This was such a fun and light-hearted read. The world-building was really cool and I loved the concept of time travelers needing costumes to blend in to the time period they're going to. I would have like the relationship between Callisto and Fawkes to be a bit more developed, although I understand why that would be difficult because of the time-travelling, non-linear plot. Overall, a really fun read and I enjoyed it a lot!

The concept of time travel and Pocket in this book was so mind-tingling satisfying to me. A place out of time with it's own language. A language that used pronouns to describe closeness of relations instead of gender. A place for time travelers to live when there is no place in time they felt fit them. It was all just so fun.

With the book being as short as it is, I felt we lacked time with the characters and the characters lacked time with each other in a way that both created a disconnect to the reader. The confrontation/conclusion with the antagonist also felt a bit undercooked and anticlimactic.

So while I didn't feel much for the characters or the plot, the themes of the book and concept of Pocket still had me enjoying the book well enough.

What an absolutely charming concept for a book!

I went into this with high hopes because I am a big fan of time travel and this sounded so dreamy and atmospheric and romantic. And it WAS all of that. But ultimately I guess my feelings for this book weren't so simple.

Things I Liked:
~ the non-binary lead! Crazy to think about but I think this was the first book I've actually read with a non-binary main character, and that was really cool. In general the LGBTQIA+ rep in this book was very nice.
~ the atmosphere and vibes. 10/10, magical
~ the random scenes across all different eras. Made me feel like I was watching Doctor Who.
~ On that note, the fun references to other famous time travel media. Doctor Who, Back to the Future, etc. all had fun little nods.
~ the clothes! I was so obsessed with the fashion in this I'd actually love to see it turned into a graphic novel just so we could see it all come to life.
~ the romance, kind of? I say kind of because I had issues with the romance which I will talk more about in a moment, but I DID enjoy how sweet and swoony Fawkes and Calisto were with each other.
~ time boots! Such a cool concept.

Things I Didn't Like:
~ the writing didn't hit for me on a technical level. I didn't enjoy how often it would jump from one character's head into another without any breaks or anything to indicate we were doing that. I know it's in third person but even so there needs to be some consistency to whose perspective we are in when we are reading the characters' thoughts and emotions, whether it's in third person or not.
~ the time travel/magic system didn't make any sense. I know time travel is a hard concept and it doesn't always make sense just by definition, but the fact that some people had a natural ability for it but then time boots could also allow anyone to travel but then time boots were also just made to survive walking through time but anyone who has time boots could theoretically travel regardless. There's no rules or regulations for who can travel or where or to when but it would be bad if EVERYONE could do it, but any one of those people could theoretically accidentally do it at any time? Why are some people born with time gifts and some aren't? There was just a lot about it that felt like we weren't supposed to think about it too hard, but I unfortunately do think about things too hard.
~ the antagonist, and how things were resolved with him. God, this was such a weak antagonist. SPOILERS His whole motivation was being sad that his boyfriend and girlfriend "left him out" of time traveling, but they also... didn't? They brought him time boots, even in the original timeline. He felt left out because he didn't have a time gift, but he DID have a time gift? In the original timeline? Unless I misunderstood, the only thing that changed from the old timeline to the new one was Calisto telling him to be patient, and then all the things happened that already happened in the old timeline except now he wasn't mad anymore, so it all turned out better? I don't get it, and I hated it
~ the twist with the time wardens and Korsika was so dumb I'm so sorry
~ When I heard this was a time travel romance and read the blurb I was expecting a Doctor x River Song kind of vibe and I think that's what the author was going for, but it didn't hit the same because Fawkes didn't actually know Calisto before they met him. He just had visions about them. So maybe he felt like he knew them, but this was because he had visions of the future, not because he was actually a time traveler who'd already lived parts of their relationship. Which is fine, but it's not how it was presented in the blurb and that was disappointing to me personally. The description and even the book itself tries so hard to push the idea that they're falling in love non-linearly but it's all very linear, he just has a little bit of an advantage. I don't know, maybe going in with the River Song idea in my head made my expectations too high, but it didn't hit for me.
~ Similarly, the romance also felt a little too instalove-y for me. Especially on Calisto's part. Fawkes has had all these visions of them but we as readers are never privy to his visions, so we don't see them loving each other in the future. And Calisto never sees anything about it, so there's no reason for them to fall so quickly. I don't know, it felt like the two loved each other because they were supposed to and not because they actually had the chance to fall for each other. I wanted more from that.
~ I feel like it was very rushed because the book was so short. A lot of these issues that I've mentioned would probably be resolved by just making the book longer (or making it a series!) so that we could slow down and actually get into this stuff. But it felt like there was no time to develop anything because we just had to keep moving to keep the book short enough.

So as you can see, there were things I liked and things I didn't. It was an easy read, even for me in a reading slump, so it's still worth giving a try, especially if you like time travel romance. Just don't go in with as high of expectations as I did, that way you won't be disappointed like I was.

Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Costumes for time travelers has great representation and the concept is so fun!

I would have loved to spend more time with it though. The world building is so interesting but it felt like we rushed through everything! I want mooore!

𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬!

Costumes for Time Travelers is a bizarre (and I mean this as a compliment) and imaginative novel that blends time travel, identity, and the power of clothing in a unique way. From the very start, the story reminded me of Piranesi—a bit disorienting at first, but ultimately rewarding as the world begins to take shape.

The book’s use of clothing as a form of identity is well done, though at times, the vocabulary surrounding fashion required a bit of research on my part. Still, this only added to the richness of the world Capetta has crafted. The gender-neutral main character was a refreshing touch, bringing important representation to the story. And then there’s Fawkes—who immediately gave me Howl’s Moving Castle vibes. The not-so-time-linear romance between the characters reminded me of River Song and the Doctor in Doctor Who.

While the premise and characters are compelling, the pacing sometimes moves too fast. Events unfold so rapidly that there’s little time to fully process them, even though the characters seem to. This is a book that could have easily benefited from at least 200 more pages to fully develop its ideas and allow for deeper emotional investment in the characters.

Despite these pacing issues, Costumes for Time Travelers is a captivating and beautifully written novel that offers a fresh take on time travel and self-discovery. With stunning prose and an original concept, it’s a book that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"A mouthful of bright pins." — Fawkes describing Calisto
"An embarrassment of grown-ups."
"We met for the first time tonight... linearly speaking."

Costumes for Time Travelers was a book with a fascinating concept that I loved. Calisto and Fawkes were also both compelling characters I was ready and willing to get behind. The book moves at a fair pace, which kept me turning the pages; however, at times I wish we can slowed down a bit and taken longer to explore. I wanted to know more about Pocket and more about the costumes and the side characters. At just 200 pages, it's a light, quick read, but I felt there was room for expansion of the world building that didn't happen. I'd have also liked a little more from the ending, though I could see why things went that way. There was enough world building to enjoy the story, though, which also contained good LGBT+ rep and a sweet romance amidst the action and adventure. Overall, I am giving it four stars. Recommended if you are looking for a light and whimsical, fairy-tale-style YA fantasy.

Absolutely whimsical and adventurous and charming!
Costumes For a time Travelers is full of time travel, fixing mistakes, unique magic, romance, LGBTQ+ rep, diverse characters and second chances.
The world building was wonderful and I really enjoyed the variety of eras that Fawkes and Calisto travelled too! The town of Pocket is so perfectly magical and cozy and whimsical! The characters are incredibly lovable!
Costumes For Time Travelers was a well paced, short (only 224 pages), cosy fantasy read!

A cute, if a bit underdeveloped, combination of coming-of-age, time travel and love! This story would have benefited from a bit more length and development, as the central love story between Fawkes and Calisto felt rushed and the final ending even more so. I would have liked the duo to have traveled a bit more or gotten to know each other better, or even for us to get a bit more insight into the relationship between Gillian and Korsika and Kellan.

I liked the sewing-related motif and the concepts of time-travel and Pocket and all, but it felt a bit jumbled. More time in Pocket would have allowed a greater emotional payoff when it was under fire.

I struggled at first to get into the story, which was in part due to the main character going by they/them pronouns which confused the cast for me in the exposition stage. That is a me-problem and not the author's fault, obviously! All in all I would say this was a cute YA story, but felt rushed. Some great lines sprinkled within though, one of my favorites being "I'm new to having a nonlinear relationship".

This had such an immersive, fun and quirky charm vibe going on!

You know when you read a book and NEED to see it become an animated TV series immediately?

A YA novel managed to slip past my filters! That's ok though, because I do have a soft spot for A. R. Capetta. Unfortunately, this book didn't really hit for me, even taking into account the fact that I don't read YA much these days. YA just doesn't hit the way it did when I was fourteen and reading 4 books a week because I felt a profound sense of alienation from my peers. And also because I'm in my twenties now and don't really want to read about teenagers.

I'm not quite sure what the book could have done to be a better read for me. I found the characters and dialogue a little simplistic, but it works within the fairytale-like tone of the book. The themes feel a little on-the-nose, but again, it's YA, so the theming is often going to be clearer and more black-and-white than adult fantasy. It's all within genre norms, so it feels unfair for me to ding the book for it. I will ding the book for the sudden POV shifts being a little confusing, and for the somewhat confusing element of how the time travel magic worked? I would have liked just a little bit more of an explanation.

For things I did like, the time travel plot was lots of fun, and the mystery was compelling (the resolution left a little bit to be desired, but it works with what the novel is doing thematically)! Callisto and Fawkes had a cute romance, and I always like to see trans characters in YA who aren't modern day characters dealing with coming out in high school. It's like a little kiss to past me, who had Alex Fierro and just about nothing else.

I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 3 because I don't think it's fair to rate a YA book by my enjoyment when I don't really like YA anymore. I think I would have loved this book when I was 15, but unfortunately I am no longer 15. I recommend if you are 15 though!

ᨳ᭬ ⭑ | dnf @40% ࿐ྂ

I wanted to love this so much, but I've accepted that it just isn't for me.

No matter how hard I try, I can't get into the story.

I wish every book was about queer time travel, tbh. And this one truly had the greatest concept. It's about this dimension called Pocket that every traveler has to cross before the intended destination in time can be reached. Pocket tends to all the needs a time traveler might have on their journey, from time-specific knowledge to translations of old languages to the era-appropriate clothing. Providing the latter is the job of Calisto, who happily spent their entire life in the place out of time – until they meet Fawkes, a boy who blindly stumbles from one time to the next. From there on unfolds a chaotic time travel adventure with both characters never really knowing where and when they will end up next. While I did like the time traveling, I wish the book focused more on Pocket and explored the world in detail. It's full of diverse characters with interesting professions that were mostly only mentioned briefly. The whole book is fairly short, and maybe a full-length novel would have been the better choice for that great of a concept. I still liked it a lot, and the plot about the time wardens hunting Calisto and Fawkes reminded me a lot of the "Loki" tv series. I am convinced that this book is at least partly inspired by that show, with all the talk about the true timeline and certain decisions causing it to branch. Not a bad piece of media to be compared to, if you asked me.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Utterly charming and magical premise. But ... kinda wanted more from the costume side of things? Maybe it's just my nerd brain, but I wanted MORE about the weird and wonderful fashions of history! More about Pocket! More of the whimsy of being a rest stop for time travellers! Instead it's 99% time travel shenaniganery (which is fun too, but .. Idk I can never make perfect sense of it) and plot threads that I didn't care about as much as that first glimmer into Pocket. Still. A+ concept. Adorable queer romance. Cute, cozy, quick.