TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Gabrielle Zevin is a novel I loved so much that I finished it in 1.5 days. Its opening scene takes place at the Harvard Square subway station, where Sam Masur and Sadie Green run into each other. These childhood friends/frenemies, now reunited, begin a creative collaboration that leads them to develop smash hit computer games before they even graduate from college. The book follows them from Cambridge to LA, from college kids to middle age, from besties to not speaking to each other, and through all the successes, failures, joys, and tragedies life brings. Ultimately, it’s a book about whether lifelong friendship, when cracked apart along multiple fissures, can be put back together again.

Zevin’s writing drew me in from page one and kept me turning pages way past my bedtime. I fell in love with the characters, flaws and all, but I also fell in love with her vision for the book and with the setting. Zevin accurately captures in a couple quick strokes what it’s like to be an outsider at Harvard, and the Cambridge references were so spot-on.

The themes she tackles - play, work, love, self-discovery, mixed-race identity, disability, creative ownership, trying to make it as a woman in tech/gaming - are refreshing to contemplate and never feel forced. Despite not being a gamer, I loved how she took us behind the scenes of the computer game design process, and it made me appreciate the richness of storytelling, world building, design, and emotional connection that these games involve.

I absolutely devoured the first half, felt some trepidation about where it was all going for the next quarter (while still turning pages like they were hot), and then Zevin won me back over in a sequence that contained one of the most memorable and poignant displays of friendship and care I have ever witnessed. Don’t miss this one! It hits that literary sweet spot of fun but not frivolous, intelligently written but not hard to read, covering weighty topics without being overly heavy.

4.5 Rounded Up.

I don't even know where to begin with reviewing this book. It was not at all what I expected (even though I didn't know much about it going into it). This book had so many elements and yet the author blended them all together in such a perfect way. It was a coming of age story dealing with friendships, love triangles, romance, abuse, depression, murder, death but while it dealt with so many heavy subjects, it never felt like a depressing book. At it's core, this is a book about two childhood friends who met at the perfect time and created a life together through video games. There was a lot of nostalgia, especially for me as I was a child of the 90's playing Oregon Trail, Duck Hunt and Marios Brothers. The two main characters were very relatable but at times not likable but the author had the perfect ability to still make you love them. The ending was very anti-climatic and at first I wasn't a fan but now having had a chance to reflect back, I think it was the perfect ending. The book is very dense and at times felt pretty long, which is why I subtracted half a point but despite the length, it seemed the perfect amount to properly tell their story. This book is going to stick with me for a while. I hesitate to recommend it to everyone because it wasn't a light fluffy book but if you were looking for an epic tale that will really make an impact, I recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

This book reminded me of Fates & Furies by Lauren Groff and The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker, both novels I loved. They all deal with partnerships and the complications that arise from ambition and the inherent unknowability of one person to another.

This is the kind of story that you sink into, with characters you want to spend time with. Thoroughly enjoyable reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy

Absolutely beautiful. I'm indifferent about video games but the games aren't really the point of the book - the relationships are poignant and the storylines finely rendered.

This is a tough review to write. I am clearly not the audience for this book, however much has been said that it is about so much more than gamers and videos games and it is for everyone. That is true, about being about more, however it is still not for me. I am going to give it a somewhat neutral 3 as the writing was strong, but it did not hold my interest at all and was tedious for me to get through.

“How strange and beautiful human beings are. And how fragile.”

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a unique, heartwarming story about two friends, Sadie and Sam, who meet in a children's hospital. Sam is in for surgery on his foot after a devastating car accident and Sadie is visiting her sister. The two of them bond over video games, which serve as a way for them to escape their realities. As adults they reunite and become successful creators of their own games.

I wasn’t sure at first if I wanted to read this when I saw it in the Modern Mrs. Darcy summer reading guide. I’m not at all a gamer but I’d read some rave reviews, and the story is more about Sadie and Sam and their friendship and partnership, which later includes Sam’s roommate at Harvard, Marx. The three of them all had their faults but I grew to love them.

I will say there was a bit too much gaming in it for me, but I still really enjoyed the overall story of friendship and the writing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
- William Shakespeare (Macbeth)

“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” is about Sadie and Sam’s ✨love✨ story, though not in the literal and most common (aka romantic) way.

Sadie is visiting her sister at the hospital when she meets Sam at the hospital’s game room. Sam is in the hospital recovering from a terrible car accident that killed his mom. Though they fall out of friendship for stints in their lives, they always come back to each other’s friendship to get them through difficult times.

The story is complex and heavy (emotionally) and mentions death, grief, workplace shooting, and postpartum depression. The lack of communication skills might irk you (because I def got annoyed at times), but it lends to building the characters’ personalities. The plot is engaging and solid overall. I would definitely recommend this book to folks who game, folks who are into kinda condescending long-winded semi-annoying intellectual-type folks (or Can at least tolerate them ha), and folks who just genuinely love a world-creating book of fiction. Thank you to NetGalley & Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC!

I'm not a video game player, but this book--while about video game designers--is about so much more. Among other things, it's about the nature of friendship; the power of platonic love; creativity and the creative process; space afforded women and people of color in tech and creative spaces; the value of art in entertainment; grief and how to cope with grief.

In other words, the story tries to do a lot, and much of it is done quite well.

The plot centers on two main characters, Sam and Sadie, who meet as children at a children's hospital. They first bond over video games, and while their friendship expands over time, they experience a rupture in their relationship. Year later, while Sam is at Harvard and Sadie at MIT, they reunite and begin to design a video game together. With the support of Sam's roommate and best friend, Marx, they launch a video game company--one that eventually grows and tests their bonds.

Once I picked the book up, I raced through it and could not put it down until it was done. Sometimes, Sadie and Sam's friendship seemed wonderful and supportive; sometimes, I wondered why they were even friends at all. The biggest flaw was that their motivations occasionally seemed out-of-character, and at times, their soulmate-level bond was not quite believable. The book tries to center their friendship, but it is just as strong when exploring secondary relationships and the physical and emotional challenges each experience on their own.

It's an uneven book, but one I'm going to think about for a long time to come. There were worlds within worlds, and I loved the feeling of "watching" creative thinkers imagine new boundaries for their craft.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow – I just finished reading this book and in for a long hangover. It was one of those stories I did not want to end. Yes, as the book blurb warns, this is a book about video games and people obsessed with video games. On a wider level, this is a beautiful story of friendship, coming of age, love, betrayal, ambition, success, disappointments and new beginnings. It delves into the perennial question of what it means to be friends and what is means to be in love..

Sadie and Sam, the two main protagonists are bound together by their friendship and their love for video games. They seem in love with each other, although both of them are reluctant to admit it. They first meet in a hospital where Sam is undergoing treatment for his crushed foot and Sadie’s sister is undergoing treatment for cancer. Thus begins their lifelong friendship and over the next few decades, their lives continuously intertwine. They indulge in romantic relationships with other people but keep rebounding back to each other. Together they start developing video games with tremendous success.

You will love this book if you were a kid growing up in the nineties. You will love this book if you ever played video games and loved it. You will love this book if you ever had a best friend. You will love this book if you ever fell in love. You will love this book if you ever had your heart broken. You will love this book if you have ever experienced any kind of success or failure. I cannot think of a single reason why anyone could not love this book.

This is my first experience of reading Gabrielle Zevin and I am looking forward to delve into the rest of her writings. The author has done a fantastic job with the narrative and the characters (even the unlikeable ones). I used to be an ardent fan of Arcade, Casual and Role Playing games and I ended up totally nostalgic for those good old days of Donkey Kong and Super Mario and Pacman when video games and life were so much simpler on so many levels. Probably why this book is going right up there in my best books ever read list, the book I will be forever recommending to everyone today and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

Thank you Net Galley, Gabrielle Zevin and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the advance copy.

Spoiler free:

What a unique reading experience! At a first glance, this book seems steeped in video game culture. And to be fair, it is. But at its core, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is about the complexities of human relationships. As a gal who played Duck Hunt and Mario on my original Nintendo system and Oregon Trail at school as a kid, it was great to see so many markers of my own childhood incorporated in this story. I will say, however, if video games were never your thing, I think you will still enjoy this. The reader's understanding of gaming jargon did not seem to be all that important in my opinion. Readers will breeze through. There was a single event in the book that was so beautifully and somberly written, I revisited it again after reading the book once through. Another element of the book I enjoyed was the non-linear timeline. This kept me on my toes. I really enjoyed the back and forth between past and present. Folks native to LA will enjoy the very specific detailing of Encino Park, Venice, K-Town, etc.

I only have one criticism and it has nothing to do with the story as much as how some parts were told:

-- I wonder how the story would have benefitted from some editing down. There were quite a few examples of unnecessary narration. One of many examples: nearly a whole page dedicated to why a secondary character prefers to play music with no clothes on. Another sore part of the writing was the narrator/author's use of using large paragraphs to list unnecessary information. One of many examples: a rather large paragraph dedicated to why a character wants to move to California. I am paraphrasing but the list was nearly endless: 'he wants to move to California because he likes the seagulls, the weather, the clouds, the architecture, the landscape, the dry weather, the fake people, the libraries, the theaters, the music, the beach, the city, the sunshine, the flowers, the food, the ocean smell.....' These kinds of lists were largely ineffective and made the book feel longer than it needed to be. Again, this was one of several examples of these long lists.

Still a very unique story and recommended for 80/90s babies.

3.5* stars

Thank you Knopf Publishing Group and NetGally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW follows two childhood friends and game designers, Sadie and Sam, who come together later as partners to create video games.

This is a love story, however an unconventional one. More than just a love story, this book focuses on the world of work, with its profit, success, fame and ambition. Grounded in reality, Zevin does a fantastic job of touching themes of racism, loss, grief, disability, identity, love and friendship. Through Sam, Sadie and Marx, we feel the connection between people, the way it organically grows and changes. These characters are easy to love and you can't help but root for them, especially Sam (can we just give him a big hug?). The author makes use of the games to mirror life and turn them into something personal and meaningful.

I found myself crying and laughing along this read plus there were moments where the discussions were like a slap on my face - refreshingly realistic. I love how Zevin ties things up and exposes important ideas with clear execution of the plot - it is richly drawn with multilayered characterization, perfect pacing and effortless writing. I was consumed by this book and I wasn't expecting this book to be as devastating as it was. Make no mistake, despite some humorous dialogues, this book isn't light-hearted (see cw).

Part love story, part tragedy, this is a book for those who believe that love story can be art. Even if you are not into video games, don't let this refrain you from reading this utterly exhilarating book. Nuanced and highly creative, TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW is easily one of my 2022 favorites!

I finished this book last night and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. From the moment I started this book, I was riveted and mad that I had to do other things like work instead of reading. Granted I always want to read but this book grabbed me from the first sentence and had me in a chokehold until the very end.

Sam and Sadie meet as teens in the hospital. He's there recovering from a car accident and she's there with her sister who is receiving cancer treatment. They quickly form a friendship that goes through the wringer over the course of the book. Together (along with Sam's roommate Marx), the three begin to design video games and we are taken along on their ride to fame.

Of course, the road is fraught with bumps and oh what bumps they are. I don't want to give any spoilers but phew, these characters GO THROUGH IT. The reader gets to feel every heartbreak, sorrow, joy and success through Zevin's beautiful writing.

This is not a romance. Don't go into expecting a romance. Romantic relationships happen but this is a story about friendship and it's raw and beautiful and heartbreaking. I enjoyed reading about the video game creation, I loved the Shakespeare references and overall, I just really liked the book. I found it incredibly powerful and will continue to think about it for a long long time.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow comes out on July 5 from Alfred Knopf and is available for pre-order now.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
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In a hospital, Sam and Sadie become friends while playing video games. When they reunite by chance in college, Sam asks Sadie to make a video game with him. Their game, Ichigo, is successful worldwide and they become business partners through the good, the bad and the ugly years to follow.
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This is going to be a hard review for me to write.
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Let’s start by saying that I think this was a very well written book. I felt very strong feelings while reading this book. I will remember this book for years, and 12 years from now someone will merely mention this book and I will be able to talk about incredibly inane details about it and share all of my opinions about it. That is rare and a great talent I think. I also love the format of the writing, reading it felt like a nod to actually playing a video game.
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Now onto the serious aspect here.
..I hate Sadie Green. I started out just annoyed with her in the hospital scenes. Then in the college years she was a little eye rolling but I was here for Sam and Sadie’s friendship and them designing video games together.
Then Sam had his surgery and I felt that Sadie was a garbage human being from that point in the book on. I kept reading the book waiting for a redeeming arc and I feel like the author tried to make her “apologize “ to Sam in, like, THE LAST CHAPTER. But homey, if that was an apology then I’m a millionaire supermodel. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 She was self-centered, had unrealistic expectations for everyone else, and if people weren’t kissing her butt then THEY were the selfish ones who were not being empathetic to her. Sam and Marx both deserved better.
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How to rate a book that was written well but with a main character that you despised? In my heart I give this book like 2 stars. But in Goodreads I gave it 3 because it was very well written. Would be a fantastic book club book because there would be so many scenes to discuss and opinions to push on people. 😂😂

I really did not know what to expect from a story about video games (a topic I know nothing about)! This book is about so much more than that but I did find the journey of developing the plots for games very fascinating. Sadie and Sam are friends who share a connection through gaming. Over the course of their lives they become intertwined in different ways, most notably as co-developers of video games. This book is, at its heart, about finding your place in the world and the people that impact you along the way. I think this book will have wide appeal and I hope that everyone gives it a chance, even if it might seem out of their usual wheelhouse. Gabrielle Zevin write character-driven stories that are full of connection points for all types of readers. I really enjoyed this one!

Thanks to Gabrielle Zevin. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow tells the story of two childhood friends, Sadie and Sam, who bonded over games as children and later reconnect to create video games together. Part contemporary/coming-of-age, part fictional tech company origin story, this book jumps back and forth in time to tell the story of the creative and intimate lives of two best friends turned business partners.

The writing in this book was very strong. This was my first experience with Gabrielle Zevin's writing and I was really impressed. There were some chapters written almost in prose and others written within the game worlds the characters created, which I felt was a really cool choice. I made it easy to understand that the perspective had shifted, even if it wasn't blatantly stated. I saw other reviewers mention this isn't as good as other novels Zevin has written, and that honestly makes me excited to read more of her work.

I don't know anything about video game creation and programming, but I didn't feel isolated or lost by my lack of expertise. The heart of the story is in the relationships, not so much the specifics of game design and references. There are also little moments in this book that I didn't initially catch on to, but later realized were bits of foreshadowing that pulled me into the story. There were definitely some slower chapters, but overall I was invested in the characters and how their experiences colored their relationship.

The publisher describes Gabrielle Zevin's TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW as "exhilarating"--and so it is. A celebration of friendship, enriched with unforgettable characters and sparkling with a rich plot, this is a captivating read--and no knowledge of gaming (I have none) is needed to relish every page. Highly recommended.

My thanks to Knopf Doubleday and to Netgalley for the opportunity and pleasure of an early read.

Always and forever, I will read anything written by Gabrielle Zevin! She has yet to disappoint. I cannot recommend this enough! And after you read this, you'll want to get your hands on everything else she's written. She's a treasure.

A gorgeously told book about friendship, love, betrayal...and yes, gaming. What Zevin brought to the table for booklovers in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, she brings in spades for gamers in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

Many reviewers of this book are making sure to reassure the reading public that they don't have to love (or even like) video games to adore the friendships and story in this book — and I suppose I have to assume they are correct. I have no idea; I have played video games my entire life. I'm about four years younger than the main trio of characters here, so I missed a bit of the earlier games they mentioned, but I absolutely know of them — and for me, it was so much a part of the core of this book and the characters' stories, that I have no idea how to disentangle myself from that portion because I loved it so much.

That being said, the main theme of this book is love: grandparents to grandchildren, friends, lovers, self, video games, success — almost anything and it's represented here.

Sadie Green and Sam Masur meet by happenstance in a video game room in the children's wing of a California hospital in 1987. Sadie's sister is a patient, and Sam is recovering from a life-altering car accident in which he lost his mother and nearly lost his leg. Sadie and Sam quickly bond over Super Mario Bros., finding solace in each other's company as their separate days at the hospital expand into a much needed friendship for them both.

But, after a misunderstanding, Sadie and Sam remain separated for several years, meeting up accidentally (again) at a train station when they are away on the east coast at college. After a quick catch-up chat, Sadie hands Sam a game she has completed for a class. What stems from this moment is a wonderful continuation of their friendship and launches them into creating what they have always loved doing — video games.

Zevin follows a narrative that is rich with detailed and emotional flashbacks. Her story covers decades of these two and I adored getting to know them and their third pal, Marks — who is a fantastic character on his own and who starts in the story has Sam's college roommate.

Sadie and Sam have a great friendship, but there are levels of communication with which they perpetually struggle — unwittingly. But Zevin makes this constant mental battle between Sadie and Sam feel natural and never overdone — there's so much empathy created in their respective chapters — these are characters to love because of their flaws, not despite them. I may have to revisit them in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Knopf for the ARC! Really appreciated the disability rep and Jewish rep - kind of wish the latter had been explored more within the gamebuilding context.

4.5/5

I haven't read a Gabrielle Zevin book since middle school, her highly acclaimed Elsewhere, and apparently I forgot her ability to make me enter an existential spiral of emotion. I read the last 40% or so of this book on an Amtrak and it was a physical effort to not break down crying.

All I knew about Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow going into it was that it involved video games. I didn't even know the title was a Shakespeare reference until I was well into the book. So to say that I was emotionally swept off my feet as if the Great Wave off Kanagawa physically entered my heart is probably a bit on the nose but also entirely accurate.

The character relationships in this story are so complex, frustrating, and REAL, that it was difficult to remember that they were completely fictional at times. I was angered by all of them at one point or another but also completely understood where they were coming from as well. I wanted to shake them by the shoulders but I also wanted to cry with them. I wanted to send them all to therapy but also respect their need for space and privacy. It was a very emotionally draining experience.

I highly recommend this book, not just for people that love video games but also to people that enjoy reading about complicated relationships between friends and how they develop and change over time. I feel like I deeply understand these characters and I know that I'll carry them with me for a long time.