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mk_pagano's review
1.0
DNFed after 1 chapter. It's just not particularly well-written and I can't get past that. Too bad since the concept does sound interesting.
mischief_in_the_library's review
3.0
Great story that had one major flaw - we never find out BUT WHY??
badindiegamer's review
5.0
WHAT IS THIS ENDING
I just want to state this is the first book I've read this year and I WAS planning on going to sleep, but after that last chapter? No way. I'm hooked. I need more. Onto the next one!
I just want to state this is the first book I've read this year and I WAS planning on going to sleep, but after that last chapter? No way. I'm hooked. I need more. Onto the next one!
pewterwolf's review
5.0
Review Taken from The Pewter Wolf
Katherine and Matthew are meant to be together. They're destined to be together. They are born again and again to find each other, only to be separated tragically. Whether that is in the siege of Carlisle in 1745, the Crimean War in 1854 or the near future of 2019 and 2039, they will always find each other.
But why? Why do they keep coming back? What must they achieve in each life before they can live and love in peace? And will their next together be any different?
Where the heck do I start?
I really love this book. This is going to be one of my fave reads of this year, that's how much I love this book.
I found Lauren's writing engrossing, as I did the story. Well... stories. We do have 4 timelines to read. It was the timelines I found fascinating. How will Lauren make each timeline different from each other but keep they interlinked and without the reading getting confused? But Lauren made each timeline very unique and I never felt confused or had to go back to the start so I knew what timeline I was reading. Each was very different in tone and style. Each Katherine and Matthew was different in each timeline and, because of this, their romantic together was very different. I wasn't reading the same couple over and over again. Each was new and different, and yet important to the next.
This book has been billed by some reviewers/bloggers/vloggers as a romance. While I agree it does have romance in it, I wouldn't say the book is a romantic book. There is a mix of genres in here, which should fit most readers. There are elements of historical fiction, dystopian, time-travel/alternative universes, corrupt governments and biological warfare. It's romance-meets-science-fiction-meets-history. A mix bag and one that works really well.
There might be one or two things that might bother you when reading this, which happen quite close to the end of the book, but with a sequel on the horizon (The Last Beginning), I sense these will be address there.
I could go on. I could gush about this book for quite a while, but The Next Together is a solid debut and an addictive read! I await the sequel on baited breath...
Katherine and Matthew are meant to be together. They're destined to be together. They are born again and again to find each other, only to be separated tragically. Whether that is in the siege of Carlisle in 1745, the Crimean War in 1854 or the near future of 2019 and 2039, they will always find each other.
But why? Why do they keep coming back? What must they achieve in each life before they can live and love in peace? And will their next together be any different?
Where the heck do I start?
I really love this book. This is going to be one of my fave reads of this year, that's how much I love this book.
I found Lauren's writing engrossing, as I did the story. Well... stories. We do have 4 timelines to read. It was the timelines I found fascinating. How will Lauren make each timeline different from each other but keep they interlinked and without the reading getting confused? But Lauren made each timeline very unique and I never felt confused or had to go back to the start so I knew what timeline I was reading. Each was very different in tone and style. Each Katherine and Matthew was different in each timeline and, because of this, their romantic together was very different. I wasn't reading the same couple over and over again. Each was new and different, and yet important to the next.
This book has been billed by some reviewers/bloggers/vloggers as a romance. While I agree it does have romance in it, I wouldn't say the book is a romantic book. There is a mix of genres in here, which should fit most readers. There are elements of historical fiction, dystopian, time-travel/alternative universes, corrupt governments and biological warfare. It's romance-meets-science-fiction-meets-history. A mix bag and one that works really well.
There might be one or two things that might bother you when reading this, which happen quite close to the end of the book, but with a sequel on the horizon (The Last Beginning), I sense these will be address there.
I could go on. I could gush about this book for quite a while, but The Next Together is a solid debut and an addictive read! I await the sequel on baited breath...
evergreenreader's review against another edition
adventurous
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
1.0
hannahhacq's review
5.0
Really great book! Confusing at times but just really interesting and different... I couldn't stop reading.
rebekahf's review
4.0
A powerful and epic debut about fate and timelessness of first love, The Next Together is a fantastic read. Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again. Each time their presences changes history for the better, and each time, they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated. How many times can you lose the person you love? For Matthew and Katherine it is again and again, over and over, century after century.
The novel, told through a mixture of regular prose, diary entries, letters, internet articles, ‘original’ historical documents and news reports, is fascinating and gripping. James is a scientist by day and a writer by the early hours of the morning, and you can see her love of science shining brightly through the pages. Fortunately, it isn’t too complicated for those without a scientific bone in their body.
She is also a wonderful writer. Both Matthew and Katherine are likeable and you want them to be together, even if you don’t know why. James expertly crafts new time-scapes with every reincarnation of the couple, while keeping them much the same.
While it does have echoes of The Time Traveller’s Wife, it is a step so far removed from it. It is a love story but without the added cheese. But it isn’t a romance story. It has everything; sci-fi, history, war, wit, suspense and mystery. It really is a book that transcends any definition.
As an added bonus, James’s blog has ‘extras’. You can read a Snapchat between the couple, a Harry Potter crossover, deleted scenes, scenes from the story in different genres, and even listen to a playlist that got James through drafting the story. Those extra goodies tie in perfectly with the wacky premise of the book.
The sequel, The Last Beginning, is due out in 2016 and I will be lining up for it. If you are in search of something original and clever, find this gorgeous book and devour it. You won’t be disappointed.
The novel, told through a mixture of regular prose, diary entries, letters, internet articles, ‘original’ historical documents and news reports, is fascinating and gripping. James is a scientist by day and a writer by the early hours of the morning, and you can see her love of science shining brightly through the pages. Fortunately, it isn’t too complicated for those without a scientific bone in their body.
She is also a wonderful writer. Both Matthew and Katherine are likeable and you want them to be together, even if you don’t know why. James expertly crafts new time-scapes with every reincarnation of the couple, while keeping them much the same.
While it does have echoes of The Time Traveller’s Wife, it is a step so far removed from it. It is a love story but without the added cheese. But it isn’t a romance story. It has everything; sci-fi, history, war, wit, suspense and mystery. It really is a book that transcends any definition.
As an added bonus, James’s blog has ‘extras’. You can read a Snapchat between the couple, a Harry Potter crossover, deleted scenes, scenes from the story in different genres, and even listen to a playlist that got James through drafting the story. Those extra goodies tie in perfectly with the wacky premise of the book.
The sequel, The Last Beginning, is due out in 2016 and I will be lining up for it. If you are in search of something original and clever, find this gorgeous book and devour it. You won’t be disappointed.
attoliairene's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
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? No
3.75
I read this book in one sitting two years ago and enjoyed it so much, I bought it. Now I’m judging my past self.
The book has an interesting premise, with multiple POVs told from the different times in history the two main characters are together. There are notes, screenshots and maps scattered throughout the book to help the story along and I enjoyed that aspect a lot!
However, I found myself a bit disoriented from all the time POV jumps and there was even a section of the book where I was completely lost 🗿 It made sense two years ago, why can’t I understand it now 😭
Overall, a unique read in which the historical settings were more interesting than the romance 🙂
audiophile71's review
4.0
Romance? Time travel? This book was recommended as a means to fulfill a category on a reading challenge and my excitement about reading it increased after I held it in my hands and reflected on the tagline, "How many times can you lose the one you love?" I enjoyed the way the author used varied forms of text to tell the story of a couple whose lives are intermingled again and again throughout history. I definitely had a favorite Katherine, and every version of Matthew just seems adorable! I had hoped for a bit more depth in the development of their relationship - it seemed rushed, as if the point of the story was to see the characters unite romantically, instead of romancing the storyline. I was a bit confused about the coding appearing occasionally at the end of chapters. Who is controlling their fate? Why? The answers are provided at the end, but it left me yearning for a resolution from the characters' point of view. All in all, it was an enjoyable quick read and I look forward to see what Lauren James does in the sequel.
powisamy's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Although I really liked this one, I did have some minor problems with it that prevent me from giving it 5. I am really excited about the second book though...
Although I really liked this one, I did have some minor problems with it that prevent me from giving it 5. I am really excited about the second book though...