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There are currently 28 member reviews
for Time Travel for Beginners
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Lauren M. (Washington, DC)
A Fantastical Warm Hug
This was a delightful, unique take on time travel and it's purpose. I loved the focus character growth and their interwoven stories. It was a cozy magical realism story that really makes you think about what you would do if you were able to travel back in time.
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Laura
I love time travel
Time Travel for Beginners is one of the most original books I've read this year. The premise immediately hooked me: a small storefront time travel agency that most people don't believe is real. Customers can travel to the past, but any changes they make create a different timeline rather than altering their own. It's a clever approach that avoids many of the usual time travel paradoxes while still allowing the story to explore regret, choices, and second chances.
The novel follows Anna, who takes a job as a time travel agent, Teddy, who begins using the agency to understand what happened to his marriage, and Jade, whose diary entries are woven throughout the story. At first their stories seem unrelated, but the connections gradually emerge and come together in a satisfying way. I especially enjoyed the reviews scattered throughout the book. They added humor and helped make the Time Travel Agency feel surprisingly real. The world-building struck a nice balance between explaining the rules (without science) and preserving a sense of wonder.
While the structure occasionally required patience as the different storylines unfolded, the payoff was worth it. More than anything, this book reminded me why I love time travel stories. By the end, I found myself wishing the Time Travel Agency actually existed.
A unique, imaginative novel that combines speculative fiction with an engaging character-driven story. 4 stars.
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Becky S. (Springfield, MO)
Back to the Future
I mostly enjoyed this book written by Jaclyn Moriarty! It had some really loveable characters and lots of twists and turns... I found it a bit confusing with some of the characters and the time lines...which I assume would be pretty typical of any book about time travel! But the story was engaging and kept me very interested in what would happen next. I will probably go back and read the story again, to try and straighten things out in my mind a little bit better. I do recommend reading this one!
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Laura K. (GOLDEN, CO)
Time Travel with a twist
I loved this novel! A bit of time travel, a bit of family drama, a bit of romance. All these components were done well and mixed together seamlessly. I especially was drawn to Anna, the lead character. I am significantly older than Anna yet I related to her immediately. I loved how the concept of time travel was incorporated into the story in a unique and believable way. I have enjoyed other explorations of time travel (The Midnight Library, Life After Life), but this book was completely different and presented yet another way that time travel works. The ending was a big and unexpected twist, which was great fun!
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Talya C. (Medical Lake, WA)
Sign Me Up for a Tour of This Travel Agency
Time travel stories are my favorite, so a book about a time travel agency where people can pay to go anywhere in time, whether that's a moment in history or revisiting their own lives? Sign me up! I ended up falling in love with the characters who worked there, as well as the ones who kept coming back as clients. The agency reviews sprinkled throughout made me chuckle out loud. The novel really digs deep into the "what ifs," which I loved, and it leans more toward magical realism than straight science fiction, which is definitely a bonus for me. The multiple POVs helped me get into everyone's thoughts. I was completely in shock by the twist at the end. I finished the book in just two sittings.
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Aprile G. (Northampton, MA)
A diverting and fun read
I read Time Travel for Beginners fairly quickly--it moves at a nice pace with no dead spots in the narrative. There are three main narrators whose stories interweave (although how isn't really clear until close to the end of the book) A number of peripheral characters feature in multiple narratives as well. Part of the fun of the book is trying to figure out how it will all come together, and I was delighted to be completely wrong!
The time travel part of the book was a great hook, but it was the relationships between the characters that really stuck with me. All in all, a very enjoyable read that I would recommend.
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Kathy D. (Spotsylvania, VA)
What a fun book!
What a fun book! I loved the premise of "Time Travel for Beginners", having long been fascinated by the idea (and possibility?) of time travel. As the agency's customers were asked, when and where do you want to go, I found myself trying to answer that same question. So many possibilities! (I can see why the staff and many customers wanted to travel so often!) I do admit that if the Time Travel Agency existed by where I live I would definitely want to check it out!
The story was a bit confusing at times but everything was neatly connected eventually, with a few surprises thrown in. At the heart of it all were the relationships of the characters, which drove the story.
I found this to be a very satisfying read. This book could easily be a springboard for book club discussions about so many things, besides, of course, the "what if" and "if only" of time travel.
