With or Without You

Our Review

With or Without You by Shari Low first attracted my attention because when I read the blurb it sounded like a similar premise to one of my favourite films: Sliding Doors. I wasn’t sure what to expect though because if it was badly written then it could be terrible. Luckily With or Without You was a very enjoyable read.

In the last few seconds of 1999 Liv and Nate have to decide whether to give up on their marriage and walk away or whether to give it another try. With or Without You explores the outcomes of both these decisions and the impact it has not only on Liv and Nate but also on the lives of their friends and family.

Liv and Nate had been together since they were at University and got married shortly after they graduated. Recently they have come to the conclusion that there is no passion between them anymore, they are more like friends than anything else. She thinks they should split but at the last-minute Nate says he isn’t sure.

“We were entering a new millennium.

But was I going to spend it with Nate…

Or Without him?”

Liv’s decision will impact not only her and Nate but also her friends. Sasha is brash, outgoing and opinionated but has a more vulnerable side that even her friends rarely glimpse. Her boyfriend Justin is the life and soul of the party but sometimes that has begun to wear a bit thin with Sasha.

Chloe is the peacemaker of the group. She is single since declining a marriage proposal from the love of her life, Connor. This is something she has regretted ever since.

Then there is Richard, a handsome ER doctor and a potential rival for Liv’s heart.

Often, I find that character development in romance books is lacking unless it relates to the potential couple but all the characters in With or Without You are important to the story and capture the reader’s attention.

I liked the way With or Without You was split into two sections. The first half dealt with what would happen if she decided to leave Nate and the second half dealt with what would happen if she decided to stay.

“What if her decision had been different?

What if she had stayed? Given it another shot?

Would their marriage have been reignited…

And would her friends’ lives have changed as a result of her decision?

Would they have taken a different turn, missed a cataclysmic event, found a better path in the road?

Or are we all just pawns of some inviable force that has our destiny mapped out for us?”

With or Without You was an unexpected book that made me laugh and cry and I am pleased I chose to read it.

Our Final Rating...

Sun, 17th June 2018