I really wanted to like this book because it sounded so good, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it, and it wasn't for me. I did like the narrator, but the story just..didn't work for me. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to listen to this book. I liked the narrator but felt like the book itself wasn't great. The MC was poorly written and not really given much growth.

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and change the course of your life? For Darby, this chance presents itself right when he's at his lowest and in desperate need for a fresh start. When he finds the perfect excuse to revisit his hometown, he realizes a lot more has changed than he could've ever imagined. What used to be a stifling place that made him long for escape is now a community that seems to have left him behind. But Darby isn't over the events that led him to flee, and the past doesn't seem to be able to let go either.

The In-Between Bookstore challenges us to consider an incredibly important concept: is it more beneficial to attempt to rewrite your past or would it be more productive to be present in the present? Which option will leave you with the greater opportunity for growth and change?

Edward Underhill has created a heartfelt, warm, complicated, and rich cast of characters that deserve the happiest endings possible. Most importantly, this novel feels incredibly refreshing because it perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to not have everything figured out yet as an adult.

The In-Between Bookstore may be your next 5 star read!

I really wanted to get into this one, but it just didn’t work for me. The premise sounded promising – a man returning to his hometown and encountering pieces of his past in strange and almost surreal ways – the story never quite pulled me in. Listing to the audiobook, but the narrator didn’t click with me at all. I cant explain exactly what is was, maybe tone or pacing, but it made it harder to connect with the story. The writing had a melancholy feel that I usually don’t mind, but this time it felt like things were dragging without too much payoff. I found myself zoning out more than id like to admit and eventually I ended up putting it down before finishing. Just not the right fit for me.

In The In-Between Bookstore, Wes Browne offers a heartfelt and magical exploration of self-discovery, identity, and the power of second chances. This poignant novel follows Darby, a trans man who returns to his small Illinois hometown after losing his job and seeking a fresh start. Though the town has changed in the years since his departure, one place remains remarkably the same: In Between Books, the bookstore where Darby worked as a teenager.

The story takes an enchanting turn when Darby walks into the bookstore, only to find that everything is eerily stuck in 2009—down to the dated newspapers. Behind the register, Darby is shocked to see a teenager who looks strikingly like his sixteen-year-old self. The bookstore, it seems, has the ability to transport Darby through time, offering him a rare opportunity to meet his younger self and revisit the choices that shaped his life.

This surreal encounter offers Darby the chance to re-examine his past, present, and identity, with the hope of finding a new beginning. As he navigates his connection with his teenage self, Darby grapples with his memories, regrets, and the decisions that have led him to where he is today. He must now figure out how to harness this extraordinary opportunity before it slips away, allowing him to reshape his future.

Browne's writing is both charming and thoughtful, blending elements of magical realism with deep, emotional reflection. The story explores universal themes of love, regret, and the choices we make, while also providing a powerful and nuanced look at the trans experience. Darby’s journey is a beautiful meditation on how our past shapes us, and how we can choose to redefine ourselves at any point in our lives.

With its blend of magical realism and real-world struggles, The In-Between Bookstore is a touching and introspective novel that will resonate with readers who have ever wondered what their life might have been like if they had taken different risks or made different choices. It's a book about finding courage, healing, and the possibility of starting over—no matter the age or stage of life. Fans of heartwarming, thought-provoking fiction will find this an enriching and satisfying read.

I was not a huge fan of this book. While the concept was interesting I don’t feel like the time travel aspect played much of a role. It almost felt like it didn’t need to be in the book at all. Mostly just being in his hometown reminded him of why he left.

I also found the relationship with his friend so irritating. Why set all that up just to not have them end up together? It felt like a waste.

Overall I had a hard time getting through this one and felt very unsatisfied at the end of it.

Sadly, this book was not for me. The story was very different from what I expected. The friend group featured in the beginning of the book seemed more like stereotypes or caricatures of various different minority groups rather than actual people, and the main character did not hold my interest. I loved the description of the book, but the actual execution wasn't what I had hoped for.

I loved the representation in this one but struggled to really fall deeply into it. A cure LGBTQ+ love story and the audio production was great!

This was a good book. I liked that the character was going back in forth between time because of a bookshop. It was very surreal. My favorite characters were the mom and dog. They brought so much humor to the story. I loved that the mom was accepting of her trans son. In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone who has a trans child, is trans themselves, or knows someone who is trans. I think that this a a fantastic trans story.

DNF @ 15%

I loved the idea of this, but couldn't get past the main character who I found quite annoying. This also read a lot like YA - which I often read, but the characters were 30 so it felt really disjointed to me. Knowing that a huge part of the book is about the main character conversing with his teenage self, I realized it definitely wasn't going to be for me.

Thank you HarperAudio and Edward Underhill for letting me listen to this ARC on NetGalley.

Genre: Fiction
Vibes: 📚🕰️🌈💫💖
Rating: 3.75 ⭐
Tropes: time travel / lgbtq+ / self-discovery / second chances

While I did not mind the LGBT trope (and there wasn’t any open door romantic scenes), I can see some people not wanting to read it for that reason. I would have to be selective with who I recommend this book to. I listened on 1.5X speed and the narrator’s voice was still super easy to follow.

As for the story, it was very relatable to me (as someone who identifies as cisgender). I know it won’t be for everyone. Darby moving away from home after high school because he doesn’t feel like he fits in at home really hit me hard, even if not for the same reason. I never really felt the urge to move back home or visit during college, similar to him. I loved the conclusion that he came to in the end that he belonged in NYC — even if it meant not having a romantic relationship with Michael. At least their friendship became stronger. The idea of the bookstore being a portal to the past felt like it should have played a bigger role than it did, which is why I docked some points off my rating.

The In-between Bookstore is a bit of a somber story about Darby, trans man figuring out his life and coming to terms with who he was in high school and reevaluating friendships.

The story itself was promising, but there really wasn't an awful lot of character growth and some really stupid decisions were made. Darby 'helps' their younger self with absolutely no pay off and leaves their love interest at the end of the book, a love interest, mind you that there was really no build up to the romance aspect. This wasn't labeled as a romance book, so that subplot really wasn't needed.

Take this review with a grain of salt, it's still a nice story about self reflection, but that's about it.

2.25 * (on storygraph)

Mr Grumpy was not featured enough to save this book for me.

Mostly because this was Queer Lit. Awkward 'discovery of self' Queer Lit. Not a Fantasy, lowkey Romance, with bookstores and magic, book.

There is no actual character growth until 91% of the way through the book, and even then, it comes (shockingly) sudden. The MC is an unreliable narrator to himself, proves to be unreliable (in a number of ways) to others, then obsesses about the past to the point he nearly ignores the present. While I understand that some obsession would occur (how often does magic seem to happen to you?), the MC takes it to dangerous, toxic, and borderline harmful levels. Multiple times. If they'd had more time spent on their own internal development and less on them compulsively checking the door of the bookshop, I would have enjoyed it more.

TW:
-Graphic. Body Dysphoria and Teenage Angst. Specifically, that the two intertwined in the MC's past.
-Minor. There are discussions of deadnaming in this. No one is deadnamed, but the concern about it is raised.

After losing his job, Darcy, a trans man, finds himself back in his hometown. He visits the In Between Bookstore where he’s transported back in time and meets his 16 year old self. As Darby drifts between this weird jump in time, we see him come across his past relationship with Michael while also struggling to understand the connection to the past. This story felt more slow and heavy though I enjoyed the topics of friendship, identity, misunderstandings, and the touch of magic. I was hoping for more exploration / depth though I still enjoyed it.

Thanks Netgalley and Harper Audio for the copy!

A poignant and enchanting novel about a magical bookstore that transports a trans man through time and brings him face-to-face with his teenage self, offering him the chance of a lifetime to examine his life and identity to find a new beginning.


For an adult debut I did feel this read very young adult. Which was fine, I very much enjoy young adult. This was a well written story about getting a second chance to make a past mistake right. A story about thinking you want to just escape when you're young only to realize you really wanted to be back where you started all along.


I loved the "supernatural" aspect of The In Between Bookstore and that's what drew me into this story. And although I understand where this story ended I do wish it had taken a different route.

This book was just not for me. I did not finish this book as I could not get attached to the characters. The writing was fairly well done. This was just not for me.

3.5 stars
This was an interesting and unique concept of “time travel” it was more along the lines of multiple dimensions or realities all centered around a bookstore the MC used to work at when he was young. I also enjoyed the ending and felt it was realistic instead of a happily ever after. It was meaningful and about finding yourself and learning that you can belong anywhere and being open and honest about yourself and trusting your friends with it is very important to growth!

I really liked the meaning in this book especially at the end and how it wrapped up. Ill be honest I was very confused and wasn't the biggest fan of where it was going, but the way it wrapped up honestly hit me hard. I love me a good meaning that you can sit and think about for awhile.

This was a lovely, magical realism-type story about revisiting your past, healing old wounds, and finding your place in the world. Adult Darby’s struggle to find your purpose, your place, and your people is an incredibly relatable one. The time travel and interaction with his past self was an interesting way for him to literally revisit his teenage years and look back on that previous life as someone who lived through it, survived it, and eventually found his true identity as a trans man. And he’s able to literally give his teenage self advice – who hasn’t wanted to do that at one time or another? It’s not out of any selfish desire to change the past, but just to try and help his younger self hurt a little bit less. He’s also able to gain perspective on the place he grew up and realize the ways in which it’s not the place he grew up in, and the ways in which even a small town like his can grow into somewhere LGBTQIA+ people can find a place for themselves. I liked the parts where he reconnects with his mom, whom he rarely calls anymore, and the way that he and Michael are able to re-establish their relationship and finally heal from their falling out.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio and found it really excellent! The narrator did a fantastic job and had the perfect narrative voice and tone for the story. Four stars.

Representation: LGBTQIA+ characters, POC characters

I like sci-fi and fantasy books, and this one feel into it so I wanted to give it a listen. I liked the characters in this, they seemed very real to me. No one was perfect, they all were a little messy in some way, just like any person should be! And I thought the ending was appropriate, if a bit sad.