I just finished reading The Year I Lived Twice (2024) by Alex Woolf, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all. Fair warning: this is not a fluffy feel-good read. It dips deep into grief and regret, so go in steady.
Okay — first off: yes, overall I liked the book. The concept grabbed me. Jason Harris (our main guy) loses his younger brother Archie in a fire, and then (after a weird accident) he wakes up one year earlier — with Archie still alive — and gets a shot at trying to prevent the tragedy. I mean — time-loops plus sibling love plus tragedy = my kind of emotional cocktail.
What I loved: The early pages had me really invested. I could feel Jason’s grief, the weight of what he’s lost, the ache of “if only I could change one thing.” The book captures that sting of loss in a way that made my heart tighten. The twistiness of the time-loop mechanics kept me curious: small decisions ripple out. Also: a nice surprise is the setting before phones and internet were ubiquitous, which meant the characters had to be in the moment rather than immediately googling everything. That grounded it in an interesting way.
Now — the “but.” About the middle of the book… yep, it slowed down. The momentum dipped to a crawl. Some of the second-third quarter felt a bit repetitive: re-experiencing events, trying different choices, and the emotional terrain felt heavy and a bit dragging at times. If you’re a reader who needs constant forward propulsion, you might feel the same. I found myself taking longer to sit with certain chapters, pausing here and there. But when it picked up again toward the climax — there were some satisfying pay-offs.
One more caveat: this book is not sunshine and rainbows. There is serious emotional heft. Relationships fractured, guilt, “what have I done” vibes. It made me think. It made me sigh. It made me wish Jason well (and wish him more than well). If you’re looking for something light and breezy, this won’t deliver that. But if you’re okay with going somewhere a little darker and thoughtful — it works.
Some extra thoughts that stuck with me:
- The sibling bond: The way Jason’s relationship with Archie is portrayed… bittersweet. The possibility of another chance is a powerful theme.
- Consequences: The idea that changing one thing might change everything (and un-changing things might be beyond control). That tension is effective.
- Pacing: Early and late sections were strong. Middle lagged a bit for me.
- Emotional tone: Real. Not sugar-coated. The tragedy remains visible even as we hope for redemption.
Would I recommend it? Yes — if you’re into time-loop or second-chance narratives (which I am), especially if you don’t mind the emotional weight. It’s enjoyable, in the sense that I turned pages, got pulled in, and felt something. But “enjoyable” here doesn’t mean “easy.” You’ll walk away with stuff to think about. If you ask me for a rating: maybe 4 out of 5 stars (in my quirky blog terms). It lost a little steam in the middle, but overall the trip was worth it.
And if you pick it up, maybe give yourself a comfy reading session — a quiet evening, some tea (or whatever you like), maybe a little chocolate on standby because it gets heavy. You deserve comfort as you dive in.