Member Reviews
I loved this book so much! I kept having to put it off because I was on deadline and knew I'd get sucked in. Sure enough, once I picked it up, I couldn't put it back down. Rachel Lynn Solomon is such a talented writer!
Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of my favorite authors and I'm pleased to report that this one did not disappoint! It follows Barrett, a first-year college student who finds herself doomed to repeat the worst day of her life over and over again. When she discovers that a classmate named Miles is also stuck in the time loop with her, the two team up to find a way out. But as the two begin to fall in love, they both begin to wonder what happens when they reach tomorrow.
This was such a sweet romance with a speculative twist! Like all of RLS's books, See You Yesterday is full of wit, messy & relatable characters, and thoughtful Jewish representation. I loved that Barrett was a hot mess and was trying to figure out her life, how to be a better person, and how to move forward from her past. Miles was a swoon-worthy love interest and I was rooting for them from the first page to last.
Set in the very beginning of Barrett's first year of college, this book straddles the line between teen and adult fiction--making it perfect for older teens getting ready to move to adult fiction, or college-aged readers. I'll be recommending this one to fans of Justin A. Reynolds or Casey McQuiston.
One thing I want to note: the cover is very similar to the cover for one of Rachel's previous books, Today Tonight Tomorrow. I think this will make some people assume that the books are connected or that this is a sequel to TTT, but it is completely unrelated.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love books that take on the "Groundhog Day" theme and this one most definitely did not disappoint! And although YA, it is set in college and isn't so "youngish" within the writing.
Another huge plus, relatable characters who are more like us... clumsy, makes mistakes, not stick thin, a little nerdy, from different backgrounds, I enjoyed the character diversity and how so "not perfect" they were.
This was a fun and different take on the whole "groundhog day" plot, plus the enemy to lovers romance was adorable!
Such a cute romance!! I enjoyed every moment of reading this book and flew through it in under a day - I just couldn't put it down. From the funny and realistic characters, to the vaguely slow and absolutely adorable romance, this book had everything I needed from a YA romcom.
See You Yesterday is a very cute time-loop romance! I love the way Barrett keeps trying to figure out how to move past the loop-day and experience the rest of her life. Solomon does the light rom com very well and to add the time loop element into it was a fun read.
This book in 3 words: Fun. Bendy. Swoon.
Barrett and Miles are trying to enjoy (or not despise) their first day at college. Plot twist... they get to relive the same day, over and over, on a loop!
See You Yesterday has some seriously likeable characters. Lots of stellar representation. Miles and Barrett both made me laugh, tear up, and squeezed at my heart. This is a book about self-discovery and an important one. Sometimes, it takes a pause (or maybe living the same day endlessly) to put things in perspective. This book is a fictional pause for readers.
Rachel Lynn Solomon doesn't hide from important issues and stands tall with her characters and plot. A book that can tackle issues, make you see the extraordinary in the mundane, is one worth picking up.
A truly unique love story but one that definitely delivers.
See You Yesterday is chock full of what I have come to recognize as Rachel Lynn Solomon's signature humor. This is my first foray into her young adult writing, and her wit is just as sharp when telling a story from a teenage perspective. This is a contemporary romance with a sci-fi twist. Barrett Bloom had a pretty terrible high school experience. Once isolated and bullied, she hopes college will be a fresh start. She aspires to kick off her journalism career, make friends, and have that quintessential "college experience." Barrett despairs at the end of her first day when all the memories she has made are less than brochure-worthy. Worse yet, she wakes up the next day only to find herself back at square one, stuck in a Groundhog Day-Esque time loop with no idea how to escape. Her only companion turns out to be a self-satisfied jerk from her physics class. Miles has been stuck in the loop for two months already and is the introverted, by-the-book optimist to Barrett's loud, free-wheeling cynicism. They grow from uneasy allies to each other's best advocates and confidantes. It's a really lovely romantic journey with strong emotional beats.
Beyond our two main characters and their love story, I also loved their personal growth, jump-started by such a singular experience. They learn from one another as they go through several stages of grappling with their incomprehensible situation. There's the studious phase, the self-improvement stage, the living life to the fullest stage, the revenge stage, and the raw emotional stage. And all of them are fully actualized, important steps. The book deals with some heavy topics in an empathetic, caring way. Major triggers to watch out for are a family member battling addiction and sexual harassment /bullying on a broad scale. There are also two panic attacks on the page.
This is a really lovely book, and while contemporary ya isn't typically my jam, I enjoyed this one. Another pro is the inclusion of a fat Jewish protagonist and a Jewish and Japanese love interest. If you love the genre, I definitely recommend getting this one on your TBR asap. Thanks to Simon Teen and NetGalley for my copy to read and review!
I thought the concept and bones of this book were really cute, but I thought the ending/resolution was kinda underwhelming. Plus, I thought the main character was a bit much - her “journalistic instincts” were annoying. Disappointed bc I love everything else by this author.
Thank you to Rachel (as part of her street team) and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers the the e-ARC. Just when I thought nothing can top her Today Tonight Tomorrow (I mean, of her current books), tada See You Yesterday comes along. It's Groundhog Day meets Palm Springs, packed with Rachel's style of quirky characters, classic enemies-to-lovers trope, in a time travel romance.
I genuinely just really enjoyed this book a lot. The first few chapters, when we experience Barrett’s first real day of class, brought up some seriously realistic memories of the awkwardness of arriving at college with no friends, some dreams, not a ton of fitting in, some awkwardness, and the fear that you won’t be able to become who you were meant to be. I was slightly relieved when I made it through that first day, because, once upon a time, I felt literally everything Barrett was.
I found myself laughing and crying, two of my favorite emotions to feel as a reader. I just really rooted for Barrett as a main character, a heroine of her own life, a true main character babe. I also rooted for Barrett and Miles as adventure buddies, researchers, freshmen in time-loop misery, figuring out how to move forward while they were literally stuck.
These characters were smart in their own way. It was inspiring to see how Barrett moved through her own grief and mistakes each day, even if the person she processed with wouldn’t remember them. How many times in life do we wonder, if I’d have made a different choice, how would things be different? Barrett and Miles get to experience that, and it’s such a fun and insightful part of this story.
I also loved that they worked through all the standard, “WHAT WOULD YOU DO?” scenarios if you were ever stuck in a time loop – spend all your money, adopt all the dogs, buy the ice cream truck, travel to a bucket list destination, change someone’s life, kiss, eat the food, and so on. Their adventures, which eventually just turned into Barrett and Miles doing things together, reminded me that time is precious. I loved that, for a moment, they stopped trying to get out of the loop and instead enjoyed the time they were given.
The final thing I really enjoyed about this book was how Miles and Barrett both interacted with people. They were both OBVIOUSLY 18-year-olds in some moments, but in others, they shared some hard truths and really big life experiences with the people they love. Their circles might be small friend-wise, but they both have people in their lives that meant a lot to them. It was a great reminder that we don’t need a huge circle of friends to be happy and fulfilled. Sometimes, you just need your mom to be your best friend and a special someone who helps keep your life interesting. And that’s OKAY.
I don’t read a ton of YA, but I loved this story so much. It was mature, with all of the angsty, lovey, hopeful feelings that I loved. A big fat five stars. I will be purchasing this book to have on my shelf – I loved it that much!
Rating: 5 Stars
Can’t give feedback on this one - stopped partway through because my book club picked it for NOVEMBER!!! Needed to put it down so I can read it closer to the date. But it will definitely be a 4-5 star when I get to it!
I love RLS but I almost always dislike time loop books. She has fabulous topics and diversity as usual but gosh, I was ready to move on from this day. If time loop books/movies do not bother you, I would definitely recommend it.
I apoligize for the lack of activity throughout NetGalley, and to the Publisher: I 100% understand how the review should've been out weeks before pub date.
Now to the review, shall we?
I will just say I ADORED this! And I think I've found a new BB (Book Boyfriend).
Literally, like Miles was the most adorable character throughout this entire book! He may have had a rough start with us all; I mean who wouldn't have thought his random interacts would've been counted as annoying?; but over time I learned to love him! Literally. Right off the bat when I met his character, OMG the way I imagined him speak was so freaking attractive. The way I'd thought of him. His manurisms, his speech, his actions. All of it was literally so cute.
Now meeting our main character, Barrett, I just thought she was one of the most sarcastic, the most humourous, the most relatable ( I mean, her masterbation joke was hella funny to me, but that's just me) person throughout this entire novel. Her character has her different reactions to things. Like her realization (slowly) when she saw she was falling for Miles, so valid. I mean, every time, she had just thought it was her "Journalist" side enjoying the sight of his different activities. In which, I DONT BLAME HER! I woulda thought the exact same thing, espically since the whole goal of this situation was to YK maybe solve the cause of this time travel loophole.
I loved the delieverance in this novel. Literally Rachel hits the target EVERY. DANG. TIME. Like, really! I loved Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, but this one just confirmed my love for her writing style even more. Five Stars, and I literally thought of this rating not even that long into the book.
The art style on the cover is creative, which is also the style of her previous book, Today, Tonight, Tomorrow. Again, Overall, this entire book is just 5 Stars. Now a favorite, and I just- WOOOO. What a read. If I could rate it at least a six, I would.
<3
I love all of Rachel's books so much. She's so good at creating well rounded characters, being open about sex and love and self-love. This story was so cute! A modern day Groundhogs day (or a cuter version of Palm Springs?), about finding yourself, finding love, and figuring out what the future holds. I loved loved loved loved this book!
You guys know I’m not much of a contemporary romance reader, but every once in a while, I get in the mood for one. It’s rare—it happens like once or twice a year, but it DOES happen 😆 And this year I came across See You Yesterday and I knew I needed to read it! I love horror movies and slashers, and one of my favorite movies is Happy Death Day which, like this book, is very reminiscent of the movie Groundhog Day, and this book reminded me of those movies. And let me tell you, I really enjoyed this book! Look at me expanding my horizons 😆
First of all, I loved the premise of the book. Characters being stuck in a time loop is apparently a trope I enjoy. Lol. I’m not gonna lie though, sometimes the science-y bits were hard to understand 😅 but I got the gist of it. Lol. At one point, while trying to find a way to get out of the loop, they do some science-y things, but also try things a la movie/fiction way (i.e. Groundhog Day), which I thought was pretty cool.
I also liked the characters in the book. Barrett had a very complicated, sad past that made you feel for her. Her roommate is actually her old high school nemesis, and the history there was really interesting. And don’t get me started on Miles, the guy she’s stuck with in this time loop. When they first meet, Barrett mentions how impossible he is to get along with, but I honestly didn’t see it. I thought he was really sweet! He did these genuinely thoughtful things for Barrett that melted my heart 😍 And their interactions and banter made me literally laugh out loud at how cute/funny they were. Not gonna lie though, I’m never a fan of the third-act drama/conflict in contemporaries. It’s always something dumb and in this one... I just didn’t get it. I thought it was dumb, but I get that it was supposed to happen because that’s what the formula dictates 🙄 Lol.
But overall, I really enjoyed this book! This was the slowest of slow-burn romances and I appreciated it because instalove sucks 😆 The romance itself was also great. They had these sweet moments where they just sat and talked and got to know each other and it was SO cute! I loved the twist with the whole time loop thing—as someone who doesn’t read a lot of contemporary because they’re too everyday-life, this made it much more interesting for me 😆 I’m not gonna lie, the ending made me nervous for a moment, though. I feared that everything they went through was going to be for nothing, but things ended up wrapping up quite nicely. This book was just a lot of fun!
Admittedly, this book did not grip me as much as I had hoped it would. I’m a sucker for a Groundhog Day/Happy Death Day premise, but the main characters in this lacked depth and roundedness as characters, and it came off as a bit “pick me” at times.
Thank you for this ARC!
While I wasn't the hugest fan of this book because I couldn't get into the story or the writing, I think my students would really enjoy it. I will be purchasing a copy for my library.
Such a dang cute concept that was executed perfectly! For fans of Oona Out of Order (but make it college!).
I have quickly come to love Rachel Lynn Solomon's books and she has become an auto-buy author for me. I was a little hesitant about See You Yesterday because groundhog day plotlines can be a bit hit or miss for me. However, I absolutely adored this story and seeing Barrett and Miles attempt to figure out their time loop and what they wanted to change in their real lives as well. I thought everything was so well done and would definitely recommend this one!
Full disclosure: I do not like science fiction books all that much. I like reality and science fiction sometimes pushes that boundary in books. This story, however, peaked my interest. I’m a fan of Groundhog Day and this sounded similar.
I was correct. This is a modern day twist on the Groundhog Day story. You have Barrett, who is so much like me it’s weird. We are weird… period. Then you have Miles who is adorably awkward and most likely someone I would be friends with, even with his grumpy attitude at times. These two characters are the main focus of most of the book so the only two characters you really get to know deeply. I found myself very much attached to them by the end of the story and really wanted to see them succeed at breaking themselves out of this incessant time loop. I liked how both of their backstories became intricate parts of the puzzle, even if it wasn’t the main focus, and brought a realness to their characters. Solomon did an excellent job of building up these characters and having them be more than just basic characters on a page. The story was built like an onion and we peeled each layer back to reveal more of the story and more of the characters.
I did feel near the middle that the story was dragging on. There were pages or even chapters I feel could have been removed and made the book a little more compact and flow more quickly. In that middle section I found it harder to motivate myself to pick the book up. I felt like I was with them and stuck reading the same stuff over and over, but as a reader I want the story to move forward. Other than that, I really enjoyed this story and the interesting plot line. The science fiction side of it wasn’t overwhelming to the story and done in a really clean, real world type of way that drew even me into it.
Also, the ending had a little twist and gave me a little shock at the end, so if you are stuck in the middle like I was, keep reading. I promise it gets really good. I’m not a fan of Rachel Lynn Solomon and look forward to more of her novels in the future.