the setup…
It’s after midnight on October 30 and Jen Brotherhood, a divorce lawyer, is worried that her son Todd isn’t going to make his curfew. As she looks out her window, she sees him approaching but before she can feel fully relieved, she also sees an older man hurrying towards him. Jen and her husband Kelly anticipate what’s going to happen next but reach Todd too late. He’s brandished a knife and stabbed the stranger, killing him. Before the night is over, Todd’s in custody and his bright future looks bleak. Jen wakes the next morning fully resolved to bring whatever resources necessary to save her son but…he’s home. After a confusing conversation she learns that it’s the day before! Rather than spend too much time trying to figure out how it happened, Jen starts gathering information about her son’s life. When she wakes the next morning, it’s two days earlier and she continues going back in time each day.
the heart of the story…
I normally steer clear of time travel stories because the paradoxes give me brain cramps. But, this one was different. Each time Jen takes a leap backwards, she learns something new that might bring her closer to changing her son being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the beginning, it felt a little tedious but I came to love assembling the clues and making sense of them to form a narrative. Jen is highly skilled at figuring out what was to learn with each time shift primarily because she is so good at identifying nuances and has excellent recall of the past. It didn’t take very long for me to get immersed in this mystery, developing theories beyond Jen’s.
the narration…
Part of the reason I got so fully absorbed in this story is because of the talented narrator. She was adept at handling voice distinctions, brought emotion and tension in her storytelling and moved the story along at what felt like a perfect pace. I loved her voice tone, too. It wasn’t until I was done that I learned she is one of my favorite actresses from the British series Scott & Bailey!
the bottom line…
I loved this story and am thankful I went into it blind. There was little predictability, even the number of days leapt backwards. I never knew what was coming next and it took some time to formulate rational scenarios. There also came a time where I looked forward to the next leap, which is unusual for me. The ending made it all worthwhile as most of it was a surprise (I did figure out one of the mysteries, though) and loved that epilogue. What a fun ride through time to solve a gnarly mystery!
Book Info
- Release Date: May 12, 2022
- Narrator: Lesley Sharp
- Audio Length: 10 hours, 7 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
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(Thanks to HarperAudio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Blue Mood Café 
This sounds like Groundhog Day reimagined as a mystery/thriller. I enjoy time travel stories and think that this one sounds particularly good. Excellent review!
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Thanks, Tessa💜 It initially felt like it was going to be akin to Groundhog Day but that went away with the second leap. Nothing felt exactly the same to Jen and it was always a different day. It was unique on so many levels and I think you’d like this one as it leans heavily on characterization.
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It does sound very intriguing!
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I get the same “brain cramps” with time travel stories. You made this one sound quite intriguing, Jo!
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Thanks, Marialyce💜 I groaned a little bit at the beginning but it wasn’t long before I realized this was different. It actually made sense!
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So glad you enjoyed this one Jo, it’s one of my favourite books this year! Fab review!
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Thank you, Nicki💜 It’s definitely in my top ten for the year.
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I love a good time travel story so thanks for putting this one on my radar. It sounds like my kind of read. 🙂
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You’re welcome, Suzanne💜 I believe you’ll love this one.
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Fab review! I’ve been curious about this one, although I confess I was a bit worried about the mixed reviews. You make me want to read it now though!
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Thanks, Yvo💜 I’ve read some of them that were pretty specific in criticisms. I don’t find any of them invalid, just a difference in preference.
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That’s the fun thing about books in the first place, right? Different people react differently to certain elements/stories, and not all books are for everyone. That’s why I usually try a book anyway unless the negative review has something mentioned that really wouldn’t work for me either.
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Exactly!
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Excellent review. I’m not sure if I would like it or not.
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Wonderful review, Jo. This is one where I had to suspend belief and just go with the story. I had to put myself in Jen’s place and then my heart was broken over and over. The author and narrator did great jobs with this one.
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