What do readers think of With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt? Write your own review.

"With Or Without You", by Caroline Leavitt, is a story of what can happen to us when our lives are turned upside down by an unforseen traumatic event. After a mysterious coma for one of them, the three main characters; a young nurse, her musician boyfriend, and her best friend, a doctor all struggle to regain their previous roles. Instead, they discover that their old selves no longer ring true and each gradually uncovers a more authentic piece of themselves. I was fascinated watching the characters change and grow. Leavitt burrows deep into the characters' souls and shows us the forces that shape their lives. These are people just like us, and we see their goodness as well as their flaws. This was a totally satisfying read and I loved it.

This was the first book I've read by Caroline Leavitt and I will now read others. Her characters are well drawn and feel like people you could know. This book grabbed my attention from the beginning and only got better. The characters grew and overcame their flaws as the story progressed. Interesting and enjoyable read.

This book was hard to put down. Caroline Leavitt caught the attention of the reader with her believable characters - As I read this story, I became involved with each character; they were so believable. Each suffered and yet each was able to work their way to a resolution. A great book club read.

This is a fascinating book. I had trouble putting it down. But what a great time to read. Because of the Shelter In Place order I was able to finish it in two days. The author beautifully describes the inner feelings and thoughts of the characters. The plot is challenging and keeps the reader wondering what will happen next. Any
discussion of what happens throughout the book would spoil the intrigue for the reader. A book club would have a great discussion about the choices made by the people in the book. I'm sure there would be a variety of opinions.

I liked this book as it looks at the changes that we all face as we grow, and face trials and tribulations in our ever changing lives. I have reflected on my own life since I recently retired and in looking back I see that I have changed and what was once important no longer has a first place priority. This book has some unexpected twists, turns and outcomes for Stella that end up being just what she needed. It is will worth your time to reading it.

This was an interesting read centered on three main characters whose lives become intertwined. All three characters have their flaws,,,as all of us do. While I enjoyed the read, was drawn to finish it, and appreciated the life lessons, I just found it somewhat lacking.

I found this to be a page-turning, readable novel that was worth my time, but that's about it. The characters are well developed and the story is an interesting one about people who share a history and yet find their paths diverging. Some of it seemed melodramatic to me and not especially well written, but not poorly written either. On the whole, however, I was glad to be reading it and certainly made for a good, pandemic read.

You can read a synopsis about WITH OR WITHOUT YOU. The storyline is not what pulled me into the novel. It was each individual character. Simon, Stella, and Libby's personalities are so very different and you just don't know until you turn the page how each individual is going to react to what is happening around them. That is what got me turning the pages. Even Simon's parents and Stella's mom you have to turn the page to figure out who these people are and what they are going to do. You couldn't guess (as sometimes you can) as to how they were going to handle what was facing them. It wasn't obvious. I wanted to find out the reactions of each character in each particular situation. How they individually responded to the coma, to changing the way each one was living their life. How they looked upon themselves being selfish, in love, life changes. That's what made me feel this was a good novel.