My Backward Life

YA Contemporary Novel

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Pub Date 16 Jul 2020 | Archive Date 20 Jul 2020

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Description

The last thing Louise Doors remembers is collapsing on her way home from a gig and a boy trying to save her life. Now, six days later, she's woken up. But she's not in the hospital, she's at home, and it seems her life has gone on without her, except everything is messed up.

Her best friends hate her, she's hanging out with a girl she barely knows, and a boy called Dylan wants to meet up to give her a letter. As it turns out, Dylan isn’t just any boy, either, he’s the guy who tried to save her life.

Soon Louise will find out exactly what's been going on in her absence because those missing days are happening again, only in reverse. While each day brings surprising revelations about her family and her friends, Louise draws closer to Dylan, hoping he can help her get her proper life back. But she hadn’t expected to fall in love, nor that these six days might be all she has left.

After years of conforming to other people’s expectations, Louise finally has the chance to be true to herself—but only if she can reach out and grab it.

The last thing Louise Doors remembers is collapsing on her way home from a gig and a boy trying to save her life. Now, six days later, she's woken up. But she's not in the hospital, she's at home...


Advance Praise

"""I have read hundreds of books of every genre... This story is my new all time favourite."" lornaj 

""I don't think I've been this interested and entertained in a very long time."" _vixanne_"

"""I have read hundreds of books of every genre... This story is my new all time favourite."" lornaj 

""I don't think I've been this interested and entertained in a very long time."" _vixanne_"


Available Editions

ISBN 9781913545383
PRICE US$2.99 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

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Average rating from 49 members


Featured Reviews

I was a little hesitant when I first read the bio for this book. I was like here we go again hasn’t this plot been done before however, never the less I gave it a try. Boy am I glad I did. This book surprised me as I was completely wrong in my thinking. This book surpassed my expectations and everyone should give it a chance. Claire Merle will soon become one of many people’s favorite authors. I’m ordering it for my daughter because she and her friends will love it.

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Charming, easy to read, and creative. It's a bit like one of those backwards-forwards movies. It was enjoyable and surprised me in its pacing. I enjoyed it. 3.5

Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

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My Backward Life is an original and really fun read, that is best read in one sitting as once you start it you will find it very very difficult to put down.

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It's interesting and unusual concept. Living backwards and given a second chance to return to the present to make positive changes.

Louise and her group of friends attend a party. It turns out that some of her friends are not as loyal as she thought. Feeling a little hurt, she leaves the party, but before she reaches her house, she collapses.

Dylan comes to her aid and during the time that she is unconscious, she goes backwards in time. She discovers things about herself, her family and her friends. Not all pleasant. During that time she builds a relationship with Dylan, but will he remember her when she returns to the present? Will she be able to use this second chance to right the wrongs?

I was kindly issued with an eARC from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

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This was a compelling read from start to finish! I honestly couldn't put it down, desperate to know what will happen next (or technically before?) in the protagonist's life. I was very intrigued by the reverse timeline and joining the dots became all the more exciting as a result.

My only qualm was the jarring use of American English spelling conventions when the story is set in England, but at least the writing seems mostly consistent in usage (I was too engrossed in the story to fully focus on that, but the Americanisms really jumped out at me personally). This juxtaposition of American English spelling conventions and British setting did not affect my enjoyment of the plot nonetheless.

Overall, I would ideally give this book somewhere between 4.5 and 5 stars as it's a really enjoyable, unique, and contemporary book which will keep you hooked! Would definitely recommend:)

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC copy of My Backward life in exchange for an honest review!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3408887517

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I really enjoyed this book. Though I am not the target audience age-wise, I was intrigued by the premise of the book and decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed spending time with these characters, and had a hard time putting the book down. I really enjoyed seeing Louise grow throughout the book.

This was a little like a puzzle in book form, which I really like, but there were times I felt I might be missing a couple of the pieces, I found it a little confusing at times.

All in all, this was a great read. It was entertaining and fun and I would definitely recommend it.

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

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My Backward Life by Claire Merle is geared toward a YA demographic, but as someone who is well beyond this target audience agewise, I really enjoyed it. The idea of living in reverse time is a unique one, and certainly something that proved a fun concept to explore.

Teenager Louise Doors collapses on her way home one night and vaguely remembers the boy who was trying to revive her. Six days later she wakes up, only to find herself having no memory of the previous week. Suddenly the lost time begins to play out again, this time in reverse, and Louise grows closer to a boy named Dylan, learning that he is the same boy who tried to assist her at the time of her collapse. The revelations that come are illuminating, and Louise feels that she has been given a second chance to make things in her life right.

This is an engaging story and, although it is one that will probably not stay with me, it is an altogether charming read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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Merle has written a completely enthralling young adult novel with 'My Backward Life'. It reminded me of the wonderful 'Before I Fall' by Lauren Oliver, but managed to put a clever spin on the popular 'Groundhog Day' trope. Louise Doors attends a gig on Friday night and remembers collapsing in the street. When she wakes, six days have passed and her life has completely altered. As she lives those days backwards, she gets to know her mysterious saviour Dylan and grapples with drama in both her friendships and home life.

At first when Louise relived her lost day backwards, I was as confused as her. There are many baffling small details which make no sense... at first. This is the beauty of this book! The reader is right there with Louise on her journey of discovery and gradually realise the intricate details to the plotting pull themselves together beautifully. Merle manages to craft Louise's journey with a huge number of issues relevant to teenage life ranging from divorce to eating disorders to sexual consent; they are dealt with sensitively and as Louise matures as a character, we increasingly support her response to these situations. I fully expect my teenage students to find this book gripping but also as a springboard to some important conversations.

All in all, Merle has written an excellent young adult novel which will resonate well with its target audience. Let's hope Netflix snap this up to give it the TV series treatment too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Such a great book! The story and character development are fantastic, I was completely hooked. There was intrigue, family drama, friendship drama, the idolized secret crush, self discovery and growth, and finally THE boy! Being taken along for Louise’s, I was able to connect with a lot of the things she went through. The book ends with all loose ends tied up, which IMO is the perfect way to end a book.

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Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in return for an honest review.
What a wonderful concept, travelling backwards one day at a time, from the future. I normally avoid books about time travel after studying it at Uni. I spend any time travel movie shouting at the screen and ruining it for everyone. But this works. Not only is it a really good idea, but it's probable too within the laws do physics. I love the uncertainty too, the not knowing whether Louise will die, and the teenage angst of being torn between wanting to be a better person and help others, and the knowledge that your own happiness might have to be sacrificed. This is really well written, has a good pace and is relatable to teens. Haven't we all wanted to tell someone what we think of them but stopped because we are scared of the consequences?
My only niggle, the ending. I was waiting for a sudden twist and had the Kleenex on hand. Not a real issue, just my opinion. Definitely worth a read.

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When Louise realizes she has lost several days of her life, she is desperate to find out what is happening to her. Her parents are divorcing, her best friend hooked up with Louise’s crush, and the other friends in her group ate ghosting her. Louise is distraught, but when she regains consciousness after fainting following a band concert, her life is saved by a mysterious boy named Dylan. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. This is an excellent novel about taking chances in a life that might just be backwards.

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thanks for the ARC. this was a sweet book with a heroine that we can root for. we watch her life go in a backward direction as she attempts to correct events and heal relationships and ends up growing up. It lightly explores philosophical questions

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This was a fun twist on a time loop - I stayed really interested the whole time and couldn’t wait to find out what she’d missed!

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I picked up this book mainly because of the intriguing premise, but not expecting much as well, thinking it wouldn't really blow me away because I'd already seen this done before. However, this was a ver pleasant surprise.
After a weird night out Louise Doors wakes up six days later with no recognition of what has been going on with her life in the meantime- her parents are separating, her friends hate her and this random guy seems to know who she is all of the sudden. On top of that, her days start going backward (roll credits). She has to figure out what's going on and maybe do some retrospection on the way.
Firstly, I must admit that I was scared that all of her friends hating her after she woke up would mean the same old cartoonish slut shaming girl hate that I thoroughly despise in books (especially in YA). Thankfully, this wasn't the case. The relationships between our protagonist and her friends, inspite of not being the most human and real thing ever, felt grounded. As a matter of fact, all of Louise's bonds with people did, and this added many layers to the plot and the characters, which made the novel all that much more enjoyable.
In addition to this, even though maybe this book's premise sounds a bit chaotic, it was very well executed, with the confusing timelines and everything. Partly due to the pacing being so endearing.
Still, I did feel at times (mainly the beginning) that the writing stye didn't flow that well with me and once we reached the ending chunk it dragged on for a while.
In conclusion, I think that if you're looking for a fast-paced contemporary read with some sci-fi elements in it, this one is for you.

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My Backward Life focuses on piecing together the past six days of Louise's life, as she's been asleep since she went to a gig and collapsed in the street. Even more bizarre is that her whole life has turned upside down during that time, and that her life is moving backwards instead of forwards.

I really liked the premise of My Backward Life; the timeline sequencing was fun, different, and kept the reader guessing. The idea reminded me initially of Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, but the book is actually quite a different structure and take than the whole "reliving the same day again and again" timeline that I've seen in a lot of books and movies as of late. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes young adult fiction with sequencing elements.

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Really loved this time-slip book. 🙂. A young teen girl learning how to deal with bullies and being supported by the ‘guy’ in her life. Highly recommend.

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This is a book that will confound and delight in equal measures.
Our main character, Louise, goes to a gig with her friends on a Friday night. Things don’t quite go to plan, and she recalls walking home and falling. She has a memory of a boy coming to check on her, but when she wakes up she’s six days in the future and things are not what they were.
Leaving aside the whole ‘she’s jumped six days and nobody sees anything weird’, this gets odder as we realise Louise is now travelling backwards a day at a time. She knows things before they happen, and she’s taking steps to right wrongs that nobody is prepared for her to know.
Louise was a strong character, that you can’t help but root for as she tries to make sense of the strange events she’s living through. Her relationship with Dylan was entertaining to read about, and I liked the message this gave about her friendships.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my thoughts.

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It is an initiatory journey that is being played out before our eyes and I adored it. To be honest, I was so engrossed in the story that once I opened the book, I didn't let go ofit until I finished it. It's been a long time since I had devoured a novel in a few hours.

I loved to see with what logic the events precede one another. I completely subscribed to Claire Merle's logic

Regarding the characters, their evolution was very interesting to read but the heroine's one is really a treat. Usually withdrawn, she gains in badass attitude and does not hesitate to act according to her convictions. I totally root for her!

In conclusion, this novel has been a great adventure. It's simple, once the story is over, I reread it, backwards, to savor the unfolding of events. It was awesome!

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This book took some concentration. Going backwards without knowing what is going on is a little confusing. The effort it took to read was well worth it. Story was steady paced and interesting. Louise was likable. Every aspect of her life - home, friends, school, and love interests - were affected by the time flip flop. It was fun to see how her decisions worked backwards.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

When Louise wakes up and discovers she's shifted time, what's she supposed to do?

This book had an interesting concept, and for the most part I liked it. However, I also felt the ending was forced and dragged forever. During the time warps, or counting down, it was easy to stay involved in the narrative and see how she evolved, but once back in the present time, the book just started to feel overdone and dragged out

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this was an amazing book and I absolutly loved this book i would give it a 5 out of 5 stars because i was hooked in and this book was written amazingly well.

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I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. I enjoyed book. The pacing of this story is good. The characters are described well and the book is well written. I really enjoyed Louise and Dylan's characters. This book is in bookstores now for 2.99 (USD). You guys should go get this book. There is a trigger warning for rape.

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Thanks so much to NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book! I loved this book soooo much!! The premise intrigued me, and the writing pulled me in, and the characters kept me going until I had finished the book in one sitting! Louise Doors and her bizarre, time tripping, backwards life are an adventure for anyone to enjoy! At first you try to figure out what exactly is happening, but by the end the reader just sits back and enjoys the ride much as Louise does. If you can read this book and not be pulling for Louise and Dylan in the end, you are a much stronger person than I. This book is great for anyone looking for a slightly more than normal contemporary romance to read.

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After a night out with friends, Louise Doors wakes up to discover its six days later. She has absolutely no recollection of those six days but does come to find out that her parents are getting divorced, her friends all seem to hate her and a random guy is somehow now involved in her life. As she tries to find out exactly what has happened, Louise realises she’s reliving each of those missing days in reserve order and working her way back to the last day she can remember.

I was intrigued when I first read the blurb, it reminded me a little of Before I Fall (which I enjoyed) so I decided to give it a go.
I was slightly confused with the timeline at first but it didn’t take long to realise what was happening. I read the whole book in one sitting, although it was somewhat predictable at times, I was eager to see how it turned out.

I found the ending to be a little rushed but overall I think My Backward Life is a well written book with an intriguing plot and a great mix of characters, some of which were definitely flawed but very realistic.

3.5 stars

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher who provided a free ARC in exchange for an honest review*

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This is a quirky YA read. Both enjoyable and easy to read, I would (and will) recommend this book To the teenagers that I work with. Thanks tot the publisher and netgalley for an egalley.

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One of the best books I've read lately.
The writing was so easy to breeze through and the story captures your interest from the get go. The suspense form start to finish and the need of knowing what comes next makes it really difficult to put down.
I love the characters and their development throughout the book. I found the dynamic between Louis and Chrissy very interesting and the closure between them is a very good way to explore and touch on the fact that sometimes people just grow apart and is okay. Definitely in love with Dylan and the process of knowing who he is, twice; and forever hating the Lukes of the world. A books that truly deserves the time you spent on it. Tens across the board.

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Louise Doors attends a concert with her friends on Friday night, but something happened that Friday. The last thing she remembers is that she was going home from the concert, and then she woke up and it was already Thursday morning. She doesn't remember anything she has done that week. The only thing that she knows is that her life is upside down, and that everything she knew has changed.

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Louise Doors is going backwards - literally. When she wakes up 6 days after an eventful night, just about everything in her life is different, and it's up to her to piece together why. As she lives each previous day in reverse order, she gains clues into what really happened to her - and maybe even a chance to make things right.

This YA book reminded me a lot of Before I Fall due to the non-linear timeline. Although the beginning didn't grab me, I found myself hooked once Louise started to piece together more of the puzzle. Her interactions with Dylan were really fun to watch, and I enjoyed their friendship and flirting. This is definitely a coming of age story - Louise learns a ton about herself, her friends, and her family - and her growth made the story compelling to me. The ending was very satisfying too. My only complaint is that the writing felt a bit frenetic at the beginning - maybe this was supposed to mirror Louise's confusion, but it made it a little hard for me to get into the story at first.

Thank you to BooksGoSocial for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I was NOT expecting to love this as much as I did!! Definite “five stars and I want to own a hard copy” territory. It’s honestly so incredibly well put together, and packs so much in. The romance is also actually really, really brilliant and the depiction of friendships and family is incredibly nuanced. Lots of brilliant characters, too - the main character, Louise, is so ballsy and has SUCH good character development. Unsurprised this is in another case of a Wattpad author made good - the romance slightly gives me feels of Riley and Alec in A Bad Boy Stole My Bra.

Content warnings: Bulimia, sexual assault + predatory behaviour against minors, difficult family relationships, depression + some suicide ideation. All of which I think is handled quite well.

Thank you for NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Imagine waking up one day to find that you have missed six days of your life 😳. And to add to the confusion everything is happening in reverse 🤯. That's exactly what happens with Louise Doors when she wakes up with the memory of partying with friends, collapsing and a boy saving her life on a Friday night.
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To add to the already bewildered state, her friends have drifted apart from her, her parents are getting divorced and she is falling for a boy she barely knows.
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My Backward Life is contemporary YA genre book and I must say a very different and interesting one. The changing timelines did confuse me towards the beginning but as the book proceeded, everything started falling in place.
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Amidst all the confusion, Louise learns to be herself and not just conform to other people's expectations which is an extremely important life lesson.
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Absolutely loved the way the book is written with so many puzzling details which gradually make a complete picture.
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Recommend it ✅

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Finally getting through my backlog of Netgalley e-arcs (and trying to up my %).
This book was really enjoyable and different. Loved the mystery aspect of it and going backwards through a story and not just in flashbacks but actually going backwards, was really crazy but superbly cool as well. Usually, books like this take a different turn but this was a good change, Though, I do feel 6 days is very very rushed especially to fall in love but I guess when you know, you know?
The protagonist, Louise, was a bit annoying and a pushover at times but loved her character development towards the end.
All in all, a really enjoyable well-written read.

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I would like to thank the Netgalley website and Snow Horse Press for allowing me to read this book.

I was immediately attracted by the beautiful cover of this book where we see Louise still dressed on her bed.

The only thing Louise Doors remembers is that she collapsed on the way home from a concert and that a man saved her life. Except that six days later she woke up at home and not in the hospital and that life has turned out well since then. Her best friends don't like her anymore, she hangs out with a girl she doesn't know and a boy gives her a letter. And Dylan is the man who saved her life.

Louise is going to find out what happened while she was away because it's happening again, but this time in reverse. Each day that passes she learns a little more about her family and friends and she gets closer and closer to the famous Dylan. She hopes to find a normal life again soon and especially did not hope to fall in love, she will finally be able to trust herself.

A book read in one go so much I was hooked on the story so gripping, addictive, captivating, full of intrigue and suspense with characters always so endearing.

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If you liked 'Before I Fall' by Lauren Oliver, then you may enjoy this book. The difference is the clever spin on the popular 'Groundhog Day' trope. Louise Doors attends a gig on Friday night and remembers collapsing in the street. When she wakes, six days have passed and her life has completely altered. As she lives those days backwards, she gets to know her mysterious savior Dylan and grapples with drama in both her friendships and home life. I picked up this book mainly because of the intriguing premise, but not expecting much as well, thinking it wouldn't really blow me away because I'd already seen this done before. However, this was a very pleasant surprise. The concept of the story was fun, timelines weren’t confusing, character development was good, pace of the story was good. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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