I loved Young Jane Young and The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, so I have been excited for her next book. I am very much NOT a video game fan though, so I wasn’t sure about this one. I thought I might just read the ARC or listen to audio and then I saw this copy with the blue edges and I realized the cover was based on the painting The Wave - and so I ordered this one from Waterstones.

And now, I am so glad. Reading it was such a joy (I enjoyed every moment of the pretty blue page edges) and the book was so much more than video games. The focus of the book centered on Sam (who is half Jewish/half Korean like the author) with a destroyed foot (background of which is told later in the book), and his college roommate and a girl, who visited him in the hospital and who shared a love of video games. Sam runs into Sadie by chance by his campus at Harvard. She is at MIT and created a video game in a course that she shares with him. After playing the game, he decides they were destined to make video games together.

I loved these friendships so much, and the ride they had together. I loved glimpses here and there that let you know a little of what was coming. Even though I am not a gamer, I do have a degree in computer science, so I enjoyed the background of their work. I also have a background in art and loved the references to Japanese artists and musicians. I could see how their own coming of age was similar to the coming of age of technology/gaming.

I also enjoyed her chat with the B&N bookclub. Some of my favorite take-always were about health being a great equalizer / how it rises above class. And also -
You can’t guarantee what kind of love you will have in life / or which love will be the most important - that of colleagues and friends were both like family.

I think this one will stay with me for a long time - one of my favorites of the year.

I've given this as a gift to the adults I know. LOVE IT!
For readers of Ready Player One, or who enjoyed watching the show Halt and Catch Fire.

“Every time I run into you for the rest of our lives, I’ll ask you to make a game with me.”

What I liked:
- A love between friends that is deeper than that between lovers, despite the ebbs and flows of their relationship.
- Characters are multifaceted, lovable, flawed, and frustrating in a realistic way
- Includes thoughtful inclusion of topics on identity, disability, depression, sexism, racism

What Didn’t work for me:
- Character-driven book rather than plot driven, but the characters didn’t grow much over the course of the book. I was invested in the characters, but ended up being disappointed by not getting more from them by the end of the book.
- The chapter that is a video game world took me out of my reading flow, but it was creative.
- The timeline jumping around
- Felt like a really long book even though it’s not THAT long (416 pgs); not a quick read for me

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Thank you to @netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story of a lifelong love - even if it doesn't turn out the way you think. Sadie and Sam become friends when they are young, but have a bumpy road ahead of them. Conflicts and misunderstandings abound, but eventually they decide to design a video game together. It becomes a hit, and launches them into a whole new world of game development. They meet friends and lovers along the way, and their friendship continues to be bumpy. I had a hard time relating to either one of our main characters, and it lacked some of the emotional resonance that I remember from AJ Fikry. Nonetheless, it's a wonderful coming of age story, sure to resonate with anyone nostalgic for pre-internet gaming.

I ended up dnfing this one but might revisit it later. I’m not sure if it’s the story or just my mood but it didn’t grab my interest.

I like the concept of the book and the general theme. I have issues with the pacing of the book. I was generally coasting along the book but didn't feel like the plot was strong until the last third of the book. I was in a constant state of waiting for the book to have a strong plot action point.

The characters are interesting. I both like and dislike them at the same time. Disliking Sadie more than Sam. It makes them more realistic as humans but it bothers me how much slack she gets and how favorable the author seems towards Sadie.

The end left me wanting more. I enjoyed the journey but wouldn't recommend or read this book again.

Sam sees Sadie in a crowded subway station in Boston, after years apart. Sadie and Sam first met when they were very young, as pre-teens. Sadie's sister is in the hospital for treatment, and Sam is there due to a car crash and the subsequent injuries. They bond over video games, but when it comes to light that Sadie was logging service hours while visiting Sam, he feels a betrayal of her friendship.
However, when they meet again, Sadie asks Sam to review a game she has created. In doing so, Sam and Sadie are brought back together. Their collaboration along with Sam's roommate and guidance from Sadie's teacher/married lover, jolts them into stardom. They become extremely successful, but with success comes tragedy.
Sam and Sadie love each other, but never become romantically involved. Rather, this story tells a tale of ups and downs that life takes and it is a journey of missteps, as well as ambition, heartache, and forgiveness.
A cleverly written story in the world of video games which will appeal to those who are gamers, especially.
Heartbreaking at times, and at other times, hopeful - it is an epic story.

I saw a girl walk out of a bookstore with this title under her arm, like she had been waiting to buy it and now it was finally hers. I'm glad I gave it a chance! I love a sprawling novel that tracks a relationship over time. It's reassuring that a modern novel like this can still be good.

Much like the title, this book is incredibly repetitive. It’s also very full of gamer-speak and with little translation (or maybe it was there and I missed it or forgot) and as someone who does not speak gamer I found this to be annoying.

Maybe it’s because I couldn’t understand much of it, maybe it’s because it’s super repetitive or maybe this just isn’t for me but I found this to be boring and I do not understand the hype at all. But to each their own.

I loved reading this book! The writing was so fabulous that I read certain parts over again. While reading it I was reminded of the book, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. The friendship of Sam and Sadie and then later with the addition of Marx, gave me such a good feeling. I wanted the happy ending for them all. The fact that the story revolved around their lives in the gaming world made it such a welcome story. If you're a gamer, then you know. I would love to live in the world of Dr. Daedulus and Ms. Marks. That was true happiness for a time. I will keep tgis book and reread it like an old friend.

This is a tender and sometimes heartbreaking novel about the friendships you can’t escape and the relationships that define you. It so exactly captures the insecurity of growing up and the uncertainty of who you are. The characters are somewhat one-dimensional but at the same time intricate within themselves. The relationships the characters have with each other, within and without the games, are the most realistic and relatable parts of this novel.

I couldn't get into this even though I tried a few times. I have heard really good things, I just don't think it's my kind of book.

There is so much to love about Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. This book spans a friendship that's so much more between Sam and Sadie who meet at a hospital as children and reunite as college students. They're both avid gamers and highly intelligent and eventually create games together. What happens during their relationship tests their friendship and also makes it more solid.

I read Zevin's previous hit book, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, with my book club, so I thought I may enjoy this one, but you never know. Right away, the way the story is written, the nuanced and original characters, and the surprising twists and turns never get old. I felt fully invested in all the characters--even the supporting ones and felt their pain, their joy, and empathized with them all.

While the book does focus on two gamers, people who do not particularly like video games will not feel left out. It's really not about gaming or designing games although you'll find a lot of the book deals with those pursuits, but it's only a part of the book. And it is easily digested because the story itself is so good. Seriously, this book could have been about any other industry--firefighting, cooking, whatever--and anyone could enjoy it.

I will say being married to a gamer, raising a gamer, and dabbling in games myself did resonate when I read the book. But that only increased my enjoyment. So, it's perfect for people who do love video games of any kind.

As I read this, I thought, why am I not binging on Zevin's other books? These two books that I've read of hers were amazing. It's no surprise that both are being made into movies because the books are both so engaging. And I was even more excited that Kunal Nayyar from The Big Bang Theory is playing A.J. Fikry in the movie, which I believe is coming out soon.

Loved this book and hope to get my hands on the rest of her books. Zevin is an excellent writer who will probably offer even more exciting and appealing books and characters in the future.

“What is a game?’ Marx said. ‘It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.” (pg. 336)

Sensational. A true masterpiece, and absolutely one of my favorites of the year!

A coming-of-age character-driven book two people creating video games, but it’s so much more than that. It delves into the complexities of relationships, friendships, family, identity, disability, and love.

It had all the nostalgia paired with the coziest, immersive, and creative writing. Melancholy and complex, simple yet engrossing, a story about connection and feeling connected to one another with flawed and redeemable characters, there was just so much about this story I loved. I simultaneously wanted to savor and devour this book. This is a story that I know will stay with me for a long time.

A brilliant story about two people who love video games and each other.

⚠️ It should be noted that there are many trigger warnings for this one!

“Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.” Is one of those books that I’m glad I stuck with it in the end. As others have mentioned, it tends to drag, especially in the first half in my opinion, and if you don’t love video games you may lose interest. Yes, it does have a “love story”, but ultimately it almost felt like a character study on how relationships change and grow and disconnect and heal.

Once the pace picks up, I found myself completely invested. I found the later half to be heartbreaking and beautiful.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I really liked this book, especially the character development, representation and friendship plot line. I'm not much of a gamer myself, but could still understand what was going on. I loved the nostalgic vibe, too!

The story follows our main characters, Sadie and Sam, who met in a hospital as kids. They bond over playing video games together and even found their own company/make their own video games later, but that's not without some turbulence throughout their growing years - just like a lot of friendships in the 'real world'.

I feel like the characters were relatable with their complexities and flaws, and that was one of the biggest messages, I think - that people are imperfect, but we need each other. I'm excited to follow this author's career, and would definitely pick up another book written by them.

Story about two friends who reunite after a falling out and end up making a wildly successful game together. Very interesting and I learned quite a bit about the gaming world. What I liked best about this book were the very real, very well drawn characters. There were a couple of sections where I felt the book dragged but for the most part I was always eager to get back to it and find out if Sam and Sadie were going to make it through all of their rough patches.

I absolutely loved this novel and found it to be such a special portrayal of friendship as well as artistic craft. I've heard so many readers say "I loved this book even though I'm not a gamer". Well, gaming is far from a requirement because it's more of a means to capture the excitement of creativity and that all encompassing feeling of a passion consuming your heart and soul. It has a nostalgic, comforting quality and brought me back to what ignited that spark in me when I was younger. I also found it to be an incredibly aspirational read in that creative brainstorming has this almost magical, blissful, ideal quality for me because it's a personal weak spot; on the rare occasion that I have a lightbulb moment and I'm flooded with ideas it's a sort of euphoria... Sadie and Sam's design sessions put me in that brilliantly exciting space. This book also made me want to take up gaming; it's rare that a novel gets me so interested in a topic that it ignites a new interest to live on in my real world outside of its pages but whenever it happens it's a testament to the story.

The usage of gaming metaphors and symbolism throughout was truly fantastic. They really added to the cleverness and depth of the book and always felt natural versus forced. I particularly enjoyed the structure of the Both Sides section coming at a time when Sam & Sadie weren't close. It parallels and heightens how separate they are at the time and that the game is a flop shows they're better together. The phantom limb pain mimicking Sam's pain without Sadie... it was all wonderful. It's such a fantastic and layered story about friendship.

There's something intangible about the writing that drew me in... the plot was slower and I didn't feel overly attached to the characters but the writing drew me into this world and made me want to constantly cozy up into it. I really savored this one and did not want it to end.

WOW sometimes you start a book and immediately know it's going to sit with you for the rest of your life. This is one of those. Will now need to read every book this author has ever written because... wow.

This book has had a lot of hype, but I was still a little unsure going into this book because I am not, nor have I ever been a gamer. I mean, back in the day I played some Tetris or Pacman, but that's the extent of my gamer-ness. But just know - you do NOT have to be a gamer to enjoy this one!

Our three main characters are Sadie, Sam and Marx. I found them all to be likable and quirky in their own way. Sam and Sadie met when they were pre-teens over, you guessed it, a video game in a hospital, where Sam was after a horrific car crash and Sadie's sister was undergoing cancer treatment. They formed a deep friendship, but then a bit of a misunderstanding had them going years without seeing each other. Years later, as they are both finishing up college, they run into each other and reconnect. They then end up joining forces with Marx to create a video game.

The relationship between these three was complicated. Their friendship runs deep, but not without bumps in the road, as is with real life and friends.

Tragedy strikes, things change, and I felt this portion was so well done by the author. It made you feel all the range of emotions.

More a coming of age and friendship story than a gamer story. If the gamer aspect has you hesitating, ignore that and pick up this book!

Thank to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.