Author: Dani Atkins
ISBN: 9781471153297
RRP: $29.99
Our Song is the third novel by Dani Atkins and the first I have read. It is a beautiful tale that is far from what I expected after reading the blurb; which means I am having trouble with how to write a spoiler free review.
The story is written from two separate perspectives, both in the first person, and spanning almost a decade. The timeline is fluid and we move through the years at the mercy of our heroine’s memories.
Atkins brings us a story of coincidences that mount up so far that it would be difficult to believe that there isn’t a force at work that brings us to the places we need to be in our lives. Maybe it’s fate, maybe it’s written in the stars but even with full freewill we still end up right where we need to be.
Charlotte and Ally have known one another since university, and Charlotte is now married to Ally’s first love. The two have not seen one another in years and it is far from a happy reunion when they find themselves face to face in an unlikely setting.
I found the flow of the story surprisingly easy to follow. I would have expected the jump from perspective to perspective coupled with the travel from past to present with very little warning to have interrupted the fluidity of the story, instead it served only to draw me deeper into the lives of the characters.
Our Song explores the depth of first love, the ease with which the past returns to haunt the present and the way in which friendships can grow out of the ashes of adversity, almost against the will of those involved.
There is a lot to be said for the old saying that everything happens for a reason, every decision in life sets you on the path to exactly where you are supposed to be. That is sometimes easier to deal with in theory than reality.
The last person either of these women expect to run into in the hospital on the night their life is turned upside down is each other. They were at university together when Charlotte moved in as the final room mate with a group of young men, one of them being Ally’s boyfriend David. Things weren’t left on the best of terms the last time they were together and the animosity is still very present, add the heightened emotions and stress of the situation they find themselves in and things are a little tense.
Atkins explores the emotions of both leading ladies with insight and empathy, and through their memories we learn a lot about the men that they love. The trips down memory lane are often sudden, though sparked by something in the present, and they paint a vivid picture of the characters; they draw us into their lives and the events that have brought them to this particular place and time. Nothing really explains why they ended up in the same place, except that sometimes you end up where you need to be.
The characters are all realistic and well drawn though their behaviour doesn’t always make them very likeable.
Our Song is a beautiful story that reminds us to hold our loved ones tight and never take anything for granted. It reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit and the beauty and wisdom that can be found in the young.
I loved this book, it was unique and engaging though I did find it became a little predictable. I could see the ending coming from about three quarters of the way through but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.
Dani Atkins has a way with words that brings you into the drama with her characters and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of her work.
I was warned that I would need tissues for this one, and I did, but I think I would have needed more had I not been warned.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster 30 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading Our Song so please be aware there may be spoilers contained in the comments below.
Our Song is available February 1st through Simon & Schuster and where all good books are sold.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
One of the things that really impressed me about “Our Song” was how engaging it was from the very first page. Even very absorbing, involving books often take, say, a chapter, to draw me in. “Our Song” had me from page one.
“Our Song” involves some really sympathetic characters caught up in situations we can all empathise with. Ally and Charlotte find themselves both in the waiting room of the Intensive Care Unit on the same night, both waiting to see if their husband will survive the night. There are old animosities between the two women; Charlotte married David, who may well have been the love of Ally’s life, and she’s never been sure he is completely over Ally. And Ally isn’t quite sure herself if she’s over David, even though she loves her husband Joe.
As the two women spend a night in crisis, both remember the things that happened a decade ago, and that continue to reverberate through their lives.
I found this very realistic. Relationships are rarely straightforward, and this novel reflects the sorts of complications and challenges that real people have to deal with. I loved the relationships in the novel – not just the romantic ones, but also the friendships. They felt real to me.
One small quibble I had was towards the end, where the writing suddenly gets very coy, and talks about (for example) “her travelling companion” rather than simply naming him. Most readers will know exactly who it is, and I found these few pages of coyness rather jarring given the excellent writing in the rest of the novel.
“Our Song” doesn’t say anything very new, but it is really well written. It’s strongly involving, and moving, and really rests on power of strong characters in real situations. I enjoyed this immensely, and would recommend it to most everyone. Even people who rarely read in this genre will likely find this a novel to enjoy.
Oh my! Do not read this book without a full box of tissues! From the onset it grabs you. The character development is well crafted and you bond quickly with them.
I loved how it moved between the past and the present tying together experiences and how they shape you. This is a really moving book which grabs you and wont let you go until you have had a good cry.
A great summer read which deals with the trials and tribulations of love and life.
Would recommend!
Such a fantastic story. I finished the book two days ago and have been sorting my mind to write this brief after being quite emotional from the story. Ally and Charlotte so different but both so very likeable characters who individually defend the loves of their life David and Joe. Lots of little twists and turns which resulted in a sad but very uplifting story. I couldn’t put the book down as I just wanted to see how the story evolved as if I was sitting there in the hospital waiting room with them. Beautiful story, captivating ladies with history. I didn’t expect the ending. Wow! Dani Atkins this is so good! Thank you for being a great story writer.
Our Song was the first book I’ve read by Dani Atkins. I found the book very enjoyable, easy to read and hard to put down.
Our Song follows the story of four likeable charactors Ally, David, Charlotte and Joe. Their lives intertwine throughout as they face many painful trials of Adulthood.
It is an emotional story that has many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.
I look forwards to reading more books by Dani Atkins and have no hesitation to reccomend others to do the same.
Our Song is the first book I’ve read by Dani Atkins. I found the book very enjoyable, an easy read and hard to put down!
Our Song follows the story of Ally, Charlotte, David and Joe. Their lives are intertwined throughout as they face many difficult trials of Adulthood.
It was quiet an emotional story with lots of twist I didn’t see coming.
I look forwards to reading more books by Dani and would recommend anyone else to do the same.
I easily got immersed in this book and it didnt take me too long to get closer to the characters even with going back and forth didnt put me off. At first I didnt take much of a liking to Charlotte but before the end I grew to really like her as much as Ally. What a beautiful yet bittersweet ending when Ally lost her husband and the past then immerged to help her move towards the future without her beloved Joe. I did get teary when little Jake said goodbye to Joe who had brought him up as his very own son, just lovely. I will definately be looking up other books by Dani Atkins as she is very talented because no part of her book was boring and there were parts that made you not want to put it down.
Thankyou Dani Atkins and Beauty and Lace for taking me away to another life for a while 🙂
This was a great read. I just couldn’t put the book down as the story was really captivating and interesting. This is a story of two women. Each narrating a different perspective on their love life. In this book you get to read two sides of a story. There is this story narrated by Ally and the same story narrated by Charlotte. A story of how they met David and fell in love with him.
This book did get me emotional at times as I remembered my teen years and depicted myself in the story. Yes I needed tissues as I emotionally got lost into the story.
The writer really transports you into the lives of the characters as if you are there in real life . The story goes into the past of two women from time to time and it is really interesting. Even though the story goes back and forth between the past and present of the two main ladies , it is not hard to pick up the story of where it was last left. In other words it dis not confuse me at all and I followed the story very well.
Just amazed by how coincidence brought back two women together who were once friends and then had lost contact of each other because of the love of their lives.
It is a sweet Romantic story that is a must to read especially during this month when we celebrate Valentines day. It reminds us to treasure our loved ones and cherish each and every moment we spend with our loved ones because we can never know what can happen the next minute. Just as what happened to both Ally’s and Charlottes husband which brought an emotional turmoil to both of them.
It is a very well written book which got me emotional every now and then.
If you love romantic , emotional books then this is a must read. It depicts real life relationships very well.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this wonderful book. I’d not read anything by Dani Atkins before, but will investigate her back catalogue after reading this one.
This tells the story of Charlotte and Ally, and their spouses David and Joe. Tragedy strikes both the men in this story, and all four are in the same hospital intensive care ward at the same time.
The thing is, years before Ally and David were a couple and very much in love when they were both studying at university. Charlotte moved into the share house that David lived in, and through circumstances that were totally misunderstood, she broke Ally’s heart and her relationship with David. But David always stayed as the love of her life.
Time moved on and Ally married Joe and they had a son. Charlotte and David also married. When tragedy struck the men, Ally & Charlotte were reunited in their mutual grief with both men’s lives hanging in the balance.
What transpires is an excellent character study of relationships, friendships and family. Without giving anything away, the ending is gut-wrenching.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Womens Fiction or Life Lit.
This is probably the fastest I have ever read a novel (especially a long one) but Our Song was so captivating I could hardly put it down. From the very first chapter I was drawn into the story, and I thought it was very well written with such detail that I felt like I was there myself.
The book seamlessly travels from the present to the past, and details so many events and situations, it’s crazy that the “present” told in the book is less than 48 hours! The story is told so perfectly through the switch between the two main characters Ally and Charlotte – both sides of the story of any situation involving them both is always shown, as well as insight into other events only involving one of them. To her credit, Dani also somehow holds back important information through the novel in a way that I didn’t feel that I missed anything at the time, yet she throws it back in later to create another twist in the story.
By the end of the story we know Ally and Charlotte really well and have a great understanding of the complex events of their lives that lead them up to this point where their lives cross again in tragic circumstances. I found that Ally was always a very likable character in both the past and present, but I switched between liking, and slightly disliking Charlotte.
The book was a very emotional read, and I physically had tears in my eyes in some parts which is quite an unusual occurrence for me when I’m reading. I had thought it was going to be an almost happily ever after ending but unfortunately it was not and it’s a very sad one. There is a level of closure despite a partially uncertain future remaining which is clear from the epilogue.
I would have to say this book is now one of my very favourites and I will be definitely passing it on to others to enjoy. Thanks to Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review this book, and thank you to Dani for writing this fabulous novel!
Dani Atkins is now on my list of favorite Authors. I simply loved this book. It grabbed me emotionally at times with little warning and I found I was sitting there having a cry so im glad that i was reading this book at home and not anywhere in public which i am prone to do. At times I was so frustrated as I would have to put the book down and leave the characters as i had my daughter and her partner visiting from NSW and I dont think it would have been acceptable to say “Hey im reading a great book so can you just leave me alone until im finished” My daughters visit made the story last a lot longer for me then it would have if they hadnt been here as this is one of those books that is very hard to put down.
A really interesting concept of two woman who know each other because of their relationship with one man. Ally was involved with David who was her first love but David went on to marry Charlotte and Ally married Joe. Years later and this is where the story begins Ally and Charlotte find themselves in the relatives room at the hospital as they both wait for news of the health of their husbands. Seeing Charlotte stirs up Allys past memories of David and emotions she thought she had left behind. As the story goes on it flicks between present day and the past so we learn of the history of both couples.
I have always believed that everything happens for a reason and each person that comes into your life has a part to play in teaching you the things you need to know to progress as a human being.
This is a seriously wonderful read but heed the warning of not reading it in public unless you dont mind making a fool of yourself as you sit and cry.