Time After Time by Mikki Daughtry is a beautifully layered sapphic romance that weaves together two love stories across a century. When Libby impulsively buys a crumbling Victorian home with her college fund, she has no idea she’s stepping into a love story that began 100 years earlier. With the help of Tish, a fiercely independent classmate and talented fixer, Libby begins restoring the house—and soon, their growing friendship deepens into something more.

The discovery of Elizabeth’s journal adds a rich historical layer, mirroring Libby and Tish’s present-day relationship with the forbidden romance of Elizabeth and Patricia. Daughtry delicately explores themes of fate, second chances, and the enduring power of love across time. The dual timelines are seamlessly interwoven, and both romances are tender, emotional, and fully realized.

While some plot points feel a bit predictable, the novel’s charm lies in its heart, atmosphere, and emotional depth. The blend of contemporary and historical romance makes this a captivating and memorable read that will resonate with fans of slow-burn, character-driven love stories.

Meet Elizabeth and Patricia through journal entries discovered by Libby, who buys Elizabeth’s old Victorian house — and as she renovated it with Tish not only they we get to know what happened 100 years ago, but we also witness Libby’s and Tish’s relationship bloom! The dual timeline makes the story compelling and you have no seconds to get bored. The characters are unique, have their own purposes that indicates their actions and struggles. But the four of them are equal in a way — their desire to be loved and love whom their heart beats for.

Mikki Daughtry’s writing is beautiful, engaging and grabs your attention from page 1. And the story!!! It leaves you feeling a range of emotions from joy to sadness, from grief to healing!

enjoyed Time After Time so much and if you love
✉️ magical realism
🔨 dual timelines
📖 a little bit of mystery
✨ sapphic romance
🫶🏻 chaotic home renovations with mementos of the past life lived there

This book will be your next favorite!

There were a few things that I liked about this book, but a little bit more that I didn’t like about it.

What I liked:
- seeing Elizabeth and Patricia’s love story develop over the chapters - honestly I would’ve loved a book of just them. Those chapters were my favorites
- the side characters, their support for Libby and Trish was heartwarming and their own growth throughout the book was nice to see

What I didn’t like:
- honestly? Trish herself. I kept getting annoyed with her and it made every instance of coming across her annoying.
- Trish’s obsession with her baby (her bike) and referring to it as “her girl”. OH MY GOD. We get it. You like your bike. But if a girl who is interested in you thinks you’re in a relationship because you talk about your bike that much? You have a problem.

Overall I liked this book but wouldn’t reach for it again. I liked the Elizabeth/Patricia story more and felt like Libby and Trish got in the way, even though they were the main characters.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed about a romance novel. It was engaging and how the characters were used in this type of book. The characters were everything that I was expecting and enjoyed getting into this storyline. Mikki Daughtry has a strong writing style and am excited for more.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for providing me with an e-arc for Time After Time. Two love stories 100 years apart. I loved how the stories are intertwined. A story that has the modern side and the historical side. The descriptiveness of the house really got me visualizing what they were looking at. The idea of connection at the core of it all was magnificent. In order to truly have a relationship with someone you have to have connection. I also love that the author left some elements up to the reader to decide what happens. The author shows us that not every relationship is worth saving. The ones that are though, need all of the care to nurture them into a blossoming flower.

I was down for a lot of stuff in this book. I wanted cute lesbians, Victorian vibes, a house reno, and a story that would bring it together.

Daughtry got lost in the plot in this one. My biggest book pet peeve is when characters think about future and past actions more than actually doing them. We brush over Libby and Tish's first interactions. They meet, and then suddenly Tish is living in her house? This happens again and again. Daughtry uses flashbacks in both the present time and in the 1920s to cover what she glossed over.

This book got seriously incredible at 75-80%, but it was a slog to get there. Big bummed. I was ready for this to blow me away.

Libby can't explain why she is so attracted to the abandoned house, but when she inherits money from her grandmother, she diverts it from her college fund, and buys the house instead. When Tish, who she's met through her theatre design program, unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep with the skills Libby needs to start restoring the space, it only makes sense to offer her a room in exchange for labour. The two of them identify the growing attraction between them, but Libby is beginning to understand how the two of them are connected to the previous occupants of the house, and their story from a century ago. .

There's lots that YA readers will enjoy in this one. Both main characters are dealing with family dysfunction, and have build chosen family connections to support them. Mikki Daughtry captures those relationships very well, particularly the bond between gearhead Tish, and grandfather figure, Joe, who runs the scrapyard where she works on her beloved motorcycle. There's a parallel story told in the journal that Libby finds, written by Elizabeth, who lived in the house in the 20's, and readers who enjoy a story within a story will love diving into that. There's also a terrific climax, and an unexpected (at least to me) twist that softens some of the sadness of the first pair's story.

Grab this one for your crew who are looking for a romance that hits a nice balance between sweet and steamy, with the added element of past lives echoing into the present. 4 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun book, i enjoyed the storytelling and got wrapped up in the story.

Time After Time is a book about Libby, a 19-year-old girl who uses her college fund to buy a long-time coveted house. I liked that this book illustrated how people will push to make their authentic selves heard, and how this has changed over time. I wish the power imbalance between Elizabeth and Patricia had been examined a little more closely in terms of how that would impact their feelings for one another a little more deeply. There were also times throughout the story where it felt a little cheesy. This book portrayed an interesting look at how time changes circumstances and perspective. It also portrayed nicely the way in which people come into their own selves and decisions.

I just finished reading this book. The plot was absolutely fantastic! It was quite the page turner, and I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I can't wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc!

Time after Time is one of those novels that switches characters' perspectives across time periods, in this case, a 100 year time span. Libby buys an old Victorian house in her town because she is drawn to it. She begins reading the diary of one of its previous occupants, Elizabeth, and gets drawn into her story of a forbidden love with the servant girl, Patricia. Meanwhile, in Libby's time in the present, she is dealing with the fallout with her family after they are not pleased that she bought the house, using her college money. She is also dealing with some relationship drama of her own, with her soon to be ex-boyfriend and her new feelings for someone else.

While I was very drawn into the storyline, I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because at times, there was just too much suspension of belief that I needed to do in terms of how the two storylines were fitting together. If there were half stars available, I would have probably given this book 4.5 stars.

saw the co-writer of five feet apart and came sprinting but this is sadly a dnf for now. i know YA books can tackle mature themes even if they’re young ages but something about the tone of this book was throwing me off and as a sapphic book i truly wanted to give it its best chance- i will potentially come back to it at a later time!

Time After Time by Mikki Daughtry is a definitive romance for those who believe in—or wish to believe in—a love that is destined and spans lifetimes. If you are a hopeless romantic, then I highly recommend you give this a read. I absolutely adored all of the characters—aside from the "villains" of the story, of course—and found the plot fantastically engaging. A minimal suspension of disbelief is required, but not difficult as it is easy to get swept up in the love story between Elizabeth/Libby and Patricia/Tish.
The dual timeline transports readers from the Victorian era to the present through alternating perspectives and journal entries. The writing style is smooth and easy to follow with lovely imagery. Daughtry successfully presents an emotionally evocative narrative that inspires belief in the enduring power of love amid adversity.
Time After Time has jumped to the top of my favorites list and has earned a place on my "buy a physical copy" list.
#reincarnation #lovestory #VictorianEra #dualtimeline #MCridesamotorcycle #oldhouse #collegestudents #YA #nospice #richgirl/poorgirl #American #Irish
I received this free ARC from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Time After Time
By: Nikki Daughtry

5 Stars

This was a story about a house. It was a story about forbidden love and heartbreak. It was a story of magic and mystery.

For as long as Libby can remember, she has been drawn to the house on Mulberry Street. When it comes up for sale, she spends her inheritence and buys it. She knows her life will never be the same. The house buy causes strife with her family, she is changing her life by changing her major in school then buying the house. When she meets Tish and they begin working on the house together, her love for the house only grows. Libby knew her life would never be the same, and that's okay.

I fell head over heals for this story. Written in both past and present, it gives a modern and vintage look at life, love, family, friends, and even loss. It was beautifully written. It has a great set of characters, both past and present, that blend to make a magical story filled with love, pain, and everything in between. The subject of love is presented as just that. Their is no her and her or him and her. It's just them. Us. Always.

I absolutely adored this story. It was heartbreaking and sad and happy and joyful. It gave me a smile, and it made me cry. It was simply wonderful.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

I've never read or seen Five Feet Apart, but I will now. Author Mikki Daughtry has written quite the treatise on the never-ending connection of love. I was won over by the dual timelines and the multiple POV. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Time After Time by Mikki Daughtry is a beautifully crafted romance that explores the idea of soul-deep connection and the enduring nature of true love. Centered on two characters destined to find each other across different moments in time, the story offers a fresh and engaging take on the age-old question of whether love can truly transcend the limits of memory and circumstance.

Daughtry skillfully blends emotional depth with an element of mystery, as the characters gradually uncover the hidden threads of their shared past. The result is a narrative that is both fun and heartfelt, full of warmth and unexpected twists. The pacing keeps readers invested, while the romantic tension and evolving revelations add a layer of excitement that carries through to the end.

What stands out most is the joy of the reading experience—light enough to entertain, yet meaningful enough to leave a lasting impression. Daughtry’s talent shines through in her ability to create characters who feel real, vulnerable, and worth rooting for. Time After Time is a touching and delightful journey through love and memory, and it firmly establishes Daughtry as a storyteller to watch.

Wow. I don’t really have any other words because I’m blown away by this book. I loved both storylines and quickly fell in love with all four of the main characters. The connections between past and present and how everything came together was beautiful. I don’t want to say more than that because I don’t want to give anything away, but trust me when I tell you this book needs to be added to your TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mikki
Daughtry, and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Time After Time by Mikki Daughtry is a multiple POV sapphic YA book. It’s a love story that takes place in two time periods 100 years apart. 19-year-old Libby is drawn to an old Victorian house on Mulberry Lane. She takes a huge chance by purchasing the house and sets out to restore it to its former glory. She finds a chest that contains journals from the previous tenant, Elizabeth. The journals talk of Elizabeth’s love for her maid, Patricia, which for many reasons was forbidden and dangerous at the time. As Libby works on the house, she runs into Tish, a fellow college student. Tish ends up helping Libby in return for a room in the old house. As they spend more time together, the similarities between Libby and Tish and Elizabeth and Patricia become more obvious and lines start to blur.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the dual timelines and being able to experience Libby and Tish’s story alongside Elizabeth and Patricia’s. I was truly immersed in their world. The author really breathes life into each character’s story. There were a couple twists in this book that I wasn’t expecting, which added even more to the overall story. If you like your romance with more depth and a touch of mystery, then I definitely recommend this book! ✨

Time After Time will be available on May 27th! 🕰️

THOUGHTS

I don't know that I have the words to describe how much I adored this book. It was everything I could have wanted. It was warmth and light, like sipping hot chocolate next to a crackling fire on a cold, cold winter evening. I loved this book so, so much.


PROS
Miscommunication Misdirect: There's just nothing I hate as much as the miscommunication trope, and this book does toe the line... to allow for a complete misdirect! Mikki Daughtry absolutely sets these girls up for some major miscommunication, and I was so relieved (and, really, delighted) when this book veered in the opposite direction. They're reasonable, instead. They don't jump to conclusions while they're observing each other, learning about each other. What's standing in the way of their relationship isn't some contrived miscommunication (which is never realistic, am I right?) but simply their own insecurities and doubts (something that is much, much more realistic). This book doesn't rely on manufactured conflict, and I adored that.

Real Consequences: As much as this is a warm and fuzzy book, I liked that it also acknowledges the real consequences that come from making your own choices--from growing up, from living how you want and need to. I like that there are no idle threats in this book, and that hard choices have hard consequences (even if the choice was the right one, for the character and the moment). I liked that this book lays out those consequences and champions making the decisions you need to for yourself, whatever the consequences might be (and even if people follow through on manipulative threats), because that's a good message in and of itself. Sometimes you need to break away to find out who you are and who you want to be, even if that means leaving people behind in the process.

Escapist Fantasy: While this book falls firmly into the "this could happen" brand of contemporary fiction, it still feels very much like an escapist fantasy: a fantasy about buying a house and finding someone to fall in love with while you fix it up together. It's, for lack of a better word, really nice. It's soft. It's cozy. It's warm. It's something I adored sinking into as I watched these girls reno this old house together, like the ultimate HGTV dream. That backdrop laced with their Romance--and you know it's a capital-R Romance when you're quoting Rabindranath Tagore--is an all-encompassing piece of wonderful escapism.


CONS
Butterflies: If there was one thing I didn't get enough of in this book, it would be the initial bonding that happened between Tish and Libby. Oh, don't get me wrong. It's there, but it's not necessarily on the page. And while I am a "less is more" type of romance reader, I would have liked a bit of that banter, that bonding on the page. Though more might have diminished the almost magical quality of the romance of this book... Perhaps I should be careful what I wish for. Even if the chemistry between these characters was so good I wanted more.

Timeline Troubles: I loved Tish and Libby's story so much that I never wanted to leave it. Even if I liked Elizabeth and Patricia's story, too. Which I did. I definitely did. But there were times when we would jump back in time to be with Elizabeth and Patricia that would bum me out, just because I loved Tish and Libby too much to want to leave them, even for a chapter or two.

Historic Lesbians: The treatment of the historic sapphics in this book is... strange. Not because it couldn't happen like Mikki Daughtry presents but because historic views on lesbianism tend to be a little less black-and-white than other types of homosexual attraction. The sort of outward hostility in this historic time feels a little off, just because it feels very much like a today-looking-backward sort of hostility. Don't get me wrong. The 1920s wasn't a time that encouraged happy same-sex relationships, even if the relationship was between two women. But the outward vehemence doesn't quite match up with historic precedent, which was more about ignoring what could be ignored, especially before World War 2 made the nuclear family the true American ideal.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10/10
Those who loved Malinda Lo's Last Night at the Telegraph Club will love diving into a bit of queer history. Those who liked the complicated history of sapphics found in Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt will love this now-and-then historic romance.