I just loved this book -- I was hooked from the beginning and I honestly had no idea where it was going to go. I loved how the narrative unfolded and I highlighted so many passages in this book because it was so beautifully written! I will re-read this because of the language but also because of the friendship it described, it felt so real but also aspirational.

This book was just so lovely and well written and beautiful and I didn't want it to end. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow comes out next week on July 5, 2022, you can purchase HERE, and I hope you consider reading this one!

"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."

This book was such a delightful read! Sadie and Sam are both flawed and beautifully written. You root for them both the entire book. It’s a love story, sure, but so much more. I could not put it down!

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

I picked this up based on the description and some early reviews, and then got absolutely sucked in when I finally started reading when I realized it took place in Cambridge, MA. I know the locations the book references in the Boston area well, and that only added to my enjoyment. I couldn't put this down, and devoured it in a few sittings - even if you're not a video game person, you'll find something in the characters to keep you going. It does some great stuff with narrative style between sections, and these feel like real people throughout. It doesn't surprise me that it's already been picked up for adaptation - this feels like prime limited series material for something like a Hulu.

*4.5 stars*

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a beautifully written book following the lives of two friends Sadie and Sam though the unpredictable ups and downs of friendship, all the messiness and all the joy, while also exploring the mysteries and frustrations of the creative process.

When Sadie's sister Alice is hospitalized, Sadie finds herself roaming the hall, trying to find something to occupy her time. She soon meets Sam, a young boy whose foot has been crushed in a car accident and who has not spoken since. That is until the day he bonds with Sadie over video games and the two become fast friends, until something happens to break them apart.

Eight years later they meet again, brought together once more because of video games. They work together to create a video game that rockets them into fame. Through smart dialogue, video game culture, tragedy and an intimate look at disability, we get an up close look at a friendship that spans decades and is as beautiful as it is complicated.

While I enjoyed Zevin's A Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, it was a bit too on the nose for me at times, too in your face with its messages. I was afraid this book would be like that, too. While there were moments this novel that could have been more subtle, and the plot could have a been tighter, I was pleasantly surprised at the nuance and complexity of the themes.

It was so smartly written that I would stop and read some passages over and over again. There was one chapter near the end that I thought was brilliantly perfect. It was amazing!

I would highly recommend this book if you love books about friendships, love video games or enjoy reading about the messiness of living life.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the digital arc copy.

In a Nutshell: A moving story of relationships. Great character development. Outstanding writing. Medium-paced. Gaming knowledge not required.

Story Synopsis:
Samson Mazer and Sadie Green first met in the hospital in 1987. One of them has a sick sister, the other is recovering from a car accident. A shared love for video games results in an unlikely friendship but a misunderstanding soon separates the friends. When they bump into each other 8 years later at a crowded train station, many things have changed but their passion for gaming hasn’t. They decide to collaborate on a new game, and with this begins a new phase of their joint story – one that will cause many ups and downs. This is a story of the worlds and connections built by Sam and Sadie, both in real life as well as in the virtual domain.

Where the book worked for me:
😍 I had been apprehensive of picking this book up because I had assumed this to be as intense as ‘Ready Player One’ when it comes to gaming knowledge. Thankfully, you don’t need to be an avid gamer to enjoy this because video games are just part of the background. There are tech terms but not so many as would overwhelm a gaming newbie.
😍 The main story is all about human connection and communication. A vast range of relationships is explored – friends, parents, grandparents, teachers, peers, colleagues, lovers (straight and queer). It is an amazing array of human associations and how this impacts our thinking and decisions.
😍 The book is medium-paced but the story is such that it keeps you hooked. It is quite intense on the emotions, quite unlike what one would expect from a book with gaming as a binding factor.
😍 The main trio – Sam, Sadie, and Sam’s best friend Marx – are complex characters and tough to slot into any predefined moulds. Each of them displays a layered personality that evolves and sometimes even devolves, throughout the story. Through them, we get to explore a wide range of emotions as well as ponder upon what we might have done in their place. The varied cultural backgrounds of the trio also helps to add some novelty to the narrative.
😍 I wasn’t a big fan of the cover art at first but the story reveals the role of the Hokusai wave in the proceedings, and also the source and significance of the title, “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow”. I don’t want to reveal the latter here but once it came up in the book, it felt perfect!
😍 The vocabulary will be a delight to every logophile. It is not needlessly flowery or verbose, just precise to the situation. I was thanking my lucky stars I was reading this on my Kindle because I needed to use the dictionary quite often. The writing is a treat.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
☠ The final 15% drags too much. Some scenes in this segment were needlessly stretched and this brought down my overall rating.
☠ The secondary characters don’t get much attention except when they are needed in the lives of the main trio. Some of these can be excused but for some crucial people such as Sadie’s parents, their absence in the second half doesn’t make sense.

All in all, despite the clumsy finale, I enjoyed this book a lot. I didn’t feel like keeping it aside once I had started, and the characters won my heart with their realistic complexity. Definitely recommended.

4.25 stars.

My thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Truly, the publisher’s note says it best and sets the tone perfectly:

“Sadie and Sam are the heart of this book, and I think there is a little bit of them in all of us. So yes, if you love video games, you will love this book. But also, if you’ve ever felt different, you will love this book. If you have ever wanted someone who didn’t want you back. If you grew up in the 90s. If your grandparents were immigrants.[…]Basically, if you are a human, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a book for you.” ⠀
⠀
THIS BOOK. It’s a book I know I won’t be able to stop thinking about. It’s just got so many layers. It’s about the philosophy of life and how that can be reflected in games and virtual worlds. It’s about friendship and found family, that love equal to or more profound than romantic love.

“We we’re together. You must know that. When I’m honest with myself, the most important parts of me were yours.”

It’s about chronic pain and disability and how that can manifest and shape us. It’s about self doubt, toxic relationships, and the way we cycle through our own internal highs and lows riddled with the fear of failure and the high of brilliance. There’s grief and trauma, mental health and depression, emotional and physical loss that manifests in isolation, resentment, jealousy — but also connection, understanding, and bonding. ⠀

“That’s a game character’s life, too,” Sam said. “The world of infinite restarts. Start again at the beginning, this time you might win.”
⠀
Highlighting issues in STEM like burnout and representation, the gender gap and the abuse of power, this will not feel like an easy or comforting read, but it will also feel like a salve and balm at times because it’s so honest. There’s just so much packed in, but not in a way that feels overwhelming, rather it’s a messy tapestry that feels vivid and authentic to the messiness of life.

This is hopeful, refreshing, and challenging in the best ways.⠀

“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.” If that doesn’t crack your heart in half and make your soul hurt, I don’t know what will.
⠀
This has great Asian American, Jewish, and Immigrant representation, and also includes queer relationships. Thank you @librofm and @aaknopf for my ALC and galley, this is such a special read.

#TOMORROWANDTOMORROWANDTOMORROW by #gabriellezevin is a gorgeous gamer novel of fellowship, collaboration and craft. How magnificent life can be, even one mired in grief and loss, to share what you love with the people you love most. This is definitely a favorite of the year.

From the moment we meet Sam and Sadie, we feel a pulse of all the great things yet to come. Sam describes how seeing a person you love is much like time travel. Standing in the middle of a train station, he observes her at eleven years old, when they first met in the game room at a children’s hospital, as well as all the years still ahead, if only he can bring to fruition his idea to design a video game together.

A player finds much solace in gaming; it distracts us from pain and the mundane. And so the story of Sam and Sadie unfold, from taking on an ambitious summer project to starting their own company, games provide the backdrop to breakups, sickness and death. To be able to build a whole world, even virtually, means to save lives. Success, however, is not only about myth-making and the ride into the stratosphere, but the acceptance that a story must also conclude. This book was such a perfect blend of nostalgia. I can’t help but fondly recall all the hours I used to spend playing my favorite games.

Thank you to @aaknopf and @netgalley for providing an eARC for review. #TOMORROWANDTOMORROWANDTOMORROW is available TODAY.

This book is in contention for the best book I've read all year! The story follows three childhood and college friends, Sadie, Marx, and Sam through their 30s. I thoroughly enjoyed the gamer background of this book, but one does not have to be into gaming to enjoy it thoroughly. I was reminded of the feeling of nostalgia that I got when reading Ready Player One many years ago. The title is a quote from Macbeth about the seemingly unimportant, fleeting nature of life. Zevin's writing is full of beautiful quotes that bring back the nostalgia with a sprinkling of life wisdom, for example: "Friendship", Marx said, "is kind of like having a Tamagotchi". I've already recommended it to several of my friends!

Gabrielle Zevin shows the range of her talent in this genre-defying, uniquely structured book. It's hard to believe that the same author of "The Storied Life of AJ Fikry" and "Young Jane Young" also wrote this equally enjoyable book.

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" is about video games, friendship, current events, and life in general. It reminded me of "When Harry Met Sally" in that it tells a story over moments or events in time. We meet Sam, Sadie, and Marx and follow them as they grow and evolve over several decades. Each character brings something special to the story: Sam offers the perspective of what it's like to live with chronic pain and how that impacts every aspect of life; Sadie is a woman in a video game development world that is unused to women; Marx could be the typical sidekick character, but he offers so much more to both Sam and Sadie. The book also reminded me of a more serious "Mythic Quest" as it provides behind-the-scenes stories about creativity and the process of making video games.

I wasn't sure what to think about this book for most of my reading experience. It's so well-done, and I love books that make me look up new words. But there were times when I both loved and hated some of the characters. I guess that's part of what makes this a good book. I can't wait to hear what YOU think!

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆?... 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉, 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a complicated story but an easy read. Told in alternating narratives, the novel follows our main characters Sadie and Sam as they meet as children, lose touch, find each other again and navigate relationships (including theirs) as they build a video gaming empire. No need to be experienced in video games- reminiscent of Ready Player One, one doesn't need to be a gamer to enjoy this book. I was totally pulled into this read and loved the 80s/90s/00s nostalgia (who else remembers Super Mario Brothers and Oregon Trail?!).

I was deeply invested in the characters but at the same time they frustrated the heck out of me, Sadie in particular. She made bad decisions, she wasn't a good friend, she was insecure and jealous and she was deeply selfish. In turn, Sam lacked consideration and viewed his pain to be greater than anyone else's. It left me wondering though if that's the sign of a good book- it has flawed, difficult characters who are layered and self-involved and sometimes unlikeable- just like in real-life- and you have to accept them for who they really are.

This isn't a typical story and while there is love in this book, this is not a romance story. It is a multi-dimensional story with depth, which expertly dips you in and out of the gaming world. I loved the secondary characters- Sadie's sister, Sam's family and other game developers. Most will see Dov as a divisive character but I saw him as the well meaning, over-the-top editor from the TV show Girls. I felt this cast of characters was very realistic and complex, fitting with the real-world and in-game realms of this story. Speaking of the video games, the concepts were so unique- I was impressed with Zevin's imagination. I would totally play a Shakespearean murder mystery game.

On the down side, I did find this long at over 400 pages and my interest started to wain around the halfway mark. Luckily, the last third of the story was just as mesmerizing as the start and the ending was well pulled together, though my frustrations with the characters lingered until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Happy Publishing Day!

Also, thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the arc!

Before I even get into the story, this book was so well written. Zevin has an ability to draw you in with their writing. I would not say that this book is overly exciting, but I was drawn in the entire time. If you do enjoy video games, then you will find this book interesting, and if you do not enjoy video games, you will still find something to enjoy in this novel.

We follow the story of Sam and Sadie who as young children bonded over their shared love of video games. Meeting again later in life, they decide to pair up to create a video game together. This book follows the course of their friendship and their relationships with others along the way. There are a lot of different themes explored in this book, and I am confident that everyone could find something that appeals to them.

OMG this book was absolutely incredible. What a story about friendship, love and VIDEO GAMES. I loved the parts about video games and the connection it held between people who might have not been brought together. I can’t stop thinking about this book and it will forever hold a special place in my cognitive library!

- Honestly, TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW is one of those books I'm not sure I can write a review about because I feel so intensely about it. It completely knocked the breath out of me, and I never wanted to leave its pages.
- Sam, Marx, and Sadie are a tender, complicated group, and following them through their ups and downs was both fulfilling and painful. I loved that this book showcases how your connections with people grow, change, stagnate, restart, and more throughout your life.
- They're all prickly and hard to love at times, but also, how could you do anything but love them deeply?
- The book is so well plotted too, with the narrator dropping little bits of foresight into the story, and the way themes and images recur throughout the characters' lives, whether they do it on purpose or it happens organically.
- Even if you don't know anything about video games, please give this one a try if you can. I think it's quite special. Do check the content warnings though, because there is some majorly heavy stuff in here.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’s title, comes from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and cleverly captures much of what the book is about. It’s about first chances and second chances, fleeting chances and only chances, and the fear that time is running out.

It’s clear from the premise alone that Gabrielle Zevin loves games, but readers don’t have to be gamers to appreciate this story (though there are many Easter eggs hidden for people who have played even basic-level games). Everyone can relate to the desire to lose yourself in a fictional world when the real one becomes too much to bear, and everyone knows what it feels like to wish for a do-over.

Sadie and Sam meet in a hospital as kids; Sadie is there with her sister, who has cancer, and Sam is recovering from an accident that has left him with numerous scars, both mental and physical. The preteens bond over games and soon form a strong friendship. But a falling out means they won’t speak again until they’re in college, nearly a decade later.

When they do meet by random chance as undergrads taking complex courses in math and computer design, they decide to take a run at designing a game together. With the help of Sam’s roommate, Marx, they push themselves to the brink and ultimately find great success.

Zevin explores this drive of creativity, and how it can lead to the detriment of relationships and even damage oneself. The characters ultimately desire different things—Sadie wants to be an artist, with all that heady word implies. “Sadie had willed herself to be great: art doesn’t typically get made by happy people.” Sam wants to be popular and well-liked, but he also uses the games they design as an escape from his “unreliable” body.

“He was tired of moving so carefully . . . he wanted to surf, and ski, and parasail, and fly, and scale mountains and buildings. He wanted to die a million deaths like Ichigo, and no matter what damage was inflicted on his body during the day, he’d wake up tomorrow new and whole.”

Who hasn’t dreamed of a world with limitless chances to get things right? Zevin draws parallel themes of the permanence of life versus an idyllic world full of fresh starts throughout the entire book. Sometimes it is an overt reference—there’s a whole section set within an Oregon Trail-type game, where the reader slowly figures out who is playing the characters—but it’s often more subtle.

The detailed descriptions of the games themselves are artistic and layered and will make readers itch to pick up a console, even if they’ve never played before.

The story continues after the achievement of their first game, with Sadie, Sam, and Marx forming a company, dealing with their newfound celebrity, and continuing to strive to make the next big thing. They experience the joy of stretching their imaginations and seeing what is possible, but there are inevitable lows playing the blame game with the shame of failure.

Marx is the glue holding Sam, Sadie, and their entire company together, and he often appears beatific when compared with the other two main characters, who are deeply flawed. Yet their faults only serve to make the story more human. Their yearning, betrayals, and ambitions morph and change over the years as they grow and mature into adults. Watching the complications between these three people emphasizes how hard it is to be in a long-term relationship with someone, whether it’s romantic or platonic.

Beyond all this, the book also covers themes of sexism, disability and pain, and loss and grief, somehow managing to tie everything together without ever feeling overly complicated. It’s a masterpiece that works on both a grand scale, and a minute, more intimate one.

Reader, I fell in love with Gabrielle Zevin’s characters. Each of the three main characters:

🕹Sam(son) lost his mother at a young age, and suffered a life-long physical injury. He finds solace in the video game room at the hospital while he convalesces. There, he meets Sadie, who plays video games with him in the hospital. Then, he finds out why Sadie is at the hospital, and he casts her out. Until they meet again in Boston.

🎮 Sadie’s sister has pediatric cancer, so her parents are otherwise occupied. After Sam cuts ties with her, she end up at M.I.T and starts developing video games. She begins a relationship with her married professor who also develops games. A chance meeting with Sam in Boston is the trigger that brings the two together to develop a video game company that partners them for life.

🎬 Marx is Sam’s friend from college who wants to be an actor. Sadie and Sam end up spending a summer in Marx’ apartment, which leaves him forever entangled in their lives as a friend and business partner.

I loved them all in a different way. I do not play video games, nor have I ever. This book felt so relevant to me in many ways that I will not detail because I do not want to spoil it.

Take a chance on it. It may not be for you, but if it is, it may move you like it has done to me.
I also recommend Zevin’s book “The Hole We Are In,” which came out around the 2008 financial crisis. A good family drama.

Thank you to @netgalley and @knopf for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW • Gabrielle Zevin • Pub Date: July 05, 2022 • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Abridged Goodreads Synopsis: Spanning thirty years, from Massachusetts to California, and lands in between and far beyond, this book tells the story of the brilliant collaboration between childhood friends Sam Masur and Sadie Green. With the support of a few key players, this duo creates video games while also exploring (and oftentimes challenging) themes of identity, games as an art form, technology and the human experience, 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.

I read this 416 page book in one long weekend. Do I play video games? Yes! But do you need to be a gamer to enjoy this book? Absolutely not. This story is intricate and filled with depth. The medium used to tell their story features video games, but what these characters go through is relatable (and heart-wrenching) no matter your preferred hobbies.

Sadie Green is a woman doing what so many did not dare in the early 90s - navigating a male-dominated industry without sacrificing who she is, what she wants, and who she wants to be with. She was born into money, but she is no stranger to hardship and having to work for what she wants. Through the years we spend with Sadie, she learns how to create, how to love, how to fail, how to stand up for herself, how to escape, and how to heal.

Sam Masur is a boy who is subjected to poverty and pain that most will never have to face - all before he hits adulthood. We watch Sam tackle pain, grief, disability; and all that comes with these things. He turns to video games to escape, and eventually, to grow.

When the two meet? They begin a journey that will change their lives forever.

The only thing that kept this book from being a five-star read for me was my personal disdain for the miscommunication troupe. It worked for these characters and this story, but I would have appreciated a more creative plot device, especially as the characters aged. Regardless, this was a powerful story that got me thinking and feeling.

TL;DR: Think a less nerdy version of "Ready Player One" paired with a unique, Rebecca Serle-esque love story. Be mindful though, this is not a light read!

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

This particular title was not for me. The Storied Life of AJ Fickery was why I picked it up. I loved, that book. Really loved it. This one, I just could not get into. I"m not a gamer. Pretty sure that was the reason.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow... That's how long I will be thinking about this beautiful coming of age story. The book follows a friendship over the span of 30 years. It reads like an unconventional love story and combines the way the world was in the 90's as well as the way the world is today. It has everything you want in a great story: love, tragedy, failure, success. Throw in video games and nostalgia for the 90's and you have one of those books that remind you that every day we are alive is chance to start again. I loved it.

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

I don’t even know how to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. Just know, I didn’t want it to end. The beautiful writing sucked me in from the first page. The book spanned almost thirty years of the characters lives and I thought it still ended too soon. I was invested in these characters, their friendships, their loves, their losses, their business, their games, their successes, their failures. I am upset that it’s not real and I can’t actually play the games that Sadie and Sam crafted.

Thank you Knopf and Netgalley for this egalley

This is a love story like no other. Sam and Sadie, at times best friends and at other times worst enemies, met when they were twelve and eleven respectively. Neither had friends growing up and so the bond they shared over gaming made their relationship both fragile and strong.

After not speaking for years, they ran into each other in the subway one cold winter day - and so began their renewed friendship, partnership, and love affair. While they were in love with one another, they were never lovers, and sometimes, that’s the hardest type of love to sustain.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is the story of two young people who find fame and fortune at a young age. Along the path to adulthood, they learn that life is full of pain and beauty - often at the same time and that the best parts of life happen with your best friend.

A beautiful and moving story of two people who keep finding each other when they need one another most. It’s a reminder that we weren’t meant to do life alone and that, unlike in video games, we only get to live this life once - so make it count.