In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer Review

In Time With You

by Kristen Dwyer

Wednesday Books

YA

Man, I loved this book. It made me feel so many feelings the whole time. In Time With You is a cotemprary fiction novel— categorized as YA though the characters are college aged and the concept will likely appeal to many reader— that blends grief, love, and the magic of time travel.

Neive , our protagonist and narrator, has just lost her boyfriend Carter in a river drowning both she and Carter’s friend Max were present for. Neive never thiught Max liked her and at the funeral this seems clear.

After Neive confides in her grandmother, the fantastic side character and sheep farmer, her grandmother tears a years worth of yarn out of a blanket Neive’s been making for her while life.

The next morning, Neive wakes up a year earlier in her college dorm with her BFF and cousin Linden. Neive is determined to keep Carter alive as time and reality warp around her. In this version, Neive finds herself getting closer and closer to Max and time continues to shift.

The time element, and Grandee who is very witch, add magical realism into this poignant telling of a young woman dealing with big feelings and having to make hard choices.

It is also set at an arts college and I found that setting to be fascinating. Since Neive and Max are both artists, we get to see them bond over vulnerable moments of creation.

If you like a good book, with some time warps and some romance that speaks to all the different turns our lives can take, I highly recommend this book. Fans of This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub will love it, and I don’t say this lightly that book is in my top five!

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and St. Martin’s’ for the egalley and thank you Kristen Dwyer for writing such a good story.