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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ya know, I never seek out time traveling books. I’ll always say they’re not even in my top 5 favorite genres but, every time I read them, I love them!
This book was special to me because of the father/daughter relationship. I lost my dad almost 11 years ago and would love the chance to go back and have conversations with him again!
Alice wakes up on her 40th birthday and discovers that she is 16 again. It isn’t her teen body or seeing her high school crush that shocks her- it’s seeing her dad as a vital, charming, healthy 40-something year old. She is so used to spending time with him while he is gravely ill.
I recommend this lovely read to anyone who has lost someone dear to them
This book was special to me because of the father/daughter relationship. I lost my dad almost 11 years ago and would love the chance to go back and have conversations with him again!
Alice wakes up on her 40th birthday and discovers that she is 16 again. It isn’t her teen body or seeing her high school crush that shocks her- it’s seeing her dad as a vital, charming, healthy 40-something year old. She is so used to spending time with him while he is gravely ill.
I recommend this lovely read to anyone who has lost someone dear to them
This was a solid read. I chose it for entertainment but also research purposes. I have a story I'm writing with similar themes and saw this on a lot of popular read lists so I decided to give it a try.
I listened, and narrator Marin Ireland did a *fantastic* job. It was very enjoyable to listen to.
Overall I thought it was a unique take on time travel. I had just listened to The Midnight Library, which isn't about time travel, exactly, but I'd say these two books were very thematically similar. I enjoyed The Midnight Library a little more.
I did enjoy Straub's writing style and the way she developed her characters. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work in the future.
I listened, and narrator Marin Ireland did a *fantastic* job. It was very enjoyable to listen to.
Overall I thought it was a unique take on time travel. I had just listened to The Midnight Library, which isn't about time travel, exactly, but I'd say these two books were very thematically similar. I enjoyed The Midnight Library a little more.
I did enjoy Straub's writing style and the way she developed her characters. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Now that I’m out of the full-body trance this book put me in I can tell you how I feel about it:
- I need this as a movie so bad
- Elements I love: teenage best friends, the 90s, NYC, dad- daughter bond
- Magical realism is the way, the truth, and the life
- This was my first Emma Straub book and I’m trying to read all of them ASAP
- Marin Ireland is my favorite audiobook narrator so imagine my elation when I heard ‘this is Marin Ireland’!!!
- Perfect and perfectly believable characters
- HARD RELATE cause I’m still BFFs with my teenhood BFF and also my dad
- Honestly 16 would be such a good reset age for me
- But would it matter?
- Who would I tell?
- Would I be happy with ANY version of me?
- In the middle of this I found out the book is somewhat autobiographical
- Finding that out destroyed me all the way through to the last page
Seriously, I can’t believe how much this book forced me to feel. It’s warm, funny, nostalgic, and incredibly thought-provoking. It will leave you ruminating on what truly matters and you’ll immediately want to call/hug the people you love. It sent me on an existential roller coaster and I punished Garrett for 3 days talking about it and asking him what we would do and how much we would appreciate and cherish everyone and everything. Then I saw my dad for the first time in a while right after I read this and I felt like *I* had just come back from time travel; I gave him a strong hug that came from such a deep emotional place he will never know. Anyway now that I’m done crying I have a new interest in time travel books (more magical realism than sci-fi) so send me your recs ♥’
- I need this as a movie so bad
- Elements I love: teenage best friends, the 90s, NYC, dad- daughter bond
- Magical realism is the way, the truth, and the life
- This was my first Emma Straub book and I’m trying to read all of them ASAP
- Marin Ireland is my favorite audiobook narrator so imagine my elation when I heard ‘this is Marin Ireland’!!!
- Perfect and perfectly believable characters
- HARD RELATE cause I’m still BFFs with my teenhood BFF and also my dad
- Honestly 16 would be such a good reset age for me
- But would it matter?
- Who would I tell?
- Would I be happy with ANY version of me?
- In the middle of this I found out the book is somewhat autobiographical
- Finding that out destroyed me all the way through to the last page
Seriously, I can’t believe how much this book forced me to feel. It’s warm, funny, nostalgic, and incredibly thought-provoking. It will leave you ruminating on what truly matters and you’ll immediately want to call/hug the people you love. It sent me on an existential roller coaster and I punished Garrett for 3 days talking about it and asking him what we would do and how much we would appreciate and cherish everyone and everything. Then I saw my dad for the first time in a while right after I read this and I felt like *I* had just come back from time travel; I gave him a strong hug that came from such a deep emotional place he will never know. Anyway now that I’m done crying I have a new interest in time travel books (more magical realism than sci-fi) so send me your recs ♥’
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
Diverse cast of characters:
No
On her 40th birthday, Alice isn't satisfied with her life. Her joy in life has stagnated, especially since her father - famous for having written a cult classic time travel novel - has declined in his health. When she stumbles to her father's home drunk and ends up in his shed overnight, she wakes up on her 16th birthday - her father's hale and hearty, her best friend is at her side, and her crush is still within reach. Maybe this is the opportunity she needs to change her life.
I read most any time travel fiction I can get my hands on - it's my favorite thing. Because of that, I'm used to what a lot of time travel stories will do. This literary time travel story does exactly what a literary time travel story does and doesn't deviate from that one bit in its messaging or plot. From the first pages, you know where this'll go. This had a good balance of having Alice take control of her life and accept the things she can't control. I thought the type of time travel she encounters was fairly fun, and I liked her going through the process of figuring out what the rules were. I also thought the fast pacing of the final act was really effective. Given the way that this book was pitched, I expected her relationship with her dad to be center stage more; I would've liked that to be expanded on. She goes on about her teenage crush for a longer time that I thought necessary (ignoring the whole 40 y/o in 16 y/o body... giving it the excuse of hormones). It also pitches itself as funny, I thought it was fairly plain. If I had to compare it to a time travel thing I've seen before, it's like a less fun/interesting About Time.
Overall, this is the typical literary time travel. It won't surprise you, but it has good messaging.
I read most any time travel fiction I can get my hands on - it's my favorite thing. Because of that, I'm used to what a lot of time travel stories will do. This literary time travel story does exactly what a literary time travel story does and doesn't deviate from that one bit in its messaging or plot. From the first pages, you know where this'll go. This had a good balance of having Alice take control of her life and accept the things she can't control. I thought the type of time travel she encounters was fairly fun, and I liked her going through the process of figuring out what the rules were. I also thought the fast pacing of the final act was really effective. Given the way that this book was pitched, I expected her relationship with her dad to be center stage more; I would've liked that to be expanded on. She goes on about her teenage crush for a longer time that I thought necessary (ignoring the whole 40 y/o in 16 y/o body... giving it the excuse of hormones). It also pitches itself as funny, I thought it was fairly plain. If I had to compare it to a time travel thing I've seen before, it's like a less fun/interesting About Time.
Overall, this is the typical literary time travel. It won't surprise you, but it has good messaging.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No