This book definitely had nostalgic vibes for me. I enjoyed that the chapters jumped between the different characters lives. The characters were frustrating to me. I could have done without the extensive chapters that explained the games. I did like the fact that you don’t have to play video games in order to read or enjoy this book.

4.5 stars, rounded up. I care... not at all about video games. Not a bit. So it speaks to how well written and plotted this book is that despite the fact that video games play an essential role in this story, I absolutely loved it. I have to say there was one section towards the end that really diverted my interest, but the author wrapped even that section up in a way that I felt ultimately satisfied with. The story and the way that Gabrielle Zevin puts it together, the characters, the Shakespearean references!- I honestly felt that this story was achingly, beautifully told. With flawed, brilliant characters and hills and valleys of emotions, this is one not to miss.

This is a rare novel. It combines fresh, excitingly detailed knowledge about an art form and industry with achingly poignant depictions of modern life, disability, and the vagaries of old friendships. Sam, Sadie, and Marx are flawed characters trying to navigate through their youth and relationships with each other, loving, working, and failing together. In-world Easter eggs are scattered throughout like so many pearls. The narrative jumps forwards and backwards in time, creating an album of the protagonists' changing personalities. An ode to the unpredictability of life that touches on crucial issues just enough to contextualize without carrying on.

I did not give it five stars because the slow beginning of this book had me slightly confused - though it had an assured style, intricate relationships and 90s nostalgia, I was not sure why the author was telling rather than showing certain key character-building moments, and I wished, at times, that the emotional tension had been delivered in dialogue rather than through third-person narration. But I was hooked on the descriptions of game development, a topic which was completely foreign to me, and needed to know where the story was going.

My God, am I glad I stuck with it. My heartfelt gratitude to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow follows Sam and Sadie over the course of thirty years of friendship. We see them as middle school kids who bond over video games. And then as college students who begin working together to create games of their own. We watch their personal and professional relationships grow and falter. Zevin does a good job with the pacing here, and each stage of their lives feels equally important in a good way.

Individually, Sam and Sadie are both interesting characters. He felt a little more vivid to me because his situations – his foot being destroyed in a car accident when he’s young and the threat of amputation always hanging over him – felt a bit more unique than Sadie’s – We’ve all, unfortunately, read about a young woman who ends up in a relationship with a man in a position of power who doesn’t treat her as well as she deserves. But I think both characters were given rich, full lives over the years this novel encompasses, and I really appreciated that.

I think my main issue here is that we’re told over and over again that Sam and Sadie are best friends, that no one understands them like they understand each other. In some instances, I can see that on the page. But they’re often the first to be unkind to each other and they both hold incredible grudges. Their relationship was a constant up and down of being inseparable interspersed with hating each other, and it was, frankly, exhausting. I couldn’t understand why either of them wanted to continually go back to this cycle, especially in working together. Maybe this would have worked for me if there had been more explanation than that they’re best friends and that’s how it is. But I needed a little bit more than we were given.

An aside: I’ve noticed a trend in books lately where the main characters are Cool and Different and Smart, and they have a friend who they look down on for being happy or uncomplicated in some way. Why is happiness mockable? Why do all these characters seem to feel superior because they’re less happy? I don’t have an answer, I’m really just curious myself.

This was a sweeping and lovely book. I did want to know so much more about the characters. However, I had a hard time because it was a little dense. I do not think I was in the right mindspace to give this one a fair shot.

I enjoyed following the lives of Sadie and Sam as they go through their life journey from college to relationships and video games ofcourse. As someone who is not a fan of video games, I hesitated to pick this one but having read the author's previous book, I knew this would take me through a complete different plot and yeah, it most definitely did that!! It was all about finding balance with everything going in life!

It is beautifully written and the friendship that is mainly featured is truly beautiful and precious. The pacing was slow at times but the content is deep so it allows readers to go into their thoughts for a bit.

4.5 stars

I'm on a roll, two great books in a row! I loved this book so much because it's about friendship and all of its ups and downs, and yet it is very unique because it's set in the world of gaming. You don't necessarily need to be a gamer or have gaming knowledge to appreciate this book, but it does help if you have some appreciation for it.

This is the story of Sadie and Sam who met in a hospital as children. Sam was there recovering from a horrible car accident, and Sadie's sister was undergoing cancer treatment. The two met playing video games together and forged a friendship, which grew and stalled many times over the years. They would go on to create a gaming company and many games together, but the underlying factors in their life and friendship ebbed and flowed continuously.

This is an immersive book, full of human actions and interactions. I went from liking Sadie to not liking her and then back again, and the same with Sam. I could understand them sometimes and others I didn't. There are portions of this book that will truly break your heart, because they broke mine and caused me to dissolve into tears. Yet in the end, what are we without each other? And that's what this book communicates best.

There are a few slower parts, which is why I didn't round up to 5 stars. It took me a lot longer than it should have to get through this book. But the writing is superb and Zevin really knows how to tell a great story when you get right down to it, so this is a wonderful book definitely worth reading. I look forward to see what she comes up with next.

Completely different than Zevin's other books, but loved this new one. Although it is based on friends and video games, it's not just for video game fans. Will be recommending this to library patrons as a great summer read.

In 1986 California 12-year-old Sam and 11-year-old Sadie happen to meet in the hospital. Sadie is there because her older sister is sick, Sam because he's recently been in a devastating car accident which mangled his foot. The two become fast friends united through their love of video games. They soon have a falling out, as adolescents often do, and are estranged until bumping into one another in NYC in the 90s while college students. This reunion leads to a partnership where they create what will become a very well known video game and launching a gaming business together.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow follows the story of Sadie and Sam across the country and through decades as they live, love, and create. Theirs is a platonic relationship though no less intimate or compelling than a great romance, I just adored this unique angle!

I was skeptical about the video game aspect as that's not a particular interest of mine, but rest assured the video game piece really works here and I found plenty of nostalgia from my own childhood within. I love when a book can make me care deeply about something I have no interest in outside of the story!

Tomorrow released last Tuesday and I'm already seeing it pop up frequently. I definitely think this is one of those stories that will appeal to a wide audience. It's beautifully and thoughtfully crafted, a layered story with characters who will capture your heart.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin, is a love story like you’ve never read before. Told over 30 years, this story follows two beautiful, flawed characters caught between live and virtual realities. From their youth to their adult lives as founders of a popular and lucrative gaming company, this tale of the human condition and love in its many forms will charm and crush you all the same.

YES! Absolutely. Another like this please?

These are my simplified thoughts when I finished this.

Is it about video games? Yes.

Platonic friendship that endures decades? Yes.

Did I cry often? Yes.

Is it worth all the hype it's getting? YES!

Also, Mr Pages and I buddy read this together and it was so much fun!

Do you ever buddy read with your partner?

This is a contender for my favorite book of the year!

Now I need to go find a modern Oregon Trail!

Thank you so much @atria for the advanced readers copy!

This is an excellent book! I don’t always love video game centered books, but this one is too good. The story pulled me right in and I couldn’t stop reading!

Absolutely loved this book! Will definitely be reading it again and will be recommending it to every reader I know!

This is hitting the right notes for a lot of people, but I am not one of them. I thought it was too long by a solid hundred pages, I thought the focus of the story and the pivotal plot point were both misplaced. I did love the characters and the time setting, but it wasn't enough to make me love the book overall.

This novel was extraordinary! Gabrielle Zevin is an out of this world writer and I adored this story and the characters! I took my time with this one and savored it. I think this would be an excellent selection for book clubs! So many topics and themes to dive in to! I will also be featuring these in our store Fall Subscription Boxes! Thank you for the opportunity to review this for our Independent Bookstore!

First story I have read by Gabrielle Zevin. It took me a little bit to get into this book, but about halfway through I was sucked in. Sadie and Sam have know each other since they were children. They reconnect as young adults, and develop a video game together. I am not a gamer, but I loved the story and was pulled in about halfway through and couldn’t put the book down. 4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I am not a huge coming-of-age novel fan however, this book hooked me from the beginning. I love the chemistry between Sadie and Sam. Their sweet friendship mixed with their love of gaming is perfect. Also like getting bits and pieces of how they because friends many years ago through out the book. Adding Marx into the mix adds some of what Sam is thinking.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC

Zevin at their best! A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me access to read this gem ahead of publication. I loved Zevin's "Storied life of A.J. Fikry" which made me have high expectations that were met. I devoured the Story of Sam, Sadie and Marx in 2 days. It was impossible to put down once I started.
Marketing's tagline is referencing this to Ready Player One, which I find misleading. At no point did this book make me think of RP1. If anything it made me think of "Eleanor & Park". The only common ground is the mention of and playing video games. I do not think you need to be a fan of Video Games in order to enjoy this novel. The friendship and the life they create out of their passion is a topic broad enough for every human. You cannot help but root for these fictional people, no matter what they try to do.
80s & 90s nostalgia, pain, toxic relationships, grief, identity search as a second generation korean american and perseverance. Upmost I loved how it explores the different types of love found in relationships and friendships.

What is a game?” Marx said. “It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”

4.5 rounded-up, so good! Big thanks for NetGalley for allowing me to read this beautiful novel. Although the book started a bit slow and I wasn't quite sure where it was going, once it picked up I couldn't put it down.

The characters, Sam and Sadie, have such depth to them. While gaming may be the backdrop, the story speaks to deeper aspects of the complexities of friendship, identities, vulnerabilities- hiding parts of ourselves from those we love, grief, perseverance, collaboration, the artistic process, and ultimately finding hope. I absolutely cried for these characters, and it’s one of those rare reads where I find myself already missing them. They are complex, flawed, and you wanted to root for them even as they made frustrating decisions over the 30 years the books spans.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin was a story about Sadie and Sam two kids who meet over the love of video games. The story goes on to follow these two through life and their journey of college, relationships and building video games. Filled with tons of nostalgia and at times would remind me of “ Ready Player One” because this novel too had another character and it was the games. The detail you learn about the behind the scenes of building was interesting and being that I live with a gamer I enjoyed this aspect though not for everyone. Sadie and Sam two individuals that could go for years without speaking but an idea comes their way and they are back together again. Together and apart they are in a crazy game called life with all the ups and downs and I did love being on this reminiscent journey as a NPC (non-player character) with them.

Some slow spots but still ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

#julesbookshelf #arc #netgalley #tomorrowandtomorrowandtomorrow #gabriellezevin #gaming #npc #bookstagram