Thank you Avon Books for the ARC!

I soft-DNFed this about 40% in. I normally love mystical time-travelesque stories but this is one of those times where the execution doesn’t quite do the concept justice. I want to give it another chance at some point because it does have good trans/queer representation so I’d like to see how the story pans out.

The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I really loved the premise of this book. I loved the message of trust, found family and friendships, self-exploration and self-identity, and love.
I could feel Darby's struggles with learning who he was and accepting that being trans did not make him a broken weird-o. I could feel his fear to let anyone get too close to avoid rejection.

Overall I did enjoy the story, but I don't think the time-traveling bookstore element was needed, or at least not utilized in the way I think it should have been. I think had Darby been able to witness his mistakes with Michael and use them to improve his relationship in present-day it may have been different, but his returning to the past never felt fruitful in that we never saw any kind of resolutions.

With that being said, I think the message and story is still an important one to be shared and I appreciate Edward Underhill for telling it.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Edward Underhill for the ARC.
All opinions expressed in this review are mine and have not been influenced by anyone or anything.

Many of us have blips in our timelines that we desperately want to fix, but given that time travel isn't yet possible, we remain stuck in our minds, dwelling on what could have been if we'd wandered down a different path. In "The In-Between Bookstore" Edward Underhill examines this very thing; the idea that any time we make a decision, there is an alternate version of us that made a different decision, and because of that the timeline then split off into another branch. For Darby, this phenomenon happens right as he returns home to Illinois and walks into In Between Books, where he's faced with the teenage version of himself when the bookstore is suddenly a portal to his past.

But can adult Darby convince the teenage version of himself to do things differently so that the painful present he lives in might become better? Or will Darby find out that much of his past is doomed to repeat itself no matter what he does?

Edward Underhill's debut adult novel was full of ups and downs, as there is in real life, but I did find myself feeling as though not a lot actually happened during the course of the book. I was left feeling a little unsatisfied with the ending, wanting more to happen for Darby over the course of the novel, and yet the ending felt a little lackluster. I do feel that I've enjoyed Underhill's YA novels more, but this one had promise that just felt like it fell a little flat in the end.

The In-Between Bookstore is an introspective yet lighthearted novel about rectifying the decisions your younger self has made for you.

Darby, a soon-to-be-thirty, recently jobless, trans man struggling to make ends meet in NYC, is clearly in the midst of having his quarter-life crisis. Through a Wizard Of Oz-esque journey back to his midwestern hometown he evolves over the book’s three week span from an abrasive but lovable twenty-something into a very nearly self-actualized adult. The story is quick paced and LGBTQIA+ insightful with well developed, endearing characters. Definitely an exceptionally relatable read for ANYONE who is struggling, or has struggled, coming to terms with their post-teen years. Very recommended!

Much appreciation goes out to author, Edward Underhill, and Avon Books (HarperCollins) for the opportunity to experience The In-Between Bookstore in advance of its January, 14th 2025 release.

If you could visit your younger self, would you? Darby doesn't really have that choice but it happens anyway. Torn between wondering went wrong with his best friend and dealing with the emotions and struggles of an almost 30 year old, whose whole life seems on hold, Darby is a relatable main character. Some of the big questions here is "what is home", "who am I (especially in relation to the past, present, future)" and "how do you make decisions when you're stuck?" I loved that Darby, as a trans man, thinks and wrestles with these questions and that I found so much to relate to (as a 47 year old cis woman). So read this book......well done.

*I was given a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review"



CW: talks of coming out, transitioning, and gender dysphoria, transphobia/homophobia

Super cute right from the jump. The dialogue, the narrative, the way the author just writes it, it’s so much nicer than the book I’d just finished before this (at the time of writing this review, that was The Empress, a review which I’ve posted).



Edward Underhill is a really engaging author, to start, and Darby, his protagonist, is such a breath of fresh air. You can tell he’s written by an Own Voice because he’s complex and multi-layered. Additionally, Underhill also subverts how a lot of male authors (in my experience) write queer women and non-men in general, Olivia and Joan in particular. They’re also complex and allowed to be these full beings with good relationships. The book also feels genuine in that the author writes for the age group he’s a part of, sure, some of it is a bit sappy and cringy, but in a realistic way. Real friend groups are like that, real narratives are like that. The problem with some of these narratives when there’s a generation gap between author and character is that it feels disingenuous, very “hello fellow kids” when the author could easily write characters who are their own age and not have to copy-and-paste from urban dictionary. Underhill doesn’t try-hard, his dialogue feels real and natural. It’s not trying to be punchy or lyrical or overly whimsical or purple-prose-y. It’s just…real.



Darby himself is relatable, it doesn’t feel forced, or performative, his struggles feel genuine and immersive and it doesn’t feel like a “poor millennial” schtick that keeps cropping up in books and TV. He feels like a real person with realistic struggles. Darby’s identity struggles never leave him, his identity is present in both his joy and his struggles. When someone like Underhill is writing, a transman writing a transman, complexity is allowed in a way that cisgendered and straight writers don’t always comprehend. He’s proud and happy in his body, but geography matters to his sense of safety.



We see the value of an own voice again in how the people around Darby view his identity. There’s a misconception that it’s either all love or all hate from individuals. Everyone falls in a more fluctuating place. Darby’s mom is realistic too, but their interactions are still so healing.

The concept itself is a fun twist on a common premise, rather than a character entering a time warp in a town, doing a day over and over again, or entering through some magical place and transporting back in time, Darby’s time warp is limited to the titular bookstore. Which I thought was super brilliant, and for the bookstore to be connected to Darby and an integral part of his identity was refreshing too.



I think Darby’s emotional journey was done really well too. He has a pretty realistic reaction to what happens-entering a bookstore that is stuck in 2009. He has this crisis of community, his identity is pretty set for him (his journey there in flash backs was really nice to see too). But it’s his friendships and relationships with other queer people that is what he struggles with. And he sees that in his younger self too.



I also liked Michael and Darby’s relationship development, it actually felt realistic and healthy, I’ll admit, I tend to only read MLM books written by men or nonbinary people, just as I only read sapphic books from women or nonbinary people, I make exceptions of course, and I go in warily. But Underhill’s writing is an explanation why, queer men write more authentic stories about queer men, they don’t infantilize or fetishize queer men, they give complexity to development of character and relationships, and their characters don’t come off as cartoonish. Darby’s feelings for Michael are realistic and organic, and the way their identities interact with each other feels authentic.



Underhill manages to make side characters that are not only fleshed out, but likable while being flawed. The abundant ratio of queer women and queer non binary folks to straight characters within the cast of characters is so refreshing. He writes them in healthy relationships, avoids stereotypes about bisexual women, and puts time into the descriptions of gender expression for his non-binary characters. It doesn’t come off like he just threw in identities to check something off.



I will acknowledge that both main characters are white, and the characters of color are all secondary. And I really can’t speak to the portrayal of queer women of color, as a queer white woman. So I did shave some of a star for that.



I also felt like Michael came off a bit annoying at times, he’s a great love interest, but he definitely gets to be a bit annoying at times. I like him enough, but he definitely had his moments where I wanted to strangle him for how he treats Darby at times. I don’t know if I’d forgive Michael like Darby forgives Michael.



In addition, I also thought Darby could’ve been less weird about he interacted with his younger self. I genuinely see the weirdness that Younger!Darby feels about it. I didn't really enjoy the ending much either. Overall, I think this book did really well with what it had, but there were some ways it fell short.

I spent today listening to The In-Between Bookstore, and I absolutely loved it. Such a wonderfully bittersweet book. This book definitely tugged on my emotions in so many ways.

beautiful and romantic and timely . read this if you were a fan of the lost story which came out late last year.

This was an amazing take on the question "What would you tell your teenage self?" The characters and setting were charming and this is a great read for anyone who cherishes the magic that is books - I'm a sucker for a bookstore setting.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I struggle to try to read this. It just never really grabbed and I didn’t want to keep going. Writing was a little challenging to get through I almost just put it down but I wanted to be able to write a solid review not my go to this year.

When I originally got the ARC of this book I wasn’t sure what I was getting in to. While there was a bit of fantasy with some time traveling, this was very different than the type of stuff I usually pick up. And after finishing I realize that I really liked getting out of my comfort zone.

Our main character, Darby, is an almost 30 year old trans man who is feeling more than a little lost and directionless. So of course he goes back to his hometown where everyone last knew him as a kind of awkward teenage girl. He runs into old friends and learns a lot about being vulnerable and opening up to those around him, and through the coolest bookstore ever has the opportunity to try and figure out what caused the falling out with his high school best friend.

I loved Darby. He was relatable and raw in his emotions. But his mom was my favorite. Her absolute acceptance of Darby was something I wish every trans kid could experience. She was fantastic.

I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, and the narration made me feel like I was sitting with Darby having coffee. I did have to speed it up, so I think I would have struggled a bit at regular speed.

All in all this was a beautifully written story about acceptance, found family, and learning to navigate through a messy, complicated world.

I was given an advance reader copy of this book by the publisher exchange for an honest review. I loved the premise of this book but the execution fell a bit short for me as the writing was just mediocre.

This novel follows Darby, a trans man, as he gets the chance to reconnect with his younger self when he returns to the small town he is from. It uses time travel to explore the feelings he was going through as a teenager and to face the friendship he let fall apart.

The writing made it easy to read, so I read it in a few hours. I enjoyed the characters and friendships in the book, but many of them felt flat or not fleshed out enough for me to connect with them.

I don't have any serious issues with the novel, but I think I wanted more from it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC! I feel so lucky to have read it.

What I initially thought would be a quirky novel about time travel proved to be so much more. What I read was a beautiful story about self-acceptance, forgiving your past self, and learning to love the person our choices have made us.

I found myself eager to turn the next page, ready to see what was happening next. This book captured a magic similar to the one I felt while reading The Seven Year Split by Ashley Poston - which is an all-time favorite for me.

I fully expected a different ending, but I have to say I loved this one. It makes my heart swell to imagine the life Darby will create after the end of this book, and how his life will be different after resolving so many past hurts and traumas that had been haunting without him knowing it.

The In-Between Bookstore follows the story of Darby, a 30-year-old trans man who loses his job and moves back to his small town. One day, he walks into a bookstore where he used to work as a teenager and encounters his younger self. I really enjoy time travel stories, and this one is written in a unique way. I found Darby's story to be incredibly emotional. The story’s message is also important. I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a unique speculative romance exploring the small-town past and lost friendship-turned-love of a trans man—I particularly loved the exploration of bookstores as a refuge and point of connection.

I was able to get my hands on a physical copy of this one and I liked it okay just don't think I was in the right reading mind set for a slower paced novel at the time. I do see the appeal of it and know many readers will enjoy it very much.

I went into this without reading the synopsis and wasn’t sure what to expect… I really liked the story of a trans teen finding himself in the big apple and a small town in the Midwest. Darby runs away to New York and begins his journey as a trans man in a place where there are more people to relate to. Growing up in a small town he doesn’t know who he is and doesn’t feel safe outing himself even to his best friend. When he goes back to his hometown to help his mom move, he reconnects with his old friends and revisits the bookstore he worked in as a teen. The bookstore is a time warp that takes him back to his past where he meets his young self. Now he must figure out who he is, how to relate to his friends and how to help young Darby in the process. The book was well written and a fast read and overall I enjoyed the read but I had a hard time connecting with the characters who lacked depth and were never really fully developed. Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy! All opinions are my own. 3 1/2 ⭐️

When Darby loses his job in NYC he decides he needs reset. Heads back to his Midwest, small town, childhood home and find everything is changing there also. This is where the magical, timeline jumping bookstore he worked at as a teen comes into play. While I enjoyed the premise of the story and the character development, I honestly found Darby’s stubbornness and whining annoying. I also hated the ending.

SPOILERS:


His mom is awesome and the fact that he doesn’t even stay longer to spend more time with his mom or even help her unpack her new condo pissed me off. Also allllllll those years of regret over how things were left with his best friend and crush and he finally got what he wanted and then was just like sike, thanks for last night but I’m leaving anyways. *eyeroll* So yea while I loved the premise of the story and really enjoyed the time traveling bookstore I just couldn’t bring myself to like Darby at all.

I am a bit late in my review of The In-between bookstore. Darby a transgender male living in New York City going to hang out with her queer friends. Is holding things in, just getting laid off and about to turn thirty. Darby calls his mom to see if he can stay with her for a bit to figure things out. When the thought of his former best friend Michael comes to mind. Why did they lose contact that one semester in senior year? When Darby comes home weird unpacked things come to play when he stops in his old highschool work place. The in between book store. There he spots his former self, the girl verison of him. What the time travel is happening. Did he bump his head? Anyways, coming back home gives his the answers he needs and the closure he needed to figure out. That he needed to trust his friends and mother. That running away doesn’t solve it and finding accepting people could be found anywhere even in Illinois.

I wished that Darby and Michael found a way to go forward with their friendship/relationship. Maybe they could love one another that way? Anyways this was a great read.