Review: On The Other Side

On The Other Side
Carrie Hope Fletcher

Published By: Little Brown and Co
Publication Date: July 14, 2016
Date Read: July 15, 2019
Genre: Adult - Chick Lit / Romance
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432

From Goodreads:
Your soul is too heavy to pass through this door,
Leave the weight of the world in the world from before

Evie Snow is eighty-two when she quietly passes away in her sleep, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. It's the way most people wish to leave the world but when Evie reaches the door of her own private heaven, she finds that she's become her twenty-seven-year-old self and the door won't open.

Evie's soul must be light enough to pass through so she needs to get rid of whatever is making her soul heavy. For Evie, this means unburdening herself of the three secrets that have weighed her down for over fifty years, so she must find a way to reveal them before it's too late. As Evie begins the journey of a lifetime, she learns more about life and love than she ever thought possible, and somehow, some way, she may also find her way back to the only man she ever truly loved . . .

Powerful, magical and utterly romantic, On the Other Side will transport you to a world that is impossible to forget. A love story like no other, it will have you weeping from the sheer joy and beauty of it all.

"The colours of her heart represented the deeds she'd done, both good and bad, but the faint smell of treacle told her that, overall, she had a sweet heart."

On the Other Side has been sat on my shelf unread for years. I can't really explain why I didn't read it before now but after seeing Carrie was going to be attending the book convention that I'm attending this year I thought it was about time I started it. I am so glad I picked this up. This book is absolutely stunning. I loved every single second of it.

On the Other Side follows the story of Evie. Evie has just passed away surrounded by her husband and children but when she reaches the door to her personal heaven she finds it locked. Evie has been holding three secrets close for her entire life, and in order to get into her own personal heaven she must release these secrets. As she goes on the journey to make her soul lighter, Evie has to relive her past, including revisiting the love of her life who she was separated from years ago.

I absolutely adored this book. It is the most beautiful, inspiring and gorgeous book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. It is such a swoon-worthy romance but with a divine sadness throughout the story as well. I can't tell you which part I loved more. You have elements of this book that are present day, and then some in the past where you relive Evie's past with her. I absolutely loved every single second of it. Evie is such a fantastic character to travel through this story with but I can't say that she is my favourite character. I loved Vincent too much! He was just the perfect most romantic main guy in a book ever. Right from the moment we were introduced to him I was grinning like an absolute idiot while reading. I just loved him.

Carrie Hope Fletcher is a multi-talented individual. I have seen her perform in musicals and I absolutely adore her in them as she is so fantastic. I don't know what I was expecting from her novels but honestly it is so well written. It usually takes me about 50-ish pages to get into a book but that was not necessary here. Right from the very first page I was absolutely in love with this book. On the Other Side really reminded me of the early Cecelia Ahern books. I love Cecelia's early work and so that's such a positive thing to me. It's a beautiful romance with a hint of magic and I just adored that.

On the Other Side is without a doubt one of the best books I've read so far this year. I loved every single second of it and I just cannot wait to read Carrie's other books. They are just beautiful and quite simply breathtaking. It made me feel all of the emotions. I laughed, I cried and I fell in love. This book was absolutely magical and one I will read again and again.

"You were my single greatest adventure."