Enthralling, ingenious; great at zigging when at first look it might feel like it will zag. Without wanting to spoil the experience of diving into this work, I'll say the latter half of this novel so elevated it for me, with some echoes of "Gone Girl" and "Rashomon" even. It swung high and delivered. I couldn't stop turning the page because of how practically each turn deepened characterization by reframing what had been told before.

"Notes on Infinity" has potent commentaries on how pop culture treats a lot of science nowadays (most especially the promise of breakthroughs), on hustle culture, on the diversification of science/academia (and lack thereof), on messy human relationships, on youthful/blissful ignorance, on that feeling of falling short through no fault of our own — and sometimes through fault of our own as well.
This is one I'd recommend widely to fellow readers.

Being "young and rich and brilliant and beautiful and together, infinitely [...] There was no more potent drug than the one they had".

After hearing so much about this new book/author, I am so happy I requested the ARC. This was an amazing first novel by Austin Taylor... I literally could not put the book down. Although some of the science was a little bit over my head, it was very well-written and engaging. I am looking forward to reading more by Austin Taylor in the future. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

4 stars!

I need to lie down. This is the rare novel in which you know exactly how it's going to go fairly early on but you know you'll stick around to see it out because the journey is as beautiful as it is tragic.

Zoe has never had someone like Jack, someone who complements her perfectly and someone with whom she can discover the path towards medicated immortality. Two ambitious, obsessive, genius young people...when has that ever gone wrong? Notes on Infinity originally caught my eye on some 2024 releases list because I will always cave for a story about ambition, obsession, and soulmates (platonic or otherwise). Right off the bat, I really liked the writing style and already know I'll be looking out for Austin Taylor's next novel, because this is just an incredible start. Having grown up in Silicon Valley with two parents who started in chemistry academia and eventually transitioned to tech, I feel this story in my roots. Zoe and Jack's paths don't run straight and yet they run exactly in the ways that they should as characters. I love a sad book, but the ending had even me staring at the wall a bit. My only criticism was that a significant portion of the second half of the book skips around time-wise and I had some trouble arranging events. I still am not sure I followed all of it, but it was stunning nonetheless.

This book gave me exactly what I wanted, and I will definitely keep an eye out for this author. I think it will strike a chord for a lot of readers.

Thank you to Austin Taylor and Celadon Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!