Rating: 
Summary: Kinda cheesy
Review: A girl in a coma comes back to haunt a guy who lives in her apt... very "eau de rose" as we say in French, or cheesy romance.
The guy, an architect, is a bit of a dandy. I could hardly go through the passages where he talks about growing up in Carmel with his mom. Yeah the story takes place in San Francisco and has a very American feel to it, pretty strange since it's written in French but Levy lived in the Bay Area for a few years I think.. many a times, it feels like turns of phrases were translated from the English.. strange
Not the best but quite easy to read, I enjoyed it as my work out book
The ending seems a bit rushed and is so different from how the book starts but you can sorta predict it, very average experience on the whole
Interesting to find out the week after I finished it about the movie adaptation being shot right now (nov 2004) for an eventual 2005 release date, straight up translation If Only It Were True
I read the novel in its original language (French)
Rating: 
Summary: If you like daytime soaps, this is the book for you!
Review: After reading a fabulous review of "If Only It Were True", I rushed out to buy myself a copy. Unfortunately, after reading it, I was a bit disappointed. It's the story of Lauren, a young beautiful doctor (I couldn't get Julia Roberts out of my mind)who gets in a terrible car accident in the first chapter of the book which puts her in an irreversible coma. In the second chapter, Arthur, a young, relatively unhappy architect (who is renting Lauren's apartment) finds Lauren hiding in his closet one night. Lauren is suprised he can see and hear her, Arthur is suprised there is a strange, but beautiful, woman in his house. Lauren proceeds to tell Arthur that she is actually in a coma on the other side of town. Arthur has a real life human ghost on his hands! Should Arthur believe her? Will Lauren ever wake up from her coma? Will Laren's mom take her off life support, and if she does, what will happen to the human ghost that Arthur has fallen madly in love with? Doesn't this sounds like the plot of a day time soap opera? The book does have a romantic feel, and it touches on the theme of living every moment to the fullest, but I found it to be a bit on the cheesy side, and the realtionship between Lauen and Arthur to be unrealistic and trite. If you're looking for a summer "no-brainer" and if you love daytime soaps, I'd say give this book a whirl!
Rating: 
Summary: Light reading for light days.
Review: Arthur is a young architect who just moved into a new apartment. One evening he discovers a woman hiding in his bathroom closet. The woman - Lauren - is surprised Arthur can see and hear her. She tells Arthur that her physical body is in a coma and has been for six months. Her "spirit" was somehow separated from her body. Arthur doesn't believe her at first, but pays a visit to the hospital and finds her body. They get to know each other better and soon fall in love, but it doesn't last long. Lauren learns that her body is to be disconnected from the feeding tube and she will die. Arthur promises to help save her and that's when the fun begins...This book is very well-written. It reminded me of "Message in a Bottle" by Nicholas Sparks. The writing style and the story are both very similar, although "If Only It Were True" is not as tragic as "Message." It's a very quick read - just over 200 pages long. I devoured it in an evening. Even if you're not a fan of romances, you should still try this one. It's sweet and guaranteed to leave a smile on your face, but it's not so full of sap that you will feel ill afterwards. There is a very interesting sub-plot concerning Arthur's mother; I would have almost liked to read more about it, but there was just enough to explain things and not so much that it overshadowed the actual story. The only problem with the book is that the character of Lauren wasn't nearly as well-developed as the character of Arthur. This is a minor point and you don't notice it much while reading it. "If Only It Were True" is a perfect summer read, so run to your local library and find a copy!
Rating: 
Summary: A real page-truner....
Review: At just 216 pages, this book rocketed to the best seller list and made me wish I had written it myself. As a reader, it was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. A heart-warming love story about a woman who meets a man, while in a coma, when he moves into her apartment after her friends and family give up hope of her ever coming out of it. This story will make you laugh, make you cry, and will undoubtedly make you question the most powerful force of all...the human mind! A great weekend or beach read.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, witty, and unexpected!
Review: I admire the author's imagination; how he turned an 'Impossible' situation into a 'Could-happen' one. There are smart jokes, and the ending is unexpected. Right when you think it has come to an end, you are surprised and relieved that there's a final twist to spice up the 'epilogue'. I recommend this book for people who like smart jokes, and simple romance. Of course, you should keep an open-mind as you read this. It could happen to any of us! Marc Levy is brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: How do things like this get published?
Review: I just finished reading this book in the original French version, so I know that my disappointment was not due to a bad translation. I had heard that this was the best-selling book in France a couple of years ago and I'd read some good reviews, so I was expecting much more. What an amateurish mess. Although the central premise could have been interesting, the book doesn't really work on any level. The writing is extremely pedestrian: the cops eat donuts, the sidekick makes wisecracks, and all the cliches appear just where you expect them. The characters don't behave like any human beings I know. There are huge, careless gaps in the plot (for example, why does Lauren's "soul" bother to hide in a bathroom closet if no one has been able to see her?) and the author doesn't even bother to get the geography of San Francisco right -- a quick look at a map would have shown that it is Post Street, not Polk Street, that runs along Union Square. Of course, none of this really matters because the book reads like a sketchy proposal for a throw-away romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. And I have a feeling that's exactly what we're going to get. *sigh*
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable, Uplifting, Fun Little Read...
Review: I was in the mood for something light and fun when I picked up this book, and I was well rewarded for the thought. "If Only It Were True," is a heartwarming little story with a fantasy touch. Lauren is a doctor who has a horrible car accident at the beginning of the novel, ending up in a coma. Months later, unknowingly living in her home, Arthur, a young architect, is interrupted in his bath when he hears someone snapping their fingers in his closet. He opens the door, and there is Lauren. He can see her, he can touch her, and he can hear her. She is a living ghost, but for some reason he is able to interact with her. Far from being a typical ghostly-love story, "If Only It Were True," departs from the usual formulas, and actually manages to throw in some wonderful and thought-provoking concepts into the mix. Should Arthur allow Lauren's mother to turn off the life support machines and gain her mother closure and an end to the pain - given that her "ghost" might fade? There is much more to this read than meets the eye on first glance, and it is well worth the small investment of time. You'll smile, and feel warmed, by this book.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet story & charming characters (mellion108 from Michigan)
Review: I'll be perfectly honest: The thing that attracted me to this book was the cover. Yes, the cover is a beautiful artistic aerial view of the Golden Gate bridge swallowed by clouds and fog. My eyes were automatically drawn to the cheerful blue of the cover and the even more brilliant blue of the end papers. Who says you shouldn't judge a book by its cover?
One evening, Arthur leaves his bath to investigate a noise from his walk-in closet. To his surprise, he finds beautiful Lauren, and his life is not the same from that moment. She tells him that her body is in a coma at a local hospital, and that Arthur is the only person who can see, hear, or touch her. What ensues from there is an incredible story of faith and love along with several messages to value each second of your life.
It might sound corny--and it is--but this story really is quite charming. It's a quick read at about 200 pages, and I managed to polish it off in a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's perfect summer reading because it requires no complicated plots or deep messages. You simply have to suspend your disbelief and go with the story. This book is in no way Pulitzer material, but it's a good way to wile away a few hours. I actually liked the backstory of Arthur's mother, Lili. I wouldn't mind reading a separate book devoted to Lili and her life.
Rating:
Summary: A Love Story To Remember!
Review: Lauren is in a car accident and slips into a coma at a local hospital. Arthur moves into her apartment and find her in his closet. He thinks his best friend is playing a joke on him, but Lauren has to prove that she is alive at the hospital. The more time they spend together, the more they begin to fall in love. Arthur decides to find a way to wake Lauren from her coma, but his mission turns into a wild and unsafe escape. Will she live to meet Arthur in the flesh or will she die? The answer is in the book "If Only It Were True." You will laugh and cry thru out the entire book! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A catchy read
Review: Okay, so we know from other reviews that this book is on its way to Hollywood (I personally see Lauren played by Mira Sorvino and Arthur played by Michael Vartan), but read the book before the movie comes out. Some people seem to try too hard to make this novel something it is not: a complicated, hard-to-read book. If Only It Were True is a charming love story revolving around the death of a San Francisco doctor and her predicament of being stuck between life and death. The leading man, Arthur, is the only one that can see the comatose woman in her ghostly state. They embark on a journey to find out how to get her soul back into her body. The tale is sweet and memorable. Read the book.
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