TL;DR: Austin Taylor’s excellent debut, NOTES ON INFINITY, has been earning comps to TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW…and rightfully so. The book -about two undergrad students who think they’ve discovered the cure to aging- absolutely reminded me of Gabrielle Zevin’s 2022 smash hit by way of John Carreyrou’s Theranos takedown, BAD BLOOD. It’s a beautifully-written character drama at its core, and if you’re able to get through some of the denser science and set-up at the beginning, you’re in for a treat. It took me about 100 pages to find myself fully invested in the story of Zoe and Jack, but by the time they decide to partner on a start-up and leave Harvard, I was absolutely captivated by their relationship and the journey they take together (both good and bad). Austin Taylor is an incredible writer, and she manages to infuse her morally grey characters with pathos and empathy, and unlike Tx3, I loved how so much of Jack and Zoe’s story was predicated on their upbringing, and that the decisions (both good and bad) they make are the result of how they were raised, and the expectations their families and modern society (especially in the scientific community) placed on them. I’ve been thinking a lot about this book since finishing it over a week ago, and am excited to discuss it with all of you when it officially publishes on Tuesday, June 3rd. Thanks to my friends at @celadonbooks for the beautiful finished copy.

Notes on Infinity is a fascinating and thought-provoking read that blends science, philosophy, and human curiosity in such an engaging way. One of the strongest aspects of the book is the way it explains complex scientific concepts in an accessible manner. The sections on cosmology, mathematics, and the philosophical implications of infinity were especially well done—clear, detailed, and full of awe. It made me pause multiple times just to think about the vastness of what was being described, which is a testament to the author’s ability to capture the wonder of science.

That said, while the science and exploration throughout the book were excellent, the ending felt a bit rushed. After such a deep and immersive journey, I expected the conclusion to tie everything together more fully. Instead, it seemed to wrap up quickly without giving as much reflection as the earlier chapters offered. Still, despite that, it’s an insightful and rewarding read for anyone interested in science, space, and the mysteries of infinity.

Austin Taylor’s debut novel is a genre-blending exploration of ambition, ethics, and love set in the high-stakes world of biotech innovation. It follows Zoe Kyriakidis and Jack Leahy, two brilliant Harvard students who believe they’ve discovered a cure for aging. Their journey from academic prodigies to startup founders is thrilling, tragic, and deeply human.

Taylor structures the novel like a modern myth, with chapters named after biblical and epic themes—Genesis, Judgment, The Fall—mirroring the rise and collapse of their biotech venture. The science is grounded in real concepts like epigenetics and Yamanaka factors, but the heart of the story lies in the emotional and moral unraveling of its characters.

Read this if: you were a science major in college and/or you like Sally Rooney’s writing style.

Skip this if: you loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow.

Zoe and Jack are extremely bright Harvard students who share an interest (and friendly rivalry) in chemistry. When Jack invites Zoe to join him in a lab run by the renowned Professor Brenna, they come up with an anti-aging experiment that seems to be nothing less than spectacular. Venture capitalists agree, and soon Jack and Zoe have dropped out of college and created a company worth millions, all before they are of legal drinking age. But as their stars rise and Zoe has less time to spend in the lab, things get complicated.

This was touted as Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow meets Bad Blood and I think that may have given me outsized expectations of how spectacular this book would be. It shared elements with both of those books (the evolution of a friendship, women in STEM, ideas surrounding culpability) but it didn’t come together as well as I’d hoped. The first half was a bit slow, and I couldn’t connect to Zoe or Jack as well as I’d hoped. Then there was a shift in the second half that I did find quite interesting (can’t really say anything else here without spoiling it!), at which point I became much more engaged, but it was a case of too little too late. This was an interesting premise and a solid debut though, so even though it wasn’t a hit for me I’d give her next book a try.

This book was comped to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, with elements of Bad Blood, both books which I loved. Despite some similarities in general theme -- young brilliant students who move into industry with their start-ups, almost too young and inexperienced to do so -- this book is wholly its own. Zoe and Jack meet at Harvard -- Jack seemingly already well connected in the scientific community and doing research with top professors. Zoe, a daughter of a brilliant professor herself, goes toe to toe with Jack in class until they find themselves working together, amplifying their scientific ideas with two brilliant minds.

This book was heartfelt. You could see how easy it was for two young students to get over their heads with investors and the start-up culture. There are strong themes of loss -- lost university careers, unrealized brilliance gone to waste, loss of vision and direction, loss in their relationships. I wasn't sure about the book for maybe the first third, but once Zoe and Jack founded their start-up, the book picks up pace like a runaway train. I also felt like I wasn't really clear on Jack as a character in the first part of the book. He seemed vague and undeveloped. Midway through the book the point of view switches to Jack and flashbacks of his life and all the puzzle pieces start to fall into place. The rise and fall of this young duo was a ride I enjoyed greatly.

f I have said this before, I don't know, but here is it again just in case: Nothing good happens in the orgo chem class. Purpose of orgo chem is to weed out weak ones from engineering school and destroy the will to live of those who stayed. Zoe was present in that classroom to experience that first hand

Zoe wanted to be an individual, not a replica of her brother or follower of her father. She wanted to establish her presence at MIT not as a nepo baby, but as a smart, hardworking, stellar student. When she met Jack in that said orgo chem class, something sparked in her. Her hopes and dreams started to find a body in this boy's mind. She was ready to stop aging and she was going to do that with a pill

Just like Theranos and the "groundbreaking" idea behind it went down the drain, this idea Zoe and Jack brought into the world started to crumble. Too much trust and love replaced the sense of duty and scientific method. At end Zoe was left to dig herself out of this hellhole she created

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was far too similar to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - it just felt like it was far too similar and didn't work quite as well. I also didn't quite understand the language used - it sounded like the author just tossed out some bigger words that she really didn't understand and was hoping for the best. It just didn't work, at all, for me.

And I know this book is fiction but oh, how I was annoyed with the science talk - it just proved that this author has no clue about anything science related. I have a degree in science - I don't want to read fake not even close to believable things.

Harvard students, Zoe and Jack, begin working together, on a project, when they begin to get encouraging results. They bring their work to investors and start a small biotech startup. After the money rolls in, and they find themselves on magazine covers and in the national news, a secret threatens to destroy both the company and their partnership.

As a scientist myself, I thought I was going to love this, but it felt a little long winded. The ending was quite disappointing, and made Zoe look like your stereotypical, stupid, love sick college girl. This whole book gave Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos vibes. Not quite that original.

Thank You NetGalley and Macmillan for the free e-galley.

Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor is a magnetic debut that swept me off my feet from the very first page—think MIT ambition meets biotech intrigue, all wrapped in a heartrending campus romance. Taylor introduces us to Zoe and Jack, two brilliant Harvard students whose shared intellect and desire for discovery ignite when they claim to have crafted an anti-aging breakthrough. Their relationship blossoms under the pressure cooker of Ivy League expectations, blossoming into both a passionate love and a professional alliance that’s addictively tense. It's not just a novel—it’s an emotional sprint through genius, love, and the intoxicating and destructive power of ambition. Taylor’s literary debut is a wise, fierce exploration of what it means to chase human limits—and perhaps exceed them. A triumph in every sense, and one I can't stop thinking about.

Notes on Infinity promises a heady mix of biotech intrigue, startup drama, and moral unraveling — but for me, it didn’t quite stick the landing.

The premise is solid: Zoe, a Harvard student with the weight of her family’s academic legacy on her back, teams up with Jack, the kind of arrogant genius who thinks the rules exist for other people. Together they chase the dream of an anti‑aging breakthrough, dropping out of Harvard to court venture capital and build a biotech empire. On paper, it’s the kind of high‑stakes story that should be electric. In execution, it felt more like a slow drip than a live wire.

The science, which should be a point of fascination, reads like a mix of jargon and hand‑waving — enough to gesture at big ideas without making them feel real or urgent. Jack, who drives much of the plot, comes across less like a complicated antihero and more like a flat caricature of brilliance‑as‑entitlement. And while Zoe’s personal journey has glimmers of depth, the emotional heart of the story gets lost in long stretches of investor meetings, startup indulgence, and muted interpersonal tension.

There are flashes of something more — the family dynamics, the ethical rot of chasing immortality at any cost, the stark honesty of the ending — but they’re buried beneath a narrative that drags where it should sprint. I wanted sharper stakes, messier humanity, more reason to care when it all inevitably fell apart.

In the end, Notes on Infinity had a premise I wanted to love but a delivery that left me cold. It’s an interesting idea that never quite becomes the gripping, morally complex novel it could have been.

This was a great book! I loved the writing style and really enjoyed the way the other composed this story! Would recommend to anyone looking for a next read

Notes on Infinity pulses with intellectual energy and emotional depth. Taylor crafts a novel that seamlessly blends philosophical inquiry with intimate storytelling, exploring love, loss, and the infinite connections that link us. The prose is lyrical yet clear, weaving complex ideas into a compelling narrative tapestry. Characters feel vividly alive, wrestling with grief and hope in equal measure. The structure, with its interlaced moments across time, builds toward revelations both moving and profound. Notes on Infinity is a beautiful meditation on memory and mortality—thought‑provoking, elegant, and deeply resonant.

Zoe and Jack we're a train wreck waiting to happen. This was a 2.5 star read for me. The story was a bit dry for me and way too much scientific references. The storyline took way too long to get to the point for me. This was a story about being so smart at trying make something and lying that it worked. Money came on speculation of a dream and the downfall was a horrific fall. Money is the root to all evil, so I've heard. Thank you to celadon books and NetGalley for the book and eArc in exchange for my honest review.

I don't know that I necessarily enjoyed this book, and I definitely know that I didn't like any of the characters, but there was something about it that kept me reading. The story begins when two brilliant chemistry students meet in class, become labmates, have a revolutionary idea about the science of aging, and decide to go the start-up route. Most of the story is fairly predictable. While both characters have strong backstories, they feel a bit superficial. Maybe that's intentional, though? The characters are young and constantly trying to act confident, mature, grown-up... they haven't quite figured out who they are in life yet, but are thrust into the spotlight and have to figure things out pretty quick. So maybe there's more depth than I originally thought. I think the ending actually works well for the story. But overall the book feels a little incomplete and I can't pinpoint why.

I think if I was able to dedicate more energy to this book I would have enjoyed it a lot more. It's got a cool premise and I really love books that take place at universities. I didn't find the science aspect incredibly interesting and was more focused on the complexity of Zoe and jacks relationship. I thought it was well done, though I didn't love the ending. There was a lack of closure for me. I think with the right expectations, people who loved Tomorrow x3 would love this.

Thanks to Celadon, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for my gifted copies, and to Celadon for hosting this as a buddy read, along with a Zoom event with the author.
Set at Harvard and its surrounding Cambridge, MA area, Notes on Infinity is a new fiction release that is hard to categorize by genre. It follows two highly ambitious undergraduates who are involved with biological research around “curing” aging and drop out to form a start-up to pursue a groundbreaking anti-aging drug. The writing is engaging - especially for the amount of organic chemistry and laboratory protocols involved! The story follows these two as they spend more time together, both inside and outside of the lab, looking at personal and professional relationships, the crazy funding that startups can receive, and the ramifications of their decisions. The book made me pause and think about what I would have done if I had been in either Zoe or Jack’s shoes - it’s so easy to judge someone until you learn where they’re coming from. Taylor mentioned that she reread Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies to help her craft the change in perspective that happens midway through this book. F&F is one of my favorites, and I now see the similarity and want to reread that with Notes fresh in my mind.
Living close to Harvard helped me connect with the accurately described setting, and I could visualize everything from the bus ride to Longwood medical campus to the biotech startup labs in Kendall. I listened to the last ~60 pages via audiobook to hear how Helen Laser (one of my favorite narrators) and Shahjehan Khan (a new-to-me narrator) brought the book to life - and the narration was great. I recommend both formats, and I would happily discuss this one if you read it! We had some great conversations in my #celadonreadstogether group - and my group from the last Celadon buddy read discussed this one, too.

Thank you for this ARC! I truly loved this book. The characters were dynamic and I was fully invested in their journey. As an educator, I appreciated the science information and discussions on mortality. I did not see the small twist coming, although it made perfect sense and made me enjoy the story even more. It became more believable, but also more tragic.

Wonderfully written with genuine characters. With so much life material to focus on with the characters, the strength of this title is what the author choose to describe, to let the author know. Of course, this reminded me of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow with the similar plot elements and circumstances. Looking forward to what other works this author will publish next.

Obviously a hit! Done in the vein of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow meets The Dropout. Well-written and dynamic.

Notes on Infinity really gets you thinking on how far a person can go for goals and even for love. Zoey and Jack met during their early years of college, eventually dropping out to pursue their dream of an antiaging discovery. The book brought everything from serious, mystery, and even love. I will be having a copy in my classroom library as I know my curious readers will enjoy this book. I will have to warn them about how they might not be happy with how it ends, as they will not understand why it ends that way. Overall, enjoyed this refereshing read. Thank you!