The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland

Not sure why they still get up and spout their marriage vows, even having the gall to say them more than once.or twice. Would be nice to read of parents who actually stick together for a change. Right away, I was less than enchanted with Ivy when we learn she's no longer with her kids' know it seems to be the way of the world these days but I find it pretty depressing. However, it is definitely more for the YA audience as it is written using so much juvenile language, like when a school pal is 'looking quite annoyed with me.' I'm aware she reverts back to living as a 12 year old but the language used was just as immature in her present day at 30. It did say in the blurb that it would appeal to teens and adults alike, which gave me pause, but it sounded so interesting I carried on regardless. Sorry to be leaving just the 1* but this is dreadfully written and I packed it in at only 6%. I felt like this in combination with the lack of tension you would expect when a crazed murderer is going around a small suburban community made this book a “no” for me. I felt like the main character was at first trying to change the past the best she could but I just felt she wasn’t making smart decisions for someone that’s supposed to be in her 30s. I feel like it boiled down to two crucial elements I wasn’t invested in as much as I wanted to be and they were the main character who’s POV we were following and the lack of tension I felt there should or could’ve been in a story like this. However, the reading experience was less than I wished it had been.

Where it sounds like Scream meets Groundhog Day. I thought the premise sounded interesting. I picked this book up for this years edition of Summerween 2022. Now Ivy hopes with her second chance she can change not only her past but give the victims of the killer a future. We’re following Ivy, who after she has died is taken back to a time in her life when her town was visited by a killer of two of her classmates.

The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland