Totally intriguing premise re: Sensory Time Warp Syndrome! An accessible and well-written story about diaspora and intergenerational hauntings.

I loved this book. I didn't realise how much I was going to love it and it ended up being my favourite of the month. It's hard to find a book that represents kdramas well but this was just perfection!!!!

The main character was written so well, the entire premise was cool, literally couldn't love it more.

Cannot wait to read more by the author.

I really loved the approach to time travel in this - I thought it was completely fascinating, the idea that you can be transported back to a memory by certain scents. This was really easy to read, and I really liked Aimee as a main character, and it was quite emotional watching her and her dad learn to communicate with each other and understand each other. Overall this was really sweet, I just think the ending felt a little rushed.

Sensory Time Warp Syndrome: a rare condition in which one of the five senses triggers the individual to time travel to a specific moment in time linked to the trigger. For Aimee Roh, that trigger is smell. When she disappears for nine hours—the longest she’s ever been gone—into a memory that doesn’t line up with what she’s always remembered, Aimee travels to Korea in search of her estranged mother. As she searches, she finds herself reconnecting with her past in an unexpected way.

I love me some good speculative fiction and this book did not disappoint! The world building is masterfully done, utilizing new characters or certain situations in order to explain how STWS works in a way that feels completely natural. Not only are we able to see how the condition works, but we also see the fallout that comes afterward and the stigma behind it, as with any other condition that people don’t understand.

While we are treated to an adorable budding romance subplot between Aimee and Junho, it never overshadows the journey she is taking to understanding herself, her condition, and her identity. In addition to Junho, other side characters like Aimee’s father and her best friend Nikita are incredibly nuanced and have their own things going on apart from Aimee and, while we don’t see a ton of them, they never feel like they have fallen to the wayside.

Though the story centers around a fictional condition, the journey that is taken is one that I’m sure many people will be able to relate to. This story plays with the idea of memory in a way that we all forget from time to time and really dives deep into how your feelings, particularly grief and loss, can affect how you remember things. Suk tackles a lot of tough emotions with compassion and care and I think a lot of readers will find a way to connect to Aimee’s journey.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

“I guess that’s how memories are, even for someone like me who can go back and visit pieces of them. Some you hold on to tight, some you lose to time. Some you find again in the present in a new and different way.”

Thank you to Harper360YA for an early copy of this book.

Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she'll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee's fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life. When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom--a moment Aimee has never remembered before--she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn't match up with the story of how her mom left--at least, not the version she's always heard from her dad. Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she'll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.

Aimee is quite a reserved person. Her condition makes her quite the outsider, forcing her out of time in various situations and she can do nothing to stop it. I do like that she tries not to allow her episodes to take over her life, even if she is more cautious. She doesn’t have many relationships with people but the bonds she does make are strong which is lovely to see. Aimee goes on quite the journey over the course of the book, literally in fact as she searches for her mum. I think she was an interesting character to read about and I felt I could resonate with her across the book.

Seeing this as a book marketed towards fans of You’ve Reached Sam, I knew I needed to pick it up - so I was very happy to receive an early copy! The plot was certainly interesting - people have the ability to travel back in time to witness memories but can’t change anything? That’s certainly not something I’ve heard about before. I think the overall flow was very good, keeping the book engaging despite some heavier topics - like grief. I did manage to read this in only a few sittings because the story went by so quickly (in a good way). There wasn’t a huge host of characters in this book and for a few of them, I do wish we got to know them more considering how they helped move Aimee’s journey onwards. I like getting to know characters in any way possible to help a story feel more realistic. Personally, I think a little more could have been done. There was an element of romance to this story but many times it felt more like a wonderful friendship over romantic feelings. There was certainly a pull between characters but I think I liked that it appeared to be more platonic overall. The ending felt like a nice conclusion to all the events. Not a perfect ending but I think that’s what makes it just right.

Overall, The Space Between Here & Now is a lovely story about managing grief in different ways.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Harper360YA for an early copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on 22nd January.

Thanks to Frenzy Reads for an ARC! This is a really fun premise, a little fantastical while still being set in our real world.

It's such a wonderful group of characters and there's a beautiful, complicated father-daughter relationship that delves into all the messy, tense, awkward, loving, and painful moments that can make up such a relationship. I really enjoyed the family drama here, plus the mystery aspects which added some surprises to the plot.

For 17-year-old Aimee Roh, time travel isn’t a science fiction trope or a fun theory; she has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome (STWS), a rare condition that causes her to disappear from her present and appear as a ghost in a memory from her past. For her, the disappearances are triggered by smell – a stranger’s perfume pulls her back to a scene from her childhood, before her mother disappeared from her life; the scent of glue brings her to the moment when Aimee met her best friend in elementary school. Now, in her senior year of high school, the disappearances are occurring in greater frequency and for longer periods, and Aimee’s father refuses to take her to a specialist, insisting she will grow out of the condition. Since many of the recently-triggered memories feature her mother, Aimee travels to South Korea in search of her, hoping that, by gaining closure about her mother’s abandonment of her, she can gain some control over her life. A thoughtful and original story, The Space Between Here and Now will particularly appeal to teen readers who have had to navigate a life-changing event or condition and are looking for some inspiration to move forward.

Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she’ll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee’s fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life.

I love YA Sci-Fi books!!!! This book was fast and so easy to read and that made me absolutely devour it in one sitting.

I liked Aimee as a main character and I felt sorry for her throughout the whole story because you could see she felt all alone. Her eventually finding her feet and people who understand what she was going through and helping her not feel alone was so heartwarming!

I rated this 4 stars!

Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome and the syndrome is getting worse. In attempts to get to the bottom of why she has the syndrome Aimee will try and find her mother, hoping she has all the answers. The Space Between Here and Now explores grief, expectation, and family ties. Aimee struggles with her mom's absence and her father's refusal to get her help with her syndrome. The syndrome itself is an interesting concept and one that explores memories and truth.

I received an e-galley of The Space Between Here and Now by Sarah Suk from Frenzy Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this fantasy contemporary novel, Aimee has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to go back in time to a memory when she smells something in relation to that memory. She has no control over what the smell might be that triggers this or how long she stays in that memory and disappears from the "present." As she struggles with this condition, she also faces the challenges of getting support and acknowledgement from her father while also living with the fact that her mom left. When she disappears for nine hours, the longest disappearance yet, she is certain that learning the truth about her mom will give her the answers she needs. She travels to Korea and begins to find out secrets of her family and find a way to make sense of the past to be able to live in the present.

I really enjoyed reading The Space Between Here and Now. It made me feel so much sorrow and heartache for Aimee as she returned to her memories and felt new grief as she discovered answers to questions she's had all her life. It was such a powerful story about family, memories, and painful truths.

Aimee Roh suffers from STWS (Sensory Time Warp Syndrome) which causes her to time travel back to past memories when she smells familiar scents. The episodes are starting to ramp up, and she's heard horror stories of others getting caught in memory loops and never returning. Aimee's dad is convinced she will grow out of it. Aimee is beginning to question if there's more to the story of her mom leaving the family because she was unhappy. Did her mom also have STWS? Is she stuck out there somewhere? Aimee plans a trip to Korea to find her mom's side of the family and find answers.

This one was very intriguing! Being told in first person, it definitely focused more on the emotion and family dynamics moreso than the sci-fi action. I loved it, though! There were still high stakes moments and the sci-fi dynamic was explained, even if all of the elements didn't completely make sense. This was a story you could suspend your disbelief long enough to appreciate the storyline. There are great conversations about family, distance, communication, love, and loneliness. Aimee is a senior about to embark on her college career leaving home and friends for the first time, so there is also great conversation there. The inclusion of Korean culture was so authentically and naturally done. Korean phrases were naturally translated and there were many mentions of Korean cities, markets, parks, and street food. There are stellar elements that come together to create a solid story. It will appeal more to realistic fiction readers who want to branch out to a little taste of sci-fi more than die hard sci-fi fans. I'm glad I gave this one a try!


Note for librarians/teachers/parents -
This one reads like classic YA in that it's very innocent and could be for even younger readers. There are a few mature words (ugly-ass, "don't give a shit," damn, etc.) and one innocent kiss. I loved that it felt younger like true YA... I'd feel comfortable giving this to 7th graders and up.

This was such a beautifully written and really clever concept for a novel. I really enjoyed reading it, and how it covered topics like intergenerational issues. Such a great read!

Loved loved loved this book. Not only does it cover inter generational issues, but I think it also does a great job with time travel and explaining time loops. I think the storyline about grief and loneliness were also well done at highlighting isolation during difficult times. And loved loved loved the mini romance… super cute and look forward to reading more of the authors work!

Beautifully written, truly unique concept. I loved this book. Sarah Suk is a favorite of mine and so excited that she surprised us with a very different book from the ones in her past. Highly recommend.

This was heart-wrenching and both so cute and also so sad. like i was kicking my feet giggling but also shaking screaming crying. anyway definitely mandatory reading for asian daughters who have complicated relationships with their fathers. i found the voice a little hard to get into, but that hurdle fades quickly in light of the emotions the words hold.

the use of a time travel disease to explore a past is soooo,,,, sarah suk does it in a way you absolutely Do Not Expect, and i think it is my actual favourite thing ever. go read this rn

Thank you to NG and HC for a free review copy, all opinions are my own.

This book was heart wrenching but at the same time heart warming. Aimee not only has Sensory Time Wrap Syndrome, but shes going to be graduating from high school and planning to move across the country, and she has a fragile relationship with her dad.

She wants a change in her life and wants to find out more about her mom that abandoned her family, and the only way to do that is to buy a ticket to South Korea and try and find her mom.

The truth of her mom, the way she learns more than she ever knew about her history and her disability, the way she grows, it is honestly such a great book.

My favourite scene is <spoiler>when Aimee comes out of the time wrap at the beach in Korea and her and her dad make up and finally talk things out. Made me almost cry.</spoiler>

This is a great story, and I am excited to see what Sarah Suk has planned for her future books.

Just wow. I read this in one sitting. A very different "time travel' type of story. Intriguing to say the least. The anguish and pain that Aimee goes through each time she disappears into a memory comes across on the page. The stifled relationship between her and her father...oof. Open communication between parent and chid comes through on the page (don't want to say more because of spoilers). This was an intriguing phenomena, STWS. No medical explanation, no reason why one person is afflicted and others aren't. I think readers will enjoy this book. I honestly didn't see what happened with the mother; I truly thought it was going to go a different route. I thought I had it figured out early on in the story, but wow, was I wrong.

“Two minutes is not nothing. In that time, you can make a cup of tea. Meet the love of your life.” 🫖

How do you go about living your daily life when the slightest scent can transport you back in time? Yanking you out of the present and making you a bystander in your own memory? That is exactly what 17 year old Aimee lives with every day - as well as the countless other individuals suffering from Sensory Time Warp Syndrome.

⏳Time Travel
🫶 Family
📜 Complicated History
🏫 Coming of Age
✈️ Adventure
♥️ Love
🧬 Genetic Disorder

The Space Between Here and Now by Sarah Suk is one of the most fantastically unique storylines I have ever read! 10/10 recommend! 📚

Thank you so much Quill Tree Books, StoryGram Tours & Epic Reads for the gifted copy!

Sensory Time Warp Syndrome is a rare condition that causes people to disappear back into their past. Aimee has dealt with STWS since she was a kid but now in high school, the disappearances have become more frequent and she's desperate for help. After being stuck for nine hours in the memory of when her mom left, she decides to go to Korea to see if she can find out the truth about her mom. Aimee's trip to Korea brings her back to the time when she visited as a kid and she stays with her Aunt and meets her old friend Junho as she tries to find out more about her mom's time in Korea as well as her grandparents. Overall, an interesting story about a girl trying to understand her past and trying to move forward. The relationships between all the characters were complicated but understandable and the author did a good job of showing how they changed, as well as their motivations.

This was a very fun (clean) YA! Sensory time warp syndrome made for a very interesting plot, and I am glad that the book did not center on being stuck in a time loop — I always get a little sick of those books. This book is full of family and friends and their dynamics. Every side character was enjoyable. I would have liked to see Aimee have more time with Goma and Nikita, but I’m not complaining.

The rich descriptions of Korea (particularly, the food) was one of my favorite aspects. This is definitely not a book to read on an empty stomach! My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed and didn’t tie up as nicely as I had wished.

4⭐️