I really enjoyed this book, in contrast to my middle of the road rating, but despite my enjoyment there was something missing throughout. The plot is okay, the characters are also okay and the progression of the events within are alright too. The real selling point for this book actually fell within the audio book, and for that reason I'm so glad I read and listened to this story in both formats. The narrators for Esso and Rhia, the two protagonists whose world's collide with startling impact, are expertly selected for the audio book and were the predominant reason I loved this story.

Essentially this is an exploration of how possible time travel might be. The author leaves it up to you in some part to decide how believable you think their explanations are, but Esso and Rhia have to accept its real and work together to stop a tragic event from having ever happened.

It's difficult to become invested in the story because neither the plot or the characters leap off the page - they only do this when given narrative voices through the audiobook. I very rarely listen to audiobooks, feeling most often like I prefer to attribute voices to characters myself, so I'd probably be the last person to suggest that's the best format to enjoy a book, but this book should have solely been an audiobook because the dialogue absolutely needs to be heard, rather than read, to appreciate the author's point of view. There is a standout representation of character dialect, nuance of behaviour and perhaps most importantly their opinions via the tone of voice. Usually I find narrators distracting, but the two in this book were phenomenal and made me believe I was listening to them truly tell their stories.

A great addition the genre, but lost without the audiobook.

ARC of both text and audiobook provided from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Esso is a teen growing up in Peckham, The Endz, in our current time.

Rhia is a teen growing up in The Endz sixteen years in the future.

Their fates are tied by a single bullet, a single moment.

And a race against time becomes a race for their futures.

*

I loved The Upper World! It was an absolutely unputdownable THRILLING ride. I am really not that into reading thrillers but when I read the blurb and it promised to be a mix of time travel and a thriller... I was curious. Plus, the author, Femi Fadugba, is a Physicist which made me even more curious to read!

I really enjoyed the general gritty London feel of this, Esso's moments were so believable and so atmospheric I felt like I was there. I am a Londoner born and bred and spent my late teens to early 20s in South East London and reading this... I FELT like I was there, I FELT Esso's moments, I recognised the places he talked about and I felt his feelings. I can't praise Fadugba's atmospheric writing enough!

Physics has not ever been my forte, but the way things were explained in The Upper World meant that I never felt like I was on the backfoot, things were always explained in such clear ways that it always made sense (in the context of the book!)

Then there was Esso himself. I loved him. He was a bit of an idiot in moments but he tried so hard to be good. He was written so well, he could have been one of my brothers. I worried for him and feared the consequences of his actions but I always understood where he was coming from. His growth as teen was one of my favourite parts of this book. And Rhia, was just gorgeously written. An incredibly smart orphan who is traumatised by her past and trying to guarantee her future, I really wanted to just give her a hug and fix everything. Despite what the world throws her way she always found a way to make things right.

Please just read this and give Esso and Rhia some hugs. They really need it.

#theupperworld #netgalley

The writing in this book is great. The way the author captured the characters voice is amazing, you can hear the characters as you read it. The world creation is great too.
But, it all went a little over my head and I struggled to plod through.
If you're really into scifi then grab this book for a gritty tale.

This novel feels like a book of multiple parts which unfortunately don't always succeed in fitting together. Firstly there is the duality of narrators - Esso and Rhia; then the duality of 'historical period' offering a 15 year difference in perspective; and finally the duality of the real world versus the titular upper world. What starts out as a stereotypical London based, gang focussed lens on young black masculinity, segues into a discussion of astrophysics complete with equations and references the philosophical musings of Esso's late father. Perhaps this will appeal to those with an interest in physics and time travel, but I found myself switching off during the lengthy discussions of scientific theory. Fadugba is clearly a talented artist and a passionate advocate for his scientific field...I wonder if the Netflix adaptation will illuminate the narrative more fully and enhance my comprehension?

3/5 stars

The Upper World tells the story of Esso, who discovers that he can see visions of the future, and Rhia, a generation later, who is trying to find out more about her absent parents.

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year, as I absolutely love time travel books –– it's a favourite trope of mine. However, I think that maybe the reason I didn't love this book was due to personal preference, and I've seen nothing but praise for this book so maybe I am an outlier.

I think the first barrier for this book is that I really didn't get on with the writing style. It is definitely not poorly written, I just didn't get on with it. The second is that the Upper World is told with two perspectives, Rhia's and Esso's, and I struggled to distinguish between the voices of these two, which made it hard for me to root for any of the characters. This may just be me, though, as I have seen other reviews that disagree. The final barrier I had with it was the fact that the plot just went over my head. This is perhaps the book's fault with the world building not working for me, but I think it was a case of the words just not going into my brain for some reason. Like I mentioned earlier, the vast majority of the reviews disagree with me.

Obviously I liked the general premise of the book, and I liked the passages of the book that were to do with physics. I found that quite interesting, but I understand that some of it probably will confuse people. The plot itself did confuse me a little.

Overall, I would recommend as I'm sure lots of people will like it. It feels like a book that perhaps if I read it at a different time I would enjoy it more. However, I don't think I will pick up any more books in this series, but don't let me put you off from picking this up.

The Upper World is a brilliantly fast paced debut YA novel from Femi Fadugba that interweaves the gritty realities of London life with the theory of time travel. Vividly told through dual perspectives and set in Peckham, South London, we meet Esso and Rhia who instantly drew me into their lives. I really connected to Esso, who in present day is having a hard time balancing the normal difficulties of life as a teenage boy, on top of the pressures of street rivalries. Rhia 15 years in the future is a rising football star living in the foster care system. She is looking for any clues to what happened to her parents and when she meets her new physics tutor, they may both have the answers the other is searching for.

So many aspects of this book are moving and thought provoking, I found myself shaking my head in sadness at the struggles and obstacles that are very much a part of life growing up in inner cities. A wonderful job was done to highlight real references mixed into the fiction of the story. The crescendo pacing was exactly what was needed and boy did it all lead up to a dramatic yet heart wrenching finish.

Packed full of scientific logic and physicists theories which were fairly easy to understand and very educational, I would have loved reading this book while I was at school, not only does it fantastically portray British street culture, it also would have really give me representation and motivation to embrace science in a completely new way. I hope schools around the UK have The Upper World stocked in their libraries.

Now I listen to a lot of audiobooks and this one while perfectly narrated by Tom Moutchi and Weruche Opia had instrumental music scattered throughout. It mostly added to the drama and tension building, but personally I found it at times distracting particularly in several of Rhia's chapters. However, if you have the chance to listen to the audio version, do it! Especially if you are not from London or used to the type of British vernacular that was spoken by the characters. The language was so descriptive that it is no wonder that The Upper World got picked up to be adapted into a Netflix film, staring Oscar winning actor Daniel Kaluuya, before the book was even published!

I'm excited to see what the future brings for Fadugba, I hear a sequel is in the works, one that focuses on "quantum mechanics and the multiverse". The idea of a Peckham based multiverse is amazing news to my sci-fi loving self!

Thank you to Penguin Random Children' UK sand NetGalley for copies of the eARC and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.



TW: violence, mental health, death

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for my advanced reader copy of this YA Sci Fi novel by @femifadugba
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis: There is a moment in time we'd all like to travel back to and there is one particular moment that Esso and Rhia would love to change if they could. This story shows a dual timeline that connects the characters: original Esso is at the t point and Rhia meets Dr Esso, fifteen years in the future as he tutors her in physics and somehow has a photo of her mother in his bag. How are they connected? What does the Upper World mean for their connected past, present and future? How can they access this Upper World, first mentioned by Socrates?

Review: This was epic! I grew up not too far from this side of London and have friends living there still, so it was great to see parts mentioned. The vernacular is very particular and familiar but as time has gone on in the novel, the words are no longer relevant, Esso is considered out of the loop which made for a fun read. There were many funny moments actually, but the pathos of the painful teenage years where you long to be relevant and important to people; where you crush hard and are desperate to belong, that time when you long to find a place for yoursel - all of this was written about so well in this novel about time travel. I learnt a lot about the physics of light and time itself, a lot about the psychology of being young and how our futures are shaped by circumstances out of our control as well as those we can influence.

This was a fun read and I'm already looking forward to this when it comes to Netflix!

This is not your average Sci-fi novel!

The best reason that I can give for why I think that this new sci-fi YA novel will be a huge hit is that it’s probably too cool for this forty-something teacher. There is talk of drill (I asked my 12-year-old), gangs, youth culture and lots of teenage concerns. However, there is also a load of physics involved, and it’s all explained in a really accessible way – it takes what kids will have learnt about in school and extrapolates it to explain how time travel is apparently possible.

In terms of plot, there are two really strong stories here which quickly merge together once you’ve got thoroughly immersed in each of them. There is plenty of grit, tears and pain in the lives of both Rhia and Esso, who are both likeable and misunderstood, multidimensional characters – by the end of the novel, you’re really rooting for them both to succeed.

I’ve got a really reluctant reader at home, but I loved this ARC so much that I’ve pre-ordered him a physical copy. I’ve also put it on my wish list for the school library, and I really believe that teenage boys in particular will love this.

I don’t normally assign a rating to my reviews, but I’m going to give this one an easy 5 out of 5!

This is a very strange yet intriguing book.

Like most time-travel novels I've read in the past, I expected this one to be action-packed, thrilling and very fast-paced. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is unlike anything I've ever read!

We follow two timelines and two characters. Esso is a teenager in Peckham, juggling school, gang drama, his mum's expectations and his feelings for the girl he loves. But when a freak accident leads him to see 'the upper world', everything changes. The second POV is Rhia, who lives with her foster family fifteen years in the future. She is an upcoming football prodigy who never knew her birth mother and is trying to survive through each day. When Esso and Rhia's paths collide… they discover more about themselves than they ever knew.

I loved the fact this book combined physics with such a thrilling concept. This book is peppered with physics explanations and diagrams, that make it such a fun read, but also doesn't make you scratch your head in confusion. The characters were much more central to the story than the plot itself. This was unexpected, but I really liked how I fell in love with both characters. Esso and Rhia were fleshed out so well- although we read their stories fifteen years apart, we still learn a lot about their worlds and how they deal with their own relationships.

The writing was really great. It was easy to read and kept me hooked! As this book is set in London, there is a lot of colloquial language, which I really loved and stood out the most in this book for me. As someone who's lived their whole life here, I understood it and it made this story even more relatable. But for someone not familiar with it, it can take a couple of chapters to get used to. The author wrote this book in such a compelling way, that you keep wanting to know what happens next!

The ending was really strange for me. I still don't know how to feel about it, but it made sense in a way that it rounds off the story well. It's almost a bittersweet ending for our two characters. Overall, this is a really gripping read, and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for something fresh that will keep you intrigued!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

The premise of the story was very interesting. We have two characters intrinsically linked by an event that Esso is desperate to prevent. While this event has led to Rhia 15 years later needing this event to have been stopped. At the same time Esso is introduced through a book left by his dad, to the upper world. This leads him to not only believe he can see the future but because he can see it that he can change it.
The story is set in London in both present day and 15 years in the future. Esso is caught up in a world of rival gangs, violence and little hope for the future. While Rhia 15 years on has been in and out of foster homes and struggles to believe that she can achieve as she feels things always go wrong.
The story is well told with an interesting plot.

Esso is trying to steer clear of gang violence but keeps being pulled in by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fifteen years later, Rhia wants answers about what happened to her parents who both died when she was a baby. Both of their stories culminate in a story about family, time, and space - can you change the past to change your future?

The story is told through two timelines, Esso and Rhia, and they gradually become entwined as the story progresses. The two main characters are extremely sympathetic to read about, I really wanted things to work out for them both. There's quite a lot of science and maths touched on in the book and at times it became a little confusing as to what was happening. I enjoyed reading it, but the ending didn't quite work for me,

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Penguin Random House Children's UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

An epic read, VERY difficult to put down and I cannot wait to see how this transfers to the screen in its upcoming adaptation for Netflix. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this before publication in exchange for my thoughts.
The Upper World is a place alluded to by a number of people. Nobody is convinced of its existence, and those who talk of it are not of the best mental health. The Upper World is a place that seems to exist outside our reality, where time effectively stops and where there is always the chance to affect events in the real world.
This story is mind-bending in the best possible way. It unashamedly revels in its nerd-factor, delights in the depiction of its teen characters and their lives, and yet the thing I found more challenging to read and understand was the language used between some of the characters. With the help of my own teenage sons, the finer points were explained and I could focus on working out the details of the story.
The main focus is Esso in the present, and then Rhia sixteen years in the future (who ends up meeting an adult Esso). These two characters are linked in a way that means they need each other for their stories to play out.
Our first meeting with Esso sets up a story like no other. After being involved in a car crash, Esso starts to see snatches of the future. He is desperate to do what he has to in order to protect someone close to him. To do this he needs Rhia…
That is as much detail as I can give. Trust me, this is a cleverly-plotted and engaging story that picks you up and spits you out once it’s all over.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Fadugba is a fresh voice in modern urban fantasy, combining the gritty reality of life in the ends with a Doctor Who-like story of time travel. I loved the juxtaposition of maths and physics and how it was both included and explained to the reader, which in no way diverted from the plot. Having two time strands happening simultaneously was a great way to keep the tension going and added to the climax of the narrative. I think this might be a the start of a series - if so I can't wait to see where it goes.

For those not in the know, this is one of the latest acquisitions by Netflix to make it to the streaming service. And I can see why. A YA mind bending, time travelling, science heavy read, with a likeable male lead who walks the rocky path that can lead him to be killed in the prime of his youth thanks to gang violence, struggling to make his way through high school and make something of himself and also to be decent man.

I will admit I did struggle with the first half of this read; as mentioned previously it is science heavy (despite Fadugba’s admirable attempts at dumbing it down - it just wasn’t enough for me! 🙈) as the time travel elements are explained. And there’s also a lot of slang that I just didn’t understand - yes, yes I know I’m getting old. I guess I’m not down with the kids anymore 😢😆

But having said that - I was invested in Esso’s story; both as a teen and when working with Rhia. I loved the sass and the loyalty. I also loved how, despite my inability to understand it all, it came across as a really well thought out novel. I also loved how this isn’t just about time travel; it’s about believing in yourself and your own abilities and capabilities - and to never listen to those who say you can’t achieve anything.
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⚠️Trigger warnings and potential spoilers⚠️ Deals heavily with gangs, gang violence, and attempted murder.

Never have I had so much fun with a book about physics.

The story follow Esso who starts to have glimpses into the future after getting into a car accident and it also follows Rhia whose less-than-perfect life starts to slowly peel away after she comes into contact with a strange tutor who perhaps is not all he's cracked up to be.

Right from go, this plot is very engaging and no doubt this is thanks to the the humour and wit that carries the writing. It takes these super high concept stuff - like university level physics - and spices them with humour and a great story to make it accessible for everyone to get into, no matter if you love maths or absolutely hate it (like myself.)

Also, with that, the story is no doubt carried by its two main characters.

Esso is so likeable it hurts. Never have I read a character that I would just wanna hang around with as much as him. He's so chill, witty, and relatable with how he stumbles through the story. He's believable even in a story where the whole of time is baring down his shoulders .

Rhia, as well, is superb once she gets going. In the early chapters, she definitely suffers with a POV overshadowing with the vibrancy of Esso compared to her more dry, sarcastic tone to life. However, once the mysteries of the novel start to unfurl, she's a very engaging and pro-active protagonist that you're rooting for throughout her roughest and best moments.

All-in-all, this is a time-travel novel that's not afraid to go high concept but still very much comprehendible. It reminded me of the first time I picked up Percy Jackson for the first time and the absolute adrenaline that powered through me as I went on this massive, high-staked quest. The nostalgia was very much real. This is the perfect read, as well, for STEM kids who perhaps don't read as much because nothing really appeals to them. It gives them everything they could want bundled in a tight clean package of a book.

Can't wait to see what Fadugba has got in store because this was one hell of a way to start it off!

'The Upper World' is an intriguing time travel story that doesn't quite stick its landing. The book combines ancient philosophy with hardcore maths and physics to explore the relationship between matter, energy, and perception. It takes the Socratic idea of the 'Upper World' - a place beyond our everyday experience where, if we can reach it, we can perceive time and space from the outside and find a deeper understanding of the workings of the universe. The characters use this knowledge to attempt to change the past, with unexpected consequences.

It is the characters who hooked me into the story. Esso is a believable teenager, navigating the gangs and complex loyalties of his South London comprehensive school alongside the expectations of his teachers and his West African mother. Fifteen years into the future, Rhia is juggling her unreliable home life in foster care with her ambition to become a professional football player. When she meets the maths and physics tutor her foster mother hired to help with her GCSEs, she finds herself diving into complex concepts - relativity, energy, and time travel. But why does Dr Esso think these ideas are important, and what, exactly, does he want from her?

The structure of the story builds the tension between the characters and the events they are trying to change. Esso's present-day chapters alternate with Rhia's future experiences. We know from early in the book that teenage Esso is heading for a dramatic, gang-related punishment, and as the story progresses he does everything he can to avoid disaster. In the future, Dr Esso's interest in time travel starts to make sense, as Rhia begins to understand who she is, and her connection to her tutor's past.

Rhia's foster sister provides an effective sounding board for her theories, and the genuine friendship between the girls provides a contrast with teenage Esso's companions - a group of boys who would rather taunt each other than show weakness. Esso's relationship with his classmate Nadia allows him to demonstrate a softer side to his character, and her pivotal role in the story develops across both timelines. Both Esso and Rhia are sympathetic characters, and I found myself heartbroken alongside them when the plot twists and injustices kicked in.

While the climax of both stories is extremely well written, I wasn't convinced by the plot leading up to the final moments. While I enjoyed the idea of weaving Einstein's theories and the philosophy of Socrates and Plato into a YA time-travel narrative, the plot stretched the science and the philosophical ideas beyond breaking point, and this threw me out of the story.

I'm aware that I am not the target audience, and that I have read (and wrestled with the concepts of) a lot of time-travel stories. For YA readers with less exposure to maths, physics, science fiction, and the various fictional theories of time travel, 'The Upper World' may well provide a gripping and satisfying read. If you don't mind a bit of hand-waving and magical thinking with your real-world physics, this is an exciting story with clever twists, interesting ideas, sympathetic characters, and convincing real-world settings. If that sounds appealing, don't let my review put you off!

This book is based on two different characters Esso and Rhia. They live at different times and somehow their lives are entwined together. This book was very good - it had great time travel elements to it - i enjoyed the in depth physics part of the books this was very interesting to read about. It had great modern elements in this book aswell and would be quite relevant for the young adults of today.

The Upper World is sassy, smart and a lightning-fast read. If you're a fan of experimental and edgy YA, this is definitely the book for you. It's like Patrice Lawrence's Orangeboy and Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time had the most perfect offspring book. It's a tale of lost love with a clever mystery wrapped in science and belief, shot with regret, and ultimately hope.

Femi Fadugba has done for Physics what Jostein Gaarder (Sophie's world) did for Philosophy, except better. It's got all the sass of Angie Thomas, the storytelling of Malorie Blackman and the creativity of Neal Shusterman. There's humour too, and love amid GCSEs. Big issues like gang culture, violence and agency appear like a Greek Chorus creating a tense backdrop for the story of two teenagers locked in this bend of time.

Esso is the perfect mentor for young Rhia. He has lived through a powerful moment that Rhia longs to visit for her own reasons. Whether you believe the author's argument for time travel or not, you will buy into the stories of these two very real main characters.

The author builds a world where no character gets off lightly. Anger and frustration build as bad decisions and flawed characters make the kind of moves real life doles out. I adored that Esso and Rhia showed their maths work in a little scrapbook at the end. There was a definite London feel to the story and the dialogue. I was over the moon while watching Big Zuu who also used the phrase 'abeg abeg'. I love authenticity in stories and will be recommending to all my readers who love suspense and something gripping and different (which is everyone).

Thanks for the eARC from NetGalley and Penguin, it was a super treat.

I really enjoyed this gripping book, and just couldn’t put it down. I really liked the characters, and I know the pupils I teach will enjoy this so I look forward to recommending to them

Unfortunately another book which didn't hit the mark for me this month - far too much like a Maths/Physics lesson and I found myself skimming large portions of it. I like the idea of the story but it just got far too complex for me. Obviously the fault is with me here, I was never great at either of those subjects!