This is a beautiful story of finding your true self and coming to terms with your past. Having the opportunity to speak to your younger self is something we’ve all wished we could do at some point. “What is something I’d tell my teenage self?” Oh so many things.
The fantasy element was creatively done and fun to explore the past along with Darby. I loved watching it all come together.

I know we’ve all thought, “what would I say to my younger self if I could go back in time?” I remember being an awkward, homeschooled kid and I would love to stand in front of that 13 year old and give him some advice for the future.

In The In-Between Bookstore, Edward Underhill draws us into the life of Darby, a recently unemployed trans man who moves from NYC back to his home town in the Midwest. Back home, he visits his hometown bookstore where he worked as a high schooler, and walks through the door to find nothing has changed and his younger self is sitting behind the counter.

Underhill’s characters are so lifelike, and it’s clear that he’s put some amount of himself into the book. The struggle of growing up in a small town where you don’t feel like you fit in, the pain of moving away, and the guilt of not keeping up with the people that stayed behind all resonated with me and felt so familiar to the writer. I just loved Darby, his mom, Michael, and especially Mr. Grumpy ❤️

The In-Between Bookstore comes out January 14th, please go check it out. Whether the trans experience resonates with you or not, this is also just a wonderful novel about relationships, family, and how messy and beautiful they can be.

Thank you to Edward Underhill, HarperAudio, and Avon for the e-ARC and audio ARC through Netgalley 🫶🏼

Darby is coming up on a milestone birthday and is faced with a disappointing outlook on the life they've built in NYC. With his mom planning a move out of their childhood home, he heads back to a small town in Illinois to face the past, present, and future.

Any time I see a sliding doors/time travel story, I want to read it. This book really takes a look at how the past shapes our present and thus makes the future so murky. Sometimes in order to look forward, we have to look back. I love that it looks at the complications of trans youth, the difficult parts of being a teen, and how sometimes we can't see the whole picture until we've grown.

I loved to see the healing that both main characters find along the way. I think there could have been more to the story, but I felt that they both found closure. The ending felt a little flat after the build up of the story was more interesting. I'd have loved to get an epilogue or more to the story of what happened next. But otherwise, a great story. A solid 3.5.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ARC!!

This book was filled with beautiful representation! I loved the integration of time travel and Darby getting to know his younger self. It was about stepping into your true self and recognizing where you fit with the people who lift you up. I loved Michael’s storyline and the realization that where he felt most comfortable may not be the same as Darby, and that is okay.

I’m obsessed with multiple realities and different paths so I hope there is a timeline where Michael and Darby end up together🥹

It’s a sweet story about a guy leaving a big city to return to their hometown to help their mom move during a period of time when their own life isn’t really taking off. There is a light fantasy element of a bookstore where their former self works and it’s actually kind of a clever plot. The main character has to figure out why they had a falling out with a former friend by getting the information from the past self, while also trying to get their former self to understand themselves better so they don’t have to struggle as much with their identity later. Revisiting the small town, re-meeting old acquaintances and seeing how they’ve changed was fun. The author does a good job making it feel cozy and low stakes.

The writing is a bit cheesy, but it’s all good for this genre, not too much of a detractor. But my god man, how many times do we need to complain about mosquitos? It’s not that big of a deal.

4/5 stars if the summary appeals to you. And the narrator has a nice voice, I can recommend the audiobook version.

*An uncorrected proof of this book was provided by the publisher at the reviewer’s request in exchange for a fair and uncompromising review.

ALC Review: The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill
Pub date: January 14, 2025

Darby moved out of his hometown at 18 and never looked back - or visited. But when he is let go from his job in NYC, his rent becomes unaffordable, and he is just generally fed up with the hustle and bustle, he starts to think about a fresh start. His mom is moving from the house he grew up in, so he decides to head back to Oak Falls, Illinois and he may just stick around. Being a young trans man who didn't have the words to explain how he was feeling meant that Darby never really felt like he belonged. But when he walks in the door at the town bookstore that he used to work in, he runs into himself...at age 16. When he leaves the bookstore, he's back in the present. But for some reason, the bookstore is always back in the past, and Darby is determined to figure out why.

Listen, we all know that I primarily read romance and even when I read a different genre, there's usually a romantic element. This is unequivocally NOT a romance nor does it have a romance subplot. I think it's important to know that going in (which I did). The book is queer as heck and I really loved the exploration of coming back to ones hometown and finding out how drastically things have changed. Even though Darby didn't feel like he belonged growing up, the people he reconnects with show him that he actually belonged more than he thought, just no one had the words for it.

I've seen a lot of reviews saying that people hated the ending and found it sad, but I found it hopeful and realistic! I won't say too much more about it since that would involve a lot of spoilers but I was satisfied by the outcome.

The only thing I wish we had a little bit more of was some character growth from Darby. I think we're on our way there by the end of the book but Darby was pretty immature in the beginning of the book and I just don't know that I saw quite enough growth within the confines of the story. Nor did he really apologize to anyone that deserved apologies - including his mom who he didn't visit EVER?? The book does feel a bit YA at times which makes sense given the authors background but doesn't work quite as well as an adult novel. Also the entire book could have been solved by Darby just asking his childhood friend what happened when they were younger to cause a rift.

I really liked the narration from Shaan Dasani. I thought he was engaging and made the book a breeze to listen to.

Thank you to Harper Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Although the characters are from college and adult age, it does involve teenage Darby. It can feel very YA at times with the content and exploration of how things went so wrong from when he was younger with his BF Michael. I do recommend, especially with anyone dealing with who and what they are. The bookstore taking Darby back in time to visit his younger self was a nice twist in the story. Thank You Netgalley for the ALC of this book. I did enjoy the narrator and felt they were perfect for the character. This book explores topics of Transgender, and sexual orientation.

I thought this was a stunning story, not only is the time travel element done perfectly, but it's such a delight to see a story share the experiences of queer people thriving in small rural towns. I think so much queer contemporary writing is set in big cities and queer folks are kicked out of their small minded small towns, but we get to see something completely different in this story- not to mention the exploration of what we might tell our younger searching selves to help us feel less broken in the current moment.

Additionally - I want to note how beautifully the story with Darby's mom was told. Not to mention that I adored Mr. Grumpy, the basset hound.

I am so grateful to have been granted access to an audio ARC of The In-Between Bookstore, and I'd highly recommend that folks add it to their 2025 TBR or add it to their book club lists for sure! On top of excellent story telling, the audio narration was so engaging and easy to take in. With such a wide cast, they did a phenomenal job of incorporating everyone's story.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

i’ve really enjoyed the time-travel concept in books lately, and the in-between bookstore uses time travel to allow our mc to see himself as a young adult.

while i didn’t really enjoy the writing, the narrator did an excellent job!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this ARC.

When Darby loses his job before his thirtieth birthday, he leaves New York and goes back to his hometown to help his mother move. There he revisits his childhood friend and memories and his teenage self while he is trying to figure out what’s next.

It is an engaging story. There are challenges and setbacks that made me read through the whole book.

The audio narrator is good but I am not sure if Darby is always angry and nagging or it’s the audio narration.

For me Darby’s anger and nagging is a let down. I don’t expect someone who has lost his job to be bubbly and happy, but so much self pity and wallowing is not fun to read.

Darby’s immaturity and vagueness of his problems leads to no resolution. With no resolution and no real progress, this is not a self discovery.

Darby is mostly trying to control his teenage self, and nudge them to make decisions the way that suits his current situation.

I didn’t feel love or friendship between Darby and Michael either.

I enjoyed the mother character, she is fun.

I was lucky enough to get both a physical arc and the audio which is literally my most favourite way to read an arc. The flip flopping between audio and physical allows me to get through a lot of books and when Im completely vested, I don't have to stop even if I'm on my many "uber" driving tasks of being a parent too.

The book and narrator have different stars from me. I found the book a bit long which is bizarre since it's actually less than 300 pages. It just felt slow for me. I enjoyed the storyline, the voices and the magical realism but I struggled at times to stay interested.

But this is where the audio helped push me to the end. I enjoyed the narrator so much more. I could speed up the voices and find myself a bit more interested in what Darby was going to discover as he took a braver risk.

A solid like for me for the book
a love for the narrator for a magical realism type book

Thank you to HarperAudio Adult and NetGalley for sending me an audio ARC of the In-Between Bookstore in exchange for review.

3 stars

This book felt more like I was watching a movie than any other book I’ve read or listened to. It had the conflict, mystery, while maintaining a very calming slice of life vibe.

We follow our main character who is feeling defeated with their career, life, and location. Which the way it’s written feels relatable to be exhausted by New York even though I’ve never been there.

I love the heavy queer representation within this as well. Everyone’s gay! Just the way I like it lol.
The narrator also made the story feel incredibly genuine.

The ending made me a little sad but it was also very satisfying how realistic it was — I’ll keep this spoiler free but two weeks is too soon and I’m glad someone has a grounded head!

Thank you for this! It was very peaceful and heartwarming

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for the ARC. Writing kind of reminded me of TJ Klune. Was a bit lack luster at the end. This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more.

The In-Between Bookstore promises a blend of magical realism and heartfelt self-discovery but falls short in its execution. The premise of Darby returning to his small hometown and encountering a literal reflection of his past self in a mysterious, time-frozen bookstore is intriguing. However, the novel leans heavily into literary fiction territory, with the fantastical elements taking a backseat—a misstep given its misleading categorization as fantasy.

Darby, a trans man grappling with a quarter-life crisis after losing his job just before turning 30, serves as the novel’s focal point. His journey of self-discovery explores meaningful themes like identity, self-acceptance, and the impact of past choices. Unfortunately, Darby’s self-centeredness and his tendency to dismiss or mistreat those who care about him make him a frustrating protagonist. While flawed characters can be compelling, Darby’s inability to think beyond his own struggles undermines the emotional depth of the story.

Though the book offers valuable representation and a poignant message about facing the past to create a better future, it’s hard to root for Darby when his growth comes at the expense of those around him. Fans of reflective literary fiction may find resonance here, but readers expecting a stronger fantasy or magical realism thread might leave disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

This was a fairly feel good story about feeling like you don’t fit in anywhere at all. I usually enjoy small town stories and stories about book stores and this was no different. I don’t love the misunderstanding trope but this particular instance wasn’t as bad as others have been. I was kind of annoyed with the main character for not understanding at 30 years old that queer people are absolutely everywhere, not just in big cities. I expect better from a queer trans author in that regard. Overall this was a solid read and I enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review

I absolutely loved this. I’m not usually a fan of miscommunication, but it felt right here. Some people may not like the ending but I felt like it was the nice little bow that it needed.

I read some of the other reviews while reading this book. So many people complained about the ending I thought Darby died or something horrific like that. Kind of a spoiler but not really, he does not die. Their frustration with the ending seems overblown.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. Darby and Michael really touched me. Darby's quest to find himself and figure out his place in this world was so relatable. I found the ending very sweet and hopeful. It left me content and satisfied.

As for the narration, I didn't like it at first. It felt like the voices didn't fit the characters. It kept taking me out of the story. But, for whatever reason, the narration clicked about the time Darby reached Illinois and it wasn't an issue after that. This makes me think the issue I had with it at the beginning was more a 'me' problem versus a problem with the actual narrator. I ended up giving the book 4 stars and would read gladly read more books by this author/narrator!

This one overall reminds me a little of The Midnight Library, with the way life branches based on choices.

Darby grew up in a small down and didn't know how to find a space for himself in that smallness as he discovered and explored being trans. Instead he found room to grow and people to surround himself with in New York where he attended college and found a job. However a job loss and his mom's planned move takes him back to his small town and he discovers how much he missed as a teen wrapped up in his own struggles.

Slightly spoilery - I'm not a huge fan of the ending for this, but I think that's the point - life isn't all perfection. Still a pretty fun read and relatable as someone also from a small town (much smaller than Oak Falls) in Illinois.

This book sounded so interesting, but for some reason could not get into it. Something about the main characters didn't speak to me. With that said I think certain people will adore this book.

This was an unexpected gem. In a nutshell: the main character who identifies as trans goes back to his hometown to help his mom move and visits a bookstore that sends him back in time. He is only sent back when he's in the bookstore and he converses with his younger self who has not yet transitioned nor realizes he's queer.

I really liked the time travel in here because it was limited. It wasn't a Groundhog Day time loop and there weren't going to be any repercussions or impacts in the future because Darby was meeting himself and didn't tell his younger self who he was. I also liked that the time travel was used as a lesson of sorts to figure out what happened with Michael in high school and using that to inform the choices he'll make in the future.

This also doesn't end with the neat little bow that you'd expect. I appreciated that both Darby and Michael matured and figured out who they were as individuals, which is evident in the choices they each make about where they want to be and who they want to be with.

This also was a good audiobook to listen to also - engaging narrator with fluid pacing. Enjoyed this one all around.