Our Life in a Day

by Jamie Fewery

[zooloo1983]

I had seen a few reviews where other reviewers had said that tears had fallen when reading this. So about 80% in I was feeling quite cocky, I normally cry at everything and nothing was happening yet…….Well! I got to a point in the book and it just started to break me, and it was not until the final chapter that I finally stopped. I could read the epilogue ok, but after I finished reading, my tears started up again.

This story reminds me of all the films that I love to watch because I know I will cry, ones like One day and About Time. Mainly because of the way they jump about in the timeline of relationships. Our life in one day could most definitely be on the big screen, Lily Collins would have to be Esme. (I have such a girl crush on her and she rocks the pixie haircut). The story had all the feels, but what I loved the most it did not focus on just the love and happiness, the excitement of relationships. It did, however, highlight the struggles that people do go through in relationships and also how tough life can be with someone who suffers from mental health issues.

I thought that when the focus had been on depression and anxiety and alcoholism had been handled so well. I can say that talking from experience first and third hand with some of the above. I think it was necessary to have contrast because real life is not all hearts and flowers.

The game that Esme sets Tom is a clever idea, although I have no idea if I could play it, but a block of post-it notes each an hour of the day. 24 post-it notes, all Tom has to do is pick out what stands out to him in their 10 year relationships good and bad and write it down. Revisiting certain parts of their relationship in each chapter allowed us to see the couple at different points, high and low and see why they were significant to Tom.

I thought the ending was perfect, I can not say why because it would ruin it, but it was perfect as it was true to life. Gah! I am just welling up thinking about it!

For a debut novel, all I can say is WOW! You would not expect it, he is like a seasoned writer already. The writing is beautiful, mesmerising and flows so easily from page to page, making you not to want to stop reading. He seems to have worked out a formula to pull the heartstrings and yet make you smile at the same time! I am excited to see what he comes up with next!