I absolutely loved this book. It is advertised as one that fans of Addie LaRue and Time Traveler's Wife would love and I think that is spot on. It seems to start a little slow, and I was wondering at first if I would like it, but then it picked up steadily. Some parts were predictable, but I think that's advantageous when you have a book about time (the potential for confusion in a time travel book is high in my opinion). At various points I was left wondering: how do we get from point A to point B and the story resolved itself well. The character of Lisavet was complex and emotive. When Ernest talks about the moon my heart swooned (when you see it you'll swoon too).

I LOVE the cover. I think it is simply, but beautiful. I hope they add sprayed or painted edges. I do not buy many physical books, as I mostly read ebooks, but once in a while, when a book is just THAT good, I buy one to sit on my shelf- I will be adding The Book of Lost Hours to my bookshelf.

This novel about history, memories, power, and books is intertwined with elements of magical realism. Gelfuso takes us on a thought-provoking journey set in a pre-World War II, Cold War era and “time space”, blending historical undertones with a timeless exploration of romance, espionage, family and power. I agree with editor, Kaitlin Olson that the message of the book is important to the our current day: “the stories we tell—and how we tell them—matter.”

Despite its historical setting, the story feels relevant to the current day because it speaks to how those in power can shape and manipulate narratives, histories, and information to influence public perception and control societal direction. George Orwell’s words come to mind: “Those who control the present, control the past, and those who control the past control the future.” In The Book of Lost Hours, these themes of memory, history, and control are explored as the protagonist fights against the erasure of memories, which feels like a metaphor for how the past is sometimes manipulated or forgotten, with consequences for the future.

The narrative has echoes of The Night Circus and The Midnight Library, with its enchanting world-building and multi-layered storytelling. If you love books that immerse you in a richly magical world while encouraging deeper thought about history, books, and power, this is one to add to your list.

I am torn between 3 and 4 stars with this book.
I enjoyed the premise, and I enjoyed the story. The first half of the book had me enthralled and I didn't want to put it down.
(3 am and I am still reading when I have to get up at 5 am the next morning type of good.)
I enjoyed the time swaps, I enjoyed the characters, all of them. But then the last part of the book happened, and I was not happy anymore. I didn't like the characters (especially Lizavet) and I found that the book lost the oomph that it started with. I loved the history and how the book was written. I truly believe that my feelings for Lizavet changed so much at the end of the book that I didn't want to read. If I could have savored the first part of the book I would say that this book started as one of my favorites of 2025. I think I may go re-read this when it gets closer to the release date. Maybe just maybe I will find the love for the ending as much as the beginning.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

this was a pretty good book. It did remind me of both the midnight library & the ministry of time, but this was more of a historical twist on them. It was interesting too, but the historical aspect was a bit boring for me

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I found myself leaving this book with some mixed feelings! I enjoyed the writing style, and was very invested in this book until about 75% of the way through. I liked the concept of the time space, and I enjoyed the alternate timelines that we switched back and forth from. While there were parts of the book that felt predictable, I didn’t feel that this predictability took away from my initial enjoyment. If anything, knowing what was likely coming only made me more curious about how we would end up there. While it helped to follow Lizavet throughout her life and understand the different factors that influenced her characterization and motivations when she was older, I did find it difficult to root for her as a character towards the end of the book. While I could understand on a rational level why she made some of her choices, several of them were upsetting to read and left me feeling disconnected from her character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

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!!!