Title: Life on Repeat [on Amazon | on Goodreads]Series: The Sarahs Saga (1st of ? books)
Author: Amy Larson Marble [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Contemporary with a Twist, Thriller/Mystery
Year: 2020
Age: 14+
Stars: 1.5/5
Pros: Neat (though not new) idea. Pleasant characters.
Cons: Awfully rushed, with a telling-not-showing approach. Though the mystery it centers on is saved for the sequels (and in that respect we could have used a little foretaste), a few of the supposed twists can be spotted a mile away.
Will appeal to: Those who like a straightforward soul-mates romance on the backdrop of an uncomplicated (though mysterious) story.
Blurb: "How would you live your life if you knew it wasn’t your only one? I’m not sure how many lives I have lived, I only know this is not my first. Or second. My name is Sarah Daley and I’m 19 years old… again."
Sarah lives, dies, then lives again, born as another Sarah, in another part of the world. What most would see as immortality, she sees as a curse. Life on Repeat is the story of her search for a life in the here and now. (Amazon excerpt)
Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: this title was up for grabs on NetGalley (in the Read Now section). Thanks to Hildebrand Books for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.
Life on Repeat has got an intriguing premise - especially since, at the end of Book 1, we still don't know if Sarah is simply reincarnating or there's a different explanation for her predicament (though it sounds like a conspiracy of sorts is in place, so I'm inclined to validate the second hypothesis). I'm surprised this book is part of a series to begin with, since it's painfully short and rushed, albeit it covers a few of Sarah's lives and dwells (so to speak) on more than one year in her life as Sarah Daley. Sure there was space to expand the story and cover all the necessary ground. Also, there's very little dialogue compared to description, and though the writing isn't by any means what you would call "bad" (hence the additional half star), it's all telling and no showing. So those were my main issues with it. [...]
Life on Repeat is, also, essentially a story about soul mates - which isn't something I believe in, plus I'm not a romance reader anyway. But a personal preference alone wouldn't have justified so low a rating. The fact is, because of the telling-not-showing approach and the book's shortness, we never really get the sense of a relationship progressing. A certain character makes a hasty decision based on the past they shared with the protagonist, though the situation is all but changed for them. Which brings me to my other point - the characters are nice, I'll give them that, but they get no development whatsoever. Also, when Sarah reveals her secret to someone, she's either deemed mad or straight-up believed in the space of a few sentences, and BAM! there are consequences (bad or good). No major plot point gets the necessary setup. A couple of supposed twists are painfully obvious from the start. On top of all, after the only turn of events that I didn't see coming (one that doesn't seem to make Sarah as emotional as she had a right to be), the book ends with a major cliffhanger - as in, NOTHING gets resolved. I know there are tons of books out there that end in the same way, but this particular cliffhanger was brutal...which, given the book's shortness, shouldn't have surprised me - but it did.
It goes without saying that, even if I'm still mildly curious about Sarah's predicament, I don't plan on continuing with the series.
For more Contemporary/Contemporary with a Twist books click here.
CONDENSED MATTER
Premise: I don't pledge to read the printed word, if by that you mean reading all the books that were/will ever be written. Before I commit to a book, I do my utmost to be sure that it's up my alley - I read early reviews if there are any, I even read an excerpt if it's available. Back when Life on Repeat grabbed my attention on NetGalley, there were less than a handful of reviews on Goodreads, and I couldn't locate an excerpt anywhere. So I went into it with only the blurb to make an informed decision by. If I had had a little more info beforehand, I would have realised it wasn't my cup of tea, and I wouldn't find myself in the position to write a negative review...which isn't something I enjoy. But yeah, here we are.Life on Repeat has got an intriguing premise - especially since, at the end of Book 1, we still don't know if Sarah is simply reincarnating or there's a different explanation for her predicament (though it sounds like a conspiracy of sorts is in place, so I'm inclined to validate the second hypothesis). I'm surprised this book is part of a series to begin with, since it's painfully short and rushed, albeit it covers a few of Sarah's lives and dwells (so to speak) on more than one year in her life as Sarah Daley. Sure there was space to expand the story and cover all the necessary ground. Also, there's very little dialogue compared to description, and though the writing isn't by any means what you would call "bad" (hence the additional half star), it's all telling and no showing. So those were my main issues with it. [...]
CANDID SHOTS
Life on Repeat is, also, essentially a story about soul mates - which isn't something I believe in, plus I'm not a romance reader anyway. But a personal preference alone wouldn't have justified so low a rating. The fact is, because of the telling-not-showing approach and the book's shortness, we never really get the sense of a relationship progressing. A certain character makes a hasty decision based on the past they shared with the protagonist, though the situation is all but changed for them. Which brings me to my other point - the characters are nice, I'll give them that, but they get no development whatsoever. Also, when Sarah reveals her secret to someone, she's either deemed mad or straight-up believed in the space of a few sentences, and BAM! there are consequences (bad or good). No major plot point gets the necessary setup. A couple of supposed twists are painfully obvious from the start. On top of all, after the only turn of events that I didn't see coming (one that doesn't seem to make Sarah as emotional as she had a right to be), the book ends with a major cliffhanger - as in, NOTHING gets resolved. I know there are tons of books out there that end in the same way, but this particular cliffhanger was brutal...which, given the book's shortness, shouldn't have surprised me - but it did.
It goes without saying that, even if I'm still mildly curious about Sarah's predicament, I don't plan on continuing with the series.
For more Contemporary/Contemporary with a Twist books click here.
Bummer. You took a chance, and it didn't work out. I wish it had gone more your way, but it seems like the book had a lot of things that just weren't for you - romance, telling not showing, etc. I see a lot of people lament about the telling not showing, that doesn't bother me, but rushed stories do rub me the wrong way.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily hate "telling books", but it all depends if the telling is necessary or almost unavoidable for some reason. Also, yes...this one was REALLY rushed.
DeleteThe blurb does sound like a Roberta book but it also doesn't mention things that would have tipped you off - like soul mates.
ReplyDeleteSorry it didn't work for you.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
Haha, exactly!
DeleteBut as I said, the main problem wasn't the romance.
Oof, this one sounds rough. I enjoy a good soulmates book, but it doesn't sound like these are characters you'd actually care about. I hope your next read is A LOT better Roberta!
ReplyDelete(Amber Elise @ Du Livre)
There was very little space to care for them, even for a soulmate-trope lover...The story needed expanding big time.
DeleteThank you! I'm having a pleasant reading experience right now 🙂.
I can see where that would definitely feel like a curse, although in some ways I'd like being able to live again maybe (at least for a while). Intriguing premise anyway. Not crazy about the sound of the telling- not- showing though. Sorry to hear this one didn't quite hit the mark.
ReplyDelete"in some ways I'd like being able to live again maybe (at least for a while)."
DeleteI didn't even think of that, but...it would a bit be like my beloved time-travel trope, so why not? And now I'm wondering - would you be able to live a different life if you were born again under different circumstances, or would you be doomed to repeat the same mistakes?
I was wondering the same thing- like does she remember her past lives, or are they hazy or ? From the blurb it sounds like she's born with the same name but in a different part of the world? That would totally make a difference lol. I do love the idea of exploring alternate paths/ time travel though, so I'm with you on that.
DeleteIt sounds like she does remember, at least part of them (and once she was even born in Russia!) - but as I said, the book is so rushed, we can't really be sure of anything...
Delete"there's very little dialogue compared to description" Oh no, that's like my pet peeve with books lately, although it sounds like this is well... okay, it's definitely like my current book.
ReplyDeleteBut dang, that's a bummer this was rushed and essentially nothing seems to happen (?). Personally I would've been curious if this was a conspiracy, but too much description for no purpose isn't my type even if the book is my type.
Hopefully your next read is better though!
I'm sure there's a conspiracy of sorts, but this one needed a much stronger editor...
DeleteSorry you're having a similar experience with your current book! I hope you'll be luckier with the next one (as I have been).
Oh no, not a cliffhanger. That's one of my major pet peeves. I just don't see any reason for a cliffhanger.
ReplyDeleteHa! There never is any. A good installment must be able to stay on its own in some respect...
DeleteI have to admit that I'm skeptical towards this book. The premise sounds interesting, but I'm not convinced that the execution is good.
ReplyDeleteKonna @ The Reading Armchair
Alas, it isn't...A pity, because it had potential.
DeleteUgh, I'm sorry this was such a let down for you. Also, slightly surprised, because I know you do painstaking research before deciding on a book - but I get how it wasn't possible in this case due to the lack of excerpt. I'll admit, I hate when absolutely nothing gets resolved in a novel; it's one of my main pet peeves. Also, this seems to me as if it could have been a longer, better-written novel with a proper ending, and perhaps even could have remained a standalone. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised about how short it was...I read it all in a session...it mustn't have taken more than a couple of hours. And still there was so much to tell.
DeleteOh no, it does not sound like this book was good at all :( I think it really suffered from being too short and everything being rushed and condensed because of it. Books need time to flourish and grow...
ReplyDeleteI read it in what, 2 hours? Else, it could have been a DNF...
Deleteoh that's frustrating that nothing is resolved in this book! And I really don't like telling not showing when it comes to relationships.
ReplyDeleteOf course it's just the first book in a series, but the world-building is very acerbic...and the telling-not-showing so obvious that even "I" had to notice it 😂.
Delete