TIME TRAVEL FOR BEGINNERS by Jaclyn Moriarty

3.5 STARS

ABOUT THE BOOK:

On a bustling road in Sydney, Australia, lies a nondescript storefront known simply as the Time Travel Agency. Inside, you’ll be welcomed by the smell of fresh-brewed coffee, a selection of baked goods…and the question, Where in time do you wish to go?

The guidelines are simple: you can go whenever you wish into the past, and there’s no fear of altering the present. Have tea with Jane Austen, scream at a Beatles concert, witness the Olympics in ancient Greece. Perhaps a more personal trip? Visit your long-lost grandmother, recapture the heady days of your youth, return to the idyllic time when your teen was a babbling baby—or watch yourself make the one decision that changed everything.

Is it a hoax? And if it’s real, what’s the catch?

When single mother Anna is offered a job at the agency, she glimpses the possibility of happiness. Meanwhile, Teddy’s a customer hoping to untangle his recently imploded marriage. And Jade, who has a deeply buried secret, despises the agency for offering false hope.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jaclyn Moriarty is an author who is no stranger to accolades—she’s won the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, the Queensland Literary Award, and the Aurealis Award for Fantasy. Her previous books have been named Boston Globe Honor Books, White Ravens selections, and ALA Best Books for Young Adults. And success seems to run in the family: internationally bestselling author Liane Moriarty is Jaclyn’s sister.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book was bizarre! Pleasantly bizarre, but bizarre nonetheless.

I didn’t love this one. I liked it, but didn’t love it. I liked all of the characters, but there were a lot of them to get to know and the book goes into great detail about them and their lives, some of it interesting and some of it not so much.

This book is really long! 544 pages! I have read super long books before that didn't feel long.. But this one felt really long. And just in my opinion… I kind of feel like 200 pages could’ve been cut and I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more. A lot of this book was just super slow to me and very anti-climatic.

So unfortunately just a three star for me for this one. If it was shorter and mainly just about Anna I think I would’ve loved it.

I think it would be interesting to read another one by this author, just to compare.

Sooo... not a total wash. It wasn't terrible. I just didn't love it.

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving an e-copy of this book from Berkley | Penguin Random House. Thank You!