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.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Loved this book! I don't care too much for time travel but this was really good, wouldn't mind owning and will recommend!

Yesterday Is History is a short read with romance and time travel. It also discusses cancer, racism, and LGBTQ without making it the sole focus of the book. I loved that Jackson made a gay black boy the main love interest in the middle of a love triangle because that is so rare. It wasn’t really a love triangle because it’s kind of obvious who Andre is more drawn to and Thank God for that since I don’t like love triangles.

There are some inconsistencies that made the story a little confusing but I wouldn’t say it ruined it. Some of it doesn’t make sense but it didn’t bug me that much. It’s a cute and heartwarming story overall but not necessarily something that I will remember forever. I think it could’ve benefited from being a little longer with more explanation as well.

Thanks so much to Dreamscape media for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

**Audiobook Review**

I received a free copy of the audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jackson has been on my radar for a while, but this was my first time actually getting to read any of his work. I have to say, he did a great job.

Andre has enough crap to deal with. He got cancer, lost his valedictorian status, and is starting to wonder if his career and life goals are even what he wants anymore. When he gets a liver transplant, it helps with one of those issues - but makes the others worse. Because now he can time travel.

Yep, full on go back and forth in time. But not just anywhere. He "anchors" or latches onto this one particular kid in the 70s who is also trying to figure out who he wants to be.

I won't spoil too much but there's an adorable (but heart-wrenching) love triangle, a protective best friend who steals the show, and a wholesome parent-child dynamic. Andre's sexuality is mentioned, but Jackson doesn't make this a coming out book - which I love. (Nothing wrong with those, I love many of them) Andre's sexuality is just part of his character, the same as his parent's being scientist. It's something that makes him - him.

I think a lot of YA readers can relate to Andre. To his desire to want to be a good person, and making some illogical, or hasty choices because of it. As with most time-travel books, this one leaves you wondering what turning points in your life have affected others (and why no one from the future has visited you yet).

Yesterday is History tells the story of Andre Cobb, a teenage cancer survivor who's given a second chance at life when he receives an unexpected liver transplant. Little does he know, the liver formerly belonged to a young adult who had the ability to time travel and thus transferred his abilities to Andre after the transplant surgery.

Jackson composes a narrative we don't see too often in YA--a gay, Black teenager caught in the middle of a love triangle. And we love to see it! Andre's story of first kisses and first loves hits all the right notes and leaves readers wanting more! Andre, Michael and Blake are all very appealing characters. The only thing I could ask for is more! I'd love to read more about these characters and see more of their journeys in this world Jackson has created.

I'd recommend this read for any romance readers, especially romance readers who enjoy a unique twist! Great for fans of Becky Albertalli or Rainbow Rowell.

So I selected this from Net Galley (thanks by the way) thinking it would be a bit of Dante and Aristotle meets Carry On with a bit of The both die at the end thrown in for good measure. I know, it isn’t OK to compare books like that, but I was hoping and boy was I disappointed. This book has a 4 star story hidden there. It was way too short. 100 more pages would have maybe built in some of the emotional resonance we were supposed to feel for the relationships. It is pretty ham fisted and riddled with circular logic. I am not sure what the rush was, but this feels like Mr. Jackson was up against a deadline and the publisher just accepted whatever he turned in. The “River Phoenix hot” line would work if this book featured a gen X main character, but an 18 year old in 2021 does not know who that is without one line of dialogue explaining he loved “old movies” or something. It just needed a good edit and more pages.

Don is a brilliant narrator. Had he not been the reader, I would have stopped.

I didn't love this as much as some of the other queer YA that I have read recently. I'm not sure why, but I had a very hard time connecting to the main character and the idea of a family becoming close with the recipient of a deceased child's organ was a little much to brush aside for the sake of the plot.

Going into this book I was a bit hesitant because I read an ARC of Kosoko Jackson's other book that was pulled from publication. I enjoyed listening to this on audio because it flowed and went pretty quickly. There were things that I wish would have spent more time with, specifically longer/more time in the past time travels. However for the plot of the book to play out spending more time in the past would lead to the protagonist death. I will continue to pick up any future works that Kosoko publishes because I want to read more diversely and from own voices.

Yesterday is History is more than what I expected it to be, and I should have known it would be a heartwarming and a wholesome story that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, I just truly enjoyed this book sooo much! Andre is more than just his cancer, and he is more than just being gay. I find with being queer people focus on your queerness only and no who else you are, and the author gave Micheal, Andre, and Blake space to be who they are with also being queer and being in love.
This story is definitely something I will be purchasing again, thank you to the publisher and to NetGallery for giving me the chance to listen to such a beautiful advanced audiobook copy!

I started this audiobook knowing nothing about it. I thought it had vague Kindred vibes with the time travel. The funny thing was is that in this book Dre knows why he can time travel but they didn't in Kindred and in Kindred they knew why they were attached to a certain person in time and Dre did not. Dre wound up falling in love with the person he kept traveling in time to see for no reason. I didn't understand why he kept traveling in time to see the same guy and why he fell in love with him. He did have a coming of age story with his romance with him and his teenage time traveling teacher. This was kind of a strange story since he got his power from a liver transplant of a man that could time travel but it was interesting.

I am upset that it took me so long to listen to this book! Once I started, I couldn't put it down! This was such a unique and emotional story. I loved the time travel element woven through the deeper and important elements of this story. I also really enjoyed getting to know all of the amazing characters.

I thought the narrator really brought the story to life, and I liked the voices he did for each character. Definitely worth a listen!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me listen!

Wow! Just wow! I requested this audio arc b/c of my disabilities (and b/c people hyped this book) so thank you Netgalley and publishers for providing it!
Let me start by saying that I was hesitant to pick this book up because 1) I don’t gravitate towards “time travel” plots, 2) I’m not that big a fan of love triangles, 3) I’m tired of the overused kids with cancer plots. People hyped this book so I took a chance. All my hesitancy aside, this book exceeded my expectations by MILES. It almost had me in tears at two different points (once when Michael and MC had their big fight and had didn’t see each other again until years later and the other when MC and Michael broke it off for the last time...God those were painstaking moments :’( ) and I’m not a person that’s easily emotionally moved by fictional literature. I have to give it to the author, he did an excellent job weaving the two plots of the story and characters together. Also, I liked how the past 1960s-1970s didn’t focus on negativity of the times like homophobia. I was in shock but my suspension of disbelief went along with it...and I was fine with it oddly enough. Like, in this perfect book we talk about homophobia but we don’t witness it on the page. It was great!
I wish MCs friend wouldn’t have disappeared then reappeared at times but that’s a minor thing. I thought the cancer wasn’t overplayed (or downplayed)—which is awesome. As a person with multiple disabilities who’s been in a similar situation, I really felt for MC. Overall, the novel was absolutely amazing and probably one of the best books I’ve read this year. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a story that has a bittersweet ending.

What an interesting book! The concept of a cancer patient who got a liver transplant from a time traveler is what made me sign up for this audiobook.

This is a well-written sweet contemporary with a dash of paranormal sci-fi story. The romance aspect with a love triangle but one is from a different time period is really unique and quite fascinating. I'm loving that the main character is a queer black kid but the story didn't focus on his color or his being black, but it delves into his story, his conflicting feelings between two love interests and all the teenage angst that comes with it. The author's way of writing makes the transition from different time periods seamless, and I love the way the author touched on really heavy subjects without making the reading experience really heavy. I really enjoyed it.

The narration is excellent, it takes the story to a different level of experience.

When a book can make you cry - it's a good book!

I really have no critique besides that I wish the story was longer. I truly understood and felt the love Michael and Andre had. The relationship between Blake and Andre felt a little rush, especially because we only saw them arguing and skipped over the 10 months of them bonding. I wish I could have seen more moments so I could enjoy their love story. I'll accept that Andre's future is just beginning and that his life is full of hope and opportunity now. But, I honestly love Michael more! There I said it!!!

Pros:
Andre dealing with cancer is a serious topic and I like how we didn't pity him or that he didn't magically fix everything. I think this will be a powerful story for those dealing with disease - I have a physical disability so I'm also speaking from personal experience.
Plus we STAN QUEER LOVE!!! Oh my god! I can't tell you how much I hate stories where there's only one love interest who's a douchebag and they fall in love at the end, like there aren't anymore options! The fact that Andre had two loves is REALLY meaningful to see! Yes it might be hard to find someone you can trust with your love but there is someone out there!
For a moment I did feel like this was a white savior moment swooping in to give him a liver and magically ability BUT what I think is cool is that Andre earned it. That they wouldn't have choose him if they didn't think he was a good person, so I enjoyed how this book talked about merit and privilege.

(I do think the only only other con I have is that his best friend didn't feel important to the story and I wish she was flushed out more.)

REALLY ENJOYED!
Highly recommend!!

Andre Cobb has received a liver transplant to cure his cancer. Suddenly, he finds himself in 1969 and connects with a charismatic boy named Michael. A few hours later, he is back in present day Boston. The family of his donor contact Andre and let him know that his liver has come with a side effect – the ability to travel in time. Blake, the brother of his donor, is tasked with teaching Andre how to time travel. Andre can't deny the attraction between himself and Blake, too. Caught between Michael and Blake, Andre has to figure out what he wants and where he belongs.

I would love to see this book as a movie. The book didn't go into as much detail as I would have liked it to, so I think it could be made into a movie without losing much of the story. In this case, I feel like a movie could actually help flesh out the feelings/chemistry that we didn't really get to “see” in the story. I wish we could have seen Andre get the chance to time travel more than just to see Michael a handful of times. We learn through photos that Blake's mom has time traveled to many important historical events, and for me, it was a bit of a let down that Andre didn't get the chance to do that, too. I think if this book had been more fleshed out, it could have really knocked it out the park. As it was, I did enjoy the story, just not as much as I had expected to.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Yesterday is History is such a sweet story. It's a beautifully written coming of age tale with sci-fi pushing all the plot points along. The characters were flawed but were still loveable. I was rooting for all three of the teen boys in this story the entire time.

The best part of this book, for me, was getting to know all of the characters. I really enjoyed the time-traveling aspect as well as Andre dealing with his cancer and transplant. As for the cons of this book, I think there were a lot of pacing issues. This book is 304 pages but I felt like so much more could’ve been expanded on.

Overall, I did enjoy this and would recommend it to those who are interested in the story

Weirdly it took me a little to get into the narrator voicing the main character, BUT I loved every voice they did for every other character instantly! Brilliant Narrator! It certainly added to the story and made me enjoy it so much more!

This story answered a question I never really realized I had: What would happen if you received an organ from someone supernatural, in this case, a time traveller. The story follows Andre after a liver transplant and his journey to learn about his new abilities, then focused on an LGBTQ love triangle.
It dealt with interracial relationships, the difference in the time periods visited, and what is accepted in different time periods; one of the boys was about to say an N-word and Andre SHUT THAT DOWN fast (Thank god)! It talked about the difference between white privilege even in time travelling.

The love triangle was lacking for me in truth, I didn't see Blake and Andre build into a romantic relationship, but I do like them as a couple.
I am THRILLED that in the end that he went back and changed Michael's fate because I was pissed that his story looked like it was going to end that tragically because I really shipped the two together. Even though I knew that they weren't going to work, I refused to let his story end sadly, but I appreciate his final ending.

Imagine receiving your life saving organ transplant, but now being able to time travel! This book made that a reality. Listening to this book was captivating and fun. Romance was included but didn't overtake the main plot. Narrator was fantastic at taking on new voices for different characters and showing emotions in his voice.