A rollercoaster thriller debut, Notes on Infinity blends the high-stakes world of biotech with the vulnerabilities of early love and first jobs. Set against the backdrop of Harvard’s labs and Cambridge proper, the novel follows Zoe and Jack—two brilliant young minds who stumble upon a discovery that could change the direction of human life forever.

It's a touching and thrilling story! While Zoe hasn't had the difficult life that Jack faces, the glass ceiling still exists and her tenacity adds a personal layer that I loved. What was most touching however, was their connection—emotional and cerebral and it is the engine of the story. It's a thriller, it's a romance, it's a coming of age story.

This is not your average romance. It’s smarter, colder at times. The science is fascinating as is the trajectory of the biotech experience. If you like your fiction with ethical quandaries, scientific intrigue, and a dash of romantic ruin, this one’s for you.

#notesoninfinity #austintaylor #macmillan

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Celadon books for the ARC of this novel. I am emotional. Truly. This is the best thing I've read in a long time. I literally physically never wanted to stop reading it. I walked around with my Kindle while feeding my dogs, cooking dinner, ignored more text messages than usual to curl up in a chair and devour it. I loved this book. I am so sad it is over. I am having a hard time digesting it.

I have seen this novel compared to Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow which is a Top 5 best book of all time for me - and they are very much within the same vein. Which is an excellent thing. Notes on Infinity is its own unique novel though, and really hurt my heart but in a brilliant way.

I live and grew up (mostly) in Maine. It was interesting to see it in this novel and the picture the author paints of certain more impoverished, conservative parts of the state. You really can see the stars here .

This book is re readable, propulsive, and genuinely so special. I am gifting it, recommending it, and buying a physical copy of my own on release date.

DNF - I had high expectations for this book, but after starting it, my attention was not grabbed in the way I prefer. This is not necessarily a bad book, but I'm not interested in finishing it at this time.

I had some mixed feelings about this book. There were some things I really loved about this book and other things that made me a bit mad to be honest.

The writing in this book was incredibly captivating. You could kind of see it might be a train wreck I but it's one you don't want to look away from.

I liked the romance, I loved watching the relationships between the characters unfold. The story was super interesting, and I honestly was really sucked in for a while, it was just the end that didn't its do or me.

Loved, loved, loved this. The second half especially was even stronger than the first. But overall, just a really fantastic debut. I loved the setting, the science, the glamour and the intrigue, and then the final parts of the book...heartbreaking. Thoroughly enjoyed and will recommend widely.

Enthralling, ingenious; great at zigging when at first look it might feel like it will zag. Without wanting to spoil the experience of diving into this work, I'll say the latter half of this novel so elevated it for me, with some echoes of "Gone Girl" and "Rashomon" even. It swung high and delivered. I couldn't stop turning the page because of how practically each turn deepened characterization by reframing what had been told before.

"Notes on Infinity" has potent commentaries on how pop culture treats a lot of science nowadays (most especially the promise of breakthroughs), on hustle culture, on the diversification of science/academia (and lack thereof), on messy human relationships, on youthful/blissful ignorance, on that feeling of falling short through no fault of our own — and sometimes through fault of our own as well.
This is one I'd recommend widely to fellow readers.

Being "young and rich and brilliant and beautiful and together, infinitely [...] There was no more potent drug than the one they had".

After hearing so much about this new book/author, I am so happy I requested the ARC. This was an amazing first novel by Austin Taylor... I literally could not put the book down. Although some of the science was a little bit over my head, it was very well-written and engaging. I am looking forward to reading more by Austin Taylor in the future. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

4 stars!

I need to lie down. This is the rare novel in which you know exactly how it's going to go fairly early on but you know you'll stick around to see it out because the journey is as beautiful as it is tragic.

Zoe has never had someone like Jack, someone who complements her perfectly and someone with whom she can discover the path towards medicated immortality. Two ambitious, obsessive, genius young people...when has that ever gone wrong? Notes on Infinity originally caught my eye on some 2024 releases list because I will always cave for a story about ambition, obsession, and soulmates (platonic or otherwise). Right off the bat, I really liked the writing style and already know I'll be looking out for Austin Taylor's next novel, because this is just an incredible start. Having grown up in Silicon Valley with two parents who started in chemistry academia and eventually transitioned to tech, I feel this story in my roots. Zoe and Jack's paths don't run straight and yet they run exactly in the ways that they should as characters. I love a sad book, but the ending had even me staring at the wall a bit. My only criticism was that a significant portion of the second half of the book skips around time-wise and I had some trouble arranging events. I still am not sure I followed all of it, but it was stunning nonetheless.

This book gave me exactly what I wanted, and I will definitely keep an eye out for this author. I think it will strike a chord for a lot of readers.

Thank you to Austin Taylor and Celadon Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!