The Two Lives of Lydia Bird

A great story about loss, coping, and moving forward. For such a heavy and heartbreaking premises (main character losing her fiance...not a spoiler it happens right away), there is still levity. The characters are well-developed and are easily imagined as real people. I liked the way each chapter was either Lydia in her real/awake world or Lydia in her "asleep" world where the fiance never died. It was a quirky, fantastic (as in fantasy) take on grief that can also be explained in a very real way. I'm not sure why the other reviewers thought it was simply a love story/romance. The fact that Freddie dies and Lydia is working through her grief is right there in the description and on the back cover.

I was expecting a romance story. A battle of her heart kind of romance. Being pulled between two loves. It wasn’t about that at all. The whole book had this melancholy feel. I really feel the synopsis was misleading. Disappointed in this book.

when i started this book, I expected a romance primarily. However, this book was so much more than that. It was about Lydia's journey with grief and how it affects everyone in her life. It is also about her learning to let go, but not to forget. Yes, there was romance, but it was not rushed which i greatly appreciated. Overall, I enjoyed it.