How far would you go for an idea, for success, for love? This book explores all avenues of this question from an academic team attempting to find the next big scientific breakthrough. A slow burn of science and relationship as the reader gets ingrained in their world of young minds and big money. I appreciated the perspective and experiences that I am sure are true to life in this realm. I mostly enjoyed the developing relationships between characters. Volatile. Forgiving. Distraught.

As it has been said, I had a lingering feeling this was similar to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. If you loved that one, you’ll love this one!

The audiobook read by Helen Laser and Shahjehan Khan brought life to these characters. Both are easily understood at faster speeds. I listened to audio in tandem with the print version.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books, and author Austin Taylor for the ALC, eARC, and printed finished copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a story about love and mistakes and redemption.

I came into this book knowing nothing about the twists, and it was so much better that way, so I don't want to say too much. But I will say the writer does a marvelous job capturing the high of falling in love, of discovering new ideas, and of feeling young and invincible.

She also does an amazing job capturing the heartbreak of mistakes and disappointing those we love most. It will likely make you cry. It did me.

This gave me Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow mixed with Theranos vibes. We spent most of the book following Zoe, but do get a glimpse into Jack’s head in the later half. I was hoping for more sci-fi, but this is pretty squarely gen fiction to me, so temper expectations.

Austin Taylor is coming out of a Harvard degree, with a debut novel and is politely giving us one of the best books of 2025.

Just wow. How to summarize a story with so much intrigue and depth and love and heartache? This genre is unmatched, coming from a place similar to The Circle and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. and Tomorrow, Notes on Infinity is truly setting itself apart in its own genre. It’s such a mixture of speculative fiction, literary fiction, mythological and philosophical elements and it’s so good, I don’t care to classify it as any one thing.

We follow our main characters Zoe and Jack through a soul mate like friendship to lovers, into betrayal, hope and tragedy. Does it seem like a lot? Sure. But the execution is so impeccable that I quickly became so unbelievably attached to these characters. A surprising and beautiful POV shift three quarters of the way through had me gasping in delight and pain. The writing was unparalleled and the expertise Taylor brings of their chemistry and scientific background was a true delight and extremely accessible.

I truly went through so many emotions and it will take a long time to truly digest it all. This has the making of an instant beloved book and I truly cannot wait for this to hit shelves so everyone else can witness and experience. Because this book truly was… an experience and one I won’t soon forget.

This is a masterpiece. I’m not even sure I have any notes. It reminded me of tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow but I connected so much more to the characters and felt like it didn’t try as many subplots. Amazing.

I read this book for a buddy read through Celadon. It was so much fun to read with the girls!

The premise was very intriguing and I was hooked during the prologue and first few chapters. As I read on, it seemed to go nowhere for quite a while… maybe until 65-70%? It started to pick up again, but the characters all had a change in their personalities that didn’t make sense. I’m not sure if that was the intention, which is why that is not affecting my review. My review is solely based on the story and pacing. I found the math stuff interesting to a point then it became redundant, among many other things. The pacing though was almost unbearable and I kept dozing off.

Overall this was interesting, but it could’ve done with a lot of condensing and editing.

Thank you Celadon for sending me a copy of this book and including me in the buddy read!

Out of pure spite, I want to dislike a book by a young Harvard graduate about young Harvard students, but I could not put down Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor. The young people in question are Zoe and Jack, brilliant chemistry students vying for dominance in the competitive world of academic science. The novel follows them from a scientific breakthrough to business, with all of the angst and issues — expected and unexpected. Stylistically, Taylor makes interesting choices to shift POVs and writing patterns several times throughout the novel — some might find this disorienting, but I liked it. Readers of Lauren Groff, Charlotte McConaghy, and other literary fiction writers have a new author to add to their TBR list.

4.5 Stars rounded to five
Yes, this book has some similarities to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. But it has its share of differences. I do think that readers who enjoyed Tx3 will enjoy this one, too. Potentially setting this novel up to be a huge hit.

Zoe and Jack meet in a chemistry class early in their studies at Harvard. They quickly start work together in the lab of a renowned professor, and even more quickly ditch that work to embark on their own secret project. The project is pretty wild - “a cure to aging.” It starts as a theory and quickly pivots into work on a therapeutic drug. Venture Capitalists show up with bags full of money and quickly this propels Jack and Zoe into notoriety (especially Zoe.)

Both characters come to the table with a chip on their shoulders, which of course makes them more interesting characters. Zoe is the daughter of a physics professor (her brother steals more of the spotlight in her family.) Jack comes from a mysterious background, but it’s pretty obvious he has baggage.

Austin Taylor told a great story here - and I often had to remind myself that it is a STORY. A work of fiction. Because often, I asked myself “what the hell are these 20 year olds doing?! They’re making a DRUG? They are getting FDA approval? THEY ARE CHILDREN!” The one thing that I feel it lacked is that kids are still kids - even if they’re brilliant. They were pretty laser focused on their scientific project and didn’t really do anything else. Maybe I’m just too old now, I feel it’s super rare. But, the story is still really good.

Definitely read this one if you like Tx3 and/or have a science/nerd streak about you.

While it was a bit of a slow start, the pacing picked up especially in the second pov. I think jack’s part added a lot of depth and complexity. As well as emotions. The ending was heartbreaking. Pretty impressive for a debut.

DNF @ 41%

Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me. It felt very science-y and I was constantly wondering how much I needed to absorb in order to enjoy the book. I kept waiting for their connection to feel real and in the 41% I read they didn't have much dialogue so I wasn't given much of a chance to feel their connection or understand it. The way it was written was a little confusing: sometimes it was written as if we were being told a story from the past and sometimes it was written in present tense. The timeline jumped around a lot, one paragraph it'd be the following week and the next we'd be two months down the road, then the next we'd be back in present time somewhere.

Thank you for sending me a copy of this to read and review!

(3.25 stars)
Notes on Infinity is a debut novel from Austin Taylor that is getting a lot of hype. If you don’t mind a lot of scientific jargon, this book may work better for you than it did for me. I wound up kind of breezing through the science stuff and letting it go over my head a bit, and that seemed to work out well, allowing me to focus more on the actual story. Having access to the audiobook version helped with that too, somehow. (Thank you, Celadon Books for both the hardcover, the ebook and the audiobook versions, as part of their Read Together program!)

Zoe and Jack meet as undergrads at Harvard; they are both gifted chemistry students. They wind up working together on an anti-aging drug as a secret project, ostensibly working under a mostly-retired professor, but really working on their own. They decide to drop out of Harvard to create a biotech startup, which gets a ton of interest from investors.

This is being compared to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but I loved that book and didn’t love this one. On the surface, we have similar situations: two college students working together and forming a startup company, with a third student friend joining in. That book also highlights misogyny in the STEM field. But I think that’s really the only similarities. This story is extremely reminiscent of the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos story and takes place at virtually the same time (mid-2010s).

There is SO much science and SO much Harvard. (I get it; the author went to Harvard!) I enjoyed the middle sections of the book the most. The beginning dragged for me (science talk!) and the end kind of felt rushed. And I never got really invested in any of the main characters (Zoe, Jack and Carter).

The audiobook narrators (Helen Laser and Shahjehan Khan) were quite good. We finally get some chapters from Jack’s POV near the end of the book and that’s when we hear Khan.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy and listen to an advance listeners copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

There was a lot that drew me into this book! The academic aspect, the venture capitalist-backed biotech start up setting, and curiosity about scientific views on immortality all interested me.

The writing style is a bit quirky, which I thought perfectly fit this story. Does it have Tomorrow x3 vibes? Sure, yes, but this is a completely unique story too.

Zoe and Jack’s relationship was so complicated yet so simple? There was a lot to unpack between those two. I was rooting for them, both career-wise and relationship-wise.

I felt invested through the whole book. In fact, this was supposed to be stretched out to be a 3-week buddy read but I flew through it and finished pretty early. The last ~15% of the book I just had to keep going! I lot happened at the end and I teared up.

I did mostly audio and the narration was well done. 🎧

Definitely recommend if you’re looking for:
🧬 academic setting
🧬 STEM
🧬 “Can humans really live forever?”
🧬 a unique love story
🧬 an ending that leaves you with tears in your eyes

♾️ “I don’t want to live forever. I just don’t want to die.”

Zoe and Jack, two students at Harvard University, meet while interning in biotech and collaborate on a groundbreaking discovery that could increase the lifespan of living organisms. They leave college, set up a start-up to research this concept further, and make rapid progress toward drug development, becoming wealthy in the process.

Overall a good character study, shows excellent handling of trauma, how difficult life is, and how complicated relationships ships can be. There was a lull at the 70% mark for me, maybe 100 pages or so that felt redundant. The shift in perspective from Zoe to Jack in the novel's second half adds complexity and depth, despite a slight decrease in pace. This novel is a literary romance, not a science fiction novel.

I switched between the book and listening to the audiobook version, primarily narrated by Helen Laser with a small contribution from Shahjehan Khan. The audiobook version was well-executed and enhanced the experience.

This book is a powerhouse debut. I received my physical and audiobook copies from The Celadon Books team as part of their Read Together Program, and despite wanting to pace myself for group discussions, I devoured this book in about two days.
The plot follows two Harvard students, Zoe and Jack, whose interest into chemistry and biology lead them to develop a theory that could potentially reverse the effects of aging. From dorm room study sessions and all-night lab experiments, these two friends are swept up in a whirlwind of bio-tech investment firms and end up dropping out of Harvard to pursue their vision. Will the science work? Will investors’ demands ruin their love for the field? Will their relationship change due to the influx of *millions*?
Taylor is a brilliant scientist herself who makes this book incredibly technically sound yet incredibly accessible to non-Science minded readers. Her strength in writing and deep characterization really cemented this book for me as a five star experience. There is so much emotion packed into this coming-of-age story with insecurities, friendship, first loves, familial expectations, jealousy, competition, patriarchal barriers and how fame and notoriety change one’s life. Even the secondary characters (roommates, siblings, lovers) were fully fleshed, and while I’ve read multiple reviews critiquing the book’s ending, I argue it is the book’s culmination that makes the story more compelling and powerful. I also cannot see how it could have ended in any different way!
Readers who enjoy contemporary fiction books with academic settings, flawed characters, descriptive/emotional prose, and plots that warrant discussions with friends absolutely need to pick up Notes on Infinity!

I was lucky enough to get to read this one as part of Celadon’s read along initiative for its publication. What a fun experience that was!

Ultimately, I gave this one four stars. It was closer to three than five and the reason was singular. The ending was terrible. But let’s start with what was good. The plot itself was really interesting, two Harvard classmates from two totally different walks of life become friends when they discover the secret to aging. The book than follows their rise and fall from success.

The characters were really well done. I loved Zoe, Jack, Carter, Alex, and even both families. Everything felt really flushed out and well done and the backstories provided depth and color and basis for the storyline. I was really excited to see where this was going and for the first 70% I was not able to put it down. The book was a solid five stars… and then out of the blue, the perspective changed from Zoe’s narrative to Jack’s and everything went to pieces.

What kind of ending was that? Not only was it rushed and out of nowhere, it didn’t make any sense. The actions of the characters went against everything the author had built them up to be before that point. It felt completely unfinished. I was severely disappointed and so I had to deduct a star for that reason.


Thanks to Celadon for the read along oppotunity and I look forward to reading more from this author as she mature’s a bit more.

This upcoming novel brims with potential and, for the most part, delivers on it. The story is rich, the characters pulse with life, and the dual points of view are confident and compelling. From the very first page, I found myself swept up in its momentum, eager to see where the story would go. There are passages that shimmer with insight and scenes that left a real emotional impact.

However, while the journey is often breathtaking, the destination is a bit less satisfying. The final act feels rushed and slightly undercooked, as if the author ran out of room or time to fully land the themes they’d been exploring. Key threads are either tied off too neatly or left dangling in ways that don’t feel intentional.

That said, the novel's ambition and craft are undeniable. Even with its flaws, it's a book worth reading and talking about. With a stronger ending, it might have been a modern classic. As it stands, it’s a powerful debut (or next step) that signals great things ahead for this author.

Big thanks to Celadon Books for the ARC and for letting me participate in the read together program! Wow! This book was absolutely gripping from start to finish. I typically read contemporary romance, so this was definitely a departure for me, but from the very first page, I could not put this down! The book has a lot of technical terms and chemistry details that were somewhat over my head but I felt like the book was still very easy to understand for anyone.
The book follows Zoe and Jack, students at Harvard who think they have the potential to create drug that could delay aging. Their personal relationship and the details of them creating a startup at a super young age with Venture Capital firms and all the details that go along with that were incredibly interesting. Zoe and Jack definitely come from different backgrounds and that definitely comes into play as well. The book definitely felt inspired by Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes, but the storyline has differences as well. I honestly can't recommend this one enough! Five Stars!

I read this as part of Celadons Read Together program. At first I was a little nervous about reading it because I kept seeing it was very similar to Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow… however, after finishing it. It def was not.

The amazing author Austin Taylor is a brilliant Jane of all trades! You can definitely tell she has a STEM background while reading her writing. While I enjoy the FMC Zoe, I was super disappointed that Taylor did not write her as more of a powerful badass! I get that women in STEM have not been respected, but all the more reason to not make her take the backseat on her brilliant ideas and project.

This story was great! I loooved the concept of the Anti-Aging and always wonder if we as a society will ever get there??

I am not sure I loved the author writing a POV of Jack. I feel like it was good and it was emotional but then I also feel like it was just there.

My frustration with the book is it did read a bit YA for me… I didn’t love that. AND most importantly, I was frustrated on the ending. I felt like it was rushed and would have loved to have read more on the aftermath.

I def think a lot of people will love this one and overall I did enjoy it. I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you Celadon for the gifted copy!

A thrilling literary debut by author Austin Taylor who delves deep into the lives of Zoe and Jack and their journey as Harvard sophomores to scientist dropouts to owners of Manna, and ultimately, their fall. For a debut, Austin Taylor's writing is really exceptional and impressive, and I can see that she really added her own scientific background as a Harvard science student.
While I was interested in Zoe and Jack as individuals, it was their relationship together that really shined through. I appreciated the greek and Gilgamesh input into the story, reflecting the rise and fall of Manna and Zoe/Jack.
This is perfect for fans of Gabrielle Zevin and I can't wait to see what Taylor writes next.

Thanks to Celadon Books for the gifted copy!

After days of lab work and nights discussing scientific ideas, two Harvard students, Zoe and Jack, announce that they're on the edge of having a cure for aging. They decide to drop out of college and pursue their research, turning their work into a full-fledged biotech startup complete with (a LOT of) investor money as their positive results come in.

As someone who is a biomedical engineer / woman in STEM, HOLY COW THIS BOOK WAS RELATABLE. From Zoe being mistaken as Jack's girlfriend instead of his research partner, to working in a male-dominated field, this was absolutely spot-on from that perspective. As someone who was also obsessed with the Elizabeth Holmes / Theranos case, I also couldn't put this book down. Accusations that might destroy the company they built?! Early success maybe not being all it says it is?! Totally, 100% in. I loved reading this book with the Celadon Readalong crew!