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meggie82461's review against another edition
5.0
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Any story could be a comedy or a tragedy, depending on where you ended it. That was the magic, how the same story could be told an infinite number of ways.
I loved this book! The thing about me is that what I like to read on any given day is very much dictated by my mood and current life circumstances. The challenging part is, though, that I generally have no idea what I am in the mood for, so it is all trial and error. Turns out this book was exactly what I needed right now, and I loved every minute of it. That doesn’t mean it was perfect, but it was perfect for me to read right now.
I’ve read enough fiction, specifically about time travel and/or second chances, to know the moral of the story: the things we regret doing (or not doing) were actually important steps on our way to the best days of our lives. For me, there are a few things I probably would have done differently, the first one being that I would have tried harder in school. But then what? I would go to a different college and have a different career, so then I wouldn’t spend my 20s lost in a world of bartending and waitressing… where I met the love of my life/best friend that led to the three tiny people that I love more than anything in this world. Do-overs don’t exist, not in the way that we want. There’s always a price to pay. And if I am being completely honest, I love that idea. It makes me feel better about some of the bad decisions I’ve made, and it also helps me to look forward. Or at the very least, look around me, at the present.
And yes, this story includes that lesson – all time travel ones do, eventually. But this is also a love story, just not a romantic one. It is an ode to New York City, and the city itself is as important of a character as any other. But most of all, it is a love story about a single father (Leonard) and his only child (Alice). Leonard is probably my favorite fictional father ever. He isn’t perfect, not by any means, but he is so full of love for Alice that it literally pours onto the pages. It is no surprise that Alice keeps wanting to go back and experience that kind of love and attention. The man is an absolute treasure.
Of course, all good things must end eventually, so this is also a story about the kind of grief that is endless, that changes you, that changes the world you live in. The grief you feel when you lose a person that wasn’t complicated to you at all, but instead just simply yours. That kind of grief feels insurmountable, and it is in the sense that the person you were before never overcomes it. The new you is the one that moves on from it, and in some ways you’re a better person and in others you aren’t.
Just because there’s grief doesn’t mean that this book isn’t fun, though. Imagine your 40-year-old brain in your 16-year-old body and life. It was hilarious (most of the time) to meet these teenage kids, and then to hear from Alice what became of them. The “past” is in 1996, and since I was 16 in 2000, it was all pretty recognizable to me. I cringed multiple times thinking of how cool I thought I was wearing a certain thing, or using a certain phrase. And as I mentioned before, as a New York City junkie, I loved the way the city was so important to not only their lives, but to the story as a whole. Then, of course, there is the change that time grants you in perspective – for example, Alice realizing her 16-year-old face and body was perfect, even though she hated it back then. “It was still so strange to see her body – her young body, a body she hardly remembered as it was, because she’d been so busy seeing it as something it wasn’t.” Those lines hit me hard, because after 3 kids, I can definitely relate. That’s the real tragedy of youth: most of us are far too insecure to realize the best parts of ourselves.
At its simplest, though, this is a story that reminds you to appreciate your closest loved ones while you still can. Between my 3 kids (2 of which are toddlers) and my career, it’s easy to forget that lesson, or take for granted what I have. I needed this reminder, and I am so glad I got it before it was too late.
Any story could be a comedy or a tragedy, depending on where you ended it. That was the magic, how the same story could be told an infinite number of ways.
I loved this book! The thing about me is that what I like to read on any given day is very much dictated by my mood and current life circumstances. The challenging part is, though, that I generally have no idea what I am in the mood for, so it is all trial and error. Turns out this book was exactly what I needed right now, and I loved every minute of it. That doesn’t mean it was perfect, but it was perfect for me to read right now.
I’ve read enough fiction, specifically about time travel and/or second chances, to know the moral of the story: the things we regret doing (or not doing) were actually important steps on our way to the best days of our lives. For me, there are a few things I probably would have done differently, the first one being that I would have tried harder in school. But then what? I would go to a different college and have a different career, so then I wouldn’t spend my 20s lost in a world of bartending and waitressing… where I met the love of my life/best friend that led to the three tiny people that I love more than anything in this world. Do-overs don’t exist, not in the way that we want. There’s always a price to pay. And if I am being completely honest, I love that idea. It makes me feel better about some of the bad decisions I’ve made, and it also helps me to look forward. Or at the very least, look around me, at the present.
And yes, this story includes that lesson – all time travel ones do, eventually. But this is also a love story, just not a romantic one. It is an ode to New York City, and the city itself is as important of a character as any other. But most of all, it is a love story about a single father (Leonard) and his only child (Alice). Leonard is probably my favorite fictional father ever. He isn’t perfect, not by any means, but he is so full of love for Alice that it literally pours onto the pages. It is no surprise that Alice keeps wanting to go back and experience that kind of love and attention. The man is an absolute treasure.
Of course, all good things must end eventually, so this is also a story about the kind of grief that is endless, that changes you, that changes the world you live in. The grief you feel when you lose a person that wasn’t complicated to you at all, but instead just simply yours. That kind of grief feels insurmountable, and it is in the sense that the person you were before never overcomes it. The new you is the one that moves on from it, and in some ways you’re a better person and in others you aren’t.
Just because there’s grief doesn’t mean that this book isn’t fun, though. Imagine your 40-year-old brain in your 16-year-old body and life. It was hilarious (most of the time) to meet these teenage kids, and then to hear from Alice what became of them. The “past” is in 1996, and since I was 16 in 2000, it was all pretty recognizable to me. I cringed multiple times thinking of how cool I thought I was wearing a certain thing, or using a certain phrase. And as I mentioned before, as a New York City junkie, I loved the way the city was so important to not only their lives, but to the story as a whole. Then, of course, there is the change that time grants you in perspective – for example, Alice realizing her 16-year-old face and body was perfect, even though she hated it back then. “It was still so strange to see her body – her young body, a body she hardly remembered as it was, because she’d been so busy seeing it as something it wasn’t.” Those lines hit me hard, because after 3 kids, I can definitely relate. That’s the real tragedy of youth: most of us are far too insecure to realize the best parts of ourselves.
At its simplest, though, this is a story that reminds you to appreciate your closest loved ones while you still can. Between my 3 kids (2 of which are toddlers) and my career, it’s easy to forget that lesson, or take for granted what I have. I needed this reminder, and I am so glad I got it before it was too late.
kimberlynpeterson50's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was a love letter about parent-child relationships, perhaps the exact book I needed as my elder child is about to leave home. This is also science fiction that I can get behind, driven by relationships between people who truly care for one another. Alice’s angst at trying to get it right and trying to balance her nostalgia with the reality of death was so very relatable.
bobinsbooknook's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
This book can be simply described as a beautiful homage to a loving adult father-daughter relationship and time.
The characters were each loveable in their own way and the relationships they have with one another. Though there is a small nodd to romance - it is the familial and friendship love which carries the most weight. I hold a particular fondness for Alice who is shown to have a strong sense of self without coming across as cold and doesn’t comprise on her desires throughout the plot.
The writing style was very clever - particularly with a plot on time travel it didn’t feel repetitive and just full of such heart warming moments.
What I loved most about this book is how the plots centres on the idea that some things are inevitable and out of our control. That only by living in the present can we move on and appreciate the time we have with loved ones whilst we can. For me personally who has lost loved ones recently - this message truly hit home and both warmed and broke my heart all at once.
I can definitely see myself re-reading and will be a go to recommendation to friends and family.
jesica13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
amjcbs's review against another edition
5.0
A book I needed to read. Poignant, thought-provoking and reminds you of what’s actually important.
michellechien930's review against another edition
3.0
A straightforward time travel experience that documents the relationship of father-daughter while dealing with life, choices, death and the lingering effects of "what if". Alice Stern travels back in time on her fortieth birthday, back to her sweet sixteen when her father was still healthy, her friends still by her side. She experiences different days and her spanning futures, but it all ultimately leads to the same ill-fated consequence of her father's ailing sickness. As Alice travels through time, her disillusionment with what her heart truly desires becomes clearer, culminating in letting go instead of staying in the ghosts of her past. Emma Straub's "This Time Tomorrow" is moving, well-written, and intricate, but ultimately very predictable. It's predictability takes away most of the excitement, but I still liked Straub's attempt at time travel fiction, especially how Alice's father was the author of a "Time Brothers" novel, the NYC backdrop (I do love a good New York book), and how her prose flows very smoothly. 3.5 stars! :)
bookishlifeofbrie's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
julie_is_reading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It didn’t go the direction I thought it would but in a good way. Absolutely beautiful story- would highly recommend.