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dananana's review against another edition
2.0
Ok like... I should have listened to the reviews? lmao
Most people who've read this and didn't like it complained that the blurb doesn't accurately represent the plot of the book. The blurb advertises itself as a time travel romance but, as other reviewers have pointed out, the focus is more on the (straight) bookseller who is trying to investigate the mystery. I interpreted people's comments to mean that this was would tell the story of a more subtle romance - the reader would be able to piece together how the two fell in love and lost each other and found each other again and again, through their letters and photographs and other evidence.
Yeah, that's not what this book is about!! Honestly I couldn't tell you want it was about because I felt approximately 0 emotions regarding any of the characters or the plot lmao. Plus
It's disappointing because this story really does have a lot of potential. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if 1. the writing was a lot less pretentious (but that's a personal preference lol), 2. there was less focus on Emmett because he was boring af, 3. Emmett was gay/bi instead of straight to add some more emotional connection between him and Tom/Ben, 4., and 5. more about Tom and Ben falling in love and their actual emotions about being lost in time to get me invested in their story.
At least it was really short so I didn't waste a lot of time on it haha ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Most people who've read this and didn't like it complained that the blurb doesn't accurately represent the plot of the book. The blurb advertises itself as a time travel romance but, as other reviewers have pointed out, the focus is more on the (straight) bookseller who is trying to investigate the mystery. I interpreted people's comments to mean that this was would tell the story of a more subtle romance - the reader would be able to piece together how the two fell in love and lost each other and found each other again and again, through their letters and photographs and other evidence.
Yeah, that's not what this book is about!! Honestly I couldn't tell you want it was about because I felt approximately 0 emotions regarding any of the characters or the plot lmao. Plus
Spoiler
Ben dies in the last 5 pages bc???? the author wanted Tom to be lonely??? I guess???? isn't it enough that they've never truly been together...? :/ I was gonna give it 3 stars but then that happened.It's disappointing because this story really does have a lot of potential. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if 1. the writing was a lot less pretentious (but that's a personal preference lol), 2. there was less focus on Emmett because he was boring af, 3. Emmett was gay/bi instead of straight to add some more emotional connection between him and Tom/Ben, 4.
Spoiler
Ben didn't die!! it's so pointless wtfAt least it was really short so I didn't waste a lot of time on it haha ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
alexander_daniel's review against another edition
3.0
Oh la la... J'ai beaucoup aimé le côté science-fiction et les ambiances historiques du roman. Mais Emmett, je le déteste, et le twist de fin je l'ai vu venir à des kilomètres. Pourtant, ça reste un bon livre, rien que pour les deux personnages de Tom et Ben, et ce qu'on peut apprendre sur l'Histoire.
greenblack's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
slolly's review against another edition
3.0
Most of the book I felt like giving it 2 stars, but towards the ending 4 stars. The entire book got more satisfying with the ending even though I saw it coming. So overall I'l give a 3 stars but it's anywhere between a 2 and a 4 stars...
(A lot of people say they were disappointed because of the blurb, I read it in french and the blurb is much more representative of the actual story! So I knew what I was getting into. Here it is if it can help you decide if you'd like to read it, but some might say it's basically the first half of the book:
An independent bookseller, Emmett one day finds a small collection of poems during the liquidation of a colleague's bookstore. A collection, Time Was, which quickly turns out to be of mediocre quality at best... On the other hand, what interests him at the highest point is the handwritten letter which he discovers slipped between the pages of the work. For the bookseller, anything that can give a unique and personal cachet to a book is good to take. He is here in the presence of a love letter from a certain Tom to his lover, Ben, in the heart of the Second World War. Moving heaven and earth - and old paper - to identify the two soldiers, Emmett eventually finds them in various photos, taken at different times. However, the supposed date of the photos and the age of the protagonists which appear there do not correspond ... At all.
(A lot of people say they were disappointed because of the blurb, I read it in french and the blurb is much more representative of the actual story! So I knew what I was getting into. Here it is if it can help you decide if you'd like to read it, but some might say it's basically the first half of the book:
An independent bookseller, Emmett one day finds a small collection of poems during the liquidation of a colleague's bookstore. A collection, Time Was, which quickly turns out to be of mediocre quality at best... On the other hand, what interests him at the highest point is the handwritten letter which he discovers slipped between the pages of the work. For the bookseller, anything that can give a unique and personal cachet to a book is good to take. He is here in the presence of a love letter from a certain Tom to his lover, Ben, in the heart of the Second World War. Moving heaven and earth - and old paper - to identify the two soldiers, Emmett eventually finds them in various photos, taken at different times. However, the supposed date of the photos and the age of the protagonists which appear there do not correspond ... At all.
shereadstales's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
nwhyte's review against another edition
5.0
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3184263.html
Fantastic queer romance timeslip war story, tying in lots of lovely detail (both historical and narrative) and building to a conclusion that I didn't quite see coming.
Fantastic queer romance timeslip war story, tying in lots of lovely detail (both historical and narrative) and building to a conclusion that I didn't quite see coming.
djwudi's review against another edition
4.0
A short, sweet tale of soldiers in love, time travel, the unraveling of their story, and the love of books. I very much enjoyed this one.
lini002's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
fenny_42's review against another edition
Reads nothing like the blurb of the book. I couldn’t get into it, so I had to put it down.