The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson

 

Seventeen-year-old Becca Valentine doesn't realise that her every move is being watched. Watched by the four children she might have. Their fate, whether they are born or not, depends on the choices Becca makes.

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine is the third book by Laura Pearson that I've read recently. Each book features female characters who face dilemmas in their lives. Through adversity, they each realise how strong they are.

The premise of The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine is an interesting and unusual one. We've probably all read books featuring people who have died and their spirits linger, refusing to move on to the afterlife. Author Laura Pearson has turned this completely on its head and said let's look at people before they are born, "Almosts". From the moment a female is born her possible children are present, they can see her grow but cannot interact with her. They don't know who their father will be, the only information they have is their conception date. I felt this story-line shared some similarity with the film Sliding Doors, how the choices we make affect what happens to us in the future.

Becca Valentine has four possible children watching her, Lucy, Thomas, Samuel and Eliza, our narrator. As almosts they are content, keenly watching their mother as she grows into a woman. A rift begins to appear when Becca meets Anthony, the man Lucy and Thomas are convinced is their father. There is dismay as it is revealed that the order of conception, according to the dates they know, is Samuel, Thomas, Eliza then Lucy. 

As Becca starts to fall in love with Anthony some of the "almosts" begin to wonder if they'll ever be born, just because they "exist" doesn't guarantee they'll be conceived, and if they are conceived there are still things that could go wrong. Both Samuel and Eliza are worried as they're convinced they have the same father and it isn't Anthony.

We follow Becca through the ups and downs of young love, pregnancy as a seventeen-year-old, and having to deal with the consequences of the choices she makes. My heart went out to Becca who was looked down on by many of her peers and became isolated as friends went off to university. She desperately wants to be a good mother, particularly after the poor relationship she had with her own mother, and as a result makes the wrong decisions for the right reasons.

You can feel the anxiety of each "almost" as their conception date approaches and you wonder what choices Becca is going to be faced with. To the reader, it's blindingly obvious what the "right" decision should be. I felt the author did an amazing job at portraying how difficult it would be for a teenage mother to make complicated decisions, decisions that will impact on the rest of her life, and the lives of her children.

As the conclusion approached I could feel my nervousness increasing. I had my fingers, along with everything else crossed, hoping that Becca would make the right choices. The ending is bittersweet, I was close to tears as I read the final chapter and discovered the implications of the actions taken.

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson will be published on 20th September 2024 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a review copy.

Author Details

Laura Pearson is the author of six novels. The Last List of Mabel Beaumont was a Kindle number one bestseller in the UK and a top ten bestseller in the US. Laura lives in Leicestershire, England, with her husband, their two children, and a cat who likes to lie on her keyboard while she tries to write.