This book is great for a younger audience. I personally had a hard time getting into it as I couldn't really connect to any of the characters.

This was very interesting book between trials and a different character that I think the way that they all connected with each other was fun. It was talking about like mazes and trolls and I think, although it didn’t personally matter of me because I think I’m not really into these type of books I think I was expecting something a little different when I read it so unfortunately I don’t think I was the target market four out, but it was a good book

It took awhile to get interested in it but since Netgalley approved me reading this for a review I kept reading and did not mark it as "dnf." I am glad I kept reading it, it took me way longer than usual. I normally do not like reading books based in high school settings but it was interesting once they got to the Trials portion of the book. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Took me a while to get around to this one as I am a little hesitant when it comes to time travel plots.

The ideas and general premise were good and despite a little predicability with regards to characters, this was a good easy enough read.

I wanted to love this, but sadly, I simply didn't. I found it slow and disjointed, but I know of some patrons that will love it.

Finn Mallory has just been accepted into Wharton Academy, one of the most highly esteemed secondary schools, and a popular haunt of children from rich and affluent families, something that immediately irks him. Coming from a more impoverished background, Finn was accepted as the Academy's yearly 'unfortunate' placeholder, after the tragic loss of his parents. We follow him as he navigates this new world, that he has begrudgingly been accepted into, full of egotistical, narcissistic and entitled young men and women, who expect him to take their bullying and criticisms without retaliation. When he's invited to take part in History club, Finn is immediately sceptical, and annoyed, he just wants to get through his school years and get the hell out of here, but as his understanding of what's expected of him within this club grows, as does his interest, and he's quickly wrapped up in a competition that will test his resolve, intelligence, and his view of the world as he knows it.

I can't express how much I adored this book, it blew me away spectacularly, and I was not expecting it to impact me quite as much as it did. When I tell ya I requested the second book, the very minute after I finished this one, I was hooked. The plot was such a novel and refreshing concept, consisting of a time travel competition against other schools with the challenges based upon popular children's games i.e. hide and seek, dodgeball, but are transported back in time to a crucial and often tragic event. Wharton's team of four loveable misfits who are all so unique and each bring a distinctive set of skills and abilities. Everly is the level-headed one, whose head strong but calm under pressure. Finn is able to think of his feet, although he can be a bit impulsive, he's determined, and his sceptical view point brings it's own set of strengths. Valerie is also head-strong, but she's also great at taking command, and being in charge, with the added pressure of not being able to handle failing. Lastly, Edison, is thorough, intelligent and logical, he's not afraid to tell you if you're wrong, or find faults in the plan. Then there's SCRAP, their little robot sidekick, who becomes Edison's firm favourite member of the team. The characters were so incredibly well developed, they felt real and relatable, it's hard not to fall in love with each member of the team. They are utterly remarkable, and it was so fun to see the dynamics between them, as they find their feet in this new situation with one another, and how quickly their bond grew and their protection of each other. Four loveable misfits, with astounding talents and personalities who together create a powerful team of intellectual minds.

The irritation and isolation Finn feels is palpable , being somewhere where everyone treats him as beneath them, and his constant reminders that he doesn't belong there, or hasn't earned his place, and therefore will need to work twice as hard as the others, to prove his worth. On top of this, he's dealing with the grief of losing his parents, and the guilt he's been carrying, grappling with this new pretentious school, he would rather run out of now, if not for the fact his parents were set on him getting in. These conflicting emotions and feelings, seem overwhelming and suffocating at times.

Everly is the queen bee, with a soft and caring side. She takes on a lot of roles and responsibilities within the school, and extra-curricular activities. Her grandfather, the history teacher, has brought her up for the majority of her life. She's straight-forward, and is not used to being brushed off, or treated rudely, which unfortunately turns out to be her and Finn's first official meeting. Everly spends her time feeling isolated and alone, even with most of the school fawning all over her, she just feels suffocated, and abandoned, she comes from a lineage of Wharton royalty, so she has a lot of undue stress to carry on her shoulders, and maintain the appearance of unflappability, elegance and poise.

Watching the friendships blossom between the four unlikely friends was so heart-warming to read. Seeing the interactions change between them as their bond gets closer, and they learn each other's quirks, and the way they communicate, seeing them supporting each other through their battles was just so incredibly wholesome, wonderful and moving. Those four deserve the absolute world.

The grief that both Everly and Finn hold with the loss of their parents is tangible through the pages. Although they've grieved their losses in different ways, it's clear that they've both lost their childhood, by having to compartmentalize their pain, be the strong one who isn't phased by anything and take on the role of a parent for themselves. Finn particularly is struggling with the weight of his parents deaths, which really shone through during the time trial challenges, where his impulsivity and innate need to save others in the past, at the risk of his own life, even when nothing can be changed to the present.

This was honestly just such a beautifully written, immersive and picturesque story. I was completely captivated and enamoured with this plot and the wonderful characters within. Definitely pick this one up, it's definitely one of my favourite sci-fi books I've read so far, I cannot wait to pick up the second one in this series. You'll adore this if you love Sci-Fi, star-crossed lovers between social classes, and found family. This plot is honestly so compelling, full of twists, adventure, action and fast-paced. I will never not recommend this book

Who doesn't remember High School and Clubbing? No, I'm not talking about the type of clubbing where you stuff your bedding with  make-believe clothing and pillows and then sneak out of the window to visit the latest trending Club with a fake ID. I'm talking about joining a High School Club. Like the Glee Club, or some or the Lacrosse Club.

Welcome to Wharton Academy where they take Clubbing to the next level!

Just from the name of the school, Wharton Academy, the reader can decipher that the unfortunate Middle Class, or low and behold the unmentionable Lower Class, do not attend Wharton Academy. 

Finn Mallory is not a rich man's son. In fact, he is no-one's son. But he does apparently have good fortune. Shortly after the passing of his parents, Finn is awarded a full scholarship at Wharton Academy. Oh of course you know exactly what is going to happen. And no, you are not wrong. But this story does have a few twists that will keep the Young Adult readers entertained and the Adolescent readers thrilled on the edge of their seats.

When Finn has to choose a School Club  and the lacrosse team isn't quite the right fit, the headmaster suggests the Young Historians Club.

"History has the ability to influence the future. Few things in life wield that type of power. If we learn from the mistakes of the past, we alter the course of our future. We become better than those before us, as we should, for we hold the advantage of being able to learn from their decisions."

The Young Historians Club is a highly secretive and exclusive club at Wharton Academy. Very few members have joined up. Just like me, you might wonder, why? A History Club can surely be nothing but fun? I mean they even have field trips. Yes, it might not be in a Wharton Academy airconditioned van and rather a time machine, but what can the harm be in that?

If you could change history, where would you begin? And what exactly would you like to change?  How about playing a game where you might do just that and score a couple of points for your school. This game, better known as the Time Trials, are a couple of challenges named after traditional children's games. Once again, what can the harm be in that?

Before I start giving away the whole plot, let me stop right there. The Time Trials is a well crafted Adolescent/YA novel with a couple of youngsters you might easily spot in your local mall. I think that's what I liked most about this book. The characters are relatable with real life circumstances and family dynamics. This makes the sci-fi/fantasy scenario they are projected in, even harsher and way more realistic. With historical accuracies and a highly imaginative plotline, The Time Trials is a book I will easily recommend to readers from around 13+.

The premise of this book was super cool, but when it came to start reading... I just wasn't into the writing style. I forgot a lot of the good stuff too, because of the writing style and how it just didn't mesh with me.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF: 29%

This book is deeply disappointing. The cover is pretty and the synopsis seems cool - I love stories about time travel! And the first chapter or so did have me fooled. But I felt my interest disappearing as I got further into the story.

The characters are stereotypes in a tired, overused way. Finn is the poor orphan, brooding musician who doesn't fit in. Everly is your quintessential rich popular girl, the one who 'isn't like her peers'. Edison's stereotype is the most annoying because it could be a harmful one. I love that there's an autistic character but there's a better way to handle his introduction and portrayal.

What is a time travel story if there are no consequences for going back in time? If the Butterfly Effect doesn't exist, what are the stakes? Sure if you die, you stay dead. But otherwise there didn't seem to be any issues with going back in time. Granted, I didn't read far enough to see the time travel in action here but it came across as more of a gimmicky plot device than integral to the story.

Some of the references in the narration are incredibly outdated and made the setting feel anachronistic. Also, the characters seemed both too old and too young. Like sometimes they felt more like college freshman and others I was convinced they were 15. I know that doesn't seem like a huge difference numerically but in terms of experience, it's massive.

This book might appeal to readers with a less discerning or less developed palate. Unfortunately, I'm not that person.

"Money made you different. Finn knew he could adjust his blue tie all he wanted, but in the end, this uniform was only a costume."
-Jon & Dayna McConnell, The Time Trials

3.5🌟/5

I received this e-book from NetGalley.

Finn Mallory (the main character of this book) receives the "Good Fortunes Scholarship" and enrolls at Wharton Academy. We are told from the very beginning and reminded various times (in case you magically forgot...you never know...) that he is an "unfortunate", due to his status, since he is not as affluent as his peers and is an orphan. His guilt and feeling of being responsible for the death of his parents is an obstacle he will have to overcome throughout the book.

At his new boarding school, what seems to be an ordinary "Young Historians Club" develops into a "once in a lifetime chance", where four players: Finn Mallory, Everly Caldwell, Valerie Konrad and Edison Pellegrin will come together against four challenges more or less dangerous (as in life-threatening...), with the help of their mentor (and history professor) Mordecai Moskowitz to win against three other schools in this year "Time Trials".

"The Time Trials" is the first book and the start of Finn Mallory's (time) adventure. It's an enjoyable read overall, more than what I presumed at the beginning of the story. We notice the relationship between the characters strengthening and solidifying as they go through several trials in different time periods.

I couldn't get into this book. I think i would have enjoyed it more in my teens. It didn't do it for more unfortunately

I wanted to like this book, I really did. For some reason, it didn't click for me. The premise was fun, the writing was good - but I suppose I didn't connect with the characters like I needed to for really enjoying it.

The Time Trials is an original captivating and engrossing read which will delight readers of all ages with its clever plot, flawed lovable and relatable characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Ready for the rollercoaster of your life?
This book left me REELING AND WANTING MORE!!! Needed to put it down and breath before diving back into it 🥰 This book is a flurry of emotions, suspense & action right up until the end
It’s wonderful, captivating and so detailed (love it!!!!)
Definitely a must read

Closer to 3.5 stars than 4 really.

There is a YA sci-fi leaning novel that I got as an ARC through NetGalley that seemed to have an interesting premise, but one that is not as believable as I'd like once I actually got into it.

The core concept: "what if we could go back in time and create bubble universes where we get to play around without it causing any issues in the present."

This surprisingly isn't the part that bothers my suspension of disbelief as much as the setting: an elite group of schools are competing in a tournament involving time travel (very much akin to the Triwizard Competition from Harry Potter). Accepting that such a thing is entertaining for everyone involved to begin with, the people who know and their ability to hide all of these very steampunk-esque time machines from the rest of the world is a difficult thing to accept.

Thank you to Tiny Fox Press and NetGalley for making this ARC available for reading and I am glad that I get to read this book!

I’m attracted to this book in the first place because there is a mention of time travel in the summary which is one of my sci-fi tropes. First of all, I love the idea of time travel here because it is quite different to time travel ideas that I normally watch or read. I do get the Hunger Games vibe here in this story and for me it's a good thing because it makes the story more exciting to me. There is a teenage romance here between Finn and Everly (this is a YA novel thus it does not really shocks me) and I really like how protective Valerie is to Edison. I think that Valerie has a kind of intense personality but is actually a good person. Basically, I love their friendship and in a way, how strong their group is because of their different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. For my favourite characters, I think it is four of them because I like their characters’ development. For the plot, it starts quite slow at the beginning but gets more intense starting at the near first half of the story. Besides, the writing is good and clear for me even though it is written by two authors. The sequel is already out too, hence I really want to read the sequel as fast as I can. If you are a fan of sci fi YA novels, this book may be for you.

I enjoyed this series alot I read both books in less then 3 days couldn't put them down thank you so much for the books! I will more then likely be purchasing to reread in the future.

A fun enjoyable time travelling YA Sci Fi read. This one reminded me of Hunger Games with a bit or Dr Who thrown in, both are a fav of mine, so thought is give this a go. I was pleasantly surprised and look forward tocthe next novel.

Thank you @netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finn receives a scholarship to attend a pretentious private school. He joins the Historians club, but he will soon find out that nothing is as it seems.👀

The trials and tribulations of a young, poor boy who gets a scholarship to a private school: we have all read them before.😄
But trials involving time travel? That was a first for me.🤩

The premise is set up quite fast, so we can jump into the interesting story.😁
The trials were fascinating and well thought out and they did not play out how I expected them to.😱

The ending got to me quite suddenly, as I did not see it coming at all (which I should have...).😢
I immediately saw what they were doing and how it would develop further, but it was one little twist I could appreciate.😄

I will not be continuing with this series, because it did not give me enough.😅
But it was still a good story, and I would recommend it to young adults visiting this library.💙

I'm really torn on how I feel about this book. I can admit that I'm not the target audience for YA anymore but I still enjoy a lot of YA literature. To me the writing of this felt childish, some of the tone feeling more middle grade than high school. I forgot a couple of times that the main characters were 16/17 year olds and not 14. I know not every child can have a deep analytical conversation about the symbolism in The Picture of Dorian Gray by the age of 11. The best way to describe this as I see it, is if you took four magic tree house books, aged Jack and Annie up a few years so they were hormonal, kept them on their "quests" but inserted chapters of teenage angst and romance in between.

On that note: I LOVED Edison once we actually started digging into his character. I thought our first introduction to him felt superficially stereotypical but as the book progressed he became quite a lovable deep character. I liked how the team became a family, I did cry a bit at one point so I did become at least somewhat emotionally involved.

I wasn't a fan of how superficial the history felt. The deepest we got into the history of the second to last task was one side wore green and the other side wore blue. I also found the first and last tasks to be very predictable. I wanted there to be some real history being learned by the reader, not just by the characters behind the scenes.

So I don't particularly recommend this book but I could see younger folks, maybe tweens or young teens enjoying it.