Thank you NetGalley. Lisavet Levy, a young German girl, is thrust into the time space (storage for histories memories) by her father to escape the Nazis. Her teacher and friend is a ghost and she begins taking the risk of saving the memories that time keepers from different countries come to burn from the books that hold them. Although many may like this, I found it had too many ideas forced into the storyline. The genre for this one could be anything and everything, although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it did throw the pace and feel of the story off. Still too many unanswered questions and parts that didn’t fit in. It was just ok for me..

A huge thanks to the publisher for the e-arc! I loved, loved this book! For me, it has everything I like: history, romance, magic, and danger. It also focuses on memory and the fact that time rules over everything. I liked how the novel also talks about the fact that history is written by the victor, so to speak, and there’s memories that governments across the world want people to forget. In short, it made me feel everything. I smiled, I cried, I read it all in one sitting because I couldn’t get enough.

I thought it was very well written. It actually follows two timelines! One is a girl named Lisavet Levy, who is a young Jewish girl on the night of Kristallnacht who loses her father. The other is a young girl named Amelia who attends a funeral for her uncle, Ernest. However, not all is as it seems for either party. Enter the time space, a library of all the memories of the past (which are stored in books) and the Temporal Reconnaissance Program, a secretive department of the CIA that essentially polices the time space. The novel takes place over several decades and really does have a sweeping scope. When I was reading this, I was thinking about how this would make an excellent TV series, especially considering how timely the themes are.

Overall, I highly recommend this novel. I think anyone reading this can get something from it. For me, this is an easy five stars.

**Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso** is a captivating read for fans of Olivie Blake’s *Masters of Death*, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone’s *This Is How You Lose the Time War*, Haruki Murakami’s *Kafka on the Shore*, Matt Haig’s *The Midnight Library*, Kaliane Bradley’s *The Ministry of Time*, and the TV show *Loki*.

The story revolves around Lisavet Levy, whose father hides her from the Nazis in a place known as time-space—a library filled with the memories of the past, stored in books. Within this library, people are invested in controlling the narrative, choosing which memories to keep or erase. Many individuals and nations believe they possess the moral high ground to make such decisions. This dynamic mirrors the reality of today, where those in positions of social power often dictate our history.

The novel navigates through various time periods and combines elements of romance with a spy-like thriller aspect. Content Warning: The book has an instannce of sexual coercion; moreover, it raises ethical questions about consent, particularly regarding the act of erasing someone’s memory.

This book is both engaging and thought-provoking, especially in light of the current trend of book bans and revisionist history.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC.

**Rating: 4.5 Stars**

I cannot say enough great things about this book. This is now one of my favorite books period, one that will stick with me for a long time.

This is how dual timelines should be done. It works perfectly for each reveal and character development. Both timelines are distinct and interesting, and the way the plot unfolds is done just right for both.

The pacing is perfect. The story isn’t dependent on the mystery and the reveals themselves are not dragged out until the end, as answers throughout the story keeps the plot moving smoothly.

I cannot give enough praise with how the reveals are done. It’s written as if the author expects you to start to piece things together yourself with clues interwoven in the story so effortlessly, which works so beautifully.

Early on I could tell this story was going to emotionally destroy me and I was unsurprisingly crying by the end.

I cannot wait to see what this author writes next! She has become an auto-buy author for me with this one book.

TW: Dubious Consent in one scene

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC!!!