Beth and her husband Colson have invented time travel. But it’s not the stereotypical time travel we think of. They’ve created a machine that sends your consciousness back in time to a previous point in your timeline. They set rules for the travel, and they continue to study and analyze what this truly means.

Colson has passed away from a terrible car accident, leaving Beth and her daughter Isabella to continue with broken hearts. But something is happening with the time travel, and as the psychotic CEO who funds this research puts the pressure on, Beth finds herself trying to solve complex puzzles and see if she change the past, present, and future.

“Of course, there are rules…”

“Rule one. Travel can only occur to a point within your lifetime.”

I would like to preface this with the statement that I am not a sci-fi girly. A few chunks of this book went over my head and lost my attention. But there were enough spooky moments, plot twists, and human drama that kept me hooked for most of it.

“Rule two. You can only travel for ninety seconds.”

Here’s what I loved:

As this is a time travel story, which will always come with consequences, I was having a lot of fun keeping track of the small changes and hidden plot twists as the story developed. There is one moment with a mug, and a drawing colour, where I was screaming at the characters to realize what was going on. I was VERY invested haha.

The villain of this story is the big tech CEO who funds the research that Colson and Beth do. He sinks to very deep levels of evilness and makes a really strong villain. And he also felt very realistic which amped up my fear.

Colson and Beth’s relationship was a joy to witness as well. It’s complex, supportive, loving, but also has its own secrets. As we unravel everything and realize to what lengths Colson has gone, it’s incredibly emotional to read. I was crying throughout the last two chapters. It’s a fantastically written relationship, which is always one of Fracassi’s strong points as a writer.

Overall, I enjoyed Fracassi’s take on the time travel story, and while some parts weren’t for me, there was a lot I got out of this story and had an epic journey while reading it. This hits shelves March 18th! A big thank you to Orbit for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Rule three. You can only observe.”