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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Don't write science fiction if you can't provide the science.
"She examined the graphs." What do the graphs show??
"He crunched the numbers." What are you calculating??
"She flipped the switch." What does the switch do??
Extremely frustrating.
On top of that, the characters didn't have any personality and I felt zero connection between the two MCs.
"She examined the graphs." What do the graphs show??
"He crunched the numbers." What are you calculating??
"She flipped the switch." What does the switch do??
Extremely frustrating.
On top of that, the characters didn't have any personality and I felt zero connection between the two MCs.
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I love time loop stories, and have liked Mike Chen's work in the past, so it was a no-brainer for me to pick this book up. I got the audiobook on a whim, and it was an enjoyable way to read this book. I was a touch confused by the choice of Patti Murin as narrator at first, since I had thought that Carter was the book's focus and so I expected a male narrator. However, the choice was the correct one, as I came to learn that this is more Mariana's story than Carter's, even though he's the one who gets things started. Besides, Murin did a great job with this book and its characters.
I really appreciated the way the characters grew and changed over the course of this book. I also appreciated the ways they tried to get around the issues with everything resetting when the time loop started over again. Many of the aspects of the plot got at least a minor explanation (whether or not the explanations are actually possible), but one of the ones that didn't was why Carter's memories suddenly started fading. There's one thing that changed from the loop prior to that one to after, but it wasn't presented as the reason for the change. I found myself curious to know the reason for the change—and to know if Mariana would also start losing her memories of the loop once she had been through more loops (she went through fewer than Carter, as I understand it). That part, though, we'll never know.
There's not a whole lot more I can say about what I liked without spoilers. I will say, though, that I really appreciated the book's ending, and I'm really glad that Chen left parts of it very vague so that the reader can come up with their own decision about the ending. It's not really an ambiguous ending, since the main plot gets resolved, but there are a few side plots that are left much more open.
I really appreciated the way the characters grew and changed over the course of this book. I also appreciated the ways they tried to get around the issues with everything resetting when the time loop started over again. Many of the aspects of the plot got at least a minor explanation (whether or not the explanations are actually possible), but one of the ones that didn't was why Carter's memories suddenly started fading. There's one thing that changed from the loop prior to that one to after, but it wasn't presented as the reason for the change. I found myself curious to know the reason for the change—and to know if Mariana would also start losing her memories of the loop once she had been through more loops (she went through fewer than Carter, as I understand it). That part, though, we'll never know.
There's not a whole lot more I can say about what I liked without spoilers. I will say, though, that I really appreciated the book's ending, and I'm really glad that Chen left parts of it very vague so that the reader can come up with their own decision about the ending. It's not really an ambiguous ending, since the main plot gets resolved, but there are a few side plots that are left much more open.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Animal death
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this unique story! A bit of Groundhog Day with a Blake Crouch time travel edge, mixed with a “love story” stuck in a time loop!
Part of wanted a bit more of the “love” in the love story but I also appreciated the constant pull and tug of the time constraints they faced and enjoyed the conclusion!
Part of wanted a bit more of the “love” in the love story but I also appreciated the constant pull and tug of the time constraints they faced and enjoyed the conclusion!
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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:
No
A nice mix of scifi with light suspense and subtle romance. Really liked the characters and the plot twists.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No