Loved this book. Really enjoyed the intricacies of how their timelines merge and influence one another. One of me favorite series.

I had a lot of fun reading this book and plan to pick up the next one. This world and the whole idea is just so interesting. It's like The Hunger Games meets The Firebird Trilogy with a hint of contemporary YA boarding school. I love all of those things and this blend was great.

The idea of the time travel competition and this secret society was really fascinating. It left an air of mystery but that really worked given the reader knows everything the main characters know and you learn along with them. The various rules and equipment were well explained without getting boring and I really enjoyed the parts where the team was having fun with the wetsuits and otherwise joking around. I would have liked to see a little more of some of the places they visited (particularly the first challenge) but it kept the pace going so maybe a good choice anyway.

The four main characters are such a ragtag little team and I really liked their dynamic. I liked various parts of each of them although no real standout favorites. I would have liked to get to know Edison and Valerie more, I thought they were both interesting and I liked their dynamic but I think they only had one section each where it was their point of view. I think either no sections or more were needed but either way, I want to know more about them.

There are parts of this story that are really fast paced and interesting. The end totally flew by. The initial build up was a little slow until they finally were time traveling but there was interesting stuff and I was glad to have gotten to know the characters.

My only slight complaint on this one was the points of view and voice of the book. The sections changed the point of view fairly often and sometimes I forgot who was talking as they didn't have distinct voices and there were no cues about who the narrator was. There were definitely some missed opportunities to make these characters sound unique, like I found it hard to believe that Finn and Everly both described Everly's shoes as Prada Mary Janes. It also seemed off for Finn to describe a dance and talk about chiavari chairs. A few tweaks to their voices and maybe limiting to only two or even three narrators could have made this flow a lot better for me.

Overall, this was a really fun YA sci-fi story and I look forward to the next one.

* I received a free copy of this title through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Time Trials explores what time travel could be like if the Butterfly Effect wasn't a thing, whilst incorporating a Hunger Games-esque battle between teams. I loved the premise and the initial build up, but I did find there to be a few too many plot holes for my liking!

It felt like there was too much time spent on the wrong things, I wanted more of the action in the trials and less of the sideline plots, as it ended up feeling quite rushed, particularly in the last quarter.

That being said, some of the relationships were really lovely, Valerie and Edison's sibling like bond being a real highlight!

Once you get into it it's definitely a cute, easy read, just not quite my cup of tea.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. ❤️

A big thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for approving me of a copy of an e-arc of this book!
I absolutely loved it. It just reminds me of all my favorite things. Would DEFINITELY read more of the authors' work in the future!

Wow!! What a whirlwind of a book. I was so well and truly immersed, this book eclipsed my life for a bit. It was the most perfect book to loose yourself into and it was the best companion of an evening, to cosy up with a cup of coffee and ride the waves of the pages. I seriously both loved and adored this book from start to finish and I am so so glad there’s another one to read.

The concept of the story was so clever and entertaining and I loved the game element to it. I was all there for the entire book and not once did it lose my attention. I hated putting it down and looked forward to picking it up again.

The characters were all incredibly strong and brilliant, from Finn the ‘unfortunate’, who finds himself at an incredibly prestigious school on scholarship, to headstrong and sporty Valerie, to the beautiful Everly and finally the factual Edison. All four are flung together into the historical society to compete in a series of trials set throughout history. I mean, what a brilliant idea! The story was so immersive and I honestly couldn’t stop reading.

Greatly written too, it was effortless to read and I’m majorly hyped to go into the next story. So glad I have it lined up so I can launch straight into it, back into the Time Bender for another round. Yes please! I don’t think there’s a single person I wouldn’t recommend this book to. All need to read it and you’ll thank me later!

Not what I was expecting AT ALL but I am SO glad I picked this up and kept reading! (Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of the book.)

The Hunger Games meets Doctor Who.

I really enjoyed this book, the concept itself was amazing. I love that the teams were able to travel through time without permanently disrupting the events of the past. All of the technology was so cool as well, I especially like SCRAP.
The concept of found family was strong in this book and I really loved how the dynamic and bond between Finn, Everly, Valerie, and Edison developed. They make a lovely group.
I'm very excited to see how this world develops in the second book.

Grief, danger, adventure, budding romance, this book has it all. I can’t begin to explain the depths this book brought out in its characters, and the tears I shed following this journey with them. I have fallen in love with this book and will be going nuts waiting to see what happens in the next. The only reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 was due to the portrayal of autism in the book. As an autistic individual, high functioning autism doesn’t exist and is simply an inaccurate description. That is not meant as a dig at either author, just to say that autism is indeed a spectrum and some of us excel at things that others struggle with and vice versa.That being said, the book itself was extremely well written and both authors are incredibly talented. I knew within the first couple of chapters that I was hooked and wouldn’t be able to put this book down. The emotional turmoil in this book was palpable in every single chapter. My only other critique would be that (at least in the copy I read) it didn’t exactly explain HOW the first trials results came to be what they were. Overall this was incredibly well thought out and even more well written, and I genuinely cannot wait to see what comes next for these beloved characters.

This book sounded right up my street and oh my goodness it was! This has the same feel as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson with the unique school, the adventure, the found family - but it's a completely unique and creative story! To go on adventures in history and play games in one huge epic competition?! Incredible! This is a hard type of story to get right, but this book has been done right to the nth degree. It has characters you can't help but love, huge amounts of depth and detail in the characters, story, world and all elements in it, and a fast-paced and gripping story. If I didn't have work, I'd have finished this book in one day. As it is, I flew threw this book in next to no time as I was so desperate to see what happened next and to our adventurous four friends. Every element of this school and the history club has been so thought through and I loved learning about it. This book and everything in it is GENIUS. I am so so so glad it's a series because now I've finished it, I'm gutted and just want more! This is such a fun and engaging way for kids to learn about history too. The history combined with the games and the adventures and scenarios the kids all go on is so clever and gripping. I can't quite put into words how much I loved this book. I'm OBSESSED. I'm just sad now I'll never be able to read it for the first time again! I'll definitely be revisiting this book, world and characters again many times though, that's for sure! I think another good thing is this book is labelled as YA (I believe), but I genuinely believe anyone of any age will love this. It's going to be a hugely popular series, I can tell already. WHAT A BOOK!!!!!

Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. I loved the travel aspect and the adventure aspects of the book. The pacing was perfect. A good read.

Join these young group of kids on an adventure of a lifetime. If you love time traveling and constant action this will be one of your favorites! This book has a wonderful plot. I love the idea of competing against other schools while time traveling. It definitely keeps things interesting, and gets me more hooked with each trial. The only thing I’m not really fond of is the style of writing. I do not like reading from third person POV. I felt like that took away from some of the enjoyment. Overall I do really enjoy the plot, and will be reading the next book to see what happens next.

This for both The Time Trials and The Fifth Timekeeper:
This is a solid set of sci-fi books that tell a compelling story with lots of great element, including time-travel, some danger, action, friendships, good pacing, and some love. It's clearly a YA novel, but may appeal to an older crowd. Hopefully this will find a large audience.

I really appreciate the free ARCs for review!!

"The Time Trials" is the first book in a series.
I love time travel books, so I was very excited to be able to read a new one.
The idea is wonderful and the concept of time travel is tied to a new and elaborate system.
Add to that the fact that the whole thing is organized by a secret club that makes time travel a competition that takes teams through different eras.

We follow the main protagonist, Finn, as he arrives at a new school and finds himself in the middle of this adventure.
I liked the concept of time travel, that the past can't be changed. It was something different from most other concepts.

I immediately fell in love with the tone and the voice of this story. I love the quippy humor and dynamics between the characters.

The dialogue will give you all the feels and the budding romance is so cute. Finn and Everly are an unlikely duo that bond over a shared grief from unimaginable tragedies in their lives.

Their relationship is far from simple, however, and we get to experience the rollercoaster of an emotional ride with them.

The narrator gives us insight into multiple characters’ points of view. I really enjoyed this aspect of the story because we got to delve deeply into how each of the characters experiences the world around them.

All the characters have depth and backstory and I enjoyed getting to know them more throughout the story. They are all unique and likable and there’s even neurodivergent representation. I actually felt a significant connection to all the characters, which is not something I typically find happening. They are all endearing - especially the spunky little robot that I wish we got to see more of.

I’m a little surprised that the students weren’t more disbelieving about the time travel thing. I also wish that the time trials themselves were more in-depth. This plot aspect felt a little rushed, which is sad because these action scenes had me hooked and I wanted more.

On a personal level I related to Finn’s experience at being the new kid in a private boarding school. His animosity and standoffishness is visceral and relatable. I liked that one of the themes explored in this story is the concept that you can't help being born rich any more than you can help being born poor and we shouldn't judge people simply on the basis of their family status.

I loved all the fun, imaginative technology and gear that they use. This book has some interesting takes on science fiction concepts in a way that is fun and exciting.

There are some heart-warming surprises at the end, as well as a great set up for the next book in this series - which I can’t wait to read!

Reminiscent of the hunger games while being original in concept. Likeable and relatable characters. Although for young adults, middle grade and adults would enjoy as well.

This is the first time I felt that I really wasn't the intended audience for a book.
While the premise was very interesting, the characters weren't really.
I could have ignored the classic popular girl/ outcast paring if there was less of it or/and an original twist about the dynamic.
And I was a little bothered by the descriptions of said girl, I get it raging hormones, but still.
DNF august 2022
Netgalley ARC

A young adult science fiction time travelling adventure.
Finn finds himself being invited to join an exclusive club at the new school he has enrolled at, having just been awarded a full scholarship to.
The club is more than it seems and soon the pupils realise that the competition they have just been entered in, is more dangerous than originally realised.
This is a well crafted tale with lots of action and suspense. It is perfect for the YA market and even enjoyable for those of us a bit older.

The Time Trials
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Jon and Dayna McConnell
⭐️⭐️

I was initially drawn to the premise of this book. It sounded really interesting but I found it really slow, especially in the beginning.

I tried to persevere but I got to about 62% and was really struggling so I decided to DNF.

I'm sure some people would enjoy this book but it just felt a little flat to me and the writing style was my cup of tea.

*Thank you to @Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

The Time Trials has a bit of everything-romance, an epic 90s soundtrack, and, of course, time travel. Readers of all ages will root for Finn and his friends as they take on time itself. Fabulous storytelling. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I did not enjoy this title and didn’t finish it in the end. The writing was very clunky and the grammar and punctuation awful. On the plus side, the cover looked appealing