
Member Reviews

Shockingly, Andre wakes up in the past-1969 to be exact, and he has no idea how he got there. He befriends Michael in 1969, though is quickly transported back to the present day where he learns that his liver transplant donor had the ability to time travel. The donor's family assign their son Blake to the task of teaching Andre how to manage his new skill. It's a really moving story that will be an excellent addition to any library.

This was an okay read for me. I think there was just nothing memorable about it.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was unbelievably clever. I am not one for time travel WHATSOEVER, I actually rather hate it, but this was one of the few times where I thought it was handled really well and that it didn't get confusing. I also loved the idea that the ability could be transferred through transplant! I LOVE THAT. And I loved the topics of family and first love and acceptance. I just really enjoyed this.

I enjoyed this one, but it reminds me of another book I read and it is driving me crazy that I can't remember the title. Argh!

The concept behind this is so unique! A boy who gets a liver transplant suddenly gets the ability to travel in time. And falls in love with someone in the past. And in the present. I actually really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator was really engaging. The story was emotional and pulled me in from the beginning. This is actually something I plan to read again!

4/5โญ to Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson. Thank you so much to Sourcefire Books for an audio egalley of this book!
This was my first book by Kosoko and it left a great first impression! We have a sweet, likable main character in Andre Cobb who has just gone through a major life even - a liver transplant. Not only that, but one that can help him time travel! My favourite aspect of this book was absolutely the time travel aspect as it provided strong scaffolding for the story and characters overall, and was done in a way that I had never heard of before. It is tied into Andre's character development/growth, the romance(s) of the story, and the history discussions the book introduces. I will say Andre and the other characters could have used some more complexity and depth as they felt just a little too shallow, but what was there was effective and didn't distract from the story. Again, it was the time-traveling and love triangle/corner that were the stars of the book! Through the time-traveling, we meet Michael who is Andre's age but lives in 1969. How I would describe their relationship is bittersweet. They do have a lovely connection and have some deep conversations. Michael learns what life is like as a young Black gay man in current day, and Andre learns more about queer history and what it's like to be gay in the 60s and 70s. The fact that Andre really wants to be with Michael, but that with each visit he is slowly killing himself hit me right in the feels. Contrast this with Andre's relationship with Blake, the brother of Andre's liver donor. I thought it was very well done for a couple of reasons: 1) this relationship is actually possible & realistic compared to dating someone from the 60s and 2) the enemies to lovers vibes were supreme! Blake obviously hates Andre simply for the fact that Andre is alive because his brother is dead, and his family is fascinated with Andre and his inherited powers of time jumping. The development towards their dating relationship was so satisfying!! Finally, I liked what Jackson did with the ending. It is realistic without leaving things too open ended while acknowledging the complexity that comes with a situation like Andre's. Definitely check out this book, because I know I really loved this one and am so looking forward to his next books!

This was a beautifully written I enjoyed it from the first page. The plot was unpredictable yet comforting. The narration was also compelling.

I want to give this all the stars in the world!
*Spoilers Ahead!*
I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ wasn't expecting this book to break me like it did, but I loved it ๐ด๐ฐ much! I was sobbing through the second half of the book for some reason. Like, big, fat, ugly tears. It's absolutely beautiful. ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฅบ
I listened to the audiobook, and was ๐ด๐ฐ enthralled that I just ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ to buy a hardback copy to I read again in the future!
Dre and Michael's love story is ๐ด๐ฐ beautifully written. Sure, they met each other at the wrong time of their lives; decades apart even. But I was glad that they got to spend some time together and were made into better people for it.They were destined for each other.
The narration was perfect. ๐๐ฃ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ง๐ฆ๐ค๐ต. The narrator's voice is so expressive and full of emotion in the best of ways. Even the little inflexions made a difference! And for the moments that kinda ripped my heart out, the voice acting was raw and made the scene that much more impactful.
And I gotta say that I was ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ interested in all the time travel theories that the author chose for this book. It was very creative and I feel like there are a lot more stories to be explored in this little world. Maybe some continuations or spin-offs??
Oh, Blake is ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ a sweetheart too! I have to mention that because he really is.
Hot Take...
I think Dre fit better with Michael๐ค
As cute as Blake is with Dre, the was just ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ about Michael and Dre together. Michael was so loving, and they were each other's little escape from everything. He would have been happy with those little pieces of Dre scattered through his timeline if that's all he could have of him. He loved him ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต much.
I wish there was a way for Dre to stay with Michael, but the moments they spent together were amazing. This book is full of ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ great lines, but this one towards the end was ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ in the moment... "If it was only about how much I loved you, that'd be enough."
Blake and Dre are sweet together, and I was happy to see that "10 months later" chapter!
I need ice cream, and fan art... ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ด of fan art... And a support group...

I hate time travel books, but I really liked this novel. Andre Cobb has just had a liver transplant due to cancer. With this liver transplant comes the ability to time travel. His first trip he had no idea what was going on. But with help from his donor family, he learns the ins and outs of time travels and why he has this ability. This story is also a love triangle. You have Andre in modern times, Blake, his donorโs younger brother, and Michael, the boy who grew up in his house in the 1960โs and 70โs. Andre is tethered to Michael at first. Anytime he goes back in time he goes back to michel. And the two fall in love. But can the love last. While at the same time, love for Blake is growing. This would not really be a rom-com, but definity a romance. One of my favorite parts is when Andre gets mad at Blake for pushing him to travel with no guidance. One thing Andre, a young black man, has to remind Blake, a young white man, is that a black man should not just randomly pop up in time. Things could go very wrong. While I did like this book, I wish Andre could have experienced some of the historical events like the civil right marches, and Stonewall protests. His love interest Michel was involved in various things as a journalist. It would have been nice if he could have seen the world through his eyes. I still hate time travel books, but this one was pretty good.

This was a fun read, really I did enjoy it. Nothing about it just really jumped out at me. Maybe I wasnโt the audience this book caters to? Maybe it didnโt live up to the time-traveling hype?
The main character was a sweet guy and a self-sacrificing instinct that breaks your heart. I think the point of the book was that he learned that he canโt fix everything, and he canโt keep hurting himself to help other people. Itโs a valuable lesson for sure and definitely an important one for queer folks and other marginalized folks. Weโre so used to putting other needs before ours. This character though learned that he can chase a fulfilling life without following expectations, and thatโs much scarier than a clean cut path to the future but itโs also more worth while.
That being said, I have already forgotten his name. Honestly, I didnโt love the main kid or his boyfriend. The dreamy guy from the past was a total romantic and I loved that about him. But truly I did not understand the connection between these guys that could have evoked such passionate feelings. And the rich boy? Could not figure out what his deal was. He had some choice words for sure. There was a lot of arguing. The pacing felt off.
The time-travel dynamics were predictable and exhausting and underwhelming frankly. But at the same time, I liked that he only ever went back to see the same guy. It was cute. Could have been explored more (like literally why him??).
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did but it certainly wasnโt a bad book. Maybe teen readers could take something more from it than I did.

I really really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately it just didn't mesh with me.
Idk if it's me or if it's the book, but I couldn't bring myself to care about it.
I'd still suggest to give it a try if you're interested!

Oh maaaan the concept was so great and interesting and really could've gone far. But all Andre used it for was to travel between 2 boys. How disappointing! I wanted this gay YA sci fi to go so far into the past! It started off so cool!! But then it just became a YA love story and not a great one at that. This was my first Kosoko Jackson and after the debacle that was A Place For Wolves (when is it far enough from a traumatic war to start reading romance around it? I mean, look at all the Holocaust books that are romances...), I'm sad that this wasn't better. I will be on the look out for his next book. I did like the bookcover!

I enjoyed the audio version of Yesterday is History, by Kosoko Jackson. Andre Cobb is a driven young Black man who is an academic standout at a private school, who is recovering from a liver transplant. His parents are understandably overly attentive and concerned, and one afternoon when Andre's mom suggest he lay down to rest, as he sinks into his bed he wishes he could go back in time to before he had cancer. When Andre opens his eyes he discovers he is outside on the grass and the world looks slightly different. He has traveled back in time to his home as it was in 1969, and finds himself a Black young man in a white neighborhood. Andre finds a connection with the young man Michael who lives in "his" house.
After he time travels, Andre is contacted by the family of the young man who donated his liver, and discovers that the young man was a time jumper. The family wants to help Andre learn how to time jump safely, and they offer Blake the brother of the organ donor to provide the training. Blake who is still dealing with the death of his brother tries to keep Andre at arms length, despite their attraction. When Andre time jumps he always returns to Michael, and they fall in love.
It soon becomes apparent that time jumping is doing physical harm and to continue will ultimately kill Andre, so he must decide does he follow his love Michael and stay in the past, or does he stop time jumping and explore his attraction to Blake.
A lovely gay love triangle, and I connected with all the characters.

Okay so I loved this book so much! I cried at one point! I just, everything about this book was so beautiful! I loved the romance, the heartbreak was so real! I loved the time travel aspect, I loved how it came out in the most random way! I was just heartbroken so much during this book! The love triangle was so intense and real! I loved it, and I loved that Andre felt so much for both guys! You could literally tell that in a way, they both were the loves of his life! Andre just loves and cares so deeply, and it was so beautiful and sweet to see him fall in love! This book is an incredibly easy read, but that doesn't mean that it was simple or anything! You just got caught up in the storyline and the characters that you just couldn't put it down! It wasn't heavy with plot, and it focused a lot on the characters in my opinion! Which normally bothers me, because I really like books with a heavy plot and characters. But this one being more character driven and character focused really vibed with me and I just loved this book!

I loved this! I want more books like this. Normally I hate time travel, but this was so well executed. I loved the main character and how they sorted through their love triangle dilemma. 5 stars.

There are a lot of great things about this book. Jackson used Andre's journey to explore race and LGBTQ issues in a relatable way. The issue with the book is that the science fiction aspect felt underdeveloped. I never fully understood how or why Andre was time traveling. Yesterday is History had a lot of potential, but it didn't quite live up to it.

Very interesting book! I really enjoyed it! The story follows Andre, a young man, who just received a liver transplant. One night, he wakes up back in 1969 and meets Michael and receives his very first kiss. Jerked back through time to present day, Michael finds out that the family of the organ donor wants to meet with him. A family of time travelers. No spoilers but I definitely recommend this book. Thanks to #netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

Weeks ago, Andre Cobb received a much-needed liver transplant.
He's ready for his life to finally begin, until one night, when he passes out and wakes up somewhere totally unexpected...in 1969, where he connects with a magnetic boy named Michael.
And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he slips back to present-day Boston, where the family of his donor is waiting to explain that his new liver came with a side effectโthe ability to time travel. And they've tasked their youngest son, Blake, with teaching Andre how to use his unexpected new gift.
Torn between two boys, one in the past and one in the present, Andre has to figure out where he belongsโand more importantly who he wants to beโbefore the consequences of jumping in time catch up to him and change his future for good.
Andre's story is truly one of self-discovery and self-acceptance. In bouncing between times and people, Andre is able to learn the consequences of both his actions and inactions. This helps him decipher who he wants to be going forward. It is also a moving story of love and loss.

I think I would have liked this better if it was a little bit longer. The relationships were too underdeveloped to care about. Especially between him and the guy from the past. Why were they in love after knowing each other for a few days? This is more of a 2 star book, but it almost made me cry so I'll give it 3.

This book is SO good!
"A romantic, heart-felt, and whimsical novel about letting go of the past, figuring out what you want in your future, and staying in the moment before it passes you by." I can't summarize it any better!
Kosoko Jackson has done a marvelous job telling this story. It's unique, exciting, eye-opening and one-of-a-kind. I was fully engaged and couldn't put it down.
The relationships between MC Andre and Michael and Blake are full of emotion intrigue. I think it's great for YA and adults alike. A touch of fantasy and world of dreamers... this is an excellent new work of Gay Fiction. Loved it!
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.