I love this idea and it's a cute read.

The plot for this was so much fun, being able to see into the future using instagram is hilarious and a good way to relate to teens right now. Skylar is a pretty relatable character as well, she's not perfect and makes mistakes. She doesn't know what she wants and is struggling to juggle school, extracurriculars, and her friends. When she sees into the future and she's married to the guy she cannot stand, of course she has to try to change the future. I enjoyed Skylar and Truman's passion, whether they were fighting or kissing, they have great chemistry.

The friendships in this were well done and I especially liked how Skylar and Jordan were trying to adapt to Harper after she was released from treatment. It's hard to know how to act and if you should tiptoe around them so you don't trigger anything. Harper had her ups and downs and was trying her best to recover and did a good job of showing her friends how to be an ally.

The plot moved quickly and though I sometimes got frustrated with Skylar, I enjoyed the ride as she figured things out. This is a fun, entertaining read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love enemies-to-lovers and slow-burn romances, but chief... this just ain't it. The pacing was disjointed and confusing, and I felt unmotivated by the characters, who were frustrating to the point of unlikeable. More importantly, the cheating subplot was just... so tired, and I expected more from a book with such a unique premise. In the end, this was a book that I just didn't enjoy reading, but I would encourage those with an interest in the plot to pick up a copy for themselves.

Now & When was certainly an interesting read.

When Skylar Finch's phone starts sending her notifications, seemingly from a future high school reunion, showing pictures of her and Truman Alexander, the annoying class know-it-all, romantically involved, she knows she's got to do something to keep that future from coming true. After all, her life's perfect - she's got great friends, a sweet boyfriend, and things going for her the way she wants them to - right? As Skylar obsessively tries to change her future, she also messes with her present, learning to live in the now and let her actions take her to the future that's right for her.

I disliked Skylar to some degree, along with her boyfriend, Eli, and her friend, Jordan (?). Skylar was all over the place when it came to her feelings on Truman, at times accepting what was growing between them, and other times refusing to see the kind of person Truman really was. I also disliked the whole "cheating" plotline, and how indecisive Skylar was regarding pretty much everything. The romance itself... just wasn't that great, and left me feeling it could have definitely been better.

Conversely, I really liked the idea of the main character being able to look into the future and see how things changed with every action she took. I also liked the fact there was a fairly realistic approach and representation of mental health issues, the suicidal tendencies that sometimes accompany them, and the struggle of friends and family members to understand and help.

Overall, I would recommend this to others who enjoy a pretty good contemporary romance, with a touch of paranormal.

Now & When by Sara Bennett Wealer, Published July 14, 2020

**Thank you NetGalley for this ARC**

3/5 stars


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to read this book for two main reasons: the synopsis sounded promising and I really liked the cover. However, this book wasn’t as great as I was hoping it would be.

SO,

I really wanted to love this book, but I have mixed feelings about it. I was intrigued by its gimmick of looking into the future, but it turned out to be just a gimmick. The main character does not seem to learn any lessons in this book until the very end. She's self-absorbed and makes destructive decisions. Her love interest, Truman, is too good for her. He is smart, thoughtful, and going places. She seems to just bring him down.
As Skyler changes her behavior, the info on the site changes too, but not for the better! Great message of following your heart and living in the present.

I always, always want to fall in love with the content inside a book with a beautiful cover. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Now and When. The book had such a gripping premise, and so much potential. So, yeah, I was really sad when I ended up not liking the story. I really wanted to though, but oh well. 

The first few chapters were really interesting, and I really liked where the story was heading. The author's writing style is really good as well, so I breezed through the book in the beginning. But then this happened : Cheating got involved into the storyline. It's one of the tropes I don't like at all in books, and it completely ruined my experience with the book. The plot started going downhill for me after that. 

I really wanted to connect with the protagonists, Skyler and Truman, but I couldn't do that, at all. The romance between them started out of nowhere, and was too fast faced for my liking. Their relationship didn't acquire the depth that it needed throughout the story. The plot seemed to get really messed up in the last half of the book too, I felt like things were all over the place. I struggled. 

Now, there were obviously some things I liked which influenced me for rating the book with 3 stars. The relationships that Skyler shared with her family were really well-written. There were some mental health issues addressed as well, and I really liked how the author handled that aspect by portraying them through a side character in the storyline. The lesson of living life to the fullest at present, without being obsessed with the future was also a important part of the story. These points were really appreciable.

I received a copy of NOW & WHEN thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.

Skylar is a junior in high school who passionately debates against rival Truman at every possible chance because he is just that obnoxious. But with a weird technological glitch, she learns that 10 years from now they’ll be married. Horrified by the thought she does everything she can to prevent that future and keep her perfect relationship with Eli.

This story made me cry and laugh, sometimes at the same time. There were so many emotions and OMG the banter is fantastic. While you can almost see the end of the story from page 1 (gotta love tropes), so many things happen outside of that trope that make the story so unique. Picture the warm fluff of TO ALL THE BOYS I LOVED BEFORE mixed with a touch of AGAIN, BUT BETTER atmosphere.

Truly a great book perfect for when you are craving the highlights of high school.

First off, I love the cover! With so many new books these days, it definitely helps to have something eye catching to draw the reader (even though I’m careful not to judge the book on this alone!). I enjoyed this book, but didn’t love it as much as I expected based on the description. There were several scenes that were pretty important in the book, and they seemed very compressed leading up to the end of the chapter. Then the next would start with a different setting, and what happened was very fully explained (spoiler: Skyler and Truman’s first kiss).

I did like the friendships here, and I loved Harper! Jordan and Skyler were great at first, but once they started fighting, their relationship didn’t really recover in my eyes, even though they acted if as if it did.

I will say I liked how the book ended. I appreciate a happy ending that isn’t exactly what the MC wanted/planned. I would recommend this book, but I would say the “romance” was a bit lacking.

I loved the sound of this book based on the synopsis and the concept sounded really interesting. I was excited for the enemies-to-lovers and slow-burn romance aspects and I'm always captivated when authors play with time in their novels, so this story did have a lot of pieces that, to me, would make up a great read.
I appreciate the book overall and the general idea of what it was trying to. However, I found the characters to not be very likable. Skylar, the main character, makes bad decisions as all teens in YA novels do. But I saw no character arc from her. She makes bad decisions, feels bad about them, and then continues to make poor decisions over and over again. I wish we had seen more self-improvement and growth in her character.
Then, there was the whole cheating thing. This is easily my least favorite plotline included in any YA book. I just don't understand the necessity of it. Sure, it brings more drama to the book and it is an unfortunate part of real life that happens, but there are other ways to create drama and tension in novels and it's something I'd rather not read about.
I can say that I did like Skylar's friend group and I like the unique magical realism concept. There were some emotional parts that were redeeming, but I just didn't connect with the book.
I really wanted to enjoy this one and I'm sad that it wasn't for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, Delacorte Press and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

the characters were interesting and well developed, while the mystery surrounding the "future" they can see kept the pace moving quite briskly. The story does cover quite a bit of territory, focusing on a variety of subplots. This offered an aspect of realism that was appreciated - the sense of a world outside the love story. However I would have liked a little more time at the conclusion to see these individual stories wrapped up.

All in all, this offered a strong contemporary YA novel with a splash of speculative elements.

Starting off, I thought this book had a really cool and unique premise. I hadn't ever seen or heard of a book that used social media to see the future. This book was really fun and easy to read. I definitely enjoyed the trio of best friends and their relationship with one another.

I found it hard to decide who I liked more for Skylar, Eli or Truman. Although I wish that Truman was more of an archnemesis rather than just a know-it-all-boy that everyone just barely tolerates. I like the enemies-to-lovers trope and I wish there was more of that.

I absolutely was not a fan once the cheating happened. I kind of lost interest. Overall a decent book but not one I would pick up again.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Now & When is a fun unique story that gets heavy at times. It deals with mental health, suicidal thoughts and family drama. I enjoyed how well the author handle this. It's ultimate a story about a girl who gets messages from the future and is tangled up with a boy she can't stand. Ahh yes, the beloved hate to love troupe. This was fun to read but the cheating made it less enjoyable. I really liked Skylar. It took a while for Truman Alexander to grow on me but I eventually like him too. Now & When is an enjoyable heartfelt story about love and family.

When I read that this is the book for fans of To all the boys I've loved I couldn't wait to see if I'll get approved! And I'm so glad I did! It was swoon worthy, characters were cute and I loved that scifi part. It was really enjoyable and I cannot wait for new book by this author.

I was really hoping to love this book.
Sadly that’s not the case.

I love YA novels and I go in knowing that the characters will still be immature.

I just couldn’t get past Skyler and how dramatic she was. And the sudden insta-love with boy she hates was ridiculous. Don’t get me started on the cheating!

“I don’t loathe you, Truman. Okay? Are you trying to get me to prove that or something?
He shrugs. I’m just trying to get these speeches written.
I have no other choice but to wipe the smug expression off his face. I crash into him, grabbing his shirt, pressing my lips to his”

I couldn’t finish this book. I felt no connection to the character so I chose not to finish it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

“The events, the actions, and all the other parts of our lives that make up our futures are like puzzle pieces in a jar. Shake them up enough, and some of the pieces get bent to the point that they don’t fit anymore.”

Skyler Finch can’t help arguing with Truman Alexander, the president of Alton High’s debate team. And beside their daily quarrels in English class, everything in Skyler’s life seems to be going exactly right. Eli, her boyfriend just asked her to prom with the cutest promposal, and Jordan, her best friend, picked the perfect venue for the dance. Except, suddenly Skyler’s phone is showing her Alton High’s reunion page from ten years in the future. And the future shown is not the one Skyler envisioned; it’s one where she somehow ends up with Truman Alexander. But pushing away Truman may only bring him closer.

Listen, I loved this concept. The idea of seeing the future as a teenager would either be totally fun or totally detrimental. And watching it change as decisions are made would likely lead to all kinds of consequences. So going into this novel, I fully expected to be enthralled by our main character and what she would do with the knowledge of her future. But to me, this read like a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie), except it lacked the heartwarming storyline and comedic teenaged jokes, and held nothing but cheesy situations and unrealistic arguments. I don’t know what part of this novel was comedy in the “Dramedy” tagline, but I don’t think I laughed once, nor was I all that interested in the drama.

Our main character, Skyler, was indecisive and annoying, which, okay, yes, what teenager isn’t? But I didn’t find myself rooting for her. Between the cheating on her boyfriend and weird, almost mean, arguments with Truman, I just didn’t care for her or the relationships she held with friends and Truman. Which, Truman wasn’t my favorite either. I hated that he shamed her for choosing a college that wasn’t as notable as universities. And their wishy-washy feelings for each other grated on my nerves. One moment Skyler wanted to avoid Truman at all costs, and the next they were kissing. They lacked any sort of chemistry. Really, all the relationships Skyler had lacked all depth and emotion.

I also thought the plot could use some work. Events felt convoluted and spaced weirdly. I guess, if the future is always changing, and Skyler is trying everything she can to mold it into what she wants, the plot should be expected to change as well. But it just didn’t work for me. I would have enjoyed reading about Skyler going more in-depth with the seeing-the-future aspect of this novel, or having her explore the idea of small choices holding a bigger impact in the future than we realize. Instead, towards the middle, I think the reunion website lost its hook and the author ventured into other plot points to keep the story moving.

I did enjoy that Skyler subverted the trope of keeping everything secret. She got her friends and Truman to witness the bizarre reunion website, but I didn’t like that she still seemed to be dealing with her worries and fears by herself, with little to no help from her peers.

The one saving grace for me was Skyler’s friend, Harper. I thought she was interesting and had a hidden depth to her, and I found myself wanting to read about her more than Skyler. I found myself caring about her more than I did Skyler.

The idea of Now and When sounded excellent, but the execution of that idea just wasn’t what I was hoping for.

Now and When is set to release on July 14th, 2020.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.

Content Warnings: suicide, suicide ideation and depression, self harm, cheating

I wanted to like this book because I was looking for something light and cute but this wasn't the book for me. Don't get me wrong the writing is spot on. It's a good plot but I just didn't like a lot of what happened within the book. Definitely check it out though. Everyone has a different reading experience and you might love it. Happy reading!

This is a cute read. I always love a good hate to love romance. I really liked how original Truman's character is. And the whole sci-fi seeing the future with the phone is very interesting too. There were a few times I felt it was rushed and others it seemed to be slow, but overall I enjoyed the story.

I was really excited to read Now & When - enemies to lovers, slow burn ya romance where the main character sees into the future, I was game!

Sadly I can’t say that I enjoyed it all that much.

And here’s why:

- Skyler is so overly dramatic and reads so much into people’s comments that it gets to a point that it’s ridiculous, even for a high schooler. She feels like everything people tell her is an attack on her and her choices. She doesn’t accept or likes to hear any kind of advice or accept genuine help. It was very hard to find any relatable quality in her.

- The relationship between Skyler and Truman became insta-lovey very early in the book. I was really hoping it’d be slow burn but it wasn’t.

- The cheating. After it happened I just couldn’t even root for Skyler anymore. And then she decided to avoid going to school so she wouldn’t deal with the consequences of what she has done.

- I feel that there was no need for the supernatural aspect of the story. It felt forced with the whole crap phone stuff too.

However, I did think there were a couple of good things about the story.

- How the author depicted the way the different families were affected by the job loss that plagued the town. The repercussions of it and how it affected te younger generation.

- The way Harper’s depression is approached and depicted. I don’t think it was glamourised or taken lightly or dismissed and I believe that’s important to see in fiction.

Maybe if you can overlook highly irritating MCs and cheating, you might enjoy this book, but unfortunately I can’t say that I did.

3.5 Stars

Skyler Finch has loathed the condescending and pretentious Truman Alexander since middle school, so when her phone starts showing her glimpses of her future in the form of social media updates she is aghast to find that somehow they wind up married. Even more confusing is how happy they look in those photos. Desperate to either prove that this is all some big prank or prevent it from happening she begins to obsessively check the website and realizes that her seemingly simple actions are affecting the future already. But the more she tries to change things, the more bleak the updates become and soon she finds herself wishing she had never meddled at all. Especially since discovering that maybe there is more to Truman than his incessant ability to get under her skin.

Now and When is a unique spin on the typical YA Rom-Dramedy. I loved the way that the author seamlessly integrated glimpses of the future with the realities of the present, and how although its kind of a fantastical premise it never felt outside the realm of possibility. It is really well written. The book does also touch upon some pretty serious issues, including some that could be potentially triggering, namely depression and attempted suicide, so keep that in mind before picking this one up. I do feel like they were handled really authentically and added to the story without relying on the taboo/shock factor.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

While I am not typically a fan of contemporary YA fiction, I have to admit that I absolutely loved this one! It has just enough magic to it that makes it all feel almost totally plausible. and I have to say, that even at its silliest, rather than rolling my eyes, I definitely found myself just grinning as I read.

Skylar Finch is a high school junior who, for the most part, has skated through high school. Her only real drama comes from the classes she shares with arch nemesis, Truman Alexander, a know-it-all fixated on his future plans. But when Skylar's ancient phone starts showing a mysterious high school reunion website with images from their ten year class reunion, things start to get really weird.

With a window into the future, Skylar starts changing her whole life. In parts funny, but also touching and meaningful, this is an entertaining and heartwarming read. I genuinely couldn't put it down! The characters all come to life and though this definitely reminds me a bit of the movie 13 Going On 30 and Rainbow Rowell's book, Landline, it still manages to feel fresh, I really had a fun night reading this in just about one sitting ! It feels age appropriate, too, and that is something of a rarity with YA books these days! I really enjoyed it!

hank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love the concept for this book. A high schooler seeing glimpses of her future. There was so much to enjoy, the original concept, the importance of female friendships. But this book felt short. I ended up not finishing because I couldn't stay intrigued past the 60% area.