A review by serendipitysbooks
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

emotional 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

4.0

 
This Time Tomorrow is the story of Alice. When she’s turning 40 she accidentally discovers a way to travel back in time, but only to the day of her 16th birthday. Her beloved father, who raised her alone for most of her life, is in hospital and not expected to recover. Can she take advantage of the time travelling, make some changes, get her father to look after himself more, and somehow buy them a longer, happier future ?

Most everyone I know loves this book. I thought it was …fine. It was nice to see a father-daughter bond so lovingly portrayed on the pages, but other than that this book didn’t really offer anything new or outstanding. The depiction of the Upper West Side of the 1990s felt well-done and I understand the 1990s teen nostalgia was also great but I’m a little too old to appreciate that. While the ending was heartfelt, the overall theme of having to accept dying and grief, and of fully appreciating the time you have seemed a little obvious. Knowing that this is based on on events in the author’s own life makes me feel rather cold-hearted but, while this isn’t a bad book at all, it just didn’t hit me the way it hit many readers. 
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