Okay so this book came to me from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So expect just that!

I found this book as I was scrolling through the catalog that is on NetGalley. I want to read more queer novels and I want to give a space to talk about such things. So when I saw a queer book with the title The In-between Bookstore I did not even read the description before I jumped at the submit request button.

A poignant and enchanting novel about a magical bookstore that transports a trans man through time and brings him face-to-face with his teenage self, offering him the chance of a lifetime to examine his life and identity to find a new beginning.

When Darby finds himself unemployed and in need of a fresh start, he moves back to the small Illinois town he left behind. But Oak Falls has changed almost as much as he has since he left.

One thing is familiar: In Between Books, Darby’s refuge growing up and eventual high school job. When he walks into the bookstore now, Darby feels an eerie sense of déjà vu—everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the register is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen. . . who just might give Darby the opportunity to change his own present for the better—if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.

The In-Between Bookstore is a stunning novel of love, self-discovery, and the choices that come with both, for anyone who has ever wondered what their life might be like if they had the chance to go back and take a bigger, braver risk.

A trans-man gets transported back in time to see a younger version of himself. I was already sold because this already is a conversation that is worth having. I am eager to read to see who Darby is now and if he wants to make any decisions to change his life.

This is the authors debut into adult fiction so I am expecting there to maybe be some moments that feel like YA but that will not be that big of an issue for me. As I did a quick glance at some of the reviews I think there is going to be some growing pains in the novel as Underhill finds his adult audience voice.

Predicitons

I see this book going one of two ways and this is partly due to my theory on time travel. First I think Darby is not going to change anything and the real growth is going to come from talking to the people that were around him at his younger age. Getting to understand them better and heal himself from any wounds they may have cut.

My second theory is Darby will make changes to friends or give wisdom somehow to younger Derby. I am not sure how that will work but I look forward to giving it a read.

My initial reaction to what I have read and seen makes me think I will give this book a

Well my table is being called at The Last Page Tavern so I better get going so I don’t miss anything.