I received an electronic ARC from Atria Books through NetGalley.
The synopsis intrigued me but the story was disjointed and lost the thread at times. Readers meet Lisavet Levy when she is eleven in 1938 just before a traumatizing event in her life. The book begins in 1938 in Nuremberg, Germany and Kristallnacht comes in the first chapter. Her father saves her by pushing her into a "tunnel through Time." Gelfuso takes readers on from here through the Lisavet's story as she lives and grows up in this space outside of reality. Fortunately, one of the dead serves as her mentor throughout the book.
Each chapter is told in a different timeframe but weaves the characters' lives together. The main character's love interest comes into this memory holding space as he is a timekeeper. Their cautious relationship process shows tender moments and foolish decisions based on extreme self interest. Viciousness and violence also wrap around the romance element as both mature in their careers. I was disappointed by some of the stereotypical character portrayals but Gelfuso did maintain integrity within these identities. Lisavet was not a likeable character but not portrayed as a survivor either. Her actions were self serving though wrapped in protecting another character. She became what she professed to despise, and, yes, there is a solid plot point to ponder there.
The conclusion works but leaves huge holes for readers to ignore or create their own justification for.

I read The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso expecting another time travel romance, but this debut completely surprised me. The story moves between pre-WWII Germany and Cold War America, centered around a mysterious library filled with memories of history's witnesses. Watching Lisavet navigate between timelines while questioning who controls our past felt incredibly relevant today. Though the time mechanics occasionally confused me, Gelfuso's beautiful writing kept me hooked. Reminded me why I love The Midnight Library. 4/5 stars.

Thank you netgalley for the eARC!

The Book of Lost Hours is an amazing historical fantasy that dives into the morality of changing the past and protecting those we love. I loved this book. It was reminiscent of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Doctor Who. The weaving of timelines was beautifully done, too. Lisavet was such an interesting main character. The reader gets to witness her change and become so multidimensional and complicated. I’ve been waiting for a great fantasy book for a while and this one hits.

A library of time? A library of memories?  What a wonderful thought. In The Book of Lost Hours, Hayley Gelfuso introduces us to the time space.  A magical library filled with endless books of memories for those who witness history in the making.  As a young girl, Lisavet Levy was hidden in the time space by her father, who never returned.  Over time, Lisavet learned the secrets of the library and even walks through the memories of those before her.  Soon she realizes, she is not the only person who has access to the time space.  There are timekeepers who take people memories into their own hands and wipe them away. In turn, Lisavet sets out to save memories, to the save the past and create her own book of memories. Then one day she meets Ernest Duquesne which again can change the course of history. We also meet Amelia Duquesne who is mourning the death of her Uncle Ernest when she meets Moira, who is the head of the TRP program in the CIA.  Moira enlists Amelia to help her find the watches that enable timekeepers to access the timespace.  But soon she learns that time itself isn't as straightforward as she thought.
Hayley Gelfuso has done a beautiful job addressing the concept of time and interweaving a love story in-between.  This was a book I could not put down and may even pick it up again soon to read.  If you are looking for a good love story that centers around the concept of time with history thrown in, this is for you.  I highly recommend and will definitely come back to read a Hayley Gelfuso book again!

I absolutely DEVOURED this book. The writing is stunning, the world building is stunning and characters....you guessed it STUNNING.
I am so shocked to learn this is a debut novel, Hayley absolutely hit a home run, this is going to be an absolute sensation when it hits the shelves

I loved this book so much! The plot alone is just so enticing and captivating that I feel like just about anyone could love this story. I wish this library was real. The knowledge and wisdom, and lets not forget about the stories, that one could gain from having access to a library like this would change lives. Hayley Gelfuso has an amazing mind and I really hope this book lands on everyone's 'must read' list!

I absolutely loved this book. The history, the poetic writing, and the captivating story held my attention from start to finish. I genuinely loved and enjoyed getting to know these characters and felt like I knew them by the end. I will definitely be recommending this book to literally everyone!!

A very cool concept, but a massive info dump in the first 10 pages is a guaranteed turn-off for me. I was hoping this wouldn't be a trend, but was highly disappointed to find this writing style repeating itself again and again throughout the story. While I understand that monologues are a helpful way to deliver information, these info dumps felt pretty artificial and took me out of the story. This was 10000% a romance forward science fiction book which isn't strictly a bad thing but I wish this had been more clear in the marketing: a lot of cool ideas fall to the wayside in order to prioritize the central relationship. While this worked for me in Ministry of Time, The Book of Lost Hours tries to take on too much in the way of multiple timelines and an overwhelming scope. A closer focus on character and plot and taking the foot of the gas on the romance plot would have improved this greatly.

The Book of Lost Hours is a speculative/science fiction novel that investigates the philosophy of memory and time. It is set in both WWII and Cold War eras, with dual timelines. In this novel, the Time Space is the name of another dimension--a library of every human's memories. Main character Lisavet Levy becomes trapped in the Time Space to escape WWII. She meets young and handsome Ernest Duquesne and the two set out to escape the Time Space and its far reaching implications, and forge a life together. However, the CIA has other plans and Ernest and Lisavet race to protect each other from the impact of memories that can be erased.

My Impressions: From the book summary, I expected this book to be historical romantic fiction with elements of magical realism and speculative fiction, akin to The Lovely War. There are some elements that are similar between the two books, but this book leans very heavily into the speculative fiction aspects (which could be considered science fiction here) and there are only a few references to WWII and the Cold War.

I liked the parts of this book when Ernest and Lisavet were getting know each other. Their initial romance was endearing.

While reading this book, I kept thinking how much it reminded me of the movie Inception. I've seen other reviewers compare this book to The Midnight Library and The Ministry of Time, but I haven't read those books so I can't vouch for that opinion.

Although the author is a poet and references poets and poetry throughout the book, this book is not written in a poetic, descriptive, or lyrical style. It is a very plot-driven narrative. I personally found the writing style dry, the parts about the time space challenging to envision in my mind's eye, and the plot hard to comprehend. This book also contained many lengthy sections of telling instead of showing. It took me much longer to complete this book than I expected for a 400 page novel. Although I didn't personally enjoy reading this book, if someone is looking for a more plot-driven speculative/science fiction novel about time and memories, they might enjoy it!

Content Considerations: Light language, sex is implied multiple but not described beyond kissing, a few vague reference to body parts during make-out session.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the complementary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. My review is my own opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

I loved this story from start to finish, this is such an impressive debut! The Book of Lost Hours has such a unique concept and really engaging, complex characters to love; I wanted to disappear within these pages. Gelfuso's writing style had just the right amount of intensity and yearning, not only to capture singular spaces in time, but to create a love story that has no limits. The author also navigated multiple perspectives and a nonlinear timeline seamlessly, never once did these aspects take me out of the world.

The time space, in its essence, sounds like a reader's dream. I definitely enjoyed this author's depiction of the space-time continuum more than I did Haig's The Midnight Library.

Selfishly, I wish there had been more time walking with Ernest and Lisavet simply because I loved the little world they created together. I would have happily devoured another 100 pages. 

"She was the moon no longer." I think it was the author's intent to make me cry at some point... and she definitely succeeded.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

The dual timelines was really well done in this story. Two timelines slowly getting closer as the dates catch up to one another and you slowly see how they converge.

Spoiler but it has a happy ending!

I loved that this took a turn towards science towards the end, it wasn’t just left as a magical mystery, they actually studied scientific theories.

The characters were dynamic and multidimensional, their hurts and love were visceral and you couldn’t help but feel for them. You were so angry for them and at them for their actions while also being heartbroken by their emotions and reasons.
This story drew me in and compelled me to keep picking it up and not wanting to put it down.

This book follows the stories of 4 main characters: Lisavet, Moira, Amelia and Ernest. Each part of the story happens during it’s own timeline and setting ranging from 1938 in Germany to 1965 in Boston, Massachusetts. Their stories intertwine in unexpected ways which was very engaging and packed full of fun-filled discoveries.

I really fell in love with all of these characters as their stories unfolded. Each story was written beautifully revealing plot points at just the right times! It really surprised me when connections were made and kept me reading. I loved the idea of the Timekeepers and their ability to travel through people’s memories and also their ability to save memories from those who seeked to destroy them altogether. I really didn’t dislike anything about the plot.

If you enjoy romance, time travel, historical fiction or fantasy, then this book is for you. It really has it all and was an enchanting read. I can’t believe this novel is a debut and I can’t wait to see what Haley Gelfuso writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

this was super not up my alley, i thought it would be fun to read something out of my comfort zone but not at all.....

What an amazing read! Time travel, library of memories, world war 2, love, political/good v evil. It felt like reading Addie larue or the time traveler’s wife for the first time (those are my favorite books of all time). It kept my attention in a way no recent book has. It was such a wonderfully written masterpiece. Some say the change in pov was confusing, but I absolutely loved that! This would be an incredible movie someday!! It reads like that which is incredible! This book is bound to be huge if it gets in front of the right audience!! I’m a slow reader and I finished this in just a few days! The plot was done perfectly! The time travel element was perfection in this story! The quotes are some I won’t forget ever!!

Gelfuso’s writing is captivating, blending lyrical prose with vivid historical detail. The dual timelines are skillfully handled, weaving together a rich tapestry of memory, identity, and resilience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of *The Book of Lost Hours* by Hayley Gelfuso.

I absolutely loved the concept behind this story—it's rich with potential and filled with intriguing, imaginative elements. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the promise for me. The pacing felt uneven, and I struggled to connect with the characters at times. Still, Gelfuso’s world-building is unique, and I think readers who enjoy lyrical prose and atmospheric settings might find something to appreciate here.

#TheBookofLostHours opens with a man in 1930s Germany telling his daughter, Lizavet, a bedtime story about a timekeeper who can visit a place called the time space, which contains the memories of everyone who has passed; the the timekeeper is not safe because others want the power the he possesses. Before the bedtime story is over, the man must reveal that the story is true, the danger is real, and it is time for her to hide.

He puts her in the time space and promises to return, but after long she realizes no one is coming. In a dual timeline, which takes place in the 1960s, we meet Amelia, a teenager who is introduced to the time space after the death of her uncle.

What follows is a historical fiction and fantasy combo with light adventure as both young women try to do the right thing with the secrets and memories within the time space. There are some very cookie cutter bad guys and some predictable twists — But there is also a fascinating premise, an endearing love story, and some beautiful reflections on time and memories.

I enjoyed that these twists were not saved for the ending, and once they were revealed, the second half was where this book really thrived. I loved the character growth, which was marked by some very unexpected actions.

In a story dealing with time and memories, there are moments of dramatic irony where characters meet “for the first time” not knowing that they share a rich history — these moments always get me. And they got me here, too, making for some lovely, emotional scenes.

Overall, I thought this was a fun book to read. Thank you #NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

This book. I fell in love with this story and keep thinking about it. I loved it so much especially once I got to know the characters, I just feel more in love with it. The concept was something I was intrigued by when reading the synopsis but it was done so well. I was invested in Lisavet, Ernest, and Amelia’s story almost from the beginning. I loved the history element to it all. What I think I loved most about it was that it conveyed the power of memories and history, erasing other people’s voices is just as damaging as. I don’t know if I have the proper words to convey how I felt about this book but I definitely strongly recommend it.

Great writer but I really could not get into this story. Thanks for the opportunity to read but it was just not for me. Good Luck with the boo.

This is an outstanding debut novel, showcasing genre-bending prowess that will appeal to fans of historical fiction, speculative fiction, literary fiction, romance, and more. The story alternates between two narrative timelines, set a few decades apart. One follows Lisavet Levy, an 11-year-old German Jewish girl hidden away in a mysterious realm called the "time space" by her watchmaker father on the eve of Kristallnacht. The other follows Amelia Duquesne, a 16-year-old American girl growing up during the Cold War, who becomes entangled with a mysterious CIA agent in an effort to track down a book once owned by her recently deceased uncle, Earnest.

Through both Lisavet and Amelia's stories, we explore the magic of the time space—a massive library containing books filled with the tangible memories of everyone who has lived and died. The time space can only be accessed through a once-secret tradition of specialty watchmaking, now overtaken by government officials from major world powers, who have seized control of the watches and selectively erase memories that do not align with their agendas. Reflecting real-world geopolitics, the time space has become a new battleground for control over the narrative of history and humanity.

Gelfuso's prose is beautiful and evocative. The dual timelines are thoughtfully and skillfully executed, coming together powerfully in the latter half to seamlessly connect both time periods and unite Lisavet and Amelia’s journeys. Beyond genre-specific appeal, this story will resonate deeply with lovers of literature, those who understand the inherent power and value of stories and lived experiences.

The novel explores overarching themes such as: Who holds the power to shape truth? What narratives are deemed too dangerous to exist? How do we resist and subvert the harmful actions of those in power? And when do we choose to compromise our principles to protect those we love? In an era of rising censorship and book bans, Gelfuso brilliantly weaves timely social commentary into a gripping romantic adventure that never feels forced or heavy-handed, yet still manages to move and transform the reader.