I thought that this was a really good debut novel by the author. I was interested in the topic of the story as I have read and enjoyed other books about time travel. It was a family drama at heart with romance and time travel. It was able to hold my interest and I thought that it was well written and the characters were engaging and realistic.

Oops .. I'm afraid this wasn't for me ... characters are nicely v drawn but all too slow for me , maybe even dull. But it's not my thing, is all .. too near the surface also (shallow).

An epic family drama with some time travelling and beautiful prose. You will either love or hate this. It will be too slow for some but that is what will make it beautiful and meaningful for others. I'm just about in the middle.

I picked up the audiobook for this when it came out and perhaps that was my downfall with this book, as without the visual note of where and when someone was travelling, I was lost.
I struggle with multi-pov as it is, adding in different times and places made it hard for me to follow.

The writing style itself was lovely and it felt so well put together, but it just left me in the dust and so I more just enjoyed listening to the lyricalness of the writing rather than actually paying attention to the plot.
I genuinely couldn't tell you what the book was about except time travel - I know at the start the parents didn't come back and I assumed it would be about finding them in time somewhere - maybe it was, but I couldn't keep with it unfortunately.

This book was recommended by Prima magazine and I can see why. The writing style is quite unique, and the time travelling felt very magical, with every family member having their own individual style of visiting the past and future.

I loved this take on time travel and found the family saga element very touching. It did take me a while to get into the story, even though ultimately I found the different layers and timelines a hugely interesting part of the book!

A gorgeous story and I loved all the different timelines! The characters were intriguing and I found myself really investing in them. Beautiful

A touching family saga quite unlike the ordinary run of the mill with an interesting take on generational differences, the nature of love in its different forms and time travel.

This traces a Chinese family with its roots in Hong Kong and switches between HK and England as its setting. Personally, I found the constant switching between timelines a bit too distracting and the characters quite difficult to get close to, particularly as you are also constantly juggling the switch in time and place. I am sure that some readers will absolutely love this book but personally I’m someone who likes a resolved ending so was a bit disappointed.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not a book for me at all, I enjoyed Haig's How To Stop Time and also The Time Traveller's Wife so was hopeful about this one but it just remained opaque to me and I couldn't keep up with what/where/who was traveling where or why.

I had very different expectations walking into this one as I hadn’t read the synopsis (oops). I had seen it mentioned by a few bookstagrammers and authors I rate and requested an ARC off the back of that. What I was expecting was pure historical fiction… what I got was a time travelling family and an eclectic mix of Chinese-British history and science fiction. And it was a blast.

It stretches from 1937 through to 2019 and spans (I think) four generations. We see old Hong Kong, new Hong Kong, London in the Blitz and everything in between. The most interesting element of this book is not the time travel itself but it’s repercussions on the different members of the family - finding love in a time that isn’t your own, losing your parents to another era and dealing with the grief left behind… lots of different layers and emotions are explored. It’s a really interesting read and out now so I’d definitely recommend seeking out a copy.

The problem with time travel novels is that this element often takes the front seat and the plot suffers as you wait for the next hop.
This is a good book, there's plenty of characters, there's emotions, and plenty of interesting characters.
I felt a bit confused at times and a list who is who would have helped.
A good story, 3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The synopsis of this book really intrigued me so I was really excited to give it a read.

I enjoyed the reading experience, but I didn't find it very emotive. I could tell the story was meant to be emotional, but I didn't find Pim Wangtechawat's writing style got into my soul in that sense.
I think this book would be great for a book club as there are so many discussion points around the book. It certainly makes you think, and question the universe.

The story was good, but I was just left wanting more - I was wanting to feel more.

“…timing ought to give you hope. If the timing of something could be wrong, there was the possibility of it someday being right.”

I read half the book in a single day, I was hooked from the start 💗 The Moon Represents My Heart is a novel that beautifully explores closure, grief, memory and nostalgia, family, and hope! There are sections that don’t have quotations for dialogue, I think mostly for chapters that take place in the past, which was something to get used to.

The writing was beautiful and lyrical, at times verging into free verse making it a fairly quick read. Some passages were so beautifully written that I had to reread them to let it sink in! This story contains complex, well developed characters. You get to see their ups and downs, their family relationships, and inner thoughts, allowing you to feel like you know each of them intimately.

The second half was especially emotional, with a great ending to an incredible story! I have so much love and awe for the story, it’s definitely a favorite for the month!

A beautifully written story of love and family wrapped up in time travel.

It's a really interesting concept with the family being able to time travel but each to only certain places or times and it was a clever way of making this a multi-generational tale.

I enjoyed this one but did struggle at times with keeping track of characters as there are quite a few to keep track of andthe narrative switches back and forth in time. It's certainly a book you need to take time with and focus on.

Thank you to Oneworld & Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy

Believe the hype The Moon Represents My Heart was truly wonderful.
Now, I don’t really like time travelling but sometimes you have to make an exception and I was pleased I did.
The parents, Joshua and Lily, their twins Thomas and Eva all with the gift of disappearing to a time in the past. The novel alternates between their stories, Joshua’s discovery of his gift his journey from Hong Kong and subsequent marriage to Lily. They travelled together, alone, it’s pull almost an obsession for Joshua.
The arrival of twins, Thomas and Eva didn’t seem to slow them down, as they coached and prepared their children for their own journeys.
A tragedy, sent Thomas and Eva into a spiral, Thomas pushed towards more and more time travel, Eva lost herself in art, the voices that called to her from the past.
It was Thomas that pulled at our heart string, who returned again and again searching for the one person he truly loved.
He irritated me at times as he pushed away those who loved him, as his obsessive behaviour took its toll, but in other ways he was a product of tragedy and I loved him for it.
This novel was much more than I expected and I cannot wait for its flight into the world for everyone to enjoy.

3.5 stars

The Moon Represents My Heart is a sweeping, multi-generational novel, mostly set around a family of four who can travel in time, and the generations that came before them.

We mostly centre around Tommy and Eva, and their twin children, Joshua and Lily. Each of them can only travel to certain points and places - Joshua is constantly pulled back to his childhood in the Kowloon Walled City, for instance, Tommy 1940s-50’s London, and Eva is drawn to members of the family, even if she’s never met them before.

However, when the children are young, the parents attempt a trip back to the 1800’s and never return. We follow along with the children as they try to grow and evolve into their own people, while also seeing their parents story, and snippets and parts of their grandparents too.

I think it’s a story about choices, and how the choices we make impact the generations that come after us, the information we share and withhold, and what the idea of home means. The writing is very poetic, flows really well, which makes it very readable. I mostly felt for Tommy, who finds himself so caught up with someone he meets in his travels, which puts him at odds with his current modern life, and how that can’t really be balanced.

I was hoping for a few more answers by the end, but I suppose the book isn’t about that. There were some beautiful moments, but unfortunately, overall, it just left me feeling a tad deflated.

I’m sad that I didn’t love this book as much as I was hoping to, but it wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, and I think there will definitely be people out there who will get a lot more from it.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgally, for the early copy to review.

"The Moon Represents My Heart" is a vivid portrayal of contemporary Thai society, and the complex interplay of different cultural influences. Wangtechawat's writing is insightful and nuanced and captures the richness and diversity of culture with sensitivity and depth. It is a beautiful and moving novel that explores important themes of family, identity, and the power of music. With its engaging characters, vivid setting, and timeless message, it is sure to resonate with readers of all ages and backgrounds.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

A beautifully written book which switches from free verse to prose, all of it lyrical and a joy to read. The story could be a little confusing at times, particularly as I'm not familiar with the Chinese/Cantonese words for various family members. Also, this is not a book to pick up and put down as there are multiple time lines. Overall it's a lovely story which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I really wanted to like this book as it sounded really intriguing, especially with the time-travelling aspect, but I just couldn't get into it, much as I tried.

There were quite a variety of characters and I found it very confusing who was who for most of the book and had to keep checking back, although it did get a bit easier as the story went on.

I also got very confused about what year/era everyone was in, as it seems any given character did a lot of the time too! Had they been here before, had an event already happened or not, etc.

I did eventually finish it, as I liked the idea of the story, and kept hoping it would get easier to read and have an ending that made sense of everything, but unfortunately it didn't and I felt there were just too many loose ends. It just wasn't for me.