Advanced Readers copy from NetGalley-

Good book. Gave 4 stars for some misspelling of a few words, and it was slow to get started (for me anyway). I did enjoy the fast paced chapters later on. Starts with a murder, but the time traveling and how the characters dealt with it was really interesting. Some go to see their own deaths and funerals, or other important life moments (like births and marriages). Would’ve liked to know more about why time traveling stops working after a certain point into the future. But all in all a good novel.

Gah! I couldn’t get enough of this book! I devoured it in one day. I’ve been hooked on time travel books for ages and I loved this new take on a sometimes tired genre. Now that I think about how time travel would affect a mind I can’t believe there hasn’t been a more in-depth discussion about it in the pervious books I’ve read.

It was refreshing and well thought out. I also loved that it was a group of amazing women that made the discovery, but most importantly was used and managed by women and not taken over by men like most inventions/books seem to be.

I loved the characters and the time travel story but then throw in a murder mystery and I just couldn’t be happier. And did you see that cover 😍😍

I could not put down this book! I finished it in one sitting because I have no will power and I had to know how it ended. 

You know those book memes that are always asking which fictional setting would you like to live in? Well, my answer is this one.

This take on time travel was so unique and it's a mystery and it is full of strong female characters who each are main characters in their own right.

The prose is sharp and intelligent, but you don't have be a scientist to understand the basic mechanics of how time travel works in this universe.

What really stands out to me are the complicated relationships that are woven through the story. The actions in this book are all high stakes and no details are extraneous. If you want to figure out the whodunnit and howdunnit, you need to be paying attention the whole time. I didn't quite figure it out before the reveal, but I had a lot of fun trying to puzzle it out as I went along. 

I find it pretty amazing that this book is a debut. I was almost turned away by the fact that is classified as a thriller, and many thrillers are nearly rote at this point, but I'm glad I was not. It feels more like literary fiction than a thriller, or even sci-fi.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys intricate stories with strong female leads, even if science fiction or thrillers are not usually your thing. 

I received an ARC from Crooked Lane Books, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

Expected date of publication is February 12, 2019

I had the opportunity to read The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas, having received a free advanced digital copy by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. I can honestly say it was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read recently and I wasn’t ready for it to be over. When I read the last sentence it was with reluctance that I left the world that had been so intricately created with fascinating characters who both intrigued and, in some cases, repelled me.
Mascarenhas has created some of the most complex characters I’ve read in awhile. The book is filled primarily with strong female characters who are brilliant, accomplished, and successful. It begins with four scientists who invent a time travel machine which ultimately results in the creation of a time travel consortium that is run by one of the four. The book details how both ageing and the unique properties of being able to travel through time shape each woman’s personality and decision making. One might say it demonstrates the idea of becoming yourself, only more so as you age and in this instance how that is affected by the unique aspects of traveling into the future and encountering one’s future self and/or selves.
In addition to this personality study, there is a mystery that is paramount to the book and provides a framework for some of the time travel that is detailed in the story. The mystery is interesting, but is secondary to the overall story. It is the reason many of the characters are detailed in the book, and their purpose for some of the actions they take, but never is it presented as a puzzle for the reader to solve. Rather, it is something that is revealed to the reader as they travel along on the various journeys taken by different characters in the book. This approach increases the reader’s opportunity to sit back and enjoy the journey along with the characters in the book.
Early on we learn the problems time travel creates for one of the four inventors and how it places her on the outside of what had once been a tight-knit group of friends. We also see how one of the four pushes this ousting, and how her personality becomes more controlling over the years. We also get to watch a third member of the group as she moves through time and watch as her personality develops along different lines with perhaps a greater sense of accountability. A fourth member of the group doesn’t get as much mention i this novel and remains a question regarding how time travel and her participation in the invention may or may not have changed her.
Throughout the book there are some unique situations, such as individuals being allowed to see and interact with their future selves. This aspect of time travel creates some peculiar issues, particularly in how laws are developed and what methods are used when a law within the world of the time travelers has been broken. Add to this development a push by the head of the time traveler’s organization to desensitize travelers to certain aspects of life and death and you have the premise of an excellent novel.
I wasn’t ready for this book to be over when I read the final sentence. There were several characters with whom I would have enjoyed spending more time. The world in which they live has almost infinite possibilities because they can travel through time and thus it is only restricted by the limits of the author’s imagination. The best thing I can say about the end is that while it was a definite finish to this particular story, I could see many future stories being developed that might include both these same characters and others who, based on the results of this book, would also be well-drawn and complex in their development.

The psychology of time travel is my favourite book for ages. I love the way it weaves back and forward like the subject. It’s believable and it’s compelling. It’s well written and I was gutted when it was done. Perfect Christmas gift!

I finally had a chance to read this (sorry!) and honestly, I freaking loved it. It was different and weird but very intelligent, made a great attempts at being diverse and was an interesting concept that totally grabbed my attention. I was super invested with Ruby and her grandmother and would honestly love a sequel maybe from Graces perspective or Lucille.

This story is about friendship, love, family, mental health, science, betrayal, fate, death, anxiety, soul searching, and a whodunit all wrapped up in time travel. It has strong, smart female characters, an LGBTQ aspect, and a storyline that really made me wonder: Would traveling to the future impact how you live right now?

I love the world that Kate Mascarenhas has created with time travel. It's very believable for those of us that are not scientists. The highlights for me include the Conclave, which is the organization that manages time travel, and its fascinating rules. Workers could travel back or forward in time. You can meet your older/younger self and have a conversation. You have glimpses into your future. Fate is eliminated. Everyone knows how and when they're going to die.

This is an elaborate story with intricate LGBTQ relationships. At first, I felt that I needed to take notes to track all of the characters, their relationships, and plotlines. There are so many! It's definitely different than what I normally read and a little bit out of my comfort zone, but I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read it.

This book is magical and beautifully written. I don't delve into the world of magical realism or science fiction very often, but this one is a fantastic new spin on an age-old concept. The twists were unusual and unexpected, because they defied rational logic.

The author's writing reminds me of Alice Hoffman's The Rules of Magic. If you like that book, you'll like this one too.

I finished this book and immediately wished I had some time travel ability so I could go back and make up for the sleep I lost, staying up to find out what happens.

What a unique take on time travel! I loved the nearly all female cast, the inventiveness of moving through time, and how two women, Ruby and Odette, are at the heart of a really strange murder mystery. It begs so many questions, particularly--how can you kill a time traveler if they can always move ahead and see how they will die? A fantastic, fast-paced read. I can't wait to see what Mascarenhas' will do next!

I’m not sure what it is about myself and time travel books, but I’m particularly drawn to them. I LOVE a well written time travel story, and The Psychology of Time Travel certainly did not disappoint! What I loved most about this one was how plausible the author made it all seem, it felt very well thought out. The murder mystery aspect kept me on my toes the entire time, and the character relationships were very well constructed! Also, loved that the entire book was filled with badass female characters! Definitely recommend this one!!

I enjoyed this book - I do love.time travel stories! I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

<i>I received a copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.</i>

Books about time traveling never fail to pique my interest. It's an intriguing concept and I like how authors cleverly use it to explore limitless possibilities. The Psychology of Time Travel weaves these concepts and ideas to create a thrilling story that keeps readers on edge.

The novel begins when four women successfully invented the time machine in the 1960's. However, when one of the pioneers manifested a mental instability, the other three outcasted her to save their project's credibility. Since then, they did tests and research to prevent any weak minded people from having the unfortunate circumstance whenever they are using the technology. Moving forward to the present time, a mysterious body was found. The body was impossible to identify because of its damage. In this time where the suspect could be anywhere and anytime, thanks to the time machine, catching the killer will not be as easy as expected.

Told through different perspective and time zones, the narrative became more intriguing and entertaining. It might be a little confusing at first, but once you get used to it, the story actually flowed smoothly. Also, this book is not a character-driven story, so readers will only know a little about each character. The world building and the concepts are well explained and detailed. I like how they seem to be so realistic that these things might actually happen in the future.

The best thing I love about this book is how every detail became clearer and fitted perfectly into place towards the end. It is obvious that the whole plot was very well thought of. Plus, this book mixes a variety of genres that I love; science fiction, mystery, and thriller.

Overall, The Psychology of Time Travel is a brilliant novel that combines mystery and science fiction flawlessly.

I give this book 4 stars!

3.5 stars--somewhere between liked and really liked.

I adore time travel books, and this one has a lot of fascinating details--time travelers regularly hang out with their past or future selves (or past/future friends and family). They develop their own slang (included in an index!) and occasionally return with spontaneously materialized items--books or small trinkets--on them. So cool!

It also deals with the specific psychological issues suffered by time travelers--becoming hardened to death (why mourn a parent's passing, for example, when you can just pop into the past and visit?) or feeling out of time.

The characters were likable, and overall this was a breezy, very fast read. I wish it had a touch more depth (especially when dealing with serious issues like murder, mental health, mortality, etc.), but still greatly enjoyed this book--especially how it tied multiple plot threads together.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas is a time traveling story! It really took me a while to figure out the various characters and sub-plots. (all perfectly normal for time travel stories). But, once you dive in.. and get it fixed in your mind where the story is going.. you can follow along.

My Mom was a psychologist.. so, this story was one that I wanted to see the unique spin that the title seemed to imply. And, the book did deliver. There is a price every human pays just for existing.. and there surely would be a price one would pay.. if one's story is erased from existence.

Without giving away too much of the story.. just give it a chance.. and stick with it.. you'll enjoy the tale!

What an amazing concept and I hope there's more coming to flesh it all out. This felt rushed, and I was often a bit confused by the 'time jumps' in the story-telling, but not so much that I wasn't able to quickly figure it out. One things for certain, I want MORE of this author and series!

Four female scientists, each bringing their own special piece to the puzzle, created the first time machine in 1967. However, one of the four, Barbara, doesn’t continue on the same path as the original three women.

The book about time travel does a lot of it—it takes a bit to get into the stories as you are following a few points of view and different timelines. But I promise you that once you get into it and stick with it you won’t be able to put it down. The connections and interwoven layers of time and space all come together to form a wonderful first novel for the author.

THIS PREVIEW MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.



In 1967, time travel ceases to be a theory and becomes reality, a triumphant success for a project spearheaded by four female scientists. Soon enough, the pioneers, Margaret, Barbara, Lucille, and Grace, hop between present and future as if they’ve never done anything else. Unfortunately, Barbara soon begins to show signs of mental instability, a side effect of time travel. To prevent any stigma to fall upon the project, the remaining pioneers decide to force Barbara into resigning.

Some fifty years later, a student finds a badly disfigured body in a locked room in the basement of the museum where she volunteers. Who is the dead woman, and why was she murdered? In order to find the answers she desperately needs to regain her equilibrium, Odette decides to join the Conclave, the organization regulating and facilitating time travel.

There is a lot to like about this novel: all the primary characters are women, which is a refreshing change of pace. The premise of the book is certainly intriguing, and the setting unique. These are the strong points of “The Psychology of Time Travel.”

The story is interesting enough to easily allow the reader to pick up what part of the plot takes place in which timeline, but all throughout, I never connected to any of the characters. While I wanted to follow their exploits until the conclusion, it was like looking into live-action panorama box from the outside, which made the experience somewhat less than satisfying.

A plot point that bothered me incessantly was the flippant way in which time travelers reveal the future to other characters and even meet their older and younger selves. Considering the rigorous selection and training process potential time travelers have to go through before joining the Conclave, it would be downright dangerous to simply spring someone’s future on them, not to mention that apparently in this story, too, you can’t really change anything about it, just as you cannot change past events.

Furthermore, the book could have benefited from vigorous editing. The writing style reads very much like the original intent was to submit a short story that kept getting longer and longer, and even as short story, this would have looked like a decent second draft at best.

Ms Mascarenhas clearly has a passion for story-telling and some refreshingly unusual ideas about alternate realities. I look forward to reading more tightly crafted novels by her in future.

“The Psychology of Time Travel” is published by Crooked Lane Books. I received an ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Psychology of Time Travel
By Kate Mascarenhas
due February 2019
Crooked Lane

Its 1967. Four female scientists create the first time travel machine, each woman a pioneer in her scientific field. They begin to believe that time travel could have far greater significance to our lives than we could have imagined, and it could change how we all live.
Fifty years later, time travel has become big business. Ruby Rebello becomes fascinated with her Grandmothers work in science, but no one can provide any details. Ruby finds a newspaper clipping from the future that foretells of the murder of an unidentified woman Ruby becomes convinced is her Grandmother.
This engrossing speculative fiction was absolutely riveting and fantastic. The development of the time travel machine-called the Conjurers Candybox that teleports into the future; The Conclave-a group that studies the impact of time travel, gave me a new perspective on time travel. The Conclave could impact lives by making relationships seem pre-arranged when you can check in advance who your partner(s) will be and the outcome before you even knew the person. You could start to see death as an inconvenience when you know the date people will die, being sure to add the date to your calendar so you don't forget their funeral, and can leave the day free.
The diversity and polyamorous characters added much perspective to the development of the Candybox as well.
This is a fascinating, rich novel of intrigue and wonder. Written with a beautiful and timely prose and message this speculative fiction and murder mystery at its best.
It includes a glossary that could stand alone its so fascinating and a Time Travel Conclave Battery of Psychometric Test with 10 questions to see if your a good candidate for time travel.
Get This Feb 2019.
Thanks to Crooked Lane and net galley for this ARC
#ThePsychologyOfTimeTravel #NetGalley

Quirky time travel murder mystery! 

What more could you want in a book. It's a debut novel and it was a very intriguing concept. 
There's time travel, race and sexual orientation issues, mental illness and romance. It sounds like a mishmash of subjects but it all ties together very nicely. Gives reason to pause and think if we as a society have the skills and knowledge to build time travelling machines and if we did could we handle it? Would you want to know the exact date of your death and HOW you were going to die? How would we react to meeting our future selves and our yet unborn children? Would we get confused trying to figure out which time was the true time? Wouldn't they in fact be all true, just different? 
At the end of the book the author drafted what she calls a Time Travel Psychometric Test. Ten (10) questions and your answers deem if you are suitable candidate for time travel.
Very interesting book which was a quick read that I couldn't put down. 

I received this ARC from the publisher Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased honest review.
Thank you!

2.5★

"Dear Reader,
If you could travel through time, where would you go?"


I requested this on Net Galley because it stated that readers who love the newly regenerated female Dr Who would love this story. I have to disagree. I feel like the only resemblance is that the time travelling pioneers are female. Otherwise, I think that recommendation is a little overstated and may have set my expectations a little high.

I thought that the plot was a little messy, and initially it was confusing rather than enigmatic. It was however, immersive, I did want to find out more, and I loved reading about the time travel rules and logistics that the author included in her story, it gave what was a clumsy plot a solid, substantial base.
"When you're a time traveller, the people you love die, and you carry on seeing them, so their deaths stop making a difference to you. The only death that will ever change things if your own."

I thought that the complex web of characters was quite hard to follow, especially when I'm going in and out of the book due to real life commitments (boo), I thought that the links between all the characters would have been more beneficial if the characters themselves had discovered them, in my opinion it would have simplified everything for me and given me a better understanding of the dynamics across the array of characters.

I found that the pace of the story was really spot on, the stakes raise slowly and steadily throughout the book and the plot remains consistently tense. However;

The time travel trial is the weirdest thing! And not good weird either, more like extremely strange bordering on silly and pointless. I had no idea what significance the trial had other than a great build up and a baffling climax. I've left it a day to mull over my thoughts and possibly catch on to something I was previously missing but... nope, it's a sore thumb in what should be a serious time travelling story.

I will say that I find that the writing is very good, it kept me going, and although I was disappointed, and pretty baffled, I found that the narrative was engaging, the characters were quirky, and generally likeable, and Kate Mascarenhas' world building was really original.
"Two women, who'd already witnessed each other's deaths, married on the first day of spring."

Although I did feel that although the world building was original, it was also a little lacking, I feel that an attempt at time travelling Sci Fi should be extremely detail orientated to make the readers believe, rather than a mass of loose ambiguous explanations and a glossary at the end. There's no real in depth clarification of how the time travellers seem to have no sense of consequence, and why exactly they seem to become less humane and dismissive the more they leap through time.

Overall a pretty average Sci Fi that did a good job of breaking boundaries but didn't ensnare my interest completely. If I was to compare this book to a food, it would be hummus; I could dip my cracker in it and fill my belly, but there aren't any sensational flavours.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars. This book had several elements that I enjoy- time travel, feminist speculative science fiction, and an LGBTQ+ romance. It took me a while to get into it, but I eventually cared enough about a couple of the characters to want to read this through to the end.

My favorite characters were Barbara, Ruby, and Siobhan. The character of Lucille was barely mentioned, and I think it was a shame, since she was one of the characters that I was most curious about.

I think this story suffered from too many character points of view. The segments were short, and jumped around so much that as soon as I started to enjoy one of the periods of time, it would abruptly end and I was left repeatedly thinking about where the next segment fit into the time line. It made for a disjointed reading experience.

Many of the side plots felt unresolved at the end. There was so much going on with all the characters that it would have taken a lot longer to wrap them up in any kind of meaningful way, so instead it felt like they were just abandoned.

Overall, this was good and worth the time I spent reading it. If you don’t mind lots of character POV’s, you might enjoy this more than I did. There are some great, even moving, sections in this book that were excellently written.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.