The Day Tripper by James Goodhand
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It’s 1995 and Alex Dean has it all. Until a messy encounter with someone from his past leaves him beaten, battered, and almost drowned in the Thames. He wakes up the next day not knowing where he is and when he looks in the mirror he is older, MUCH older.
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What I liked:
-Time Travel. I think this book used time travel in a way that I haven’t seen it done before. It took me a while to get the hang of what was going on, but it worked really well.
-I was very glad once Alex met the teacher that helped him little by little work out what was going on and why. It really made everything that was going on make more sense.
-I loved when Alex started having the more meaningful conversations with people. And when he started telling his mom “I love you”. 🥹😭
-The ending was really good.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you love time travel books and books with emotions then this is a good one to check out.

This book is literally "Oona Out of Order" by Margarita Montimore. And I liked that one WAY better. Unbelievable.

This was such a difficult book for me to get through. I loved the idea of the book and was very into it at first. However, as the book wore on, it just lost steam for me. I was disappointed in the way that the events played out and it felt extremely disjointed and difficult to follow at times. I ended up glad I finished because the ending was very beautiful and inspiring. To be able to change your life, you must want too and that central theme was worth it in the end. I will say there were times I was so beyond frustrated with the main character but it all ended up working out.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the voice of the narrator as this intriguing story unfolded. After being badly beaten alongside the Thames, Alex wakes up each day not knowing where he will be or what the date is. The chapters jump around in time and I think maybe this would have worked better for me had I read a physical copy. I found the time jumps to be confusing at first, but as I kept reading I understood why it was done that way. It was fascinating to see how the little things make big changes in life and how much our choices matter. It did wrap up nicely in the end and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to listen to it.

I loved this story and the time traveling that happened in this book. The audiobook was my favorite and I used the ebook to follow along. I would definitely recommend this book and I gave it 5 stars.

I have to warn you that James Goodhand’s new novel The Day Tripper has a pretty rough start. At the beginning, manic pixie dream med student Holly is just too perfect to take seriously and her man-child boyfriend Alex isn’t particularly pleasant or relatable either. What I’m saying is, read this one on a delayed train so you have no choice but to power through the rough start, because it’s worth the slog later on.

The morning after a perfect date with Holly and an awful barfight, 19-year-old Alex wakes up, and it’s 15 years later. Each day, he pops into and out of time, waking up at a different point in his life. This is still recognizably his life, he has the same features and same possessions, but his adult life is clearly a wreck. This could have been a bit stronger if Alex had been a more developed character in the beginning, I felt more curiosity than concern for him as he wakes up in a sad bedsit, in a terrible marriage, in prison, homeless in his car, etc. Each morning, Alex discovers another depressing aspect of his future life, and even though the details are quite sketchy at first, it becomes depressingly clear that he brought this on himself.

Teen Alex loves a night a out, but aging Alex is a fullblown alcoholic. When he finds himself in different times, sometimes he wakes up almost entirely focused on getting his next drink. Sometimes Alex knows he should call Holly, change his job, tidy his apartment, but he’s just gonna have one drink first… which quickly becomes another… The author expresses the path of least resistance so well, which works here on a scifi level as the timestream rejects changes, and on a moving and relatable level for any reader who’s tried to change their life.

There aren’t a lot of characters in this novel, instead most of the story comes from seeing the same characters on different paths, at different times. There’s a scene when Alex is in the hospital with covid, made all the more dramatic because he’s popped in from a pre-pandemic point and has no idea what’s happening, and he recognizes Holly as a masked doctor. This Holly remembers him as an old boyfriend, not a tragic love or a horrible ex, and it’s enough for Alex to see she’s alive in this timeline. We also see a young boy, Jazz, and all the ways his life could unfold in different timelines.

There’s eventually kind of a vague explanation of the rules, but like the best timey-wimey novels, the author doesn’t waste a lot of story time on explanation. The focus is on Alex, his growth and his choices within his ability. Alex is eventually able to unlock the sources of his trauma, but there’s no easy time-travel reset here, he doesn’t have the ability to delete the awful events in his life, just to find a way to carry them.

Some first-novel wobbles, but overall, worth reading. Pairs well with Emma Straub’s This Time Tomorrow, for using time travel to get just a little more good time with a beloved, aging parent, and Mark Laurence’s Limited Wish for time-travel around marrying the right girl and Cambridge.

Like Groundhog's Day, but for a whole life, The Day Tripper explores addiction, love, and how our past(s) define who we become. I loved the writing, I loved being devastated, and I loved the constant search for redemption.

I loved the back and forth timelines and the time travel while no one knew what was happening and figuring it out right along with the characters.

I read an advanced readers copy of James Goodhand's The Day Tripper. I really enjoyed this book - it provided a twist on the time travel motif. Instead of jumping back and forth in time, the main character, Alex Dean pops in and out of different times in his life, with no knowledge of what has transpired from point to point - at least initially. Alex discovers that the love of his life has died, and is determined to see if he can change his decisions in a way which might impact the future. The story is more complex, but it draws you in. It is a bit of a slow burn, as Alex seems to make the same destructive choices over and over, but eventually it starts to make sense, and the story really begins to shine. An interesting read, and worth the time.

The Day Tripper reminded me of Matt Haig's Midnight Library and About Time (a Rachel McAdams movie). It took me a while to get into the story as it was a little confusing in the beginning. Once I understood what was happening, I started to love it. The story was beautiful and made me think about life in general and how little moments can impact our lives in a large way. Loved!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher! The story was a little confusing to me at first but I am so so so glad I stuck with it. It was a magical ride!

I'm not sure what Shelby Van Pelt read, but there's nothing witty or fun about this book. It's a good read, but depressing and tragic. The romance/love interest plays much too large a role for how little we are invested in the love story. I was fine with the "how," not as much with the why.

If this is sold as a sad love story about the tragedy of being human, I like it. It's not a silly romp through time or quirky love story as some blurbs would have you believe.

Thank you to NetGalley and LibroFM for the ARCs. I purchased a copy for my library.

The Day Tripper starts off slow, but about a third of the way through picks up. It took a bit for me to get invested but once I did, I flew through it. It was a little hard to follow along, given how it bounced between timelines. Maybe that was the point? Keep us as bewildered as the main character. It certainly made it believable why Alex (MMC) took an eternity each day to figure out what was going on. Alex is pretty dense and it seems to take him quite a while to catch on to why things are happening (while me as the reader figured it out about half way through, and was able to make some fairly accurate predictions). The story does a good job of making you question what you know. Is this happening because he’s a drinker? Or is he a drinker because this is happening. A real chicken-or-the-egg situation. There was a lot of stuff he had to work through in this story, but when we finally get to the part where he starting to acknowledge his childhood trauma (dad, childhood bully, etc.) he moves on a little too quickly. It’s all tied up in a neat package. Which, okay who doesn’t love a happy ending, but it was a little too perfect. And a little too predictable. That being said, while it’s not the most original storyline, it was entertaining and interesting. 3/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Day Tripper in exchange for an unbiased review.

I liked this one but it felt a little bit too long for me. I did really enjoy the premise of the book, but I also wanted to smack the main character a whole bunch of times! I'd give it 3.5 but rounding up to 4.

This is a book that will stick with me for a long time. A London man lives his life in random succession, all while struggling with alcoholism. He is guided by the northern star that is Holly, his true love, through every day he lives. We see the effects of his own choices on his life. Maybe the moral of this story is about taking ownership of your choices and embracing love and truly living? It’s a fresh take on how to approach life.

Some people said it was a lot like Oona Out of Order, but I haven’t read it, so I cant compare. From a therapist perspective, I think there were nuanced thoughts and beliefs that were so subtlety changed that they felt so real. I think that was my favorite part.

The moments of vulnerability and all types of love (with his mother, with Holly, with friends, with mentees) brought me to tears. I sobbed at the ending. Is it weird to want to hug a book?

The premise was so exciting, but I couldn't get into the story. The writing style just wasn't to my liking. Hopefully, it finds its proper audience.

As many other reviewers have already noted, there's not a lot to like about Alex Dean, the main character in The Day Tripper. As a matter of fact, there's a lot to dislike about him. So, it made it very hard to care too much about what he was going through. And, as many others have already mentioned, I considered not finishing this book quite a few times. I can't quite say what kept me reading other than that I was curious how the time traveling would work itself out.

I can't say that the ending was worth the slog. I was glad for a happy outcome. But that's about it.

Thank you to James Goodhand, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This book followed the MC on a journey of experiencing parts of his life out of chronological order. The temporal element of this book is wild and the way that the story is portrayed is tied very closely to the way the character, Alex, feels. Alex feels disoriented, out of control and confused, the reader feels just as disoriented and confused. He starts to feel grounded but sad and dejected and the reader feels that for him too. It was a wild read.

#arc
#netgalley
#thedaytripper

This book was a great read! The story follows the main character following a life altering by event. As the story unfolds into different times within the main character’s life, the reader is rooting for his success. The reader is discovering right alongside of the main character. As changes within the main character occur, the book becomes a page turner as the reader tries to learn more about how the main character’s life may turn out.

Immediately, my interest was piqued by the concept for this book. Throughout the duration of my reading, I tried very hard to connect with the characters, immerse myself in the setting, or simply just read the book. While I can see how others would love this book, it just wasn't for me. I loved the idea and it had a lot of potential, but the writing and tone were unable to hold my interest. I hope others are able to enjoy this book and I wish the author success!