Our Life in a Day by Jamie Fewery

Feb 27, 2019 Brandice rated it really liked it · review of another edition

When I first started Our Life in a Day, it was good, holding my interest as I continued to read, but I just wasn’t sure where it was heading. As I kept reading, I started to predict the direction the story was taking - sometimes I was right and sometimes I was wrong - but it didn’t really matter, I was hooked!

In 2007, Tom and Esme meet at a party. Tom is interested in Esme, despite warnings from his best friend not to pursue her, being told she is too good for him. Of course, he goes for her an ...more

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Nov 21, 2018 ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook rated it really liked it · review of another edition

What is it about this novel and these two people that made me read straight through, despite its length, without once feeling a drag in plot or character? I found it compulsively readable, believable. Even though not much happens outside the connection between these two people their portrayals are so vivid, I found it hard to break away, and the dialogue snaps off the page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written, page-turning, entertaining book. It is both a light and deep character study of two ...more

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Jan 16, 2021 Hannah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sad-beautiful-tragic, 2018-books, great-guy, music, mental-health

An addictive read from start to finish. It could easily be read in one sitting. It takes you on a ten year love story of Esme and Tom through many battles as a couple. It is a question throughout if they will make it past the ten years? He may not have been always completely truthful but I much preferred Tom. I felt for him and his mental health issues. If I was Esma I think I would have thought he did not tell me because he was struggling not other reasons. Esme did have a hard time of it too a ...more

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Jul 28, 2019 Lainy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 304

Publisher - Orion

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Our Life in a Day is a breathtaking, ten-year love story told in twenty-four individual hours - for fans of One Day by David Nicholls, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and The Note by Zoe Folbigg.

The rules are simple. Choose the most significant moments from your relationship - one for each hour in the day.
You'd probably pick when you first met, right?
And the instant you knew for ...more

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Apr 24, 2019 Joanne Robertson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

To be honest I’m struggling to know what to say about this stunning book! It’s just so beautifully written with such raw emotions that it’s one that will stay with me for sometime. And shockingly it’s a debut novel! Also, I have to applaud Jamie Fewery for writing about men’s mental health issues within a book that spotlights the relationship of one couple in a unique and meaningful way.

It may sound like a sweet and innocent game that Esme has devised for their anniversary meal but it’s going to To be honest I’m struggling to know what to say about this stunning book! It’s just so beautifully written with such raw emotions that it’s one that will stay with me for sometime. And shockingly it’s a debut novel! Also, I have to applaud Jamie Fewery for writing about men’s mental health issues within a book that spotlights the relationship of one couple in a unique and meaningful way.

It may sound like a sweet and innocent game that Esme has devised for their anniversary meal but it’s going to be a long and tough virtual day for their relationship. Tom has a post-it note for every day of the day but he needs to write on it a moment that actually happened in reality in that hour. So there isn’t a chronological order to those 24 hours of their relationship but I thought this was a brilliant way of seeing those moments that defined the key points for them during the last ten years.

I found it strange how completely and utterly involved I became in this book from very early on. Both Esme and Tom were delicately drawn characters who felt so realistic with both having flaws and strengths to define them as a couple. This meant that I wanted their relationship to work through those lows and learn from their mistakes as they dissected the key moments of their time together, examining them with a brutal honesty.

By the end I think I was a little in love with Tom myself. But I wouldn’t class this as a romance. It reminded me of One Day by David Nicholls (which is one of my most favourite books ever) mainly due to that ever present worry and fear that something big is about to happen but you just don’t know what-you just hope it’s something good big and not bad big!!

By the time I came to the end of Our Life In a Day I was absolutely sobbing. I wasn’t affected so much by the culmination of the the storyline but by the fact that I now had to say goodbye to Esme and Tom, that that was it and I would never know what they were doing nowadays and if they were okay! It’s not often characters become so real to me that I miss them when I close the the last page but this couples relationship really did speak to me with a must trusted sincerity from the author and I really didn’t want to let them go.

Our Life In a Day was a sensitively written joy to read and I adored every single page. Please write another book as soon as possible Jamie Fewery! ...more

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Feb 09, 2019 Karschtl rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019, 5-stars, love, drama, set-in-uk, via-netgalley, illness

This is the story of Tom & Esme told by looking back at their 24 most significan moments. "Not the best moments, she had been careful to write in her rules. The most significant." And that is exactly what you get here. It's not a book full of the two getting all lovey-dovey. Instead it presents us with a way more realistic view on relationships than most other chick-lit books. Because we all know how easily an argument can start, or that not all days during a 10-year-relationship can be rosy. Th ...more

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Mar 16, 2019 Lisa rated it liked it

Shelves: march-2019

Thank you Orion Books for a copy of Our Life In A Day by Jamie Fewery. Available now.

Our Life In A Day opens on Tom and Esme’s tenth anniversary. She gives him 24 post it notes, each with an hour on them. Tom is supposed to write down a significant (though not necessarily happy) moment from their ten year history. Ie: they met at a party at 2am so that goes on the 2am post it note and so forth.

I really liked the concept though I know I could never fill out 24 post it notes for my own relationshi ...more

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Oct 11, 2018 Jenna Morrison rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, netgalley

I think what I enjoyed most about this book is it’s honesty. Tom and Esme’s life is far from perfect, and the game Esme has devised for their 10 year anniversary gives an insight into the ups and downs over the years.

The book is told from Tom’s pov, and in the beginning he seems quite a weak character. However, the more we delve into his past the more we learn about why he is the way he is. I think the book highlights mental health issues, in men especially, really well.

Reading this book you w ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Shelley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

Our Life in a Day was a unique, refreshing love story. I may be in the minority, but I’m not the type of reader who needs the happily ever after in fiction. I am always drawn to books that have the ability to pull the good, the bad, and the ugly from real life and provide a realistic, honest view of a relationship.

I was invested in Tom and Esme’s relationship right from the very beginning of the book. I wanted to discover the pivotal moments of their relationship, not just the good times, but th ...more

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Apr 18, 2019 booksofallkinds rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from Netgalley.

OUR LIFE IN A DAY by Jamie Fewery is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about a relationship in all of its wonder and despair, and this story left me with tears running down my face.

Esme and Tom have been together for ten years and on their anniversary Esme comes up with a game where they write down their most important memories of their relationship for every hour in one day - 24 memories that sum them up. But like all games sometimes things do ...more

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Apr 20, 2019 Anne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

On the face of it, I’ll admit that this didn’t look like book I’d enjoy – the unusual structure driven by the game and the pile of post-it notes, the hours selected for their significance to Tom and Esme’s relationship, the focus on alcohol and male mental health. And have I ever mentioned how I just didn’t get on with David Nicholls’ One Day? I couldn’t help thinking that I’d probably feel the same about this book, as I picked it up with a sigh, prepared to try to find some positives to include ...more

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Nov 25, 2019 Joanna Park rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I so enjoyed this book! Our Life In A Day is a charming but heartbreaking read which is made even more so by how realistic the story is.

The story follows Esme and Tom as they talk about their relationship in a very frank and honest way. This is what stood out for me most about this book as too often relationships in books are all very romantic and wonderful, so it was great to read about a real relationship, warts and all. Some of the arguments that the couple have are ones that I’ve had with my ...more

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Apr 24, 2019 Abantika(hiltonjenkin) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance, fiction, arc

Our Life In A Day, is not much about the events but is more about the emotions playing out. It’s about the little things that brings us close and the things that take us afar from our loved ones. This book is an experience itself. You need to introspect and re-live a 10 year long relationship in 24 hours along with Tom and Esme. This book is about the FEELS.

It is all consuming. An emotional cracker. There is so much love, tenderness and heartache in it’s pages. Our Life in a Day’s take on relati ...more

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Apr 07, 2019 Karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Tom and Esme are planning a mini break away but on the eve before they go, Esme presents Tom with a game – a stack of Post-its with a time noted on them and a drawing of a clock.

He has to pick the most significant moments from their relationship for each hour of a day, but over different years. This is how we see their relationship from his perspective from the moment he and Esme first met at a party in 2007.

Tom and Esme’s relationship wasn’t all hearts and ...more

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Mar 31, 2019 V_Nerdbooks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-read, completed-review, netgalley, kindle, ah-the-feels, will-re-read, 4-star-books

Tom and Esme have been together for 10 years, for their anniversary Esme decides that they will play a game, the rules are simple, for every hour of the day, they must write down and remember their most significant memories, not the best moments, but the most significant, 1 memory for every hour of the day, for 24 hours.

I’d like to say that this was filled with hearts and flowers and fluffy unicorns, but alas is it a real look on love, not the love portrayed in books and movies.

We go back to the ...more

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Apr 17, 2019 Agi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, 2019-releases

On their 10th anniversary, Esme has created a game for Tom - for each hour of the day he should choose a significant moment from their relationship, so altogether there should be 24 of them, no matter if they're happy or sad - but they must be important. So Tom, albeit reluctantly, goes back as far as 2007 where they met at the party and together with him we see the best and worst part of their relationship.
The moments Tom has chosen are not listed in a particular chronological order, and maybe
On their 10th anniversary, Esme has created a game for Tom - for each hour of the day he should choose a significant moment from their relationship, so altogether there should be 24 of them, no matter if they're happy or sad - but they must be important. So Tom, albeit reluctantly, goes back as far as 2007 where they met at the party and together with him we see the best and worst part of their relationship.
The moments Tom has chosen are not listed in a particular chronological order, and maybe it's better, because there was this surprise effect. It was truly interesting and intriguing to follow those moments, wondering why Tom chose them and not different ones.

The book started great, it had me hooked and hold my interest, but then it somehow went downhill and I really wasn't sure where it was heading. In the end I found myself skipping some passages without a feeling that I'm missing on something - maybe it was simply too sad and too depressing for me? I know this is life the author wrote about but on the whole the story felt too disheartening, without hope.

My biggest problem here was Esme, I think. I simply couldn't warm to her and couldn't accept her demanding attitude. It looked like she was deciding about everything, as if Tom had nothing to say. Everything was good as long as it was Esme's decision. Sure, Tom also wasn't perfect, they were both full of flaws, which is great, because who isn't, but Esme was one of a kind, came across as spoiled and egoistical. Esme doesn't suggest, Esme demands, and in comparison Tom seems very weak. And while this book was very character driven, and I couldn't connect with the characters, I had problems with warming to the whole plot, to engage with the story. However, I appreciate the way the author has described and developed his characters. Esme and Tom had their own distinctive voices, their own strengths and weaknesses. There were many moments that I wanted to shake them badly, at Esme being so stubborn and at Tom for keeping the truth from her. But I didn't feel invested in their lives.

What I liked in this book was that it felt so very realistic and down to earth in the way Tom and Esme's relationship was working. Sometimes it was good, sometimes it was tense, just like in real life. The writing style was really good - it was easy to read, flowing seamlessly, with vivid descriptions, bringing feelings and emotions to life. It was a story pulling the good and the bad from real life. It provided us with a realistic, brutally honest, bittersweet view of a relationship. It is not a light read, and I think I expected it to be, but I'd say the opposite, as it deals with heavy subjects. It felt raw, real and genuine, without sugar-coating things, telling how it is.

Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
...more

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Apr 18, 2019 V_Nerdbooks rated it it was amazing

Tom and Esme have been together for 10 years, for their anniversary Esme decides that they will play a game, the rules are simple, for every hour of the day, they must write down and remember their most significant memories, not the best moments, but the most significant, 1 memory for every hour of the day, for 24 hours.

I’d like to say that this was filled with hearts and flowers and fluffy unicorns, but alas is it a real look on love, not the love portrayed in books and movies.

We go back to the ...more

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Mar 25, 2019 Shelby rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: womens-fiction

On their 10th anniversary, Esme and Tom create a game where they reflect upon the past 10 years together. For each hour of the day, they’ll choose a significant moment from their relationship—adding up to 24 moments that define them over the last 10 years.

So we go back to the beginning. Back to when Esme and Tom first met. A moment of kismet at a mutual friend’s costume party. We see the very best and the very worst parts of their relationship. Their relationship is a rollercoaster of emotions, ...more

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Apr 21, 2019 Zoé-lee O'farrell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2019

I had seen a few reviews where other reviewers had said that tears had fallen when reading this. So about 80% in I was feeling quite cocky, I normally cry at everything and nothing was happening yet…….Well! I got to a point in the book and it just started to break me, and it was not until the final chapter that I finally stopped. I could read the epilogue ok, but after I finished reading, my tears started up again.

This story reminds me of all the films that I love to watch because I know I will
I had seen a few reviews where other reviewers had said that tears had fallen when reading this. So about 80% in I was feeling quite cocky, I normally cry at everything and nothing was happening yet…….Well! I got to a point in the book and it just started to break me, and it was not until the final chapter that I finally stopped. I could read the epilogue ok, but after I finished reading, my tears started up again.

This story reminds me of all the films that I love to watch because I know I will cry, ones like One day and About Time. Mainly because of the way they jump about in the timeline of relationships. Our life in one day could most definitely be on the big screen, Lily Collins would have to be Esme. (I have such a girl crush on her and she rocks the pixie haircut). The story had all the feels, but what I loved the most it did not focus on just the love and happiness, the excitement of relationships. It did, however, highlight the struggles that people do go through in relationships and also how tough life can be with someone who suffers from mental health issues.

I thought that when the focus had been on depression and anxiety and alcoholism had been handled so well. I can say that talking from experience first and third hand with some of the above. I think it was necessary to have contrast because real life is not all hearts and flowers.

The game that Esme sets Tom is a clever idea, although I have no idea if I could play it, but a block of post-it notes each an hour of the day. 24 post-it notes, all Tom has to do is pick out what stands out to him in their 10 year relationships good and bad and write it down. Revisiting certain parts of their relationship in each chapter allowed us to see the couple at different points, high and low and see why they were significant to Tom.

I thought the ending was perfect, I can not say why because it would ruin it, but it was perfect as it was true to life. Gah! I am just welling up thinking about it!

For a debut novel, all I can say is WOW! You would not expect it, he is like a seasoned writer already. The writing is beautiful, mesmerising and flows so easily from page to page, making you not to want to stop reading. He seems to have worked out a formula to pull the heartstrings and yet make you smile at the same time! I am excited to see what he comes up with next! ...more

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Apr 05, 2019 Gaby (GNTxREADs) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-read, 2019

This is a truly beautiful way to explore a romantic relationship between two people. The 'game' is so cleverly set out in that each chapter represents one hour from their lives together in the past 10 years. In this way we learn and discover more about Tom and Esme as their love flourishes.

It is so heartwarming to share not only their highs, but also their lows. To see how they overcome conflict in their relationship and the lasting effects of bandaging up these cracks. We begin to get to know t ...more

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Jun 30, 2019 Konnie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1st-author-read, read-in-2019

I picked this book because it was compared to "One Day' by David Nicholls, one of my all-time favorite books. However, I don't feel the comparison is accurate. I didn't get the same feeling while reading this book as I did with 'One Day'.

I did enjoy the writing, but I found the format in which it was written was a bit unnecessary and confusing. I also did not like the ending as much although I can see how it can be a realistic ending. I feel the ending was somewhat of a letdown and perhaps not t ...more

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Nov 10, 2018 Miriam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

At last a love story that's realistic and deals with all the issues of being in a real relationship. I wasn't to keen on Tom's character at the start as he was definitely not the stronger part of the couple and I felt that he gave into Esme for a quiet life. It wasn't until his back story came to light that I saw him as being equally as committed to their future. It's a clever style of writing and I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book in advance to revie ...more

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Jun 02, 2020 Sam rated it liked it · review of another edition

Well that one didn’t take long at all! I liked this book from the very first chapter. How easy it was to read. I liked the idea of the story and how each chapter related to a time in their relationship.

But... I didn’t really like either of the characters; especially the female. She was described as being lovely and caring and nuturing. But I was getting more of an annoying, bossy, self-important vibe... 🤷🏼‍♀️
Also, didn’t end the way I would have preferred. Seemed a pointless. But as I didn’t lo ...more

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Feb 21, 2021 Shannon rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I really wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t for me.

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Oct 26, 2018 Jo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018

Oh my heart. I absolutely loved this book. It's a story about love, about our mental health and of how we need to be true to each other, but more importantly, true to who we are. It's a thought provoking read that l just simply adored it's a beautiful story.

Esme and Tom are about to celebrate their ten year anniversary together. Tom arrives home from work to find Esme wanting to play a game of remembrance. She has a stack of post it notes, and on each is written one hour of the day. They both h ...more

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Nov 09, 2019 Amy (Golden Books Girl) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book was completely different to what I expected based on the blurb, but although I`d thought it would be a straight up romance I ended up really enjoying it for what it really is, and not being disappointed at all. It`s extremely hard to explain without giving it all away, so it`s a really interesting contemporary that charts 24 important moments in the relationship of Tom and Esme, which explores mental health. It`s very raw in places, and some sections were heart-breaking. I think it was ...more

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Feb 08, 2021 Robyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was a simplistic yet enjoyable read. I really loved the relationship between the two main characters and I loved reading the development of all the moments that made a special relationship. I found the book predictable, but this didn't make it any less enjoyable as it was well written. I didn't rate the ending, but I understood why it ended how it did. I'd recommend this for when you need a simple, quick read! ...more

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Feb 19, 2019 Linda Hill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

When Tom’s best friend Annabel pushes him into chatting to Esme at a fancy dress party the consequences will reverberate throughout the next decade.

This is going to be one of those reviews that is difficult to write without including spoilers so I’ll state unequivocally that I absolutely adored Our Life In A Day and cannot recommend it highly enough.

There are so many aspects that make Our Life In A Day a poignant, touching and emotional read. The themes Jamie Fewery includes are devastatingly ef When Tom’s best friend Annabel pushes him into chatting to Esme at a fancy dress party the consequences will reverberate throughout the next decade.

This is going to be one of those reviews that is difficult to write without including spoilers so I’ll state unequivocally that I absolutely adored Our Life In A Day and cannot recommend it highly enough.

There are so many aspects that make Our Life In A Day a poignant, touching and emotional read. The themes Jamie Fewery includes are devastatingly effectively portrayed so that the reader has complete understanding of how and why Tom and Esme behave as they do. I don’t think it is revealing too much to say the concept of depression gives an unexpected gravitas to the narrative that is compelling and affecting. I loved the fact that, with honesty as a major theme to the novel, when they meet neither Esma nor Tom is in fancy dress like everyone else. This is a portent of the way in which identity and truth will resonate throughout their relationship.

I thought the plot was a wonderful concept. Esme’s 10th anniversary game is the foundation of all the action in a manner that is authentic and also somewhat terrifying because I wasn’t sure throughout what the outcome of the game might be. The denouement to Our Life In A Day left me tearful and emotionally drained.

The balance of focus between Esme and Tom is delicately wrought giving each an importance and status in the story. The fact that there is only a small cast of supporting characters adds to the intensity and emotion and at times I could hardly bring myself to read on, whilst simultaneously not wanting to stop. It was Tom in particular who touched me. On occasion I wanted to shake him and remonstrate with him and yet I still wanted to hold him close and comfort him too. People close to me have experienced similar demons and the way in which Jamie Fewery depicts Tom’s struggles is incredibly accurate and impactful.

To try to explain Our Life In A Day further might risk spoiling the read for others. I think Jamie Fewery has written an important narrative because he has woven in aspects that are enormous problems and issues for both society and individuals. That said, Our Life In A Day is neither moralising nor didactic. It is instead a wonderful, heart breaking, and emotional depiction of love and life. I absolutely adored it. ...more

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Mar 17, 2019 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Tom and Esme meet at a party in 2007 and Esme on their 10th anniversary has written a scene from their relationship throughout a 24 hour period. It flicks through the hours, throughout the years and takes a little getting used to.

What you would think from the outset is going to be a typical chic lit, once you start reading you realise that is covers relationships in their all their facets. From the practical to the difficult conversations, to loss, happiness, love and anger and all emotions in b ...more

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Jun 23, 2019 Sarah rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Great if you enjoy arguments.

[spoilers]

I really liked the premise of this book; the story of a ten year relationship told over its 24 most significant individual hours. It’s a quick, easy read and the chronology is simple to follow.
When I read the premise, I expected a mix of highs and lows but actually it’s more like lows and more lows. Even the “high” points are actually painful to read as you see a woman being really unkind to her mentally ill boyfriend as so tries to trick him and trip hi ...more

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