... a poignant, instantly compelling novel about love, change and the power of timing ... far more perfectly paced than this review makes it seem. Leavitt layers every page with suspense and potential --- both for celebration and devastation --- and measures them out in equal parts, letting the narrative ebb and flow in ways that are both comfortably predictable and jump-out-of-your-chair shocking. This is a deeply moving novel, and the way that Leavitt plays with fate, the shifting of time and her own characters’ growth drives the emotion home to make it all the more intimate and personal ... Although Stella is technically the main character, it is Simon who experiences the most growth and has the most satisfying story arc. Leavitt allows him to surprise and upend readers’ and his own expectations at nearly every turn, while still keeping his character grounded and believable ... This is an unflinchingly raw and honest novel, but it is also propulsive and suspenseful. The characters are so wholly realized and developed that they seem to move on their own, with Leavitt simply pulling the strings above them. She is a brave and risk-taking author, and With or Without You is a perfect picture of what she can do when left with a spark of inspiration and a gripping premise.

In the hands of another writer, like Amy Sohn or Emma Straub, these bougie New York types might have been subject to a touch of satire. But Leavitt is not an ironist. She takes her characters and their troubles very seriously, more like Celeste Ng or Joshua Henkin. But there’s also a splash of near-magical realism, when Stella returns from her coma with a gift of creativity and insight that verges on the superhuman. A little touch of Alice Hoffman or Elizabeth Berg, you could say ... What I like best about Leavitt — her signature, perhaps — is her fearlessness with plot. I’ll take a good coma story with a miracle recovery anytime.

... an enjoyable, reliable beach read. That’s a compliment, not a slam. Beach read is shorthand for an absorbing page-turner you can hardly bring yourself to put down. So what if, two months and a dozen books later, maybe you only recall its outline — and that you really liked it? You'd prefer to read Proust all the time? ... Leavitt has a happy knack for making an unusual circumstance believable and her characters flawed, which is to say, they quickly become people we care about ... A brief pause here to observe that, six months ago, I would have rolled my eyes at this plot device. Too much, I would have said. Just not believable. Oh, the difference a global pandemic makes. The book and real life have flipped places. Falling into a coma isn’t that unusual. (It happened to the author in real life.) All sorts of medical emergencies can trigger one. What we’re living through today is what isn’t believable. Being scared to go grocery shopping, not being able to tell a bank robber from a dental hygienist, and that fellow in the White House suggesting we all might benefit from drinking bleach or sleeping with a UV light down our gullets ... As for the book’s conclusion, enough to say, it’s sufficiently satisfying. Even though we see it coming, it doesn’t feel manipulative, which is a serious skill. In fact, I can stretch enough to say With or Without You has a happy ending ... We need those right now.

... draws readers in with its quick pacing and dramatic plot, while also depicting regular people coping with unforeseen tragedy. Warm, thoughtful, and optimistic, With or Without You is a perfect escape at a time when escape seems so impossible ... neatly divided into two halves, with the first half of the book taking place during the months of Stella’s coma and the second half covering some years afterward. That division works wonderfully, as Ms. Leavitt uses the relatively uneventful time while Stella is in the hospital to delve deeply into her characters, using flashbacks and inner monologues to illustrate their insecurities and hopes. This carefully-laid groundwork pays off once Stella leaves the hospital: since readers are already intimately familiar with the triangle of protagonists, the plot is allowed to gallop forward with dramatic twists and turns without detracting from the reader’s understanding of each character’s internal life ... Ms. Leavitt’s talent for recognizing the beauty in the mundane—as well as her ability to craft characters with tenderness and empathy—means that the paths Stella, Simon, and Libby take feel true to their stories, even when those paths lead to surprising places.

... a book peppered with some sloppy prose ... written from the comatose Stella’s point of view. Her dreamy, frustrated monologues are so particular and evocative that the reader can’t help but feel some of the character’s confusion and fear ... Because we see and hear the story through the voices of three different characters, it’s sometimes hard to know whose story this is. Who, exactly, do we really care about? Whose childhood trauma was the worst (Libby’s!)? Who do we hope will transform for the better? ... As it turns out, all of them emerge as the better angels of their natures. Their middle-aged awakenings are filled with some less-than-enlightening discoveries ... ultimately about how we turn catastrophe and regret into something transformative, and we can’t help rooting for these characters to finally find the fulfillment that so eludes them.

Prolific author Leavitt (Cruel Beautiful World, 2016) mines the aftermath of one couple’s tragedy in her latest novel ... Leavitt’s seamless writing easily carries readers through the compelling story. While more character development would have been welcome, this doesn’t take away from the book’s emotional wallop. Leavitt’s fans and readers of domestic drama will be thrilled.

[An] illuminating exploration of a 40-something couple’s failed relationship ... While a tacked-on, fairy tale ending fails to convince, Leavitt shows how the characters’ family relationships and childhood experiences inform their actions and needs ... This is a highly readable exploration of the fluid nature of relationships and redemptive power of self-reflection.

What if Snow White woke up and decided she didn’t much like Prince Charming? Something like that happens in Leavitt's latest novel ... Leavitt expands the characters with backstories that have a common thread ... One character’s coma is only the first surprise in this satisfying story of middle-aged love.