Today I’m joining the blog tour for The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine. My review is written with thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on the tour and to Boldwood Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

There are four of us: Samuel, Lucy, Thomas, and me – Eliza.

We came into being the day Becca Valentine was born. We’ve been by her side ever since. What she doesn’t know yet, is that one day she might become our mother.

Then two men come into her life. Both seeking her heart. And then we realise: everything rests on Becca’s love story. Because one of the men is Lucy and Thomas’s father. And the other is mine and Samuel’s. And there’s simply no way we can all be born.

We all want her to make the right choice. We all want to be born. To hold her hand one day. To feel her stroke our hair. To call her our mother.

Then we discover there is something we can do. We can change Fate. But we only have a single chance each. How would you make sure you were born? And what if doing that isn’t what’s best for the person you already love the most in the world – your mother? 

The most original, powerful, heartbreaking novel of the year, from the No.1 bestselling author of The Last List of Mabel Beaumont. Perfect for fans of Gabrielle Zevin, David Nicholls and Jojo Moyes.

Review:

What an absolutely beautiful book! It’s both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time and Laura Pearson does a sterling job of bringing out all the emotions in this complex story. You will be able to see from the blurb that the concept of The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine is unique and a little quirky, and at first, it did take me a while to get my head around it, but I am so so glad I took the time to figure it out because it was absolutely worth it!

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine is narrated by the titular character. She’s an Almost, a baby who hasn’t been conceived yet and it’s her task to ensure the circumstances are right for her to eventually come into this earth. She has three potential siblings: Samuel, Thomas and Lucy – and through the novel, we follow the life and loves of her mother, Becca Valentine through Eliza’s eyes. Laura Pearson has developed all the characters brilliantly. I loved my birds’ eye view on Becca’s life, whilst also learning about how Eliza and her siblings felt about Becca’s decisions and the twists and turns that her life took. I warmed to both Eliza and Becca really quickly and I felt really involved in their lives. I read the whole novel in less than a day as I was so invested in what would happen to them. There are other characters who have prominent roles in Becca’s life, such as her dad, and Ryan and Anthony who are well constructed too. Ryan, in particular, made my skin crawl and I love when an author can make me feel such a strong reaction about their characters! 

It’s difficult to talk too much about the plot of The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine without giving away spoilers, but throughout the story, Laura Pearson writes about some really sensitive issues. This makes it quite difficult to read in places, but she approaches the issues in a respectful way, whilst not shying away from their serious nature, and I hope the messages in the novel reach the people who need to hear them.

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine didn’t end in the way I expected, but that’s the reason Laura Pearson is a writer and I’m not, because her ending was so much better! Becca and Eliza will stay in my heart for a long time.

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: