In 1938, Lisavet's dad hides her in the closet to protect her from the danger outside while he goes to find her brother. She quickly realizes it isn't actually their closet. In 1965, Amelia's mother has passed away, being cared for by her uncle and struggling at boarding school.

I was sold on this one when they said it was for fans of The Midnight Library. It's similar with a mysterious library, but it's an entirely different story. I really enjoyed it. While I saw some of the twists coming, I didn't have any idea where this was going to end.

Such a unique storyline with engaging characters, this one really was a page turner! This was a plot line that I haven't read before and so glad I picked it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

This book had such a unique concept and magic system. I really liked the dual POV and how the two timelines came together because it made the big reveals so satisfying. Once I got into it, I seriously couldn’t put it down. Such a fun and engaging read.

Summary: Lisavet is a strange and unusual girl, fascinated by the time tales her Uncle tells at bedtime. When her Uncle reveals that the stories are actually true, and they are in grave danger, he stowed her away in a safe place, a place where time is haunted and memories are found in mysterious books that preserve the timelines of history. Here she grows into her teen years and beyond, pushing her safety by saving books of “memories” that some time travelers are burning, attempting to remove them from history altogether. Putting herself in danger and unexpectedly finding a love interest along the way, Lisavet is forced to make an unthinkable decision. Years later, another young woman, Amelia, is thrust into the timekeeper world and the danger that goes with it. Can she learn from Lisavet’s saved book of memories, or will she doom herself as well?

Review:
Plot- I loved everything about this storyline. The plot was excellent, building atmosphere with historical details alongside “Current” events in the second timeline. It does cross two timelines repeatedly, but once you get the flow of the plot, it’s not hard to follow. The events were all greatly detailed to give a clear picture of the challenges and dangers along the way for the mail characters.

Characters- These characters will live in my heart for years to come. Lisavet and her trials and heartaches pulled my heartstrings to no end and made me yearn for healing and happiness for her. Ernest was one of my favorite characters because his depth is so much more than it seems in the beginning. The author really did a wonderful job creating well-rounded characters that came to life and resonated with me throughout the book.

Setting- The setting moved between three main points- Post-war Era, Cold War Era, and an alternate plane that exists simultaneously where time doesn’t exist and memories are formed from ghosts and recorded in books to keep a record of histories. I loved all of these settings so much and thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in them!

Pacing- I never felt bored in this book. Not one time did I feel like the plot was dragging or lacking. The author kept me intrigued and invested continuously as the reader and anxious to read on.

Writing style- This story is written in formal wartime language, incorporating a high style of speaking expected during that time of history. I didn’t feel like it was too much though, and really thought it helped immerse the reader in the era of the storyline.

Overall take- I haven’t enjoyed a historical fiction with magical realism this much since The Midnight Library and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! If you loved those books, you have to read this one! It does not disappoint!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lisavet Levy's only experience with time space has been through the stories her father told her growing up. That is, until Kristallnacht when she was set inside a door and told to wait for a family that would never return. After that moment, Lisavet's life was forever altered by those who believe they have the right to alter the memories they want changed. But will she stand for it?

I absolutely love this book. I am enthralled in a way that has never happened to me by a debut novel. Also, I know so many authors that would have turned this into a series, but I think having this as a standalone was perfect!

The Book of Lost Hours is timeless.

Hayley Gelfuso creates a world readers can get lost in through the lives of Lisavet and Amelia, two young women thrust into the world of the timekeepers. Gelfuso offers a unique spin on making the most of the time we are given while honoring the past we have lived.

4 ⭐️
The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso was definitely a refreshing & unique addition to my TBR! I was very intrigued by the plot! I always love a book that includes time travel but I really enjoyed how books were incorporated and was a huge part of the plot. Thank you so much to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC!

The Book of Lost Hours is a haunting, beautifully written story that blends suspense, memory, and the fragile threads that tie us to our past. Sutton’s prose is vivid and immersive, pulling the reader into a world where secrets lie just beneath the surface and every choice carries weight.

What stood out most for me was the way Sutton weaves together themes of identity, resilience, and the search for truth. The characters are deeply flawed yet achingly human, and their journeys feel both intimate and universal. There’s a quiet intensity that builds throughout the narrative — not through loud twists, but through an undercurrent of unease that makes it impossible to look away.

The pacing strikes a balance between atmospheric detail and forward momentum, creating a reading experience that’s equal parts lyrical and gripping. Sutton’s voice feels confident and deliberate, making this a standout novel in the realm of literary suspense.

For readers who love stories that live in the gray areas between mystery and psychological drama, this book will resonate long after the final page.

This book pulled me in with its atmosphere right away. There’s a beautiful blend of mystery, magic, and a kind of quiet darkness that I really enjoyed. It felt like stepping into a story where time itself could slip away from you. The writing is beautiful and the world feels rich without being overwhelming.

There were a few moments where I wanted things to move a little faster or dig a bit deeper into certain characters but it never lost my attention. I stayed invested all the way through and by the end I found myself thinking about the themes long after I closed the book.
This is definitely one of those books that will linger with me. Not quite a five star for me but definitely one I’m glad I picked up. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes their stories with a touch of magic, mystery, and heart.

I love love love The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso! I had the e-arc! Thank you to #netgalley and #atriabooks for my e-arc! This book captured me from the jump. Is this about time travel? yes, and yet, not in the conventional sense. There is a time space and we are first introduced too this time space when a father, in Germany, desperate to save his children and evade the Nazi's sends his daughter in the time space and then runs off to find his son. The time space exists outside of normal time and space. You can watch memories in there and unfortunately, the Nazi's want access to the timekeeper watches so they can get into the time space and destroy memories. Later, other people want too destroy memories but in theory this destruction is 'for good'. Is it though? This was a compelling read that I thoroughly enjoyed. This book is out now and it is a must read!

Thank you netgalley for letting me review this book.

This book took a while for me to get into.

I really enjoyed the writing style. I really liked the way the author told the story.



#netgalley #thebookoflosthours

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to review this beautiful book in exchange for my honest review. I love this book so much! The idea of a library of memories is fascinating and it was done so well. I can’t recommend this book enough. It is a new all time favorite! Everyone should read this! Thank you again!

Who would you rewrite history for?

An absolutely intriguing and atmospheric book where time is a construct. If you want a book that has an interwoven storyline that goes back and forth, I highly recommend this one.

We meet Lisavet, a Jewish girl who is pushed into the time space itself and must essentially learn how to live in it. While she grows up in there, she discovers different countries are entering this time space to destroy the books in there and leave only what their version of history is. This part spoke a lot to how humans react to the ugly parts of history. So much is left forgotten to make things seem better than they were. So how do we stop it? Lisavet then meets Ernest and an entire sequence of events leads us to them falling in love but Lisavet having to do what she least wants to protect him. She ends up realizing she’s pregnant with his child and to protect this child, she rewrites history to try and give her child a chance.

Aside from Lisavet, we have Moira. The entire time we read of her, we don’t know where she lies in the fight of it all. A very human character that absolutely made me want to shake her but also I felt for her. I don’t fully want to go into detail about what I think of her because I don’t want to spoil it but I feel like anyone in her position might have done what needed to be done.

This book captivated me with the way it mixed historical fiction and magical realism. The writing was beautiful to me and while at times I felt like Moira when she was spoken to about the physics of it all (lost, absolutely lost 😆), this will be a book I think about for the rest of time.

Thank you Atria, NetGalley and Hayley Gelfuso for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to have an eARC of The Book of Lost Hours for an honest review of the book! This one was harder for me to get through. The writing was beautiful but unfortunately the genre isn’t my favorite. I can see why it was rated so high amongst book readers, but I couldn’t keep my attention on the book!

Yes it does remind me A LOT of The Midnight Library but I feel like this was more fun! I liked it and the concept was well executed. Will be picking up once available for my personal library!

This book snuck up on me in the best way. It’s not flashy or fast-paced, but it pulls you in with this quiet, steady kind of energy. The story is thoughtful and kind of haunting — in a way that makes you think about time, memory, and all the little things that slip through the cracks.

The characters felt real, and I liked how it didn’t try to over-explain everything. It just lets things unfold. Some parts hit harder than I expected, and I found myself thinking about certain scenes long after I finished.

Definitely one I’ll be recommending.

Every once in a while, a book comes along that feels like it was crafted to tug at both your heart and your imagination. For me, The Book of Lost Hours was one of those rare reads. It’s part historical fiction, part speculative fantasy, and entirely unforgettable.

At its heart, this is a story about memory—how fragile it is, how easily it can be reshaped or erased, and how desperately we cling to it when it’s all that’s left. I found myself thinking about my own memories, the little ones that feel ordinary but actually make me who I am, I realized more than once as I read. The novel doesn’t just tell a story; it challenges you to think about what it means to remember and what it means to lose.

I loved how Gelfuso built the Time Space, a magical library of sorts where memories live on in books. The imagery was gorgeous, sometimes haunting, and I could almost see the shelves stretching into infinity. There were pages where I slowed down just to soak in the language—it felt like the story was inviting me to linger.

The characters are another reason this book hit me so hard. Lisavet’s resilience, Ernest’s conflicted heart, Amelia’s search for truth—each of them brought something unique and human to a story that could have easily been swallowed by its own big ideas. Instead, they made it intimate. I cared about what happened to them as if they were people I knew.

By the time I finished, I felt that bittersweet mix of satisfaction and sadness you only get with great books: happy to have experienced it, reluctant to let it go.

The Book of Lost Hours isn’t just a story about lost time—it’s about the weight of memory, the cost of truth, and the love that persists even when history tries to erase it. It reminded me why I love to read—because sometimes a book doesn’t just entertain you, it changes how you see the world.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

THE BOOK OF LOST HOURS by Hayley Gelfuso was such an imaginative and captivating read. Can’t believe this was her debut novel — it was so creative and beautifully written. Think Kristin Hannah meets magical realism.

The worldbuilding of the “time space” was haunting and unique, and I fell in love with these characters. I truly felt their emotions, and even got a little choked up toward the end. Lisavet’s journey especially broke and healed me all at once.

The twists had my jaw on the floor — and after that ending, my head is still spinning. I’m honestly questioning if maybe I’m in the time space because… what the heck just happened?!

The pacing slowed a bit in places, but overall this was emotional, imaginative, and unforgettable. A story that will stay with me long after I closed the book.

✨ Perfect for fans of historical fiction with a touch of magic and a finale that will leave you reeling.

(Even though this book is already out, I received it from NetGalley as an ARC and I’m so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to start reading it before it was released!)

The Book of Lost Hours is a unique dual timeline novel. Time is pretty fluid for both Lisavet and Amelia, due to their connection to the time space. The time space contains all the memories from all of time. Lisavet is thrust in to the time space as a child in 1938 by her father in order to protect her. Amelia only learns about the time space when at 16, the uncle who raised her has died and a mysterious woman asks her for her help.

Several agencies across the world have equipped their agents with watches used to enter the time space and have been entering it to destroy those memories they think are a threat to them. This adds politics and international intrigue to the story of these two women who didn’t choose this world but are essential to it.

I enjoyed the novelty of the time space and the way that the two women are woven in and around it. The story was too long for me and seemed to drag in spots. It may have tried to incorporate too many plot lines and time lines.

If you enjoyed the Ministry of Time or the inner workings of international politics, you will want to pick this one up.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Once again another book that makes me curse the lack of half stars when rating because while it wasn't quite 5 stars for me I also feel like 4 stars doesn't do it justice. I could see where if this is genre / time frame is something you love then the book could easily be a 5 star read for you.

The Book of Lost Hours is outside of the norm when it comes to books I gravitate towards but the blurb was so intriguing I knew I needed to read it. I was not disappointed; the storytelling, character development, twists and turns in the plot - all amazing. If this is the authors debut novel I can't wait to see where she goes.