"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.

Thank you HarperAudio, NetGalley and Edward Underhill for letting me listen to this ARC.

I enjoyed this book and am rating it 3.75 ⭐️ on my personal rating scale. While I did not mind the LGBT trope (and there wasn’t any open door romantic scenes), I can see some people not wanting to read it for that reason. I would have to be selective with who I recommend this book to. I listened on 1.5X speed and the narrator’s voice was still super easy to follow.

As for the story, it was very relatable to me (as someone who identifies as cisgender). I know it won’t be for everyone. Darby moving away from home after high school because he doesn’t feel like he fits in at home really hit me hard, even if not for the same reason. I never really felt the urge to move back home or visit during college, similar to him. I loved the conclusion that he came to in the end that he belonged in NYC — even if it meant not having a romantic relationship with Michael. At least their friendship became stronger. The idea of the bookstore being a portal to the past felt like it should have played a bigger role than it did, which is why I docked some points off my rating.

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.

I fell in love with this book, 4.5 ⭐. The first half was all story building and getting Darby's backstory. Not a ton was happening, but right about 50% is when things got much more interesting and for me anyway the emotions kicked in. The first part of the book I felt like the story was just being told to us. I wouldn't say I felt immersed in it or especially wrapped up in it up to that point. I thought it was just going to be so-so. But when Darby, his high school friend Michael and some other friends went to a HS football game things happened that made Darby much more relatable for me. Darby described seeing people from HS, how it felt back then when they had made fun of him & things they had said when he was still a girl, but now they just acted normal. I could really identify with this because I was made fun of a lot as a kid. Something pivotal also happens that I was like finally, now we can finally get into the meat of the story!

I was so rooting for the romance. It's complicated by the history of friendship, misunderstanding each other during a time when they were both also focused on figuring out their own identities. Darby is still trying to find his place in the world. I enjoyed the magical realism aspect of the story. The ending was a little bittersweet and maybe just wrapped up a little too nicely. I thought a lot of the Midwest and small town references were accurate & I enjoyed them although there were maybe too many of them. I also enjoyed Darby's relationship with his mom, although she was a little overbearing at times. It goes without saying that the LGBTQ representation was outstanding!

Thank you to HarperAudio Adult & NetGalley for this ARC! You can see my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

I liked the story a lot but felt the 30yr old mc came across more like a teenager and the narrator didn’t separate the different characters very well.

This is without a doubt my favourite Edward Underhill book. A lot of a self discovery, a dash of romance, and the magical realism of your local bookstore being a portal to your past, all wrapped up in a queer character trying to figure out their life. There was something so grounding about reading about an established trans character navigating life, not necessarily figuring out his identity as a queer man, but friendships and life and what the hell you’re supposed to do with it? I can’t say I related to everything, but it felt like something I could just kind of immerse myself in as I move on from the part of my life where I think about my gender identity and move into the fact that I have to like, get a job.

My own personal crises aside, I think that this book, and the audiobook narrated by Shaan Dasani especially, is just generally enjoyable to read. It’s a funny story at times, and I loved seeing Darby finding love in community after returning to his hometown, while also confronting bigger moments from his teenage years. I think we get to see this sort of realistic growth that is so satisfying in the payoff. And I have a soft spot for highlighting queer community in smaller towns. I think this is a great read whether or not it’s relatable, and a fantastic audiobook that just immerses you with that tiny bit of magical realism throughout. I highly recommend!

3.25 Stars
Is it possible for a book to have a lot going on while simultaneously feeling like not much is happening? That’s how I felt while reading this story about Darby, a trans man on a journey to discover his identity and place in the world. After feeling lost, he returns home, seeking comfort and some kind of resolution. However, his unexpected encounter with his former best friend from high school, who is now openly gay and still grappling with their unresolved issues from senior year, adds layers to his search for answers. The twist of time-traveling in a bookstore, where Darby meets his own high school self, further complicates his internal and relational conflicts. The interplay between these two relationships really kept me engaged in this cozy adult-finding-yourself narrative. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Audio for the gifted Audiobook.

I loved loved loved this book! I think it's going to be very influential and I think that many people will be able to relate to this one. As someone who wants to be a strong ally for others in the lGBTA+ community, it's important to support authors, creators, artists, HUMANS, and the best way to do that is to read their works.
Shaan Dasani did an amazing job narrating this book, and it's HUGE that the publisher was able to get a trans individual to narrate this. I feel like so often in media/works/movies/etc, people just choose based on other attributes or the popularity of someone to play a role, but we forget that representation is key. and boy did this book have it.

I loved how real all the characters felt. I loved that the characters are all older, made them so much easier to relate to. The fact that he's jealous of what others have? check. but recognizes he is also super lucky to have things? double check. LIke it's just so REAL. a slice of life. a life that many live.

Thank you so much to the publisher for the physical arc of this book, as well as Netgalley for the audiobook. It was refreshing and easy to read, while still having a strong impact.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC of the audiobook!

This book was a poignant letter to trans youth, and it couldn’t come at a more important time than the world we are in. Determining who you are is hard enough, throw being a teenager into the mix? OOF.

I loved the relatability of the main character’s story as someone who didn’t feel comfortable in their hometown because they didn’t feel like themselves. That being said, I think the romantic element got in the way of the friendship and family storyline and the repair that needed to be done there. It felt like the characters were on two different tracks and the romance brought me out of it. Seeing Darby confront his teenaged self and hear what they said was heartbreaking and reflective in such a beautiful way, but the “magical” element of the bookstore didn’t quite explain how that was possible.

I love magical realism, but I really want authors to be sure they understand and explain their magic system before using it as a simple plot device. It’s becoming a pet peeve of mine 😂.

All in all a lovely listen.

The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill, is a cozy love story written from the perspective of Darby, a trans man, who after loosing his job in New York City, moves back to the Oak Fall, Illinois, the town where he grew up. When visiting the In-Between Bookstore where he worked in high school, he is transported back in time, interacting with his former self. Through these interactions he feels he is given the opportunity to change his past and reunite with a former friend.

The plot is similar to that of The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, as a book that more romance/magical realism set with a time travel backdrop. The language is not complex nor is the time travel concept (as the science of the time travel is not even addressed). The Narrator Shaan Dasani voice and the lack of complexity gives this book a Young Adult feel.

Thank you to HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.