The Beforelife of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson - #bookreview #blogtour

When my parents met for the first time, I was watching. They met at a party, in a garden, and my siblings and I were hovering nearby, unseen...

***

You’ve heard of the Afterlife. Welcome to the Beforelife.

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? 

***

This is such a sweet story, and I enjoyed it very much.

I have previously read Laura Pearson's book The Last List of Mabel Beaumont, which was an equally lovely read. That was a very different book to the one I am reviewing today but both brilliant in their own way.

I can honestly say that I have never read anything quite like this book. It has a uniqueness to it that made it all the more gripping for its novelty. It is the story of four unborn siblings as they observe their mother, Becca, from a different plane, from the time of her birth to the time of their own conception.

Eliza was the main character from this set of four, and the book is written from her perspective. However, we meet many other wonderfully drawn characters also. Becca and her dad were lovely characters. Also, the relationship between Eliza and her brother Samuel was beautifully written.

I was interested to read that the author wrote this based on a dream that she had many years ago, which I guess explains it uniqueness. It is to be applauded that the author could take her dream and turn it into a story that was both easy to read and engaging. 

The book has much to say about how the choices we make impact not only our own lives but the lives of others too. It is story of love, hope and sacrifice. It was heartwarming and left me with a lovely warm feeling inside.  It was a delight to read.

ISBN: 978 1836034452

Publisher:  Boldwood Books

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited

No. of Pages:  288 (paperback)

About the Author:

Laura Pearson is the author of the #1 bestseller The Last List of Mabel Beaumont. She founded The Bookload on Facebook and has had several pieces published in the Guardian and the Telegraph.

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(author photo courtesy of her website)

(all opinions are my own)