The Repeat Year

What would you do if you woke up tomorrow morning and found out it was exactly a year prior right down to the day? Everything you did one year ago was the beginning point for where you found yourself today. What would you do if you had the opportunity to relive that year again?

That is just the premise for the latest novel, The Repeat Year by author Andrea Lochen. Not only does Olive Watson wake up on New Year's Day in 2011 with a new beginning but it really is a new opportunity. She finds herself suddenly right back where she was a year ago. Back with her now ex-boyfriend Phil. The very same Phil that broke up with her ten months ago. She's not exactly sure what happened, but all she knows is that she is suddenly provided with an opportunity to fix some mistakes in her life that happened a year ago. Is it possible to move forward with the knowledge of having already lived those mistakes and not yet feel a sense of remorse for having that knowledge to help you with making different choices. It's not exactly like you can leave those feelings behind just because you have a chance to make things right in the lives of the people you dealt with that previous year. Is there even a point to having this happen?

I received The Repeat Year by Andrea Lochen compliments of Penguin Publishers and Book Sparks Tours for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This is like an expanded version of Groundhog Day only it takes some unexpected twists and turns when you have 365 days to do over again. Unlike Groundhog Day where the concept was the same day over and over again, Olive has a year to find the one thing that has brought her back to doing the year over again with no clue as to what that is. Is it the opportunity to stay living with her roommate Kerrigan instead of moving out, is it a chance to fall in love with her ex-boyfriend Phil and possibly get married, or rekindle some family relationships that she burned in the first go around, or is it something she never considered about how her interactions with someone needed a second chance? Maybe repeat years aren't just redoes for quick fixes, but they're last chances.

Based on my personal review criteria I have to rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. Not for the storyline but based on the profanity contained in the beginning of the book that readers might find offensive. However, the story is amazing. I found myself wondering what I would do if faced with the same challenges that Olive did. What if what I thought needed changing wasn't the reason I had the opportunity to redo that year again and I had to repeat it again until I did? This is definitely a unique concept and I found I could relate to a lot of decisions that Olive makes. It makes you see the people you often take for granted in your life and when given the chance to revisit them again, you realize what a gift a repeat year could be. This book makes for a perfect addition to your summer reading list and I'd love to see this one brought to the big screen some day.

For more information about the Repeat Year, Andrea Lochen, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Repeat Year by Andrea Lochen

You can also follow Andrea Lochen on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.