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A review by mayhemmel
The Exchange by M.F. Lorson
4.0
I received an ARC copy of The Exchange- this is my honest review! As always, I'll keep it spoiler-free.
First off, I *love* the author’s writing style. She keeps the lines clean and tight, giving just enough detail to every scene, without weighing them down. The stories feel real and relatable!
The Exchange was easy to follow; sometimes when you have changing point of view, it gets messy. Not so here! I like that each chapter is clearly labeled, so that you always know what perspective to expect. This also leads into the characters themselves– I really dig the differing tones between them. The author did a great job of both Ari and James relating to their respective time periods, as well as keeping the story grounded. It’s more motive-and-development driven than action-driven, which is a fine change of pace for me!
What a clever take on the exchange student idea! We always think of exchange students in a geographic sense- I’ve never even considered it in a time sense. This concept also allowed me to better understand the spark between the characters– after all, they don’t have a whole lot of time!
The ending of the book really ramps up for a sequel- I’m curious to know what happens next.
Overall, I give The Exchange 4 out of 5 stars- it’s a fun read with a few tropes flipped on their heads. I really enjoyed the concept of the Institute and time travelling, especially with the “student” aspect. I like how… realistic the novel is? Like, usually when you have a Sci-Fi element like time travel, everything gets spatial and far out and sometimes hard to follow. This one takes the idea, plants it between a Taco Bell and an old Chevy pickup, and lets it go about its business.
First off, I *love* the author’s writing style. She keeps the lines clean and tight, giving just enough detail to every scene, without weighing them down. The stories feel real and relatable!
The Exchange was easy to follow; sometimes when you have changing point of view, it gets messy. Not so here! I like that each chapter is clearly labeled, so that you always know what perspective to expect. This also leads into the characters themselves– I really dig the differing tones between them. The author did a great job of both Ari and James relating to their respective time periods, as well as keeping the story grounded. It’s more motive-and-development driven than action-driven, which is a fine change of pace for me!
What a clever take on the exchange student idea! We always think of exchange students in a geographic sense- I’ve never even considered it in a time sense. This concept also allowed me to better understand the spark between the characters– after all, they don’t have a whole lot of time!
The ending of the book really ramps up for a sequel- I’m curious to know what happens next.
Overall, I give The Exchange 4 out of 5 stars- it’s a fun read with a few tropes flipped on their heads. I really enjoyed the concept of the Institute and time travelling, especially with the “student” aspect. I like how… realistic the novel is? Like, usually when you have a Sci-Fi element like time travel, everything gets spatial and far out and sometimes hard to follow. This one takes the idea, plants it between a Taco Bell and an old Chevy pickup, and lets it go about its business.