This book was not bad! I was intrigued to learn about shortcuts in New York City. I think that is a wonderful idea and I would love to try one some time. This book caught my attention and kept me wanting to read more about these shortcuts and the mystery in the pages of this story. I was hooked to read more. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

Pleasantly surprised how much I loved this one by the mid-way point (and until the end) given that I wasn’t really sold on the first 25%. Really cool concept—it’s a nice blend between contemporary (maybe it fits better as historical? it’s set in 2004…) and sci-fi. I enjoyed seeing how all of the moving pieces fit into each other.

I liked the way this one started out with Jean leaving her 9-5 job to protect her employer she cared deeply about and then took on a two food service jobs to make ends meet. Here friend Iggy shows her a shortcut so she can make the most of her time but these shortcuts will cost Jean dearly. At this point in the story it started getting a little too Sci-Fi for me which is my own fault because when I requested this book I meant for another one with the same title.

Such a beautful original and amazing novel that really stuck with me. Thank you Harper for the ARC for my honest review.

The premise of hidden shortcuts in NYC that could get you from one place (and possibly time) to another sounded promising, but I was a little underwhelmed with the execution. When a character goes missing from the shortcuts the scooby gang sets out to bring their friend back, find the origin of the shortcuts and close them for good. The story got off to a slow start being bogged down in Jean's life struggles/jobs. The pacing felt a bit off with the ending felling a bit rushed.

Special thanks to @netgalley for providing me with an ARC of The Night Shift for review purposes all opinions are my own.

The Night Shift had a really interesting premise but ultimately didn't grip me. I think it would be great for fans of books like Matt Haig's The Midnight Library.

Bought a physical copy the day it came out! Looking forward to reading. thank you netgalley & the publisher for the ARC

Mistakes are the portals of discovery. - James Joyce

Jean Smith lost both of her parents in a car accident that left her injured when she was 18 years old. She worked for years for a noted therapist until the therapist started asking personal questions and then she quit her 9 to 5 job. And now she has two night jobs - a bartender and an assistant baker.

When she has difficulty getting to her bakery job on time, a fellow worker lets her in on a little known New York City secret - a series of shortcuts around the city through different doorways and area that bypass time and space that seemed to appear out of nowhere in the 1970s.

Little does Jean know the connections from the past and the twists she'll run into by using these portals that are to be used after dark and only one way.

I loved this story. It's a slow burn at times but I still enjoyed how all the pieces fit together especially at the end.

I highly recommend this book.

I received this advanced reading copy from Park Row Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

You are anticipating the best steak dinner you have ever had. Your mouth is watering picturing your first bite. Then, the server puts a large cheeseburger in front of you with an explanation of how the restaurant is out of steak. Sure, the burger looks juicy—but it is no steak.

The Night Shift is the burger in this scenario. I was expecting a time travelling thriller. But I received a slice-of-life character study. If you enjoy reading that type of book, you will probably disagree with my rating. As a thriller, however, The Night Shift is too slow-paced so I give it 3 disenchanted stars.

Thanks to Park Row Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Thank you for an advanced readers copy. This was hard to get into as the beginning did not engage me enough. I think it is largely due to not connecting with the main character. The space / time concept was something I was looking forward to; however, it left me feeling a little underwhelmed. I ended up setting this aside a few times before coming back to finish so I'd recommend giving this one some time to get going. Overall, a mixed bag for me.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. A very happy pub day to Natalka Burian!

I’m not sure how to classify this one - maybe a sci-fi mystery/quest? I got some serious Blake Crouch vibes, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Crouch’s works. That being said, this one does move quickly - the plot does keep it moving. It took a bit of time for things to start coming together - I think about the 55%-60% mark I started figuring out how all of these things converged. I’m feeling a bit middle of the road with this one, just because it required a bit more abstract thinking than what I normally classify as enjoyable reading. However if you think that’s something up your alley, I think you’d like this one!

Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This book felt very very long. It had good moments and a really good idea but I felt like it wasnt put together as well as it could have been. There were so many details and just too much going on all the time for me to grasp it all. I found that it did come together in the end but by then I had wished that I dnf it.

Thank you to netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Be patient with this. Jean is struggling with life and her job when her pal Iggy tells her about portals in New York- short cuts which allow the user to jump from place to place and time to time. She's just trying to get to work but then she finds herself on a quest when Iggy disappears. Every time she uses a portal she experiences her life in that place and time. It's hard to explain and there is a bit of physics (I admit to skimming some of the scientific info) but I found myself compelled to read. It helps, I think, to have spent time in Manhattan, especially in the early 2000s. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A fresh and intriguing take on travel through time and space.

I absolutely adored this exciting read! Such a cool concept to have shortcuts between different areas of New York City! How the shortcuts came about was really unique. I enjoyed reading this book so much that I was sad to see it end.

Meh. I wanted to read this for the space/time portals, but they weren't a big enough part of the story. This started off so boring, going into detail about the main character barely eking out an existence in NYC, then finally we get to the portals and even so, the pace didn't really pick up much.

DNF at 23%
I was incredibly bored and just did not care enough about any of the characters. I felt that their backgrounds were vague and if they do develop later on in the story, it would be too late.

This book wasn’t for me. It felt more like a contemporary drama with a few dips into Sci-Fi and not like a Sci-Fi at all. This is not what I signed up for.

I think it was boring and I wasn’t invested in the story at all. It took forever to get to the point that the shortcuts get introduced, before that there’s a LOT of talk about Jeans living and working situation. How she struggles to make ends meet after leaving her old 9-5 job.

There were so many unnecessary points, that didn’t affect the story at all. For example, all the mentioning of 9/11. Why? To let us know that the book is set in the early 2000s? That setting wasn’t relevant for the story at all. The only time it is relevant, is when 9/11 is mentioned. It doesn’t do anything for this book. So much in this story felt like a filler.

The writing felt clunky, and the story dragged on and on and on. I was tripping over not well written sentences and repetitions. And the characters, especially Jean, were SO unlikeable. Jean was giving me whiplash with her behavior and temper. She got mad and started fighting with other characters for no obvious reasons, maybe that’s due to the writing, I don’t know.

In the end I didn’t even care if and how they solve the problems with the shortcuts and how Jean got out of that. I was just happy that it was finally over.

This book reminds readers that, while intriguing, exciting, and also just practically convenient, a human created break in the space/time continuum is ultimately a really bad idea. The protagonist is flawed but likable; her relationship with trauma in her past, as well as her present relationship with her body, are the most intriguing parts of the story. Recommended for all readers, including reluctant fantasy readers such as myself.

The Night Shift is a character-focussed slice-of-life drama in New York City which also just so happens to be a time-portal fantasy. It’s a beautiful cocktail that’s brimming with hope, and is sure to leave you with a smile on your face and a glow in your heart.

The story centres around Jean, a young woman who struggles to let people in, and who works nights in a Manhattan bar. She keeps life at arms length so she doesn’t have to deal with her troubled past. But when a workmate goes missing, she blames herself and starts searching for him. In the process, she stumbles on the best kept secret in New York — a series of portals, or “shortcuts,” that can transfer you anywhere in the city, even back in time — but more importantly, she’ll find a way to grow beyond the shackles of her past, and learn how to really live.

Jean is likeable and relatable, and I had no trouble rooting for her through the book. Every time she used a “shortcut” across the city, she glimpsed a snapshot of her past, and these flashes really added depth to her character.

The fact the story leans so heavily into its characters is really refreshing, because time-portal fiction has a tendency to be so intricately plotted that the characters can get a little lost in the mix. But that’s not the case here. If anything, this swings the other way, and there’s barely a hint of scientific explanation though the story. It’s the softest of sci-fi, but that’s what makes it work.

There’s a charm about the book that sucks you in. It somehow manages to revolve around hidden time-portals, while still feeling like a coming-of-age drama about a woman who gets a new job at a bakery. There’s something so innocent and sweet about the whole flavour of this book, that it radiates warmth from every page. The way Jean grows as a person and learns to overcome her trauma is just as exciting as any leap through time.

I was impressed by the way the plot unfolded. It was so gently and deftly done, and the puzzle at the heart of the book such a delicate one, that it could easily have come over as eye-rollingly convoluted in less skilful hands. Instead, the conceit behind the story is so perfect, I was able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s so easy to get lost in this book. In a way, it transports you to New York faster than any “shortcut” and it successfully grounds you in the night life of the world’s most famous city. I adored it.

The Night Shift is sweeter than a slice of New York cheesecake, and just as delicious and addictive. When it’s done, you’ll crave one more mouthful. It’s a nostalgic, joyful, transportive, and elegant book which will move you to embrace life’s many wonders, and will definitely take a “shortcut” to your heart.

This novel is scheduled for publication on July 12 of 2022. Harlequin Trade Publishing provided me an early galley to read in exchange for an honest review.

As a music fanatic, I really appreciated the author's various references to new-wave and alternative bands and songs. It gives the whole novel a built-in sort of soundtrack.

I have always had a fascination with New York City, starting from when I was a kid reading comic books and watching TV and movies. It always seemed like a vibrant, mythical place. The author captures that element of energy and mystery here. In my early 20's, I got the opportunity to visit the city a couple times and would always be open for returns there again.

What drew me into this book was the concept of these "shortcuts" in the city. They start out as a very mysterious, almost mystical concept that moves the story quickly from contemporary urban fiction into one that is fantastical. I think the idea is very genius and thus an intriguing foundation upon which to build the story of the characters involved.

Just as the shortcuts tend to leave the passers-through a bit disoriented, there were places in the narration where I as a reader felt that way. I am not sure that was the author's intention. That feeling seemed to pass as the story got back into the groove once more. Things really pick up when Jean and her various acquaintances band together to attempt to make everything right. The ending of the story seemed to pull together very quickly; I almost would have preferred some trimming of the earlier chapters to give the ending some space to breathe.