Meet Me On the Bridge by Sarah J Harris

Meet Me On The Bridge by Sarah J Harris

Sarah J Harris has written several books since her debut in 2018, including two young adult thrillers under the name Sarah Wishart. Her first book, The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder, won a breakthrough award in 2018. Meet Me On the Bridge is her fourth adult novel, and it is a fiction romance with a thriller back note and a supernatural twist. I would call it realistic adjacent. It deals with bullying and toxic relationships, infidelity, death and grief, chronic illness, a suicide attempt, murder, gaslighting, abandonment, and small mentions of a car accident.

Julia has narcolepsy. That has always been the case but it seems like it has really gotten worse ever since her twenty-fifth birthday and her boyfriend is really becoming unsympathetic about her narcoleptic bouts. He's even started making her sleep in the guest room since she often wakes up at night from terrifying, realistic nightmares. To make matters worse, Julia's mother, Marianne, abandoned her when she was a child and her grandmother, who raised her, now has Alzheimer's and seems to think that Marianne has been coming around to visit. Not to mention that Julia's job is not going great and her boss is an absolute jerk. So when Julia has a dream about meeting a man at a bar that she feels an immediate connection with, she can't seem to shake it. Like her nightmares, this dream felt ultra realistic, and in her dream they made a plan to meet on May 12 on Hammersmith Bridge, the very same bridge where Julia's grandfather proposed to her grandmother. When May 12 rolls around, Julia decides to take a chance and go to the bridge. What could it hurt? And she sees a plaque dedicated to her dream guy (literally and figuratively), saying that he died on this bridge exactly one year before. It's not until then that Julia realizes that the women in her family have a special talent that comes hand in hand with their narcolepsy. They can travel back in time. But the more that Julia meddles, the worse the outcomes become. Is there a way that Julia can save Alex and the two of them can live out their happily ever after?

First of all, let me say that Ed is a complete jerk. Secondly, let me say that this book was okay. The premise was interesting, although I'm not sure it was completely fleshed out. Alex seemed like the perfect guy, he was so perfect that it was difficult to think of him as real. Julia was a bit naive, but I think that worked for her character and I enjoyed seeing her figure out how she felt about things, even while I thought her indecision and constant second guessing was very irritating. But Ed, Ed felt real. And I hated him. In the end, Julia finds her backbone, which was great except it felt very rushed and mainly happened in the last two or three chapters. And yes, we do get a happy ending.

I'm giving Meet Me On the Bridge by Sarah J Harris 3.25 stars out of 5. It was nice finally getting to see Julia break up with Ed, but I really feel he deserved worse than what he got. The rest of the book was largely uninspiring. I don't regret reading it, but I wouldn't recommend it.

If you are interested in seeing any of Sarah J Harris' work, check out her website at https://www.sarahjharris.com/

Pairs well with apple crumble and painting your walls whatever color you like, even teal, and even if your cretin of a boyfriend doesn't like it!