4.5 Stars

The Book of Lost Hours is a beautiful combination of historical fiction and magical realism. The story spans from the late 1930s into the 1960s and is told in dual POVs. It seamlessly blends romance with a touch of sci-fi and the importance of preserving history.

I really enjoyed Gelfuso's writing and the way she brought all of the characters together in the story. I found Lisavet to be the most intriguing character, and Gelfuso really brought her to life through her moments of isolation, loss, love, and sacrifice. I thought the relationship between Lisavet and Ernest was heart-warming and heart-breaking. Their love and what they are willing to sacrifice was the perfect romantic backdrop to the rest of the story.

The time space concept is done really well, and Gelfuso makes a great statement on who controls history, with corrupt government agencies being the villains of the story. I loved the way Lisavet adjusted to living in the time space and decided to make it her mission to save as many memories as she could, from the corrupt time keepers, who were out to erase them.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
* Historical References
* Loss of Family
* Complicated Relationships
* Hidden Identity
* Workplace Misogyny
* Sci-Fi, History, Romance

𝐈𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐲?
🥶 (No)

I highly recommend The Book of Lost Hours for readers who enjoyed The Midnight Library, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and The Ministry of Time.

Such a magical author, the prose feels both rich and informative but also ethereal?? The pace is perfect and it kept me hooked, loved this world, fantastic blend of historial/real world and fantasy

The merging of the real world with this magical element in a way that needs to be built within the story was extremely well written. It was easy to follow as far as how they accessed the time space and what it was used for. There were some points where I thought “ok so where did this person come from why do they matter” and everything lined up so well in such a satisfying way. At no point did it feel like the ending just needed to be tied off with a bow.

thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for this Arc! my opinion of this book is my own only 💌

I'm not sure where to start, or explain properly how I feel about this book. I will try my best to not include any spoilers, and strictly describe my experience so that everyone who sees this will want to read it.

I truly have no words for this book.. it's written so incredibly well. The concept of time is one that I've always been so fascinated by. Other dimensions, alternate realities, time travel. All those topics can be so hard to execute if you don't understand it properly. but I think Hayley did such a perfect job at taking her own approach with it, all while making it coherent with what we think we know about the concept of time today.

I got so attached to Lisavet very early on, which helped a lot obviously.. but even after that, every single character that was introduced made sense, completed storylines well, and worked so well with our main character... almost to the point where I felt like there was more than one main character? there were different POV,, but it all came back to Lisavet one way or another and I absolutely loved the way it was done.

obviously, with discussing the concept of time comes twists and turns, and big reveals, and so much more that keeps you hooked.. and this story did just that. there were SO MANY THINGS that I thought to myself " what if this happens" and then something different happened?? although, I don't want to sound smart or anything, but I did figure out one thing, and started CRYING at how happy I was about it happening. everything was written so well, with the different time jumps, povs and characters. I honestly don't know how else to explain it without spoiling it,, so I'll stop here.

if you want a book that will hook you early and easily, make you fall in love with both the characters and the story, but especially a book that dabbles into the fantastic concept that is time itself,, PLEASE!!! I BEG OF YOU!!! read.this.book. You will not be disappointed I promise. when this book comes out I might be buying a copy for all my friends. this is and hopefully will be one of my top reads I've had the privilege to read this year.

thank you again so much for giving me the opportunity to read this early, I'm very grateful. I will now forever keep a little piece of Lisavet Levy with me, as time goes on 💠

Gelfuso's prose in "The Book of Lost Hours" possesses a haunting temporality—words that seem to inhabit multiple moments simultaneously, much like her characters. Her narrative voice achieves a delicate balance between historical precision and ethereal wonder, crafting sentences that unfold like the pages of the memory books central to her story.

The Book of Lost Hours is amazing! I didn't understand all of the time/space/memory details, but because the novel is so character and story driven it didn't bother me. I really was just along for the ride.

I loved all of the characters in this book. Lisavet learning about life through the memories of others. Ernest breaking the rules for love. Amelia going through loss and being placed in a situation she can't control. Not only were these characters very well written, but they were relatable and I loved the growth that they went through during the telling of the story.

This was such a compelling read, I cannot recommended enough!

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

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader copy of this book!

This was beautifully written, whimsical, and I really loved the concept of the time space and having a library of peoples memories!

We follow multiple characters throughout this story and I thought Hayley did a great job taking us through multiple characters in an interwoven time travel romance! I loved the characters, I shed tears, and I had a wonderful experience reading this! I think the best thing to do with this book is go in blind to get the full experience, but it was such a lovely read!

Some of it did confuse me, but I think it’s because I’m not used to time travel romance! However because of this I’m sure I will read more!

Whoa, am I crawling out of the time-space continuum? A lot just happened that I’m still wrapping my brain around. This book was a very fun read as it mixed time travel and historical fiction. Think Midnight Library meets in The Nightingale maybe? Very cleverly written. I wasn’t sure how it would wrap up or even make sense in a way I could follow, but I found the ending to be a great summation of the plot. The “Moira” character annoyed me, because I felt like she made her life more complicated than it needed to be. But I get that point that was trying to be driven home. All in all it was a fun read that bent my brain a bit thinking about the concept of Time.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

"The Book of Lost Hours" is one of those rare books that kept me up late reading. It's twisty and turny and poignant and thrilling. One of it's comps is "The Ministry of Time" and I think that's very apt, though it doesn't have the anachronistic displacement, instead focusing on a type of "time travel" through memories. Both of the older generation of characters, Lisavet and Ernst, were compelling and I was rooting for them. I also liked the younger generation of characters, Amelia and Anton, who felt distinct from their predecessors. Lisavet in particular is a complicated character very much defined by the circumstances she was thrust into--what would it be like to grow up simultaneously trapped and able to go everywhere all at once?

There are two things keeping me from giving it a full five stars. One is that I wasn't a huge fan of one of the twists, and also I felt like the ending was a bit too pat. I can't say more without spoilers, but one thing that does distinguish this book from Ministry of Time is that this is a romance while Ministry of Time is not. The book is captivating, has interesting things to say about censorship and memory, and has lots of momentum through the end.

The Book of Lost Hours was absolutely amazing!! The writing was beautiful and I loved how Hayley created this magical element within the real world. This book was hard to put down when I had to and overall it’s an amazing read by a debut author. I can’t wait to read other books by Hayley Gelfuso in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this ARC 💕

This was an absolutely beautiful story about time, love, memories, and loss - and of course, books. The Timespace is an in between place where memories are kept in books. And there are countless numbers of books, and within those books are countless pages of memories. Some good, some not so good, all worth saving. When a young girl is thrust into the Timespace alone and with no way to get out, she decides to stay there and keep memories safe from those that would enter the Timespace to erase them. She is content with her work, though living in shadows and only accompanied by a whisper of a guide to talk to you. Until she meets a young man who goes into the Timespace and he changes her world forever.

I was completely enchanted with the writing and the characters were interesting to get to know. As a first book for this writer, I would say that she is off to an amazing start and I hope she has more stories to share with us!

I have been in a bit of a reading slump this year, having DNF’d five books in the last month alone. This book brought me out of it. I was hooked from page 1 until the end. Fantastic book!

A really good story! I read a lot of fantasy, so the time space elements worked very well for me. I think this is accessible for a lot of people. I loved the way Lisavet and Amelia’s stories came together and I didn’t guess the connection between them until very close to the reveal.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

✨ “I assure you this is all very real” “But you just said that you’re a memory. You can’t be real.” “Why not? Memories are the realest thing any of us have Lisavet ✨

📖
Lisavet Levy and Amelia Duquesne as they navigate the “time space” a library filled with memories and a secret organization seeking to control history. Lisavet becomes a keeper of memories and meets an American spy, Ernest who sparks a journey to change history.

My Thoughts: *minor spoilers

DUDE WHAT IS THERE TO SAYYYY... WORDS DO NOT GIVE IT JUSTICE OF HOW FANTASTIC THIS NOVEL WAS!

OH. MY. GOSH let me tell you something RIGHT NOW, this book... buckle up because you will be going for a RIDE I will guarantee you that; yes ma’ am 👏👏I loved the poet references likeee helllo, and the fact that it stayed throughout the entire book was just ughh 😝🥰

PLEASE don’t even get me started on Ernest because the way this MAN is just PURE STANDARDS is not even funny👏👏. THE FACT THAT HE QUOTED POETRY TO HER OH MY GOSHHHH I DON’T KNOW HOW LISAVET DIDN’T FOLD SEVERAL times BECAUSE if it was me... I would have been so DONE👏😝🤪🤭🏃‍♂️‍➡️I freaking loved himm he was definitely added to my book bf list likeee check please thank youuu 🏃‍♂️‍➡️✨

Lisavet LEVYYYY A BADDIE 👏😝😎 she was so awesome, I loved her character so much she took no trash from anybody, didn’t care who you are likeee don’t play with MISSS MA’AMMM. Ayy ayyyy but don’t get it twisted though she made me rage a few times because I was just not agreeing with her choices😒BUT BOY DID SHE AVENGE HERSELF a queeen. The love she had for those she cared about was 🤌❤️‍🔥

Another Quote because it was just everything: “Can you recite a lot of poems like that?”
“Unfortunately, yes”, Ernest said, rubbing the back of his head and refusing to look at her.
“It’s one of my less masculine talents I’m afraid.”

SIRRR UNFORUTANTELYYY?! Like what the heck do you mean LESS that talent is 👏EVERYTHING👏 weird way to propose but 10000 percent YESS I will marry you, and then come to find out HE IS JUST INK ON PAPER like why this is not ok 😭😭

PAUSE 🤔... am I the only one who wanted to know what happened to ANTON?! I WANTED MORE OF HIS STORY WITH AMELIA WE WERE SO ROBBED😭
BROO AND HIS NICKANME FOR HER PLEASE STOP ITTT!!! THAT WAS SO ADORABLE I was SWOONING 🏃‍♂️‍➡️❤️‍🔥

There is so much more to say but dude just read the book and find out for yaself so you can freak out like me :)

Ok now what to expect:

-Multiple POVs

- Time travel romance

- Pre-WWI Germany to Cold war-era America

- Falling in love with my man ERNEST

- Wanting to time travel into novels and fight Jack yourself

TW’s:

Language (hell, damn, b****, s***, uses of The Lord’s name in vain.)

Violence ( gun violence, death, blood, war themes and terrorism)

Romance ( Ch 3 non-explicit scene, ch 7 non-explicit scene, fade to black scenes like 4 times)

Other: ( Smoking, depression, suicide, Holocaust)

As always thank you to Net galley and Hayley Gelfuso this was such a blessing of a book to read and can’t wait to see what other books she comes out with because best believe I'm reading them! Stay Blessed everyone 😊

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso, a well written book that piqued my interest. Sadly this one ultimately failed to hold my interest. I do think others will enjoy it and thank you for giving me a chance with it.

I thought that if I gave it a day or two, I would be able to form thoughts that sounded lovely when written in a review, but to sum up the main feeling of the book: WOW.

I started crying 38% of the way in (thanks, Kindle, for tracking that) and cried on and off the rest of the book.

The amount of times I audibly gasped and went "NO!" was absurd.

The writing was phenomenal. The plot between the two story lines folded together seamlessly. The characters were lovely and flawed and finishing the book left a hole in my heart.

A fantasy must-read with historical points mixed in - truly a beautiful piece of work.

5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC; all thoughts & opinions are my own.

This book deserves more than just 5 stars, it was absolutely captivating. It has a fantastic plot, the character development is phenomenal with a perfect magical element within the real world. The Author noted that if you were a fan of books like The Time Traveler’s Wife or The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue you would love this book and I whole heartedly agree while it also deserves its own special place. I couldn’t recommend this book enough and have already told people about it.

I really enjoyed the concept behind The Book of Lost Hours, especially the dual timelines, which gave the story a nice rhythm and depth. I also appreciated that the characters weren't perfect — their moral gray areas made them feel much more real and relatable. The historical aspects were a highlight and added great texture to the story. That said, I found the mechanics of time and space a little underdeveloped, especially for a novel so focused on time travel. I was hoping for something a bit more intricate and layered. Some of the plot twists were also fairly predictable, but overall, I still found it an enjoyable and engaging read

Thank you to Hayley Gelfuso and Atria Books for this ARC.

I am not sure how I would classify this book as it has a little bit of everything, sci-fi, intrigue, historical fiction, political commentary, social injustice, romance, and some mystery. Some time travel purists might be put off by how some of the events unfold, but the book is, at times, so beautifully written that any discrepancies in the plot or theory aren’t really an issue. The multiple timeline approach and final converging point added depth to the storyline. Overall and enjoyable read.


Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the opportunity to read this book!