This story seemed like a fictional autobiography for the author. The main character, though stated to be 30, acted like they were a kid and the ending really didn't make sense to me because they didn't show a bond with the "friends" in NY for much of the book and then at the end it completely flipped.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up The In-Between Bookstore, but I found myself deeply moved by Darby's story. At nearly 30, Darby returns to his small Illinois hometown after losing his job in New York City. He steps into the bookstore where he once worked as a teenager and is inexplicably transported back to 2009, encountering his teenage self. This magical realism element serves as a powerful backdrop for Darby's journey of self-reflection and growth.

Underhill's writing is tender and insightful. The portrayal of Darby's internal struggles and his interactions with his younger self are both heart-wrenching and hopeful. The small-town setting adds a layer of nostalgia, making Darby's journey feel all the more personal.

The In-Between Bookstore is a story about coming to terms with one's past and finding the courage to embrace one's true self. It is a beautifully crafted novel that resonates with anyone who's ever wondered about the paths not taken and the people they've become. Thank you, NetGalley!

I absolutely loved this book and ended up plowing through it so quickly. The concept had me hooked from the beginning.

When Darby finds himself unemployed and broke, he moves back to his small Illinois hometown. When he walks into In Between Books, where he worked as a teen, Darby feels an eerie sense of déjà vu—everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the register is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen. . . who just might give Darby the opportunity to change his own present for the better—if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.

The In-Between Bookstore is a beautiful story that blends nostalgia, time travel, and found family into a thought-provoking and heartfelt novel. Trans representation is so important, especially now, so I always enjoy reading novels from trans authors like Edward Underhill. This adult debut was just as enjoyable as his YA novels, and I’ll continue to pick up anything he writes. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The writing and emotions were so good in this one, I'm sort of in tears (both happy and sad) at that ending. Edward Underhill's done a great job of writing the MC's self-discovery and character growth in a dual timeline, and the concept of temporarily going back to your hometown and sorting out your teenage feelings was so well-executed.

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I am so surprised I am not seeing more hype for this so far on my socials! I really adored the characters in this story. There are plenty of humorous and 'wtf' type moments. At times, I can struggle with paying attention to alternating timelines but this was not the case with this story. This is definitely heavy on found family trope. Overall, I'd recommend this to fans of Kacen Callender.

I'm holding space for this amazing piece of queer literature! It's a great work of magical realism literary fiction with an unexplained magical time-travel-portal (is it a time gap? time hole? simply a metaphor in the crazy journey of self-discovery?) and it made me emotional enough to cry a socially-appropriate amount. I've been recommending it to all of my friends, and I've been thinking about it since I finished reading it almost three months ago (genuinely thought about it so much I forgot to write my review for it!)
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for this eARC.

The In-Between Bookstore is Edward Underhill's first adult novel. It follows Darby, a trans man who loses his job in New York City just before his thirtieth birthday, and, in the midst of his quarter-life crisis, decides to return to his hometown of (fictional) Oak Falls, Illinois where he comes face to face with his past, literally, via his local bookshop.

The time travel premise feels more like magical realism than science fiction, and most of the book is otherwise contemporary fiction, so this could be a good starter book for readers looking to dip their toes into light speculative fiction. It also has a love story, but not a romance (there is a difference), which was an interesting twist.

That said, though this is a quick read, I struggled a bit with this book. I was very distracted in the first half, because the description of Oak Falls feels very different from the part of Illinois that I am personally familiar with; the closest I could think of was the town of Antioch, which is close to the Wisconsin border (Underhill originally hails from Wisconsin, so that made the most sense to me). I love good trans representation, especially #ownvoices authors, but in the second half of the book, Darby's choices frustrated me because of what comes across as minimal personal growth. Though the premise of the book is an interesting one--giving advice to his younger self and fixing past relationships--in the end, it felt like Darby was too fixated on the past, to the detriment of his present; the conclusion felt like a return to square one, sans crisis. Darby's relationship with his mother, however, was well done, and his dog, Mr. Grumpy, is a huge favorite. If you like Hallmark movies vibes with trans rep and time travel, this could be the book for you!

Other titles of interest may include: Second Chances in New Port Stephen and Chef's Kiss by TJ Alexander, Queer Chameleon and Friends by Amee Wilson, The Seven-Year Slip by Ashley Poston, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa, Homebody by Theo Parish, Trans and Disabled ed. Alex Iantaffi, Melissa by Alex Gino, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, and Wandering Son by Takako Shimura.

Time travel is always my jam, and of course a book about a bookstore is always a good idea. I enjoyed the tender way Darby’s life as a trans man is handled, but I did find him to be kind of an annoying character (this happens to me a LOT with YA and new adult, so probably more a me thing than a this book thing) Ultimately this was fine but I could have used more magic and less angst.

Edward Underhill’s writing speaks so much to the trans experience and every book he writes highlights a different facet of it. This one is all about connecting with your older self, wanting them to know that life gets better, that there’s power in knowing who you are.

I liked this story, though there were parts of it that stuck out to me more than others. The magical realism of the bookstore was gorgeous, but the romance and friendships I found to be lacking. I kept waiting for something to happen, something bigger than what was. The ending was bittersweet and continued the melancholic tone that was woven through the story.

A good story. I just wish there had been a little bit more to it.

The In Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill

Loved reading about a perspective that is different from mine. This book really put me in the shoes of a trans person and opened my eyes to what this would be like.

Darby has just lost his job and is feeling lost in his life in New York, so he decides to head back to his home town. He quickly discovers that his hometown bookstore is some sort of time portal and when he steps through the door he sees himself as a high schooler working at the bookstore… pre-transition. As if that wasn’t enough, he also keeps running into his ex best friend and there seems to be a spark between them? What will Darby decide to do, stay in his home town or return to NYC? And more importantly, will he learn how to accept himself fully?

This book was great and I really enjoyed the story as well as the perspective. It does have a romance aspect, but it is closed door. I especially loved the mother-son relationship in this book too.

There are a lot of things to like about this book. I liked the magical realism, i liked the transgender part and the bookstore. But I definitely felt like this was a romance that did not end up being a romance, which admittedly is not the genre the book is placed for good reason but I still ended up disappointed. So mostly while the resolution made the most sense, it wasn't my favorite.

ve read all of Edward Underhill’s YA novels, so I was very excited to read his first adult novel. And although there wasn’t a lot of action, I found it to be a great character study of Darby and their struggles to find a way to move forward in their life. Darby’s story is very true to the adult experience nowadays, where people can feel very directionless and untethered. I felt for Darby who returns to his hometown and feels disconnected from the people he used to know and the town he used to be familiar with. And his interactions with his younger self were sweet and heartbreaking and made me really wonder what I would say to my younger self. I really loved the journey Darby went through in this story to find himself.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I started reading this but unfortunately I'm struggling to get into it and I'm afraid I'm going to have to mark it as a DNF. The style / voice just isn't gelling with me.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book had a really interesting premise and a bittersweet execution. It didn't fully work for me, but it was engaging and I liked the characters, especially the friend group. It was timely in a sort of depressing way. It's a solid character-centric book if you're in the mood for that.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I've enjoyed this author's previous books, so I was excited for this adult debut! While this is definitely not a romance, it was an enjoyable though provoking read.

I don't think my audience would necessarily get this book but I liked it personally, I wish there would have been a bit better explanation of the time travel but I could accept it as it was.

I really liked the writing in this novel. Very vividly described. While I do love a flawed character I do wish that overall there had been more growth of the characters throughout the story. I do like the plot pacing being quite fast. I did hate the ending though. I didn’t like that he was still lying it felt like he hadn’t learned anything.

I've been a fan of Edward Underhill since reading his debut novel ALWAYS THE ALMOST. He creates such wonderfully nuanced characters who feel fully realized and so easy to connect to, regardless of where they are or how they are struggling. Like his other novels, THE IN-BETWEEN BOOKSTORE features wonderful characters and nuanced exploration of identity and self. For me, the "time travel" did not quite fully work. I look forward to reading the author's next book!