A review by kari_f
All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai

3.0

“I’m sorry this isn’t a time-travel romp. I was expecting causal loops and reality fluctuations and branching dimensions and scientifically questionable solutions to ornate space-time paradoxes. I wasn’t expecting actual human pain. I didn’t ask to question the foundations of my sanity.”

I’ll be honest that I’m conflicted on this book! I thought the plot was really fun and interesting, but I didn’t find the main character even remotely likable for the first 2/3, so my feelings are all over the place about the book as a whole.

Things I enjoyed:

✨ There are some very intriguing ideas brought up in the book, including the pitfalls of manipulating time, dreams as glimpses into alternate realities, and space being an important aspect of time travel.

✨ The side characters were interesting, and I really enjoyed seeing the difference between the protagonist’s world and our world. I especially enjoyed the family dynamics.

✨ The sci-fi elements were mixed with a lot of complicated human emotions and relationships.


Things I didn’t love:

✨ The protagonist is petty, selfish, and kind of an ass. I didn’t like him for most of the book, and this impacted my enjoyment of the book quite a bit. He’s one of those people who knows he’s often a self-centered jerk with low self esteem, but he doesn’t put any work into making himself a better person. Instead, he wallows in self-pity. This is one of my biggest pet peeves in people, so this character rubbed me the wrong way.

✨ Some of the elements in the book felt like overused rom com tropes, with the nerdy but attractive bookshop owner and the man who couldn’t hold a steady relationship suddenly becoming a better man for knowing her.


Check the trigger warnings for this one, as there is SA and suicide.
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