I absolutely loved “Today, Tonight, Tomorrow” by Rachel Lynn Solomon. I finished the audiobook in 1 day, so when I saw a sequel on NetGalley I had to pick it up. “Past, Present, Future” picks up about 3 months after the first book where Rowan and Neil have had a wonderful summer dating after years of being rivals. Now it is time to embark on their next journey…college across the country, apart.

Solomon is a wonderful writer. I liked that themes of language and writing carried over from book one. This book is not a romcom like the first though so once I realized and set that thought aside I enjoyed the book more. It is deeper and more emotional. Rowan and Neil are good characters and even their faults are understandable for their age and the changes they are experiencing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would love a book three in a few years following their late 20’s maybe. This way you can see them in YA, New Adult and Adult books. I don’t know that I would put this book in my YA section. It is definitely more mature and I would consider it New Adult, which would place it in the Adult section of our library.

In the much requested sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow, Rowan and Neil discover what comes next after their happy for now. Their whirlwind summer together has ended and as they leave Seattle for college on the East Coast, Rowan and Neil are committed to making it work. With Rowan in Boston at Emerson and Neil in New York at NYU, they expect long distance to be a breeze. The year doesn’t go the way they expected, though, leaving Rowan and Neil to wonder if they are meant to be together after all.

Writing what comes next in a young adult romance after the Happy For Now ending seems like an almost impossible task to me. The readers who fell in love with Rowan and Neil in the first book won’t want to see their romance falter, but there wouldn’t be a need for a second book (and it would be extremely unrealistic) if they never faced any conflict. This sequel was poignant and hopeful at the same time, and felt true to both Rowan and Neil’s characters and how they would handle the many pressures of their freshman year of college.

One of my favorite moments of the book and of Rowan and Neil’s romance as a whole is the moment in Rowan’s letter to Neil at the end where she tells him that the best and most romantic parts happen after the happily ever after. Because these two feel so real to me, and I know that there’s a universe where they’re antagonizing each other forever and for always.

Recommended for YA romance readers but absolutely necessary to read Today Tonight Tomorrow first!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced copy to read and review. All opinions are my own. Past Present Future is out on June 4!

I had so much trepidation when opening up Past Present Future. Today Tonight Tomorrow is one of my all-time favorite YA romances. Neil and Rowan are in my Couple Hall of Fame. I was desperate to know how they were doing, but also slightly nervous about how they were doing.

My best advice is not to expect another Today Tonight Tomorrow. This is not that, and Past Present Future is better for it.  At first, I was sad the story didn't have the same vibes. However, I soon realized that it shouldn't. They have entered a new phase of life, with new challenges and new ways to grow. Neil and Rowan's story of young love and college life is remarkably realistic, and Solomon balances this beautifully.

You will laugh and smile, and your heart will hurt as you watch the couple navigate their budding romance while endeavoring to make friends, manage their classwork, and find their place in the world. There is so much more I want to say, but I might end up in a dangerous spoiler territory.

If you loved Today Tonight Tomorrow, Past Present Future is a must-read. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

this was such a lovely sequel to an all time fav! I loved Today, Tonight, Tomorrow and this sequel is such a different type of story as we see Rowan and Neil go off to college, hold on to a long distance relationship, while also coming to terms with years long hurts, discover new and terrifying emotions, relationships, and dreams.

this story focused so closely on the thoughts and feelings of Rowan and Neil which made it so beautiful and heartbreaking to read. this whole story felt so authentic to what going off to college is like— like a physical, emotional, and mental culture shock to the world. I wanted to give them both the biggest hugs and tell them it will all be ok. it deals with so much more than the difficulty of having a young and new long distance relationship; while that was a central part of the story it also wasn’t the only story which again was so authentic. new experiences, coming to terms with years old pain, finding community when at your loneliest— just some of the themes dealt with so carefully here.

overall, this story is so much more than just a romance sequel to what happened after the happily ever after for two college students having a long distance relationship. it’s a coming of age tribute to new adults figuring out how to do life in this big scary world; and an insight into how mental and emotional health requires intentional care especially in new phases of life. this story handles these themes with so much tender loving care, it was so beautiful to read. and of course I loved seeing Rowan and Neil’s happily ever after develop and strengthen into an even more amazing HEA 🩵

thank you for the arc :)

Let me just say that I almost DNF’ed this, but I’m glad I didn’t.

The first half of the book was really hard for me to read. I thought the story was being dragged out, and I almost thought that this sequel wasn’t 100% necessary. I enjoyed Neil and Rowan in Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, but watching their struggles through college wasn’t initially appealing to me.

I really think the last 40% saved this book for me. I was instantly more captivated, and didn’t want to stop reading. I was a little frustrated with the lack of communication between them, but I could also see why they were struggling with their communication, especially doing a long distance relationship. I enjoyed the dual pov as well. I think it really helped us, as the reader, understand Neil more with what he was going through. He frustrated me occasionally, but at the same time his thought process was very understandable.

I do want to mention that I enjoyed the character growth from Neil and Rowan. College is hard, especially the first year, so I really enjoyed that aspect of watching them learn who they are and who they want to be. I also want to say that I did really love all the new side characters that are introduced into Neil and Rowan’s life. Especially Skyler and Professor Miranda!!!

I somehow went from being a bit bored, to captivated, to crying at the end of this book. I <i>loved, loved, loved the last few chapters. I kept tearing up and smiling, and in the end I was so happy to see Rowan and Neil’s journey. It definitely wasn’t an easy one, but they put in the work and realized falling in love isn’t the only best part, but staying in love is too.

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review :)

“I never imagined I’d find my person in high school, but what if I did? How are you supposed to know if it’s worth clinging to with both hands and gritted teeth, heels dug into the dirt? Or are you supposed to let it go, knowing you might regret it for the rest of your life?”

Synopsis:
I love Rachel Lynn Solomon’s YA novels, and was a huge fan of Today Tonight Tomorrow. Rowan and Neil were classic enemies to lovers, academic rivals, one-sided pining tropes, and paired with an all-night forced proximity challenge, their love story was a chef’s kiss.

However, this sequel is not as cutesy as its predecessor. Past Present Future follows Rowan and Neil as they head off for college—Rowan at Emerson College in Boston and Neil at NYU in New York City. After a perfect summer romance, the two are nervous but confident as their relationship transitions to long distance, not only from each other, but from their families back in Seattle.

While TTT was full of high school shenanigans and midnight break-ins, PPF delves deeper into Rowan and Neil’s individual troubles, especially as they start the next chapter of their academic lives. While both are used to being the top of the class overachievers, each find college to be much more challenging. Rowan, a creative writing major, struggles to write love stories, her bread and butter, worrying that she can no longer pen a romance now that she’s in one. Neil, a lifelong linguistics lover, finds himself more drawn to psychology, which is just the tip of his identity crisis at NYU. Compounded with social struggles, roommate problems, and parental trauma, Rowan and Neil find it hard to find time for each other amidst their chaos.

As their freshman year progresses, both Rowan and Neil have to figure out their priorities and their identities away from each other. Can they survive four years of long distance? Can they even survive freshman year?

Thoughts (spoilers!):
I appreciated Solomon’s choice to take off the kid gloves with this novel and write about all the facets of the transition from high school to college. As a top of the class overachiever myself, I really connected to Neil’s struggle with feeling like a small fish in a big pond at NYU, and the identity crisis that came with that. And with Rowan, I connected deeply on her sudden inability to write anything worth reading.

When it came to Rowan and Neil’s relationship, I wanted more strife. Both were struggling so deeply in their personal lives, and from my experience, that is an incredibly hard thing to go through with a partner, even if you’re in the same city. My high school boyfriend and I broke up freshman year of college over the same struggles Rowan and Neil were facing, and we lived only five minutes apart. While I appreciated Solomon’s effort to show Neil’s depression and how that affected his and Rowan’s relationship and the third-act breakup, I almost wanted Rowan and Neil to not stay together by the end. Yes, they grew as a couple and came out stronger, but how realistic is that? Romcoms are meant to be idealized, but when the author takes the time to make every other aspect of freshman year authentic, it made me want to see the relationship fail as well. I can’t think of a single person I know who stayed with their high school significant other through college, whether they were long distance or not. I think I would have preferred the breakup, and an epilogue years later where they run into each other in Seattle or New York and have a coffee, with an ambiguous ending that lets the reader decide their happily ever after. But maybe I’m just being cynical.

Overall:
Despite my problems with Rowan and Neil’s relationship, I did enjoy this sequel, and would love to see Solomon write more new adult (college aged) novels in the future. I think this was the perfect blend of her character work in her YA novels with the mature themes of her adult romances, and I hope she continues to pursue similar stories.

Fans of Lynn Painter and Emery Lord’s YA novels will love Rowan and Neil in Today Tonight Tomorrow and Past Present Future. Recommended for ages 15 and up.

🌹Spoiler-Free Review
🌹Title & Author: Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon
🌹Genre: Coming-of-Age, YA Fiction, New Adult Fiction, Romance
🌹Review:
Past Present Future is the sequel to Rachel Lynn Solomon’s beloved novel, Today Tonight Tomorrow. Solomon brings back our favorite enemies-to-lovers couple, Neil and Rowan, for the next chapter in their story. Rowan and Neil are now in college and navigating their budding relationship from their respective cities of Boston and New York.

Past Present Future carries a slightly more serious/ mature tone to it than its predecessor, which feels like a natural and appropriate evolution as the main characters continue to grow.

As a life-long New Englander who attended college in Boston, I appreciate the way the author portrays the experience of attending a city-campus college. It is not an easy task to capture the unique aspects of trying to find your place in a new school, and maneuvering the nuances of city living at the same time. Solomon paints an accurate and emotional portrait of life as a college student in both the New York and Boston settings—a paradox of observing a sense of community, but also feeling loneliness at the same time.

More than anything, the way Past Present Future explores Neil and Rowan’s growth separately feels realistic and authentic to the experience of being in a long distance relationship. The themes surrounding exploration of one’s mental health and coming into one’s true identity are so important, and are also integral parts of making a relationship work. Solomon’s focus on these facets of the characters’ individual stories feels organic and makes sense in the larger context of Neil and Rowan’s relationship as a couple.

Accompanying Rowan and Neil on their new journey, there is a wonderful, new cast of characters and friends that add great depth and support to the story.

For fans of Today Tonight Tomorrow, I highly recommend reading this next part of the McNair/ Roth duo’s story. Thank you to Rachel Lynn Solomon, NetGalley, and Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read this copy in advance.

🌹TW: mental health struggles, alcoholism, open door scenes
#netgalley #simonandschuster #rachellynnsolomon #YA #newadult #arcreaders #bookreviews #mentalhealthawareness #bookrecommendations

Seeing jettisoned from Rowan and Neil out of cocoon of high school HEA to life in college is really great. They both get to experience adult situations and all the big feelings that come with new surroundings, new people, and new experiences. The supporting cast at the respective colleges are both excellent, and I'd definitely read a Skyler or Kait romcom. (What if they met?!) I like that there are far more mature emotions and ways of dealing with those emotions in this book, and both characters seem to deal with issues in very frank ways, the way actual college kids must be dealing with these days. (Am I old yet?)

Overall, I didn't looooove this the way I loved the first book, which was light and fun and silly, but the emotional growing up both characters did was well done and I think true to their stories.

Full disclosure: I had fully planned to buy this for my school's library, but there are some very spicy scenes and now I'm not too sure. Because it's way more new adult than young adult, I'm still grappling with the decision to put in on the shelves.

I was skeptical going into this one because it's hard to write a follow-up to a well-beloved book, but I went for it anyway. Some of my fears for this book did come true, but some of the things I went in looking for were also there so maybe they even each other out.

I was scared that losing the tension from Neil and Rowan getting together would make this book slower and more drawn out than TTT. I was right. The pace was slow and often felt like things were dragging. And since the characters were in different locations, we got a lot of side character/friend action when all I really wanted was more Neil/Rowan goodness. It was fine and I guess phones were invented for a reason, but I still wish they could have been in the same location.

On the other hand, I hoped to see some really cute moments between my two favorite people and I got them. These were moments that I never would have gotten in TTT because there wasn't enough room for them. We got to see more growth from the characters individually and as a couple. I also loved getting Neil's pov in this one. It solidified my love for this blushy, linguistics-loving man.

Go into this with a grain of salt, I would say. Know there are cute moments, but a good book doesn't come without conflict and distance is a big one here.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I had mixed feelings when I heard Rachel Lynn Solomon was releasing a follow-up to Today Tonight Tomorrow. On the one hand, I loved the first book, so I’d love more of those characters, but that story was so perfect the way it was, I can’t see how it could believably be expanded upon. But with Past Present Future, she proved me wrong for the most part. While there are some moments that did feel like filler, I for the most part liked how Solomon expanded on her characters and their relationship.
With it having been a while since I read the first book, I enjoyed getting to know Rowan and Neil again, and loved picking up on the little things I liked about them the first time around, especially Rowan’s love for romance novels. And with them both going off to different colleges, I liked that each had their own arc. Neil’s journey with his mental health was particularly moving, although Rowan coming into her own as a budding novelist also really spoke to me.
While a long-distance relationship can be hard to pull off, I mostly enjoyed how Solomon pulled it off. I loved the text conversations, phone calls, and those fleeting visits on weekends, and how they challenged the budding romance. The high stakes came from whether they’d make it with the distance, and I was very happy with how things turned out.
This was an enjoyable continuation, and I’d recommend it to readers of the first book who are open to reading more from these characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this title!

Today Tonight Tomorrow is one of my favorite YA romances and I recommend it to students all the time--needless to say, I was thrilled to get to read the sequel in advance! As a reader, I really enjoyed the book and seeing how Rowan and Neil's story progressed. I did miss the banter and playfulness of TTT, but definitely appreciated the way more serious issues were addressed. I think the way both characters grow apart and together is a wonderful story for older teens for whom the next stage of life is near to read and see themselves in.

Now, as an educator, I have one major issue with the book, which is the same as the issue I had with Check and Mate by Ali Hazelwood. The book is marketed as YA and toward teens age 14 and up, but has a few sex scenes where the level of detail is more in line with adult romances. I have no issue with YA books including sex, as that is something many teens navigate, but as I read this I thought to myself that a parent could raise a ruckus over those scenes and have a fair point. Some younger teen readers also aren't quite ready for that level of description, which is okay and I don't love that in many newer YA books, they might be taken by surprise.

But overall, this is a lovely story with characters you can't help but root for! It has great mental illness representation and I think older teen readers will connect with it in a powerful way.

What a beautiful follow-up to Rowan and Neil's adventure in Today Tonight Tomorrow. I really loved exploring new cities with these two lovebirds. As someone who went through something very similar (high school sweethearts turned long distance by college) I related to what Rowan and Neil were struggling with. I found it refreshing how the couple handles their issues and, even though Neil keeps things from Rowan, their communication is top notch. Past Present Future doesn't have any of the excitement of the its predecessor, but rather explores the depth of Rowan and Neil's love and how dedicated they are to making their relationship work long-distance. Some scenes were hard to read because they hit so close to home. The way Neil talks about Rowan will never cease to make me blush. You don't technically need to read the first book in order to read this one, but I highly recommend it. I have rated this book a 3.5 (4 stars rounded up for GoodReads) and thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Today Tonight Tomorrow is one of my favorite YA reads so like many others leaving reviews, I was extremely excited to get a digital ARC to review from netgalley! There just aren't very many books that take place in that first year of college where you are learning to let go of the person you were and make space for who are you becoming so that's another factor that made me look forward to diving in to the sequel. Without giving anything away, Solomon does a good job of keeping the stakes high, but satisfying those of us who are reading for romance. Pulling back a few more layers of the personality onions on two beloved characters made for a richer reading experience as well. There were a few conflicts that came across as a bit surface level and could have quicker real-world solutions & knowing her other books well, I was surprised we didn't get more complexity at times. Given the reality of mental health struggles, especially in this age group, I'm really grateful to see it addressed & some of the consequences/cries for help. A solid sequel and I'll of course read whatever Rachel puts on the shelves in the future!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an arc of this book.

Rachel Lynn Solomon, you are simply the best!

Today Tonight Tomorrow is my favorite romance of all time, and so I was honestly so anxious when this book was announced because my expectations for a sequel were so high. And yet, Solomon reached them all and went beyond.

I always think about the future of characters in a YA novel, especially ones like these, where they go to different schools for college. Solomon captures all the emotions of growing up and finding yourself in your first year of college while also capturing how much love these characters have for each other. Neil and Rowan are deeply in love and emotionally finding themselves in new cities with new friends and experiences.

The choices Rowan and Neil have to make for themselves are so well-written that I can't even imagine another future for them now. Neil especially has a really important emotional journey in this book, and getting his POV for the first time was fantastic. His voice has always been one I've been desperate for, and Solomon slayed it, making him distinct from Rowan and also distinctly unique in the ways I loved him in the first book.

I related to Neil's experience of college so much: making friends and finding your place is hard. Rowan's journey of developing a better sense of her worth outside of academia was also brilliant because that can be incredibly difficult, especially in the arts.

Solomon's way of making me love a city and a place from her writing is so unique. I grew to love Seattle before I ever went from her books and now I love Boston and NYC, both places I've never been, because she makes her characters love the places they are.

Please never stop writing, Rachel, because I'll never stop reading!

3.5 stars
thank you to simon & schuster and netgalley for the ARC.

i don't even know where to begin. if you know anything about me, today tonight tomorrow is one of my favorite books. i first read it when i was applying to colleges and i remember i deeply related to rowan's feelings on growing up. while i knew nothing can top the first book for me, i was excited to read the sequel if only to continue rowan & neil's story.

this book builds upon the first book.solomon digs deeper into each character with a dual POV (!) and i feel as if i really got to know each one on a more personal level. there really wasn't a big plot in the book, it felt more slice-of-life or a movie montage but it worked in its favor. there's a lot of introspective narration and the life lessons did feel heavy-handed at times, but it added to the story of rowan & neil maturing as they experience life as adults

i think fans who were wanting to know more about rowan & neil would want to pick this up, so long as they don't mind the heavy-handed narration. would recommend, i love rowan & neil!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Tonally, this is a very different book to the first one. We touch on mores serious and emotional themes as Neil and Rowan are faced with the challenges of their first year away at different colleges. This content could be very heavy at times, and I did miss the fun and adventurous nature of the first book. Although, it was an authentic and realistic experience that many college students go through- it was just not what I was expecting in a today tonight tomorrow sequel.

Overall, while this was not the perfect book for me, it was easy to fly through, the writing was even stronger in this sequel, and I am grateful to have been able to see neilrowan one more time.

Past Present Future follows Rowan and Neil. They are now attending colleges in different states and maintaining a long distance relationship. Rowan is in Boston while Neil is in New York. They are working on navigation lives as college students, building new friendship and getting to know one another in a deeper level.

Their stories are told in dual point of views. Readers are able to experience the lows and highs that come with young adulthood and discovering oneself. Neil deals with his past while Rowan finds her voice. Solomon navigates long distance relationships in a realistic manner reminding me of the year and a half my husband did long distance.

This is one sequel you will want to read!

As someone who loves Today Tonight Tomorrow, I was okay with not having a sequel to one of my favorite books, but I'm definitely thankful that Rachel Lynn Solomon decided to continue Rowan and Neil's story!

This was the perfect and realistic continuation of their journey as them embark on their freshman year of college in a long distance relationship. It brought me back to my college years as you are trying to fit in and make friends, figuring out who you are and what you want to do with your life, and trying to make a relationship work with the person you love, despite the difference and changes you are facing. I related a lot to Neil, because like him I was so sure I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life since I was a tween, and then when I got to college and started exploring new possibilities, I had to figure out if that dream career was still what I wanted.

I love that Rachel has never shied away in her books from her characters having discussions and situations with their mental health, something that Rowan and Neil both experience. And of course I loved having the Jewish representation from these characters. I loved the epilogue and I felt that this was a great way to end their story, but of course if Rachel wants to revisit them again in the future, I'll gladly read it!

When approved for Rachel Lynn Solomon's latest novel, Past Present Future, I scrambled for the first of this duology, Today Tonight Tomorrow, which I'd somehow missed during the pandemic. I'm so glad to have found both.  I love that I could read them back to back to avoid forgetting the characters.  This one is not all lighthearted and daisies, but dealing with the heaviness is an important part of some relationships. Fast, easy read.  I swooped through them both in a single (rainy) day!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for this ARC, I unfortunately didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I LOVED Today Tonight Tomorrow but this sequel just wasn't meant to be. There was seriously no point for this book but maybe other people wanted it. This book was a really unique aspect which is why I rated it high. I liked the way the characters evolved from the beginning to the end as well as the unique plot lines the characters were experiencing with going to college and doing long distance. I enjoyed the internal conflicts as well as external conflicts the main characters were going through to become who they are at the end.

I did enjoy this book, I think it was just the amount of time between Today Tonight Tomorrow and Past Present Future caught me off guard because I forgot some of the characters names. But overall, such a great story. 4.5! :)