First, a thank you to NetGalley for providing an eArc in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This book was totally out of the norm for me. While I enjoy YA, I don't really like gaming. It interested me because of the relationships that we were going to look at as we read the book. And thankfully, I was really able to enjoy the book even without a lot of knowledge of the gaming world and the computer knowledge that is needed to create them. I learned a lot, but now I know enough to be dangerous and get things totally wrong!
Regardless, I did enjoy this novel. I got to know the inner workings of the three main characters, I could anticipate how they would react in different situations, I got truly involved in their lives. At times I loved and hated each one of them, for various reasons.

From friendships to love, from use to abuse, we run the gamut with this group and those they deign to bring in. Would I recommend it, absolutely. Would I read other books by this author, without a doubt!

This is my first encounter with Gabrielle Zevin's writing and needless to say, I want more.

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" is a work of contemporary fiction focused on the lives of two main characters: Sadie and Sam. The two first met in the hospital as children, where Sadie stumbled across Sam playing Super Mario in the gameroom, an encounter that would initiate a future friendship. Due to a misunderstanding of the circumstances however, the two spend years without communicating until, after the two are in college (Sadie at MIT, Sam at Harvard) and cross paths at the train station. This second meeting resparks their shared love of games, and the two decide to partner with Sam's roommate Marx to create their own gaming company: Unfair Games.

The rest of the novel covers the complicated relationship and interactions Sam and Sadie have as friends, peers, business partners - all just crossing shy of a romantic relationship. There's a extensive detail provided on some of the complexities of designing a game and running a company; a look into Sam's past after he lost his mother in a car accident and survived with a damaged foot; Sadie's complex (and inarguably, unhealthy and abusive) relationship with her college professor; and how grief and loss can impact us, both temporarily and permanently. Zevin has managed to cover an immense number of topics in this book, all of which I enjoyed.

That being said, if you have no background of games, this might be a difficult and confusing book to wade through. While I am not an avid gamer by any means, I had played Oregon Trail as a child (and died of dysentery multiple times), as well as popular games like Harvest Moon and Animal Farm, Donkey Kong, etc. and I think at least having some background of these was helpful in understanding some of the intricacies of this novel.

I loved Zevin's writing throughout, especially as she does a great job of showing us different aspects and traits of people and relationships, versus telling. The pacing felt smooth, even with different time jumps and alternate reality perspectives (one section is entirely a description of a game scenario), and her crafting of these characters was complex and masterful. Definitely a recommended read for any game lovers!

Buzzy books...

This summer seems to be exceptionally full of buzzy books!

Summary
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.

Started this weekend and I'm fully enjoying getting to know Sam and Sadie! Also loving all the 90s references - that seems to be a trend this year.

Thank you to @net for the ebook and @libro.fm for the ALC!!

What buzzy books have you read and loved this summer? What do you think the buzziest book is this summer?

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Sam Masur runs into his childhood friend Sadie Green during their junior year of college. They reconnect and end up teaming up to become very successful video game designers. So much happens over their 30 years of friendship. There is a lot of pain between them, most of which they can move on from. Not easy to categorize the book but it was a great read.

This book has everything: love, relationships, friendships, family, school, gaming, work, death, etc. I found this book at just the right time and it broke me out of a reading slump. I loved the characters and learned so much about gaming and creating games. It also inspired me to charge my Nintendo switch and start playing games again. Thanks so. much for the review copy.

This novel got a lot of hype and certainly delivers in a lot of ways. It is a fun, smooth read. I am not a gamer at all and know little, if anything, about that industry. But that, mostly, did not deter me from enjoying the book. Though someone with an interest in gaming will likely enjoy it more. Solid novel.

Sam Masur and Sadie Green are best friends who create video games. This book tells the story of their friendship from middle school to college to adulthood, with plenty of nuance and complexity. I was drawn in and captivated by their relationship, by the video games they created, and by the references to Dickinson & Shakespeare!

When I first heard there was a romance in this book, I was nervous because romance in books usually annoys me. Then I was assured that it’s not the annoying kind and that person was right but the end was not anything like I was expecting, though I can appreciate it for what it is.

I was wrenched out of the story so often by words I’ve never heard before and needed to look up because context clues were no help. It kind of ruined the flow of the story a bit for me sometimes. Also, there were too many run-on lists. However, I really liked how the author seamlessly transitioned POV, many times in the middle of a chapter, even including perspectives of side characters.

I would consider myself a gamer (I spent 40 hours a week for months playing Animal Crossing when it first came out in 2020, And I love video games) but I felt like some of the Easter eggs and references went way over my head. Like I knew there was something of meaning there but it was just out of reach for me.

All that being said, these characters felt real and relatable. I highlighted several passages that just made me *feel* something deep inside because they were so spot-on.

This is a wonderful book about the complexity of friendship, love and loss. Even for a non-gamer, I found the premise, characters and storylines interesting and compelling. I cannot give all glowing remarks, however, because the author appeared to be trying way too hard to make herself sound smart by using "big" words sprinkled throughout the book. I found myself checking the Kindle dictionary too often only to discover that she could have delivered the same thoughts and messages in clearer and more succinct manners without negatively impacting the tone or context. This might be a case of using "big & smart sounding words" solely for the sake of using "big & smart sounding" words at the reader's expense. It interrupts the flow and pace of the reading process and serves little purpose other than to make the author sound pompous at best. Disclosure: I received a copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley.

Sam and Sadie and Marx. What a great story of friendship. I am not a gamer, but I still didn't feel completely lost as they discussed all things gaming. I will recommend this book to the some of my younger friends that I feel are the target audience. I think they will be pulled into this story quickly!

This is like nothing I have ever read before. I could not stop listening to it, and was enthralled by the characters and the plot. The writing is lovely and readers will empathize with all of the dynamic characters. I am unable to pinpoint why this book resonated so much with me, because I'm not into video games or anything like that. However, It was such a unique look at the capability of the human spirit to love, grieve, forgive, and create...and it was wonderfully done.

Despite not having any interest in video games, I was surprised how quickly I became absorbed in this newest novel from Gabrielle Zevin. The three main characters faced many issues in their deep yet complicated relationships. It was also interesting to follow the early history of video game development as Sadie, Sam and Marx plunged into creating their first games and ultimately forming their own company. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC!

Spanning thirty years, Gabrielle Zevin presents a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the nature of identity, disability, failure, redemption, and our need to connect.

I've heard so much about this book over the last few months, and it did not disappoint. Being a video game lover took this book to another level for me. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a heartbreaking, beautiful, special book that I'd recommend to anyone. Best book I've read in a while.

I loved this book! Although I usually wouldn't gravitate towards a book "about video games", this book had so much going on! The characters were all really well-developed and you got a sense of what was driving each of them. I could sympathize with the work that they were doing and their need to be fulfilled and to produce work that they were proud of.

My only criticism of the book was the chapter that took place in the game - that one lost me (perhaps it was too "video-gamey" for me). Overall though, this one was fantastic and I will be recommending it to my book club.

This book is a must-read for video game lovers! I loved getting a change to get into the minds of two brilliant video game creators. You will fall in love with Sam and Sadie: they are both very flawed characters that you simply cannot stop rooting for. They will make you angry, happy, and even teary-eyed at times. I loved the non-linear timeline, which little by little revealed details of Sam and Sadie's lives and put their behaviors and choices into perspective.
However, this is not just a book about video games. It's a book about loss, grief, racial and national identity, love and friendship, violence, disability... all packaged neatly within the world of video games.
The writing was beautiful and engaging, but not pretentious. Some knowledge of video games is recommended to get the full experience of this book.

3.5 stars [I liked it]

I really wanted to love this book but I found it a tad underwhelming. I did enjoy it but I thought it dragged a bit at times. I really loved the writing and the characters. I enjoyed the video game design aspect more than I thought I would. This book was so unique and nothing like anything I’ve ever read. I think if it was shorter and more fast paced I would have absolutely loved it. It really didn’t compare to my fave, A Storied Life of AJ Fikry but I will keep reading anything by this author, the writing is always fantastic!

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

<b>A book about childhood friends making a video game is an unexpected, captivating setup for this wonderfully deep, epic dive into connection, creativity, tragedy, and love.</b>

<blockquote>"And what is love, in the end?" Alabaster said. "Except the irrational desire to put evolutionary competitiveness aside in order to ease someone else's journey through life?"</blockquote>
Childhood friends Sam Masur and Sadie Green are brilliant, creative collaborators and a wonderfully complementary pair since their chance meeting in childhood--and they're also (sometimes) full of love for each other.

Reunited in college, Sam and Sadie come together to try to create a masterpiece: a video game unlike any that has come before. Something immersive, something fascinating, something irresistible.

<blockquote>A programmer is a diviner of possible outcomes, and a seer of unknown worlds.</blockquote>
Their wild success and their devastating lows--both individual and collective--test their loyalty to each other and to their vision, offer joy and unexpected pain, and push the limits of their friendship and connection.

A book about longtime friends creating a video game feels like an unusual vehicle for delivering the beauty and depth Zevin builds into each page. But <i>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow</i> (the title comes from the second line of <i>Macbeth</i>) is an epic view into a lifetime of friendship and love, tragedy, renewed faith in others, and overcoming incredible hardship. It's a captivating account of the making of a video game, the love of other specific games and playing in general, and the power of play to bring people together.

<blockquote>Why wouldn't you tell someone you loved them? Once you loved someone, you repeated it until they were tired of hearing it. You said it until it ceased to have meaning. Why not? Of course, you goddamn did.</blockquote>
There are fascinating, heartbreaking, heartwarming echoes and swirls of themes and details that repeat and connect through time and through virtual reality--and that frequently cross into the gritty messiness of real life. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is smart and holds layer upon layer to explore.

There are too many beautiful quotes in the book for me to share them here. I savored this story and delighted in its characters and just loved this book.

Gabrielle Zevin is also the author of <i>The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry,</i> a book I loved.

I received a digital advance reader copy of this book courtesy of Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley.

<b>To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see <a href="https://www.bossybookworm.com/post/review-of-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-by-gabrielle-zevin/"><i>Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.</a></i></b>

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I need to break this book down into 3rds for the review:
1/3- the first third of the book had me instantly hooked! It didn’t matter that I’m not a gamer and didn’t matter that I knew nothing about that world. I flew through the first 3rd of it because I almost immediately became invested in the characters and I wanted to know more!
2/3- the middle was a little hard for me to get through. I think it fell flat in many ways, and I found myself wanting to speed through it.
3/3- the final 3rd made up for the lull in the middle! It wasn’t as good as the first 3rd, but I’m glad I powered through. and Overall, I would say I enjoyed the book, and it’s worth the read! :)

If you ever die, I'll just start the game again." and "I am going to play until I die."

These two quotes were very simple yet such huge philosophical ideas at the same time.

This book has great reviews and at 80% in with my @librofm copy I can tell why.

This book about two kids who bonded over video games during a hard time in their life. Then reconnected in college to build games together. All the while struggling with relationships and work.

I did have a long conversation before dinner about Sam's injuries. They were pretty tragic and gruesomeish. There were a lot of tough topics discussed and this book was in second person which is always interesting.

Today was my Dad's birthday and after having a big piece of chocolate cake in his honor. I listened to a part of this book where someone's life passed before their eyes and it made me relive his time in the hospital. Hoping he could hear me too. Btw that part sucked wish that didn't happen, I really liked that character and wished he could get his extra life. But my Dad always told me life isn't fair. 

The negative reviews for this one seemed silly, so you do you. 

Thank you libro for my alc for my honest and voluntary review.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow follows Sam and Sadie over the course of 30 Years. They meet as preteens in a hospital. Sadie is there to visit her sister, Alice, who is undergoing cancer treatments. Sam is a patient who has undergone multiple surgeries on his foot which was crushed in a traumatic car accident. They meet while playing video games in hospital lounge and bond over the shared love for these games resulting in an unlikely friendship.

A misunderstanding separates the pair, but they bump into each other years later. Sadie is studying at MIT and Sam at Harvard. They both have changed, but their love of gaming hasn't. They collaborate on creating a new video game, this collaboration helps to forge a relationship that carries them forward through the years as friends, partners and game designers.

This is a story of Sam and Sadie and the worlds that they create together in real life and their gaming worlds. The themes of love, loss and life are captured with sincerity and depth and explore the different types of love found in relationships.

I thought this was well executed. On the surface it is a book about video games, but at its core it is much deeper than that. It is about loving, living forgiving and grieving.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of this beautiful book.