Review of 'Every Lifetime After' by Jennifer Ross
Release July 28th, 2026
Publisher: HQ Fiction
REVIEW
Every Lifetime After by Jennifer Ross (AKA Jenny Ashcroft) is an emotional Hollywood glamour meets World War devastation dual timeline that aims to bring the past and present together in a most unusual way with its paranormal portal. The author has stated in her notes that ‘this was a labour of love involving a huge amount of work – all human, no AI – which in this case, spanned years.’ and it shows for it is a fairly complex story with a lot of research done in both the WW2 and movie making realm.
Every Lifetime After is a romance with deep psychological introspection, but it also takes us into the world of transporting a book to film and how it is never an easy process. In this novel we see how personally involved actors can become through the characters they play—especially during the research stage to learn all they can of those they must represent. Also, from a writer’s perspective, the question rises: will a story—especially one inspired by true events or people— translate or transport well from the page to the stage or film? Even with all the techno wizardry available today, there are many challenges. So much can change or be altered, if the same vision is not shared by author and scriptwriter. And then there are the wishes of those whose lives are on cinematic display for the world to see.
But I digress: at the heart of this story is grief. Its many faces can be demonstrated effectively in either format. Claudia Baxter is an A-list actress who is going through some rough times, and her troubles and loss are affecting her. Yet she continues. As she recreates the essence of Iris, a WW2 operator who guides planes back from missions fighting the enemy, on the screen, her life begins to blend in with her character’s and she mysteriously slips into that world. It is an unusual experience that happens and as she tries to makes sense of it, she discovers many surprising things— not only about Iris but also herself and family.
The novel explores love that transcends time with a lyrical heart felt sincerity. There are emotional connections between the two timelines. The echoes of love and loss span generations. Plus it also shows us survivor’s guilt and how it deeply affects those who remain. The mental torture never goes away, not really. But the first step is forgiving oneself—a hard thing to do. As the mind often clings to ‘what ifs’ or ‘if only’. Decisions were made in those tense moments whether good or bad. But fears cloud judgment. And war victims are left with the remnants to suffer these effects (as we see in Tim) long term.
Since the historical detail is vivid, it was an easy transport to the time and events. Although there is plenty of sadness and dark moments throughout the two storylines, there is hope and light, too. The personal struggles and tender moments between Claudia and her husband, Nick, intersect with Iris and Robbie’s romance powerfully. How Claudia slips between the two worlds is an ingenious approach and how the two timelines come together perfectly for a unified whole. We can see also how the past certainly can affect the future.
This definitely is a unique novel with multi-layered characters and unusual plot developments. It will keep you thinking and wondering what the end result will be. And long after the last page you may continue to hear the haunting echo...'Time is running out.' Every Lifetime After is an intriguing read for those who love paranormal, time-travel, historical, romance, war mysteries!
4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to HQ and Netgalley for a review copy.
