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Normally I try to summarize the book in a sentence or two but this one is a bit complex to explain that succinctly so let’s just get right to my thoughts.

At first the book gave me Addie La Rue meets Midnight Library vibes but as I dug in I really felt like this was a book with an identity crisis. It was a bit of romance, time travel/sci fi, spy, mystery and historical fiction all mashed together but not in a way that made the book unique or stand out and just muddled the plot for me.

I normally enjoy when books have alternating POVs and timelines but this one jumped all over the place leaving me to flip back many times to try to piece the plot together from the chapter titles/dates (and yes I fully acknowledge the main plot is about time travel but it was to keep track for me). I really wanted to love this book but it was a struggle for me to get through from about the 40% mark and I barely made it to the end.

I would recommend this book to those who like an interesting mix of genre’s and can follow a lot of jumping around in time. This book just wasn’t for me. I will give this a 3 out of 5. I don’t think it was a bad book but it just wasn’t a super enjoyable read for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for a digital ARC of this book. Opinions are my own

I loved the way this novel wove the two time periods (1948 through when Lisavet left the Time space) which progressed the other time period a little more each time. What a beautiful story, it made me cry. I really recommend this book for people who love historical fiction and sci-fi/time travel. The character of Lisavet was so beautifully complex and had so much depth, and I truly enjoyed peeling back the layers of her character. The ending was quite lovely too, leaving you with a sense of wondering what memories Amelia is really in. Is Lisavet really there, duay trapped in the time space and in the memory? Is she time walking? This would make an excellent book club pick. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book! I give this 4.5 stars, it was beautifully written!

Thank you NetGalley & Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

WOW. Just wow. This has become one of my favorite books I have read this year, and potentially one of my favorite books I’ve read in a really long time, if ever. Immediately the author entangled me into these timelines, the worlds of these characters with her writing.

Hayley Gelfuso writes characters you cannot get enough of. I felt a connection to Lisavet, Ernest, Moira, Amelia, Azrael, Anton and even Jack. I normally am not the biggest historical fiction fan, but this was everything I wanted and more. History, magic, mystery and romance.

My book hangover has officially taken over. This was everything.

I have no complaints, no edits, just sorrow that it's over. This story is so original, unpredictable, and thought proving from a philosophical standpoint to a theorist lens. Only when the ends of each string were tying together, did I see the braiding of the story I had already read. I could never predict how things were going to finish, how the plot would unfold, until it happened. In those moments, the story was absolutely beautiful. Almost every character has an important role in this story, a purposeful one that didn't fill pages but added to the plot. The only character I'm not sure about in the end is the older brother, but I didn't notice his absence until hours after I had finished the book.
From the writing, rhythmic, trusting, and paced well, to the characters, fully-deceloepd and complex as they needed to be, this story was as beautiful as It was engaging. I could potentially see this turn into a movie or a series of novellas following the string theory of this story.
I will be recommending this book to almost everyone I know and will do a much more formal review of the story in a few weeks on my site: Art In Your World.

Overall, this book is quite good and a fairly quick read. I mostly enjoyed the plot and thought it was quite interesting and the writing was good, especially for a debut novel. The storyline was creative and a good combination of fantasy, historical fiction and mystery. The story is told through two timelines, with the earlier one quickly going through time to catch up at the end to combine the timelines. I'm not sure the big "reveal" about Moira was supposed to be a surprise - it's pretty obvious starting several chapters before it's blatantly stated. The romance is also fairly good as it is more of a subplot and I quite liked Ernest as a character.

There are several things that I didn't like, although they didn't bother me as much as they could have. I enjoyed the story enough that it made up for the smaller issues I had. The time space, which was unique and a great concept, was under explained - how it worked, how the watches worked, how the time walking worked, etc. Also I'm not sure how much I liked most of the characters - I kept changing my mind on Moira especially since her motivations stopped making sense halfway through the book, but I guess it was for the story. Also the tension externally felt a bit lacking, especially considering that it was supposed to be taking place during the Cold War, and the "rebels" were poorly explained.

Generally, I'd recommend this book, especially if you like fantasy romances and books about time travel.

This is my first Hayley Gelfuso book and I am blown away! My heart hurts but is so happy at the same time. I enjoyed this book so much. It was a slow start, but once I started putting things together, I couldn’t put it down.
Lisavet was just a child trapped in the time space, a huge library filled with books of memories, waiting for her father, who seems to never return. She grows up among the memories of the world along side the faded memory of Azrael. She realizes government agents are coming to the time space to burn memories of people in the past, trying to stop an idea from taking root.
Soon, she meets Ernest, an American spy, and sets her out to change the past, possibly changing the way the time space works.
We meet Amelia, who is mourning, trying to navigate a world where she is all alone. She meets a CIA agent who needs her help. But when Amelia goes to the time space, she begins to question whether what she’s been told is true.
The twists and turns had me biting my nails. I screamed, I cried, I laughed! I absolutely loved this book and will definitely recommend it.

3.5 ⭐️
I enjoyed this story and thought it was very creative. I really enjoyed the idea or Time Space. I thought the book started off interesting, I love the story between Lisavet and Earnest when they were young. Earnest was a gem through the whole book. Lisavet as she got older, I didn't really care for. And I get it she went through some rough stuff, but some of her choices were questionable. The dual timelines were interesting but also confusing at times. I felt it was a little predictable, but it really didn't take from the story too much. One thing that drove me a bit crazy was how much smoking was talked about. Okay, I get it they are crazy smokers. I guess all in all, I had a little trouble connecting with the characters and getting that feeling in suppose to get. Also felt that the ending was. alittle lackluster. But the idea was really fun and creative. The Time Space was a really interesting idea.

Thank you, Netgalley, Adrian and Simon & Shuster for this eARC read in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC. All opinions are my own. I wanted to love this book based on the synopsis and I am so sad that I just didn’t. The premise is intriguing but what lost me was the character development and how easy it was to figure out the twist. It was too easy to end up feeling disconnected from the characters. The story felt like it plodded along.

🕰️ The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso 🕰️

Release Date: August 26, 2025

"History is written by the victors." - Winston Churchill (kind of)

Lisavet Levy is 11 years old when her watchmaker father hides her in the time space, a place where time exists on its own and memories are stored in books, with no way to get out on her own. Before he can return for her to pursue their plans of escape to America, her father is killed by the rising regime in 1938 Germany. Lisavet lives in the time space for over a decade, typical physiological needs like sleep and food suspended, until she meets Ernest. As a timekeeper, Ernest possesses one of the rare watches that allows him to access the time space. He is also an employee of the US government and tasked with tampering with certain memories. As Lisavet and Ernest grow closer, Ernest begins to question the work he has been doing.

Fast forward several years: Lisavet Levy has vanished and Ernest has been murdered in the time space. Ernest's neice, Amelia, inherits his watch and finds herself entangled with several government agents who want to use her to access the time space in order to find a secret book of memories.

Hayley Gelfuso's debut novel is an interesting dive into the concept of time and what could be possible if time were non-linear and able to be altered by a select few. The beginning felt very much like a political expose, but by the middle, the characters and plot had taken over. I was captivated by the characters identities and relationships throughout the course of time and enjoyed trying to figure out what really happened. The ending, however, fell a little flat for me. Without spoilers, it seemed rushed with an out of place HEA.

Thematic elements:

▪️Time/space continuum
▪️Time-travel
▪️Romance
▪️Right person/wrong time
▪️Suspense
▪️Spy drama

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you to @netgalley and Atria Books for the eARC! All opinions are strictly my own.

#thebookoflosthours #netgalley #historicalfiction #historicalfantasy #sciencefiction #romance

This book was entirely unexpected, for me. I am a big fan of fantasy concepts, historical fiction, and emotional rollercoasters; this, in one way or another, checked all those boxes.

I have never read a book quite like this; a magical, beautiful and strange library known as the timespace, holding millions of books containing memories all across time. A generational love story, of many sorts; the love parents have for their children, that people hold for their partners, that friends hold for each other, and the love of time, memory and human story. It made me feel sad, angry, happy, warm, and grateful. It was beautifully written, thought provoking, and on brand for the content, a book I certainly would remember, and will share with others so it's story can't be erased.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to Atria books for the ARC of The Book of Lost Hours! Lisavet is sent in to a space where memories of people live in books and in ghostly apparitions and where food, drink, and sleep are not needed. As she lives here for years and years and sees timekeepers running around interfering with memories and destroying them, she steps in. Trying to save memories, she eventually becomes a symbol to others. A deeply adventurous book involving love, control, power, and the fragility of life according to time - this book exceeded my expectations. I was very moved by many of the romantic scenes in this book, and the ending was very much a nod to fate. Without giving away the story, this is a great read for those who enjoy fantasy, romance, and sci-fi. I definitely recommend!

Told from two points in time that eventually merge into one, this story was an intriguing read in the best way. Watching the characters and the stories unfold with the back and forth until the timelines finally meet was a great presentation of the story. The themes of what we would do to protect the people we love and how history is perceived were gripping. Nothing really caught me off guard in terms of plot twists but they were still great twists. When you want to pull the characters out of a story or jump into it to make them behave, you know it’s a good book! And the writing style is easily one of my favorites.

The Book Of Lost Hours @hggelfuso

“Obedience may make for good soldiers, but it makes for even greater tragedies.“

Im gonna try real hard to be cool about this book. 😬 I finished this arc last night after reading it nightly for about a week and man…. Incredible. One of the best books I have EVER read. I’m vibing so hard right now with unique stories that aren’t copy paste romantasy (sorry but I’m overrrrr it) and this one hit the spot so hard. This book explores time, memory, love and the sacrifices we make for it, history, book/memory burning, and makes you think about how we all see history differently based on where we were born and who taught it to us. This book really broke my brain in the best way. I can’t recommend it enough!

Thank you @netgalley @atriabooks for the arc!
Pub date: 8/26/2025

I had such a good time reading The Book of Lost Hours this week! Hayley Gelfuso, you wrote a lovely, fascinating story ☺️

The Book of Lost Hours is a beautifully written love story with a sprinkle of Historical Fiction and time travel. I loved following the journey of Lisavet Levy as she walked through the time space library. I was captivated by the concept of the library and I felt incredibly empathetic thinking of the heartbreaking decisions the characters made to protect their loved ones. I think Hayley’s character development was so well thought out - I have such fondness for every one of the main characters. I can’t wait to see people talking about this book more soon!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this story early!

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso is a novel that lingers long after the final page. The importance of history and collective memory, and how they can be manipulated, has never felt more urgent. To whom do memories belong? Can there ever be truth if history is rewritten or forgotten?
Gelfuso’s prose is mesmerizing, weaving a story that had me hooked from start to finish. It’s rare for me to devour a book in one sitting, but I physically could not put this down. Every twist drew me deeper, and by the end, I was in tears, both happy and sad.
The character development is exceptional, particularly with Lisavet and Amelia, whose arcs are brilliantly executed. The rest of the cast is equally compelling, and I loved that I could never quite tell which side certain characters were on.
This book delivers a powerful message, unforgettable characters, and a plot so gripping you’ll lose all track of time. It’s easily one of my top reads of the year and one I’ll be recommending to everyone

This was one of the most unique and fascinating books I have read in a long time. Such a cool, interesting idea about time, memories and the impact of policing memory and thoughts.

I took a star off because it took a little bit to get into and the alternating story lines slightly lagged at the beginning, but the second half of the book flew by and really came together.

If you liked the Midnight Library like I did, this book is for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

In 1938 Germany, eleven year old Lisavet Levy, lives with her father, who makes watches for time travelers. When the Nazis come to arrest them for being Jews,her father hides her in a time space so she will not be discovered. He never returns. She grows up in the time space surrounded by a huge library of books of memories. She realizes she must hide from time travelers from various countries ,who want to destroy the books, so they can revise history to agree with their own ideologies. She tries to save as many memory books as she can. One day she meets Ernest, an American CIA Employee, who befriends her during his furtive visits. Will she ever see him again, in a different time?

This is also a love story that transcends the constraints of time. It is a tale of heroism, impossible choices, and selfless sacrifice in order to save, and learn from, accurate historical memories.

I was enthralled, enchanted, and mesmerized by this beautifully written, cautionary tale. The characters are well developed and the story is one that needs to be read and discussed.

I absolutely adored the premise of this story, it was such a unique twist to time travel that I had never even seen anything remotely like it. It touched on the heavy topics with a gentle hand that showed them in good and bad lights so that the reader was the one left to make the decision of whether it could be seen as a good or a bad thing, or what they instead would do in the same place as the characters. Some wonderful quotes that really stuck with me after finishing reading it, definitely a prose forward story because a lot of the passages are spent in just one character's space who is totally alone. An altogether wonderful take on time travel and the consequences of messing with memories and history.

Tough to get into this confusing new world, but an interesting story. It felt predictable, It was fine.

4.5 stars rounded up

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I think sometimes telling a story through dual timelines can get confusing and convoluted, but the way the two timelines weaved together to tell this story worked so well. I liked getting pieces of the story in one of the timelines and then seeing it all come together in the other. I'm not always a fan of multiple points of view, but I liked that with this book, it wasn't set in stone which characters we followed. It flowed between characters so easily that it made sense, and I could understand why we were with certain characters at different times. I think it also worked with the overall theme of the book, time is a fluid thing, so it makes sense that the way this story is told is just as fluid.

The characters were all flawed and complicated in their own ways, which made them feel real and fully fleshed out. Chapter 22 made me a little emotional, reading the interaction between Lisavet and Azreal. I don't often get emotional when I'm reading, so that's saying something.

There is just enough foreshadowing to give you the idea that there is something more going on, but I didn't put 2 and 2 together until it was actually revealed, and then thought back on those little crumbs and everything made sense then. I also think that Gelfuso did a good job of explaining the 'science' and 'theory' behind the Time Space without it feeling too much like a lecture or something that I couldn't understand.

I think this book sparks an important conversation about who controls history and what stories get told, which is becoming an increasingly more important conversation to have, but I do think that could have been explored a bit more. It felt like we got close to having an actual dialogue about it, but never quite got there.