Cute, I love Rowan & Neil, enjoyed the Boston/NYC setting, and thought it was fun to follow them to college with their college level problems ☺️

DNFing

This is not giving me the same vibes and I love the first book so much, that I'm scared this will ruin it a little bit for me. Maybe I'll try again someday.

As a YA romance reader, I have always dreamt of my favourite couples getting a sequel. A little check in, just to make sure they’re doing okay. And I am so, so thrilled Rachel Lynn Solomon was able to do that with Rowan and Neil.

I took my time with Past Present Future, knowing that even now, I wasn’t ready to be done with these two. RLS puts them through it, in a way that feels incredibly authentic and emotionally vulnerable. She makes them WORK for it - not only for their relationship, but with their identities away from Seattle and the confines of their high school.

The end is absolutely perfect. I sobbed my way through the final few chapters, as expected, and am so pleased to have been on this journey with them. Thank you for this book, Rachel. You did them both, and yourself, justice! 🤍

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for this e-ARC of Past Present Future in exchange for an honest review. I really adored Today, Tonight, Tomorrow and when this book was first announced, I found it unnecessary since I really enjoyed the way we left off with the first book. That being said, I still hold the same sentiment after finishing this book. Don't get me wrong: I find Rowan and Neil precious and I love them, but I think the beauty of a lot of great things is that there's something left to the imagination. I did not really find this story necessary and that overall contributed to my experience reading it, which was simply that it was an okay continuation to a great story.

Past Present Future follows Rowan and Neil after their graduation! They're heading off to college, two different colleges and embarking on a long distance relationship. Because their relationship is so new, there’s fears and anxieties surrounding how they’ll make it work and how they’ll find their places in their new and exciting college lives.

3.5 ⭐️
This was cute! I liked reading about Rowan and Neil’s relationship again. This is a bit slower than the first book, the beginning and middle basically follow them at their colleges, trying to fit in, make their own way and maintain their new relationship. It was a tad boring. One aspect of Solomon’s books I always love is how she seamlessly integrates more serious topics into a sweet and lovely love story. In this case, Neil’s mental health starts to suffer, and this, along with so many other topics in this book like young love, trying to make friends, finding your place at college and in the world, dealing with your family and their opinions, choosing your major, and even more, are so relatable. I enjoyed that aspect of the story, how much I could personally relate to what the characters were going through. For Rowan, dealing with finding friends and being successful academically was also interesting to read about. I liked how Rowan and Neil handled their relationship and how the story ended. I don’t exactly know if this was a story that needed to be continued and told… but I did enjoy it. It’s a sweet read but missing the magic of the first book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review. If you enjoyed the first book, you’ll enjoy this too!

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for allowing me to read an ARC (through NetGalley) in exchange for a review.

I had been eagerly waiting to get my hands on this book. I loved (still love) T3, but always wondered how Neil and Rowan's relationship would evolve and grow. This book certainly provided answers. I loved the depth of it all, and as a freshman in college myself (or sophomore now, I guess), what the MCs were going through felt very real. I will say that it did feel a bit too heavy at times. While I was able and wanted to read T3 in one sitting, I felt the need to take breaks with this one. Even then, this epilogue-novel was a treat to read as a Roth-McNair shipper. Their relationship felt so much more honest and raw, and by the end of the book, I was convinced these two would last forever. If you loved T3, this one's for you!

ARC REVIEW
🌟🌟🌟🌟.25/5

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon!

It was so great to step back into Rowan & Neil’s world one more time with the follow-up to Today Tonight Tomorrow, which i gave 5 stars just a few years ago. Past Present Future was a wonderful, heartbreaking and realistic next step for these two characters i hold so near and dear to me.

Long-distance relationships are never easy but Rowan and Neil love each other so deeply that they put their own feelings and emotions on the back burner to not burden the other. Their relationship becomes very real and raw (and spicy) very quickly as the reality of college, long-distance, and discovering both the good and bad parts of yourself can take a big toll on any relationship.

I loved having a dual point of view this time around, it made not only connecting with both of the MCs a lot easier, but also understanding their motives and emotions.

What brought this read down to a 4.25/5 stars was something I can’t spoil (and wouldn’t) but it’s not my favourite way third acts can go. And I found that the third act seemed a bit rushed and I was left having a few questions about things that happened or characters we stopped hearing about (Skylar I will always love you <3).

Overall, Rachel Lynn Solomon once again knows just the right ways to tear apart your heart and then sew it right back up again.

Check out Past Present Future when it releases on June 4, 2024 🚏

I don't even think I can properly put into words what this book means to me... so this whole review might just be me rambling. It's so rare that we get a second book that's about what happens after the "happily ever after" and that makes this book feel really special. Reading about Neil and Rowan going to college was so wonderful, and a huge part of that was that their first year of college experience wasn't perfect like they thought. Reading these characters I've been so in love with since 2020 rediscover themselves both as a couple and individually made me happier than I could fully explain. Nothing in the real world is 100 percent happy and perfect all the time and things we think we're always certain of can suddenly make us feel unsure in new situations and that's what this book showed us while still feeling optimistic throughout.

Such a big change after leaving a familiar world the two had been in for many years doesn't come without challenges, and the expectations they went into college with don't match up with the reality they have. I appreciates that while their families were in the story the majority of solving the things that came up were left to rowan and Neil to figure out with some help from new friends and professors.
It was so interesting to see Rowan struggle with writing once it becomes something that's not just for her but for other people to read as well. Struggling with something she's had no problems with before definitely lead to a lot of overthinking but she really couldn't have asked for a better college professor to have for her first year writing. On top of figuring out her writing Rowan also begins to figure out that her relationship with Neil ins't within the walls of a romance book anymore and in the unknown of what comes after an HEA. I loved reading about her figuring out how to navigate all the unknown she deals with while away from everything she's always known.

And Neil, having is POV was so special and reading his side of the story was incredible. The way Rachel wrote about Neil's mental health was so well done and was something so relatable the only way I can put it is that it was comforting to reading about. I so dearly wish I could reach into the book and give Neil a hug, he went through so much while trying to keep it to himself to not burden the people he loves. The character growth he had was excellent, especially with how he dealt with his dad as well as learning to truly let people in. Also, Neil struggling with his major and finding new interest was something that just seemed so realistic which was nice to see.

I wasn't sure what to expect with Neil and Rowan living in different cities and having to do long distance but it worked so well. I think I liked it better than I would've if they had been at the same place since it helped let them figure themselves out as individuals while still having a great relationship. Seeing them figure out how to navigate the pressure they seemed to put on their relationship after high school and while apart lead to some great character growth. And seeing the little recreations of past memories that had brought them together originally was adorable and such a special touch, especially the note Neil left in the sweater for Rowan.

Even though this book kind of felt like one long epilogue for T3, the actual epilogue made me feel hopeful while appreciating that it was left slightly open ended and not just a usual "they got married and lived happily ever after." I couldn't have asked for a better story. Rachel, thank you so much for giving us more Neil and Rowan... this is exactly the story I needed.

and Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the digital arc!

What an amazing sequel to Today, Tonight Tomorrow! This is my first 5 star book of 2024. I absolutely adored the first book, but I might like this one even more? T3 was a joyous, enemies-to-lovers romp that made me feel all the ups and downs of first love. With Past Present Future, Rachel Lynn Solomon decides to return to Niall and Rowan's story and explore what happens after their "happily ever after". In this book, Niall and Rowan have graduated and are off to their respective dream universities. They start their post-secondary lives brimming with hope and excitment, but they are soon met with the difficulties of being in a long distance relationship and the doubts of whether they have each chosen the correct academic path. Before they were a couple in high school, they were also academic rivals that continually pushed each other to be their best selves. Now, they must re-evaluate how they can continue supporting each other while also learning how to stand on their own.

Told in dual POV, we alternate between Rowan's life at Emerson College, and Niall's at NYU. A danger with books written in dual POV is that sometimes, one character's chapters are much more engaging than the other's, but I enjoyed both characters' POVs equally here. I also felt that the pacing of the book worked really well and captivated my attention throughout.

I don't think we get enough books in the young adult category that explore the concept of staying in love as opposed to falling in love, so I'm so glad this book approaches these characters' experience with so much nuance, tenderness and heart. University life exposes deep insecurities for both our characters. Rowan continues to struggle with her romance writing, while Niall is forced to confront the childhood trauma inflicted by his father's abuse. They try their best to communicate, but they are both worried about overburderning the other with their troubles, which leads to conflict and doubt within their relationship. None of this conflict is exaggerated or over-dramatic. Rather, I appreciated the realistic struggle that Rowan and Niall face due to their care and love for each other. I teared up when a certain decision was made by one of the characters, and then cried again when the conflict was resolved. <3 Ultimately, I felt that the ending was super satisfying and came full circle in multiple ways! Rowan and Niall are definitely going to live on as one of my favourite fictional couples.

I would also like to note that while not a huge focus of the book, Jewish identity, particularly in Niall's story, is part of the story once again!

I love this book with all my heart and I can't wait to recommend it to all of my students. Not only can I continue telling them how much I love the first book, now I can even say that the sequel is even better!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the preview copy in exchange for an honest review.

As an old person who struggles with YA romance, this duology is so good and so well done!!!!! My only quibble with it is absolutely not a Rachel Lynn Solomon thing, it's a me thing. I feel like when I was 18/19 I was NOT such a fully-formed person, and Rowan and Neil are like real people. Good for them, LOL.

Anyway - this made me tear up and stay up past my bedtime, which means automatic 5 stars!!!

I couldn't get enough of this bonus book featuring more of my two favorite nerds, Rowan and Neil!! They finally got together at the end of Today tonight tomorrow and in this book we get to see what their life apart is like as they start college in different cities - Neil in New York and Rowan in Boston.

The book does a great job exploring the challenges of trying to find yourself in a new place, making new friends and the ups and downs of long distance relationships. Highlights for me included the excellent mental health rep (Neil struggles with depression and starts therapy) and the relatable feelings of loneliness and inadequacy Rowan has struggling to make friends and with her writing.

At its core though, Rowan and Neil have some incredible moments learning to communicate about their needs in the bedroom; Neil opening up about his feelings for his emotionally abusive and incarcerated father and what their future together might look like. Rowan's Creative writing Prof was also a favorite part for me, she was so supportive and such a great mentor for Rowan!

Overall this was another pitch perfect rom com that felt utterly real in both big and small ways interspersed with comic levity, more scavenger hunts and swoony touches and insights about life, love and continuing to be there for your partner through all the highs and lows that come at you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!! It's always an honor to read a new book from Rachel Lynn Solomon! She is an auto-buy, auto-read author for me, right up there with Lynn Painter as the queens of YA romcoms!