Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Animal death
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
๐๐ฐ๐ป๐บ ๐๐ค๐ช-๐๐ช โข ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฑ โข ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ โข ๐๐
๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ โข ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ โข ๐๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค
๐๐ถ๐ฃ ๐๐ข๐ต๐ฆ: 30 ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐บ 2024
I think of this as cozy sci-fi more than romance as the love story was secondary to the time loop plot. โCozy sci-fiโ applies because of the budding romance/sparks, personal introspection, endearing pets, and food/cooking elements. I loved when Carter and Mariana were working together, splurging on new cuisines, jetting cross continents, and plotting new paths forward, and I would have loved to see more of that storyline develop in a future Epilogue or bonus chapter(s).
Synopsis:
Mariana is a neuroscientist working at a startup that has discovered a way to relive the past by imprinting vivid memories into the brainโs permanent record. Carter is a foodie with Michelin chef aspirations and a photographic memory. His day job: lab tech at a particle accelerator, where an inevitable accident is about to occur.
When Carter and then Mariana get stuck in the cross-hairs, they find themselves stuck in an infinite time loop, cursed to repeat the 4 days leading up to the explosion that renders the entire facility a pile of rubble. As they try to figure out what went wrong and how to correct it, they will learn more about themselves and each other.
Small gripe: the science aspects were confusing as can be the case with paradox of time loops. I found that if I thought too hard I had questions I couldnโt resolve re: how it all worked.
๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ โข ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ โข ๐๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค
๐๐ถ๐ฃ ๐๐ข๐ต๐ฆ: 30 ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐บ 2024
I think of this as cozy sci-fi more than romance as the love story was secondary to the time loop plot. โCozy sci-fiโ applies because of the budding romance/sparks, personal introspection, endearing pets, and food/cooking elements. I loved when Carter and Mariana were working together, splurging on new cuisines, jetting cross continents, and plotting new paths forward, and I would have loved to see more of that storyline develop in a future Epilogue or bonus chapter(s).
Synopsis:
Mariana is a neuroscientist working at a startup that has discovered a way to relive the past by imprinting vivid memories into the brainโs permanent record. Carter is a foodie with Michelin chef aspirations and a photographic memory. His day job: lab tech at a particle accelerator, where an inevitable accident is about to occur.
When Carter and then Mariana get stuck in the cross-hairs, they find themselves stuck in an infinite time loop, cursed to repeat the 4 days leading up to the explosion that renders the entire facility a pile of rubble. As they try to figure out what went wrong and how to correct it, they will learn more about themselves and each other.
Small gripe: the science aspects were confusing as can be the case with paradox of time loops. I found that if I thought too hard I had questions I couldnโt resolve re: how it all worked.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Chen's new novel adds to our Groundhog Day time travel stories. Initially, the author planned to offer this book as a time loop graphic novel for readers, but it never took off, and this project sat for years before he returned to it. And the question is, why did he return?
Chen shared that during the pandemic, he felt like he was living in a time loop with an endless combination of waiting and extreme isolation through this season.
And this daily existence brought him back to this story as an homage to what he lived through as his lived experience. Iโm sure that is an element we ALL can relate to.
This story offers a dual point of view that is set in 2090, where Carter Cho, a technician at a scientific lab, and Neuroscientist Mariana Pineda find themselves trapped in a never-ending time loop.
The initiation of this incident occurs when Mariana, newly grieving the loss of someone in her life, finds herself on an unexpected tour of Carter's secretive facility, where he's tinkering with the Hawke Particle Accelerator.
But their excursion takes a dramatic turn when the reactor unexpectedly detonates, hurling them into a bewildering time loop that spans four days.
As they are the only ones retaining memories from each cycle, they embark on a journey to unravel the mystery behind the loops while discovering some unexpected feelings for each other.
This book is for readers who like thorough explanations of the reason behind the why of the time loop rather than for readers who crave light time travel descriptions.
Of note, the novel's second half weaves a more complex backdrop of quantum physics and leans heavier into science fiction. At the same time, both characters admit that they're not sure WHY these things are happening, but the reader is privy to each hypothesis as the time loop happens.
Chen is known for blending science fiction with heartfelt storylines and speaking to that, this has a couple of really charming elements, like the love and routines we crave for our pets, even when the world seemingly falls apart.
Carter is also obsessed with good food, and with his repeating time loop, he takes advantage of ordering from many fancy restaurants and eating loads of treats each day without worrying about his budget or his cholesterol.
At its center, it's also a storyline about how we can fight for each other when we know that times feel unsure or dangerous to someone we love.
All of this was beautiful, especially the first two or three loops, but this became a bit cumbersome as the story progressed and, ultimately, a hurdle with the pacing for moving the time loop forward.
This novel showcases my personal difficulties with time loop stories because I need light time travel set up, and I need the repeating patterns to REALLY start changing to hold my interest.
Speaking to the love story component, the author did admit that this element was something he had a hard time writing and that this fell outside of his wheelhouse because he shared that he is Asian and grew up without a lot of expressed emotions around him.
While this writing component was challenging for Chen, the romance was secondary to the time loop story and not as romantic as pitched by the title or through the threads of this novel. And, perhaps, that is showcasing Chenโs discomfort of trying something new as this is lightly embraced.
This novel stays firmly in the PG-romance realm, and I want to recommend it for readers who have teen readers who love science fiction. I see this novel easily being honored with an Alex Award as a great crossover book for a teen audience this year.
Patti Murin does a phenomenal job with the audiobook narration and Chen, certainly builds a believable imagined 2090 world with this science-fiction selection.
TAG: AI, Robot, Time Travel, Groundhog Day, PG-Romance
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a delightful time loop story. It made me cry and smile and I didnโt want to stop reading it. I loved both the characters and their stories both together and separate pulled at my heart. I was really rooting for them in every sense.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I guess I was expecting more of a love story out of a book called a quantum love story.
I like time loop stories for the most part. There is something lacking in this one, though. There are things that usually happen in time loop stories that don't really happen here. Sometimes it can be repetitive to see someone do the same day over and over again. But I like seeing a character try and change the story, even though that doesn't work, and to then watch them slowly being to lose it. That's mostly absent here. The story is set up from the start with a goal in how to destroy the loop. There's not even a depressive scene of knowing that whatever someone does it won't matter.
I like time loop stories for the most part. There is something lacking in this one, though. There are things that usually happen in time loop stories that don't really happen here. Sometimes it can be repetitive to see someone do the same day over and over again. But I like seeing a character try and change the story, even though that doesn't work, and to then watch them slowly being to lose it. That's mostly absent here. The story is set up from the start with a goal in how to destroy the loop. There's not even a depressive scene of knowing that whatever someone does it won't matter.