premise of this book drew me in. The protagonist, Evelyn, is cursed to die before her eighteenth birthday, always at the hands of the same soul—Arden. Their relationship is complex, spanning multiple lifetimes, but this time, Evelyn is determined to break the curse because her younger sister’s survival depends on it.

This was the first book I had read by this author, and I really enjoyed her writing style. The way the story wove between past and present, revealing glimpses of Evelyn’s previous lives, was compelling. As someone fascinated by the idea of past lives, I appreciated the historical context and the unique take on star-crossed lovers destined to find each other again and again.

While the story unfolded at a gradual pace, I found the final section especially engaging. Readers who enjoy slow-burn, atmospheric storytelling with a touch of the supernatural will likely find a lot to love in this book.

Our infinite fates is a YA Romantasy that spans hundreds of lifetimes. They have lived thousands of lives and they are destined to love and kill each other. In the end will love be strong enough? We see glimpses of the characters throughout their lives and see what they mean to each other in flashes. Alongside their current lives where the ultimate query is will they die before trying to save her sister? I really did enjoy this book, I feel like we saw a spark in some lives and others we caught the ending but through it all Arden was always there to hold Evelyn. This book shows no matter what love will always be left.

I would give six stars, if that were possible but, alas, five will have to do.

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Stevens is an epic YA romantic fantasy. Not necessarily in terms of fantastical worlds or physical journeys but through the sheer scope of emotional depth and history.

Fated to kill each other before their 18th birthday in each life, Evelyn (through whose eyes we see their lives play out) and Arden seem destined to find each other in each of their reincarnations. After well over a thousand years, Evelyn is unwilling to continue, especially since in her current life, a loved one dearly needs her help in order to survive. Will their break the infinite loop of love and violence?

I received the prologue as a freebie and it made me curious about the rest of the novel. Now I am incredibly grateful to the author and her publisher for this ARC. The novel is set in present-day Wales, with each chapter defined by its place and time. Its protagonists defy gender, reborn as souls in bodies of varying gender over the centuries. This inclusivity was beautifully and sensibly executed and Laura Stevens demonstrates a fine understanding of the transitive nature of gender. Both characters, as well as those around them, are beautifully crafted and very distinct, even across time, space and physical existence (no mean feat!). I absolutely tore through the book, as it was not only grippingly well-written but also very well paced. There are some cruel twists, which make Our Infinite Fates a true page-turner of a novel. Stevens use of foreign settings and languages is gentle and thoughtful, as far as I can judge for my own native language which has been included. If you are a lover of literature, travel and history, the rare words peppered in are a real treat. Steven weaves in the past lives into the present plot to show the reader consequences to potential solutions, rather than telling them. This kept my brain very engaged at guessing and then learning of the consequences my ideas would have had. I generally cannot get over how well chosen the locations and plot lines of the past lives are! This book is truly hard to put down, especially with the delicately crafted plot, leading to several full-circle moments you won't see coming.

There is a little YA-appropriate steaminess and some violence and descriptions of blood etc. but they are sparse and not off-putting.

As a study on the nature of love, suffering and free will, this book is a feat of nature and the ending is beautifully tied together. I hope you can let it sweep you away!

💬: "If a hero is someone who will give up love to save the world, then a villain is the reverse. Someone who will give up the world to save love."

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

I loved Laura Steven's books The Exact Opposite of Okay and A Girl Called Shameless when they came out several years ago, but hadn't read anything else from her up until this point.

When I saw this up on NetGalley, I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeous cover and the premise, so knew I had to read it.

💜 What I liked about it 💜
✨️ The writing is beautiful and mesmerising. I highlighted so many sentences and passages as I was reading, because I didn't want to forget a single thing
✨️ Everything about Arden and Evelyn's complicated, wonderful and heart-wrenching relationship - the tension, the yearning, the love and the hatred. It was all so compelling and damn near broke my heart
✨️ It was fun getting to see Evelyn and Arden across the centuries, finding out what their lives were like back then and how they'd inevitably meet each other. It really felt like a lot of thought and research went into the book
✨️ The story kept me on the edge of my seat. I was desperate to find out how the pair's story would end and also for Evelyn to unravel the secrets Arden was keeping from them
✨️ This book explores some really complex themes like love, fate, souls, humanity and reincarnation which was fascinating

For fans of:

🔮 YA romantasy
💕Enemies to lovers
🏳️‍🌈 Queer characters
🤔 Themes of identity

💫 Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read an early eARC of this book.
Beautiful, and hauntingly romantic! I just couldn't put it down and read this in one evening. I don't have much to say that won't spoil the plot but everyone needs to read this immediately!

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for the eARC of Our Infinite Fates

I absolutely loved this novel, as I started reading I was gripped by the intrigue of the developments of this novel. The chapters set in the present and then the flash backs to the past, which spanned different years had me hooked, as I sit writing this review I do so wondering how do I review this book without spoiling any aspect of it... The answer is I don't know and hopefully I'll be vague enough that I won't. I've never read a book with this concept before and Laura Steven really did execute it amazingly, I loved the characters Arden and Evelyn, Branwen and Dylan, to name a few and I loved how the storyline adapted through the years and that revelation towards the end and not forgetting the actual ending! Our Infinite Fates is one emotional rollercoaster, the writing is superb and really hooks you into the story. I devoured the pages with an eagerness to find out what was going on and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this novel. Our Infinite Fates is an amazing read, definitely a 5 star of 2025

What an absolutely incredible book! I could not put this down!!!

The intricacies of the characters being reimagined each chapter, their history going further back in time whilst present day was surging forwards. It was absolutely brilliant.

I loved that it felt a little like a historical fiction but because every other chapter the date in time changed it kept you drawn in, like learning little snippets here and there.

The twist at the end I would never have seen coming and I really enjoyed the take on the conclusion.

Arden and Evelyn - Adam and Eve? Did make me think about intertwining souls.

Argh it was just so clever! Loved it and would 100% recommend you read this! I already have it on preorder 🤣

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this incredible book!

Our Infinite Fates was a book that I was highly anticipating, the plot seemed amazing and I couldn't wait to dive in! Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would. Whilst the writing was beautiful I didn't connect to the characters and I felt like a lot of the romance happened off page. It felt like I was being told they were in love but, in my opinion, there wasn't enough of seeing them fall in love. I also felt like the plot was wrapped up in the last 20% and there were not enough hints throughout the book for me to believe what happened in that last section.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to Penguin for my arc.

Going into this book, I knew I would love it - Laura is one of my favourite authors - and this book didn't disappoint! This is one of my most anticipated reads and it hit the mark!

The last chapter had me sobbing because it was so satisfying to read.

This book has a very ambitious scope. It tellsl the tale of two souls across all of their lifetimes and how they intertwine and I loved reading the relationship between Evelyn and Arden and seeing them interact from one life to the next and all the little parts of them that are the same regardless of the life lived.

I loved how much Evelyn cares for the people in her lives and how much she loves people (despite knowing she will die before she reaches 18).

The structure of the two main plot lines of the book (Evelyn's current life in modern day, and flashbacks to many of her previous lives) was really engaging and I found myself constantly wanting to read more and figure out everything! However, I felt like the book was too short and I could have easily read a 500+ page book that delved into every life they both lead.

I feel like increasing the length would have helped the pacing in the last 20% as so much was covered and I cannot wait to reread it after reading it for the first time.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It’s different from most of the other books I’ve read. It kept me intrigued and hooked all the way through. I loved it!