I loved the idea of this!

Libby, against her parent’s better judgement, buys an old Victorian home. It’s definitely a fixer upper and she doesn’t know much about fixing things, but something compels her to stay. Enter Tish, a girl who knows how to work with her hands. Along with repairs to the house, they build a beautiful friendship. Could it be something more? When Libby finds the journal of the woman who lived in the house prior, there are so many similarities to Libby and Tish. Could them meeting and living together be fate?

The idea of this was there for me and I loved how interwoven the lives of Elizabeth, Patricia, Libby and Tish were. Unfortunately, I did find it a bit boring at times and was looking for more excitement. However, this was an emotional, beautiful and heartbreaking story. It really had me at the end!

Read this if you’re looking for a heartwarming story with a little mystery!

[arc review]
Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Time after Time releases May 27, 2025

3.5

At the age of nineteen, Libby becomes a first-time homeowner after using the entirety of her college funds to buy the Victorian home she’s always dreamed of fixing up. In the process, Libby is enraptured by the love story told through journal entries left behind by a resident of the Mulberry house a century ago, while also coming into her own queer awakening in the present day as she grows closer to a redheaded girl in her set design class.

This is a two-for-one, slow burn, sapphic love story that is full of yearning in a place where time has cemented itself.

There is a lot of in-depth character exposition to get through, but once you make it past the initial stages of the story, the magical realism comes together in a really satisfying way, making you receptive to the idea that soulmates can find each other time and time again.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This is a romantic and cozy read. I loved the dual timelines, I adored the characters but much like everyone else the ending fell a bit short for me.

This book really surprised me, in a good way. It's a sweet and tender slow burn romance set over 100 years. Libby buys a very old house in the present day and finds many secrets about the former owner, Elizabeth. She finds an old diary and learns about the love story of Elizabeth and her employee Patricia in 1925. At the same time, Libby meets Tish, who helps her renovate her new house. Sparks fly, and not just in the present.

The two love stories run almost in parallel - 100 years apart. I found the story fascinating and the tension quickly built up due to the many secrets in the past. I could hardly put the book down and it was a rollercoaster of emotions. My heart ached so much and at the same time it made me happy. The character development was really good and I liked the depth of the four women. Each had their own story that was told. The writing style was also very well done and somehow I still have to think about the message of this book. An emotional, slow burn romance about risk, friendship, found family and very big feelings that I can really recommend.

Time After Time is a YA sapphic romance that blends two love stories, a century apart. Libby, a college student, buys a run down Victorian house and stumbles across a journal filled with entries about a forbidden romance between Elizabeth and her maid, Patricia. As she teams up with Tish—a fellow student with major golden retriever energy—to fix up the house, the lines between past and present start to blur, and what unfolds is a moving, layered story about love, timing, and second chances.

This one is for the found family lovers and the soft, slow burn romantics. The romance builds in such a quiet, beautiful way, and it’s the kind of love story you genuinely root for. Unique, heartfelt, and original—solid 4 stars from me!

I am a sucker for any sort of time travel or time loop in my romance and this one delivered!! I love the way the relationships develop with each new clue they find about their past. A beautiful story of love, loss, friendship, and how we change over the years

Daughtry's Time After Time is a cozy, sapphic and time-bending romance... with a lot of DIY. Libby is the proud new owner of a dilapidated Victorian she's had her eye on and used her college fund up to buy, much to the chagrin of her overbearing father. She enrolls in a theatre workshop class to learn the skills she needs to repair her new home and meets Tish, a struggling college student who also happens to know a thing or two (or three) about building and repairing.

The love story that unfolds between Libby and Tish runs parallel to the romance developing in Libby's same home in 1925 between the higher class Elizabeth and her family's Irish domestic worker, Patricia. While the society that Libby/Tish are living in is much more accepting of queer relationships, both couples faced similar familial pressures/expectations and self doubt.

What I appreciated the most about Time After Time was the dynamic cast of characters surrounding each couple - Bari, Joe, and Cam showcased the true meaning of "found family".

I can't wait to share this one! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. While this book seemed like it would be right up my alley - dual timelines, YA romance- I found myself skimming through certain portions. Descriptions of the house seemed to go on for too long and the ultimate connection between the characters didn't quite work for me.

I most enjoyed the Elizabeth/Patricia storyline from the 1920s but could have done without the supernatural elements.

fun sapphic romance with some awesome vibes and some interesting multiple-life stuff. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc. This is a YA sapphic story. Libby uses all her money her grandmother left her to purchase an old victorian house she's always loved. She purchases the house and is determined to fix it up herself. her parents are furious because she was supposed to use that money for college. She meets Tish and she is handy. The two hit it off fixing this house Libby bought.

Wow—Time After Time completely took me by surprise in the best way possible. From the very first page, I was hooked by the unique premise and the way Mikki Daughtry beautifully wove together love, memory, and fate.

What really stood out to me was how deeply emotional this book is. The protagonist’s journey through love and loss felt so real, and I found myself rooting for them every step of the way. The way the story unfolds, with past and present intertwining, kept me turning the pages, eager to see how everything would connect. It’s one of those books that makes you feel—not just read.

I also loved how Daughtry explored the idea of second chances and the ripple effects of our choices. The writing itself is so lyrical and immersive, and I was completely wrapped up in the emotions of it all. There were moments that broke my heart and others that made me hopeful.

If you love books that make you think about fate, love, and the "what-ifs" of life, Time After Time is one you don’t want to miss. It’s a poignant, thought-provoking read that lingers in your mind long after you finish. Highly recommend!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It was a nice love story and interesting in the way it was put together- the 1920s and the present. I'm not sure why, but I had a bit of s hard time getting through the book. Interesting concept and characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! All the opinions expressed here are my own. There were things I really liked about this book. First, seeing the evolution of love in the 1920s when it was sort of forbidden bc it was two girls was sweet and also heartbreaking. Seeing Elizabeth and Patricia evolve and grow was lovely and sad at the same time. The way that was back and forth with Libby and Trish and seeing how they change and grow their relationship was pretty neat as they’re sharing that house from the couple of old. I enjoyed the friendships and love and support Tish had, especially with her sort of adoptive father figure. Libby’s family struggles because of her fierce determination to own this house were sad but well done. I’m not sure I could really see or believe the parallels between the two stories, but they came together pretty well if a little oddly, and I liked the surprise at the end of Elizabeth’s story that I didn’t see coming. I didn’t always love all the turns the story took, but it ended up a sweet love story overall. I could see some teens really needing and wanting this book in their lives. FYI some profanity but nothing heavy and LGBTQ love

This book was much more than I was initially expecting. There are many emotional moments in this story that struck a chord with me and made for a powerful and enjoyable reading experience. For instance, I absolutely loved the relationship between Joe and Tish. It was so sweet to see the way they cared for one another on such a deep level. As well, the bonding moments between Tish and Libby's friends were delightful to read and the support their friends offered brought a nice lightness to the story.

While I really liked Tish and Libby's story, there was another love story explored in this book. The novel flashes back to the early 1900's at many points and allows you to glimpse the romance between Elizabeth and Patricia, two women who lived in the house in the 1920's.

However, Elizabeth and Patricia share similarities to Tish and Libby that are somewhat uncanny. Libby, and later Tish, also find themselves having unusual flashbacks to seemingly another time.

If you're a fan of fated love or reincarnation, I think this book is a great choice. You get to know both sets of lovers and their stories, and enjoy the journey that Libby and Tish take to discovering the meaning behind their strange dreams.

Overall, this book is fun and romantic, but also deeply emotional. It explores the idea that strong love transcends a single lifetime and provides a satisfying HEA for our characters. 4.5/5 stars rounded up.

I loved this novel; one of my new favorites for sure. I didn’t have any particular expectations going into this (and for some reason I was avoiding it on my shelf for like 2 months) but WOW am I glad that I read it.

This novel was original and unexpected. I haven’t seen a plotline play out quite like this before and that was remarkably refreshing. In some ways I knew exactly what was coming in this story (the blurb was descriptive) but at the same time there were twists and turns and little mysteries that I didn’t expect at all.

The writing was excellent. The nuts-and-bolts of the writing were well done of course, but more than that the way that the story was structured and delivered was remarkably effective. There was a dual timeline of sorts through this novel and the way that they wove together and were delivered to the reader was simply perfect.

The characters; excellent. They were well formed and complete people with their own minds and motivations. The characters each had their own satisfying character arcs (and some side characters too) on top of the romance and mystery and plotline.

This was simply a beautiful novel. I cried, which isn’t a common reading experience for me, so I know that this novel connected with me in a significant way.

My Rating: “S” (6-Stars)
Converted Rating: 5-Stars

I really wanted to like this one since I lived five feet apart but it just lacked emotional depth. I kept waiting to feel an emotional connection to the characters but it didn't happen. There wasn't much plot and I was pretty bored. I liked the idea of the dual timeline but unfortunately neither of the love stories was fully engaging.
Random ick is Tish treating her motorcycle Lola as if it is a whole person

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Time After Time follows Libby, a new homeowner of her dream house, as she navigates her new life away from her family. She meets Tish in one of her college classes. Tish is surprised to find out the house that she has been so drawn to is owned by Libby. They start fixing the house up together all the while Tish is reading a diary she found in the house. Tish is so obsessed with the love story she is reading that she seems to actually live it.

I found this a cute read. I didn't mind the jumping back and forth from the past to the present. I think I figured out pretty early what was going on but of course it took the characters in the book a lot longer. It wasn't as fast paced as I wish it would have been. But it wasn't bad. I love how it all plays out at the end.

You ever feel so connected to an old house that you impulsively spend your entire college fund on it? No? Just Libby, then.

In Time After Time, Libby buys a crumbling Victorian house on a gut feeling, and honestly, same—who hasn’t wanted to live out their HGTV dreams? But when Tish, a tough, no-nonsense fixer-upper type, literally shows up at the door, things start to get weird. Like, “why does this feel suspiciously like fate?” weird. Then Libby finds an old journal from a woman who lived in the house a century ago… and had a forbidden romance with her personal maid. And, oh yeah—their names? Elizabeth and Patricia. Cue the eerie music.

This book is part slow-burn romance, part historical mystery, and fully the kind of love story that makes you believe in second (or maybe very delayed first) chances. The dual timelines weave together beautifully, the chemistry between Libby and Tish is chef’s kiss, and the whole "Are we literally reincarnated lovers?" thing makes for an addicting, emotional read.

If you love sapphic romance with a touch of the supernatural, gothic vibes, and strong-willed heroines renovating their way into each other’s hearts, Time After Time is calling your name.

This is a heartfelt romance that beautifully intertwines two timelines: the present day and 1925. In the present, Libby, using her college fund, purchases a dilapidated Victorian house that she feels inexplicably drawn to. Tish, a classmate, also becomes captivated by the house—and by Libby herself. Meanwhile, in 1925, Elizabeth develops a deep connection with her maid, Patricia. In both time periods, the women face the challenges of navigating love in a world full of uncertainty, with an unavoidable truth looming over them.

I particularly appreciated how the author incorporated the stone with the number 236, giving it significant meaning to both women. Its mysterious role in the story is uncovered in a dramatic, unforgettable way that added depth to their emotional journey.

The story is well-written, with engaging characters you can’t help but root for. It’s a poignant exploration of love, destiny, and taking risks to be with your soulmate, no matter the time or place.

Got an eARC through NetGalley.

Even though I enjoyed this book and wholeheartedly recommend giving it a try… I kinda felt that it didn’t all come together at the end. Or the end itself disappointed me a bit? I reserve the right to edit my review because maybe I have to think on it.

Good read!