Book Review: "She Wouldn't Change a Thing" by Sarah Adlakha

Would you change fate—even if it means losing what you love?

She Wouldn't Change a Thing was an intriguing story with a little bit of a Sliding Doors-esque feel, but it was very different at the same time.

Maria is a psychiatrist who never seems to have enough time—the demands of marriage, motherhood to two young girls, her third pregnancy, and her career leave her at wits’ end more often than not. Her husband wouldn’t mind if she didn’t go back to work after the baby is born, but she can’t imagine that.

One day Maria sees a new client who is clearly quite mentally ill. The woman fixates on a number of events, including a recent hurricane, but then makes claims about Maria’s life that disturb her. Shortly thereafter, the woman takes her own life, leaving a letter for Maria. But the police won’t let her see it until after the investigation is done.

And then Maria wakes up in her 17-year-old body. She wants to get back to her real life, but soon she realizes that she’s stuck in a time period just before a tragedy befalls her husband’s family. Should she stop it from happening, even though that could change the course of the rest of her life?

I’m always intrigued by books that involve time travel of some sort. I love the dilemma of wanting to change something without the butterfly effect occurring. My challenge with She Wouldn't Change a Thing, however, is that I found the plot a little too confusing at times and a bit meandering—there are a few threads that had to come together for it all to make sense for me.

Still, I love unique stories and if time travel intrigues you, definitely pick this up! (Other great time travel stories include Time and Again by Jack Finney, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and How to Stop Time by Matt Haig.)