Book Review: Fractured by Dani Atkins

Rachel has been left scarred, guilty and unfulfilled since that fateful night five years ago when an accident changed everything. She lost her childhood friend and her aspirations to end up living in isolation from her family and friends. When she goes back home for her best friend’s hen dinner and Wedding she becomes unwell and collapses, only to wake up to a completely different reality to the one she has been living for the past five years.

This mystery romance reminded me a little of the ’90s film, Sliding Doors, without the sliding part and darker more tragic consequences in the story, but essentially in one reality Rachel has been to University, is engaged to her long-term boyfriend and has her dream job working for a magazine and her childhood friend Jimmy is alive and well, none of which she has any memory of as the life she recollects is the one where after the accident Jimmy died and she never went to University.

I enjoyed reading this book, not because it was perfect, there were a few sticky issues with it, like pressing the emergency buzzer because Rachel is deemed to be delusional, any one who is familiar with hospital knows the cardiac arrest alarm is used for the purpose stated, but because it is overall, well-written and ultimately a tear-jerker. The character of Rachel is well written and relatable, even though at times a little exasperating and Jimmy is a strong dependable hero in this, other characters such as Sarah, Rachel’s friend, Matt her boyfriend and Cathy aren’t so written in depth and prop up the story. The best part of the book is in the last chapter which is written to move even the most stoic of hearts and made this the best romance I have read this year.