Holly Trost tried to create a realistic concept and thought it did a good job in this book. It was a unique concept and needed a little more polish. I appreciated getting to read this and had a story there, I look forward to read more from Holly Trost.

I really wanted to love Lost Time— I feel that the concept had a lot of potential. The idea of exploring memory, identity, and time itself could have made for a gripping and emotional read. Unfortunately, the execution fell short for me.


The pacing felt uneven throughout; some parts m dragged on feeling repetitive, while others—moments that should’ve packed an emotional punch—felt rushed or glossed over entirely. I also expected to connect with the main character, however that was not the case, as to me their decisions often felt inconsistent or poorly justified. Dialogue at times came off stilted, and side characters a lack of any real depth needed to make their stories memorable.

That said, I did appreciate a few of the themes and the ambition behind the narrative. Trost clearly had something important to say, but I think the story would have benefited from more time. Not a total loss, but not a book I’d return to or recommend.

Let me start by saying I have never given a book one star. I have DNF’d books because I didn’t like the story or the subject was not of interest to me. I gave this one star because of the poor writing and lack of character development.

The premise of the story is a forgotten girl who spent years of her life caring for her mother with Alzheimer’s. She has two friends and a boyfriend. The boyfriend is a jerk and she is really in love with her male friend who is helping her through this time after the loss of her mother. She ends up “falling through time” to explore each of her relationships and overcome some of her personal issues such as self doubt and insecurity.

The problem is the writing is very sophomoric. The characters have no depth and fell flat. Conversations held between characters are very stilted and sound canned. There is no chemistry between the characters - even the two that are supposed to love each other.

This is Christian fiction which I have enjoyed in the past. But like some Christian fiction - in an effort to deliver the message it becomes very “preachy”. Even if you are a fan of Christian fiction this book did not reach the level of other writers in this genre.

Overall I just would not recommend the book. I’m not even sure what this writer could do to save this story The premise was good - the story just did not deliver.

I did receive an ARC copy of this book.

I picked up "Lost Time" by Holly Trost expecting a heartfelt journey through grief, love, and the complexities of caring for someone with Alzheimer's. Instead, I got what feels like a rough draft that escaped into the wild before anyone could teach it proper social skills. I received an ARC from Netgalley and they want my honest opinion so here it goes.

The premise had promise: a young woman who sacrificed years caring for her mother with Alzheimer's gets to magically time-travel through her relationships to figure out her romantic life. It's like "A Christmas Carol" but with more dating confusion and fewer ghosts in chains. Unfortunately, the execution makes you wonder if the author also fell through time—specifically to sophomore year of high school creative writing class, where she got stuck.

Our protagonist is supposedly a deep, complex woman shaped by years of sacrifice and loss. In practice, she has about as much personality as a wet paper towel and roughly the same emotional range. I kept waiting for her to show some spark, some hint of the person who endured such hardship, but she mostly just... exists. She's like human elevator music.

The love triangle (because of course there's a love triangle) features a boyfriend who's such an obvious jerk that he might as well twirl a mustache, and a male best friend who's so perfect he practically glows. The romantic tension between our heroine and Mr. Perfect has all the electricity of a dead car battery. I've seen more chemistry between my grocery list and my refrigerator.

The dialogue deserves special mention, and not the good kind. Characters speak like they're reading cue cards written by someone who learned human conversation from a 1950s etiquette manual. Sample exchange:
"I care about you deeply, Sarah."
"Oh, Jonathan, your words touch my heart in ways I cannot express."
"Perhaps we should discuss our feelings more thoroughly."
I actually checked to see if this was translated from another language. It wasn't. This is just how Holly Trost thinks people talk when they have feelings.

As Christian fiction, the book has the subtlety of a foghorn in a library. The spiritual message gets delivered with all the finesse of someone throwing Bibles at your head while shouting "DO YOU GET IT YET?" I've read plenty of Christian fiction that weaves faith naturally into compelling stories. This reads like someone took a regular romance novel and randomly inserted Bible verses like they were adding chocolate chips to cookie dough—except the cookies are stale and the chocolate chips are preachy.

The time-travel mechanic, which should be the book's most interesting feature, feels tacked on like a band-aid on a broken plot. Our heroine doesn't so much "fall through time" as she occasionally has flashbacks that are slightly more organized than usual. I've had more dramatic temporal experiences rearranging my photo albums.

The supporting characters are so two-dimensional they could be used as bookmarks. The dead mother, who should be a powerful presence haunting the narrative, is less memorable than most people's grocery store cashiers. The friends exist solely to ask leading questions that allow our heroine to explain her feelings at length, like human exposition machines.

What's most frustrating is that the core concept has real potential. Caregiver burnout, delayed grief, and the challenge of rebuilding your identity after years of self-sacrifice—these are meaty themes that deserve better treatment. It's like watching someone take premium ingredients and turn them into cafeteria food.

The writing style itself reads like it was processed through a "Generic Romance Novel Generator 3000." Every emotion is stated rather than shown, every revelation is telegraphed three chapters in advance, and every dramatic moment lands with the impact of a marshmallow hitting a pillow.
I kept hoping the book would find its footing, maybe in the second half when the time-travel elements kicked in. Instead, it doubled down on all its weaknesses while adding plot holes large enough to drive a time machine through.

Would I recommend this book? Only if you're conducting a master class on how not to write dialogue, or if you need something to prop up a wobbly table. The table deserves better, but it's not picky.

What could save this story? A complete rewrite, a dialogue coach, and perhaps a spiritual advisor who understands the difference between "faithful" and "preachy." Also, characters who act like actual humans rather than cardboard cutouts with feelings stapled on.

Rating: ⭐⭐ (One star for the decent premise, one star because I finished it, which shows remarkable dedication to suffering)
Note: No time was actually lost reading this book, though it certainly felt that way.

Trost is a master of the written word, and this story is an emotional triumph. Stunning while also being heartbreaking, and will make you think..