The Next Together by Lauren James

The last time they were together, it was late evening and they were being followed.

'It's happening again,' Kate said, and immediately regretted it. Matthew didn't reply, only squeezed her hand a little tighter. She knew what it meant. They were going to die. 

Published by Walker Books in September 2015

Pages - 356

Summary

Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again, century after century. Each time, their presence changes history for the better, and each time, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated. 

Spanning the Crimean War, the Siege of Carlisle and the near-future of 2019 and 2039 they find themselves sacrificing their lives to save the world. But why do they keep coming back? What else must they achieve before they can be left to live and love in peace? 

Maybe the next together will be different...

*****

Reviewed by Vivienne Dacosta

Oh my goodness - this book is mind blowingly good. In a mind blowingly good way! After reading this, I found myself in awe of Lauren's writing abilities. She's so young yet so amazing! If her debut is this good, where will she be ten years from now? 

How can I describe this book to do it justice. There is more than one story going on in it and yet there isn't because it's Katherine and Matthew's story told time and time again as they keep being brought back to life to achieve the unknown. The timelines from their previous and future incarnations are told beautifully with a detailed description of each period in history. Each incarnation of Katherine and Matthew are different in little ways yet the same in many others. 

I have no idea as to which genre to put it under, as this book is unique in so many ways and defies all set genres. There's history, there's contemporary and there's humour, there's danger, there's romance and there's the future. It's a multi genre book. To be honest, historical novels are a little bit hit and miss with me, but this one made me curious about eras I've never really cared about. I loved the scenes during the Crimean War the most. I loved that Kat took on a strong lead. In fact, she often felt like the strongest character within the duo. I loved how the future Katherine's grandparents were weaved into the story. Finally a same sex relationship that isn't the story, but blended beautifully into the book.

I enjoyed the way the 2019 incarnations were presented through emails and Facebook. It was a brilliant way to represent them and created a distance, allowing us to see them in the same way that the 2039 Katherine and Matthew saw them. 

I'm really intrigued about what Lauren will write next. She is bursting with talent that's for sure. If you have eclectic taste then this book will definitely suit you. A modern upbeat multi faceted book ready to give The Time Traveller's Wife a run for it's money.