A small change—a last-minute change of plans or an unexpected delay—can lead to a huge change in our lives. And in I’ll Stop the World by Lauren Thoman, a teenager finds himself with the ability to change a tragic event from the past—but he needs help to figure out how.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

It should be noted this is a very YA book. I didn't realize that, but read anyway and glad I did. Definitely worth a read. Cool time travel theme and worth a read.

Genre: YA/Fantasy
Pub date: April 1, 2023

I was actually looking forward to reading this book after reading the introduction by Mindy Kailing. Although I was surprised to find out that it was more of a young adult book rather than a mystery. I could not finish the book as it took me wayy too long than my normal reading time. It felt too drawn out and I kept losing track of the plot.

This was really hard to get through. It doesn’t usually take me more than 5 days to finish a book, and this took me a lot longer. I was constantly confused on what time frame the chapters were in and how the characters intertwined. I wish the chapters labeled the year.

There were many moving parts in this story and, by "moving parts" I mean, many characters. Filler characters, to be exact. Stories and interactions that didn't move the story along but instead, complicated it. Around chapter ten, I started taking notes in my Notes App and tracking all the characters and their "story". Twenty-Five! 25 characters that I was keeping track of.

Halfway through, there was a time jump and then I had to go back and reevaluate the timeline of all the characters I had so far. Marking the ones I knew with (1985) or (2023) as I learned of their existence in the timeline. It was a lot to keep track of.

This book is categorized as a mystery thriller however, it is much more YA and sci-fi than a thriller. I must say, with the multitude of characters, it did take me a while to figure out who did what but, thanks to a few interludes, which bring us out of the time warp and directly into a character's point of view, I figured it out.

This wouldn't have been a book that I would have picked up myself but, here are my positive takeaways:

- The writing style is suitable for YA. Each chapter is short and not too overrun with big words when little words work just fine.
- The ending wrapped everything up nicely without an epilogue; touching rather.
- All of the dialogue sounded believable for both timelines.

That's all I've got positive. On the other hand, while the writing style was perfect for YA, I found that the character descriptions were wordy and lengthy. I have a few characters on my list that were mentioned once, and described in detail but were essentially never mentioned again and didn't offer anything to the story. For example, the Pat Shaw (that's not a spoiler) character could have simply been a concerned student or written in a totally different manner -- IDK, just my opinion.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. I didn't realize this was a YA novel and that made it less enjoyable for me. Other readers seemed to really enjoy this though!

Time travel books are catnip for me and this one did not disappoint. I loved the structure of the book and how things came together. And while I did figure a few things out ahead of time, it was a fantastic ride of a book. I enjoyed the characters and the hopeful, happy ending. It was a great read and I think one that many people would enjoy this summer on the beach or by the pool.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book as time travel/alternate universe is one of my favorite tropes. I'll be honest, I was disappointed when I started reading and realized this book was definitely YA, a genre I don't typically read. But given some good reviews and my initial interest, I kept going, and I'm so glad I did.
I admit I skimmed through the first ten or so chapters (don't do this.. I had to go back after and re-read them) and then I got hooked.
It's a complicated trope to write, and there's often some plot holes that take a minute to wrap your head around, but this one was done so well! I loved the ending and the author did a great job of tying everything up as much as possible. I'm glad I stuck with it and would recommend it.

Read this book now! So so good. One of the best I've read in a while . Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley! I loved this book!!

I enjoyed this story but it did seem very drawn out. Also there was so much teen angst that kind of killed the vibe of the book for me. I don’t remember it being labeled as YA but as adult mystery so that was a big reason the vibe of the book was killed for me. I don’t mind YA but when I’m expecting something else it does bother me.

In this heart-racing coming-of-age mystery, the end and the beginning merge into a tale of the potency of friendship, destiny, and inexplicable opportunities.

Is it a case of the right place but wrong time? Or the wrong place but right time?

Growing up in a stagnant town, Justin Warren's life has been dominated by the unresolved deaths of his grandparents. Though the crime occurred long before he was born, its consequences linger thirty-eight years later. Justin has always known his prospects were limited, but he never imagined he would regress.

A cosmic quirk of fate causes Justin's decisions to collide with the path of optimistic Rose Yin. They share a town and school, but have never met--because Rose is from 1985, twenty years before Justin's birth. Moreover, Justin's grandparents are still alive--for the moment.

Through a sequence of events that ripple across multiple lifetimes, Justin and Rose have a week to dislodge Justin from time's grip and take control of their respective futures by unraveling a murder that has yet to occur.

Read this book. I repeat, you must read this book.

It’s been getting so much hype that I was hesitant it would be a let down and boy was I wrong to think that!!!

Lauren Thoman, write all the books and I will be reading them!

I’ll Stop The World tells the story of Justin and Rose, two teens in a town on the precipice of big things. Justin’s life isn’t heading in the direction he’s hoped for and an excruciating interaction at the annual bonfire has him dancing with fire (figuratively). The last thing he recalls is seeing a dark figure in front of his car. Next thing he knows, he’s being helped by Rose, who thinks he’s the absolutely whackiest guy out there as Justin babbles on about things Rose knows nothing about. Except one thing, Rose believes him.

The two embark to solve a mystery for the ages. I truly don’t think I can say more without massive spoilers, but the end of this book had me feeling all the feels. I wanted more. I needed more, because I wasn’t ready for the book to end. Truthfully, I’m not sure I would’ve ever been ready for it to end. That’s the sign of a good book, right?

I highly recommend this book and am so grateful to have been granted access to an advanced reader copy (isn’t it beautiful?!!) by MBC Books.

This is the second book published by Mindy’s Book Studio (part of Amazon Publishing) after Ms. Kaling chose “The Vibrant Years” by Sonali Dev. Debut author Lauren Thoman creates a young adult time travel story with a timeline in 1985 (Rose, plus stepsister Lisa and friends Noah, Shawn and Charlene) and present day (Justin plus Alyssa). Justin and Rose live in the same town, go to the same high school that has a traditional autumn bonfire, both have non-traditional families, and both are suffering that time when adulthood is unavoidable and love is unrequited. But once they meet in 1985, both have a shared goal — to stop the murder of Justin’s grandparents and get Justin back to the future.

This is a thrilling, pulse-pounding narrative once that goal is revealed. The narrative up to the part where Rose and Justin meet was a tad slow and the 1985 characters seemed initially like one or two too many (until you realize you need more people as “suspects”). You wouldn’t initially choose Rose as the pivotal character from that timeline, but she’s perfect as Justin’s companion. The book was a surprise! 4 stars!

Thank you to Mindy’s Book Studio and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Blond Charlene has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska):NO Justin is amazed at how small the trees he knew in 2023 look like in 1985, and equally surprised by the amount of wooded areas in his town that disappeared in 38 years.

I couldn't put this book down! The big twist (and you will have to suspend disbelief to enjoy it) was a complete shock and a welcome departure from most books lately. I liked how the author touched on social issues generationally without getting to bogged down in them. The book is told from multiple points of view, which did take some time to get used to in terms of who was who. I also loved that the ending wasn't depressing, which it could have easily been made to be. Fun read, look forward to reading another book by this author.

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I was sobbing at the end. The last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat. It’s beautiful!

This is a super fun book but it is very much YA in my opinion (but not marketed that way as of yet). We meet a variety of lovely seniors in high school on the precipice of graduation. All have complex stories and obstacles to overcome no matter what their upbringing has been to date.

Add some time travel, twists and a murder and you have more than a decent book. Ya is YA though - and there is some overwrought emotion that I try to avoid in my time away from my job at a high school.

If you like the 80's, if you like multiple POVS and YA I'll Stop the World for you (ha ha get it). #LaurenThoman #AmazongReads #mindykalling #Mindysbookstudio

I liked this! It's clearly a young adult novel, but for some reason wasn't marketed as such. The writing is excellent though, and the plot (although slow moving) is overall rather exciting. It's a multiple POV type of story, which I find often a little bit hit and miss. It's fine on its own, but if you pause it (like I did a couple of times), you might get a little confused.

This was so enjoyable and well done! I was worried I wouldn’t get this review in before archive date but i flew through this! It was so good. So enjoyable. Relatable. All the feels.

I'm not sure where to start. This novel is so many things I wasn't expecting.

At its core, I'll Stop the World is a young adult speculative fiction novel with multiple timelines, several POV characters, and gobs of teenage angst—but beneath the surface, there's much more packed into this fast-paced novel. From social commentary (How long will it take for all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, pick your other, to be accepted? Why should anyone bother with the small stuff when the world is in chaos?) and philosophical speculation (Do we have free will, or is everything fated? Do our actions and choices ever really make a difference?) to sociological debates (Which is more powerful, nature or nurture? Can one person truly effect change?) and those impossible, unanswerable questions we all ask ourselves (Can we travel back in time?), this book is deep and thoughtful without being preachy, while also managing to be entertaining. It is a roller coaster of emotions, and I got all the feels—happiness and fear, hope and despair, love and hate, gratitude and anger.

But most of all, it is a poignant story that will stay with you for long after the end of the book. A story will make you look at your own life and the world around you, and think about how you can change it for the better. A story that will make you want to slow down, take notice, be grateful, exist in the present, because tomorrow is never a guarantee.

I got approved for this one shortly before the archive date, and I was worried I wouldn’t get through it in time. Boy was I wrong! I flew through it in less than 24 hours!