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A review by deedireads
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
This Time Tomorrow is a heartwarming, tear-jerking super-readable novel about nostalgia and a daughter’s fierce love for (and from) a single parent. I really, really enjoyed it.
For you if: You’re a litfic reader looking for something a bit on the lighter side, but still excellent.
FULL REVIEW:
Emma Straub does it again, y’all. (Did we have any doubts?) Compulsively readable (without being fluffy), This Time Tomorrow is a fresh and fun approach to the time-travel story — sort of a reverse 13 Going on 30, and at once heartwarming and tear-jerking. I read the last two-thirds in a single sitting and just loved the whole experience so much.
The story is about a woman named Alice, who grew up on the Upper West Side with a single father (whose livelihood happened to be secured when his only published novel was turned into a beloved TV show). We start at her 40th birthday — she’s doing OK, but struggling with a meh career, a busy best friend, and the terminal illness of her father. But then she wakes up the next morning, and … she’s 16 again!
I won’t give anything else away, because part of the beauty of this book was discovering how Alice reacted, what she ultimately wanted, and everything that came next. But here’s what you can expect from this one: laughter, tears, nostalgia, deep friendship, regrets (or not), what it means to lead a life well-lived, what matters most and what matters least and how we only know the difference in hindsight — oh, and a possibly magical cat.
If you’re a contemporary reader looking for something a little deeper, or a literary fiction reader looking for something a little lighter, this is the perfect in-between. The perfectly timed beach read for litfic lovers. Fun and heart and time travel.
TL;DR REVIEW:
This Time Tomorrow is a heartwarming, tear-jerking super-readable novel about nostalgia and a daughter’s fierce love for (and from) a single parent. I really, really enjoyed it.
For you if: You’re a litfic reader looking for something a bit on the lighter side, but still excellent.
FULL REVIEW:
Emma Straub does it again, y’all. (Did we have any doubts?) Compulsively readable (without being fluffy), This Time Tomorrow is a fresh and fun approach to the time-travel story — sort of a reverse 13 Going on 30, and at once heartwarming and tear-jerking. I read the last two-thirds in a single sitting and just loved the whole experience so much.
The story is about a woman named Alice, who grew up on the Upper West Side with a single father (whose livelihood happened to be secured when his only published novel was turned into a beloved TV show). We start at her 40th birthday — she’s doing OK, but struggling with a meh career, a busy best friend, and the terminal illness of her father. But then she wakes up the next morning, and … she’s 16 again!
I won’t give anything else away, because part of the beauty of this book was discovering how Alice reacted, what she ultimately wanted, and everything that came next. But here’s what you can expect from this one: laughter, tears, nostalgia, deep friendship, regrets (or not), what it means to lead a life well-lived, what matters most and what matters least and how we only know the difference in hindsight — oh, and a possibly magical cat.
If you’re a contemporary reader looking for something a little deeper, or a literary fiction reader looking for something a little lighter, this is the perfect in-between. The perfectly timed beach read for litfic lovers. Fun and heart and time travel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use