Oooh, 1970's New York. That'll be crime and corruption, disco, rap and punk, the emerging gay scene, social unrest, racism and violence and drugs and gangs and prostitution. What a rich tapestry to pull some threads from, I thought to myself. You could write a brilliant novel in that setting. So I was pretty disappointed when Rowan Coleman chose to pretty much ignore all of those things and instead wrote a fairly bland story about time travel between then and the present day, where the characters mostly hang out in someone's house.

The story begins with Luna and Pia, two sisters who go back to Brooklyn after the death of their mother to tie up the loose ends of her estate. They find that their mum has posted them a box of films of herself from years ago, telling them the secret which has haunted her for her whole marriage. But -and this is where it gets weird - Luna discovers that she can time travel. At first she thinks she's having some kind of hallucination but then decides that it's happening for a reason - and that reason is to stop the events that lead to her mother's depression. The story then bounces about between the present day and the 1970's, where Luna gets to know her mum as a young woman and starts to work out who was involved and how to stop it all from happening.

I found this premise pretty ridiculous. Everything else in the book is set completely in the real world so the whole time travel thing came out of nowhere and didn't really fit into the story well. For example, Luna tells Pia about her newly acquired skill and with very little persuasion and no evidence Pia accepts it. Surely any normal person would be convinced that their sister was ill?

There's also a love story between Luna and Michael (who she meets in 1970's Brooklyn). I thought their relationship was very sweet but nothing much happened between them, so I felt the whole thing fell a little flat. I also thought it was a bit far fetched for a couple to fall completely in love with each other when they'd only met a few times.

There's a further additional side story where we find out that Pia is a recovering drug and alcohol addict. Because this was mostly glossed over I wasn't sure why it was mentioned within the narrative - I thought that the author could have done a lot more with it (or not mention it at all).

However, the one thing that stood out for me was the character of Luna' s mother, Riss. I loved how she was depicted as a young girl, full of sass and excitement. It's just a shame that the other characters weren't written as vividly as she was.

Overall, I felt that by adding in storylines which the entire novel could have been based on, the narrative became a little confused. To me, it felt like five or six different stories all mashed into the same book, with no room for any of the ideas to be properly explored. I would have loved for the characters to get out more, with better descriptions of Brooklyn in both time periods. I really struggled with the time travelling idea and thought that the situation was dealt with in quite a clumsy manner. However, as the novel progressed the main storyline picked up pace and I was genuinely interested to see how things turned out. It's just a shame that I had to get two thirds of the way through the book before it really grabbed my attention.

I would say 3 1/2 stars. Not sure whether i liked this book or not. Was good but very time travllers wife esq. enjoyable with good character. Just not sure.

This is my first time reading this author but I throughly enjoyed it. This is an unusual story but it's written in a believable way. It covers a lot of hard subjects including rape, depression and suicide. It was cleverly written about things that effect a lot of people's lives. I shall check out more of Rowan's books.

If you could go back in time, what would you use the gift to do?

Luna is a physicist, she knows all about the nature of time- well from what little there is to know. She needs evidence before believing- she doesn't just take leaps of faith. She often feels a bit out of place in her family, especially with her sister Pia. This all comes to light when Luna and Pia's mother commits suicide, just when they thought she was getting well. They seek to find out why, as there was no note. Nothing. It just seems so out of character. But maybe, they didn't know their mother nearly as much as they thought they did... And maybe Luna can reverse that decision? But, will she lose herself along the way?

This book is insanse, wacky and beautiful. I was amazed at the wonderful narrative, all the craziness of Luna time travelling. I love time travel romances but I usually prefer to watch it on the television screen because I can't always follow the story or the science when reading all the complicated words on a page. This is why I think this book might be one of the best fictional novel I've ever read on time travel- for one thing, the story made all the 'getting your head around the ideas' worth it.

The story is, at heart, about the power of love, sisterhood, family and sacrifice. About bravery, selflessness and the damning nature of our past and how often, for some of us, the past defines us. We can't always let it go, we need closure or justice or forgiveness.

I loved this book. And, it would be the best thing ever if this book became a film because I would love for more people to know this story. It was like every classic, twentieth century, teenager film I've ever seen. I couldn't love it more. It was slow-going but I'm glad I stuck around to see it through. It was worth it!

Rowan Coleman's imagination is astounding, I've read The Other Sister as well. Both are favourites of mine: I enjoy the weirdness and how the impossible is moulded into seeming so very possible.

I received this book through NetGalley.

This story follows Luna and her sister Pia, who travel from England to America to find answers after the death of their mother .While exploring the area where her mother grew up, Luna experiences something that she doesn't understand , she somehow steps i to 1977 to a key moment in her mother’s life that changed her life forever.

Family relationships are at the centre of this story, and it asks the question of how far you would go to save someone you love. Would you risk changing your own future to be able to save someone from their past. A wonderful take on time travel that is up their with The Time Travellers wife. Beautifully written and unique.

When you finish reading a story that completely overwhelms you and you are left shaken with emotion and feeling almost hungover this is the sign of an excellent novel. Rowan Coleman’s latest novel, The Summer of Impossible Things, got me from the start to the finish. I was captivated by this almost other worldly love story. A story of a love between a mother and a daughter; a story of a love that seemed almost impossible to believe but the consequence of never feeling the strength of this love is almost too heart breaking to think about.

We follow Luna on her quest, along with her sister Pia, to find out about her mother’s pre-wed life in Brooklyn, NYC. To 1977 when the streets were filled with a buzz surrounding the making of the movie Saturday Night Fever which brought certain fame to parts of the city. To a time when the city was filled with a darkness that brought a fear. To a time that was such a pivotal moment in her mother’s life that it weighed her down.

Such a moving, poignant story that left me spellbound, with my emotions heightened and the anticipation of what was to come was almost too hard to bear. A book I was desperate to find out what happens next but as each chapter drew on I was fearful to how the author would finish my emotive journey with the characters … I wasn’t disappointed. Truly outstanding storytelling.

One of my favourite books of the year. I just loved this story and didn't want it to end at all. I felt for the characters and could picture the settings. I loved the magical element to the story and poignancy of the tale.

The Summer of Impossible Things is tricky to categorise because, although Luna does travel back in time to 1970s Brooklyn, it’s not science fiction and it’s not a historical novel. Perhaps it’s a romance in that it’s about what love means, but it also takes in philosophy, physics, nostalgia and disco. It’s an emotional read with family relationships at the centre, but it prompts questions as well. Whatever, it’s an atmospheric, intriguing and absorbing novel. It filled my head and I loved it.

How I adored this book.
I was hooked from the start with the beautifully written characters and wonderfully different storyline - time travel, a brave thing to write about that paid off hugely! It was not the sort of book I would normally have read but I hoped with Colman's writing style I would enjoy it, I couldn't have hoped to have loved it as much as I did.
Comparisons to The Time Traveller's Wife are not wrong, however I loved this even more.
A wonderful read that will stay with me for a very long time.

Sisters Luna and Pia go on an adventure to New York to find out more about their mum. Their mother Marissa holds a secret as to why she was so unhappy for the last years of her life. He sister Stephanie still lives in New York and misses her sister after she left in the night to live in England with her sweetheart Henry.

Marissa left for England in 1977 she meets Henry a photographer who is working on the set of the film Saturday Night Fever. Luna has been told that Henry isn't her real dad and wants to know who he really is.

Luna falls into the past and relives the days leading up to when he mother left for England. At first she thinks she going mad but then realises she can change her life

This is just such a fabulous book. I have always loved the idea of being able to go back in time and this book spoke to me on so many levels. Okay, so it's impossible right but what if the cosmos just mad it possible. By going back and changing the past it may mean that Luna will never exist. I loved the way that Rowan Coleman uses physics to explain the possibility of the impossible whilst tapping into childhood memories - my own included of having an 'imaginary' friend. With altered futures this book had me on the edge of my seat as I rushed to find out Luna's past and her future. Beautifully written I just didn't want it to end even though the ending is simply perfect.

I will not be finishing this book - I have been kinda reading it for like forever and I just can't ever seem to get into the mood to pick it up. This is very much a me-thing and not a reflection on the book. I expected something more in the realm of scifi and less in the realm of family drama. The first is a genre I adore, the second one I frequently struggle with. However, it is wonderfully written and the characters rang true for me: so if you enjoy family dramas with a bit of a twist, this might just be the book for you!

I really wanted to like this book after reading rave reviews online but unfortunately I found it rather difficult to fully engage with. I've read other Rowan Coleman books and enjoyed them.
The story kept reminding me of Back to the Future crossed with Groundhog Day both of which were marvellous films but not something to take at all seriously.
The story is about Luna and Pia, sisters whose mother has died leaving them old cine films explaining why she has done what she has in life. The sisters have to go to New York where their mother was brought up and where, in the summer of 1977, she met her husband who was photographing the making of the film Saturday Night Fever which was being made in the run-down neighbourhood. There events take a strange turn when Luna finds herself moving between the present day and 1977, meeting her younger mother and her friends. Can she discover long hidden secrets and could her actions change or even destroy her own life?
The book does have a satisfying ending but as the title suggests I found it all rather impossible to take it totally seriously.

A pure joy to read and a completely unexpected tale. I haven't read anything by Rowan Coleman before, but I am definitely now a fan and will be sure to recommend widely.

Wonderful. One of the best women's fiction reads if 2017.

I have since bought this book and will review on Amazon and Goodreads. Absolutely loved it.
Thank you for the review copy anyway.

What if you could change the past? What if you could change the past and save the ones you love? What if you could change the past and save the ones you love, but the cost is that you won't be there to see it? Great story, well told, loved it!

Where do I start? Firstly thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book in return for honest feedback. This is the first time reading a book by this author but it definitely will not be the last! II absolutely loved The Summer of Impossible things - what a truly fabulous book.

I think every single reader could relate to the overall theme - the chance to go back in time to change something that has gone wrong and then see how this could impact the rest of your life... I was completely compelled to read every word from the first page! I read the whole book almost in one sitting and feel bereft now it is finished, although I still cannot help thinking about it as I embark on my next literary journey! I will definitely be looking out for more books by this wonderfully talented author!

This review is written with thanks to Ebury Press and Netgalley for my copy of The Summer Of Impossible Things.
Luna and Pia’s mother, Marissa Sinclair, killed herself a few months ago. She was hiding a terrible secret that she was only prepared to reveal to her daughters after her death through a series of films. Luna and Pia start watching the films to discover what happened to their mother, and as they do so, Luna realises she has the ability to travel back in time and meet her mother in 1977. By getting to know her mother as a young woman, will Luna be able to alter the chain of events that led to her death?
The concept of time is an interesting one, and one that can be very complex. However, Coleman’s writing is incredibly poetic, and I found that her explanations of the concepts that make up The Summer Of Impossible Things were not only accessible, but also so beautifully described that I could not help but be enchanted by Luna and Pia’s journey.
Coleman introduces the reader to some very colourful characters, both in the past and the present day. Although they are very different, it was very easy for me to relate to them on some level, and I was compelled to keep reading to discover what happened to them all.
As Luna and Pia discover more about their mother’s past, there are several twists and turns to the novel. These surprised me, and increased the tension as the novel reached its climax.
The Summer Of Impossible Things has been described as Sci-Fi and Fantasy – both genres which are outside my comfort zone. Despite this, I loved this novel and found the concepts within it very intriguing. This was my first taste of Coleman’s work, but it won’t be my last!

Before reading this one, had you pinned me in a corner and forced me to choose my favourite book by Rowan Coleman, I’d have had to say The Memory Book (you’ll find my review here). It’s a close run thing, but if you asked me today I think I’d have a new number one. Heavens above, it’s about time travel, going back to change the future… how totally preposterous. But you see it isn’t really “about time travel” (well, it is… but stick with me!) – it’s all about what you’re willing to do in the name of love when all the usual constraints are removed, it’s about love within families, how a mother is the most special person in the world, and how love makes you brave.

The framework it’s all set against is just perfect – Brooklyn in the 1970s and present day (a few different “present days” really), drawn in such meticulous detail that it breathed on the page. The characters are just wonderful too – I took Luna to my heart on first meeting, and ached for Pea as she struggled to hold things together. I loved the little period touches too – the 70s music, the shadows of Saturday Night Fever. The whole construct of the story was such a brave one to try – but not only did she try, she achieved something very different and so very special. The twists and turns of the story had me rapt… and the tears weren’t far away on so many occasions.

What an imagination, what a story – and what an exceptionally accomplished story teller, whose books just get better and better.