When your life is a deadline…

Synopsis

Elena Swan believes she’s going to die. And soon.

She’s not ill. She’s not in imminent danger. But she is sure it’s going to happen.

Because many years ago… she’d made a promise to a stranger, in the woods. Elena’s mother was in hospital, after a life-threatening accident. The promise would keep her mother safe, but put Elena’s own life at risk, instead, when she grew up and turned thirty.

Elena put the promise to the back of her mind, over the years. But she’s twenty-nine now, and when something happens that puts her life in danger, she remembers. And she knows.

But Elena hasn’t done everything yet. She’s not brave like her daredevil friend Rory. But she’s also not ready to give up on life. Not before she’s been to Paris. She always wanted to skydive too. She’s never even fallen in love.

Without the promise of tomorrow, can she fulfil all her dreams before fate comes for her?

A completely unexpecting, romantic uplifting story, about friendship, love, and fate, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes, David Nicholls and Faith Hogan.

My review

When Elena Snow was just a child, her mother was in an accident that didn’t look good. And that night, she makes an encounter in the woods. An encounter that turns out in a deal: a life for a life. Because in order for her mother to survive, Elena’s life will be numbered until her thirtieth birthday.
Now Elena is twenty-nine, and she hasn’t done everything she ever wanted to do. Her lack of braveness always held her back: she never went to Paris, she never has been skydiving, and she hasn’t ever fallen in love…
However, now that her friend and colleague Rory is staying with her during his renovations, she starts to think again about everything she hasn’t done yet. And when a series of events take place, she remembers that her doomsday birthday is nearby…
Is she able to fulfill all her dreams before her birthday? Or will there be still things left unfinished?

Now, where to start with my thoughts…

I have to admit that rather quickly in this book, I wanted to give it just one star. Because I truly believe that Samatha Tonge did an unforgivable thing… Why did Elena have to be a lover of pineapple on pizza??? WHY?????? 😊

But I also have to admit another thing, while Elena is a wonderful person, I kept wondering how she would believe that her days were limited. As a child, yes, it would make perfect sense to believe that. But I would expect that with the years, understanding would dawn and that she would realize that in fact she still has a bright future ahead.

And it saddened me to read how that prediction, made so long ago, held Elena back, as it’s clear that she hasn’t been living her life like she truly wanted, as she felt like the sword of Damocles was hanging over her…

In that aspect, it was good for her that Rory temporarily moves in with her. It seemed that with Rory in her home, it is somehow a little push, a nudge for Elena to get out of her protective shell. And with Rory questioning her, Elena starts to do what she dreamed of doing.

But it also felt like Elena was trying too hard, and started to be reckless about them. She went from one extreme to another, not thinking about any kind of consequence. Yet that perfectly also sums up what Elena is going through as she feels at loss, and feels that there is still so much to do, but does she really have the time for it?

I liked it to read how through her internal turmoil, she starts to rely on Rory. They may be colleagues in first instance, and there is already a friendship, but their bond only strengthens throughout the story. And just like real, honest and genuine friends, Rory doesn’t judge Elena on her beliefs. But that doesn’t take away that he tries to find the reality behind it.
And with their bond only intensifying, we also see it develop in another direction. A direction that both haven’t experienced yet.

Of course towards the end of the book, everything makes sense. But of course I also understand the importance of not spoiling everything in a review. All I can say that I was happy with how Samantha Tonge handled the end of the story. 
And I must say, while perhaps the details were eluding me, I had an inkling of what it would be.

On the other hand, Samantha Tonge also managed perfectly on putting me on a completely wrong direction with another mystery in this book. I truly started to believe in things that I normally don’t believe. Only to discover a wonderful reality! 🙂

This book for sure felt like a real journey. Not only for Elena and Rory, but also for myself. After finishing, I realized that perhaps there will never be a right time to chase my dreams. If we have a dream, and it’s realizable, why not go for it? Because we will never know if there will be a tomorrow. We will never know what the future will bring and if we will have that opportunity.
And while perhaps Elena’s journey was a tiny bit far-fetched with her deal made as a child, her story pinpoints that we should enjoy our lives while we can.
So that is why I, despite the monstrosity of pineapple on a pizza, I truly enjoyed reading this story!