The Book of Lost Hours is a creative historical fantasy about a magical time space where everyone's memories are stored in books. Lisavet is eleven years old in 1938 Germany when her watchmaker father, one of the few people on earth with knowledge of and access to the time space, pushes her inside it to keep her safe from Nazis. When he never returns, Lisavet grows up in the time space with a ghostly companion, until one day she meets an American government agent, Ernest, and everything in her life and world inevitably changes. The book moves backwards and forwards in time, following Ernest's niece, Amelia, in 1965 and Lisavet and Ernest's romance in the time space during the 1950s. There are lots of twists and discoveries throughout the novel, so I don't want to say too much more to avoid spoilers. I struggled quite a bit with some of the choices one of the characters made, but other than that this was a really enjoyable, interesting story about the power of memory and sacrifice. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital review copy.

***Thank you to Atria Books for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

The Book of Lost Hours was such a pleasant surprise. It really lived up to its premise, and the author did a great job of weaving the story between the two different time periods. The idea of using memories to time travel was really cool, and it allowed for the exploration of some timely and important themes.

The plot of The Book of Lost Hours was my favorite thing about the book. I enjoyed the dual timeline and had a great time seeing how everything converged by the end. The combination of historical fantasy and espionage story really worked for me. I found the entire story incredibly compelling and interesting, and I rarely wanted to put it down. Unfortunately, the writing did let me down a bit. It wasn’t bad, but it felt very basic and emotionless. I’m not someone who needs flowery language to enjoy a story, but the prose was just too dry.

The world-building in The Book of Lost Hours was another aspect I really enjoyed. Exploring the time space was really cool, and I loved that it was fashioned after a library. I honestly wish there’d been even more time spent on visiting different times through the memories. Furthermore, I liked how the visage of the time space was used to illustrate the damaging impacts of censorship. In the story, agents would burn books of memories to shift how the world viewed history, which felt eerily similar to the motivations behind book bans happening today. I also appreciated how the story showed the power of an idea to change the world. It only takes one person to spark a change, which was really the basis for the entire story.

Each of the characters in The Book of Lost Hours experienced significant growth over the course of the story. I can’t talk too much about it, though, because of spoilers. This is definitely a book where it is best to go in as blind as possible. However, I will say that their journeys were compelling and even sometimes unexpected. Some of the characters progressed in ways that I didn’t want for them, but those directions always felt like a natural response to their circumstances. I loved where they all ended up in the end, though, even if I didn’t always like the turns it took to get them there. I’d also like to point out that the antagonist of this story was so damn punchable, almost cartoonishly so. However, I did enjoy hating him. lol.

Overall, The Book of Lost Hours was a cool take on time travel with compelling characters and some important things to say. I do wish I had loved the writing a bit more, but the story itself was a home run for me. Therefore, I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars.

Amazing book loved the characters and plot. I couldn't stop reading I stayed up all night. I loved the book so much thank you for the arc.

5 ⭐

uhm? The way I ate this book up... GIRL it was SO GOOD. I waited a day to write this review and I'm still finding it hard to articulate my experience reading this story.

"The Book of Lost Hours" introduces the concept of time space; a hidden library full of memories of anyone who has ever lived only accessible through pocket watches. Those who have access, the "time keepers", are responsible for maintaining and determining which memories stay and which ones should go in order to prevent future disasters… But what are the real consequences of these actions? The book follows two separate timelines which were eloquently interwoven together. In those timelines, you learn about the lives of Lisavet, Ernest, Amelia, and Moira. It's hard not to fall in love with each character Hayley created; she put so much love and attention into each of their stories, I felt each time I was getting a glimpse into their soul.

If you told me this was Hayley Gelfuso's debut novel after reading this novel I wouldn't believe you. The writing was so well done; the writing was lyrical, poetic, and hit your nerves at all the right places. It was 1:30am when I tried to put this book down to go to sleep, but I just couldn't stop thinking about it and I NEEDED to find out what happened next. I finished the book at almost 4am. Worth losing every hour of sleep over it. I will 110% be adding this book to my shelf when it is released.

As a last note, I'm not normally one who’s into the whole "time travel" thing. I even have a hard time keeping up with time travel in movies and TV Shows. lol However, from the get-go, I was hooked on this story and couldn't put my book down. If you love time travel, adventure, and intricate stories that are beautifully written; this one’s for you. Read it. Please. I couldn’t recommend it enough.

**Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review **

I'm pretty impressed by the unique time travel concept, delightful writing style, and plot twists. It was a bit hard for me to get into the book in the first quarter of it because I'm not used to this genre but as soon as things picked up a pace I couldn't put it down!
I definitely feel like recommending it to others!
However, one thing bothers me - if Lisavet changed the past by killing the only man who knew how to access time space, what's stopping others figuring it out on their own later in the future after his death? It's mentioned a few times that monks knew how to enter time space through meditation. So why didn't they?

4.5 / 5 ⭐

I absolutely adored this book.

I read mostly fantasy but do enjoy a well written historical fiction. The Book of Lost Hours had elements of both that kept me reading for more. I will say that I feel like this book is more magic realism to me than fantasy but I enjoyed it either way.

This novel was a unique spin on portal magic -- with the portal being where memories are kept. The characters were well written with a distinct voice. While a few of the "twists" were easy to see coming I was definitely caught off guard by some others.

While set mostly in the real world, there was still amazing world-building within the liminal space referred to as time space. The abilities that (some) timekeepers learn really added to the depth of the story and the overall atmospheric writing.

Without getting too far into spoilers, just know that not a single character is what you think they are. Just know that the journey is worth the time it takes for all the pieces to fall together.

Highly recommend to anyone who likes historical fiction, magic realism and a dose of heartache.

Thank you to NetGalley, Haley Gelfuso, Atria Books and Simon & Schuster for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso is a story about grief, memory, and the passage of time. It follows a young woman who is given the chance to recover lost moments from her past—moments she thought were gone forever.

Gelfuso does a great job exploring how we deal with loss and what it means to get a second chance at time.

This book perfectly blends several genres, fantasy, science fiction, romance, mystery and historical fiction. There are multiple POVs and timelines that allow the reader to know what’s happening before the characters do.

This story felt dreamlike, making me think of The Midnight Library. I think this would be a great book club pick!

What is the impact of a memory?

Lisavet Levy has grown up hearing stories of a magical place called the time space, where endless shelves hold books full of people’s memories. But on the night that came to be called Kristallnacht, she learned the truth of the time space when her watchmaker father hid her in the very real library and never returned.

Lisavet, like Addie LaRue, uses her position to her advantage by learning as much as she can — via memories. She can visit anyone’s recollection of any moment in time and grows up more worldly and educated than any of her would-be peers.

That’s why when other visitors to the time space, timekeepers, start burning books in the name of erasing unsavory and contradictory ideas, Lisavet understands what all is being lost. So begins her quest to preserve as many pages as possible, no matter whose book it is or which country is trying to destroy it. It’s on this quest that Lisavet meets Ernest Duquesne, an American timekeeper with the power to alter Lisavet’s life — and Time itself.

Decades later, Ernest has gone missing, leaving behind a grieving niece and a colleague who needs her help finding him.

Told over the span of multiple timelines spanning almost 30 years, The Book of Lost Hours is a captivating story of time, memory, legacy, and love. Thank you to NetGalley for my eARC! 4.5⭐️

I wanted to love this. It had Midnight Library vibes mixed with The Starless Sea. I loved Midnight Library, but didn’t love The Starless Sea. The premise is pretty good, there is a place called The Time Space where memories live and people can travel there with specialized watches. In the Time Space, memories are preserved in books, so the whole thing looks like a library with billions and billions of books of memories. When someone dies, their memories are preserved in this space.

Our main characters, Lisavet and Ernest, meet in the Time Space. Lisavet is thrust into The Time Space by her father on Kristallnacht and told to wait there for him to join her. He never does. She spends years in there, meeting agents from multiple countries, intent on burning dangerous memories to try to prevent wars and dangerous ideologies, including her father’s. She doesn’t like this, thinking all memories deserve to be preserved, so she attempts to save all memories that these agents try to burn. She meets Ernest this way, as he is one of these agents. After meeting her, they fall in love, and the rest gets very muddy and dangerous.

I loved the idea of this, but the first half of the book is where I struggled. For me, the story was slow, but interesting. It took me nearly a week to get halfway through, which is unheard of for me. Once things escalated, I was much more interested and invested. The plot is fairly linear until the end of the book, and then it gets to be a little convoluted. It makes for a great ending, even if it was a bit too poetic for me personally.

The characters are where the author excels, they were all very relatable and imperfect and wonderful. Even minor characters are well written and evoke emotion in readers. I really did love the characters in this book, even if it wasn’t my favorite read.

This does have a literary vibe, but the writing is easy to read and follow. The premise is a bit confusing at first, but it clears up as you persevere through the book. The author does a great job of explaining how everything works and leaving breadcrumbs for future revelations.

All in all, I enjoyed this, but I didn’t love it the way I hoped I would. If you loved The Starless Sea, I believe you’ll love this one too.

1938: Lisavet Levy grew up in Germany listening to stories from her clock-making, Jewish father. But, when her father turns his watch and a door appears, she realizes the stories were even more real than she imagined. On the night that a riot, that would come to be known as Kristallnacht, approaches their home, her father quickly pushes eleven-year old Lisavet through the door, telling her to wait right at the entrance, as he goes to find her brother. As time passes and Lisavet realizes her father is not coming back, she explores this mysterious place of endless bookshelves containing people's memories. Lisavet spends years growing up in this time space as she learns how to explore memories and, when others arrive using watches like her father had, how to save them.

1949: Ernest Duquesne, American spy, arrives in the time space to destroy a book of memories, as instructed by his superiors, when he sees Lisavet. He's intrigued by this woman, not sure for whom she works, and begins to follow her.

1965: Amelia Duquesne is at the funeral of her late uncle, the man who was raising her, when a mysterious woman, Moira, claiming to be her uncle's co-worker warns her not to use his watch. Sixteen-year old Amelia is not one to follow rules and immediately disobeys Moira. After hurtling in the time space for the first time, Moira enlists Amelia's help to find a book of memories that her uncle was trying to find when he died.

This story feels more relevant than ever with its focus on memory and who decides what history is told. It's a sweeping historical fiction with magical realism and themes of memory, sacrifice, history, and love. Despite guessing the major twist, this story kept me intrigued and unable to put it down. I loved, loved, loved it. Completely blown away!

The Book of Lost Hours is a beautifully imagined, deeply emotional journey through memory, time, and the stories history tries to erase.

Told in dual timelines—from Lisavet Levy, a girl lost in the mysterious time space of memory-books in 1938, to Amelia Duquesne, a teenager navigating secrets and spies in 1965—this novel gripped me from the very first page. The time space itself is one of the most hauntingly original settings I’ve read in years: a vast library where lives are archived and history can be edited or erased.

Lisavet’s longing, isolation, and quiet defiance stayed with me, and Amelia’s search for truth added urgency and heart. The writing is lush, the world-building layered, and the themes—of loss, legacy, and whose version of history survives—felt both timeless and timely.

Fans of The Midnight Library, The Ministry of Time, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January will find so much to love here. This is the kind of novel that lingers with you, like a memory you’re not ready to let go.

Unforgettable.

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso is an atmospheric fantasy filled with historic moments, time travel and mystery. A young girl is pushed into the time-space library by her father, a watchmaker, to save her from the Nazis. Here, she discovers a library filled with books containing the memories of those who bore witness to history. Brilliant, engaging and suspenseful.


In 1938, eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in the time-space library, waiting for her father, a watchmaker, to return to get her. He never returns, and she grows up surrounded by books and endless corridors. The tale that unfolds is fantastic.

In the time-space library, Lisavet experiences no hunger or thirst and meets specters who wander the aisles. She befriends one specter, whom she names Azrael. Azrael explains how the library works, and Lisavet spends her days opening books and walking through history. While wondering, she discovers that Men and women who possess watches like her father are entering the time-space library and destroying books to alter events, memories and history. Unlike time-walkers, who can only access the library and read or burn books, Lisavet soon discovers she can walk in memories and eventually touch things.

Lisavet is furious that memories/books are being burned and begins thwarting the time-walkers’ efforts. She saves what she can of the books and hides them inside another book. The world-building was intriguing, and while it took me a moment to understand how the time-space library worked, I found myself fully engaged.

The tale offers romance, intrigue, and plot twists. Lisavet meets a young American time-walker named Ernest, and the two develop a relationship. Ernest understands why Lisavet saves the burning books, but not before he tells his boss, Jack, about the mysterious young girl who is saving memories. Jack demands that he capture the girl and bring her in. After a romantic encounter, Ernest confesses and asks Lisavet to leave the library and run away with him. She makes a decision that impacts everything.

I laughed, cried, and wanted to slap Jack. The tale is told from multiple POVs. We have Lisavet, Ernest, a time-walker and romantic interest. Then we have Jack, the head of the US time-walkers; Moira, Jack’s secretary, who has a special gift; and Amelia, Ernest’s niece. The author does a splendid job of fleshing out each of them and twisting their fates together.

In 1938, Lisavet Levy is trapped in a mysterious place housing books full of memories known as the Time Space. In 1965, Amelia is grieving the loss of her uncle and guardian, Ernest, when she's approached by a CIA operative to assist with a truly unbelievable mission. So begins this unique tale of family, relationships, loneliness, belonging, and what it truly means to cherish every moment.

I'm a huge fan of The Midnight Library, The Book of Doors, and other books that play with time and place, so I was excited to see Gelfuso's take on time manipulation. It was reminiscent of those other books in a comforting way, but it was definitely a unique spin on the concept! I'm not sure I fully understand the science (magic?) behind the Time Space, but I was perfectly happy to go along for the ride. The characters are complex and fully developed and the plot was clever and unique. Gelfuso is a new to me author, but I'm intrigued by this book enough to already be looking forward to what she will release next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to go on this adventure with Lisavet, Ernest, Amelia, and Moira in exchange for my honest review.

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso tells to the story of Lisavet Levy who enters a time space of kept memories while waiting for her father.

Enters Amelia who is burying her Uncle Ernest, is approached by a CIA agent. Amelia is asked to help the CIA by entering the time space.

This novel has historical fiction, mystery and fantasy. I was a bit unsure about starting this book but it really captivated me. I think because the characters enter and then leave the time space. The characters are interesting and it’s very clever how the story ends.

If you want a bit of those genres, I recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

I absolutely adore books that play with timelines and that slowly give you the pieces of a mystery along the way. This book focuses on the characters Lisavet, Amelia, Ernest, and Moira. It is a story about memories, time, and what lengths people will go to to save the ones they love.

We start the story in 1938, when Lisavet Levy is trapped inside what is called the time space, where memories are held in books and being erased by people called the time keepers. Lisavet grows up in the memories and among the ghosts haunting the halls of the space. In 1949, she meets an American named Ernest Duquesne, who works for the American time keepers and changes her life forever.

The story goes back and forth between Lisavet's perspective and the story of a sixteen- year-old girl named Amelia Duquesne, who is mourning her uncle Ernest Duquesne. At her uncle's funeral, she is approached by a CIA agent, Moira, who lets her know about the watches that the time keepers use to travel to the time space and how they work. She is forced into helping the American's who are searching for a book that her uncle knew about in the time space.

I found the way the plot was organized very interesting. This leads to the reader not knowing all of the pieces of the story until much later. I will say that I basically guessed much of the mystery of what was going on pretty early in the story, but that did not ruin my enjoyment. There were still a couple of surprises which I did not see coming.

My favorite of the characters was definitely Azrael, who was a guide and father figure to Lisavet in the time space. He was such a great character and I would have loved to learn more about him and his past.

This book had me thinking of The Time Traveler's Wife quite a bit, along with The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which are both books I absolutely adore. It is a powerful novel which I highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book, and am impressed that it’s a debut. The characters really came alive in the writing, and even though the changing POV was confusing sometimes, I felt like I got to know Lisavet, Ernest, and Amelia (and even Jack). There were a few plot points in the last 15% of the book that I couldn’t wrap my head around, but overall I was satisfied with how the story turned out.

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide honest feedback!

When I read the first few chapters, I was confused about the different characters switching each chapter or so, but after figuring out the present and the past of this book with the characters, I started to get a hang of what this book is truly about.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I found the storytelling to be compelling as it goes through the consequences and hardships that each character has faced through this stern and censoring society that was a large part of this story. The relationships between each and every character were so worth it to read, and I found that sometimes life you can’t change it to what you want it to be, and sometimes it can be patched up and reworked in your favor if you choose to put effort into it.

Overall was a really good read for me, and I would give it a 4-star rating as I liked it and I think I would read it again in the future! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 stars

This incredibly beautiful story explores how hard someone would fight to keep those they love safe by any means necessary. It also questions weather of not it would be ethical to erase the past / memories/ people from existence. This story is thought provoking, heart breaking at times, and impactful. The jumps in the timeline were easy to follow. The relationship between Lisavet and Ernest is one of my favorite fictional couples. The world building is incredible.


My thoughts on some of the characters :
-Lisavet is a character who does decisions that aren’t necessarily the correct ones that hurt others in the process but she does them because she genuinely wants to do the best for her loved ones. I really like that about her.
-Ernest’s character and the decisions he made to protect Lisavet was very beautiful. He was my favorite character.
-Azreal’s character was such an interesting concept that I loved.

Parts of the story were predictable. I didn’t like how it ended but I still love the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The editor described this book as, "This novel is for fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Night Circus, The Ministry of Time, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue." in the forward and I couldn't agree more!

A lovely time-whimey exploration on the importance of memories and their interconnectivity with history, life, and death.

What a gorgeous novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Part historical fiction, part mystery, part magical realism, this book blends genres as seamlessly as time is blended within the story.

I realized that I predicted the “twist” early on but found this didn’t at all take away from enjoyment as th story unwound. I loved the POVs of Lizabet, Moira, and Amelia. Side characters felt realized and consequential. I found the way that contemporary (to that period) geopolitics were woven in really made the stakes feel high.

A really terrific read, 4.5 stars.