This book was a delightful surprise! Reading the description I thought "there's no way this book can pull off all those genres and actually be GOOD" but it did! I was hooked within the first 10 pages!

The book follows the unnamed narrator as she becomes one of the very first "bridges" in the top secret Ministry of Time. Tasked with helping unsuspecting 'expats' (aka people who were unceremoniously plucked from the past and brought to the future) navigate their new lives in the modern day, the bridges live and work in close contact with their expat - in our narrators case, Graham Gore, a Naval sailor from the late 1800's. As the story progresses you learn about our narrator, Graham, the eclectic yet lovable other expats, and the mysterious players within (and without) the Ministry of Time, with a few unexpected twists along the way.

While the plot moves things along and dips into various genres while doing so, this is very much a character driven book. You're on a strictly need to know basis about a lot of the inner workings of the Ministry and the mechanisms of time-travel, which might be a bummer if you're hoping for a lot of plot and internal office politics. That's not to say that the plot isn't there! It is, and sometimes strikes when you least expect it! But if you (like me) are interested in the interpersonal relationships between characters, the larger implications of forcing someone to adapt and survive to impossible circumstances, how we can stand on opposite shores of oceans of grief, time, cultural differences, and societal expectations and still manage to connect somewhere in the middle - then you should definitely read this book!

Kaliane Bradley has crafted a thoughtful and funny (I did not expect it to be so funny!) tale that has a little bit of everything: found family (a la the Ghosts tv show), mysterious workplace intrigue (for fans of Severance, perhaps?), timey-wimey action and a whole lot of heart. Do not miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for this ARC. The premise of this book is lovely. The idea of taking persons from history who have already died and bringing them to the present was fantastic. Basing some of them on real people from history was also great. It really made it feel more real. However, that’s where my enjoyment ended. Our main character wasn’t fully realized enough to keep me interested in her, 1847 was the most fleshed out character and you could feel the authors love for him throughout the novel. Some parts were difficult to keep up with and the pacing was difficult at times.

While I wanted more from this book personally it may be a great fit for someone else. I really liked their characterization of Lt. Gore and would have loved to read a novel more focused on him with less time travel peril involved.

After seeing The Ministry of Time recommended by Julia Armfield, I had been eagerly anticipating the release, and I was not disappointed. It was quietly hilarious and so smart. The idea of blending nearly every genre seemed like it would be difficult and clunky, but Kaliane Bradley was able to pull it off seamlessly. I absolutely loved this and cannot wait to see what Bradley does next.

Ministry of time is a fun mix of genres. The characters and narrative arc were very compelling. It was a fun new angle to the time travel genre that I had not experienced before. I enjoyed the light romance. It was plot-driven with strong character development and just an overall adventurous and funny book. Well done.

I loved this! It was so weird. I highlighted a lot of similes just because they made me smile. For example, "[He] learned to peck at the keyboard with the elegance and speed of a badly burned amphibian." I mean, come on. That's great. One more: "He looked at me as if debating how much I would weigh if I were hundreds of beans poured in a bottle." Ha!

When I say this book is weird I mean it as a compliment. It was unpredictable, original, exciting, and a little confusing (in a good way). I read a lot of romance novels and I have never encountered characters falling in love like they do in this book. This book is part slow-burn romance, part thriller, part literary fiction. It is a wild ride. It is squad goals.

It also explores thorny questions about empire and power. It gets into the unnamed narrator's relationship to the British government as the daughter of a Cambodian refugee. We see the 21st century (including identity politics and climate change) through the eyes of characters from other centuries. While I laughed a lot, and even cried once, there are also some very serious and upsetting bits.

This was suggested to me because I liked The Impossible Us. It also made me think of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. I will also say that Graham Gore has the appeal of a Mr. Darcy type whereas our unnamed narrator is often giving unhinged horny Ali Wong meets Fleabag.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I enjoyed this fast paced time-travel novel. The premise was a bit different from others in the genre. The Ministry of Time is concerned with bringing people forward in time to be studied, making sure they adjust to modern times appropriately. The author does a good job of character development and readers are sure to find a favorite among the many time-travel refugees. There is humor, romance, and a lot of action. Recommended for light sci-fi readers who are looking for something a bit different.

It has been a very long time since a book has completely torn my heart out and left me weeping, but The Ministry of Time did just that.

I wanted to read this book for a very simple reason. Time travel resulting in people from the past trying to make sense of contemporary things is my favorite trope in fiction. I am endlessly amused by stories that involve this, and have been since I was very young.

What I didn't expect was to feel so incredibly strongly for a group of 4 people (3 of them from the pages of history) that being without them, now with the book finished, would feel like such an incredible loss.

It's February 6th as I write this. Some say it may be too early to name my favorite book of the year, but some would be wrong. This is she.

I was provided access to The Ministry of Time through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is very honest. This book comes out in May. You will NEED to read it.

I love time travel stories, so when I saw this description, I smashed that request button so hard. I was not disappointed. Kaliane Bradley fuses sci-fi, romance, comedy, thriller, and mystery genres, with a dash of workplace intrigue and historical fiction. This book has it all! Nascent time travel is exploring whether people can survive moving through time and whether this affects the space-time continuum. To do so, they expatriate people who historically died to our near future. One lucky civil servant is given a huge salary to become a "bridge" who assists one of the expats. The drama that unfolds is like nothing I've read before and left me pondering ideas about molding the future and inciting change.

I love this book--from the gorgeous retro cover to the incredible story inside! The Ministry of Time explores many avenues: time travel, identity, modern life, and self-expression, and it does it all so well.

What a debut! I can't wait to read more of Kaliane Bradley's work!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book left me reeling. I think that's a good thing?

The premise of a linguist becoming part of a government secret protect involving acclimating time travelers to the present was so intriguing. I had to request it as soon as I read the description. I'm glad I did.

This book had many things that I enjoy, time travel, fish out of water, and romance. What stood out the most though was the exploration of the main characters identity as a biracial individual navigating life in a predominantly white country (the UK). Her relationship with the one other POC was a juxtaposition that allowed us to see how the MC viewed her othered identity. There were so many moments when I became frustrated with the way she navigated her race and how she thought about the establishment she worked for.

The writing might not be for everyone but I found its simplicity perfect for a character who is very calculated.

I liked the MC at the beginning but by the end of it I was starting to dislike her, but that was the point. The author masterfully weaved a tale of identity for someone who is out of their time and another who comes from an immigrant parent.

The only complaint I have is a very charged sentence she used to describe dancing. It was very racially charged and I found it unnecessary. It took me out of the tale for a bit.

Overall this book left me thinking about it long past I had finished it. I believe that to be the mark of a good book.

Thanks netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A historical time travel novel (historical figures and future events) with a slow burn romance that just grabs you by the feels once that match takes.

My thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this e-book.

The Ministry of Time was a beautifully written, fresh and intriguing take on time travel, bureaucracy, oh, and <spoiler> total environmental collapse/the fall of society as we know it </spoiler>. Victorian propriety thrust into the 21st Century is something I never knew I needed and I realized early on this book is one that I will be thinking about for a long time.

I take issue with this book being classified as romance. It is speculative fiction, a time travel thriller, which happens to have elements of romance. There’s no definite <spoiler> happily ever after </spoiler> to be had, or at least not in a timeline the reader is privy to.

I had no idea until the afterword that Graham Gore was a real person and I’m not sure how I feel about this variety of speculative work being written about a person who actually existed.

Giving this book a spice rating feels inappropriate - it contains open door sex with euphemistic or vague language.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Despite finding the premise interesting and having read other time travel books, this one just did not work out for me.

I found the writing style and language tedious and oftentimes confusing. It was just overdone. The character development was really lacking for me, especially that of the narrator. There was also zero chemistry with the two main characters. I really struggled with the first half of the book as it was very slow and not much really happened. It picked up the second half, but ultimately, just didn't hold my interest.

This novel will sit with me for a while as I turn it over in my head. The premise immediately grabbed me and I quickly began to compare it to the book equivalent of the “imagine explaining Gaylors to a pilgrim” flavor of meme. It is funny, and after I got through the first bit, fast-paced while maintaining great tension. I loved the romance and sci-fi combination. The cast of characters, most importantly our leading man, are endearing and witty. I struggled at times with the narration — it felt dense and disorienting but I suspect a reread would allow me to focus more on the writing style, which was beautiful when I let myself appreciate it before hurrying along to find out what happens next. Overall, a wonderful debut that I will be recommending as soon as it’s published.

Also, I rewatched “The Holiday” right before starting this book, so I couldn’t help picturing dear Graham as a darker-haired Jude Law — would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for an ARC copy of “The Ministry of Time” in exchange for an honest review.

I needed this to be in different hands as it was conceptually wonderful but carried out incredibly poorly.

The Ministry of Time is a lot of things at once, as evidenced by the marketing byline: romance, space opera, work place drama. I think what it fails to convey (and therefore affected my overall impression) is that this is primarily a comedy. Coupled with the fact that this is written by a debut author, I found myself disappointed in the writing. I don't think this necessarily makes it a bad book, just a common case of a book being slightly over-hyped and therefore marketed towards the wrong audience. Not my cup of tea but I can see how it would appeal to readers of the genre.

I never wanted to stop reading this book, and I’ll definitely recommend this book, especially to people who like engaging and slightly suspenseful yet humorous novels.

*Received a free copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

What a great premise! I loved the idea of picking relatively unknown people from history and propelling them into the current day. The beginning of the story - seeing these people acclimate to the modern era - was great, if a little tedious and slow. The second half, where the action picked up, was less compelling and (oddly, given the entire premise) seemed contrived. I was invested enough in the characters to finish the book, but I left the second half thinking, "So what?"

What a weird little gem of a book. It was sweet, complicated, and, although I wish the ending was more fleshed out, gave me something deeper to think about. I.enjoyed it & can’t wait to see what else the author comes up with!

📕I was so right to be excited about this book. It’s a marvelous combination of romance, sci-fi, and dystopian fiction. Time travel? Check! Climate problems? Check! Smut? Check! Twist and turns that will make you go “whaaaatttt?”? Check!
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📗Civil servant was selected to be a chaperone of an expat. This expat was not like your usual one, coming from another country etc. He was coming from another time and civil servant had to make sure at the end of one year of chaperoning, this expat would be ready to live in the current time. Was it that simple though? Why did they even bring these expats in? Why only these people? What was the end game? At the end of this book, you are gonna have more questions than this civil servant (and I meant it in a good way)
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📘”Loyalty and obedience are fostered by stories. The Ministry and its satellites were staffed by people who believed they'd smoke one last jaunty cigarette in the eye of a gun. The truth was that we were shackled to the idea that the orders were good and the job was good. Keep calm is just another order like Shoot that man or Delete the rest. We carry on.”