This is a wonderful novel spanning three decades; great characterizations. Even though this was a long long novel, I was so involved in the lives of the characters. Sometimes they go years without talking to each other. Video games play a huge role.

Items at the beginning such as the Magic Eye pictures and the Glass Flowers are brought up again towards the end. There’s a great explanation for the title of the book “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.”

Many thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for introductions me to the author Zevin. I want to read her other book about A.J. Fikry.

4.5 Stars

It’s impossible to wrap up what this story is about in any one sentence since it is a story that covers several decades. It’s about childhood, betrayal, friendship, motivations and aspirations, alliance and cooperation, companionship and love, confidences shared as well as withheld, life-altering achievements, reinventing and/or reclaiming our lives, jealousy, and so much more. It’s also about video games and a friendship that begins when Sadie is young, and she and her mother are visiting her sister, Alice, who is in the hospital. She can’t imagine a world without Alice in it, she’s her favourite person. While visiting Alice, Sadie is encouraged by a nurse to visit the game room where she meets a boy who is playing Super Mario Bros., a boy, Sam, who, like her sister, is obviously a patient.

A friendship begins that day, and when her mother comes to find her, she sees Sadie visiting with Sam. On their way out, Sadie thanks the nurse for letting her know about the game room, mentioning she’d met Sam. On the drive home, her mother shares that the nurse had hoped that Sadie would return and spend time with Sam. It would help Sam, and also could be used toward her community service for her Bat Mitzvah in the coming year. Two birds…

And so Sadie goes to visit Sam the next day, and the days that followed. Sadie goes because she enjoys his company, and playing games with him. They each share stories about their lives, and over time, know everything there is to know. He taught her some things, and she taught him things, as well.

After a misunderstanding, they lose touch. Years later, at a subway station, a crowd has gathered, and Sam turns to see what they all seem to be collectively observing. That’s when he sees Sadie. He’d thought about this moment happening for years since they last saw or spoke to each other, wondering when she went off to MIT, and he to Harvard how long it would be before they ran into each other. He calls her name, surrounded by strangers, and calls it again, and then shouts out her full name in one last attempt, and she turns, smiling when she sees him. Before leaving, she hands him a disk with her email on it, a game she’s created.

Eventually, their friendship restored, the passion they share for gaming and for creating games is their focus, a partnership is formed, and their first game is a hit.

You don’t need to be a video game enthusiast to enjoy this. While this is, in part, about video games, it’s also about life, and finding the people, places and things that make the difficult parts of life less difficult, especially during difficult times, and the memories that remain.

Eight years ago next month, I read her The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, which I enjoyed. This is only the second story by her I’ve read, but this is one I’ll be thinking about for a while.


Pub Date: 05 Jul 2022

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group / Knopf

I jumped on this ARC because I enjoyed Zevin's previous novels. She's a great storyteller; I finish her books feeling satisfied. The description alone would not have enticed me to read - I'm not into gaming, and the plot didn't seem intriguing enough.

I would have missed out. One must not have to game to relate to these characters, and a plot doesn't have to be intriguing to be a good read (although it does need to engage, and this one did). At its most basic, this novel is about friends who grow up together, work together, create together, and live and lose together. I loved following along on a 30+ year journey with Sam and Sadie; I once again turned the last page of a Gabrielle Zevin novel feeling satisfied. Reading this novel was time well spent.

I am in awe of Gabrielle Zevin and the way she is able to create each of her novels out of whole cloth, each bearing no resemblance to the other, but each equally fascinating and delightful in their own way. TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW introduces us to Sam and Sadie, childhood friends who find each other once again as young adults. Together they create a fantastic video game, but when it comes time to take things to next level (pun intended) things begin to go awry. This novel is a deep exploration of friendship, love and how we show up for each other as adults. I loved every minute of it!

Who would have known a book titled after one of the most depressing lines in literature could be so utterly wonderful? I’m so glad I knew nothing about this book other than it’s by the same author of a favorite- The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. If I had known this was the story of two video gamers maybe in love but not dating…will they? won’t they? I would have NEVER picked this up, but I loved it so much.

The copy jacket states it’s a love story, but not one you’ve read before. I found this to be very true. And it’s definitely not a comedy. I don’t want to say anything about the plot, it’s best just to dive in…but I found this story to be propulsive, surprising, and simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. It’s a tad long, but I completely devoured it.

Was this a bit sentimental? A few times, yes. But I didn’t care. Similarly to AJ Fikry, I was so completely swept up in the story that a little bit of over-sentimentality didn’t bother me (this is blurbed by John Green as one of the best things he’s ever read and that checks out). The only bad news I have is this isn’t out until July 😬 #teampreorder

I loved this book! A touching and heartfelt store of love and friendship between two gamers and nerds who traverse the gaming industry together after knowing each other since childhood. This book is so rich with thought-provoking themes from grief to race, mortality and beyond. The characters are very real and really resonate. My favorite book of the year so far, the kind of book where you cant stop thinking of people to recommend it to.

Sadie and Sam are the brilliant protagonists of this novel. They first met at a hospital in California when they were preteens and Sam was a patient after being in a car accident that killed his mother. When young Sam felt that Sadie betrayed him, a pattern of mutual misunderstanding began that would continue into adulthood. They reconnected when they were both students in Cambridge (Harvard and MIT), and their love of video games continued to be a major part of their lives. They went on to invent and market a hugely successful video game with the support of Sam's room-mate Marx and Sadie's boyfriend/professor Dov, and their company brought them wealth and fame. Their relationships ebbed and flowed through the years, with game development always at the center. Zevin is always skilled at describing complex and believable characters, but the glimpse into the world of gaming and software development makes this all the more a memorable novel.

I was ready for a unique read from the author of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (which I enjoyed!). And it was indeed unique…I enjoyed learning about the gaming world and the references to older games (Nintendo, Oregon Trail, etc.) and coding programs. The book was primarily about friendship, and there were some touching moments. But the story felt long and convoluted to me for the most part. If it had been shorter and more focused, I would have liked it more. I hope others give it try and feel more positively about it!

Thank you very much to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary ARC for an honest review.

DNF 15%-I can clearly see I’m in the minority on this one. I wanted to like this book so much, and it had all the things that should make me like it. Gen X characters, end of the 90’s, video games, and an author whose previous books I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately this one didn’t grab me. I was having a hard time rooting for the characters and the story was too slow to really get off the ground and I didn’t want to keep trying to slog through it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, and Gabrielle Zevin for this digital advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is a love letter to the generation that grew up with the earliest PC games. It is written for those of us who died of dysentery every week in computer class after Mavis Beacon taught us typing. Sam, Sadie, and Marx bring the evolution of game programming from the 90s and early 2000s back to life in this heartwarming tale of friendship and ultimately what it means to be in a true partnership.

Full of representation, Zevin crafts characters that are flawed and complex, yet loveable. Their losses punch the reader in the gut and their wins make you want to break out the champagne.

If you grew up in the 90s, this is one novel that you do not want to miss.

5 star cover!! Love a good cover!

This was a rollercoaster. I'm not sure I am the ideal audience for this one, but overall I did like it. The pacing was so off. It was slow to begin, picked up, lulled down, picked up, slow then BAM it ended.

The decades long friendship was sweet and annoying all at the same time.

I dont really know how to review this or summarize it. I just think that I was the wrong target audience for this!

I really enjoyed this tale of lifelong friendship - the struggles, the found family. I alternately cared about, worried about, felt frustrated with, and cried for Sam, Sadie and Marx. Although I'm not a gamer, I loved the backdrop of the gaming company, the deep dive into the creation of a game and the evolution of the gaming community over time. Fans of The Storied Life of AJ Fikry will appreciate the similar feel of this book, but fans of Ready Player One and The Animators will also find a familiar place in this story.

What a great story! I was very happy to have been able to read an advance copy and would like to share my thoughts about it. I truly loved the characters and the story. When I wasn't reading, I was worried about Sam and Sadie and Marx. They felt so real. I missed them when I wasn't with them.

Computer game design and friendship are the two main areas of focus for the story, but attention is also given to romantic relationships, education, chronic illness, and loss.

I appreciate the author's intelligence. Her vocabulary is tremendous and there were several instances in which I stopped to appreciate the perfection of a word or phrase. Very nicely done!

Whether or not you're a gamer (I'm not, except a little crushing of candies), if you enjoy a smartly written coming of age story of friendship you'll like this book as much as I did.

A book of friendships with love in its many forms, families made of love, not always DNA, physical and emotional disabilities, and resilience. I’ve just finished reading and I’m ready to start at the beginning again, like a gamer, because Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow needs to be read more than once. A beautifully written emotional journey spanning decades for Sadie, Sam and Marx, their many forms of love for each other and the world of gaming. I could not put this book down. The pivotal scene with Marx is brilliantly and poignantly written. After that the book seems to drag a bit, but all in all the book is a treasure.

When two kids, Sadie and Sam, meet in the hospital they become unlikely friends, bonding over video games as they passed the time. Their friendship and shared love would keep them in each other’s orbit for years.

Zevin’s The Storied Life of AJ Fikry is one of few books that brought me to tears and she has accomplished the same end with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I loved these characters. I loved to read about their accomplishments and I loved to be infuriated by their actions. In the end, they were nothing but perfectly flawed humans.

This is a story that spans decades; that beautifully depicts the good, the bad, and the ugly of friendship; that offers a realistically drawn life with disability; and, that also grapples with grief. I appreciated the exploration of friendship across time, the portrayal of sacrificial familial love, and the depth of the emotions on display (and there were lots of emotions). The book felt a little on the long side and dragged a bit towards the end, but the author wrapped the story up in a satisfying way. It also seemed to by trying a tad too hard to be all-inclusive. But, the writing was beautiful and kept me in the story even in the parts that lagged.

This is the third book I’ve read by Zevin (The Storied Life of AJ Fikry & Young Jane Young being the first two) and each book is so incredibly different from the others, but equally amazing in its own right. Without a doubt, this will be on my favorites of 2022 list and it’s only March 🤗.

TaTaT takes us on the journey of Sadie (bonus points for the Jewish representation 🥰) & Sam’s friendship since the age of 12, when they first meet in the hospital, him a patient, her a visitor. In their college years, they decide to start a gaming company and this propels the rest of their future.

Upon finishing, I immediately discussed with @ashleyspivey & we both agreed that this amazing book was unlike anything we had read recently and truly amazing. This releases in July, so be sure to get your pre-orders in now, or request that your local library order you a copy!

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Kimberley Weaver's review Mar 20, 2022

I received a copy of from NG to review. The opinions are my own. I enjoyed AJ Fikry and was intrigued by the premise of this book. I was drawn in right from the beginning. It was such a unique tale of the ups and downs of friendships, video games, and the turn of the millenium. Sam and Sadie’s personal history and professional relationship were complicated, which translated well from start to finish. Sometimes the thrown in descriptive “big words” detracted but they stood out less as the book progressed. I highly recommend this book!

This book was a roller coaster ride for me. It started off slow, then I liked it for a while, then I got annoyed with it and I think I liked it at the end. I did not like this book nearly as much as I liked Zevin's other book I read - The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. I really loved that book. So I had really high expectations of this one and they weren't quite met. I will say, I think someone who is either a gamer (which I am not) and/or about ten years younger than me will probably really love this book. It's obvious Zevin has a great fondness for gaming, esp games of her youth and that does come through.

I will also say I really liked Marx, and I'll just say I didn't like how his story ended. It felt cheap, a way to make something else happen. I don't want to say too much because it would be a big spoiler. But yeah, not happy there. Esp since Marx is my favorite character.

So Sam and Sadie. The story starts off slow, with them meeting in college after not seeing each other for years. Then it delves into when they met and got to the point where they were no longer speaking to each other.

And that's where things started to annoy me. Specifically Sadie. I don't like her. At all. I can't tell if she's supposed to be a sympathetic character, but really, I just find she acts badly throughout the entire book. And when we get to the end, and she has certain epiphanies, I thought they came much too late and I just didn't buy it. And throughout the entire novel, people tell her she's acting poorly and she continues to play the victim, often blaming others for her poor choices and poor behavior, and I found that a real turn off.

I don't know if I liked Sam, but I really did sympathize with him. Life gives him a lot of crap, and he finds ways to just deal with it and go on and try to live out his goals, despite his limitations. I couldn't tell if he's supposed to be on the spectrum or not, but I suspect he is. In many ways, he's somewhat a stereotypical gaming kid. But one with a a real honesty to him that I responded to.

So on the whole, I think this book will appeal to a lot of people. It was well written, but it just didn't quite appeal to me. But I also think I may have gone into this hoping I'd react to it the way I did A. J. Fikry. And I didn't.

I'll try my best not to spoil the story. This book is about two teenage friends, Sam and Sadie. They both love video games and decide to create their own games and start their own company.
This book took me through an array of emotions. It's difficult not to become invested in the characters. I'm not a gamer, but the book made me wish I was. This book will bring some nostalgic value to us kids who grew up in the 90s! This is one of those books you will think about for many tomorrow's to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.