Review: You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley @OakleyColleen @BerkleyPub

Review: You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley @OakleyColleen @BerkleyPubYou Were There Too on January 7, 2020
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Acclaimed author Colleen Oakley delivers a heart-wrenching and unforgettable love story about a woman who must choose between the man she loves and the man fate has chosen for her in a novel that reminds us that the best life is one led by the heart.

Mia Graydon's life looks picket-fence perfect; she has the house, her loving husband, and dreams of starting a family. But she has other dreams too — unexplained, recurring ones starring the same man. Still, she doesn’t think much of them, until a relocation to small-town Pennsylvania brings her face to face with the stranger she has been dreaming about for years. And this man harbors a jaw-dropping secret of his own—he's been dreaming of her too.

Determined to understand, Mia and this not-so-stranger search for answers. But when diving into their pasts begins to unravel her life in the present, Mia emerges with a single question—what if?


You Were There Too is an epic tale of love, loss, connection and discovery. Do you believe in fate? Are things in life meant-to-be? I’m not sure but after having read You Were There Too I’m much closer to being a believer. The thoughts and ideas of the story will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book.

Harrison, Mia and Oliver light up the pages. Each searching for the unattainable when perhaps they’ve had it all along. I felt the pressure to understand each of them. To want them all to be happy, and to find joy and balance in seemingly impossible situations. The range of emotions I felt reading their story was unprecedented. I love that through it all they are always honest with each other. They don’t hide from the truth. While that adds to the confusion and uncertainty it also adds to the realness. The revelations that come to Mia when stepping outside herself are as heartbreaking as they are beautiful. Four simple words that mean everything.

This is a truly unique novel. The dreams are vivid, the characters lovely, and the ending will undoubtedly keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommend.


About the Author

Colleen Oakley’s novels BEFORE I GO and CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH have been named best books by People Magazine, Us Weekly, Library Journal, and Real Simple, and both were long-listed for the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize. Formerly the editor-in-chief of Women’s Health & Fitness and senior editor of Marie Claire, her articles and essays have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, Marie Claire and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids and the world’s biggest lapdog, Bailey. Her third novel YOU WERE THERE TOO will be published by Berkley/Penguin in January 2020. http://www.colleenoakley.com

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