How life goes after different choices at a crossroad…

Synopsis

‘Bea was always early for everything. Even, it turned out, when she was running away from her life.’

As Christmas approaches, Bea Preston has a choice.

Looking up at the departures board in Heathrow airport, her flight to New York boarding soon, she knows that getting on that plane changes everything. Her life in London has grown stale, her relationship with boyfriend Dom has run its course, and New York has always been her dream. But it’s a risk – she’ll miss her parents, her friends, her job.

What if Bea could live both lives? In one she goes back home for Christmas, and in another she heads to the Big Apple. Would her fate remain the same, or can one decision really change everything?

In a grand sliding-doors love story that spans oceans, years and lives, Clare Swatman’s unforgettable tale of fate and friendship is perfect for all fans of Jojo Moyes, Beth Moran and Ruth Jones.

My review

Bea Preston is not the kind of person that easily breaks people’s hearts. But this Christmas, will be different. Because the closer the happiest time of the years approaches, the more doubts Bea has about her life.
That is why she finds herself at Heathrow Airport, ready to board for a flight to New York. Even if her life in London is not what she wants from life, and her relationship with Dom seems to have had its best course, is New York the solution? Because she will leave also her loving parents and family behind.
When just a few moments before boarding, she receives a phone call, she needs to decide what to do: follow her plans and head off to New York for a fresh start, or return home to the comfort of her life as she has always known…

Haven’t we all wondered once where life would take us if at one specific moment we would have made a different decision?

In this amazing book we have a glimpse of what would happen in any of the two options. And to make it even more intriguing, there are time jumps, so each chapter is a new year, in each situation. And it’s obvious that a lot can happen in a year, in a lifetime.

Bea is in so many ways recognizable and relatable. Even if we don’t know why exactly she wants to escape London, it’s clear that it’s something that is truly bothering and affecting her.
But beside her trauma, I truly liked Bea. She is perhaps someone that wants to please people too much and follows their opinions instead of following her own heart and head.
Yet that doesn’t take away that she truly is a caring woman, a loving woman that in fact doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t take away that sometimes you have to be ‘selfish’. And this is where Bea’s life splits in two: we have the Bea that thinks about what she truly want, and thus heading off to New York. And then there is Bea that listens to those around her and returns back home.

I had perhaps a preference of which storyline I preferred. But even in my favourite one, we see that life can throw several curveballs, making you reassess all the choices you made.
And those curveballs at moments also angered me, in both storylines, as I was cheering for Bea and I wanted her to be happy, no matter what choice she makes.

I found it amazing of how this author managed to let have Bea similar experiences, as events in both storylines overlapped. That somehow made me believe that no matter how much you make your own choices, some things are in a way already written in the stars for you. And no matter what, it will bring you in that spot where Fate wants. Sometimes it will take a longer time to get there, but eventually the goal will be reached.

A truly wonderful story, with a whirlwind of emotions, showing us not only the many ups and downs of life, but also that a lot can happen that will change the course of your life. We see the difficult choices that life presents us, but no matter what, we also see that one way or another, there are loving people around us, supporting and cheering for us.
Oh and I also need to warn you: yes, while reading, you will be singing a certain song with the same title! 😊