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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
3.5 stars. Liked but didn't really seem to have much of a point. I guess I wanted a more definite resolution for Alice.
Solid. Probably 3.5 stars.
This is a relatively quick, easy read. On her 40th birthday, Alice wakes up in her childhood bedroom 24 years in the past, to relive her 16th birthday. With the perspective on life, aging, family, love, and friendships that aging brings, Alice finds herself viewing her high school friends, her life choices, her young body, and most of all, her vibrant 40something father (who back in her "real" life is severely ill and hospitalized) through a completely different lens.
I loved the relationship with Alice and her father, which feels very true to life. While reading this, found myself contemplating my own teen years - the stupid stunts that drove my mom crazy and how I'd love to go back and really spend more time with her when she was young and vibrant. Exploring this - or any question around what would you change if you could go back in time - would make for a great book club discussion.
I feared this book may become repetitive (Alice learns she can return to her 16th birthday over and over, tweaking details to shape her and her father a different future), but the time travel was handled very well with the author only embellishing where needed to move the plot along.
Lastly, there are a lot of really fun pop cultural references that kids of the 80s and 90s will appreciate, as well as a fun scene where Alice's dad's writer friends discuss all the types of time travel depicted in literature and film.
This is a relatively quick, easy read. On her 40th birthday, Alice wakes up in her childhood bedroom 24 years in the past, to relive her 16th birthday. With the perspective on life, aging, family, love, and friendships that aging brings, Alice finds herself viewing her high school friends, her life choices, her young body, and most of all, her vibrant 40something father (who back in her "real" life is severely ill and hospitalized) through a completely different lens.
I loved the relationship with Alice and her father, which feels very true to life. While reading this, found myself contemplating my own teen years - the stupid stunts that drove my mom crazy and how I'd love to go back and really spend more time with her when she was young and vibrant. Exploring this - or any question around what would you change if you could go back in time - would make for a great book club discussion.
I feared this book may become repetitive (Alice learns she can return to her 16th birthday over and over, tweaking details to shape her and her father a different future), but the time travel was handled very well with the author only embellishing where needed to move the plot along.
Lastly, there are a lot of really fun pop cultural references that kids of the 80s and 90s will appreciate, as well as a fun scene where Alice's dad's writer friends discuss all the types of time travel depicted in literature and film.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
I listened to this audiobook, after having it recommended by lots of readers on Instagram. When Alice turns 40, she realises the years have gotten away from her and she's not where she imagined she would be. It's not till a quarter of the way through the book that something happens - Alice wakes up in 1996, she's 16 again. It's a different spin on Groundhog Day (which is one of my favourite movies). This certainly made things interesting, but I didn't love the book as others did.
I really, really enjoyed this. The audio version is narrated by Marin Ireland, who also narrated the Beartown trilogy, so that upped my enjoyment. “Happy endings were too much for some people - false and cheap. But hope - hope was honest. Hope was good.” << that sums up my favorite type of book ending perfectly.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed every minute of this book and found it so hard to put down. Straub has a masterful way of creating impactful emotional stories without it feeling forced or exploitative. The characters are so warm and real and I felt like I could reach out and hug them. Deeply relatable, beautifully human, and bittersweet. Highly recommend.
This was a fun book. Not too heavy on the sci-fi, a great exploration of a single father- only daughter relationship.
I had to pause often throughout this book to consider what day I would travel back to and why, what I would do differently, and what would I say to those who are no longer with me. Straub has written a poignant father/daughter story that stars her own New York City.