3.5 stars

For some reason, I found Darby to be quite unlikable which made it challenging to want to root for him. There were so many parts of his story and wanting out of a small hometown because you felt different that made me want to like it more than I did. Maybe I just have a hard time with a non-traditional "happy ending".

It was probably just the wrong moment in time for me to be reading it, because I'm sure this will impact so many others out there.

Thank you @avonbooks @netgalley @harperaudio for the complimentary ARC & ALC.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. Very slow paced. It felt very YA, the MC came across as selfish. I know he went through a lot but didn’t understand why he distanced himself from his mother when she had been nothing but loving and supportive. I was intrigued by the time travel, but by the end wondered what even was the point. Also didn’t love the ending.

When 29 year old Darby unexpectedly loses his job at the same time that his rent gets raised, he decides to take a break. He goes on a trip back home to his small town in Illinois.

Feeling out of place, he visits the bookstore he worked at when he was in high school. Darby is astonished to see his past self working the register- the person he was before his transition. But it’s not only that- he soon realizes that whenever he steps foot in the store, the world has been rewound to 2009.

He decides to use this extraordinary situation to try and figure out the mystery of what caused the monumental rift between him and his childhood best friend Michael, the pain of which reverberates to this day. In the present, he gets to know the adult Michael and realizes that he and the town are a lot more LGBTQ+ friendly than he’d ever imagined.

Underhill deftly utilizes the magical element of time travel to tell a tender story of growing up, self-acceptance, forgiveness, love, and found family.

Rating:

Review: On goodreads, you'll see this book described as "The In-Between Bookstore is a stunning novel of love, self-discovery, and the choices that come with both, for anyone who has ever wondered what their life might be like if they had the chance to go back and take a bigger, braver risk." And that is exactly what it is. There were so many moments while I was reading and listening to this book that I was like "oh, it would be so cool if the message or lesson here is this," and then it was. This book is a book that reminds you that love doesn't have to be romantic, and it doesn't have to external. Figuring out your place in the world doesn't have to mean you feel nothing for another place too. Just because a scenario could work out doesn't mean it should. Something ending differently that you expect doesn't mean it was a failure. Some time success comes from what we learn about ourselves along the way. I absolutely loved this book. This was my first book by Edward, and I'm so glad I have another one in my personal library to immediately pick up.

Synopsis: When Darby finds himself unemployed and in need of a fresh start, he moves back to the small Illinois town he left behind. But Oak Falls has changed almost as much as he has since he left.

One thing is familiar: In Between Books, Darby’s refuge growing up and eventual high school job. When he walks into the bookstore now, Darby feels an eerie sense of déjà vu—everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the register is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen. . . who just might give Darby the opportunity to change his own present for the better—if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.

The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill - 3.5 rounded up

I absolutely loved the premise of this book and the exploration of queer identity and chosen family. The narrator for this audiobook was fantastic and I enjoyed listening to this story.

As much as I loved these elements, it ultimately was a bit disappointing. It felt like the central question for the character started with quite a lot of gusto but by the end it had dissipated in severity, making the entire back half of the book feel flat.

I wish the author had explored the chosen family a bit more; it was there but was very subtle. In terms of the actual plot, not a lot happened and the time travel element really didn’t impact the story much at all besides providing the main character insight.

The surprise romance came out of nowhere and didn’t add to the story, instead it created this other element that pulled away from everything else that the character was struggling through.

The narrator for this audiobook was fantastic and I enjoyed listening to this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins (HarperAudio) for this advance listening opportunity!

I frankly just think this book was awesome. The characters were beautifully flawed, likable, and compelling — even when I wanted to scream at them to make a different choice.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC of this novel.

I have mixed feelings about this.

I love the overall plot and subject material. I will always love a LGBTQ+ story about self acceptance. I love the fantasy elements that this story brought to the table, and of course loved the fact that it focused around a bookstore.

On to the things I didn’t love about this. It felt unfinished at worst, disjointed at best. I was expecting some growth from Darby! He was doing all the leg work and somewhere along the line it just… didn’t click? I also felt like the ending was so rushed. I listened to the audio and actually had to rewind to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

The audio was great! No complaints here. No variation on accents from the narrator but ample timing indicators of who is speaking during dialogue. Narrator was enjoyable to listen to.

Overall, wish this would have dove a little deeper. 3.5 stars from me. Had the potential to be more!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio copy of this book. I really enjoyed it. The characters and message were so sweet. I loved the journey of the main character finding himself. This was the perfect new year read. I will definitely be recommending this to one of my book clubs in the future!

4.5 stars rounded up
Time travel queer romance- although Darby the main character is turning 30, this reads like more of a YA romance, which is sweet and follows along with the main theme. And all of us can relate to this concept-- what would you say to your younger self if you could? Would your younger self recognize you? How would it change you now to be reunited with your younger self?

Darby is a trans man living in NYC with a vibrant community of friends, although he worked for a start up that has gone belly up. Darby is originally from a small town in the midwest, and his mom called to let him know she is moving, so Darby is going to visit.... and maybe stay... in the same small town he grew up in. His one time friend and crush Michael still lives there and goes to all the football games, in fact, a lot of the people Darby grew up with are still there. And can you go home again? The age old question?

I don't want to give away any spoilers here, but Darby does experience a split in the space time continuum to be able to visit the bookstore where he worked as a teen, and is able to access the bookstore and his younger self in 2009, when he still thought he was a girl, albeit a broken one. Darby didn't change his name when he transitioned, which eliminates any literary issues of how to address his younger self without deadnaming him.

Has anyone given this book to Hollywood producers yet, and obviously Elliot Page can please play Darby?

Audiobook is well acted and easy to follow. I appreciated the narrator and the vulnerability and innocence the narrator gives to Darby.
Darby is insecure and a realistic and likable lead. Michael is a compelling love interest. But Olivia and all of Darby's friends (as his mom says, "your gay friends" and Darby says "all my friends are gay, mom.) (lol) are fantastic minor characters.

I like time travel and time slip romances quite a bit, it was nice to have a trans character, nice to see a "back in my hometown" romance and I don't want to give away the ending, but it ends differently than it usually does at Hallmark. The ending was not what I expected and I had to sit with it for a few days to realize that I loved it.

Highly recommend for fans of Casey McQuiston and Ashley Poston. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ARC. Book to be released January 14, 2025.

This an interesting book. It was a lot of melancholy and honestly not a lot happened. I liked the writing and the main characters quite a bit, but I wanted something more. Our main character is Darby, a young transgender man in New York City that isn’t sure where he’s going with his life. He’s lost his job and can’t afford his apartment anymore so when his mother mentions she is working to sell her house and move to a condo he decide to go back to his small town. When Darby visits the bookstore he worked at in high school he sees a kid who weirdly reminds him of who he was in high school. When he visits again he is shocked to find that bookstore seems to be in 2009 and it is his younger self in the bookstore. He also bumps into Michael who was his best friend until the end of high school where their friendship crashed and burned for reasons Darby never understood. The book was well written although definitely bittersweet in the end. It was a good book, but I wanted something more to happen. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job.

4.75 ⭐️
I found myself absolutely speechless when I finished this book. It was so well written and kept me invested, I ended up getting the book finished in just a day. The story really struck me as a queer person and the twist at the end really hit home with my personal experiences. The ending was very well done, absolutely beautiful but it is also the only reason I rate this 4.75 not a full 5. This book really snuck into my heart and shattered it. I love the ending, I understand it, but it physically hurt me.

What a beautiful story. Read it in one sitting. Filled with so many likable characters. Darbys mom is my favorite. Thank NetGallery!

I just couldn’t get into this book. I wasn’t a fan of the narrator and felt his pacing was extremely slow. I normally read books at a faster speed but even when listening at double speed, it sounded as if it was on regular speed. I was unable to finish the book due to the slow pacing of other the story and the narrator.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for my arc audiobook copy! All opinions expressed are my own.

I would give this book about 3.5 stars. If you could talk to your past self and possibly change your future, would you? This seems to be the main theme of the book along with relationships and fixing past mistakes.. While this was a fast-paced, quick read, I wish the book leaned more on the sci-fi/fantasy elements and understanding the time-travel aspect. I feel like a lot more could have been added as I was expecting a little more regarding time travel. If you're a fan of LGBTQ themes, then I will say you will enjoy this book. It just felt that there was a lot more to be desired as the ending was also a little lackluster in my opinion.

"What would you tell your younger self if you could go back in time and speak to them?" is a question that practically everyone has been asked. "The In-Between Bookstore" explores what the answer to that question could look like for its main character, Darby. Underhill gives the reader comfort by presenting this book so that it feels like a sequel to the familiar "big fish in a small pond" YA trope, turning it on its head when everything isn't what you dreamed it would be. This book sometimes feels like it's headed down a predictable path, and story beats feel very familiar. However, the writing and narration of the story make this an enjoyable listen that is easy to lose yourself in. The story has excellent LGBTQ+ representation, and it was even more wonderful to have a transman as the reader to match the main character's identity, adding an extra layer of authenticity.

I throughly enjoyed this book. The tension of not knowing how long we can stay in the past. Focusing so much on how you can change the past you forget to enjoy the present. This was such a heartfelt story.

I was very excited about The In-Between Bookstore because of the description. A trans man travels back to his teenage pre-transition self by walking into his hometown book store. I love time travel books and I love bookstores.

However, it fell flat in some ways for me despite being very well written. The time travel never felt essential to the story. The main story could have easily been written without the time travel element because I am really not sure what it added, especially since nothing changed in the future. If you're going to write a time travel book then there needs to be some reason for it. My other issue with this book is the relationship between Darby and his former best friend. It sounded like he missed their friendship, but then suddenly they're kissing and having sex and.. what? I didn't get the sense Darby was ever attracted to Michael in high school, so where is this coming from? Is it a lost love story or a lost friendship story? It felt confusing.

What did I love? Darby's mother! She is a joy. It made me said that Darby wasn't a good son to her (he repeatedly said he never called her) while she was clearly very accepting of who he was. She is a hoot. I also liked Darby's NYC friends, they are well developed despite not having a lot of page time. They seem like a very supportive, loving group of friends that I wish I had in my 20s!

This part of the review is specific to the audiobook: The narrator is fantastic, and adds depth to the story. They also do the voices of other characters well. The audio experience was exactly what I hope for when I listen to an audio book and I will seek out more from this narrator.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This in depth portrait of a trans man's exploration into his next phase of life is a beautifully written story.

The portrayal of small town Illinois is extremely accurate and the world building was detailed.

The pace was slow and the plot is almost cozy in a low stakes sort of way, but the engaging characters and mysterious magical aspects kept me engaged.

Thank you first and foremost to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the ALC!

The In-Between Bookstore is the story of Darby’s journey to finding his place in life. It poses the question of what would you say to younger self if you had the chance to go back in time? What advice would you give your younger self? On the heels of losing his job and his apartment in New York City, Darby makes the uncomfortable decision of going back home to a town that as a teen he couldn’t wait to get away from. While many things in his old town have changed, one thing remains the same, the In-Between bookstore he used to work in as a teen. The moment Darby steps in he’s confronted with his past self. The self that he was before he transitioned. He also comes face to face with the best friend who abandoned and ghosted him. Now Darby is in a race against time to figure out why he and his best friend fell apart, while hoping the advice he gives his younger self can change whatever happened in the past.

I’m not a huge time traveler fan but I did enjoy the question of what advice would you give your younger self if given the chance. This was a beautifully written story about finding your place in this world, with the people you want to surround yourself with. And if you can’t find that place, being brave enough to carve out a place for yourself. This was beautiful and touching and definitely a must read.

Thank you to Edward Underhill, HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ALC! I really liked this story, and I'm giving it a 3.5 star rating! This story centers around Darby, a trans man who returns back to his hometown and finds that he can see and communicate with his teenage self in the bookstore he used to work at. I really loved the premise of this book, and the time traveling aspect was especially interesting. I loved how well the "speak to your younger self" trope was done, particularly with the added element of Darby's transition. The audiobook had a great narrator, and I enjoyed listening to this book. The pace was a little slow for my liking, and while I liked the ending, I wish it had been a little more developed! I would have loved to also read more about the relationship Darby had with his mom.