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kozakxx's review against another edition
3.0
So the first half of this book is pretty bad. Maybe in 2003 it was okay to travel back in time and meet your wife when she was six and court her until she’s 18 but it was definitely an uncomfortable read. (I simply don’t want to hear about a 13 yr olds “developing hips and breasts”???). I felt incredibly sorry for Clare for the entire book.
More than anything else, Henry is an insufferable character with few redeeming qualities. He speaks in a weird Gen X/Millennial cringey persona and treats women terribly except Clare for no obvious reason, is obsessed with himself, and coffee and speaking to ppl in French/German unnecessarily is half of his entire personality. The way he describes himself and his thoughts are always so masturbatory and annoying, I rolled my eyes through the whole book. Every piece of dialogue reads like one of those dramatic Tumblr stories from 2011 that is so obviously imagined and unrealistic and annoying. Gomez is also written this way. Also, crazy weird comments on race/gender/sex/homosexuality throughout the book. Also, so much sex at inappropriate/uncomfy times.
All of that being said.. the actual world building of Henry’s time traveling is really well written and devastating. I didn’t expect the hardest part of the book to write to be the best part, but it was. If she had given that much care to the characters, dialogue, and culture it could be amazing.
I complained about the book the entire time I read it but the last few years of his life had me crying hard. Eventually the messages about loss, time, grief, and love were actually extremely compelling. I feel I would have liked this book a lot more if it was the same idea about a different man and written by a different author. The three stars speaks to how great the overall timeline and construction of the plot is for the latter half of the book. <3 adding it to the category of books/movies about time that made me cry
More than anything else, Henry is an insufferable character with few redeeming qualities. He speaks in a weird Gen X/Millennial cringey persona and treats women terribly except Clare for no obvious reason, is obsessed with himself, and coffee and speaking to ppl in French/German unnecessarily is half of his entire personality. The way he describes himself and his thoughts are always so masturbatory and annoying, I rolled my eyes through the whole book. Every piece of dialogue reads like one of those dramatic Tumblr stories from 2011 that is so obviously imagined and unrealistic and annoying. Gomez is also written this way. Also, crazy weird comments on race/gender/sex/homosexuality throughout the book. Also, so much sex at inappropriate/uncomfy times.
All of that being said.. the actual world building of Henry’s time traveling is really well written and devastating. I didn’t expect the hardest part of the book to write to be the best part, but it was. If she had given that much care to the characters, dialogue, and culture it could be amazing.
I complained about the book the entire time I read it but the last few years of his life had me crying hard. Eventually the messages about loss, time, grief, and love were actually extremely compelling. I feel I would have liked this book a lot more if it was the same idea about a different man and written by a different author. The three stars speaks to how great the overall timeline and construction of the plot is for the latter half of the book. <3 adding it to the category of books/movies about time that made me cry
yv_tte's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
4.0
woah… this was crazy. i really enjoyed it! i liked spending so much time with the characters and unraveling their backstories and understanding what made them tick. it’s satisfying as a reader when the timelines intersect and one finally understands what happened.
shmark's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
virginiais4lovers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
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
2.75
elisebweir's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
abitofmoxie's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
aotora's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I was so excited for this one because the premise sounded so interesting but I just couldn't get into it ... so I listened to audiobook alongside reading in order to get through it - and I was bored and confused. There are a ton of timelines. Each chapter is usually about the main character travelling back in time to be with his future wife - he meets her when she is 6 and he is 30 something - it's ... unique to say the least. But the constant jumping between timelines gave me a headache. And I also didn't care for any of the characters. And when the main character dies it felt flat and boring because I wasn't invested enough to care. It was just a chore and a drag and it's a shame because the premise sounded really interesting.
louisayd's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 the story itself was engaging and interesting, but there were some events that didn't seem necessary to me. Also I'm still not sure how I feel about Henry almost exclusively visiting Claire as a young girl and how Claire just waits for him her entire life.
mansikwatra's review against another edition
2.0
brilliant plot! but honestly the words and the way they were constructed fail to impart the magic this story actually wants to scream out. Poor writing and unnecessary characters. I wish the writer had refrained from putting too many shades in the protagonists. It wasn't needed. Somehow at the end of the book you fail to understand Henry at age 27 (while he was with Ingrid. The plot and the whole of idea of time travel as a base of a love story is what keeps you hooked.