ADORED THIS BOOK!! Timothy Janovsky could be one of my new favourite authors! He is absolutely a king! loved how this bok played on the theme of 13 going on 30 and really loved all the magical aspects to it!

New Adult was such a delight to read! This is the kind of story that owns my heart and has everything I could want from a book. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. It was light and funny and yet also touching on some tough issues, while always having that uplifting sense of hope throughout.

In summary, New Adult is ’13 Going On 30′ type of story, except the characters are a bit older (more like 23 Going On 30) and also gay. Our main character is comedian Nolan Baker. He’s struggling in his career and when he gets an opportunity for a massive breakthrough, he jumps on it. But to do that, he skipped out on his sister’s wedding, massively disappointing his entire family and best friend/crush. When they don’t understand his decision to prioritize his career over everything else, Nolan makes a wish and magically wakes up seven years into the future. In this future, he is super successful and has everything he ever wanted. Except his friends and family all ignore his calls, his best friend hates his guts and Nolan is not sure he likes the person he’s become in these past 7 years…

There was just so much to love about this book, so let’s wrap it up in a nice overview, shall we?

The cozy time travel romance plot

I’m a sucker for a nice and cozy time travel plotline, and New Adult delivered. It was just so much fun and I loved being along on the ride with Nolan as he’s trying to figure out what happened, how it happened, how he could travel back and whether or not he even wants to. The magic or science behind the time travel is all kept pretty vague: it’s all fun and light, mysterious and slightly creepy. Some people may want more of an explanation, but I personally liked the light air of mystery and magic and didn’t need more. The effect was cozy and I’m all for cozy!

Amazing character growth

While I wouldn’t call Nolan an unlikeable character in the beginning, he also wasn’t the most loveable either. He makes some questionable decisions and unthinkingly hurts the people around him. But throughout the story he goes on a journey of self-discovery as he figures out what (and who) really matters to him. And the further into the story we got, the more I grew to love Nolan. It was a wonderful character arc and I rooted for him so badly.

The sweetest cinnamon roll love interest

Let’s take a minute to talk about Drew. Because Drew is definitely up there among my top favorite fictional love interests. Drew has been Nolan’s best friend for years and since a few years, Nolan has also had a major, silent crush on Drew. Drew is a shy, demisexual, romance-reading bookworm who is loyal, caring and considerate and just the ultimate definition of a cinnamon roll. But when Nolan wakes up in the future he discovers that he also hurt Drew so badly that he now wants nothing to do with him. Can they reconnect and work together to get time back to the way it should be? I’ll let you read that for yourself, but just know I loved their journey together.

Family drama and love

As much as I love me some romance, there is more to this story too. Nolan’s family also plays a big part. They’re a messy family with issues and secrets and things left unspoken that shouldn’t be. The story starts with Nolan feeling like the black sheep of the family but again, the growth throughout the book is pretty amazing. There were so many moving moments here as Nolan works to repair his relationships with his family and I definitely shed a few tears.

Also, the story has a cute dog called Milkshake and a bookstore! I’m just saying…

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this story. It’s a funny, sweet and heartwarming time travel romance with a lot of family, friends and heartfelt emotions. I think it’s one I’ll be re-reading a lot.

"It's never too late to make a change."

If there's one thing Timothy Janovsky is gonna do, it's write a DANG good book.

Not only do I admire him as a human being and friend, but I also think he is an excellent writer. His books are extremely readable, and the perfect mix of fun and heartfelt.

And this book! 13 Going on 30 is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I loved this queer retelling about an aspiring comedian named Nolan and the relationship with his best friend Drew, and what happens to his life when he travels via magic crystals to the future...and has to deal with the consequences of his not-so-stellar choices.

NEW ADULT was not only laugh-out-loud funny (truly), but it was tender and thought-provoking. And I do love me some friends-to-lovers will-they, won't-they pining! *chef's kiss* (And that book cover OMG! perfection) Such an inspired retelling with fun pop culture references, massive heart, and stellar writing. Enjoyed it so much.

A big thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. NEW ADULT is out 8/15/23!

New Adult is my favorite of Timothy Janovsky’s book so far. You had me at 13 Going on 30 but make it gay. The book was so fun and really kept my attention, I finished it in two days. Definitely would recommend to romcom fans!

Hmmm. This one is hard to review. Some thoughts:

-13 Going on 30 is one of my favorite movies so I was very excited for this
-SLOW START. Dear lord, I wanted to DNF so badly. But once Nolan got to the future, it got better
-Drew is a cutie but didn’t love their romance
-I appreciate there is an explanation for the magical things that happened but it still seemed messily done
-For a book being about a comedian, it wasn’t funny??? Bummer.
-Still an entertaining read!

3⭐️

What a delightful, fun time travel romance! I love romances that have a time travel element, and New Adult really delivered! I grew up watching the movie 'Back to the Future', and I've always been fascinated by time travel. It's fun to think about parallel timelines or how you would change something if you could go back in time.

For Nolan, he goes to bed as a 23 year old and he wakes up as a 30 year old! He wakes up in a house that he doesn't recognize and he's next to a man that he doesn't recognize either! Nolan's life is changed after he gets some magical crystals. He makes a wish to manifest his dreams, and he puts them under his pillow. When he wakes up, he has aged 7 years, but he doesn't have any memory of it.

As a 30 year old, he doesn't have a relationship with his family anymore, and he has lost his best friend, Drew. He has been in love with Drew for years, and they finally had a moment, but Nolan blew it. Nolan must know figure out his new life as a 30 year old, and he needs to figure out how to fix all of his past mistakes.

It's such an interesting story about family, achieving your dreams, and finding out who you truly are and truly want to be. I loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC of this book.

I knew I’d love this book, because I love all of Janovsky’s books, but I had no idea HOW MUCH I’d love it!!! New Adult was laugh-out-loud funny, incredibly heartwarming, and truly magical. I’m so impressed by Janovsky’s creativity and storytelling ability in this book. It’s one you absolutely can’t miss!!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This was a very interesting book that I low key did not expect. I loved the time travel elements, and how it all fits into this book. Nolan was a great character and it was so cool to see him grow so much as a comedian, and as a person. Will update this once I get more time to finish this review

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Casa, Netgalley, and Libro.fm for providing advanced copies of this!! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

A gay, hallmark movie-esque mashup between 13 Going on 30 and a Christmas Carol. And mushy, adorable, romantic perfection.

This is one of those stories that leaves you all warm and fuzzy after reading. It's sweet, it's charming, and it leaves you believing that people really can change for the better.

Our main character Nolan is a selfish, hot mess muppet at the beginning of the book. He has a chip on his shoulder about how people treat his career aspirations and is willing to drop anything and everything to prove them wrong.

With his sister's wedding only adding to his stress, Nolan makes bad decision after bad decision. Leaving him alone and miserable after disappointing everyone he loves most. But with the help of his sister's odd guru company and some mysterious crystals, he finds himself 7 years in into his "ideal" future.

Even more alone and bitter, Nolan sets out to try and find his way back. And maybe right some wrongs along the way. Including fixing the very broken relationship between him and his best friend, Drew. The man he's also in love with.

Nolan's personal growth through this was fantastic. At 23, he's struggling to figure out what is important to him and how to balance all the aspects of his life. He's so driven by the desire to prove people wrong and be successful that he's ruining his relationships.

And his slow burn, friends to lovers romance with Drew gave me butterflies. They are endlessly supportive (even when one of them confesses to being sent to the future via crystals).

I also really liked the discussions of none romantic relationships in here. Nolan isn't only ruining his chances at romantic love, but also friendships and familial ones as well. And few things are more adorable than Nolan teaching his 3 year old niece the appropriate way to deliver a knock knock joke.

Overall I just had the best time with this sweet romance. I think it had some amazing discussions, complex main characters, and a romance guaranteed to give you butterflies.

Content warnings: Alzheimer's, Recreational drugs, Hospitalization, Death of a parent (past, off page, side character)

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and Dreamscape Audio for the eARC and audio arc! This was such a fun read! My first, but certainly not my last, Timothy Janovsky novel. I loved the premise, I loved the characters, I loved all of the references. I appreciated Nolan’s character growth and had a soft spot for the relationship between him and Drew. This was such a cozy read. 🩵💜🤍 New Adult releases August 15th in the US!

Thank you so much to Sourcebook Casablanca for an advance copy of the book!

Timothy Janovsky has become an auto-buy author in the last year and this was is by far my favorite of the 3!
This was such a bingeable read & I kept wanting to read to find out what was going to happen to Nolan.

I just enjoyed this so much so I apologize if my thoughts are all jumbled.
This book just made me so happy!

"Life is a series of in-the-moment choices, snowballing into an always uncertain future."

I love how Janovsky let the story marinate for awhile and then bam the time jump happened. I always am not a fan of when an author doesn't let things build or let the reader get to know the characters before changing everything.

Even though romance was a main theme in this book, there was also such a focus on family & the importance of how one decision could change everything. Another theme is the career/life balance. Nolan is 23, so very young and still trying to figure things out. I love the reference to Britney Spears' "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet a Woman" and it definitely describes him perfectly. He has this strain relationship with his family due to his commitment to his career and could not see it at all. I felt for them all especially when he chooses an opportunity over an important milestone for his sister. Fast forward to when he is 30 and re-building his relationship with his parents & sister, it was such a beautiful journey to see. I like that it was not perfect and that it didn't wrap up so quickly but that is was a progression.

Also hot take. The real villain of this story is Jessie errr Jessalynn. That's all I'll say.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask.
"Just that I forgot how much I missed knowing you."

Protect Drew Techler at all cost. Drew was such a sweet soul . I just loved his quiet & calm personality juxtaposed to Nolan's more bold and outgoing personality. There was such a sweet moment at Nolan's sisters wedding when he confessed his feelings that just made me swoon. Of course I was also swooning at the second wedding as well! You could just tell how much he cared about Nolan from the beginning. He just was always there for Nolan and Nolan trusted him so much. I love that we got to also learn about their history before the present day and how there always have been a spark between them.

This book doesn't follow the same formula as other romances typical do as there was a break up in the first half in addition to another conflict later on. I do not like it when authors give the characters unnecessary conflicts, but in this case it made sense. I was so happy that Janovsky had Nolan tell Drew the truth of everything and it wasn't hidden. Everything was out on the line and you could tell Nolan just really wanted to fix not only his relationship with Drew but all the other relationships in his life.

"Home always holds the answers."

The book just made me very happy & there was several times where I was smiling and laughing at Nolan's monologues. I also appreciated Timothy's open dialogue of recreational drugs.

There is just something wholesome by the way Timothy writes. I just love the whole premises of the book and thought having the MMC being a stand up comedian was so refreshing. Also the addition of the crystals was such a fun element. I am not familiar with the benefits of the use of crystals but very open to it!

If you are a fan of "13 Going on 30" & even elements of "A Christmas Carol" but make it queer, this is your book!

#DoopThereItIs

I am very excited to read his next romance in 2024!

Swoon Meter: 10/10
Karaoke: No

I loved this so much more than I expected to going in (I have no idea why since I’ve loved Timothy’s past 2 books and I love 13 going on 30) 🙈 but this book was just so good! At first, I thought I was going to hate Nolan because he’s so self centered in the beginning that he makes so many bad decisions that lead to him losing everyone he loves when he goes to the future but watching him make amends in the future while trying to go back was really great! I also loved that this book had so much more depth than just a cute rom com! Very much recommend this one, definitely pick it up when it releases on 8/15!! ☺️ thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

SO GOOD I HAVE NO WORDS. I've loved all of Timothy's books but this one put all the pieces together and absolutely crushed it. Similar to Matthew Prince, starting the book you're not really supposed to root for Nolan, but instead of Matthew where he was an absolute PILL, in Nolan you can see the heart in him even as he's making decisions based on the wrong priorities. AND DREWWWWW UGH he was literally perfect and I died. Some of the subject matter is definitely heavier than his first two books, surrounding Nolan's family, but imo it's handled really well.

This book was so fun. I loved the time travel aspect and the way Nolan’s growth as a person was done. The supernatural aspect was so well done and felt like it was potentially possible. Nolan was such a distinct character that had you rooting for him even when he made mistake. Drew and Nolan’s chemistry was amazing. I also loved Nolan’s family and the way they grew apart and together.
This book really shows how one person can positively and negatively impact someone’s life and one choice can change the course of your life.

I didn’t get all the pop culture references but I only felt lost for about 3 seconds during those times.

The audio was so well done as well. The narrator was super pleasant to listen to and really fit the character of Nolan I had in my head.

I was lucky enough to receive this in audio and e-arc format in exchange for an honest review.

Incredibly down to earth and real, even with supernatural elements. Was a very fun read and very thought provoking as well. Was a little slow to get off the ground, but was a lot more interesting once the main plot started moving forward.

New Adult is a gay romance in the vein of 13 Going on 30 with friends to lovers, a second chance and time travel. Nolan struggles to find a balance between friends, family and his hopefully budding career as a comedian. A poor decision and some crystals send him careening seven years into the future filled with stardom, partying and crude jokes. Nolan realizes what truly matters and works to fix his mistakes.

I liked the concept of New Adult and enjoyed how Nolan actually spent a good amount of time with the love interest, Drew, in the future. In a novel about a comedian, I didn't find much to actually be funny and Nolan is a pretty self-centered person. His character does grow but he just never really jived with me.

What fell flat for me was the length of the novel because the time travel doesn't happen for a big chunk, so the pacing was on the slower side. There were also a lot of pop culture references and made the novel really "of its time." I bet you can't guess what company "Doop' is meant to parallel. The magical element has no explanation whatsoever, which is fine but it was mentioned very heavily at points that I just started to question more of the novel.

There is some spice, but nothing overly descriptive.

Overall, nothing that really stood out for me but was an easy read.

CW: drug use, alcohol, dementia

Grief is a funny thing. In New Adult, Timothy Janovsky uses time travel and mind reading glasses, among other items, to explore growing up, messing up, grief, regret, forgiveness, accountability and doing the hard work of life.

The tagline for the book is “Can we skip to the good part?” If you’re on social media you’ve probably heard the hook of AJR’s “The Good Part” as people show off their accomplishments, glow ups, etc. But in real life we can’t skip the hard work and time. Nolan desperately wants to get past the part where he’s a struggling comedian waiting tables at a comedy club. Janovsky does such a good job of showing Nolan’s complexities. Nolan has put in hard work to be a comedian, but he also has very specific ideas of what success looks like. When opportunity knocks, he drops everything to open the door, but he’s also impatient when he doesn’t get immediate results. He puts his relationships with the people he loves the most at a lower priority because he thinks there will be time in the future, when his career is solid.

When Nolan skips from the night when he had his biggest career break and also made everyone who loves him angry, to a successful stand up comedian about to reach a major career milestone, he learns why “skip to the good part” is a curse, not a gift. We are at any moment the product of hundreds of choices we’ve made. Nolan is a stranger in his own body and has become a person he doesn’t know, because he didn’t make all of those choices. He went to bed thinking he’d be able to repair the relationships he broke, but wakes up with those relationships completely gone from his life. He finds out that it wasn’t just that night that broke the relationships, but the way he behaved when he wasn’t forgiven fast enough.

“I think there was something quite interesting to be said about how torturous reconciling our pasts can be when we’re trying hard to change our future.”

This line that Janovsky gives to Drew, Nolan’s best friend and love interest, about a murder mystery book is truly the heart of New Adult. Everyone makes mistakes, acts out of self centered desires, hurts the people they love. People are imperfect beings. Where the real harm comes is responding badly when told we’ve caused harm. In the years that Nolan doesn’t remember, he responded by lashing out publicly and using his comedy platform to hurt the people he felt wronged by. What Nolan gets, that none of us get in real life, is an opportunity to see the results of his choices from the perspective of not having lived them.

I really enjoyed Janovsky’s debut, Never Been Kissed, and I can see his growth as a writer from that book to this. For everything going on, and there is a lot, New Adult is tighter and written with more controlled chaos. Nolan’s awareness of the inexorability of time and loss make the relationships he rebuilds sweeter and more poignant.

CW: parental abandonment in past, family fights, public humiliation referenced, memory loss, parent with Alzheimer’s, parent with depression.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Carina Press and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

I really enjoyed this queer take on 13 Going On 30. The build up to the time jump dragged on just a little too long for me but once we made it past that I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book.

I loved Drew as the love interest. Romance loving love interests are just always so wonderful! Also, Nolan's growth and ability to better prioritize what matters was really well done. In the beginning he was a little annoying, but it also felt very true to a 23 year old who was still figuring things out.

Overall I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who has enjoyed Janovsky's previous works or just anyone looking for a cute and fun rom-com.

OH.MY.GOD (read in Janice's voice). This book was an absolute delight to read. My 13-going-on-30 loving heart is full & satisfied after reading this.

I knew what I was getting into, but after reading this, I realized it's so much better than my expectations. Nolan was one hell of a character. I loved his quirky self & the character development he had throughout.

Together, Drew & Nolan were the epitome of perfection. I loved their chemistry so much. Drew was a Saint & supportive as hell. Gahhh still can't get over them.

This was such a beautiful, whimsical read that I'll remember for days to come. A must read!

<i>Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>

Thanks NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC.

I wasn't entirely sure where this book was going, and to be honest the "awful person makes awful decisions" trope doesn't usually work for me, BUT I have enjoyed Timothy Janovsky's work previously, so was willing to give it a go.

Nolan desperately wants to make it in comedy, and he is also secretly in love with his best friend Drew, and he has a 5 year plan to make himself successful BEFORE he can do anything about his Drew situation. Nolan makes some pretty intense mistakes, hurts everyone around him, and then wishes he could prove to everyone that he was right. Except when we wakes up it's 7 years in the future, and his life is a Black Mirror version of what he thought he wanted, and now he has to unpick the mess he has made and see if he can find his way to happiness.

For me, the plot part of "waiting for a person to make terrible choices that you can see coming" is not enjoyable and the first part of this book was a slog for me (your milage may vary), but I also understand that it was part of laying the foundations for the redemption arc. I hadn't expected the "time travel into your own future" plot, so that was a fun surprise. And once we got into the redemption part of the arc, I really started to have fun. Nolan starts of as the kind of person who always just wants to talk things out, but what he REALLY means is "listen to me until you agree that I am right", and we get to watch him soften and grow empathy for those around him. I also loved the re-definition of success.

Solid story, good romance, satisfying ending. This is what I want in my romance.