This book was beautiful. For the most part the video game/gamer stuff wasn’t too much for this non-gamer, but there was a part towards the middle that was a little too much video game talk for me and I lost interest for a while. I eventually saw how it fit into the story/book, but, I still didn’t enjoy that part (it was literally like, one chapter, so maybe I’m being over dramatic?) overall, still a beautiful story of the love between friends.

Wow wow wow. Will be thinking about this one for a long time. Devastating and gorgeous. The Pioneers section slayyyyyed me. About friendship and its forms, love and its forms, life being long and short. I’m still not sure how I feel about one rather large incident that takes place near the end of the book — did it feel a little schtick-y? But ADORED the monologue section/POV that came after it. Thé interiority of this book is simply astounding. Reminded me of The Nix by Nathan Hill — though totally different!

A new one for my ‘All Time Faves’ shelf! This is one of those books that makes me think, yes, this is why I read. What a book! What a story! And also - how clever is Gabrielle Zevin?!!!!! Immediately checking out her older work. The research, the ideas, the storyline and characters.. what on earth?!? Soooo smart!
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Loved the 90’s gaming setting for this one - especially when references were made to the classics. But mostly I just loved this bunch of mixed up flawed lead characters and their (frustrating at times) friendships and love. Argh! So good! Also, LOVE the cover and how it ties in, and the title - oh the title - and where it’s from!
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Thank you @netgalley for my gifted ebook.. I ended up with a physical copy from the library because it’s so pretty. And I’ll need to buy a copy for my shelves now too… My fave so far (I’ve only read three though) of the Booker long listers.
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This is one of my favorite books from this year. It was recommended to me many times via a variety of platforms and I'm so glad I read it. It's even better on audio! Five stars.

I almost didn't request this on Netgalley because of the video game element but then I saw John Green endorsement so I went for it. And before you knew it I was completely drawn into this story and the evolving friendship of the two creators of the games. The only real connection I have to gaming is watching the TV series Mythic Quest which is also about relationships and creativity. I am a fan of both the show and this book but I DO NOT Game!. I think this is an important selling point because this isn't really about that. If you think of it as storytelling vs playing video games I think any lover of books , particularly books about relationships and growing up, will really enjoy this read.

Sam and Sadie meet as kids in a Los Angeles hospital and instantly bond over video games. They have a falling out as kids and don’t talk to each other again until six years later when they meet in a subway station in Boston during their college years. They rekindle their friendship and decide to make a video game. And so begins a decades long collaboration…

TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW is a story of love, friendship, partnership, and family. It is a story of relational ups and downs. It is a story of change.

I am by no means a gamer and I LOVED this story. The gaming piece is a background connector - not a theme or a plot point. You don’t have to understand or know video games to love these characters and their stories. You just need to love stories about people and relationships that span decades.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this amazing story. 4.5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Knopf, and Random House for this e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2022 so far! In “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow” readers follow Sam and Sadie, two flawed people who meet as kids and are trying to navigate their through adulthood.

Its been a while since I’ve felt so connected to the main characters of a book and it felt as if Sam and Sadie were actually two of my friends. I love the nostalgia surrounding the games and the atmosphere that was brought to the stort by its 90s setting.

Although the plot was a tad predicatble at times, I felt very moved by everything that happened to the characters. Sam and Sadie both experience incredibly difficult things growing up, and their friendship is definitely not a smooth ride. I think Zevin did a great job at depicting the way friendships evolve while growing up. The way in which the characters struggle with finding their own place in the world, while also figuring out who they are, was very recognisable.

Overall, a very touching, moving, and enjoyable read, and I am sad I will never be able to play the games they developed in the books!

4.5/5 stars

This novel is a delightful mix of readable and deep. On one level, it’s an engaging story of two childhood friends who meet again as college students and embark on a successful career as video game designers. But on a deeper level, it’s a meditation on love and loss, on friendship and work. I loved Sam, Sadie, and Marx - and was completely caught up in their lives.

"Maybe it was the willingness to play that hinted at a tender, eternally newborn part in all humans. Maybe it was the willingness to play that kept them from despair."

I have to confess - I'm a huge gamer nerd. I've been playing games on PC & Xbox for as long as I can remember. In the time of the pandemic, I think many did as I did - played more open world MMO's and made safe friendships. So this story pushes all my nerd buttons in the best way.

This is, first, a messy story. It's about friendship and a love so deep it cuts even in the good times. Sam and Sadie have been friends since before they were both teenagers. A friendships forged completely in video games, a love they both shared unlike the other kids their age.

After a misunderstanding and a falling out, they each go their separate ways to college and find themselves in similar tech fields. They propose making a game together. It was fascinating to see all their ideas. Sadie's rough student projects were amazing. I would have loved that factory game. I would have played the crap out of the tsunami and voyage home game. I even would have loved the theater murder.

But even as they are making and creating, they are finding new ways to hurt and misunderstand each other. Sometimes the on-line world is easier and less messier than actually having IRL relationships. It was a story that sucked me in to their hardships and fights as much as their high times of loving both their games and others. This was an interesting story, a voyage I enjoyed. I'm so glad I gave this one a try!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this a ton. I felt like it dragged in the middle years; but obviously I'm in the minority since #Bookstagram loves it!

~ NET GALLEY REVIEW ~

I've been telling anyone who will listen to me - this book is hands down my favorite of the year, if not my favorite of all time. It's so authentically and beautifully written. It's a real love story between friendships and family. It covers sexism, racism, disability, grief, hard work, risk. I loved it all. I also loved every character, well maybe minus one, but it was so good. Terribly, terribly good.

Sam Maser and Sadie Green have been friends since the two of them met while playing video games in a hospital, becoming friends though through false pretenses. Years pass until they finally meet again, still with a love for video games. Sadie & Sam start creating video games that end up changing the video game world as they know it.

“𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.”

The characters in this book talk about and deal with disabilities, racism, tragedy, fame, and sexism. The love between the two is friendship based and never exceeded past that, although at many points Sam wished it were more.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏.“

This book was in the third person which is my least favorite so that turned me away immediately but I kept reading. I felt as is this book was repetitive and also confusing at times because it goes from past to present from one paragraph to the next without breaking it up. The plot line wasn’t one that was all that interesting to me, I was hoping for a little more. I’m disappointed I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would, but the writing itself was easy enough to get through without DNFing.

Thank you Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and @netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved Zevins first book, it was one of the first books that made me fall back into love with reading during the pandemic so I knew that I needed to try this one! This book focuses and is a love story to video games and that was something that I have never really felt in a book before. My boyfriend plays video games, and sometimes I play with him, which made this book so much more fun for me (do not have to love video games to love this book tho). This book is such an amazing story of love, friendship, and a world so beautifully described you cannot help but love it! Definitely a unique and unforgettable story, I'd recommend to pretty much anyone.

I wanted to love this novel, but it just didn’t happen. It is an interesting story of two people as they grow and navigate life, both together and separately. It happens that these two people are video game designers, but the book does a good enough job explaining things and not making this story only for gamers. The story, however, just didn’t work for me. It was frustratingly long and drawn out without enough of a finality to compensate.

Can I elect to give this book more than 5 stars? This book is everywhere right now and for good reason. It's the most beautifully written book I've read in years. I deeply cared for these characters, leaving me to wipe my eyes periodically. I knew after reading the first 50 pages it would have a space on my favorites shelf. While this is considered a love story, expect the unexpected. In the end, it's less about romantic relationships and more about the strong commitment of lifelong friends and co-creators. It immerses you in the world of video game design while revealing the inner world that makes each character come alive. I just want to read it all over again!

I loved this book and am probably the only person I know who has never played a video game. It’s not my typical read and yet I couldn’t put it down. Wonderful characters and exploration of platonic love and friendship. Highly recommended.

The story of two childhood friends who go on to create video games. It’s the story of their professional and personal relationship as it evolves over 30 years.
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I’ll start with the good. You can enjoy this book without knowing a thing about gaming. Take it from me a super not gamer. This book is easy to read, I was hooked pretty early on and wanted to see where Sam & Sadie’s relationship would go. It reads almost like YA in the sense that the storytelling moves quickly sentences to sentence. I also loved seeing LA as a setting for much of the novel, since I live here.
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Ultimately I didn’t care for this book. It is too long, maybe 150 pages too long. The back half of the book completely falls apart. The author attempts to do things with form but completely looses track of the storytelling and soul of this novel in doing so. It almost felt like a writing class exercise and not a novel toward the end.
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There are also some plot elements that were way too on the nose (the title included). I can’t say what, I’ll just say when you start to combine 2-3 hot button issues in the climax of the novel it feels manipulative and a little lazy. Not to mention that in a strange way it felt like the author didn’t fully go there. She used these buzzy topics but shied away from the mess of it all.
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I’ve been describing this book as diet A LITTLE LIFE. Yes, it’s about friendship. Yes, there are sad backstories and events. Ultimately there isn’t the emotional resonance or truthful storytelling that could make me latch on to this book like so many other people. It’s a beach read with a little dash of current events.

A beautiful reflection on the power of friendship, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow follows Sam and Sadie from childhood and explores how their love of video games keeps pulling them together - even when the circumstances of life threatens to pull them apart.

I’m not sure how I continue to live knowing this book is out in the world every minute of every day. Somehow Gabrielle Zevin broke and mended my heart in less than 500 pages.

Sam and Sadie’s love story is one of the best I’ve read to not have a “happy ending.” So often, we are given neat, tidy endings to novels. This was messy, real and raw. A true look at how friendships can ebb and flow – how love stories can be more than just romantic.

Do NOT even get me started on that section written from Marx’s perspective. The one person who loved Sam and Sadie both so purely that you could only hope to have a person like him in your life.

The exploration of Sam’s disability and how it’s handled is also one of Zevin’s great feats. She does so much to make us understand how Sam’s every day life is changed by the injuries to his foot without making that his only defining quality. Too often, authors miss the mark in that respect, doing a disservice to the disability community. .
A beautiful reflection on love, life and grief – Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow should be an addition to everyone’s library.

This was an unexpected 4 star. I absolutely loved this I'm a gamer myself so I loved the characters in this.
A book about friendship, love with the backdrop of gaming

You do not have to be a gamer to be touched by and enjoy this book. Although growing up in the 90s and playing a few games of Donkey Kong and Super Mario does give it just the right amount of nostalgia. I enjoyed this book and finished it quickly. I loved the character development and following their relationship across decades. I also love a book that doesn't wrap up everything in a nice happy ending, but also doesn't leave me gut wrenched. This was an overall good read!