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the_bookish_chimera 's review for:
This Time Around
by Marina Pirlimpou
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
“Maybe because she was a 35 year§old woman experiencing a trip to the past in not just the metaphorical sense, but also literally?”
On paper, This Time Around seemed the perfect book for me, with time travel, a friends to lovers story and some 2000s pop culture references. Unfortunately, it was a bit a disappointment.
I loved the idea of adults returning to highschool, and trying to have the experiences they couldn’t have during their actual teenage years. Unfortunately, that, and the research of the solution to their problem (ie returning in “their” time) felt under-developed. But, most of all, they are in their 30s and act like teenagers (alright, they make up the time) but also think like teenagers. That felt weird, esp about the romance part, but also about the references. For example, the series about a magical school was referenced very often and instead of opposing the feelings about “then” and “now”, to show how characters had evolved (esp the FMC, who is an editor), it was only mentioned in a very nostalgic way. This was, I believe, a big missed opportunity to show that the characters were contemporary adults catapulted in the past…
In the end, I never managed to connect with the characters –then to root for them– or to get engaged in the time travel plot, and thus it felt like something was missing in this story.
Thank you to the author and LMT for the eARC of this book. My opinions are my own.
On paper, This Time Around seemed the perfect book for me, with time travel, a friends to lovers story and some 2000s pop culture references. Unfortunately, it was a bit a disappointment.
I loved the idea of adults returning to highschool, and trying to have the experiences they couldn’t have during their actual teenage years. Unfortunately, that, and the research of the solution to their problem (ie returning in “their” time) felt under-developed. But, most of all, they are in their 30s and act like teenagers (alright, they make up the time) but also think like teenagers. That felt weird, esp about the romance part, but also about the references. For example, the series about a magical school was referenced very often and instead of opposing the feelings about “then” and “now”, to show how characters had evolved (esp the FMC, who is an editor), it was only mentioned in a very nostalgic way. This was, I believe, a big missed opportunity to show that the characters were contemporary adults catapulted in the past…
In the end, I never managed to connect with the characters –then to root for them– or to get engaged in the time travel plot, and thus it felt like something was missing in this story.
Thank you to the author and LMT for the eARC of this book. My opinions are my own.