"Three couples. Three lives. Three possible versions. " Despite the sweet way in which the author concluded all three versions. This was for the most part, a bleak and depressing book at how most relationships are bound to fail. After 385 pages of all the troubles these couples had in staying together, wiping it up nicely in the final chapter just didn't match with the overall feel of the novel. ( )

I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did, but it ended up being ridiculously hard to follow which version I was reading.

This book was told in three versions and chapters alternated in various orders focusing on one of two characters. While each chapter was clearly marked with which version it was about, I had to write down a quick description of which version referred to which plot in order to keep track of where I was.

Additionally, remembering which characters were doing what became challenging. In all three versions, children were born and each had a distinct personality, and three different sets of spouses and divorces and friends came along with three different lives. I felt like this book should have been a pleasant read, but instead I was juggling names constantly.

Though I normally adore books written in present tense, it felt finicky here. I was constantly aware of it and it was constantly jolting me out to reread sentences to check for congruency.

I did think the concept of this book was fabulous, how one minor decision could completely and utterly change a life, and I enjoyed the way certain threads of the stories stayed constant throughout all three. However, it wasn't enough to really captivate me.

The concept of this was great and I did enjoy the ultimate ending, but getting through this book was a serious struggle at some points.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Very much a ‘What If?’ kind of story – actually it’s three stories.

In 1958, two Cambridge students, Eva and Jim, meet when Eva’s bicycle has a puncture. There are three different versions of this meeting, which then spin out into three different versions of the rest of their lives. The versions are told in alternating chapters, often covering the same events.

First the good – I liked Laura Barnett’s writing, and she definitely made her characters believable. I liked Eva considerably more than I liked Jim in all three versions of their story (actually, I felt she was probably too good for him and preferred each of the other men in her life – or lives – to Jim). I also liked the fact that all of the stories in their own rights felt realistic, with each having moments of happiness and hurt. The characters made good and bad decisions each time. Also the surrounding characters – their friends and of course family members – were the same throughout each version, but obviously reacting to different situations each time.

The bad – It was simply too confusing a format to properly enjoy. Not only does each chapter change to one of the other timelines, but also several years pass between chapters, so new characters are introduced without warning and I was always having remind myself who was married to who, and who the other members of their families were. I wondered at first if it was just me experiencing this problem, but having read other reviews, I saw that lots of readers felt the same way. I wish I had thought of just reading version one straight through, then going back to the beginning and doing the same with version two, then version three. Having things jumbled up meant that certain events had less impact, because no longer were they happening than you were in a different story.

I DO like ‘what if’ stories – Taylor Jenkins Reid did it very effectively in Maybe In Another Life, and I think the concept of The Versions of Us is terrific. And any of these three stories on their own would have been a good read. So despite my misgivings I would certainly try another book by this author, and would say taht even though this one didn’t quite work for me, there will no doubt be lots of people who will love it. ( )

I knew early on that I would never be able to remember which "version" was which from chapter to chapter, so I just let the story unfold as I read. There would always be some detail that reminded me where we were. The writing was excellent and the story very sad, and beautiful. I liked the themes of being meant for each other, and felt the ache of longing in the story lines where the characters didn't line up, quite. ( )

I love this book so, so much! Yes, the versions can be confusing to follow, and they don't necessarily happen in order throughout the book. But I find it fascinating how Barnett captured 3 different life paths and the idea of fate. I really thought one of the versions would be all rainbows and glitter, but was pleasantly surprised to see relationship problems, as well as personal problems, in all 3 versions. I would love to see a visual timeline of the core life events, where the characters enter and exit, and the main characters' lives sprinkled throughout. And the offspring! How it differs in each version!

I know a lot of people will probably/have found the format confusing, and I know a LOT of people don't like thinking about what might have been or dwelling in the past, but this book is definitely worth a read if you get hung up on what might have beens.

This just proves that no matter the choices you make, there will be obstacles down every road. No one path is perfect or the best one to take. You just have to trust yourself in making decisions that are best for you. ( )