Life Derailed is a compelling exploration of love, grief, and the evolving role of AI in our lives. Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi craft a heartfelt, witty, and thought-provoking narrative that challenges the boundaries between human emotion and technology. The protagonist, Remi Russell, is deeply relatable—grappling with personal loss while navigating the uncertain future of her career. Her interactions with MAUDE, the AI system designed to revolutionize her workplace, create an intriguing tension between progress and tradition. The novel beautifully balances humor and poignant emotional depth, making it an engaging read. The unexpected twists keep the story fresh, particularly as Remi’s journey into AI-assisted romance takes a surprising turn. The themes of resilience and human connection resonate strongly, making the book more than just a contemporary romance but a reflection on how we adapt to change, both personally and professionally.

I feel like this is such a timely book in the topics it handles— grief, love and AI. As a cancer survivor myself I’m always intrigued by cancer storylines (though I didn’t know that going into it) and how family members deal with it.

The slow burn kept my attention throughout as the character deals with grief and I was all for it. I do think the AI portion did need to be fleshed out more. It also had a great twist. Overall, I did enjoy the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and the authors Beth Merlin and Danielle Modafferi for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I love the cover, that's about all I like about this book. I just couldn't get into it. It was too cheesy and trope-y for me. I'm sorry!

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC exchange for my honest review.)

This book surprised me; it wasn't the normal fast-paced book I was used to, so it did take some time to get into. With how fast AI is advancing in today's society, I thought it was a brilliant idea to incorporate the theme into this book. The book's fmc Remi, is an editor who works for a women's magazine. Jason, the mmc is trying to bring in the software he designed. It's old school vs new school in this fun rom-com. One of my favourite parts of this book is how the author dealt with grief. I know everyone grieves in their own way, but it was nice to read about a character who was having such a hard time with her partner's passing. It may have been 3 years ago, but a loved one's death will stay with you forever. Another fave part of this book for me was the strong female friendships. I love it when a book has the fmc not just obsessed with a man. Seeing a character's personality deepen when around friends is one of my favourite things to read about as a reader. The walk and talk routine reminded me so much of my coworkers and I. I did, however, think that Jason's character developed wayyyyy too fast, I wish that it was a slow progression and not an all at once progression.

Read if you like:
-Workplace rivals
-Strong female friendship
-A grieving widow
-AI and the pros and cons
-Romantic comedy

This book was an enjoyable read, tackling grief and loss with a touch of lighthearted moments.
I found it to be well written and flowing smoothly.
A great fit for fans of lighthearted romantic comedies.
Although it's not my usual style, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a feel good read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Monlake publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This one really hits hard. While we follow Remi and her grief journey, the story radiates love, hope, friendship and family. Just beautiful. Funny, witty and clever. A great read.

This book was…everything. Everything I needed and more. For a whole day, I got sucked into Remi‘s world and couldn’t stop, and when I had to, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

While one could definitely argue there were too many pop culture references (especially for a non-American like me hard to understand 🫣) and it may have been a little hard to get into, but after two chapters, I was hooked. My one critique was going to be how weird Noah was written and well…go read the book to know why I’m saying „wow“ to the two wonderful authors right now.

This book is an incredibly well crafted piece of literature that deals with grief better than I have ever read, and touched me without hurting too much. I never felt this understood.
It used humor perfectly, in the right situations, and made me giggle through a few tears.

Everything in this book felt so undeniably real, so human, especially Remi and Jason and I could write whole essays about this, but for the sake of keeping it short:
I am deeply impressed and absolutely in love.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Montlake and of course the two wonderful authors, for providing the ARC.

Alright, go on any social media source now, and I bet you there is a discussion somewhere on the home feed about Artificial Intelligence (AI). How do we feel about using ChatGPT to write a term paper? What about AI generated images on book covers? It is such a highly debated topic. When I see my text message app suddenly has AI options, I'm sitting here thinking (and yes this is hyperbole, but let me get it out...) who in my direct environment is a Cylon and how do I get my ass on board of the Galactica? What in the Blackest Mirror is going on with the world?

Breathe. I'm just a woman who likes to read, and the only adventure I'm embarking on does not involve a spaceship, but a bunch of ARC copies. The only AI I'm involved with right now, while on this reading journey, is MAUDE.

Remi is a 30-something senior editor for a women's magazine (the Sophisticate). As with a lot of print media, the Sophisticate has stiff competition in social media and blogs. Reader numbers are dwindling. Remi's boss Daphne onboards one Jason Ass...ASHbloome, their first Chief Digital Alarmbells Officer. Alarmbells are not actually in his title, but they are definitely ringing loudly when Jason arrives on scene bearing distracting good looks and an AI program he has dubbed "MAUDE". Jason's insistence MAUDE will save the day makes Remi fume. Clearly, the goal here is for MAUDE to replace actual people - her staff! - to cut costs. Remi argues AI cannot show empathy, care and affection the way humans can. Daphne refuses to budge, and points out Remi has been exempt from certain expectations long enough. You see, Remi was widowed 3 years ago, losing her husband David as he was reporting abroad in the Ukraine. Her grief isn't yet over, but her grace period sure is. As far as Remi's overbearing mother is concerned, that goes for her dating life too. Remi recognizes she desperately needs to take charge of her dating profile to appease her interfering (!) mother, but where to even begin... Surely it couldn't hurt to ask MAUDE for a little assistance? Right? ...RIGHT? (You know the Padma/Anakin meme?) 

I think this book is just fantastic. Life Derailed is a women's fiction romance, and a lovely feelgood read, but the novel has more layers due to the story engaging with and contributing to the very current, very real AI debate. I enjoyed the different perspectives, and while the authors clearly take a side, it isn't overbearing in its opinion and doesn't villainize the technology either. Life Derailed simply recognizes the importance of responsibility with the authors clearly practicing that for themselves, evident from the care they take in writing about grief. A few of my favorite passages really reveal how devastating and palpable David's death still is for Remi. She doesn't just experience the loss in anniversaries, birthdays, Christmases, but in the newspapers they shared on every Sunday morning. In an interview opportunity with the warmongering Senator Remi indirectly holds responsible for David's death. In Fitz, their chubby dog - Remi's lifeline.

These beautiful, sensitive parts are complemented by moments of unexpected hilarity (e.g. antics) and wit (e.g. a funny pun out of nowhere). The humor isn't used to compensate for the sadder or serious parts, to make us feel better! That kind of forced laughtrack-ish humor does not work. Thankfully, Life Derailed's humorous material elevates the serious moments: there are a few scenes which are clearly catalysts for important character developments and epiphanies, while being laugh out loud funny. Life Derailed has true fun with itself without distracting from the more serious topics.

The workplace romance is refreshing as well. Remi and Jason are opposites and they struggle to find any common ground, but the authors decided to write Jason as a mature character capable of being enthusiastic WHILE keeping an open mind. The romance is sort of "opposites attract", and they definitely clash at times, but Jason's not written as an enemy type character (the Assbloome refers to his fine ass, not his personality). The balance between the tension between them and their emotional maturity is skillfully done, and I appreciate that the writers saw the necessity to do this well in their book about moving forward while grieving. 

A lovely book, and I'm thankful to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to enjoy. All opinions are honest and 100% my own. And while I'm at it: AI was not involved in the writing of my review, and it NEVER will be.

Rating: 3.5/5

Life Derailed is an emotionally engaging novel that blends grief, romance, and the ethical dilemmas of AI in modern life. Remi’s journey is heartfelt, and the concept of an AI reshaping both a magazine and her love life is fresh and timely. While some parts feel predictable and could go deeper, it’s a warm, thoughtful read with a unique twist. A solid pick for fans of contemporary fiction with a tech edge.

I really enjoyed the book. Well written. I loved how Remi and Jason slowly got to know each other. I predicted what would happen with Noah as read on. It was still a good read. I would recommend this book.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Life Derailed blends humor, heartache, and modern tech into a compelling exploration of grief, human connection, and what it means to move forward. Remi’s journey—navigating love, loss, and the disruptive presence of AI in her career—offers both emotional resonance and timely commentary. Though some plot elements feel a bit far-fetched, Life Derailed shines in its portrayal of resilience, friendship, and the messy, beautiful chaos of real life. A thoughtful, fast-paced read with plenty of heart.

Thank you to Montlake, Beth Merlin, and Danielle Modafferi for the eARC!

This is a wonderful novel that had me sneaking time in my day, to just read one more chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Remi’s story, the impact AI could have on situations and how love, above all else, can surprise us all. The pace of Love Derailed is such that it keeps you wanting more, with the chunks of information and hints of the story, of the plot but of the characters’ back stories.

This book tugged at my heart! It was interesting with an AI aspect and technology, but also heartwarming and hopeful with emotions on the page. Well done, storytelling! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A bit cheesy and the Celeste Romero sideplot was definitely not something i particularly liked at all. the twist was also pretty late and i felt it needed more time to sink in. 3.25 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for this ARC.
This was also one of the choices for the Amazon First Reads April 2025.

Remi Russell is editorial director of Sophisticate magazine and widow of David, a war correspondent who died three years ago in Ukraine due to a retaliatory strike by Russia that Republican senator Celeste Romero had ordered.

Now, Sophisticate is struggling and Jason Ashbloome is sent in to help it back on its feet with the help of AI programme MAUDE that he developed. Remi and Jason are given three months to prove themselves and to decide whether MAUDE is here to stay. Remi uses the programne to help her with dating app Spark! where she makes the acquaintance of doctor Noah. But is he all he seems?

This is an enemy to lovers romance that features a woman’s magazine, some great friends, an over the top Jewish mother, and an adorable dog. Grief looms large, but there are also some lighthearted scenes and doses of humor.

Unfortunately, I had a number of issues with the plot. The AI angle of course, as even the mere suggestion that AI has a place in journalism makes me irrationally angry. The Ukraine plot and US politics that are so far from what's really happening right now that it's laughable even suggesting a Republican helping Ukraine, plus repeatedly calling Celeste a monster because a war correspondent got caught up in an air strike. War correspondents know the risk and do it anyway. Sure, Remi was grieving, but she was upset with the wrong person.

Also, did we have to have so many cultural references? I like Bridgerton, but the mentions were endless. So, yes, I had a real problem liking this and wished the plot had been less in your face political when all was needed was a way to make the romance work.

Life Derailed had me hooked from page one! The characters felt so real and relatable and I was rooting for them through every twist and turn. It’s smart, funny, super topical/current, and oh-so-full of heart, just perfect for anyone who loves a story about navigating life’s unexpected detours. I laughed, I cried. I didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend!