Before We Were Born, by Kathleen Ready Dayan

Welcome back to Rainy Day Reviews.

Today, I’m reviewing Before We Were Born, an engaging read by Kathleen Ready Dayan. If you enjoy well-written, emotional and meaningful stories, then this is a book for you. 

About

Elia fears being parted from his soulmate, Kalli. The two currently reside in the spirit world but are soon to be reincarnated in new human forms on Earth. But…what if they cannot find each-other again? This question lingers on both of their minds.

Being reborn isn’t without its difficulties as Elia and Kalli soon discover. While Kalli is born into a nice, caring family home as ‘Joy’, Elia is born into a tumultuous lifestyle – involving alcohol and drugs – as ‘Jeremy’.

Although Joy and Jeremy are drawn to each-other upon first meeting, their life paths join and separate sporadically, leading to a deep yet painful connection.

Can love conquer all? Or, does life – and the circumstances we’re born into – get in the way?

Characters

For this review, I will be focusing on the two lead characters – Elia (Jeremy) and Kalli (Joy).

Elia, reincarnated as ‘Jeremy’, is a deeply caring, insightful individual, who was wise beyond his years. He was in tune with nature and the energy of others, and could heal people with his touch. His intuition allowed him to understand how people were really feeling and to sense when trouble was brewing, not just in his life but in those of those close to him. While he does his best to be a good person, there are times where he falters. I found myself feeling proud of him at different times, for all that he had worked to overcome. As a young man, he had overcome many obstacles in his life – his struggle with learning, alcoholism, unrequited love – and did his best to persevere through his struggles, for as long as he was able.

Kalli, reincarnated as ‘Joy’, is a hopeful yet naïve young woman. She began the story as a deeply compassionate and empathetic individual. She was independent and keenly intelligent, destined to be an artist. However, Joy seemed to lose her way in her teenage years, drinking too much and losing sight of what was truly important to her in life. At times she seemed fickle, not knowing what she wanted in life – or knowing but refusing to take the path she wanted due to pride and foolishness. At times I admittedly wanted to scream at her for the decisions she made; at other times I felt her pain so deeply, as if it were my own. Her part in this story pulled my heart and mind is numerous directions, always prompting a new emotion in me.

Positive Aspects

Before We Were Born is one of those stories that never really leaves you. It stays with you, having taught you something you didn’t realise you needed to know. For me, I learned to appreciate what was before me more deeply than before, to cherish each moment with my loved ones and to let people know that they are appreciated; to be true to oneself and the path you want to take in life.

Other positives to this story included the following:

·        The author writes beautifully, infusing her work with a sense of love, fondness, and deep empathy. Some sections were so moving – emotionally – that I began to cry at their beauty. They really touched my heart and soul.

·        The book was emotionally provocative. Certain chapters/scenes had me weeping, while others made me feel deeply frustrated by the lead character’s actions. The author’s writing style is deeply engaging and toys with your emotions in a masterful way.

·        The lead characters have a surprising level of depth to them that closely resembles real human lives, emotions and thought processes.

·        Inner conflict takes centre stage in this novel. We see the lead characters tortured by their lack of action and their stubbornness.

Memorable Quotes

The following quotes from the book were my favourites:

1) ‘Love is the law that governs all that is and all that ever will be’.
2) ‘Love can continue even when it changes’.

3) ‘ “We’re all connected – All life is created from the same energy that takes various forms but is part of the same consciousness – it’s impossible to harm others without harming ourselves.” ’

4) ‘Loving someone is an act of faith’.
5) ‘The mind is temporary; it’s the soul that survives’.

Overview

Overall, I found Before We Were Born to be a beautifully written tale of love, rebirth and healing. The author’s writing style was deeply engaging. There were times I teared up and times I inwardly screamed at the characters for the actions they took. Nevertheless, I felt emotionally invested in each character’s journey and – as a result – enjoyed every moment of the book.

Themes included love, reincarnation, connection (and the soul), personal growth and forgiveness.

My Rating: 5 stars.

I would recommend this book to anyone aged 16+ , especially if you enjoy books which speak to the heart and soul. A deeply meaningful read.

Would you like more information?

To learn more about Before We Were Born, you can visit its Goodreads page, HERE.

Or, to find out more about Kathleen Ready Dayan, simply visit her Amazon author page, HERE.

Thank you for joining me for today’s review.

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Have a wonderful week,

Ellie.