Review: One Past Midnight (Between the Lives) by Jessica Shirvington

PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA Children

PAGES: 352

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I was given an ARC of this book by Bloomsbury, but that fact does not affect the following review. Say NO to bribery. 😉

Before I get in to the nitty gritty of this review, I’d like to say that I wouldn’t mind having two lives. In one of my lives, I could see myself in a posh castle in a secluded part of Scotland with Chad Michael Murray feeding me grapes on a crimson divan and James Morrison serenading me 24/7. I’d have a pet zebra named Zebes (what else, honestly?) and I’d derive my daily exercise from swimming in a large pool filled with an exorbitant amount of cash. In my second life, I could see myself in North Carolina (never been, but it sounds lovely) riding a horse named Stallion on an abandoned stretch of road or riding on a Harley with a few of my fellow motorcycle gang members in a portion of my free time and robbing a bank or doing some other type of illegal activity in the other half. I don’t really condone illegal activity, though, so I may have to think a bit more on that one. Oh, and James Morrison would fit in there somewhere, too, but I just don’t know where yet. So, yes, to answer your question, I’ve definitely thought this two life thing over. I mean, in case you were asking… You were asking, right?

PG-13/R: Lots of cussing (really only the S-word, but lots of that), sexual innuendo by one loser of a man, brief sex scene (not graphic, but is mentioned), violence, self-abuse (cutting), suicide (overdosing on medicine, but it makes sense in the overall sense of the novel and it is not looked upon favorably by any of the characters)

What an interesting idea! I don’t believe I’ve ever read about a plot like this one before. Unique and original! The book flows between Sabine’s two lives: Roxbury and Wellesley. Sometimes switching characters and dialogue every other chapter becomes tiring with a novel, but I felt like both of her lives kept my attention. Also, I liked the character of Sabine and felt like she was relatable. I’ve seen some reviews where people say she is too whiny and selfish. While I can agree with this to a certain degree–I can definitely see what those readers are basing their opinions on–I also feel like the reader needs to put themselves in the character’s shoes. Sabine is living two lives. If I was living two lives, constantly under the pressure of keeping them separate from the other for eighteen years, I would be whiny, too. Unless, of course, James Morrison was present in one or both of my “lives” like aforementioned. Then, all bets are off and I’d be totally fine mentally and emotionally.

You know those books where the male protagonist is kind, caring, protective and just altogether perfect? Well, Ethan stole my heart from his first appearance in this book. I’m kind of his biggest fan, no big deal. Ethan’s attitude towards Sabine and life in general was one of the main aspects of this book that kept me reading. He was almost completely opposite of Sabine. His unselfishness in his unconditional love for Sabine made me smile. If anyone knows a man like this Ethan, I have a phone. Grab my digits and hit me up.

I’m surprised that so many readers were stunned by the plot twists of this novel. I, for one, knew exactly what was going to happen at about the 40% mark (Kindle probs, excuse me). I think Shirvington could have been more discreet with the twists of this novel and I was really disappointed that I could predict everything that eventually ended up happening. And, trust me, that never happens. The fact that I knew what was going to happen is saying something!

Also, I felt like some parts of the last quarter of the novel were unnecessary and did not make sense with the overall plot. I did expect some sort of explanation for why Sabine was living two lives, but alas Shirvington never explained any of the reasons. Sabine didn’t even wonder about possible explanations of her lives, which I felt was odd. I was a little bummed!

I can’t really say much about this without major spoilers, so I’ll just say 1) after enduring an extremely traumatic experience, one does not usually follow that with an intimate one unless they are using the other person as a distraction 2) I don’t know much about stage four cancer, but I’m pretty sure the timeline of a certain person didn’t really make sense (especially in relation to Sabine and a certain grad night *COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH*)

Seattle-based Barcelona is one of my absolutely favorite bands… ever. This song is so heartbreaking and, without giving away any spoilers, I feel like it fits!

THE VERDICT:

Overall, I’d give this novel a 3/5 rating. About 80% of the way through I was ready to give it 5/5, but it really fell flat for me, unfortunately. That being said, I’d still recommend it. I would say that there are many other books that are better than this one out there for you that you should probably read first…