23/02/2026
✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨
I Loved You in Another Life by David Arnold
Decided to read this book because this is the only unread book on my Kindle – have not updated my shelf yet. I plan to alternate my reading medium this year, in that way I can systematically slash my TBR list both physically and digitally, so I gave this book a go.
As the title suggests, this is a love story – a soulmate trope to be specific. And since this is a YA, I got excited because I like reading novels that make me feel like a teen again. LOL! The thing about soulmate trope though is that they are hard to pull off. Mainly because the concept behind is one that deviates from reality. You can’t just simply say both were born the same day and bam – soulmates! For me, the story needs to be believable, not coincidental - hence the use of magical realism – and unfortunately, it’s just not for me. I really don’t believe in the idea of having a soulmate, I believe in the work that the people in love put together to make their relationship work. I believe in the choices that people make every day, the choice of being despite.
This book is the first magical realism that I have read so I really struggled, the pacing was very slow because my whole belief system is constantly in question. This is why I loved how the author used vignettes with time stamps to put emphasis on the soulmate thing and it helped me visualized the story more clearly.
The entire reading journey was a challenge! I lost count on how many times I’ve put my Kindle down, ready to accept defeat, mark this as a DNF, and a call it a day. But every time I do, my conscience is talking to me to finish the book as a respect to the author and to the entire team that gave their best to create this literature. There are also certain topics that I loved in this book. It openly discusses the journey and grief of losing a family member. I loved how this book tackled mental health issues, awareness, support systems in the form of friends and family. Discussions of dreams and goals – it creates a realistic setting not only to those who’s coming of age, but also beyond.
Overall, I gave this a 5/10 because the pace was very slow. I figure it had to do with the book being too lyrical, it makes you want to read between the lines, I’m all for it but I tend to get overstimulated if I had to do it majority of the time. This book also had a lot of literature, pop/culture references that I don’t know about, so I had to stop and look it up every time which shifts my attention and I don’t like it. I appreciate the author though for referencing Schitt’s Creek, David, and Alexis Rose. There’s also a line that says, “f*ck the patriarchy”, and I’d like to believe that the author is a Swiftie!
PS: Trigger Warning: mention of alcoholism, car accident, and panic attack episodes. Please tread lightly. Appreciate the author for mentioning the triggers.
PPS: Please note that the overall rating is heavily influenced by preference.
