Alex Dean suffers a major trauma (physically, mentally, and emotionally), and suddenly he is "day tripping", that is to say he wakes up in a different day of his life every day our of order. Sometimes he is far in the future, and can see what has happened in his life, he's not too happy with some (a lot) of his choices and actions... so lucky for him, sometimes he wakes up in earlier stages of his life, and he gets the chance to change some of those poor life choices.
It's a really interesting idea, and I was interested to see where Alex would end up. I will just say, the ending isn't quite the one I would was expecting, but the author did a good job of tying it all up and giving a decent ending to Alex's story.
As for a rating, that is hard to say... there were honestly really good, well written parts to this book, then there were some that sure needed a major re-write. It was kind of all over the place as far as writing skill. I feel like the worst of it was nearer the beginning, so if you can get through that then it gets better.
I loved the idea of the story, and I really like the lessons in this story, so that really helped boost my score.
A decent, solid three.

How do the decisions we make affect our daily lives? What do we have control over, and what is simply out of our hands?
The Day Tripper is the story of Alex Dean, a 20-year old budding musician, in love with his girlfriend Holly and recently accepted to Cambridge. The future looks bright for Alex, until he runs into Blake Benfield, a nemesis from the past who still has beef with Alex. Blake gets the better of Alex, leaving him to nearly drown in the Thames river.
Upon awakening, Alex discovers it is 15 years later, and he has no recollection of anything that has happened since his skirmish with Blake. His life is not nearly what he had hoped, or expected.
As Alex wakes each day to a random new time in his life, he begins to discover the power of cause and effect. With the help of Dr. Paul Defrates, a teacher that he has befriended, he realizes that good decisions beget good decisions, and maybe it’s never too late to change your future, or your past.
I really, really enjoyed this book. My unfamiliarity with British slang slowed me down a bit, and reading the book in far too small of a font size slowed me down much more (my fault), but the writing and subject material were on point. This book made me laugh, and it made me cry. The author approached the subjects of addiction, bullying, sexual abuse, trauma and grief very well in my opinion, and even managed to convey some of Einstein’s concepts on time without sounding overly scientific and breaking the mood of the story. I will definitely be re-reading this in the future, and I definitely recommend it to…well, pretty much everyone!
I would like to thank Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and the author (James Goodhand) for the ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest review. This one was definitely a pleasure!

One of the dangers of writing books that play with time is that the story almost always becomes subservient to the concept, which rarely results in a good novel.

Such is a lot of the problem in The Day Tripper, which is so fixated on bending time that it sacrifices plot to the cause. I don’t mind fantasy novels that see characters traveling straight back or forward in time to participate in or alter an event, but that’s not what’s happening in this book, which is far more concerned with the manipulation of time than the events encountered.

The other major issue with this book is that it’s tragedy porn, which I find dull and manipulative. I was bored while reading for most of the story, endlessly waiting for something intriguing to happen and instead encountering nothing but story at cost of concept and a lot of wallowing in a depressing sequence of tragic events.

The writing itself is fine if a bit flat, and I always appreciate an author who tries to put a new spin on an old concept. This just wasn’t a successful attempt to do so.

I have always been intrigued by time travel books and The Day Tripper by James Goodhand did not disappoint.

Alex Dean is 20 about to start college and in love with his girlfriend Holly when an accident changes everything. Each day Alex wakes up to a different part of his life. Alex has to figure out each day how things ended up the way they did. After meeting up with a teacher or could be called a guide and decides to see if things can be changed.
Alex as a character frustrated me so much but it was good that he was not the type that constantly feel bad for.
The changes and the back and forth in time was handled well and the author did a great job at reminding us of what this “time” was like before so we didn’t have to try to keep track.
The ending in a way is unresolved but I also think that it would be how it is for Alex so then it was right.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and a James Goodhand for a eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was absolutely incredible! The premise of a man who wakes up after an accident on a different date in the future and then each day continues to wake up in the past or future was so clever. The author has really outdone himself with the uniqueness of this book in the time travel genre. I loved this book from start to finish and let out a happy sigh when reading the last sentence.

The Day Tripper was too trippy for me, and I spent most of the book irritated by Alex, the protagonist of the story. In the prime of his life Alex is doing well and is madly in love. But a chance encounter with someone from his past leads to severe brain trauma, and a disorienting world for both Alex and the reader, where he ends up in a different day, in a different year each time he wakes up in the morning. No matter which day and time he wakes up in, the world has not been kind to Alex, and he has not been particularly kind to himself or the people around him. An encounter in one of his days leads him to the lesson that the decisions he makes as he lives one day at a time out of time could potentially change his life for the better, but this is a concept he doesn't latch on to right away, which as a reader made me want to bang my head against the wall. He finally starts taking baby steps that have an effect on his life, and it is gratifying to see that learning to be at peace with himself when people he's been close to in his life have treat him poorly is just as important to improving his circumstances as the actions he takes to help other people around him, like Jazz and his grandfather. I feel like Alex (and the story) spend too much time chasing Holly around, the woman he's in love with when his brain goes out of whack. It seems like what he discovers about himself and what he does for others has a bigger impact on whether he has a life with her than purely him trying to force their relationship to work. The ending also left me feeling like the story was unresolved. Too some readers it could feel fulfilling, but I was left feeling like part of the story was still left to tell. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After the best day with Holly ending in a terrible fight, Alex Dean has started living his life out of order. He wakes up in his thirties and his life seems to be worse, and the following day he wakes up in his forties, again things are worse off. Gone is the future at Cambridge and Holly and suddenly Alex is living his days out of order.

I wasn't initially sure as this book can get quite heavy, but ultimately this was an enjoyable read. Borrowing from works like The Timetraveller's Wife and other elements unique to the novel, The Day Tripper takes you on a ride, lingering on the questions of cause and effect.

CW: mentions of suicidal ideation, addiction, and sexual assault

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC on NetGalley.

4.5 stars. I started crying at about 40% and didn't stop for the rest of the book.

What I liked:
- The ending was not what I expected and I really enjoyed it.
- The descriptions of Alex's body at different times would not leave my brain.
- The central message of the book is very present, but not hitting you over the head too much. It feels like Alex is going on an authentic journey.

What I didn't like:
- It took me a while to get into the story. All of the buildup before the time hopping starts is pretty boring and I almost gave up there.
- For most of the book, Alex is extremely unlikeable, and since the story is focused on him and his journey, it's hard to sympathize with him.

CWs: sexual abuse, cancer, car accidents, homophobia, prison, implied domestic violence, major injury, drug addiction, alcoholism.

The plot is not new but it was different. A lot of potential triggers for readers but they really do bring the story full circle. This book won't be for everyone, but it will have its readers.

gorgeous time travel story about the things you regret and want to change. thanks for the arc. it was so cool and so fun to read!

This was a hard story to follow, with so many changing timelines. I appreciated that the chapters were noted with what years it was, but it still felt disjointed and I really had to slog through this one. Not a good book for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine waking up each day at a different spot on your life’s timeline. For Alex Dean that becomes his reality after a bully knocks him out and sends his life spiraling out of control in more ways than one. Alex soon realizes that the life he left which was full of promise and expectation has gone horribly wrong.

This is one of those books that drops you into the story and you must figure out what is going on just as the main character does. If you stick with it you will be rewarded by an immersive story that will have you turning the pages to find answers to the many questions the book raises. If you enjoy reading books that explore life choices and their impacts like Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid, you will love this book.

The premise of this book was interesting, but much too drawn out and detailed. It was difficult to invest in the main character and his trials because of the minutiae of each segment. Ultimately, I was glad to see the result of his labors, and how his life ended up.

This is one of my favorite books in a while. I love how the main character gets to live his life “out of order”, in a different type of time travel reading experience. It’s hard to say much without spoiling anything, but non linear books and time travel novels are among my favorite genres, so a book that somehow manages to combine both is just perfect.

I enjoyed this story but I felt like it was not as easily accessible as I would've liked. I believe my biggest issue was that I didn't enjoy the characters.

A time travel-y book done quite well!! I really enjoyed Alex's story--waking up every day at a different point in his life, trying desperately to alter his disastrous life to be. Such a unique story that I think many will enjoy. My only complaint was that while the story was immensely enthralling, I didn't care so much for the main character which created some disconnect from the story as a whole. Still, that didn't prevent me from devouring every page.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of The Day Tripper in exchange for my review.

The Day Tripper starts with a perfect afternoon between Alex Dean and Holly Chan, but takes a turn when Alex runs into his childhood nemesis and ends up in a fight that nearly kills him. From that point on, the story takes a turn and I was glad to be along for the ride.

Every life has good choices and bad choices. Sometimes it takes everything you’ve got to make the right decision that helps you move toward your goals. Sometimes you make the wrong choice and find yourself living a life you don’t recognize. Every day offers the opportunity to get it right. This story follows Alex as he tries to change course and get back to the perfection of that first afternoon.

I recommend this book. It took a bit to get into, but it paid off.

In my opinion, I felt that the description of the book would fit the story, but it really didn't. At times it was hard to follow.

An emotional, character-driven time travel story, this book captures your heart.

Alex Dean isn't living his life in order. After a fateful injury, he begins randomly experiencing days from his life. One moment, he's in love and about to go off to Cambridge, the next moment he's years in the future, living in a dump and getting visits from his parole officer. Alex's desperate search to find out what went wrong and why he lost Holly will give him the chance to save his life.

I fell in love with Alex and Holly, despite Alex's terrible, but understandable, choices. The moments with he and Holly in the beginning were so sweet, which made it so bitter once the reader - and Alex himself - realized that he lost it all. As he started to put the pieces together, I was rooting for him so hard to find a way to change the course of his life.

Part love story, part reflection on the impact of our decisions, this book kept me hooked from the moment Alex woke up in his dreary future.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy of this book.

Trigger warnings: alcoholism, sexual abuse

The story goes back and forth in time - intriguing idea but not always easy to follow. Interesting that this is the second book I've read with that underlying plot twist. The new thing? I found the character not lovable and the story line hard to follow. But maybe it was me.