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sd227's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
crisfxgo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
missyjohnson's review against another edition
3.0
YA Natalie is an 18 y/o adopted child of native American heritage. She hears stories from someone that she calls grandmother. the stories are origin type stories from different cultures. the summer before going off to Brown University she gets a warning from grandmother that she only has three months in order to "save him". Natalie doesn't know if it is her brother, Dad, ex-boyfriend Matt or the new guy in her life, Beau Wilkes. Beau seems to have the ability to time travel and see different realities. I felt pretty early on that Beau might be a ghost. the information on time travel, and worm holes and alternate realities was interesting and way above my head. Interesting thoughts and not a bad story. the angst that teenagers feel was well done and I enjoyed the quick read
rychelereads's review against another edition
1.0
[modern, supernatural, magical realism, weird, young adult]
Appropriation.
The writer is not first nations while the main character and the character called "Grandmother" are. Everything is written from a white-lens and stereotypes abound. This is poor execution of an attempt at allyship. I'm loathe to say anything nice about it since you can attribute the dreamy quality of the story to the juxtaposition of prose and whimsical parables, and in large those parables are stolen. Also, the science of memory and ptsd was info-dumped at length.
Read Debbie Reese's reviews for more.
Appropriation.
The writer is not first nations while the main character and the character called "Grandmother" are. Everything is written from a white-lens and stereotypes abound. This is poor execution of an attempt at allyship. I'm loathe to say anything nice about it since you can attribute the dreamy quality of the story to the juxtaposition of prose and whimsical parables, and in large those parables are stolen. Also, the science of memory and ptsd was info-dumped at length.
Read Debbie Reese's reviews for more.
jenhurst's review against another edition
3.0
I’m not sure how I feel about this to be perfectly honest. I thought the writing was really good and the idea was great but I couldn’t figure out what it was going for. It wasn’t really contemporary, but not enough fantasy to be fantasy, not enough romance to be romance. It’s like it was trying to be everything but ended up not fitting in anywhere? The fantasy elements were too much to be magical realism as well. I struggled to connect with Natalie and all the characters. I didn’t think their relationships were enough of a driving force. Emily Henry’s writing still shines through and it’s nice seeing how much she’s grown as a writer.
vkmcbn's review against another edition
3.0
I (like many others) am struggling to rate this book on my standard scale of “did I love it, y/n”… I know the high school teen love story, especially the “loved you at first sight, let’s be together forever” is not my type of romance, but this is so much more than that. At it’s core, this is intricate sci-fi and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like it. 3.5/5
brookeslots's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Wow, just wow. There is so much to unpack from this book.
EH really tries to answer some big questions and gets quite philosophical and I think does it well. There’s the identify aspect of it, questioning who we are, our purpose, what makes you you, ect. There’s questions about creation and the universe and meaning of life. And then there’s the whole time travel/alt universe aspect (which at times was a lot and quite confusing but I always feel that way about time theory)
Her writing is so good!! Something about it just really connects with me. The way she describes feelings and emotions and places, it’s like she’s pulling them out of my own brain but saying it much more eloquently. If she ever goes back this genre, I’m sure it will be incredible.
That being said, I am more of a fan of her romance writing and she has definitely improved since in that area. This was a little insta-loving for me and I just didn’t feel or understand Natalie’s pull to Beau without any tension. It’s not bad per say, but just knowing the way she writes now, you can definitely see the improvement.
The big thing I’m really stuck on is the ending. I felt like I wanted more of a conclusion. Obviously that would have been difficult for the route she took, but I just feel like there was a lot of build up and the ending left with more to be desired.
I’m surprised I don’t hear more about this book. While as a romance, it’s not as good, I think it’s not a romance and more of a lit fic and could start a lot of good conversation with everything she explores!
EH really tries to answer some big questions and gets quite philosophical and I think does it well. There’s the identify aspect of it, questioning who we are, our purpose, what makes you you, ect. There’s questions about creation and the universe and meaning of life. And then there’s the whole time travel/alt universe aspect (which at times was a lot and quite confusing but I always feel that way about time theory)
Her writing is so good!! Something about it just really connects with me. The way she describes feelings and emotions and places, it’s like she’s pulling them out of my own brain but saying it much more eloquently. If she ever goes back this genre, I’m sure it will be incredible.
That being said, I am more of a fan of her romance writing and she has definitely improved since in that area. This was a little insta-loving for me and I just didn’t feel or understand Natalie’s pull to Beau without any tension. It’s not bad per say, but just knowing the way she writes now, you can definitely see the improvement.
The big thing I’m really stuck on is the ending. I felt like I wanted more of a conclusion. Obviously that would have been difficult for the route she took, but I just feel like there was a lot of build up and the ending left with more to be desired.
I’m surprised I don’t hear more about this book. While as a romance, it’s not as good, I think it’s not a romance and more of a lit fic and could start a lot of good conversation with everything she explores!
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars
Without a doubt, the best part about this book is the diversity. It talks about being adopted and trying to find yourself, featuring a Native American main character who's graduating high school. There are queer characters, more than one poc character and it tackles a bunch of social issues. As a biracial teenager I related a lot to Natalie. My mom is adopted and even though I wouldn't have it any other way, sometimes you wonder. What if? What if she hadn't come here? What if I hadn't existed? The MC considers all of this which made it feel like more than a typical after-school slump. With the help of a researcher she tries to find out more about her biological mother, while dealing with night terrors and speaking to 'Grandmother' who only exists in her dreams. PLUS time-traveling. It's a lot to take in and sometimes it went over my head with how everything was connected.
As for the worst part.... you knew this was coming. With a title like that, and blurb at the back that says ''Natalie Cleary has to do x to save the boy she loves'', what did you expect? It was a cheese fest. The main character makes it clear that she isn't in love with Beau, yet everything she does points to that. It's them against the world and everything is made to seem so dramatic. Even though the plot is interesting it confused me a lot because the more you read the less you understand.
The love that split the world started out amazing and I really thought this would be one of my favorites of the year. Personally I don't like these genre hybrids, and this was a little too much YA angsty romance combined with confusing time traveling and stories, and not enough of a contemporary feel with these promising characters.
Without a doubt, the best part about this book is the diversity. It talks about being adopted and trying to find yourself, featuring a Native American main character who's graduating high school. There are queer characters, more than one poc character and it tackles a bunch of social issues. As a biracial teenager I related a lot to Natalie. My mom is adopted and even though I wouldn't have it any other way, sometimes you wonder. What if? What if she hadn't come here? What if I hadn't existed? The MC considers all of this which made it feel like more than a typical after-school slump. With the help of a researcher she tries to find out more about her biological mother, while dealing with night terrors and speaking to 'Grandmother' who only exists in her dreams. PLUS time-traveling. It's a lot to take in and sometimes it went over my head with how everything was connected.
As for the worst part.... you knew this was coming. With a title like that, and blurb at the back that says ''Natalie Cleary has to do x to save the boy she loves'', what did you expect? It was a cheese fest. The main character makes it clear that she isn't in love with Beau, yet everything she does points to that. It's them against the world and everything is made to seem so dramatic. Even though the plot is interesting it confused me a lot because the more you read the less you understand.
The love that split the world started out amazing and I really thought this would be one of my favorites of the year. Personally I don't like these genre hybrids, and this was a little too much YA angsty romance combined with confusing time traveling and stories, and not enough of a contemporary feel with these promising characters.
stephtherose_'s review against another edition
3.0
I honestly have no clue how to rate this book. So I’m leaving it at a 3 and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.