The Other AJ Hartford

by Addison Michael

A phantom on a train. A mysterious kidnapping long ago. Can she connect the dots before all her futures disappear forever?
AJ Hartford is content. With both a teaching job and a teenage daughter she adores, the thirty-something divorcée has settled away from high drama and into wonderfully normal happiness. But her ordinary days turn upside down when she’s chased by a sinister stranger… and runs into a ghostly version of herself.

Learning her doppelgänger is from another universe where she was murdered in the future, the sentimental mother panics when she discovers it triggered a lethal domino effect. And if she can’t save her uncanny visitor from being killed in yet another dimension, all the AJs who ever were and their families will be permanently erased from existence.

With the lives of herself and her beloved child on the line, can she escape into a second reality and rescue the past?

The Other AJ Hartford is an action-packed multidimensional science fiction thriller. If you like good-hearted heroines, ghostly phenomena, and nail-biting high stakes, then you’ll love Addison Michael’s mind-blowing adventure.

Buy The Other AJ Hartford to jump through differing destinies today!

Genres: Psychological Thriller

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2023

About the author

Addison Michael writes riveting, character-driven thrillers heavy in suspense with a focus on the intriguing motivations that make a person a murderer.

Addison grew up in a home where rules were not meant to be broken. As such, she was the "goodest" of the “goody two shoes” around. At 16 years-old, she survived a deadly head-on car collision. With a twinge of survivor's guilt, she developed a morbid fascination with who lives and who dies and why.

Being the oldest of six siblings forced Addison to lead by example. Her golden reputation solidified well into her thirties. But every good girl needs to have an outlet. Behind every smile and sweet comment, there is a dark side waiting to emerge. Addison Michael found the outlet for her dark side writing thrillers. She has an uncanny ability to step outside herself and create believable characters who navigate unbelievable circumstances involving murder, mystery, secrets, and suspense.

Reviews

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, that went downhill fast. I was actually looking forward to reading this ARC. But by 29% done, it was apparent that this was not going to improve and I'm throwing in the towel.

The concept was intriguing - a woman's life is turned upside down when a woman with her face says that she is from a parallel universe and she must travel into another parallel universe to save herself and her daughter. Sounds intriguing, but the execution is painful. Where to start? There were a few typos (breaks for brakes, not once but twice in the first third of the book). A 'news article' that's quoted as describing a car's color as 'puke green' - sorry, but while that might be an apt description, there's no way that that is an actual color / used in a news story. The final straw for me was the almost incomprehensible theory about the parallel universes - it would have been better to have just left this alone and unexplained than to come up with this whackadoo explanation. Were there good moments? Yes, but not enough to save this one for me.

Sorry but while I enjoy alternative universes and thrillers, especially with a unique perspective, this did not get me engaged. DNF.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pages & Pie Publishing for the opportunity to read this.

[angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Rtc here and on netgalley*

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I really didn't. I reserve one-star ratings for books I really hate, but this was so bad it doesn't feel like it really deserves a two-star rating either.

The plot makes no sense. I don't require hard science in my science fiction. Not every author can write interesting math and physics, a la Andy Weir. But I need something, some attempt at an explanation for how and why this phenomenon is happening. There was absolutely no effort made by this author to craft anything resembling science here. My best guess as to what's going on is: 'If a ghost of my future self touches me we can travel through time to another dimension.' Maybe?? I'm not sure because nothing is ever explained. I'm not even sure if it's time travel or multiverse travel. Or maybe both?

So the meta plot is bad enough, but the details are sloppily done too. In one chapter the MC's mom says her dad was a great dad. Two chapters later she's talking about how awful of a dad he was. The character remembers her mission in one paragraph and has completely forgotten everything by the next paragraph. The most rookie cop is assigned to a protection detail after a credible threat with no assistance. Does that really read as accurate to anyone? Thunder booms and minutes later the lightning strikes. Sorry, but that's not how meteorology works. And don't get me started on the author's complete ignorance of genetics and how babies are made. It's been more than 20 years since I took a biology class and even I knew her baby plan was stupid.

It's hard to point to anything I think this novel did well. The dialogue was clunky and awkward. Kind of like the way characters speak in really, really bad B movies. The characters are poorly written and there's almost no growth or development. I don't feel any chemistry between the MC and her love interest. The only interesting world building was the upside-down arch, and you can see that on the cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

[Leigh.empresselly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adventure like no other! What an entertaining page turner!!

Think Stranger Things meets Quantum Leap! ❤️

AJ Hartford went missing from a pay phone never to be seen again. Meanwhile, on a train ride home, AJ Hartford’s life is about to swerve far from the tracks! Are the two AJ’s connected? Are they the same or different people? Whose lives will be altered?

This book had me hooked from the first chapter! The story unravels through family secrets and twists that jeopardize the characters lives. Mysterious time travel leads to a suspenseful journey! This science fiction thriller has a climactic ending that led me wanting more from the characters!

[Stephen Kroh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an intriguing "what-if" that followed through on its inventive ideas.

As other reviews have noted, the author would benefit from the services of a better editor in terms of mistakes that should have been caught, and perhaps should have either left the mechanics of this world more to the reader's imagination or done a more convincing job of explaining them.

Still, she has crafted a tale bursting with creativity and imaginative twists and turns. If she continues to sharpen her skills, I have no doubt that she has a promising future as an author.

[Tom Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book from this author and definitely will not be my last.
I thoroughly loved this easy-to-read page-turner story. The storyline keeps you guessing and the excitement keeps building as the story unfolds.
There are wonderful characters and the descriptions of people and places help to also transport you into the story.
I feel you will love this book.
I received this arc for free and I wanted to leave an honest review.

[Dawn-Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent multiverse story that keeps you wanting to know more. Though this was a good read, I felt like there were some aspects that could have been explored a little more instead of just mentioned in passing. You don't necessarily want to be "over scienced" in a thriller, but a little more on how the travel between universes was really possible would have been a nice addition. And even though the "twists" were predictable, the plot was interesting enough.

[maria arcara · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - good story, needs to be edited

I am a huge fan of time travel fiction, so I truly enjoyed those elements in this novel. I did enjoy the characters and world-building, as well. What got in the way for me was, in my opinion, a serious need for editing. There were enough typos, incorrect statements, and confusing passages to detract from the story for me, so I can only give 4 stars on this one.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely picked this book for the cover (living near STL), but it paid off.

Our lead, AJ, finds herself having to travel to another universe/dimension, to save her future self and her daughter in the current and all other dimensions. It sounds weird, but if you accept that all of these things are possible, then the story makes total sense. It’s a part sci fi/mystery/thriller that’s fast paced and we’ll written. I binged this is a day - I didn’t want to stop reading it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not my normal genre for reading but, this book captivated me from the first page. The premise is interesting and made me wonder if such a thing was possible. It is something like time travelling, but in a different way. I would recommend it. I received an advance copy of this book from the author and this is my honest review.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome read this was.
Really enjoyed the plot and story line which has wonderful world building.
Well fleshed out characters that I enjoyed reading about.
I can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading highly.

I read a complimentary advanced copy of the book and this is my honest voluntary review.

[Toothpick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had my attention from the very first glance at the cover and title. I thought, "The Other" what does that mean? Who is "The Other"? Intriguing to say the least. As I turned each page, I felt like I was a little fly on the wall observing everything and wondering what was going to happen next. I was never disappointed.

I received an ARC for an honest review, which I gladly give.

[Graisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining time travel novel that held my attention. I liked how the romance that was added in actually adds to the story, because in a lot of novels being released these days, the romance takes over the story.

[Dawn J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read! It's rare for me to leave a 5 star, but this book was truly awesome! Kept me interested from beginning to end. And this is authors 1st book of this type. She should definitely read more such as this.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, multi-faceted characters. Very interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. Kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. Simply a GREAT read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

[Mary Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, I don’t need to know the how for everything so no complaints here, and them being a more local independent author, definitely not upset with any writing mistakes when I’ve come across writing mistakes in large authors as well

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved a good time travel book and this took it a step farther! This book really was terrific and had some good twists. The story was so enjoyable and loved how it flowed and the outcome. Definitely worth the read.

[Kenneth Lingenfelter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An abduction at a phone booth. Amanda is in a different dimension of the other AJ. A time travel mystery that was enjoyable to read.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this fast, exciting story! Great summer read that keeps you guessing. Makes you consider what if, moments in a life & how choices you make have consequences. Great ending too!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ I wanted to love this book, but there were far too many issues with it. The premise had potential, but the science was incomprehensible and messy, the characters felt a bit inconsistent and as though written by a teenage girl, and there were numerous basic errors in grammar, spelling, and awkwardly worded sentences that needed to be addressed. Also, one particularly glaring issue bugged me: in each of the timelines, the daughter somehow only aged 16 years in a twenty year period? (ie born in 1997, somehow 16 years old in 2017?)

It did manage to keep me interested enough to keep reading, frustrating though it often was.