The Coincidence Makers

A Novel

By: Yoav Blum

Narrated by: Fred Berman

In this genre-bending audiobook from best-selling Israeli author Yoav Blum, there is no such thing as chance and every action is carefully executed by highly trained agents. Listeners will never look at coincidences the same way again.

What if the drink you just spilled, the train you just missed, or the lottery ticket you just found was not just a random occurrence? What if it's all part of a bigger plan? What if there's no such thing as a chance encounter? What if there are people we don't know determining our destiny? And what if they are even planning the fate of the world?

Enter the Coincidence Makers - Guy, Emily, and Eric - three seemingly ordinary people who work for a secret organization devoted to creating and carrying out coincidences. What the rest of the world sees as random occurrences, are, in fact, carefully orchestrated events designed to spark significant changes in the lives of their targets - scientists on the brink of breakthroughs, struggling artists starved for inspiration, loves to be, or just plain people like you and me....

When an assignment of the highest level is slipped under Guy's door one night, he knows it will be the most difficult and dangerous coincidence he's ever had to fulfill. But not even a coincidence maker can see how this assignment is about to change all their lives and teach them the true nature of fate, free will, and the real meaning of love.

Part thriller, part mystery, part love story - Kirkus calls The Coincidence Makers "a smart, unpredictable, and heartfelt adventure story."

©2011, 2017 Yoav Blum, Translation copyright by Ira Moskowitz (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"This existential, mind-bending jigsaw puzzle of a novel is supremely satisfying." (BookPage)

Amazing!

The best book I have ever read and listened to.
The narration was top notch, the narrator captured every single character with a unique voice, that sometimes I forgot there he is only one person. The story starts as a nice idea and develops into an unforgettable story that you can listen over and over again. Yoav Blum has a real talent with words and this is only his first book. Amazing!

מעולה !!!!!!!

WOW. Couldn’t stop listening to to it. Inventive, imaginative and so far more. I love it‼️ thank you for this exquisite book.

Wonderfully Written!

This book is full of wonderful surprises. Really makes you stop and think about life. Probably not for everyone but I enjoyed it immensely. Very well narrated too. Five stars!

Great premise, disappointing execution

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I thought the premise was great. However, I kept feeling like the author was so self-congratulatory about the clever concept it kept interrupting the suspended disbelief. Saw the ending coming and then had to struggle through hours of more hinting at the clever plot twist on the horizon.

Interesting treatise of Coincidence and Love

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, while interesting, it was not very entertaining. I did not care much about the characters and the story line was not engaging. The story was chopped up between the past, present, and coincidence textbook discussion and sometimes while listening I got lost in who was talking and about whom.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Make the story feel less like a lecture.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

A bit too slow for me.

Concept is very cool but the plot is too slow due to too many throwbacks to to the past.

Loved the concept but it dragged

The overall premise of the book is fascinating. Many things we feel are coincidences in life are actually carefully planned events crafted by Coincidence Makers. I was drawn in by the plot but the book fell flat for me. Too much detail about little things that didn't contribute to the story. Clearly, the author also fancies himself a philosopher because there was so much philosophical content, I started skipping it. It took away from the plot, in my opinion. The book could have easily been halved and would have been extraordinary. I made it 5 hours in then skipped to the end.

Unusual exploration of “real” and imagined love

If you often think about all the little decisions you (and others) make each day, and how even the smallest difference could’ve changed things, you’ll likely get a kick out of all the woven threads in this one. It’s an inventive take on the why and when of creative leaps … on the differences between passive and active participation in life … on seeing life as “a series of choices or a series of concessions” … on how the loves we imagine for ourselves can (should?) give way to the real loves before us. I saw some reviewers saying this book “lectured” too much. It does have several more philosophical points presented as excerpts from the consequence makers’ reference books … or as lessons taught by the general. I can see how these parts could be wearing. They are slower. They are not, however, unconnected to the characters’ stories, And like philosophy can do, some bits may just sneak up on you with a fresh spin on a familiar thought? At the end, I thought it paid off. I love a satisfying ending, and this one delivered … so glad this one found me.

Deeper than I thought it would be

This started off fairly light and fluffy, which was enjoyable, but it got a lot deeper with more twists than I expected, which I liked even better.

What would have made it better still: This is written by and Israeli author, I think, yet all the names are American. The city is unnamed. I would have preferred if it had been more grounded in place--an actual city in Israel with people with names appropriate to the country.

No words or review can describe this book

The book, filled with immersive characters you will find yourself relating to, will make you laugh and cry, and will pull you in instantly.

This audiobook takes one of the best books I have ever read - a light-hearted, comedic and engaging book with deep ideas of love and destiny, and adds to it a layer.