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shalane7's review
4.0
This book is trippy. It definitely pulled me in, and was hard to put down. I really felt for the characters. If you're looking for a quick read but also some good intrigue and quite an interesting premise, check this one out.
stinkbug62's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book. As soon as I finished I wanted to start it again
lorrietruck's review against another edition
4.0
There’s a lot in here for so short a book. I really enjoyed it.
gemmamilne's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this up after the glowing recommendation I heard on the Golden Hare Books podcast a few weeks ago - I was intrigued by the story of time travel, after having read a few others recently which play with the theme.
This one I wasn’t overly enamoured with. I *loved* the premise, and the second half (or maybe last third) really did deliver on it, but I felt it was far too centred on the love story and frankly I just didn’t really care about their relationship. The guy in particular I found so needy and whiny and frankly a bit insufferable.
The stuff it brings up about blame and mental illness, the quirky character appearances in past time periods, as well as how Newman played with the time travel butterfly effect, was all really brilliant - I only wish there had been more of that and less of the slow-burn build of the love story which really didn’t convince me. I loved how the time travel story evolved throughout - it really was a cracking exploration of ‘nowness’.
This one I wasn’t overly enamoured with. I *loved* the premise, and the second half (or maybe last third) really did deliver on it, but I felt it was far too centred on the love story and frankly I just didn’t really care about their relationship. The guy in particular I found so needy and whiny and frankly a bit insufferable.
The stuff it brings up about blame and mental illness, the quirky character appearances in past time periods, as well as how Newman played with the time travel butterfly effect, was all really brilliant - I only wish there had been more of that and less of the slow-burn build of the love story which really didn’t convince me. I loved how the time travel story evolved throughout - it really was a cracking exploration of ‘nowness’.
rachael_nz's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
marilynw's review
3.0
The Heavens is a very different kind of book. There is the present day and then, through the dreams of Kate, we are placed in the past. But things get even more complicated than that because every time that Kate wakes again, in the present, things that she's done in the past, have made changes, big and small, to the present.
I enjoyed the parts of the book that were in the present but when Kate would go back to the past, things really bogged down for me. The manner of speaking of the past made reading very slow going and Kate never figures out what she is trying to do in the past, to help the future. I was left feeling very unclear about what was going on in the book and what was supposed to be going on. Towards the end, another character who dreams like Kate, does give us an explanation for what is happening but I had a hard time understanding it.
I thought the characters were interesting but because the future changed so often, they changed and their surroundings changed, so it didn't feel like we got to be with the same characters very long. I almost want to read the book again to see if I understand it the second time around except that I can't bear to read the past parts again.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this ARC.
I enjoyed the parts of the book that were in the present but when Kate would go back to the past, things really bogged down for me. The manner of speaking of the past made reading very slow going and Kate never figures out what she is trying to do in the past, to help the future. I was left feeling very unclear about what was going on in the book and what was supposed to be going on. Towards the end, another character who dreams like Kate, does give us an explanation for what is happening but I had a hard time understanding it.
I thought the characters were interesting but because the future changed so often, they changed and their surroundings changed, so it didn't feel like we got to be with the same characters very long. I almost want to read the book again to see if I understand it the second time around except that I can't bear to read the past parts again.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this ARC.
tensy's review against another edition
2.0
No connection to the strange characters, and by this I'm not even including the time traveler, and a truly convoluted plot that frequently had me yelling, what the hell?
roie_23's review against another edition
1.0
The premise of this is so promising. It is also written incredibly well, I couldn't put it down. What turned me off this book was the reveal in the middle of the book. I couldn't stop laughing at the central idea and what followed. It was just so ridiculous.
What would've made this somewhat good is if it wasn't set in our world. If it was a completely alternate reality and not a world that's just a little bit different then slowly becomes our world today. Because a lot of the plot revolves around people we know from history it just seemed completely insane.
I also found the dream chapters to be quite boring, as soon as they appeared I just wanted to go back to the current timeline.
What would've made this somewhat good is if it wasn't set in our world. If it was a completely alternate reality and not a world that's just a little bit different then slowly becomes our world today. Because a lot of the plot revolves around people we know from history it just seemed completely insane.
I also found the dream chapters to be quite boring, as soon as they appeared I just wanted to go back to the current timeline.
roie's review against another edition
1.0
The premise of this is so promising. It is also written incredibly well, I couldn't put it down. What turned me off this book was the reveal in the middle of the book. I couldn't stop laughing at the central idea and what followed. It was just so ridiculous.
What would've made this somewhat good is if it wasn't set in our world. If it was a completely alternate reality and not a world that's just a little bit different then slowly becomes our world today. Because a lot of the plot revolves around people we know from history it just seemed completely insane.
I also found the dream chapters to be quite boring, as soon as they appeared I just wanted to go back to the current timeline.
What would've made this somewhat good is if it wasn't set in our world. If it was a completely alternate reality and not a world that's just a little bit different then slowly becomes our world today. Because a lot of the plot revolves around people we know from history it just seemed completely insane.
I also found the dream chapters to be quite boring, as soon as they appeared I just wanted to go back to the current timeline.