This was a great read! I really enjoyed this book! I liked that it was a mix of fantasy and reality. It was great!

I did not finish this book. The writing is awful. The characters are cliche. This is just not good. I like the cover and it sounded cute but it does not live up to that expectation.

Now and When introduces Skyler Finch who finds her nemesis Truman Alexander an incredibly annoying Know-it-all; so when her phone starts sending her notifications from the future, she is shocked to see herself married to Truman. She decides she cannot let that happen and begins trying to change the future by manipulating the present. Although Skyler seems to have it all, academic success, happily married parents, and a perfect boyfriend, she is concerned by a threat to demolish a beloved community space and her best friend Harper's suicidal tendencies. As she tries to change the future, she disturbs the present and ends up enlisting Truman's help to undo the harm she has done. As she stumbles toward a solution, she finds that letting things play out on their own may not be so bad after all.

Normally I’m such a sucker for enemies/rivals to lovers. It’s the best trope in my opinion. However, I was quite disappointed by Now & When. I love the general premise of being able to see into the future but I think it could have been executed better. The real thing that lowered my opinion though was how mental health was brought up in this story. I almost DNFed it for this reason but chose to continue so I could form my whole opinion, which is: honestly it wasn’t worth continuing for me.

<i>Now & When</i> falls into one of my favorite subgenres of romance, a specific sub-sub-genre of hate to love that is rivals falling in love. This one was not my favorite personally, but admittedly it comes on the heels of me watching <i>Never Have I Ever</i> and <i>Today Tonight Tomorrow</i>, both of which do that trope so well, leaving <i>Now & When</i> a smidge disappointing.

That said, I did like reading this. I read it all in one day, which is always an awesome thing. The writing's engaging, and there's some great banter at times. Based off of this book, I definitely want to read more books by Wealer, even if this one didn't totally blow me away. Skyler's voice and the rivalry hooked me, and I had fun pretty consistently.

The downside of the book for me was the central plot element of Skyler's malfunctioning phone which doesn't work in the present but does work accurately for anything related to their ten year reunion. While this conceit did make the pace quick and have me reading on to see how Skyler would react, it also proved frustrating watching Skyler do ridiculous things in an effort to subvert the future shown by the magic phone.

Aspects of what she did and felt about what she saw were, to me, a bit problematic. The major thing for me was the treatment of her friend Harper, who has depression and has attempted suicide in the past. Harper's decisions seem to control whether Harper will survive or die by suicide; there are definite attempts by other characters to convince Skyler this idea is bullshit, but the idea does seem reinforced by the structure of the novel unfortunately. I also found Harper's negative reactions to being a housewife demeaning; I mean, it's the last thing I'd want to be, but I don't like kids, and for Skyler it seems to be about that being an inferior role, which is a shitty attitude.

The romance between Truman and Skyler would have worked perfectly for me if <spoiler>Skyler hadn't still been dating someone else for the first few times they hooked up</spoiler>. Sometimes I can deal with <spoiler>cheating</spoiler> in YA relationships, but it was so hard to connect with Eli's character, so it really all felt like it was added for drama, rather than to really deal with complicated emotions.

In some ways, this was really cute and fun. For me, it was just an okay read because it came on the heels of some really amazing stories that took on the same trope fairly similarly but imo better. If you haven't read one of these in a while or like the window-to-the-future-phone idea, then I'd still say it's worth a shot.

*thanks to #Netgalley and #phinternational for giving me this digital copy in advance in exchange of an honest review*

I was curious but with some doubts I'll love this story, and I'm very glad I was wrong.
The story is peculiar, with a little "magic" element that creates the whole domino's situation and a lot of little plot twist that constantly change the course of the story with unexpected turning.

Now&When is a ya contemporary that is food of thoughts and talks about some very important themes like self-injuring and the teenagers personal choice about their future: what would they want to become and what would they want to be.

Skylar has been a beautiful main character: a very nice girl with a strong personality and lots of faults that make her so real! I've adored how she try to do the best for her friends and to fix all their problem. Even Truman's, in her own way of course.
It was adorable seeing how she starts to grow and better understand herself and what she wants, working out some misunderstandings or being a little confrontational with her friends and Truman. She search to understand, to resolve.. maybe creating even more problems, but she's so good I wanted to hug her!

The relationship with Truman has been one of the best part of the book: I've adored their interaction since the first time and there was always something surprising (ironical) and sweet, and I really wanted to know more about them, as single and as a couple - and yes, I think Truman deserves his own story or some chapters with his point of view. A very peculiar, well written and brilliant boy with a strict relationship with his parents..It would have been very interesting to dig more about it and see some developments.

For this reason I REALLY think the book deserves a sequel! I need more, I'm not ready to say goodbye to them!
5 stars not because it's perfect, there is something could have been slower or developed better BUT the emotion that it gave me are a strong 4.7.
I've already ordered my copy and I can't wait to have it in my library <3

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I really enjoyed this book. I may not have agreed with all the politics of it, but I loved the message about living in the now, and not worrying about the future. I’d love to have a story regarding the older sister as well.

On the flip side, I wish there was a little more drama with the parents and the sister and more confessions out there. I feel like things were still left bottled up inside.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

I loved this book at first but after the first 100 pages, it didn't really appeal to me. Firstly, there were cheating happening, and cheating never ever appeals to me. I loved how the book handled mental issues, that was a really huge thing with me but the romance between the two characters wasn't that good.

I'm sad to say that I am DNFIng this book.

I was really hooked onto this story when it first began. The writing was enjoyable and I've been so interested in seeing where the author was going to take this! I loved the concept of a character being able to see into the future. That mixed with the whispers of an enemies-to-lovers romance had me very hyped up to read this! However, after getting about 20% in I decided to set it aside for now. My main reason for this is details and discussions of self-harm and suicide that caught me off guard and were upsetting to me. I had a hard time reading these details and that overall made me fall out of interest with the story. I wish this book had trigger warnings, or that I had at least seen someone mention that this content was included, so that I could've been prepared for it while going in blind.

So, overall I think this story has great potential and a nice concept, However, the sensitive content has deterred me from continuing but I hope that others can read and enjoy the story!

I just didn't end up loving this. First off, I strongly dislike stories with cheating elements. I don't find that cheating enhances or intensifies a love story in any way and it immediately turns me off and doesn't make me root for the couple to end up together in the end.

I also just didn't end up connecting with the characters at all. They both felt incredibly juvenile and even though this story is a YA book, it felt overall juvenile and lacking depth to me.

**Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. **

Skyler is a high school junior with a perfectly sweet boyfriend Eli. Everything about Eli is perfect, he's kind, considerate and orchestrates the perfect promproposal. What more can a girl want?

Then there is Truman, a boy Skyler absolutely loathes. She can't stand anything about him until something weird happens on her phone and she has a glimpse 11 years into her future which shows Skyler and Truman as married.

As events unfurl in the present, the future is altered. It reminded me a bit of Back to the Future which is one of my favorite movies and it made me a bit nostalgic. The glimpses alter Skyler's behavior sometime leading to potential disasterous consequences in her future. The race is on the make the right changes to get her future on track.

This is a light fun YA read.

Thank you Random House Children's and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review from: https://bookgems.co/2020/08/11/now-and-when/

Now and When is an unexpectedly sweet book. I didn’t know if I should expect realistic fiction, romance, or a coming of age story, so when it kind of combined all three with a twist that came in the form of a futuristic reunion website, I was pleasantly surprised. Skyler is a bit dramatic and over the top – perhaps my one real criticism of the book – and I totally saw where the story was going, but the way that it is written, I hardly minded. There were lots of little twists that came along that made the story oh-so-intriguing.

I normally steer clear of YA romance, but I appreciated that this had serious conversations about mental illness, socioeconomic status, and family expectations. Yes, there are some truly stereotypical characters, but by and large, the characters are unique and intriguing. I particularly like the sensitivity shown toward Harper’s character as she battles with depression and tries to navigate being a normal teenager after a decidedly not-normal experience.

I appreciated the novelty of this story overall. What would you do if you could see your future and it was not at all what you expected? How can you change your fate?

This book was a little all over the place, and I struggled with suspending my disbelief about a phone transmitting data from the future. I think strong character development helps you embrace fantastical scenarios (“The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “Nothing to See Here”), but Skylar’s temperament here wasn’t helping. She’s terrified about an older version of herself being with an older version of Truman, but mere days later throws herself at him, then confesses to Eli, before doing it again? One moment she realizes she’s making bad decisions based on how she sees her friends’ futures, the next she keeps making them. Some of her other classmates (and her boyfriend Eli) don’t hold up much better. A number of plot points needed to be narrowed down and then fleshed out more.

I really wanted to love this book! It’s got academic rivals-to-lovers relationships, a neat “future vision” device, and so much potential to be a cute contemporary (a great break from all the heavy high fantasy I’ve been reading lately). Unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me.

Honestly, one of the biggest turnoffs was the cheating plot line. I’m very big on loyalty, and I can’t stand to see cheating romanticized as it was here. Skyler spent pages waffling between admiring Truman, finding his good qualities, and complaining about him and denying her feelings. In the process, she treats a perfectly serviceable boyfriend (Eli) like he’s nothing to her. Now, I could get behind this if it were character building, but Skyler’s only slightly rebuffed for it and faces few consequences.

I have little emotional investment in a relationship that starts off so dishonestly, even if it is played out according to my favorite trope. This detracted from the story for me. I understand that characters are allowed to be unlikeable and still interesting, so I was sad that Skyler was… unlikeable and uninteresting.

The reasons I’m rating Now & When 3/5 instead of lower are twofold: one, I enjoyed the glimpses into the future that Skyler could get through her phone. I don’t want to spoil this for you, because it’s a really innovative trick, so all I’ll say is I looked forward to seeing how Skyler could affect her future and the decisions that caused her to make. I’m not saying I liked (or particularly admired) her character, but the science fiction aspect did interest me.

On the other hand, I also commend Wealer’s approach to depression and suicidality. It was sensitive and thoughtful. Skyler’s friend Harper struggles with self-harm and depression, and I think the book set a great example of how (and how not to) best support friends going through the same. (Of course, licensed medical professionals should also be involved, but friends can provide meaningful support too).

Overall, again, 3/5 stars. I’d recommend checking Now & When out of your local library and giving it a try.

Now & When was not exactly as strong as I'd thought it would be, especially since Sara Bennet Wealer's writing can be quite good. This felt more like an idea that had a plot and characters draped on it, and it never fully gelled as a story for me.

Very modern, and cute. It's an interesting thing to believe you can know the future, but also bring in the element that the future itself can still change because you know certain things. I liked the concept of enemies to lovers here, it was very cute to watch it unfold.

Now & When by Sara Bennett Wealer had a very unique plot, which toes the line between contemporary and paranormal. In fact, the author makes the book feel so realistic that I would call this book a contemporary read despite the other elements in this book and I definitely commend the author on this.

The book manages to address a wide variety of topics, from mental health, peer and parental pressure, and family struggles, to the journey of a student and of course the never ending worry about tomorrow. I definitely appreciate having seen so many facets of a protagonist’s life because it gives a good representation of someone’s life is in reality. Each day, whether as a student, an adult, or an older individual, there are many challenges we battle. Many of these hurdles occur at the same time and some of them drag our attention in different directions and each time we learn to better our understanding on what to prioritise and what to let go of.

However, the struggle with having all these topics put into a book made the scenes feel overly full with all the emotions that every character was going through and when something feels that heavy, it requires a very step-by-step resolution to feel authentic and give the reader a sense of fulfilment. Do you know how in a math test if you write only the final solution to the problem without showing the steps to how it was arrived at, it’s unconvincing that it was actually solved? It’s that way with books as well. Unless you see the threads of a plot stitch themselves back together, even if the final solution is a natural one or a one that the readers expect, the gaps between when the solution was arrived at and when the question was posed makes the result feel unconvincing. 

As for the relationship between the protagonists, it lacked the connection I would look for and was based (from the heroine’s side at least) a lot from what had been seen and how it messed with the mind. Of course, while I understand and expected that, I did feel like the relationship didn’t grow and that there was always this distance that could be felt with every character because of the issue with the conflict resolution. Perhaps, because of all this, there was some pacing issues for me where some parts I could breeze through easily and the others I had to push myself a little to cross.

Despite all this, there was just something very lovely about the message that Sara was trying to communicate and the ways in which the future plot unfolded was very interesting and I felt every emotion that the protagonist experienced. I did enjoy the relationships she had with her friends simply because of what they brought to the scenes and how it’s true in life where you have friends who think differently from you and while that’s frustrating and you fight, you still really like them and can depend on them. The whole ‘supernatural’ aspect of the story was handled really well and I loved seeing the dynamics it brought to the story and the many questions that you can ask yourself and answer while reading.

There’s a certain warmth in the whole story and an endearment I felt to it and perhaps because of my current situation, the message too felt very apt for me and I connected to it very much. The ending really had me leaving with a feel-good sense of contentment.

I had high hopes for this one but it feel a littel short for me. I liked the premise a lot. I did enjoy the plot and how the story shaped out. What I struggled with was the chemistry between the main characters. It could have used a bit more banter to really get me to root for them.

It's been a while since I picked up a YA contemporary so I was excited for this one. The plot seemed intriguing - Skylar is a junior in high school with a seemingly normal life (good friends, cute boyfriend, etc.) who receives a mysterious DM (do teenagers use Instagram anymore?) with a link to a high school reunion site. There she sees photos of herself 10 years in the future and her life is not what she expected.

My initial thoughts included:
-oh, we have an enemies to lover trope building! yay!
-YA books and films ALWAYS have a debate club, but I don't know anyone who had debate club in their school.

As the story progressed, I was pretty underwhelmed. Skylar was pretty annoying, constantly talking about how her parents have no money which is why she had a broken phone, but I couldn't understand why she didn't just get a job? She mentions that she doesn't have a good babysitting gig, but may I suggest like, working at the mall? Also her mom was a nurse and her dad was a lawyer, so they weren't exactly in poverty.

In regards to the main story line, I just couldn't get past how they all weren't FREAKING OUT about the reunion pics!? It seems like her friends, Jordan and Harper, were very nonchalant about it and only cared about prom committee. If my friend showed me photos of me in the future, I would cancel all of my prior engagements. Additionally, as the story progresses, there is a pretty big "reveal" of something that happens in the future that doesn't seem like a huge priority for them, which is WILD. All of the teens seemed selfish, and not just in a teenage way.

There were a few subplots that I felt could go away (Truman's debate championship, the barely touched upon story line with Skylar's sister, Piper, the introduction of a "mean girl" 65% way through) and I wish they focused more on the main issue - THE REUNION WEBSITE FROM THE FUTURE!

A quick and easy read but lacked a special something. 2.5 stars.


Thank you to Random House Children's/Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.