Time of My Life

Wow, did this book ever hit close to home. I've actually been having dreams about going back in time and changing decisions I made years ago. Jillian gets that chance in Time of My Life.This was my first time reading Allison Winn Scotch and I absolutely adore her writing style. I have been reading so much Christian fiction lately and this book was a welcome breath of fresh air for me. Her characters are real and relatable.I identified with Jillian, the main character, right off the bat. She talks like me, acts like me, thinks like me. This book was a wonderful tale of "the grass isn't always greener" and gave me a much clearer perception on my life and believing that all things happen for a reason.

This book has a great concept - a woman goes back in time to see if she made the right choices in life. Although the story was somewhat predictable, it kept me turning pages to see which life she would end up in (past or future). The main character was a bit of a pill - angry and sometimes overbearing - but also intelligent and introspective.

Would you like a chance to make a different decision, to change something in the past, to pick a new career, or a new person to date? Do you wish you could take back harmful words or wish that you could go back and say something meaningful to someone that you never had a chance to say? Time of My Life addresses these types of questions when Jillian Westfield finds herself seven years in the past with her ex-boyfriend instead of her investment banker husband and 18-month-old child. This whimsical, unexpected, smart novel by Allison Winn Scotch will keep you constantly guessing what Jillian will do next. Before the time travel, Jillian lives the idyllic life of a perfect Martha Stewart disciple stay-at-home wife and mother. She schedules, show more outlines, and masterfully executes every aspect of her life which instead of making her life easier only adds more stress. She finds herself often pondering what life may have been like if she had stayed together with aspiring writer Jackson. Bingo. She’s jettisoned back in time as if she never left. How will it turn out this time around? Time of My Life proves to be a treasure trove for anyone who has ever wished for another chance. Winn Scotch creates an unforgettable cast of characters and moments that allow the reader to delve into Jillian’s life as she discovers herself and what she needs most to make herself truly happy. And it is not a man. Time of My Life is witty, well-crafted and charming. show less

A time-travel story that allows the character a chance to possibly make some different choices but also allows her to see the outcome of her choices.

Colorful language that surprised me but did not put me off.

Jillian can remember her previous life which makes the story more interesting as she weighs her decisions. Add to this she has a small daughter in her previous life.

Another interesting part of the story is Jillian's perception of her mother is what she believes is the same for her father, yet this is not quite the case.

I can not rate this book high on my time travel experiences. Although, I did stay with the story throughout.

Time of My Life was a bit reminiscent of Family Man, but I loved it anyway. This book is based on the question "What If?" I became totally engrossed with Jillian's story from the first page. When Jillian goes to her masseuse and has her chi unblocked, some very unexpected things happen. For one, she wakes up seven years earlier in bed, in her old apartment, and still in a relationship with her ex-boyfriend - no more husband, nor toddler, nor house in the suburbs. The best thing of it all, she remains with all the knowledge from her real life in the future... thus being able to avoid old arguments, get work done more efficiently and without the stress, be prepared for important life altering moments, etc. It was fun to see how every show more action had a reaction, thus changing her present and, of course, her future. More importantly though, it raised some very good points - like being true to yourself and not changing who you are or what you believe in for your partner, instead to compromise. As well as how important communication is in relationships. I was curious to see how things would turn out the second time around and will say that I had a tough time trying not to cheat and just look at the last couple of pages to see how it would end. All in all, this was very funny, thought-provoking and a joy to read. I highly recommend it. show less

Rating: 4.25

"Time of My Life" is the story of Jillian Westfield, who wakes up one morning only to find herself living in her former apartment with her former boyfriend from seven years earlier, before meeting her husband Henry and having their child. After coming to terms with this ‘second chance’ at her previous lifestyle, Jillian starts enjoying being involved with her former boyfriend Jackson, whom she never quite got over, and embraces the job she once gave up to start a family. Armed with newfound hindsight, Jillian navigates through her prior life with great ease until she realizes that the greener grass of this former life may just be an illusion. As time goes on, she misses her daughter and wonders if there could have been show more some way to save her deteriorating marriage with Henry. Is this old life really a better path or merely just a different one with its own set of consequences?

This story is ultimately one about second chances and begs the question of "what if". What if you decide to take the road not taken? What if you had another chance at love with a former flame? What if you kept your former job and got that big promotion? What ends up happening to Jillian? You’ll just have to pick up a copy to find out!

I really enjoyed this book and devoured it in a single night. There is something very familiar and comforting about Scotch's writing and the characters she has created. I like that the concept of the novel is simple and yet holds so much possibility which Scotch took full advantage of by exploring Jillian's feelings and inner thoughts. I found myself very curious about where Scotch would decide to take this book until the very end. My only one wish is for the ending to have been more developed because I felt the conclusion was too abrupt.

While this book makes for a light read, there is much to take away from in terms of life lessons. People should make the best of their lives instead of wishing for other ones and there is really no 'right' direction in life but it is what you make of the one you chose that makes all the difference!

http://bookopolis.blogspot.com show less

Time of My Life is the story that we all wish (secretly or not-so-secretly) was our own: the chance to return to the past to fix mistakes we'd made and answer those pesky "What if" questions that have been lingering in the back of our heads for years. But it's also a story of finding yourself; as Jillian forges further and further into her brand new future, she begins to realize that maybe the others around her weren't the problem; maybe it was her. And maybe she needs to focus on herself, rather than always smiling and nodding and going along with what every situation required at the time.

Winn wrote the character of Jillian extremely well. I really did care about her; I felt like I had a personal stake in her story, that it had to be show more fixed. I needed the message of this book to be that regrets are okay. They are normal. Those "what ifs" are perfectly reasonable, but you can't build a life around regrets. And that was indeed the message of the book - as cheesy as it sounds, the most important thing Jillian needed to do was be true to herself, to stop being a "chameleon" and molding herself to those around her. However, it was also about understanding others, about not jumping to the worst conclusions when someone nags at us or bothers us about something. Maybe it's not about being annoying. Maybe it's about love.

The one thing I wanted from the book was more. I would have liked to see Jillian deal with the consequences of her experiences, and see how much she, and her situation, had changed. I can't say any more than that because I don't want to ruin the book's ending, but when all you can say is you wanted more story from an author, that's definitely not a bad thing.

Time of My Life is enjoyable, funny, honest, and very self-reflective. It's a book that really makes you appreciate what you have, rather than longing for some other path somewhere else. We all need to be reminded every once in awhile that it's okay to doubt and okay to fear; as long as you are in control, it's all going to turn out just fine.

From S. Krishna's Books show less