By: Sarah Adlakha
ISBN: 978-1250774552
Publisher: Forge Books
Publication Date: 08/10/2021
Format: Hardcover /Audio
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell (my favorite narrator)
DEBUT NOVEL
Sliding Doors meets Life After Life in Sarah Adlakha's story about a wife and mother who is given the chance to start over at the risk of losing everything she loves.
A second chance is the last thing she wants.
When thirty-nine year old Maria Forssmann wakes up in her seventeen-year-old body, she doesn’t know how she got there. All she does know is she has to get back: to her home in Bienville, Mississippi, to her job as a successful psychiatrist and, most importantly, to her husband, daughters, and unborn son.
But she also knows that, in only a few weeks, a devastating tragedy will strike her husband, a tragedy that will lead to their meeting each other.
Can she change time and still keep what it’s given her?
Exploring the responsibilities love lays on us, the complicated burdens of motherhood, and the rippling impact of our choices, She Wouldn't Change a Thing is a dazzling debut from a bright new voice.
Praise
“Adlakha’s debut is a truly compelling read, making the reader consider what they would do if offered a second chance, how they might deal with an impossible choice, and what is most important in life. The characters are relatable, the story is gripping, and the blend of domestic fiction with a hint of science fiction is just plain great.” ―Booklist (starred review)
“For me, a mind-bending story only works if its characters are real and relatable. Sarah Adlakha gets it exactly right in She Wouldn’t Change a Thing. Her protagonist, faced with impossible, life altering choices, will keep the reader awake at night wondering ‘what would I do?’”
―Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of Big Lies in a Small Town
“A thrilling, breathtaking, heartbreaking story. In this dazzling debut novel, Sarah Adlahka has crafted a world where the magical not only seems possible, but probable, and where the complicated, complex characters, and the often untenable decisions they're forced to make, will haunt you long after the last sentence.”
―Rita Woods, author of Remembrance
“Book clubs rejoice! She Wouldn't Change a Thing is your next selection. It begins as devastatingly realistic, and evolves into simply… devastating. Haunting, thought-provoking, and endlessly discussable, this touching and evocative book will linger long after you close the final page. What would you do with a second chance at your life? Are you sure? Read this – and then decide.”
―Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life
“With searing precision and eerie intensity, Adlakha delivers a dazzling, braided narrative of the inevitability of our choices and the sacrifices we make for love. She Wouldn’t Change a Thing is a story that will break your heart into smithereens, infuse your spirit with hope, and stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.”
―Emily Colin, New York Times bestselling author of The Memory Thief
“She Wouldn’t Change a Thing is a complex, intelligent, psychological thriller whose unexpected twists and turns gripped me from start to finish. With skillful storytelling, Sarah dives into the life of a mother who is forced to decide between her family and her morality, leaving the reader wondering if everything would be different with a single choice. A captivating debut that makes us question our very reality.”
―Serena Burdick, bestselling author of The Girls with No Names
“Adlakha takes the classic ‘what if?’ tale and grounds it in a premise that is so outrageous, yet so solidly believable, I blew through it in 24 hours, because I had to know what happened next. A powerful and rare treatise on fate, love, morality and spirituality that will make you question everything―including yourself. This book absolutely blew my mind.”
―Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island
About the Author
Sarah is a native of Chicago who now resides on the gulf coast of Mississippi with her husband and three daughters. Writing is her second career but her first dream job. She retired from her psychiatry practice shortly before relocating with her husband and daughters to Mississippi, where she finally put pen to paper and began telling her stories.
She is represented by Stephanie Kip Rostan at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency, and her first novel, SHE WOULDN'T CHANGE A THING, will be available on 8/10/21 through Forge/Macmillan.
