I absolutely LOVED this newest from Canadian ya author, Sarah Suk! The plot for this unique time twist novel was so original and transporting (literally)!! The book explores some tough topics from a rare disability, grief, loss and family secrets. I couldn't put this one down and HIGHLY recommend!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

The Space Between Here and Now was such a lovely story with a huge focus on family, and a very therapy-positive perspective. Aimee has something called Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, which basically means she loses chunks of her life falling back into memories. She's not living them again, she's watching her past self live them. I figured this would be either incredibly hokey or incredibly cool, and luckily, it was the latter. In Aimee's case, smells trigger her going back into these moments, and they quite often revolve around her absent mother, who left the family quite abruptly. As you can probably imagine, Aimee has a lot of questions about her mom's disappearance, but her dad simply does not want to talk about it.

One day, Aimee disappears for a long time, longer than she has before, and decides that enough is enough. She's going to head to Korea and track down traces of her mother, and she even thinks that perhaps her mother left because she suffered from STWS too. I loved that Aimee made this big decision, because it was brave and a thing she just plain needed to do for herself so she could (hopefully) have some closure. Her dad, who very much did not want her to go, acquiesces, and arranges for Aimee to stay with her aunt, his sister.

I loved the Korean bits of the book. First of all, the book had me really, really needing to locate my nearest Korean restaurant (just kidding we don't have good food around here, the closest one I found is like 45 minutes away. Still, when I have the time, I'm there.) because obviously the amazing smells of the Korean cuisine was going to trigger Aimee (and me, to do a deep dive into how far UberEats would actually go, and just the discussion of the culture in general. A huge piece of this story is the Korean-Canadian diaspora that Aimee is experiencing, which comes into play in a big way in terms of stigma around mental illness, and even the communication between family members. Aimee's dad is so reluctant to tell her things, and the cultural piece is extremely relevant in that regard.

I also loved that Aimee got to hang out with her aunt! More of her, please! Aimee needs her in her life, frankly, and she seemed like an awesome influence. I also really enjoyed the character of Junho, who was Aimee's first crush, who somehow is in Korea at the same time she is. It was really important for her to have some people to trust, and while that was incredibly hard for her (and you can understand why), it was an important part of her journey.

Bottom Line: Ultimately, the focus on family and mental health made this a huge win for me. Bonus points for the cool memory-travel situation.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I read a previous book by Sarah Suk, and while I had mixed feelings about it, I was impressed enough to try again. The Space Between Here & Now stood out from a lot of what I was seeing being published, as while time travel and time-warp stories aren’t new, the approach seemed unique. And that’s the aspect that really impressed me with this book. I like how the book doesn’t feel overly scientific, but it has layperson characters dealing with what is a diagnosable condition, Sensory Time Warp Syndrome (STWS) with some semblance of actual scholarship in-universe, and I liked how the way it was explored felt very similar to the documentation of any other symptoms of an illness, especially a neurological or psychological condition, and those with it are encouraged to document the phenomena in a journal.
But the speculative elements are also a clever vehicle to explore the real issues Aimee deals with. She’s navigating feeling this sense of loss, with her mother’s absence in her life, and wanting to find out what happened to her, while also reckoning with the fractured connection to her Korean heritage. While her journey to figure things out doesn’t take her exactly where she expects, I love how she came into her own and found a sense of herself, reconnecting to her roots.
I also love the strong familial relationships depicted in the story. Her relationship with her father, in particular, isn’t always the easiest, but I loved that they came together in a beautiful way as Aimee began to dig up the secrets of her past, especially learning about not just her past with her mother, but a bit about her parents’ relationship to one another.
One of my complaints about Suk’s prior book was that the romance was a bit too understated, however, that was relative to how that book was marketed. This one was marketed more for the self-discovery journey, making Aimee’s budding romance with Junho a nice surprise. It was sweet how, in the midst of the uncertainty, she found an ally outside her family who she could depend on.
This was a refreshingly original read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for fun takes on time travel/warp narratives.

This book!

Time travel? Already sold. But this book was so much more. Aimee goes through all the things while dealing Sensory Time Warp Syndrome. She deals finding herself, falling in love, the aftermath of a lost parent, and more.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Thank you NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for the Advanced Reader Copy!

This book follows protagonist Aimee Roh, a high schooler with Sensory Time Warp Syndrome where a specific scent of items like sawdust or perfume can physically take her back in time to a childhood memory. As the story progresses, Aimee realizes she is almost always being brought back in time to memories of her mother who walked away from Aimee's life at a young age. Aimee begins searching for answers both inside and outside of her memories on why her mom left her. Throughout the book, Aimee finds more answers about herself and her relationships with people in the present as well as finding out the truth of what happened to her mother.

The book is exceptionally well-written. Sometimes I would suddenly remember, "Oh, this is a young adult book!" It was so easy to get lost in the story and read large sections of the book in one sitting, and that is in large part due to Sarah Suk's incredible world-building and character development. This book was so hard to put down! I would categorize this book as magical realism akin to books Isabel Allende and Cristina García have written, and yet, the settings and characters felt so grounded and based in reality. Each character is so complex and flawed, including protagonist Aimee, which I think really adds so much dimension to the story overall. I think Suk did an amazing job of unraveling this story as the book progresses. The reader is slowly made privy to the reasoning for certain character motivations (what immediately comes to mind is Aimee's father, who was so complex and beautifully written). I was always kept on my toes and second-guessing how the story was going to play out. Time and time again, the book kept surprising me, in a good way! I couldn't be happier with how the book ended; I felt like everything was resolved so lovely. Admittedly, I was crying my way through reading the last few chapters of the book. This book deals with themes such as grief and identity so beautifully and with a fresh and unique lens with fantastical elements such as time-traveling.

I truly think this a flawless book! The plot was engaging from beginning to end. The characters, no matter how big or small of a role they played in the plot, were multifaceted and added dimension to the story. The sci-fi element of time traveling with Suk's addition of Sensory Time Warp Syndrome felt new and fresh; I truly haven't seen anything like this. Sarah Suk really hit it out of the park with this novel. It quickly became one of my favorite books of all time!! I highly recommend this book to anybody who loves sci-fi, mysteries, and good ol' coming-of-age stories!

We are following Aimee Roh, who has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to return to one of her memories when triggered. This is an easy read, and I read it in one sitting; this is a unique way of dealing with memories and identity. I was engorged in Aimmes world and couldn't put this book down. I love how it tackles how we interpret our memories, family, loss, and trust. The dynamics between Aimee and her father evolved. She reconnects with a childhood buddy who might develop into something more if she's prepared to lower her guard and let others in.
The fact that she doesn't ultimately find the solutions she was expecting or searching for is what I found fascinating about this story. However, she gains far more, including a relationship with her father, new acquaintances, and confidence she had never had before.

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I loved this title so much that I will rearrange our Bookish Teen Lit class to include it this year. And that's a lot of work for me. So, let me gush about it a bit. Teen Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, which causes her to time travel to a moment when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she’ll grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee’s fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living an everyday life. You can imagine it's hard to be a teen when smelling anything familiar could result in getting whisked away. Eventually, she goes to Korea to figure out how this all started.

This definitely gave me vibes of You've Reached Sam and I really enjoyed it. I am really glad I got to read this. It broadened my interest in books. This was such a great and captivating story.

Aimee has Sensory Time Warp Disorder. Whenever she is hit by particular smells, she’s transported back into a memory, and not just in her mind. Breathing in a scent causes her to physically go back to a memory, disappearing from the present, and only return to her usual life some time later. Aimee is constantly afraid of the world around her triggering her Sensory Time Warp Disorder, which is no way to live, but her father won’t listen to her when she says she wants to see a specialist, and it’s only getting worse. When Aimee’s memories start being more and more about the mother who left when Aimee was only a few years old, Aimee starts to wonder about her. Could it be that her mother also has this disorder? And perhaps can help Aimee stay grounded in the present? To find her answers, Aimee flies from Vancouver to Korea, in a desperate Spring Break trip. Will the answers she finds help her stay in the present, or will she be lost to the past forever?

I received an advanced reading copy of The Space Between Here & Now in exchange for an honest review.

The Space Between Here & Now is a young adult novel by Sarah Suk. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but as soon as I did, it swept me away. I started it after a rough day of work, and was only forced to put it down to get dinner. And then, when I finished it during my lunch break a few days later, I had to blink away tears because I was just so overwhelmed. It was really rough to close the book, and it almost felt like whiplash, coming back to my regular life when I’d been so immersed in this story.

Speaking of being immersed, Aimee in this story struggles with a similar problem. But instead of willingly being sucked to somewhere else, she’s constantly battling against her body that keeps trying to take her back to the past. I thought that this STWD was absolutely fascinating, and actually provided a great way for Suk to actually give the reader flashbacks, by literally having her character flash back. I loved Aimee, and I was honestly so worried about her all the time. I will say that, at least at the beginning, there were moments that took me back too. The way she was feeling, and talking about trying to make herself numb, it was rough and I might caution some readers to be aware of this before they get into it. Aimee struggles a lot in this book, with STWD, sure, but also with trying to connect with her father. The book actually opens with Aimee trying to talk to her father, but she knows that he can only hear about ten of her words before she loses him. And when I say “loses him,” I mean that he shuts himself off. And with nobody else to turn to, it’s not hard to imagine why Aimee would suddenly want to know more about her mother.

So much of this book is about connection. Aimee is seeking that connection to the present through being connected to someone, and if her father won’t help her, maybe someone else might. But as she seeks these connections, she travels across the world, finding herself where her parents grew up, and realizing that there’s more to the story.

Also, while in Korea, Aimee runs into an old friend, someone she used to have a crush on, and he offers to help her out. I know, I know, minor spoiler, but also I just thought that these moments with this character provided such an excellent contrast to the darker moments that Aimee finds herself in. After all, not all memories are happy ones, and there’s a lot that Aimee still has to find out.

But I actually really appreciated that, while there is a slight romantic element to this book, the focus is more on Aimee and her parents. It’s not her finding herself by finding romantic love. It’s her figuring out who she is in the context of her memories, the people surrounding her, and the new moments she can create with them.

5 stars

Wow this was a really interesting read. I love the whole idea and I was immediately pulled into Aimee's world. I thought this was an interesting way to deal with identity and memories, and it was really well done. I'm not usually a fan of time travel/time loops, but I was one hundred percent here for how this book did it. The writing is vivid and evocative; it really pulled you into the story. I was not prepared for the end, I was so emotionally invested in Aimee's journy. I think many teens (and adults!) will find it a perfect coming of age story.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for sending me an ARC of THE SPACE BETWEEN HERE AND NOW by Sarah Suk!

17-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her fear of vanishing at random has, at times, kept her from living a normal life, like going on dates or to school dances. In a search for answers about her Mom, who left when she was a child, she goes to Korea to try to unravel the mystery of her memories.

I really enjoyed this take on a “time travel” story. I’ve read a handful of stories before where a protagonist experience some kind of extraordinary phenomenon, but what I liked about this story is that STWS was a real, documented, and diagnosable condition in this world. Granted, it doesn’t come without its stigma and misunderstanding.

At the end of the day, this story wasn’t even really about STWS. It was about family, grief, trust, and how we understand our memories. Aimee’s relationship with her father grew and changed and reshaped itself. She reconnected with a friend from childhood that could potentially blossom into something more, if only she’s willing to let her guard down and let people in.

What I found really interesting about this story is that, in the end, she doesn’t get the answers she was hoping or looking for. But she gets something even greater - a connection with her father, new friendships, and confidence she never had before.

Perfect for fans of The Astonishing Color of After, or anyone who likes their YA books with some extra heart.

*4.5 stars*

The Space Between Here and Now was unique because the main character, Aimee, has a fictional condition called Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, which causes her to physically disappear and relive memories. Unlike most time travel stories, she is not able to change anything, she's just an invisible observer. While not common, the condition is known by the general public, but not understood very well.

We meet Aimee as a 17-year-old high school senior in Canada. Her mom disappeared when she was just 6, and her relationship with her father is strained. Recently her disappearances have become more frequent, making her afraid to really live her life because she doesn't know when it might happen again. Plus, her memories are revealing information about her mother that she didn't realize before. In order to learn more about her mother, she travels to Korea during Spring Break to see what she can find out.

While STWS is fictional, the stigma and feelings associated with it could be applied to many conditions in our real world. I think it's a good lesson for all of us to have empathy for others who are different from us instead of dismissing them as weird or giving them unwanted attention.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked Aimee, and it was interesting to experience her rare condition through her eyes. There's a lot of looking at family relationships and how they change over time. There's a sense of mystery as Aimee tries to figure out what happened to her mother. A little bit of romance mixed in. And the setting in Korea was interesting, beautiful, and gave insight into Korean culture. I enjoyed watching Aimee grow over the course of the story, and I liked that things didn't always turn out quite how I was expecting.

I loved Aimee's determination to find answers to her condition by traveling to South Korea to try and find her mother and mother's family. I enjoyed her relationship with her aunt, but wish her dad had been honest with her from the beginning about her mom. I also wish the relationship component between Aimee and Junho had been reduced to just friendship, but at least the focus of the story was on Aimee instead of the love interest. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

Aimee is a young woman in Vancouver who suffers from STWS, where she literally disappears into memories triggered by smells that can last from a few minutes to hours. She seeks help from her father, but he refuses to acknowledge that she needs to go to a specialist. So many of her memories are tied to her absent mother so she journeys to Korea to seek answers.

I loved that the book was steeped in culture. The different areas of Seoul, the language, the food. They even touch on why her father is so resistant to admitting she needs help. The STWS is interesting and I did like how they talked about it as a forgotten disorder, like so many of the smaller disorders out there seem to be.

With that being said, I had a hard time finishing this book. It was rather slow moving and I don't know that I particularly liked Aimee. They never really addressed why her father shut down to the degree he does, which seems to be the motivating factor for the story.

3 stars based on originality and cultural elements

Amazing and creative premise!!!!

This novel follows Aimee as she deals with STWS—a condition that makes Aimee disappear into her memories unwillingly. Aimee is left with questions about the where a bouts of her mother and travels to Korea to find answers.

Things I loved…
-the world building was spectacular, I felt fully immersed in this world where STWS was real.
-STWS as a rare condition was fascinating and made me want to keep reading more. I love the touches of having the forum posts and pieces from Aimee’s diary.
-Nikita - loved their long distance friendship showcased throughout the book! They have a very healthy and supportive relationship that I love to see in YA.
-Aimee and Junho were so sweet!
-great group therapy and support groups portrayed
-At its core—this is a novel about a father and daughter. I loved seeing their relationship change throughout the story and grow into something stronger.

5⭐️ Looking forward to the author’s next book! PS: this cover is beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publish for the ARC ❤️

The Space Between Here and Now was a delight. I’m a sucker for books that play with time, and this does exactly that - Aimee Roh is a Korean-Canadian 17 year old who has a condition that physically shoots her back into her past when she’s triggered by certain nostalgic smells. Her father is very traditionally Korean and doesn’t talk about Aimee’s mom much, who left them when she was younger. She’s grappling with her identity, unsure of what her future holds for her while Aimee’s past has such a strong grip on her present. I’m so happy that I read this - there was so much heart in it, especially dedicated to Aimee and her dad’s relationship.

I also adored all the side characters - I really appreciated that Aimee’s best friend Nikita wasn’t swept to the wayside while Aimee is battling her own identity, family, and self understanding! So many YA books fall into the “forgotten best friend” pit, it’s so old so I loved that The Space Between Here and Now avoided that. Junho was also a very sweet, easy-to-love love interest for Aimee! Their budding romance was a side plot, which I’m more than fine with, but I feel like he was his own person with his own ambitions who really had the spirit to support Aimee. Aimee’s father was a pivotal character, and I loved how their resolution was handled - it actually made me cry (LOL I am a sucker for parental/daughter relationships) - and what the author was trying to say about immigrant parents and their heart but sometimes lack of communication.

Overall, this book had a lot of hearty sentiments about self identity/acceptance and familial bonds. I’ll be looking forward to reading more of Sarah Suk. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 ⭐️
Wow. What a truly beautiful story that is light enough to devour on one rainy day, but deep enough to have my crying for the last 10% of the book.
First off, the premise of this alternate universe where there is such a thing as time traveling, but it is syndrome, like any other disease a person could inherit or develop. And you can’t influence time, you only replay certain memories of yours, watching it like a ghost. And the time traveling is triggered by your senses. For the main character it is smell. But the author then made this into a sort of allegory for anyone with a mental or physical illness. The feeling of sometimes being lost in it. Of disappearing. Of being known not as yourself but as your disease. It sort of reminded me of Fault In Our Stars. In the sense that we have a FMC who is disappearing into her illness, becoming distant and ghost-like until something (for her leaving for Korea) interrupts and allows her to learn more about herself and her illness and to finally give herself permission to live her life. She still reverts back into herself and pushes away but she’s learning. And part of it isn’t just her disease but because of her upbringing too.
To balance all that out, not only is her aunt amazing, but the love interest. He is exactly how I think anyone with any mental or physical illness would want someone to act. Plus he is adorable and they’re both artsy and their text messages are so cute and funny.
I could talk endlessly more about this story. I walked in with honestly low expectations. I thought it’d be a fun, light, time travel, YA read. But this ended up being something so much more. It was beautiful and thought provoking. I’m going to be yelling at everyone I know to read this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollin’s Publishing for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

I am once again reminded and validated in my opinion that young adult sci fi books are superior to every other genre. This book was not only intriguing in its premise (time travel - I am always a sucker for any spin on this trope) but also delivered such an emotional, thought-provoking, satisfying story about a Korean-Canadian teen who wants to learn more about her absent mother and also has to deal with the annoying yet fascinating (fictional) Sensory Time Warp Syndrome. I flew through this book and could have read 300 more pages. This reminded me in many ways of The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan, one of my all-time favorites and I’d highly recommend this book to fans of that one! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eBook in exchange for an honest review! I hope everyone picks it up on its publication date of Oct 31, 2023 🙌🏼

What an amazing story, the concept of this one was fantastic! I’m always a big believer in how a certain smell can transport you to a certain time in your memory and loved that about this book.
Well written, and very engaging. A must read!

What a cool concept for a book! The writing in this book drew me in from the beginning as we get to know Aimee better and her condition where she disappears and goes back in time.
I liked her friendship with Nikita and how supportive they are of each other.
I can understand why Appa just wants her to grow out of her condition, as there is more to that backstory.
I liked Aimee going to Korea and trying to find the answers for herself.
This is a great YA read that I know many teens in my library will like and that I hope gets a lot of attention because it's a different story that stands out!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!