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foreverinastory's review
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
After a liver transplant, Andre Cobb finds out he can time travel. After returning from his surprise trip to 1969, Andre is contacted by the donor family. They take him in and explain about time traveling, and they've tasked their youngest son, Blake, to teach him about his new gift. Andre is torn between past and present, between Michael and Blake and he has no idea what he's doing.
I enjoyed this book. It was such a fun time romp. Andre was an easy character to love. He's been through a lot and had low expectations of things working out for him. Then this liver transplant changes his whole life. Now he can plan a future and he's finding that the future he wants is not the dream his parents have coached him on. I loved seeing Andre get to grow and live. His adventures show him just some of the experiences he can continue to have.
I wasn't super invested in either of the romance candidates. Michael was from 1969 so like that would never work? But then I never really felt the connection with Blake until super late in the book. Regardless, I did really enjoy this book and Andre's character.
Rep: Black gay male who has liver cancer (in remission), two gay white male love interests.
CWs: Grief, homophobia (someone is kicked out of their parents house for being gay), alcohol consumption (underage) , alcoholism, drug use/abuse, cancer (MC had liver cancer, in remission, book opens with liver transplant), medical content, death/death of child (love interest's brother), car accident (cause of death), grief, racism, outing.
I enjoyed this book. It was such a fun time romp. Andre was an easy character to love. He's been through a lot and had low expectations of things working out for him. Then this liver transplant changes his whole life. Now he can plan a future and he's finding that the future he wants is not the dream his parents have coached him on. I loved seeing Andre get to grow and live. His adventures show him just some of the experiences he can continue to have.
I wasn't super invested in either of the romance candidates. Michael was from 1969 so like that would never work? But then I never really felt the connection with Blake until super late in the book. Regardless, I did really enjoy this book and Andre's character.
Rep: Black gay male who has liver cancer (in remission), two gay white male love interests.
CWs: Grief, homophobia (someone is kicked out of their parents house for being gay), alcohol consumption (underage) , alcoholism, drug use/abuse, cancer (MC had liver cancer, in remission, book opens with liver transplant), medical content, death/death of child (love interest's brother), car accident (cause of death), grief, racism, outing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, and Racism
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Outing
danielghurst's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, and Terminal illness
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Homophobia, and Racism
spinesinaline's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Full review at spinesinaline.wordpress.com. More like 4.5 stars, thanks to Raincoast Books for an e-ARC!
This is one of the most unique time travel concepts I’ve heard of. A teenage boy receives a liver transplant and suddenly can travel in time! I was immediately intrigued by the premise and pleasantly surprised by the depth of emotions and conversations that the author explores in this book.
I really loved Andre as a character. He’s quick-witted and funny, stubborn and refuses to back down, sometimes to his detriment but it also leads to many important conversations in the book. The main character, and the author, don’t shy away from bringing up privilege, something that’s entirely absent from time travel media, and how Andre’s identity as a gay Black man have an impact on his life in both the present and past. Privilege is explicitly challenged in the book and while some characters are hesitant or feel affronted to have the topic broached, there’s still space for an open discussion, though I still would’ve loved for it to have been expanded on even further. As a note on the content warnings above, there is racist and homophobic content but it is repeatedly called out and often a description of a past incident.
There’s a lot going on in this book but it never feels too busy, taking the time to work through topics of privilege, race, wealth, healthcare, and gay history alongside the major time travel plot. I honestly wouldn’t have complained about the inclusion of many more chapters to further explore the discussions that are raised and continue the characters’ journeys. I was surprised how little of a role Andre’s best friend had in the book but considering how busy he was with his time travel adventures, it makes sense that she wouldn’t be as active in the plot.
There were some small things that held me up at first that made it more difficult to get sucked into the book, some descriptions that didn’t flow well or were nonsensical (like a glass that was empty and suddenly full again), but these were very likely caught by copyeditors in later edits as I did read an advanced copy.
Jackson has created an incredibly beautiful book about a boy who loves big, and this lovely, funny, and yet heartbreaking book touched me more than I ever expected it to and I’m so grateful for that.
This is one of the most unique time travel concepts I’ve heard of. A teenage boy receives a liver transplant and suddenly can travel in time! I was immediately intrigued by the premise and pleasantly surprised by the depth of emotions and conversations that the author explores in this book.
I really loved Andre as a character. He’s quick-witted and funny, stubborn and refuses to back down, sometimes to his detriment but it also leads to many important conversations in the book. The main character, and the author, don’t shy away from bringing up privilege, something that’s entirely absent from time travel media, and how Andre’s identity as a gay Black man have an impact on his life in both the present and past. Privilege is explicitly challenged in the book and while some characters are hesitant or feel affronted to have the topic broached, there’s still space for an open discussion, though I still would’ve loved for it to have been expanded on even further. As a note on the content warnings above, there is racist and homophobic content but it is repeatedly called out and often a description of a past incident.
There’s a lot going on in this book but it never feels too busy, taking the time to work through topics of privilege, race, wealth, healthcare, and gay history alongside the major time travel plot. I honestly wouldn’t have complained about the inclusion of many more chapters to further explore the discussions that are raised and continue the characters’ journeys. I was surprised how little of a role Andre’s best friend had in the book but considering how busy he was with his time travel adventures, it makes sense that she wouldn’t be as active in the plot.
There were some small things that held me up at first that made it more difficult to get sucked into the book, some descriptions that didn’t flow well or were nonsensical (like a glass that was empty and suddenly full again), but these were very likely caught by copyeditors in later edits as I did read an advanced copy.
Jackson has created an incredibly beautiful book about a boy who loves big, and this lovely, funny, and yet heartbreaking book touched me more than I ever expected it to and I’m so grateful for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Grief, Homophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Racism
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