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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
The world stops, or rather repeats it self in small loops over and over again. Each person with their personal loop. The concept is amazing, the execution striking! The first half of this book was truly a 10/10 imo, and I'm a picky reader!
The main characters are fleshed out and were both young when the apocalypse happened. Following them growing up and evolving is a nice ride.
Sadly I'm not a fan of the way this story went after a while. I also find it a bit funny how these characters are on such high horses of morality. They truly read as Americans. Not only in the way they are convinced the looped humans are alive but also the family situation that happens in the story.
Up until the next to last chapter I would probably still have given the story a 5/5 but the ending really hit all the wring spots for me. It was super touching in parts, but the way it concluded and resolved was such a disappointment for me.
This has still been one of my most enjoyable reads of 2023 so far and I dont regret reading it.
The language is easy, effective and expressive. It might have help the visualisation if I would know what an American city looks like.
The main characters are fleshed out and were both young when the apocalypse happened. Following them growing up and evolving is a nice ride.
Sadly I'm not a fan of the way this story went after a while. I also find it a bit funny how these characters are on such high horses of morality. They truly read as Americans. Not only in the way they are convinced the looped humans are alive but also the family situation that happens in the story.
Up until the next to last chapter I would probably still have given the story a 5/5 but the ending really hit all the wring spots for me. It was super touching in parts, but the way it concluded and resolved was such a disappointment for me.
This has still been one of my most enjoyable reads of 2023 so far and I dont regret reading it.
The language is easy, effective and expressive. It might have help the visualisation if I would know what an American city looks like.
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
I really liked the premise that the supercollider at Brookhaven broke time. Coco is a likeable character. I wish there had been more explanation of the theoretical physics that led to what happened, and that there had been more world-building for the post-apocalyptic world. Similar concepts are repeated throughout the narrative but deeper and more descriptive passages would have helped me identify with the characters and the setting. The characters beyond Coco and Forrest were thinly described. Forrest seems to disappear at the end, so that thread is lost after half the book is told from his POV.
I really liked the premise that the supercollider at Brookhaven broke time. Coco is a likeable character. I wish there had been more explanation of the theoretical physics that led to what happened, and that there had been more world-building for the post-apocalyptic world. Similar concepts are repeated throughout the narrative but deeper and more descriptive passages would have helped me identify with the characters and the setting. The characters beyond Coco and Forrest were thinly described. Forrest seems to disappear at the end, so that thread is lost after half the book is told from his POV.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Coco is left all alone in New York City at the end of the world. All around her, people are trapped in their own individual loops of time, endlessly repeating the same tasks that they were doing when the end of the world began. Coco scavenges for food while trying to avoid the "loopers", knowing from sad experience that if she disturbs their time loop they will die. After years of solitude, Coco begins to wonder if there might be others like her out in the world, people free from time loops. She charts a way to navigate the spaces between time loops and decides to leave New York.
This book broke my brain! And broke my heart too. I was hooked from the very first page, and it was a wild rollercoaster of emotions right up to the last page.
The characters feel so real and intense that it tugs at your heartstrings. They go through some terrible ordeals, but it is interspersed with joy and laughter as well. I loved Coco's character! She is so fierce and sensitive and tough and caring and generous. It was fascinating seeing how she interacted with the world around her, rising to meet each challenge and growing and changing. The book spans about 38 years, so we get to see her grow into a completely different person from the scared little girl who found herself alone surrounded by time loops.
I was really interested to see how the world-building kept growing. We start out with a very small view of the world; just one person. Then the world keeps expanding and getting bigger with more and more mysteries and problems and new characters. The science fiction part of the time loops really kept me wondering and guessing.
The writing was so brilliant at giving us the big picture of the whole world ending, but also taking time to notice the little details of these people's lives, like their dirty socks or how good a cool glass of water tastes on a hot day. The stakes feel even bigger, because we stop to appreciate all the little human things that make life worth living. The end of the world is somehow even more epic when you have a quiet moment to be grateful for each breath.
I really loved that a lot of deep themes are explored in this book. The characters have to make some very tough decisions at times. They suffer and sacrifice and have terrible regrets, but that just makes them cling tightly to their families. It makes them kinder and wiser. This book is so full of hope and love! The characters ponder some deep questions as they face the end of the world, discovering what it is that makes life truly precious.
Before reading the book, I asked the marketing team if there was a lot of profanity in the book. They said it was only a little, so I accepted the book for review. It was not a little. It was a lot. (I guess those descriptors are relative. What is a lot for one person is a little for someone else.) For me, it was a lot. But by that point, I was so hooked on the story, I just HAD to keep reading, despite my discomfort at all the bad words. If it were not for that, this would easily have been a five-star book.
There are four side characters who are gay/lesbian, but they are barely mentioned. They only have a couple of paragraphs in the entire book. The lesbian couple mentions wanting to adopt a child, and a few chapters later we learn that they have adopted.
The narrative structure was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was told in four big sections alternating between two different characters, Coco and Forrest. And within their sections we get first-person excerpts from their diaries, and then chapters with a third-person narrator focusing on that character's experiences. So the narration not only kept jumping between character POVS, but also between first and third person. The diary parts were usually in past tense, and the third-person chapters were in present tense. Just wow. The style was jumping around a lot. And yet, it felt cohesive and intentional and very well done. I don't know how the author managed to tell a coherent story with all of that back and forth, but they pulled it off! Head hopping is one of my pet peeves, and I don't care for present tense, but I appreciated that it was well-organized and everything was consistent within that system.
This is definitely one of those books where you keep thinking about it for days or even weeks after you have finished reading. I keep thinking about particular scenes and bits of meaningful dialogue. I actually had a dream about it last night, because my head is just so completely immersed in this story!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this book so much. It hit all points for me, what I was looking for. I was looking for a book that was paced quickly but not slugging thru the chapters. The time I spent reading for the characters, I felt connected with the world they were living in and what they had to survive with. I took a few points off due to lack of character descriptions for the characters but I chalked that up to wanting the audience to imagine the characters as what they wanted to see.
adventurous
emotional
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
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
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:
Complicated