Really good book which I will recommend to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

I found this book a really feel good read. I found the characters interesting and the characters likable and interesting. 4 stars from me.

Laura Pearson has written yet another beautiful and thought provoking novel. With a compelling plot line of family secrets, self-discovery and growth, The Woman Who Met Herself is uniquely centred around two women in their sixties who unexpectedly meet and change each other's lives.

Debbie, a charity fundraiser, knocks on Ruth's door and unexpectedly comes face to face with someone who looks exactly like her. Stunned, both women are filled with questions and set out together to uncover how they are connected and how they came to be separated. For Debbie and Ruth, this is a deeply personal journey that explores identity, memory and the strength of familial bonds.

Written with heart, Debbie and Ruth's story is handled sensitively and honestly. I especially liked the way the author handled the topics of what it means to be a women, of motherhood and mental health and would recommend this book to anyone looking for a heart-warming, emotional read.

What would you do if you knocked on a random door and came face-to-face with an identical twin you didn’t know existed?

Debbie and Ruth learn about each other - and from each other - after a chance encounter reveals they are identical twins separated as infants. Both are navigating changes - some beyond their control and others they are empowered to make. Another beautiful story from Laura Pearson about the bonds of friendship and self-discovery.

"When two cars are involved in a head-on collision, you know the impact on both will be huge. That afterwards, whether they’re written off or patched up, those cars will bear the imprint of one another. And it’s the same with people."

"It’s a powerful thing, genetics. She pictures Debbie, the expressions and mannerisms they share, as well as features, despite having lived their lives apart. She lands on what her mum said at the end of her last visit, about the twins belonging together. And that is it, she realises, that is what she feels when she’s with this near stranger. Like they belong together."

"Who would have thought, a few months ago, that there would be multiple things in her life that she was fizzing about?"

"And Debbie thinks about that all afternoon. About how sometimes it’s so easy to do something that makes a big difference to someone else."

"I think I was jealous of the way you are with people. The way you’ve curated your life with all these people in it that you want to spend time with."

The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson is a beautifully written, heartfelt story that I thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. Warm and moving, it tells the story of Ruth Waverley and Debbie Jones, two strangers who one day come face to face with each other – only to find that they are completely identical.

Ruth Waverley is living a seemingly perfect life. Married with twin sons, Ruth is happy enough but is beginning to feel like there could be something missing. But what options does a woman in her early sixties have? Surely it’s too late to even think of trying something new?

Debbie Jones thinks life is an adventure. Since losing her husband a year ago, she feels ready to face the world head on, taking a hold of life with both hands. Being a 62 year old widow doesn’t have to mean her life is over. In fact, she has a feeling it may only just be the beginning!

And then one day she knocks on a stranger’s door and her life changes forever. As Debbie and Ruth’s eyes meet, the recognition is instant. They are completely identical, mirror images of each other. But how could this be possible?

The Woman Who Met Herself is a life affirming book about love, family secrets, friendship, heartache and grief. Touching on issues of mental health, it is a warm and gorgeously written story of how it’s never too late to change your life.

I loved that Ruth and Debbie were women in their early sixties – something that really doesn’t happen often enough in my opinion! And I also loved that they weren’t portrayed as old and past it, but as two strong women who still had a lot of life left to live.

Powerful, uplifting and emotionally satisfying, The Woman Who Met Herself is a heartwarming read that I would highly recommend.

I loved this book and all its excellent characters. Such a lovely, hopeful, moving and uplifting story. Just wonderful.

What a satisfying read! Laura Pearson is one of my go-to authors as I really enjoy her work. This book was a little more on the cozy side of a mystery. The characters were well drawn and the storyline was creative. Highly recommend

In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction about two women and their doppelgänger twist. Some good characters and thought-provoking sentiments. Some exaggerations and melodrama. So a typical uplit in many ways. Liked the first half, but the second half felt a bit shaky. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Plot Preview:
Ruth Waverly, 62, lives with her husband Nigel in a good house and runs a baking business from home. Her grown-up twin sons are away from home and are successful in their independent lives.
Debbie Jones, also 62, is a widow with no kids and has newly moved into town. Craving for interaction, she takes a job soliciting door-to-door donations for a charity.
One day, Debbie knocks on Ruth's door. To their shock, they are doppelgängers of each other. That's when their life changes forever.
The story comes to us in the alternating third-person perspectives of Ruth and Debbie, with some interludes from an unknown character’s first-person POV.

Many uplit stories with doppelgängers end with the characters swapping places with each other. Thankfully, this doesn’t go down that path. But the path it chooses to take is a bit unsteady.

Bookish Yays:
👭🏻 Debbie’s character. Loved her presence of mind, her boldness of spirit, and her largeness of heart.
👭🏻 The contrast between the personalities of Ruth and Debbie. Leads to some interesting moments. I like how the prologue itself challenges our initial perception about the lead characters’ state of happiness because of their personal situation. A good lesson on not to jump to conclusions based on minimal info.
👭🏻 The fact that both Debbie and Ruth are senior characters at 62, and the writing shows them as typical real women of that age, not as youthful matriarchs nor as geriatric curmudgeons.
👭🏻 The focus on women’s dilemmas, and how they are taken for granted at home is especially well done. The guilts of motherhood (especially in the initial days) are also explored convincingly.
👭🏻 The depiction of one secondary character’s dementia. As my father is in the initial stages of the same, this was very scary and true-to-life for me.
👭🏻 The title, which works on two levels if you think about it. It’s an indication not just of a woman who met her carbon copy but also of a woman who finally understood who she actually was rather than sticking to what the world thought she ought to be. Both these interpretations are applicable to Ruth as well as Debbie.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🎭 While the premise is great, there is not much mystery about the situation. It is quite easy to take a stab at the backstory of the resemblance, given the abundant clues. Of course, this isn't marketed as a mystery, so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
🎭 There are plenty of subplots, not all of which are connected to the main story. Some of these are interesting, some are plain annoying.
🎭 The first-person interludes that come in between some chapters are quite interesting, but these also offer spoilers to us readers. We thus end up learning some key facts before Debbie or Ruth do.
🎭 The character-focused narrative and somewhat introspective tone are quite unusual for this genre. Many scenes invite reflection in a practical way. This, along with the resultant slower pace, might not work for some readers.

Bookish Nays:
🤼 No depth to most of the secondary characters. The men in Ruth's family are – no other way of putting this – idiots. The most irritating character to me, however, was Ruth’s younger sister, Kate. I couldn’t buy how she wanted Ruth and Debbie to go to the media with their strange story in order to use the resources she had access to as a journalist and dig into what might have happened. Could she not have used her network of connections to help her sister without killing their privacy?
🤼 The predictability. The plot sticks to a fairly guessable path, even though the characters are often caught unawares by the reveals. This could be forgiven because of the genre itself being straightforward. But what’s obviously formulaic is that most family characters are jerks and all non-family characters are heartwarming.
🤼 The first half is still fairly okay as the plot development is fairly controlled. The second half goes a bit haywire, with too much needless melodrama, unnecessary subplots and redundant twists.

All in all, not a bad read, but also not a memorable read. This is my fifth book by this author, and while I have liked all her works, this ends up the least favourite mainly because of the second half. I think I like her books better when they include a dash of magical realism, which was missing from this plot.
Recommended, but not as a must-read. It would work well when you are in the mood for an emotional and introspective found-family story.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Boldwood Books for providing the DRC of “The Woman Who Met Herself” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A wonderful feel good read. Great characters, an interesting story and a fun family related read. Would recommend.

Laura Pearson is fast becoming one of my go-to authors because she creates such unique stories about the strength of women in the face of adversity. In The Woman Who Met Herself, when Debbie and Ruth come face to face, everything alters for both of them, as they realise they must have been separated at birth.

The storyline regarding the way in which these identical twins had been separated is slowly revealed as the story progressed. I thought it was handled gently and with tremendous empathy. In addition, both women were also going through changes, as Ruth faces decisions about her marriage, and Debbie learns to live again following the death of her husband of 42 years.

I loved the friendship Debbie has with student Jitu, who she works with as they go door to door trying to generate donations for a mental health charity. They were both so supportive of one another and it was such a heart-warming connection between them. I also liked Debbie’s friendship with Pete whose dog Bonnie becomes an important part of Debbie’s life.

It was also refreshing to see how Ruth interacted with her daughter in law, Layla, who was clearly finding motherhood to be a challenge.

There were some tricky subjects covered in this book, including dementia, bereavement, separations, sexuality, and a marriage reaching its conclusion, but they were all handled so well. I do like that there is a balance to Laura Pearson’s novels, so in this one there was plenty of hope, fun, heart-warming moments and even a future wedding ahead.

The Woman Who Met Herself is a heart-warming and uplifting story of hope and new beginnings, even when the past is not what it seemed.

Laura Pearson's The Woman Who Met Herself is a poignant exploration of identity, grief, and the paths not taken. When Eliot discovers her doppelgänger, it unravels a carefully constructed life, forcing her to confront a past she'd buried. Pearson masterfully weaves a narrative that is both mysterious and deeply emotional, drawing the reader into Eliot's unsettling reality. The novel delves into the "what ifs" of existence with a delicate touch, making you ponder your own choices. It's a beautifully written, introspective read that lingers long after the final page, leaving a profound impression on the reader.

A story about long lost twin sisters. This is very sweet and charming from the beginning. The main characters are wonderful. I definitely recommend this book

This is one of those books that you think are going into one direction just to surprise the reader. I really really loved this one, and hope to read more by this author in future.

I adore Laura Pearson's writing. It's so very insightful, moving, and has a unique edge to it. In the book, we initially read about two women's lives and are encouraged to challenge our assumptions about them. The book is written from the alternating POV's of Ruth and Debbie, two 62 year old women living separate lives, with different personalities, until they accidentally meet and discover they look identical. I love the way Laura handles the subject matter and the complexities of human relationships. There are strong themes of family, friendship, and identity as well as self-discovery. The comparison of Ruth and Debbie's lives and personalities is really interesting and examines the nature vs. nurture theory. I love the side characters, too, which bring a richness to the story. This is heartwarming, uplifting, emotional and it makes you think. Another triumph from Laura Pearson.

“The Woman Who Met Herself” by Laura Pearson is a story of self-discovery after a family secret held for decades comes to light. Debbie is a 62-year-old widow, going door to door to solicit donations for a charity. Ruth is a 62-year-old housewife running a baking business from home. When Ruth opens the door to Debbie, both are astounded. It’s like looking in the mirror. How is such a thing possible? Answers are difficult to come by since Debbie’s mother is dead, and Ruth’s mother has dementia.

I quite enjoyed this book, and I liked seeing the character development of these women as they navigated new identities for themselves and confronted their pasts. I’m six years older than Ruth, but sometimes I felt that Ruth’s mindset with some of the issues that she was facing in life (particularly with her husband) was a lot more like my mother’s generation than with mine.

Many thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for an ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

First of all…. What a beautiful cover for Laura’s latest release - isn’t it gorgeous.

Who would ever think that knocking on someones front door would take you on an unexpected journey of discovery and open a can of worms which may cause more harm than good?
When Rita, 62 knocks on a door to try and raise some donations for a charity she works for but gets a shock of her life when the person who answers the door is a lady who is identical to herself…
Rita, naturally is in shock and leaves the other lady standing there equally shocked but neither have any idea on who the other person is and what connects them - if anything.
The story continues where both Rita and her ‘doppleganger’ Debbie meet up to try and resolve this mystery but with neither lady knowing much it all leads to asking fellow family members - the first being Rita’s step mum who is in a care home and living with memory loss conditions.

Willl the ladies get the answers they seek or will it lead to more unanswered questions and heartache?

Every time I read a new release from Pearson I declare it as my new favourite...Guess what? This is the fifth book of hers I've read and another easily deserving of a five star rating!

It's an absolutely wonderful and somewhat moving story of sisters, twins in fact, both of whom have no idea of the other's existence.

Both Ruth and Debbie are fantastic characters; credible and engaging. Apart from their looks there was nothing that screamed twins. They were so different in personality and temperament.

Beautifully written and a delight to read.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Woman Who Met Herself' by Laura Pearson.

Another absolutely fabulous, beautiful, unique, emotive and stunning must read from this incredible author!!! Absolutely love, love, loved it!!! This book has fantastic descriptions that set you straight in the scenes. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this stunning, unique feel good page turner!! Well done Laura on yet another thought provoking page turning beauty! The storyline itself was absolutely unputdownable so make sure you clear your schedules before starting to read it!!

Laura does it yet again!! I mean, seriously lady!!! How can you keep coming up with some superb, unique and stunning storylines each and every single time??? I just absolutely adored everything when it comes to this book and it really is one of the most stunning books I have read this year!! Grab this book today and fall in love with Laura Pearson, Debbie and Ruth!!! Laura has such an absolutely amazing, creative and imaginative brain to come up with these absolutely beautiful, thought provoking and one of a kind storylines that she creates! I was fascinated watching how Debbie and Ruth's personalities, friendships and relationships developed and changed throughout the book. It was absolutely gorgeous watching the characters all grow, develop and change as they each went through their own heartbreak, dramas, life changes, romances and much more. I was rooting for both Debbie and Ruth throughout needing them to get their happy ever afters!!! If you are looking for a stunning read filled with romance, intrigue, friendship, family, feel good moments and so much more then this is definitely the perfect book for you!! Laura's evocative writing skills sucks the reader seep into the pages bringing the storyline to life along with all the amazing characters. While reading this book you will kept swept away and left feeling happy and filled with warmth. This book is an absolutely stunning and thought provoking read that is perfect to lift your spirits!! I think this is definitely one of the most, if not the most thought provoking and unique book that I have ever read, just an absolute treasure!!! The previous ones also being other books by this amazingly talented author. When turning the pages of this must read Laura takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions from heartbreak, happiness, love, sadness, bliss and so much more!! I truly felt like I was next to Ruth and Debbie throughout the book. I devoured this book in a few hours as it is one of those that I just could not put down. There were so many times that I told myself that I would just finish the one chapter and then go back to it but that chapter ended in a way that I could not put it down and then the next one did and then the next and so on until I came to very last page. I would absolutely love to see this beauty turned into a movie and I will be at the front of the queue to go and see it!! Laura's writing skills will absolutely absorb you into the book and whether you are in the world you will be devoured in the story in the blink of an eye.

Clear your schedules and grab your tissues. I could not put this stunning, unique and emotive book down and devoured it in a few hours!!!

The characters were all an eclectic mix and each one of them were realistic and strong. I was completely invested in Debbie and Ruth along with each and every one of the other characters and I already miss most of them even though I have just closed the pages. All of the characters are intriguing, unique, strong and I absolutely loved meeting each and everyone one of them. The only disappointment is that they are not actually real as I would love to sit down and have a cuppa with them and get to know even more about them all. It absolutely loved being able to see the characters develop their personalities, relationships and friendships amongst other things, seeing them grow in strength and empowering themselves and each other. An absolutely amazing collection of characters who will stay with me for a long time and I am already missing them. Laura's evocative writing skills didn't just bring the storyline to life but also this amazing group of characters so another huge well done Laura.

What are you waiting for?!? Pick up one of my favourite, unique and thought provoking page turners and get ready to get sucked in to this addictive book!!!

ANOTHER MASSIVE WELL DONE to Laura on yet another HUGE success!!! I loved every page of your book and I cannot wait to read more past and future amazing books. This is exactly why you are on my FAVOURITE authors list and I cannot wait for your next page turner. Here's to your next success 🥂!

Overall an unputdownable, unforgettable, unique book that will keep you hooked!!

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I absolutely loved this book! It’s so far removed from my usual picks of crime and psychological thrillers but I loved the cover, intrigued by the ‘blurb’ and keen for a different read.

The Woman Who Met Herself is as much a page turner as the fast paced, heart racing thrillers I’ve read recently. I honestly couldn’t put it down and was desperate to find out what was going to happen next to Ruth and Debbie, and those around them.

I found it an uplifting and heartwarming story, beautifully told. There were so many times I reread a passage because it was so insightfully written.

This is my first Laura Pearson book… it certainly won’t be my last! I’m off to scout out her back catalogue!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to find this fantastic author.

Debbie lost her husband of many years and decided to move to Loughborough. Now renting a house and working part-time as a charity fundraiser, she is open to change. One day she knocks on a door and is confronted by a woman who looks exactly like her, but Debbie was an only child and had no family that she knew of. Ruth is a wife and mother who lives a comfortable, if rather demanding life, until the day a woman knocks on her door, a woman who looks just like her.
Laura Pearson writes light but interesting stories that have more depth than 'chick-lit' but are not self-absorbed like many. They appeal to a certain demographic and mentions in the text of 'Good Housekeeping' are pretty spot on. However, I really like these books as a bit of light relief. I know that when I sit down with a Laura Pearson book i'm going to have a couple of hours of pleasant, non-demanding reading that just relaxes and comforts. This book is no exception, an unusual premise, handled sensitively and thoroughly enjoyable.