In Notes on Infinity, Austin Taylor blends young adults grappling with relationships with cutting-edge science in a story that’s equal parts brainy and bittersweet. The novel follows Zoe, the daughter of an MIT professor who’s spent most of her life orbiting the twin suns of science and sibling rivalry. Living in the shadow of her brilliant older brother, Zoe’s ready to step into her own light—and possibly launch a start-up while she’s at it.

At Harvard (because, of course,), she meets Jack, a charmingly intense lab partner. The two connect while working in a professor’s lab, where their discussions lead them to explore an idea for an anti-aging drug.

Taylor offers us an insightful and heartfelt exploration of ambition, identity, and the quest for immortality, whether in a laboratory or a relationship—four stars for sharp writing and compelling characters. I appreciated the glimpse into a startup. I also loved all of the local Cambridge references.

Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor (book cover is in image) unfortunately was not an engaging read for me. Story was good but not great. It started off with a bang and kept you wanting to keep going but ended up loosing steam.

The Narrators Helen Laser, and Shahjehan Khan did a credible job but were not enough to keep me engaged throughout. It had the fell of Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, where the technicalities of the science/tech was interesting to follow (full disclosure, I work in technology), but the character development was shallow. There is definitely and audience for this book but I am not it.

Rating: 3 stars
Pub Date: Jun 03 2025

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC. All opinions are my own.

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The narration for Notes on Infinity truly carried the experience for me. The narrator did such a great job bringing Zoe and Jack to life. I loved how she gave each character a distinct voice without it ever feeling overdone. Her pacing was great and she managed to hold my attention even when the plot itself started to drift a bit in the second half.

Even when the story started to feel less compelling, the narration kept me engaged. Honestly, I might have enjoyed this book less in print, but the audiobook made it a worthwhile listen.

I enjoyed learning about the characters in this story. It gave me the thrill of a thriller, learning what happened over the years, but was a relatable story on life choices and the roads we take.

2.75 ⭐️ I was so interested in the premise of this book, the first 2/3 of this book I was continually feeling more and more invested in the characters and their plot but it did get pretty slow throughout the last 1/3 of the book. I just didn’t love the direction the plot went. I do wish there was a lot more to the main characters relationship and I feel like a lot of the plot towards the end ended up just feeling kind of random. It kind of gave me similar vibes to tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. The plot is definitely a lot different but it definitely gave me similar vibes and I ended up having some of the same feelings about that book as well. Overall, it was an okay read, the whole topic of extending the lifespan and them doing all of this together in college had so much potential but it just left me wanting in some areas at the end!

I listened to the ALC for Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor and narrated by Helen Laser; Shahjehan Khan and, wow. This story had me in its grip from the very beginning. This is the story of Zoe and Jack. Zoe is the daughter of an MIT professor and her brother is at Stanford as a PhD candidate, Of course, that was what was expected of him. When it comes to Zoe, she opted not for MIT or Stanford, she chose Harvard. She is studying science and when she meets Jack she is completely intrigued by him. He is working in a lab with a professor that Zoe is dying to work with. Jack introduces her. Jack disappears for days on end. He is working in two labs and barely attending class. Zoe and Jack come up with a cure for aging. It's revolutionary. They are working on it non-stop and drop out of Harvard. They get start up funding and you realize for Zoe she wants her parents to be proud of her - all the expectations in her family were on her brother. This is a story of love and obsession, betrayal and deceit, and not being confined to the limits that others put on you. In the musical, Hamilton, the lyric goes, 'why do you write like you're running out of time'. It's not writing, it's science, but the idea works for Jack's character. He was always trying to cram in more work than there were hours in the day.

This is a debut novel and I think the writing in this book is very, very good. I gave it 4.25 stars. I'll be back to read Austin Taylor's next book. I need to thank Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for my ALC. This book comes out June 10, 2025

I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about this one—which maybe says something about the book itself. I was definitely drawn in from the start. There’s a clear Elizabeth Holmes vibe that hooked me immediately, and I was curious to see how far the parallels would go. That kind of unraveling of ambition, ego, and blurred lines between innovation and deception always gets me.

The audiobook was well done—strong narrators and a structure that worked in audio. I appreciated the perspectives given. Seeing the same events unfold through different eyes gave the whole narrative a sharper edge.

This seems like one of those books that readers either really connect with or really don’t—and I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. I was interested the whole way through, but I’m not totally sure what I’m left with. Maybe that’s thought-provoking in its own way.

If you like stories about ambition, tech, and the gray space between truth and spin, this might be worth checking out. Thank you to the publisher for the free audiobook to review.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this one. I really felt like it gave incredible insight into startups and the challenges that they face. I felt that the story did a nice job of accurately portraying the possible impact on mental health and the need to make sure you take care of yourself.

I liked this - it was really different than anything that I’ve ever read. I’ve seen lots of reviews comparing it to Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow, but I can’t speak on that as I’ve not read it yet. I think that people in STEM will really enjoy it! This was very character driven and also was written with heart. I listened to this on audio and I enjoyed the narration. It didn’t grab my attention the way that some others have. But it was still good and easy to get through!

I honestly don't know why this book isn't receiving a higher rating. I loved this book! Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor is a debut novel that blends scientific ambition with emotional depth. In this story we follow Zoe Kyriakidis and Jack Leahy, two overachieving Harvard sophomores who develop an anti-aging drug. Their relationship waffles between romantic and professional and is the focus of the story. I loved that the first half of the story focused on Zoe's perspective and the last half focused on Jack's perspective. I also loved the inclusion of real life scientific scandals such as Theranos. I also thought that Taylor's exploration of gender politics and class insecurity within elite academia was enlightening. With a unique blend of romance, science and ethics, Notes on Infinity was a home run for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This is a really interesting insight into science and startups, as described. I enjoyed the diverse characters and their character development.

This was an excellent debut novel. [book:Notes on Infinity|217387909] follows Zoe and Jack, two Harvard students from very different backgrounds who discover what might be a cure for aging. They drop out, start a biotech company, blow up in the media… and then things get messy. They are way over their heads as the truth starts to unravel. Both main characters are flawed with tendencies towards youthful mistakes, a train wreck you can totally see coming, but it doesn’t lessen how much this book will also break your heart.

The audiobook is so well done. Helen Laser and Shahjehan Khan are a great pair to bring Zoe and Jack to life in a way that makes you really feel the ups and downs of the plot.

Overall it’s a book with big ideas and emotional depth, filled with science, academia and start ups. I think a lot of people will love this book, including audiobook fans, and readers of romance, contemporary fiction, and sci-fi.

My main criticism lie in the pacing and some of the flashback / flash forward structure that was sometimes disruptive, but sometimes worked well. In addition, it started slow which made it difficult to get into immediately, but did pick up midway.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for an advance copy. It’s out now - opinions are my own!

Notes on Infinity has a interesting premise, exploring the concept of infinity through both personal and philosophical lenses. The story itself is engaging, following a protagonist trying to understand infinity. It touches on deep, thought-provoking themes, and the emotional journey is compelling.

However, the book gets bogged down by a lot of technical information, particularly in the form of complex math and abstract ideas. For someone without a strong background in these areas, it can be hard to follow and sometimes interrupts the flow of the story. While the intellectual parts are interesting, they often overshadow the more human side of the narrative.

The voice narration was easy to listen to.

Overall, the base story is good, but the heavy technical focus might make it difficult for some readers to stay fully engaged.
Thank you Net Galley, Austin Taylor and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to preview this title.
Notes on Infinity is now available.

Zoe and Jack are students at Harvard who have discovered an anti aging cure. They’re launched into the biotech startup world. Zoe has always lived in the shadow of her MIT professor father and scientist brother so she’s determined to make a name for herself. Jack is not nearly as organized as her but their brains love to work with one another! There are secrets, lies, love, and a whole lot of topics packed into this story.

Once this story got going, I could not put it down. The last half was a complete rollercoaster. I started to get really invested in the characters and if they’d find success. While the last half flew by, it was just too much. There were so many ideas and storylines being what felt like thrown in left and right. It felt like it was for the sake of shock value when the main story was interesting enough already. I did end up enjoying the story overall though!

Thank you so much to Celadon Books and Austin Taylor for providing this physical ARC. This is my honest review! This published on June 3rd.

Two Harvard students (who don't really go to class very much) drop out to focus their full attention on their anti-aging startup. Somewhere along the way the science and the business of the science complicate things and create a devastating chain of events. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

Notes on Infinity is a slow burn about two Harvard students who begin a startup focused on ending the aging process. The first half of the story is heavy on background and science, but the last part is fast-paced and ties up a lot of loose ends. The reader doesn't have to completely grasp all of the scientific concepts to follow along with the storyline. The character development of the novel was really well done and the narrator does a great job of taking on their different personalities. I didn't feel the chemistry between Jack and Zoe, and felt Zoe had more chemistry with a secondary character in the novel. Overall, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Notes on Infinity, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to do so. I recommend this novel to people who enjoy science and higher education. 3/5 Stars,

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook arc in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you Celadonbooks and Macmillan Audio for all the advanced readers copies via Netgalley and the gifted finished copy for the Celadon Reads Together! What a fun idea to match other bookstagrammers together to make a buddy read for an upcoming release!

Let me first say:
Cover? Stunning.
It’s what initially drew me in on NetGalley.
Premise? Promising.
But I’ll be frank- it took me 3 times to get into this one and even still it remained difficult for me to stay invested. I think that while it may have had more to do with my mental capacity at the time and being preoccupied with heavy life things, not necessarily due to the writing or science talk per se, but I never connected with the characters or story. I do advise this to be read in as few and frequent sittings as possible (but that could be because it never left an impression on me so I was quick to forget what happened and where I was in the story).

It’s like a mix of Theranos and Tomorrow x3 in terms of concept (college-aged kids starting a product; I’m curious if these were Taylor’s inspirations?). It’s ambitious beyond its capabilities (like its main characters) and I never felt fully sold on the concept in general (also, these “geniuses” never seemed genius, just driven by a young, naive and faux-invincible mindset and happen to love science). While I applaud Taylor for her attempt, it just didn’t do much for me. I wanted more intrigue, more character depth and development, more suspense even. I also thought there would be more sci-fi/speculative fiction in this so perhaps that expectation made the actual story fall flat too. Maybe I’m too critical of a reader…

I’ll probably still keep my copy and possibly give it another chance in the future but for now I’ve got more than plenty on my tbr to pick up before that option crosses my mind. Content includes profanity, light sexual content and remarks, suicide, allusions to drug abuse and eating disorder.

🌀✨ Thoughtful, emotional, and unique—but the structure didn’t quite work for me ✨🌀

Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor was one of my most anticipated reads, and I’m so grateful to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan for both the ALC and a physical copy!

This story had so many of the elements I love: emotional depth, introspection, and a love story that doesn’t shy away from life’s complexities. I was deeply invested in Zoe’s point of view, and I appreciated the raw honesty and heart she brought to the narrative.

That said, the book’s structure didn’t entirely work for me. Most of the story is told from Zoe’s POV, with several chapters from Jack’s perspective appearing only toward the very end. While I understand why this choice was made, I personally would have loved Jack’s POV sprinkled throughout..it would’ve added more balance and emotional resonance earlier on.

The audiobook, however, was well done and added a layer of richness to the experience. It definitely helped me stay connected to the story even when I found the pacing uneven.

A unique story with a lot of heart, especially for readers who enjoy emotionally driven narratives and character exploration.

This is a quiet, slow-burn kind of story—one that follows two brilliant Harvard students, Zoe and Jack, who drop out to chase a shared dream. What starts as a scientific theory turns into a startup, a bond, and a complex exploration of ambition, intellect, and connection.

Yes, the pacing is slow—but purposefully so. It lingers in the moments, allowing the emotional undercurrents to build. I actually loved that about it. If it feels slow at first, just keep going—it’s worth it. I’ll admit I didn’t fully grasp all the science (and you don’t really need to), because the emotional and psychological dynamics are what drive this story forward.

Zoe and Jack are magnetic in that intoxicating, almost toxic way—two brilliant minds drawn to each other with a force that feels both inevitable and doomed. You can feel them trying to create something meaningful in the world, even as they struggle to understand themselves and each other.

Where the story ultimately goes took me by surprise, and I won’t spoil a thing—but it added a whole new layer of poignancy I didn’t expect. It’s been compared to Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and while it has a similar emotional weight and introspective vibe, it’s very much its own journey.

By the end, I found myself more moved and more invested than I thought I would be at the beginning. If you enjoy stories that feel both smart and sad, strange and human—stories that could almost be about real people—this one is absolutely worth the read.

Having been involved in a startup for boosting longevity and medical device development, I was instantly intrigued by this one. I definitely see where the comps to tomorrow x3 are coming from. This was a very approachable listen, I think it portrayed the issues with a fund-seeking startup really well! I wanted it to go a bit deeper in all the aspects but I think that's more on me. Helen Laser and Shahjehan Khan make a great narrator duo for this one and I flew through the audiobook!