Listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration. The time travel and bookstores captured my interest. I found the author's writing style and humor appealing from the outset. The interactions between the main character and their mother were particularly amusing. I also enjoy it when a book can evoke various emotions. The time travel element of the narrative sustained the book’s momentum, rendering it a compelling, It was an interesting concept and I think some students would really enjoy this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the audioARC to preview.

5 time-travelling stars of magnificence!

I LOVED THIS AUDIOBOOK (also, it is very well read, with great nuance and emotion).

This story is a great place to land, especially if you have ever been someone to question why you don’t fit in “like other people seem to”. Did you grow up (or even later become) the weirdo, the oddball out, even though you might not been exactly sure as to why or how, just yet? Have you ever questioned how you identify or if there are others out there who are also like you? Have you deeply questioned how you are fundamentally different from those that are catered to in mainstream society?

Spoiler alert: there are definitely others somewhere out there that TRULY understand you - whether they are the same kind of weird as you are or not - you just need to find them.

And while that journey requires vulnerability, becoming 100% honest with yourself, and trusting your gut as to who you deem safe enough to tell, it can be as freeing as it is scary.

In this story, the main character is a ~30 y.o. Trans Man who travels home from NYC to the small Illinois town where he grew up. Recently umemployed, he goes back to help his Mom downsize and move from his childhood home into a new condo. But this journey also brings him face-to-face with his teenage pre-transition self, as well as his former best friend with whom things ended really badly in high school. All the feels ensue.

This book was really heartwarming, painful, touching and glorious. I laughed and I cried. And though my own journey is different (pan-romantic ACE, cis, neurodivergent, disabled), there were so many moments that I could either see myself in these characters, or deeply empathize.

And while I am sure that many of those that haven’t had to go on this particular journey can also very much enjoy this book’s story, I hope it always finds its way to those who need it the most.

To those on the fence, because sci.fi/fantasy or time-travel aren’t really your thing, the mechanics of that honestly don’t make up too much of the story. I do regularly read those genres, but would file this one under regular fiction, myself.

Huge Gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher, HarperAudio , for an audio-ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. I also thank the print+audio publishers for standing behind this author’s story - representation and inclusion within all kinds of media is incredibly valuable and important.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for making this ARC available. I liked the idea of this book, and I have not read many LBGTQ books in the last year, so I was really eager to listen to this title. I failed to see what the author was trying to do, and the time travel did not help me at all. Darby is going home to help his mom move and try to come to terms with how he left. The end just didn't tie up the ends for me. I did like the community Darby found in New York and his hometown. I loved seeing the dynamic between Darby and his mom. I was just hoping for something more.

If you could go back and tell your younger self anything, what would it be? A great sci-fi, time travel story told from a FTM transgender perspective. Darby finds himself back in his hometown, but when he enters the bookstore he worked in as a teen, he sees his younger self behind the counter. What is happening, why is he here? His journey leads to a moment when he helps his teen self find solace by sharing a book written by a transgender person. It's a powerful message about the importance of windows and mirrors in story-telling.

I keep waffling between a 3.5 rounded up and a 3.5 rounded down. I'm landing on rounded down for now, because I feel like the main character didn't learn anything. The plot of this book didn't really move us anywhere.

This story is about a transgender man, who had a falling out with his high school best friend, and he can't remember what went wrong between them. When he returns to his hometown, and enters the bookstore where he used to work, he see's his old self working the register. He decides to befriend his younger self, in an effort to piece together what happened and maybe change the course of events.

When it comes to books that include time-travel and the possible changing of events, usually the MC is either successful in righting their wrong or they learn a valuable lesson and make changes to the present. I feel like this book had a little bit of both, which ultimately resulted in a little bit of neither. I'll explain, but spoilers ahead.

[The big mistake the MC made as a teenager was thinking that he didn't have any allies in his hometown and thinking he had to move to a big city to start over and feel accepted. Then, we see that he isn't actually happy in the big city, so he comes home, only to find out his community has more to offer him than he realized. That's fine, but everything past that is where this book lost me. Instead of learning from his past mistakes, he continues to push aside his friends. Instead of focusing on the present, he's too consumed with correcting the past. We also learn the MC was too consumed with his own problems to see that his friend also had problems of their own. Yet again, he has multiple opportunities to fix this with his present day friend, but he's too consumed with fixing the past to see that. At the end of the day, helping his younger self does nothing for him other than ease his own mind. It doesn't change what happened. And then, you think the moral of the story is that his small, midwestern town actually has the community he wanted all along... only sike, he moves back to New York... So, what did the character learn and what changed? Essentially nothing. He got his friend back, but he didn't need to travel to the past to do that, he just needed to talk to him. Which was essentially the point all along, that I don't think the MC ever realizes. (hide spoiler)]

Other than that, I loved this. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

For fans of:
- New Adult

This is a soft, quiet story of a transman looking to reconnect with his past in order to understand his future. Darby is turning 30 and feels like he has nothing to show for it. The startup were he worked has gone under. He's getting priced out of his apartment, and he can't remember the last time he spoke to his mom. In a panicked moment, he decides to pack up all his belongings and buy a one way ticket home (metaphorically because he actually drives) to his small hometown in rural Illinois. There he discovered many things are just as broken and dysfunctional as they were when he left, but he wonders if there is more to this small town than meets the eye.

This book includes:
- old friends reuniting
- LGBT characters and the best queer friend group you've ever seen
- hometown nostalgia
- a chance to fix the past
- melancholy

I enjoyed this book, it was quiet and peaceful and led me to some reflection on my own life and home town. Darby is stressful, but honest, and I appreciated the very human storyline in this book. It does not have the typical HEA and - as much as I would prefer that HAE - I liked it. I loved Darby's mom and her role in the story, and of course, Mr. Grumpy was the ultimate Diva. There are many lessons to be learned in these pages, and I could see this book being mind altering for many LGBT 20-somethings struggling with their identities.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Edward Underhill, and HarperAudio Adult for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/
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I spent today listening to The In-Between Bookstore, and I absolutely loved it. Such a wonderfully bittersweet book. This book definitely tugged on my emotions in so many ways.

I thoroughly enjoyed the representation and POV included in this book. Just wanted to give Darby a big hug (and Michael too!). It felt like a coming of age/YA novel although they are in their early 30s? The use of the time travel trope was interesting but never came together as to how or why and the end was melancholy but overall still an interesting read. As someone who went to HS in a small town and couldn’t wait to leave, that part resonated with me, especially the description of the football game.

The narrator did a good job but I think I would have preferred this one in print.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for early access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"The In-Between Bookstore" by Edward Underhill is a book with a fascinating premise—what if you could meet your younger self and potentially reshape your life? It centers on Darby, a trans man who, upon returning to his hometown, discovers his old high school job at a bookstore eerily unchanged, even down to the date being 2009. This magical setup allows Darby a chance to interact with his teenage self.

While I loved the unique take on revisiting one's past and the exploration of identity and personal growth, the story sometimes felt dragged out due to the constant miscommunication between Darby and another key character, Michael. It wasn't exactly the romance I was hoping for, and waiting for Darby to grow through his challenges required a bit of patience. That said, it's more a journey of self-discovery than a love story, and for those looking for a thoughtful read on such themes, this could still be a hit. Three and a half stars (rounded up) for the creative concept and introspective journey, even if the execution wasn't entirely my cup of tea.

This book tugged at my heart strings. Darby is recently unemployed and thinking of moving back to his hometown. When he left, he was a female, and there are some things he wished had been different. When he walks into the bookstore he used to work at when he was in high school, he realizes the worker there is him when he was 17 and trying to figure out who he really was. This story hits hard if you have ever gone away and come back home. People and things change, as do you. Thinking back on when you left may feel like a difficult decision. Darby feels this is a chance to have a do over and contemplates ways to change the way things were/are.

When I originally got the ARC of this book I wasn’t sure what I was getting in to. While there was a bit of fantasy with some time traveling, this was very different than the type of stuff I usually pick up. And after finishing I realize that I really liked getting out of my comfort zone.

Our main character, Darby, is an almost 30 year old trans man who is feeling more than a little lost and directionless. So of course he goes back to his hometown where everyone last knew him as a kind of awkward teenage girl. He runs into old friends and learns a lot about being vulnerable and opening up to those around him, and through the coolest bookstore ever has the opportunity to try and figure out what caused the falling out with his high school best friend.

I loved Darby. He was relatable and raw in his emotions. But his mom was my favorite. Her absolute acceptance of Darby was something I wish every trans kid could experience. She was fantastic.

I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, and the narration made me feel like I was sitting with Darby having coffee. I did have to speed it up, so I think I would have struggled a bit at regular speed.

All in all this was a beautifully written story about acceptance, found family, and learning to navigate through a messy, complicated world.

Honey come quick! The gays are time traveling!

So, this was sad in the best way. I enjoyed reading about Darby and his time traveling journeys to his younger self before he transitioned. This was a beautiful exploration of the common thought experiment of speaking/meeting with your younger self but through the lens of how a trans person might experience that. It also explored how growing up differently than the status quo in a small town leaves complicated feelings about what home is and how to feel about it.

Thank you to the author, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for the Audio eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute story. I liked how Darby was able to come to terms with who he is and what he wants. I liked the talk about our different decisions creating the way our life turns out. I liked most of the characters, but wish we got a little more of them. The ending fit the story well. Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook.

The In Between Bookstore was a captivating and heartwarming read. I loved how, despite Darby turning 30, the time travel element made it feel like a coming-of-age story. As a fan of time travel narratives, this one did not disappoint. The deep and meaningful friendship between Darby and Michael beautifully illustrated how the bonds we form in our teenage years can profoundly shape our adult lives. I also appreciated the touching and supportive relationship between Darby and his mom, which added even more emotional depth to the story. Overall, this book was a delightful and engaging read! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book!

Thank you to Harper Audio and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I have such mixed feelings about this book because on the one hand, it ended perfectly, but on the other hand, I was screaming wanting a different ending to it all. This is a book of self-discovery and forgiveness of past mistakes that your younger self has made. This is a story of learning your place in the world while also learning that not every place that isn't home won't hold an important piece of your story.

I really enjoyed Darby and his journey to understanding who he truly is and what had gone wrong in his life. His journey to accepting all of that was so relatable and healing. The fantastical aspects of this story were just a piece that added so much of Darby's heart and soul.

This is a timeless story of love and self-exploration that will resonate with people for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Magical realism involving a bookstore? Sign me up! However, I was left disappointed.

Darby is a trans man turning 30, and his life is turned upside down with an unexpected layoff. In an attempt to find himself, he returns to his small hometown to regroup.

Darby stumbles into his old workplace, In Between Books, and is transported back to his senior year in high school. He runs into a younger Darby.

The time travel rules were not clearly explained. While the book was billed as a New Adult, it reads as a YA. Darby experiences very little character growth, which makes the book feel unresolved

"The In-Between Bookstore" tells the poignant story of Darby, a young transgender man navigating the complexities of identity, nostalgia, and the weight of past decisions in his small hometown of Illinois. After losing his job in New York City, Darby returns home to help his mother downsize, marking the beginning of a bittersweet journey filled with self-reflection and unexpected confrontations with his past.
The narrative beautifully captures Darby's quarter-life crisis, shedding light on his struggles with self-acceptance and the challenges of coming home. The writing is rich and evocative, immersing the reader in Darby's world as he revisits familiar places and faces. The unique premise of the 'In-Between Bookstore'—where time seems to pause and he encounters his younger self—adds depth to the story, inviting contemplation about the passage of time and the impact of our choices.
While the character development is strong and Darby's relationships, particularly with his childhood friend Michael, are compelling, the plot feels somewhat stagnant at times. The heavy melancholia lingers throughout, leaving the reader yearning for more action or resolution. There are moments of heart-wrenching clarity, but the overall pacing may leave some feeling underwhelmed by the lack of significant events.
The audiobook format enhances the experience, with a talented narrator who brings Darby's emotions to life, drawing listeners deeper into his introspective journey. If you're drawn to character-driven stories that explore themes of identity, regret, and the longing for connection, "The In-Between Bookstore" may resonate with you, even if it doesn’t deliver the excitement one might desire.

read the arc provided by netgalley 🙏

the pjo references throughout made so much sense bc the main character voice read so much like a rick riordan book lol. i really enjoyed this type of voice when i was younger, but it definitely does not read like an adult novel. honestly, i kinda forgot this was supposed to be adult til i got to the nsfw-ish scene.

i was rly interested in the story til around 50% - and then i realized that the time travel component didn’t add anything to the story beyond the mc learning more about himself. from there, it was really giving coming of age and not much more than that

I was really looking forward to listening to this book, and found the premise compelling — bookstore, time travel, and a trans MC all in one! Unfortunately, although the prose was mostly great, the MC started off angsty and stayed there for the entire narrative, which frustrated me to no end. Darby in the present day was supposed to be turning 30, but sounded and behaved more like a teenager throughout the novel. I ended up liking every other character better than Darby, even the lady with the penguins that his mom was always on about for some reason.

Without giving any spoilers, I also have to say that the time travel element was kind of a letdown. Since present-day Darby was so emotionally immature, the chance to visit his past self was wasted on him. Perhaps the author’s intent was to demonstrate that it’s not worth dwelling on the past if we can’t change it? If so, then the whole “talk to your teenage self” part of the book was a missed opportunity for a much better story than the one we got.

As for the narration, I think it was well done despite the challenge of voicing so many characters. A couple of the NYC friend voices were caricaturish, but luckily were just a minor portion of the story. Overall, a good production.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC and provide an unbiased review.

This book was absolutely a darling to listen to. Sweet and heartbreaking, it captures a transgender man encountering his younger self inexplicably in a bookstore. Beautifully performed.