Thank you HarperCollins Children’s and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This book gripped me from the first page. I was so invested in this soulmate story, in these boys and their past lives.

I love how real their connection felt. Despite everything happening so fast and being predestined, it still felt authentic and grounded and I absolutely loved it.

I often find with these kinds of stories that I want more from their past lives and this one is no exception. Especially Pompeii. I was LOVING the Pompeii story and would have loved more from earlier in their relationship. The flashbacks to their past lives were beautifully written - I felt transported with them.

I loved where this one ended. It was very final, no epilogue, which shocked me but I’ve grown to appreciate it since I finished the book.

This book kind of broke me but in a wonderful way. From the very first page I was utterly entranced with the story. We start right off the bat with action and drama that made me wanting for more. Then as we go along with the story I fell in love with the characters. I love Riley and Jackson and their relationship, not only in this timeline but every single one. I loved Riley's friends and how they had a safe group for themselves within a place that was not safe for them. All that to say, this book was tragic. It did leave me hopeful until the very end though. I thought this book was absolutely wonderful and I am so happy and grateful that I was able to read it early.

A YA romance of a devoted mlm teen couple across time

This was book was a solid romance progression from standoffish strangers to friends to lovers to soulmates. The pacing moved smoothly past any possible overdone trope pitfalls. Note, though, that most of the time is spent in their current lifetime, with brief intermissions to their past lives. I was blown away by the breathtakingly romantic writing in the first chapter (a past life) and was disappointed to realize that lovely prose wasn’t going to happen as often as I hoped. The Riley in that chapter stole my heart immediately, whereas the Riley in modern day Orlando annoyed me at first. He made constant, hostile, and mostly unfounded homophobia accusations toward our other main character Jackson. I agreed with some of his commentary on systemic oppression of queer people, but it was mostly (aggressively) “tell not show” in the narrative.

However, I gave modern day Riley a chance because he must have the same soul as past Riley (it was a very smart narrative choice to show the core of him in a past life first) and he quickly grew on me. He’s prickly toward strangers—it makes sense why he would come off as prickly towards readers at first too—but he wouldn’t hesitate for a second to die for those he loves. Jackson is a care bear who makes mistakes but will ultimately choose to do what’s right. The side characters all have enough depth to be their own people rather than just plot tools, and the queer friend group had plenty enough personality to be a real representation of cultural and queer diversity rather than token representation.

Riley and Jackson have to make a difficult life-or-death choice that looms over them (mentioned in the synopsis), but the book didn’t explore the emotional and philosophical depth of the choice as much as it could’ve. I like that the past life chapters gradually became more intense as the book progressed, which pushed the momentum of the plot. However, I never felt a true second-hand fear of death and mortality, which could’ve added to the impact of the book. Although, I guess if there was that level of existential dread, the entire tone of the book would be different.

Where the book really shines is through the past lives chapters. The writing style of each time period was distinct and delightful. The historical atmospheres were clearly researched, and I found them immersive. Those chapters are what stick with me after the end of the book. I would recommend this book to people as a steadily built YA romance with a moderate amount of depth and a few sections of beautiful prose.

Romantic? Yes. Swoon-worthy? Also yes. Heartbreaking and hopeful? Yes and yes.

The premise is solid. Riley and Jackson are teenage boys living in Florida who meet and find they have a connection that transcends time. In fact, they may be reincarnated soulmates who keep finding each other throughout the centuries.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this story, but it delivered. It had funny dialogue, awesome friends, and hormonal teens in love and who can barely keep their hands off of each other. It also had its share of harrowing, frightening moments.

This was the first book I've read from Kevin Christopher Snipes, and I doubt it will be my last. this kind of tightrope act will feel familiar to fans of Adam Silvera.

The highest compliment I can pay a book like this is I wish I’d had it when I was a closeted gay teen.

It’s possible this is more of a four-star book, but I have to give full respect for the surprising love shown for Olivia Newton-John and the glorious mess that is “Xanadu.”

I'm not crying, you're crying! Is KCS my new favorite YA LGBTQ+ author right now? Heck yes. I loved the switch up of the characters throughout time and their fated love. I was hooked from the first chapter and was hardly able to put it down until I finished. Did I perhaps gasp very loudly at the end? Did I wonder why the heck KCS would do that to me, his faithful newest fan? Okay, yes I did. Having just read Milo and Marcos at the End of the World I can definitely see some similarities with magical thinking, fate, identity (in all forms), and love. So grateful to be able to read this arc & at the same time like, wtf where's the next KCS? You know it's good if you leave a book wanting more.

very well written rpomance with interesting vibes and a very cool theme of endless time. also, second queer romance i've read in the last few weeks with at least a significant chunk in Pompeii, is this getting to be a trend? idk. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Genre 📚: YA Contemporary, Fantasy, Queer Lit, Romance
Tropes 💁‍♀️: Fated love, Forbidden love, Past lives
Rep ✔️: Queer main characters, POC side characters
CW ⚠️: Homophobia, bullying, off-page hazing
Rating ⭐️: 4.5/5

Wow, okay. I, um, didn’t ask to be hurt like this… Don’t Let Me Go explores a M/M romance that dates back centuries, all the way to freaking 79 AD. The main characters Riley and Jackson have eerily vivid dreams of these past lives, where they are always in love — and they always die young. So yeah. Be ready for this book to hurt you.

The dreams start with Riley, when he first meets Jackson and promptly faints (as his friends say, he literally swooned into Jackson’s arms, heh). Riley, of course, assumes that they’re just dreams, but he can’t shake how familiar this new guy is. He’s hesitant in getting to know him, but they gradually open up to each other and become fast friends. Then, as romantic feelings arise, Jackson starts getting the dreams. The boys realize that these are real memories, and they seem to be some kind of warning.

The book is mostly about present-day Riley and Jackson, but we also get to see their past stories in the dream scenes, which I thought was so cool. The characters are incredibly sweet in each of these stories, and they truly feel like the same couple all the way through. And though the book is like 400 pages, I was never bored — I was flipping pages like crazy. That said, the abrupt ending did take me aback and made me wish we got even more pages. My emotions still don’t know what to do with themselves. 😢

This was an interesting take on the reincarnation with soulmates trope. Overall, I was engaged with almost the whole book (except the last bit). This book started off really strong—the first life in Italy, and then the bits about Riley and Jackson meeting. I also really liked the arc of Jackson finding a new home with Riley and his friends, despite his past. I also thought the author did a great job of the other characters educating Jackson and him learning to look outside his previous straight football bubble. I loved seeing how he came to terms with being queer, getting together with Riley, and really becoming part of the great little friend group.

However, I was just not too happy with how it turned out. I think this is mostly because I’ve read other books with the same trope, so I unintentionally compared it with those from the beginning. However, those comparisons, as well as my other complaints from the book still stick with me. My main issue with this book is that would have been a great book without the added plotline of reincarnation and soulmates—I was so engaged with the story of the present that at times I forgot about the whole trope I was reading the book for. For most of the book, it just didn’t have the underlying feeling of this story being more than just the story in the present. I think if there had been more flashbacks to emphasize this point, the story as it is would’ve felt more natural. I get that the author wanted to also have all the bits about Jackson realizing being queer is ok—and those were my favorite parts of the story—but balancing these two factors is hard, and just didn’t ultimately turn out well. I also really disliked the ending—I won’t spoil anything, but it made the whole story feel pointless to me.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t normally read YA Romance (or any Romance), but the past lives plot caught my attention because it reminded me of Marcus Sedgwick’s Midwinterblood with an LGBTQ+ twist.

In each of their previous lives, Riley and Jackson have been a couple and have died together.

When they first meet, Riley recognizes Jackson as the boy he was in love with and did with in Pompeii. Eventually Jackson starts having memories about a past life with Riley, and they are both warned about an early death if the two of them stay together, leaving them to split up. But staying away from one another proves difficult, especially when their common friends are plotting to bring the two of them back together.



CW: bullying, homophobia

Wow. Ahhh. I don't know why I didn't expect that ending. I was really rooting for Jackson and Riley throughout this book, and I really bought in to wanting them to succeed, which I think is why it was so devastating. But the chemistry between them and the way their relationship unfolded was so good, and I love the way they, and honestly, all, of the characters in this book are written.

I feel shell shocked. I'm writing this right after finishing because it's when the story is most fresh in my brain and I feel so empty. After reading Snipes' last book I was like ANOTHER?? SIGN ME UP!!

:(

unsign me up I'm sad now.

WHAT THE HELL

This is worse than when I read they both die at the end. Like.. obviously you figure out that they're destined to always die but DID IT HAVE TO END LIKE THAT???

God what an emotional rollercoaster.

I actually liked that the build up to the plot was slow, because the plot was about their relationship developing AND figuring out they're soulmates reincarnated, so when one part of the plot wasn't developing it was easy to see it was because there was a lead up to it, and at some point it just went flying by so fast I didn't even realize I was at the end til I hit the historical note and went "wait, what?". It all settled in and just.. shell shocked me.

I loved the inclusion of a MMC with an eating disorder, and I loved the way this toyed with the idea of being so paranoid about how you might die, knowing you will die and it'll be soon, and letting that fear take over, just for you to die in a different way.

It's been a while since I've been truly shocked by a book, and Snipes didn't disappoint.

Docked half a star for the discussion about being queer between the two girls, one of whom stated she wouldn't be surprised if her mom "went bi" like it's a choice to be bisexual rather than just that being a part of who someone is.

Thanks netgalley for the free book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Despite my three stars, I would still recommend it to people if they are interested in reading it! There were just some things I would have changed.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel with reincarnation and I thought it was a good twist on that trope. I really enjoy the thought of being reunited with your soulmate over and over again.

It definitely reads as YA at parts, but not in a bad way where it was cringey or bad, just a little young. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was in high school. But it makes sense it is that way because the characters are in high school.

The romance got a little too sweet and romantic for me, but they were still super cute together so I wasn’t totally mad at it.

I did have some issues with the book, which is why I couldn’t give it four or five stars.

It started off very strong. It sent us right into the action and I fell in love with the two of them together very quickly. The humor started off very strong as well. It was as the book went on that I started to not enjoy it as much.

The biggest thing that bothered me was there was way too much miscommunication. I know that was part of the conflict, but if they just had ONE conversation with each other and said how they felt, they could have worked things out within the first half of the book. Instead they kept hiding how they felt and avoiding each other, and that frustrated me. I cannot stand that trope and I didn’t expect it to be that heavy in this book.

It was painful to wait for Jackson to figure out that he liked Riley more than just being friends. Especially because we saw them so in love with to start the book while they were in Italy, so it was hard to go back to reading about how Jackson thought he was straight.

Despite how long it took him to figure out his feelings, Jackson went really fast from thinking he was completely straight to accepting his feelings for Riley and being with him right away. The change was a little too fast for me. It makes sense because of the reincarnation he felt a super strong connection to Riley, but I would think it would take some more time to realize he wasn’t straight. I didn’t mind them kissing, but it went from one kiss to madly in love in two seconds flat.

I personally think this book would’ve been a little bit better if they removed the plotline that Jackson was straight and focused more on the reincarnation part of it. We could’ve spent more time in each timeline, instead of just seeing them together for a little bit and then dying shortly after. It would make more sense why they were so quickly infatuated with each other. There could have been other drama between them other than “no I can’t be with him because he is straight.”

Another issue I had with it, was it felt like two or three different stories put into one. First it was Jackson finding out he wasn’t straight, then the reincarnation, to them trying to figure out how they can stay together. It wasn’t like it didn’t fit at all, but it still felt like different stories. I wish it was a smoother transition between the plots.

There were a lot of fade to black scenes, so nothing explicit, which was good because they are teenagers.

I personally liked how it ended. I was worried it would go a different way and I’m glad it didn’t!

Out of context spoiler warning for the rest of this review:

I almost wish we had one more chapter set in the future, where we saw them meeting again. Even if it was just a page or two, I think that would’ve been a fun little way to see that the cycle was not broken. Even though I did like the last line and thought that it was a fitting end.

A Timeless, Queer Romance That Transcends Lifetimes

Kevin Christopher Snipes’ Don’t Let Me Go is a wildly creative and emotionally charged journey through time, love, and self-discovery. Blending comedy, heartbreak, and a dash of the metaphysical, this novel delivers a queer romance that transcends centuries and challenges the very idea of fate.

At its heart are Riley Iverson and Jackson Haines—two teens thrown together in the present day, each grappling with their own personal trauma. Riley, still reeling from a painful breakup with his closeted ex-boyfriend, is dealing with intense body image issues and lingering resentment over his mother’s abandonment. He finds solace in his tight-knit LGBTQIA+ friend group and a supportive dad who encourages him to live openly and authentically.

Jackson, on the other hand, is forced to relocate and live with his free-spirited aunt after a tragic incident at his previous school. Haunted by guilt and a sense of helplessness for not being able to prevent someone else’s pain, Jackson is trying to rebuild his life—only to find himself questioning his own identity when he and Riley collide in unexpected ways.

Their relationship is a slow burn—almost too slow at times. The early chapters can feel sluggish as the story carefully lays the groundwork, but once the time-bending element kicks in, the narrative truly comes alive. Through a clever, loosely historical twist, Riley and Jackson’s bond is echoed in past lifetimes, with the two boys reappearing as Lucius and Marcus, Charlie and Jack, Rorik and Ragnar, Thierry and Gaspard. These past lives add both humor and emotional depth, giving readers a glimpse into the many ways love can evolve and endure across different eras and identities.

Character development is a major strength—particularly for Jackson. His internal struggle, growth, and journey toward self-acceptance feel authentic and well-earned. His arc is full and satisfying, showing real transformation as he comes to terms with both his past and his present. Riley, however, feels somewhat unfinished. While his pain and struggles are deeply felt, his arc doesn’t fully resolve, leaving some threads—especially around his self-image and the impact of his mother’s abandonment—still hanging by the end. It’s not necessarily a flaw, but it does feel like there was more room for his growth that wasn’t fully explored.

Snipes masterfully explores themes of destiny, choice, and sacrifice, with the looming question: what would you give up for a love that’s written in the stars? The story could have gone in so many different directions—and that unpredictability kept me hooked. Without spoiling the ending, I’ll just say I really liked how it concluded. It struck the right balance between the fantastical and the deeply human, offering a resolution that felt earned and meaningful.

Don’t Let Me Go is a heartfelt, genre-bending romance that dares to ask if love can truly conquer all—even time itself. It’s an ambitious debut that stands out for its originality, emotional resonance, and a love story built to last lifetimes.

Thank you HarperCollins, NetGalley, and Kevin Christopher Snipes for this eARC!!

Truly enjoyed this story and the author's writing style. I was hooked from the very first chapter and sped through the entire book because I desperately wanted to know what happened to the MCs. Would they get their HEA? Would they figure out that they were soulmates/fated lovers? I really enjoyed the time jump from current day to past. It was fun to see how the main characters lived previously and just how they ended up finding one another time and time again. I thought the author did an incredible job of writing side characters who brought purpose and life to the story. Loved the queer rep this story entailed as well. My only complaint was how the book ended. It wasn't at all what I'd hoped for or expected. It wasn't bad and I understand why the author wrote it that way, but I felt a little let down. Will definitely read more by Snipes in the future!

Riley's a gay teenager with great friends and a supportive father. Even so he feels like something is missing from his life. Enter Jackson, who just moved to his town. Jackson is hot, funny, thoughtful and incredibly straight. Yet the two boys feel a strong pull to one another. The second they meet the dreams start, very realistic dreams about past lives where they are soul mates.

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book, a cute romance maybe? Be prepared to have your heart ripped out multiple times. As each new past life unfolds the boys notice one theme, they don't make it past their 18th birthdays.

I really enjoyed seeing the bond between Riley and Jackson grow. Both boys had been hurt in the past and it was nice to see them both realize there are people in their lives who love and trust them. There's a great group of diverse background characters.

Even though the story was a VERY slow burn it was still a fast and enjoyable read. I found myself really rooting for them to solve the mystery of their past lives and find each other.

Without giving spoilers, I will admit the ending was not my favorite, although I do think it was good and overall made sense.

This was a fun and interesting take on soul mates and past lives. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend for anyone looking for a YA romance with a little darkness to it.

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Just finished this and I’m still all in my feels! A beautiful heartbreaking story! In Pompeii AD 79 Lucius is in love with Marcus but they have to keep that love hidden and Marcus’ father wants to marry him off. But when Vesuvius erupts they’ll stop at nothing to find each other, they spend there last few seconds holding each other. In present day Florida Riley wakes up from the strangest dream, he was so entrenched that it takes him a moment to remember who he is. His friends say he passed out. Then he’s surprised when he looks into Marcus’ face. Or at least he looks like Marcus but no he’s Jackson who just moved to town. Extremely leery of Jackson, despite his dream, he hesitates to get close. Jackson is intrigued by Riley after what happened to him before he moved he’s not really looking to connect to new people but he’s drawn to Riley. But not in that way, Jackson’s straight, isn’t he? However things become more complicated when he has a dream of the two of them himself. They’re drawn together and keep having dreams of people who look and feel like them but who have different names and are from different times. What is happening to them? One thing is for certain they always are together in the dreams and they always meet a tragic end. Can Riley and Jackson figure out what is going on before it’s too late? A nice romantic mix of two people meeting and falling for each other with cutesy couples throughout time! Plenty of swoonworthy moments with a touch of mystery as to what the dreams mean! Kevin Christopher Snipes’ Don’t Let Me Go is a fast paced read that I couldn’t put down and is full of sweet and devastating moments that will leave you with the warm and fuzzies but also tears!

Jackson and Riley are the most unlikely of friends: the popular good looking football star and the introverted out and proud gay kid, but the one thing they do have in common is: their dreams.

But Riley and Jackson’s dreams are more than what they seem; they’re memories of past lives they have shared and died in together. They are memories of the love and desperation the boys share, that may lead to something more in the future, if they can stop dying and reincarnating long enough to figure out how to break the cycle.

The flashbacks were perfect! I would have read an entire novel of just them. The love and connection the boys felt, wven in such short scenes was palpable and heartfelt. I cried every time. As for their budding relationship in the modern day, it was cute. Obviously the boys didn’t have time for the build up of the history their previous incarnations—who had years together—but their romance was cute.

The ending, while expected, was still heartbreaking in the best way, if somewhat abrupt. I was rooting for them to break the cycle and get to live together for a change. It makes me wonder if maybe the author is planning a sequel (or is that just me hoping for a happy ending for our poor boys?!). Either way, I would highly reccommend this book to anyone looking for an angsty romance that just hurts in a good way.

So here's the thing: I'm not really a big YA contemporary reader anymore. I've outgrown it and its central themes, which is fine, but nevertheless I'm always open to being surprised because there are a lot of gems in this broad genre. "Don't Let Me Go" hooked me with its premise, because I just really love the whole idea of fated lovers through the times and the tragedy that was already seeping through the lines of the description.

And I did enjoy my time with this book. Now, admittedly the characters never really managed to endear themselves completely to me, I found them rather stereotypical in many ways. But they were both very likeable and I enjoyed following them. I also, sadly, wasn't that big of a fan of their romance as I wanted and hoped to be, because it's very instalovey - and yes, clearly that's because they're soulmates and all, but even that trope could have been written with more nuance. One of the two struggles with the implications of suddenly feeling the feels for a boy, when he used to be very entirely straight all his life, for about ten minutes tops before he's fine with it (minus the typical struggle that his homophobic parents put him through). And yes, in a way it's refreshing to not dwell too much on the coming out part of the story when it's so starkly focused on in most of queer YA literature with similar characters, but it also felt like there was no real narrative weight there. So, cute romance, cute characters, the supporting cast you'd expect in a novel like this (though I really enjoyed some of the more unique ideas here) and in general very low stakes in the story - but then comes the part I actually enjoyed!
Because our protagonists, Riley and Jackson, are having these strange dreams featuring each other in different eras of world history. And be it Pompeii, WWII Blitz London or Viking Age, always they dream of the love they have for each other, which begs the question of whether they're just going crazy or might be reincarnations of all these people they see in their dreams. All these people who love each other dearly and died way too soon on the 18th birthday of Riley's ancestor. And Riley is approaching his 18th birthday now too.
I really really loved whenever we went back in time to see the past lives of Riley and Jackson, I wish we had gotten even more glimpses. I loved the way the two boys came to terms with what their dreams might mean for them, and I loved how the tragedy of all their past lives ending so soon and often abruptely seeps into their lives. Were the final chapters a bit rushed? Yes. Was the great romance between Rilkey and Jackson in the Now at all times completely believable? Not really. But did I feel all the feels when the big finale came, and did I maybe shed a tear or two along the way? Yes, yes, yes.

So there it is: A sweet story between sweet characters with a twist I really enjoyed but that could have, in my opinion, been incorporated a bit better into the contemporary romance without taking the short cuts the book took. Still, absolutely enjoyable and emotional, so a deserved 3 stars. And honestly, i do think readers in the YA age range would enjoy this even more, so take my review with a grain of salt as always.

What is life without love?

The first line of this book had me hooked, and I ended up finishing it within a day.

"From the moment I could speak, I saved all my words for him. From the moment I could walk, my legs carried me in his direction."

Every one of Riley and Jacksons previous lives and stories had me hooked and rooting for them and the pure love and adoration was palpable.

Riley (prickly hedgehog) learns to let love in and Jackson (golden retriever) is so sweet and naive but goes through so much growth.

"I love you. In this life and every life"

Their current day story had excellent side characters (Aunt Rachel and Rileys dad were so supportive) and though they get to know each other quickly, it still feel genuine with the past lives interwoven throughout.

This book was everything I wanted to get out of Song of Achilles and The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. I laughed, I was giggling and kicking my feet, and I was sobbing.

I will absolutely be picking up a physical copy when it releases on May 20, 2025.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for the free eARC.

oh my goodness. a gay reincarnation doomed lovers book?!?! but how will they ever change their fates? what's love got to do with it anyways?

the way the back half of this book redeems the front half of this book from being just another average YA gay outing! Riley and Jackson are likable and annoying and funny and smart and singularly-focused on, well, each other. The book takes place over a summer, but these two act like they have known each other for forever. And frankly, it's a bit much. Calm down you two. But ultimately the book's success is in it's gay little protagonists' strive for love and righting the wrongs of the past.

Definitely recommend. So much recommending.