I enjoyed this tale of magical time travel. The concept is great, with the costume shop to create the perfect disguise for each time period, with the world of Pocket, hidden away from the flow of time. The mysterious Fawkes and the determined Callisto. But I never really connected with the characters or world. It was always like there was a distance separating us that kept me for caring about them fully. The romance is also very much insta-love, which is one of my least favorite tropes. They meet, they're together... there's no relationship development.

The plot was more coherent than time travel plots often are, and I had no issue with it. But my issues with the instalove and difficulty connecting with the characters impacted my enjoyment.

*Thanks to Candlewick for providing an early copy for review.

Costumes for Time Travelers was honestly unlike anything else I'd read before, which I have to give huge credit for. I will always appreciate an author that does something a little different. We're following Calisto, who works at their grandmother's shop which provides... well, costumes for time travelers. They live quite a lonely, sheltered life in a place out of time called Pocket, perhaps a bit bored of life, but clearly in love with their job. The importance of fashion in time travel is something I haven't really seen explored anywhere else and I thought it was a really cool idea right off the bat. I also love a fashionista of a character lol. Shortly into the story we're introduced to our second main character, Fawkes, 'the time savant' that flies through time like nobody else has been documented to do and for that has earned himself a bit of a strange reputation. Despite that, him and Calisto are immediately drawn to each other and it even seems that Fawkes already knows them. What follows is honestly a very fun, strange adventure that once you start reading, is very difficult to put down.
Now for the difficulties I had with it. The beginning honestly had me very confused - there's a kind of dreamy quality to the writing and descriptions that I, as a reader, tend to struggle with. I could not tell you what any of what I read looked like - and unfortunately, that's very important to me as I have a terrible imagination. Perhaps that's where the issue lies. If you're not a detail-oriented person, you might love this. Also, very importantly to me at least, the characters - while I loved them in theory, especially my dearest Fawkes, I felt they were all completely unreachable to me, and by the end I was so detached from anything that was happening, despite things being quite high-stakes.
I think the core of why this book didn't work for me and what influenced everything I've mentioned so far - the pace was waaaay to fast. I almost felt like I was skimming the book. There was absolutely no time allowed to sit with anything, situations came rushing in quickly and left even quicker. I think this story could've honestly been incredibly impactful and possibly a favorite if we'd just been given... time. More exploration of characters and their relationships. Not to mention the side characters... could not name one honestly.
All that being said, I had a fun time. I found a lot of this very clever, lots of interesting ideas sprinkled all over. I even laughed out loud a bunch of times. I would definitely read more from this author.
Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Candlewick for this ARC!!

I first discovered author A. R. Capetta with the early chapter book Hocus and Pocus: A Spell for Home. I was amazed at the sense of whimsy and magic they created in such a short, simple story. When I saw the book Costumes for Time Travelers, which I would guess will be marketed to a young adult audience, I had to give it a try, and I'm so glad I did. In Costumes for Time Travelers, shy homebody Calisto finds time travel adventure and love when they meet Fawkes, the "time savant." Together, they fight to save the world from splintering with the rise of a new, destructive timeline. This cozy fantasy features excellent world-building and well-developed characters that I fell in love with. It's an adventure for sure, but also a beautifully crafted tale of first love. This is a book I plan to re-read and that I highly recommend. I will be waiting to see what A. R. Capetta offers us next, no matter what age it's for. Thank you to Candlewick and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

3.5 stars

The concept is very interesting, I do enjoy time travel stories with locations outside of space/time. The writing style is very simplistic but also gives the book an overall vibe that is very atmospheric.

I really enjoyed our protagonists! I love how Calisto's skills as a tailor play into the story, as well as Fawkes' weird timey-wimey abilities. The romance is soyyy cuteee, Fawkes can see into the future a bit so he already knows Calisto and that they get together, which could have made it weird, but I think they both communicate and understand each other pretty well, so it works out! :)

TBH, I did not love the plot as a whole. The main antagonist guy was alright, but the time wardens, while I get the concept, never felt like much of a threat and were beaten too easily.

As a whole, this was a quirky, comforting read <3

Calisto lives outside of time, in the town of Pocket, where they help their grandmother make costumes for time travelers, painstakingly creating outfits that will fit into whatever time a traveler wishes to go to. However, things take a turn when their grandmother sets off traveling again, to her childhood, and a mysterious stranger, the time savant, rolls into town. Fawkes, the savant, knows them already, and he's being chased by the time wardens, people who want to end time travel forever. And there's another force, a man who wants to make the secrets of time travel available to all, no matter what the cost may be. Calisto and Fawkes set off to save their world and all of time, rattling through Elizabethan England, ancient Crete, and 1999 California.
This was such a fun book. It actually managed to make time travel work for me. It was cozy and wholesome and I fell in love with the town of Pocket and the whole wild cast. It was such a fun series of settings and the whole concept of a tailor for time travelers was great. Calisto was a little flat at times, but Fawkes was interesting enough to make up for them. All in all this was an adorable, quick, cozy read.

The world-building is great. I love how it's set in this mysterious place called Pocket that exists outside our own. I also love how it focuses on dressmaking and the importance of having an outfit that fits in (quite overlooked in general time travel fiction) The fabric pattern printed throughout the book also completed the dressmaking theme.

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick for giving me access to an e-arc for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Queer time travel YA is right up my alley, and the concept for this one is immaculate. I loved the town of Pocket, where our MC Calisto lives with their loveable, intriguing family. What was less immaculate to me, though, was the execution of this book. The writing felt confusing to the point of nonsensical, which is probably my main criticism. I also thought the story was very rushed, and I just wish everything had been developed and structured more clearly.

This queer cozy romantasy sounded cute with a cool premise but I honestly go rather bored fairly early on and decided I didn't want to slog through to see if it would get better. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. This one just wasn't for me.

Queer norm worlds should be a thing in every book. I enjoyed this but do wish it was a bit longer to maybe flesh out some things. I needed some more development with the relationship between Callisto and Fawkes. I loved the timey-wimey bits and the fact it didn't all go over my head. Also I would love either more books or companion novels within Pocket.

I’m not big on time travel to be honest. So a lot of this hit the notes about what I don’t enjoy BUT I think Capetta helps it by having some very intriguing characters and keeping it condensed enough to keep you engaged. A good read for simple time travel enjoyers

I'm not sure if its just the Netgalley file, but the Kindle edition is glitched, which made it a little difficult to read at times but overall I found the story very cute and an enjoyable read.

While reading this, I kept thinking how nice it would be if you could just ask someone their pronouns without wondering how they would respond. Then, have everyone respect them. I absolutely loved the discussion of chosen vs. given names, too. I know it wasn't central to the story at all, but at the same time, it makes a huge difference. The only issue I had was Fawkes was called the Time Savant multiple times (so many) times in the book. Didn't like that at all.

At first, I thought there was going to be a Doctor Who/River Song type relationship (if you haven't watched Doctor Who yet, you really should), since they talked about a non-linear relationship between the two. In a way, yes, but at the same time, not really. Fawkes gets glimpses of the future. Although, I don't think it was ever really spelled out if that was the only way or if he had met Calisto before. I really would have liked better explanation on that, but if wishes were horses . . .

I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more by the author in the future.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book! My opinions are my own and are freely given.

I love a good time traveling story and Costumes for Time Travelers has such a unique take on it. It's like a combination of portal fantasy, timeline manipulation, and this concept of timelines which need to be protected. So it's some of my favorite concepts all mashed into one. Then we have Pocket which is like this time traveling nexus town where we meet Calisto. I'm a sucker for a good 'out of order' meeting and this fits the bill! One world building idea I especially loved was the concept of costumes for time traveling.

As someone who is not normally a sci fi lover, I full heartedly can recommend this delightful little romp! Queer time travel, what a concept! I loved all of the characters, the plot was compelling, and the romance was lovely.

What would you do if someone you met for the first time said that nonlinearily, you had known each other forever. Calisto and Fawkes are a wonderful duo, and even as (on a linear timeline) they are just getting to know each other, you really do feel that they have know each other a very, very long time.

And oh, the costumes! The descriptions of fabrics and styles and stitches took my breath away! And that reveal of Calisto's time power- mmm just perfect! Truly the costuming and sewing lens this book took I think is what made the science fiction bits a lot more accessible to me. Truly, beautiful work.

Thank you A. R. Capetta, Candlewick Publishing, and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was actually one book I was DYING to read this year, so to give it such a low rating is upsetting. I think one of the biggest issues for me personally was the writing. I couldn't vibe. I don't know if it was flowery prose or the unsteady pace of the book. The time travel confused me. It really didn't make much sense and really time travel books are always a hit or miss. But what really bothered me was the antagonist and his "motives". I won't spoil it in case you do want to pick it up, but iykyk.

But I still say, try it out. What I like will be different than what you like. It has great LGBTQIA+ rep (one of the main characters is non-binary). The vibes of Pocket and the places they travel sounded like fun.

Overall, great concept just not the greatest execution.

This is a charming story about two people finding their strengths and paths through their connection with each other. At the beginning we find ourselves in a setting outside of time, where travelers from anywhen come in for provisions, including their time shoes and the correct clothing to pass as someone from a specific era.

The writing has some really fun, creative moments. One of my faves was the description of a dress being as short as a gasp. There were other usages of sound as measure, beyond all the clothing references and puns, of course.

Sadly, it didn't really hook me. Part of it were my expectations getting in the way. Somehow I thought this would read older and have older characters (this last bit is definitely my fault). Fawkes and Calisto are sweet, but their relationship isn't developed enough for my taste, nor is the plot or the setting. Some plot threads were just too convenient or had some holes in them. The messaging could also get super in your face, and I never enjoy that.

But I don't want to be too harsh, because I believe this should be read as a fun adventure featuring diverse characters and a quirky family. So if that sounds like your kind of thing, you'll probably enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley, A.R. Capetta and Candlewick for the chance to read and review this book.

This story is adorable. I was giggling and kicking my feet pretty much the whole time. While it’s a time-travel story, we see it linear so it’s not as difficult to follow as I thought it would be. Admittedly, I didn’t always get the timey-wimey bits, but not enough that it made it any less enjoyable. The different “powers” different time travelers have is a really cool concept and if more stories come out of this world, I’m really interested in what some of the others are. The characters are instantly likeable. I love the family dynamics and am a huge fan of settings where non-traditional families and gender queerness is a norm and doesn’t need to be directly addressed. This was a very cozy and lighthearted read and I was instantly charmed.

If you are a fan of Cloud Atlas, Doctor Who, and even those random Star Trek episodes about time travel, then this book is for you. It is a timey wimey adventure through time that is both cozy and emotional. I felt a lot of different emotions while reading this book, and I will gladly revisit again.

This book had such a unique concept and amazing representation but what fell flat for me was the writing. I did struggle to get into it, and I felt like at times the book was way too rushed, this book could benefit from possibly having another 100 pages getting into the story more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Holiday House for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun and quick time travel story featuring a nonbinary main character and lots of queer side characters. Calisto is an interesting character with a near arc, and I enjoyed how they and Fawkes set about saving the world. I loved the presence of thruples too with two sets of side characters. I think fans of How to Lose the Time War or Doctor Who will enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

*Note: I had to read this in the NetGalley app since the Kindle version was a mess and unreadable.