Like many others, I loved The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. Also like others, I was hesitant to start this one because I am not a gamer. However, I heard a reviewer describe Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow as "a light version of A Little Life," and I was dying to find out how these two books that seem so different could possibly compare. Regardless of my lack of video game knowledge, I easily fell into the world of Sam and Sadie. I felt their excitement, their connection, their frustration, and their heartbreak. Zevin creates characters that are so easily relatable! In the end, I actually do think the reviewer's comment was correct; thankfully the world of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is not as heavy and overwhelming as A Little Life, but it still allows the reader into a world of beautiful friendships and physical and emotional pain. I would recommend it to just about any reader!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book surprised me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not and I loved it. I have a book hangover.

I loved reading the aspect of how games are made. My husband is a huge gamer and trust me, there has been a lot played in this house. I like to play games but it really made me appreciate it more. Also, I knew all the titles that were mentioned (thank you, husband). I’m going to try to get him to read it too because I think he will appreciate that aspect.

Great story. The ups and downs. It really touched me.

What a special book. My favorite of 2022 (Black Cake + Lessons in Chemistry also in the Top 3). Full review to come after I process what I just read. It was THAT GOOD.

I found it really hard to write a review of this book because I have so many different feelings about it. Some parts of it I flew through, some parts I struggled to get through. I loved that the ultimate theme was love and friendship against all odds, but I found a lot of the gaming stuff really tedious. I had read that the gaming was a background theme to the friendship theme but I didn't find that to be true. For me while love was the theme it was carried on the vehicle of gaming and that coupled with the short, sharp writing style made it really hard for me to connect with this book.

I love it when books take me into worlds that normally wouldn’t interest me and makes them compelling. In this case, it’s gaming. Sam and Sadie have been friends since childhood, brought together by chance in the hospital. After years apart, they run into one another at the Harvard Square T-stop and strike up a collaboration. Before graduating, they, with the support of their friend Marx, build a video game that propels them to success.

This is the story of their friendships, told over decades, complicated by and held together by their professional partnership. Zevin has created a full collection of wonderful characters, but her main three–Sadie, Sam, and Marx–truly shine. I loved watching their love stories grow and evolve, and how their connections hold through illness, failure, and tragedy. One of the best of the year.

Tomorrow x 3 is a book about video games. And friendships. While I am certainly not a "gamer," I do enjoy some video games (Mario, Tetris and of course, Oregon Trail). I loved the references to video games throughout the 90s and the way the story built on Sam and Sadie's friendship throughout the years.

However, I really disliked Sadie. I'm not sure if this was the intent of the author or just my reaction, but I couldn't like anything she did. From the beginning, I had no sympathy for her and thought she was a selfish, immature character who was also a lousy friend.

I don't get the feeling that other readers had this reaction and this is what made the book tough for me. I think you're supposed to root for Sam and Sadie to succeed in life, as friends, in video games, but I just wanted Sam to tell her where to go.

The storyline on this was good and I do like how everything developed over the years, but my dislike of Sadie kept me from giving it five stars.

Thanks @aaknopf & @netgalley for the eARC

You ever have a book you know you'll love, but don't get to it, and reviews come out, everyone loves it, and you know you will, but you don't read it, and people start telling you directly, "hey, read this," and it goes unread, and finally read it in one six hour marathon and think your past self is a huge ding dong for putting it off?

Well, me & past Kelly have a lot of beef - beeves - and this is one. A burger, perhaps. This is exactly what I enjoy in several favorite books. It follows a small group of people for an extended chunk of life, like a Prayer for Owen Meany or A Little Life, without the political weight of APfOM or heavy angst of ALL. Few MAJOR events, just the story of these people.

It's set in the 80s-early 2000s & has a lot of enjoyable references, especially to video games, but "getting" them a necessary part, like Ready Player One. There's a lot about game dev, in the way that it's interesting to hear about ANYONE'S job, not just for People Into That Kind of Thing.

It didn't quite make 5⭐ for me, tho. This is my kind of story, but unlike APfOM or ALL, the characters felt distant. They're great, but for me, this was definitely more about the story, rather than connection with characters, or even being really taken with their relationships. It just didn't give me That Feeling.

Still! Definitely a recent favorite.

I’m so torn on how I feel about this book. I had such high hopes from all the chatter I heard about it. I enjoyed reading about the games they created. There were some really great quotable lines that I highlighted. And I love a story that follows people across a big span of their life. I appreciated that aspect of this book. But the story just left me underwhelmed. I don’t think I left this story liking a single character except maybe Marx. (Dang it!) Maybe that’s not important for you. If you’re into kind of depressing stories about messed up people then you’ll probably find this interesting. For me it was a miss.
But thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Contemporary Fiction

I have not written this review in a timely manner and I think part of the issue is I don't quite know how I feel about it. On the one hand, I really liked parts of it and on the other I was bored.

This book is about friendships - the ups, the downs, the fights, the make-ups and how those friendships shape you as a person and change the arc of your life.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is one of the BEST books I have ever read! The character development is masterful, as is the unfolding of the story over time. I didn't want it to end!

TOMORROW, TOMORROW & TOMORROW is one of those books that will stick with you for a long time. I finished the book two days ago and still have a book hangover from it. At first glance, you’re probably like, a book about videos games? Nah, it’s not for me. But let me tell you, I am not a gamer whatsoever. I mean, the extent of my gaming capabilities only goes as far as Tetris, Donkey Kong, Duckhunt, some Super Mario Bros and, of course, Oregon Trail. You do not have to be a gamer or even like games to enjoy the book.

That being said, I freaking loved the book! The book really took me back - it was so nostalgic of my childhood. I, too, am a Xennial like the MCs - Oregon Trip and Magic Eye posters were totally our generation! The story was so immersive that I felt like was right there along side with them; like I was one of their friends.

Games / gaming is a huge part of the book and I have to say that I learned so much about the game development process. The book is so much more than games though - games are just the mechanism that brings the characters together. The book is about friendships, but it’s really a platonic love story between best friends. The book also touches upon social issues and gives you a glimpse of how minorities were perceived and treated back in those days, even in populous, urban cities.

Coming-of-age novels are my jam and this is one of the most unique and clever books I’ve ever read. The writing is exceptional and as a character-driven book, the character development was outstanding. You can’t help but get emotionally invested in the characters and story. I love that the characters were flawed as it makes them feel more relatable and more real.

TLDR; read the damn book. Just do it. Gamer or not, you will enjoy the book!

Thank you so much, @knopfbooks, for the #gfited copy of the book and to @prhaudio for the complementary audiobook!

The book of the summer. Cannot say enough good things about this. So grateful for the opportunity to read it & really glad I have a physical copy (signed!!)

Gabrielle Zevin has sort of been a staple in my life for a long time - I read and loved her teen stuff when I was, in fact, a teen, and then I was near evangelical in my devotion to The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, so I had high hopes for this book and it never really quite got there.

First off, I am not a gamer and while all the early reviews of this said you didn't need to be a gamer to understand the story, it certainly would have made things a bit easier. I spent more time trying to work out in my head how you can code a video game than I did actually connecting the games that were being made to the larger story. I don't think my book-minded brain can quite grasp how code can translate into the epic graphics of video games and that threw me for a real loop.

Also, I'm going to be really honest and say I did not particularly like Sam or Sadie. While I recognize that Sam had a lot of trauma in his early life, it felt like he had absolutely no personality outside of said trauma and, of course, his obsession with Sadie. And then Sadie was just incredibly self-centred throughout the book and that bothered me. The character I really connected with and wanted to see thrive was Marx who was so dynamic and kind and lively compared to his 'S' counterparts, but then... ya know. The ending.

So yeah, there wasn't a whole lot about this that actually grabbed me emotionally the way I wanted it to and I am really kind of bummed about it. I feel like I understand where Gabrielle Zevin was trying to take the story but it just didn't hit the marks it should have.

This literary fiction novel centers around the relationship between two friends who create a video game together, but as their success grows, their friendship is tested. Spanning many decades, we see these characters grow but also continue to let past hurts get in the way. While this was a solid literary read, I would have like a little more lightheartedness. There was not enough joy for people who are living their dreams of creating video games and after awhile some of the tragic plotlines because just too much.

This book spans 30 years between two friends and the lives they have built through the world of video game design. Trust me, it's much better than it sounds! I loved the dynamics between Sam Masur and Sadie Green. As their friendship grows, they create Ichigo, a game that changes their worlds. Sam and Sadie are successful at a young age, but they continue to dive into love, heartbreak, betrayal, and so much more! The middle did drag a little bit for me. but overall a great story!

An interesting tale of love and growing up with interesting remembrances of the east and west coasts of the US.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
What I liked:
- [ ] The two protagonists, Sadie and Sam. Neither one was very likable but I was invested in them from the beginning.
- [ ] Video games. Not a gamer myself except for Animal Crossing and the Candy Crush types but I still liked imagining the creative and technical process through the characters.
What I didn’t like:
- [ ] Because I became so invested in the characters early on I was disappointed in the conclusion. I want to say more about the relationships but don’t want to spoil a book about relationships.
- [ ] Not a particularly propulsive story, and I wanted it to be. I felt relief the tedious Stardew Valley cliches were coming to a close.

Sam and Sadie meet as kids and bond over their love of video games. The book takes us on their journey both together and individually throughout their lives, taking that love of video games and turning it into a successful business. The book seemed promising, but I stopped playing video games in the early 90s with my original Nintendo. I could appreciate the creativity and business aspect, plus what went on in Sam and Sadie’s lives, but this dragged for me. Too many characters at times and heavy on the plot that didn’t feel necessary. I felt it took away from the story.

This was definitely one of the most interesting books I have read in a while and I completely understand the hype! The video game nerd inside me loved this wild ride and unique right style. The story took unexpected turns and brought up some hard issues both dealing with raw and real emotions. I think there is something in this book for everyone!

I really enjoyed this book I was a little worried about the video game aspect of it but it wasn’t totally overwhelming in the book. I can see why so many people loved this book will be looking for more from this author