The Summer of Impossible Things

Where do I start? How do you review a book that touched you on every level and still has me thinking about it, days after I galloped to the end? This is so much more than a time travel book. It is deep, focusses on real problems and real solutions. And the lengths to which we are prepared to go to save our loved ones.

I've made no secret of the fact that We Are All Made of Stars is one of my all-time favourite books, but, although very different, The Summer of Impossible Things is up there next to it!

I've no idea how Rowan's brain works, but I do know that it must go on the most fabulous journeys when she researches books and crafts them. This book has everything. Quantum Physics, which seems quite normal, romance, suspension, NYC in 1977 and family relationships.

I'm not going to mention the plot - the blurb covers it and I don't want to give too much away. Suffice to say, the tension builds, as the heat does and I don't how she did it, but the plot moves faster and faster! I was panicking, exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time!

Would Luna cease to exist? Read it and find out.....this is a MUST-READ!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review and if I could give 10 **, I would!

This is the most beautiful, captivating book I have read in a very long time. Once you have understood what is happening it will hook you and pull you in, so you can hear the scrape of the fire escape, feel the heat of the sun on your back. It evokes a time not so long ago, where everything seemed different, but fundamentally it was the same. Love, hope, dreams. What more do we need? I love this line -
'What I’m trying to say is, you might as well try as hard as you can to follow your dreams, otherwise what are they for, except to remind you of everything you didn’t do.’
That, and this book will stay with me for a very long time. It is a pleasure to pick up anything written by Ms Coleman, but I think this one goes straight to the top of my favourite turn to book. I would recommend this to everyone, old or young, happy or sad. It is amazing. I received this via NG but the views are all my own.

'The Summer of Impossible Things' by Rowan Coleman is quite simply pure perfection. I didn't think there was any way Rowan could produce a book to rival 'We Are All Made of Stars', which catapulted to the top of my all time favourite reads in 2015, but somehow she has managed to do so with ease.

How can I write a review that will do this wonderful, magical book justice? That will convey the many different emotions I felt as I drank in every word of Luna's beautiful and moving story? I don't think I can. But what I will say is this: Read 'The Summer of Impossible Things' and enjoy every word of the journey it takes you on. Allow yourself to be swept along on a voyage of discovery, feel every emotion with Luna as she tries to put right the events of the past.

The Brooklyn of 1977 is brought vividly to life, you can feel the heat of that long gone summer and are instantly transported to a different time and place. If you had the opportunity to change the past, to heal the wounds of the people you love, would you? This is the dilemma Luna is faced with, all the time knowing that doing so could rewrite her own future. Is she willing to give up everything for the sake of her family?

This is a book like no other I have ever read. At the same time as wanting to rush ahead to find out what happened, I didn't want the story to ever end. I savoured every beautiful, heartfelt word and felt moved beyond words when the story finally came to an end.

'The Summer of Impossible Things' is one of those books that will stay with me. One of the few books I know I will read again and again like 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, 'Time and Again' by Jack Finney and, of course, Rowan Coleman's earlier book, the amazing 'We Are All Made of Stars'. All very different, but all having the ability to move and inspire me. To always believe in the impossible.

If I could give it more than 5 stars I would, but it is, without a doubt, the easiest 5 stars I've given in a long time. Outstanding. Can't wait to see what Rowan Coleman comes up with next!

Firstly, my thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rowan Coleman for the advance copy. I will admit to not reading the blurb before starting this book, so I wasn't sure what to expect except if Rowan had written it - I was bound to love it. The Summer of Impossible Things is basically a book about making sacrifices for the people you love. I admit to only reading one other time travel book before (11.22.63 by Stephen King) so this isn't a topic I know much about, but what I do know is how the book made me feel. The Summer of Impossible Things is a book that made me question how far I would travel to protect my family, what would I do to ensure my loved ones are happy and safe? This wonderful story about Luna and Pea and their journey to save their mother was both moving and beautiful and thought-provoking (and whilst reading it I was hoping Hollywood would make this into a film too!)

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had done something differently? Made a different decision? Gone this way instead of that way? What if someone could travel back in time and change your life not knowing how any changes could alter their own?

This book was a joy to read. It is well written and made me think of how my own life might have been if I had done things differently. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. 5 big fat stars*****

I absolutely loved this book! It has that great ability to make the fantastic feel real and relevant which is the mark of a wonderful storyteller and a rare gift. This book reminded me of the way I felt reading The Time Traveller's Wife for the first time and yet manages to be original in both it's tone and in the love story at it's heart. A love story not of husband and wife but of mother and daughter. I felt entirely invested in Luna's quest to fix the past and change the future and I loved seeing how each of her changes to the past resonated in the future. The last couple of lines in the book surprised and confused me momentarily, before being replaced with a rush of joy that the story should end in that way. Moving throughout and brought to the close with an entirely perfect ending, this book deserves every success and I have no doubt that it will quickly become a contemporary classic. I cannot wait to read more from this very special author!

Well, firstly wow, i'm not sure how to review this book. It's a great read and I was hooked immediately. The story is a a time traveling tale of love and the righting of wrongs. It takes you on an emotional rollercoaster, but that's not all because you are on an adventure at the same time. Just imagine if you could go back in time to me and meet your parents when they were young and care free.....and then tinker with the past to correct wrongs and heal hurt. The concept is great, the settings are completely believable, it's simply well written. The storyline moves at a good pace and it had me gripped throughout. One of the best things is the lack of nonsense and filler - I got the impression that the author had carefully removed anything unnecessary. I can't tolerate books that have meaningless detail. The characters here feel real, even the ones with bit parts. This book is ripe for turning into a film so, give it a go before then - you won't be disappointed. I am off now to search for other books written by this author.