This book was a DNF for me, unfortunately. I don’t think I’m the correct audience for the content of the story. Gaming is something I know nothing about, though I realise it has a huge appeal across age groups. My 9 year old grandson would probably understand it better!
It’s well written, but the wrong choice for me.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

A mesmerising blend of friendship, video games and love, like nothing I’ve ever read before.

Sam and Sadie meet in a children’s hospital in the 1980s, Sam is recovering from a car crash that has left him with long term pain and disability and Sadie is visiting her sister. They bond over video games.

A chance meeting almost a decade later sets them on a path to riches and success. Their lives woven around the cultural changes of the 1990s through the 2000s. Spanning lovers, marriage and a beautifully portrayed relationship with ongoing physical pain.

I loved the smooth switching of povs and the development of both Sam and Sadie. I also loved the way Sam’s disability was represented in the book. The writing style was sublime easily switching between characters eras and cities.

This book took me to places other stories have failed to tread. Exploring themes of identity and play whilst posing always the question what exactly is true love??

4,5
This is a smart, imaginative, wonderful novel with great characters and lots of references to art, anime, music, literature. At times there is a bit of a ya vibe, but I had so much fun reading this story about friendship, love, creativity, gaming and growing up that I didn’t really care about it. I’m not much of a gaming person myself but the games that Sadie and Sam design are described so beautifully that if they really existed I would immediately buy a game console and start playing their games! Check out Sadie’s first game for instance, made by the publisher to promote the book (link in article).
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/21/emilyblaster-video-emily-dickinson-gabrielle-zevin-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Thank you Random House UK and Netgalley UK for the ARC.

A moving story, spanning decades of the intertwined lives of the two central characters Sam and Sadie, charting those that come into and out of their lives, their great loves, heartbreaks and the creation of their lives' work. The tagline 'this is not a romance, but it's about love' couldn't be more accurate - we see the good, the bad and the ugly of the many forms love can take in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. And it is exquisite.

This book is a little out of my usual comfort zone, being kind-of-historical fiction, kind-of-contemporary, kind-of-literary - and I'm not a gamer. But Zevin has done so well to balance all these things, explaining just enough to the reader without patronising, and allowing profound, reflective moments to shine. I was initially drawn to this ARC by the cover design, which ties in so well to key moments in the text. Each time I read the title, I thought of Macbeth (and inevitably get that section from the song 'Take a Break' in Hamilton stuck in my head) - and to read the way this tied into the story was so satisfying - it's an excellent and poignant choice of title.

The characters were so messy, complicated and real. Sam and Sadie's dynamic was fantastic - truly a beautiful depiction of young love, childhood friendship and the closeness of creative collaborators. Sam will stick with me for a long time after finishing this, as will Marx. Side characters like Dov and Lola feel full and vibrant and important - they're not simply NPCs, as Sam would put it!

My only quarrels were that sometimes the book felt directionless - with this being a book about these character's lives, there isn't really a 'goal' that many narratives rely upon. Personally it feels a little longer than it needs to be, and I'm not a huge fan of the Pioneers section, but I understand the purpose of it, and everything the writer was trying to do. That being said, I kept coming back to this book, and at many times it was unputdownable.

There were so many moments that I feel like I've been through, or can empathise with, and there will be so many of these moments for a variety of readers. I hope this book gets the notice it deserves, because it really is one worth shouting about.

I think this is definitely a contender for my favourite book of the year.

Spanning 30 years this is a story unlike most. We follow two friends, along with other really well developed characters (NPCs if you will) across the course of their lives from children to successful game designers. Don't be put off by the focus on video games if that's not your bag, this book was about so much more than that. I really enjoyed all the references to old games and nostalgia thrown in along the way, but mostly it was about navigating life, relationships, love in it's various forms, trauma, and the need to depend on and work with others to find meaning in life in whatever form that may take.

Had me hooked and I one of those books that stays with you long after reading. Excellent writing throughout as well. I'll be buying this for a friend or two.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a wonderful story that follows the highs and lows of friendship and love. We see Sam and Sadie's relationship develop from unlikely childhood friends, to long time collaborators and business partners, with plenty of bumps in the road.

A book to savour and enjoy the journey. It spans a few decades and I was kept engaged throughout, always wanting to know what would happen next in their intertwined lives. A charming, mesmerising story.

I was intrigued by the premise of this one, and by the rave reviews I had already read, and although I have no interest whatsoever in gaming (which is at the core of the book), I found myself hitting request anyway. I am SO GLAD that I did.

While ostensibly about two childhood friends with a shared love of gaming, it is so much more than that. This is a sweeping novel that encompasses love in all its forms, illness, mortality, sacrifice, family (and maybe even more importantly, chosen family), and the mature of life itself.

I fell so hard for the two main characters, Sam and Sadie, who felt so real to me that I pined for them after the book ended. I loved how certain chapters switched things up, and how we sometimes found out information we hadn't gotten to chronologically yet. There was a chapter towards the end that was one of the most beautifully written and exquisitely moving observations on death and dying that I have ever read, and which I will be thinking about for ever. (And which made me sob like a baby). And there was a bittersweetness to the whole novel - the agonies and ecstasies of growing up and growing older, of loving, and of losing.

There are very few books that affect me so much that I feel like they will be branded on my heart forever, but Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is one of them. I loved this book with my whole heart, and I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher who granted me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely beautiful book. I loved it and could not put it down. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in return for a review.

I really enjoyed this book and the whole setting was lovable about two kids who had a vision with a love of video games which I can relate to you get to go o a journey with them and really get a view of the industry and how the characters grow ...

Overal i loved this book and had to come back to it a few times it never gripped me but i did really enjoy it and would read more from the author in the future.

This was a complex and layered novel, handled extremely well by the author. To keep a grip on the plot over multiple decades is impressive. Although it took me some concentration to keep track of the many perspectives/time shifts, it was worth it. It may challenge a novice reader, but it is worth persevering with.
There is so much crossover between readers and gamers, so I think this book will find a welcome audience. You can tell a lot of attention went it to making it period-specific, and getting all the right details, which I always appreciate.

I found this one difficult to finish, for reasons I’m unsure how best to explain. There was a real lack of connection to the characters, although their backstories were described beautifully, I couldn’t feel close to any of them, or care much about what happened to them.

Such a shame, and I’m unsure whether this is the author’s fault, or whether I’ve just picked this book up at the wrong time. Perhaps I will try again at some point in the future.

Gabrielle Zevin is an excellent writer whose previous novels include some really outstanding books (most notably 'The Storied Life of AJ Fikry'). So expectations are always going to be high, and that's part of the reason I found 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' a bit underwhelming. It's not bad, not by any means, but it lacks the exceptional quality she is capable of.

The novel is the story of two childhood friends with a love of video gaming, who set up a successful games company at the expense of their friendship. The novel is from both of their viewpoints, although there's no switching perspective mid-chapter thankfully. Zevin always writes well and the story is engaging and easy to get into. The topic is interesting and even if you don't know much about gaming, the way she writes is accessible. She doesn't shy away from detail and that adds to the authenticity of the book (albeit I wouldn't know if the techy bits are accurate or not).

The thing that would have made this decent and interesting book into an unforgettable one, is the characters. If I could have truly loved the characters it would have taken things to a higher league - but I didn't. I'm not sure I even found them wholly likeable. Believable, yes, but not people I was rooting for as much as I should have been. Both Sadie and Sam (the two friends) were rather irritating. The novel is largely about their many fallings out, which gets tired pretty quickly. A whole book of people squabbling isn't a lot of fun to read, and it's not even got underlying sexual tension to liven it up.

I applaud Zevin's decision to avoid romance between the two leads and write about a friendship - it's just a shame that mostly what she wrote was two friends who'd fallen out. Whilst we're supposed to believe Sadie and Sam have a very deep bond and love each other platonically, it's increasingly hard for the reader to buy into that when you read their interactions. I felt like giving both of them a good shake. I was annoyed with them for squandering their friendship and the collaborative opportunities it gave them, and not recognising and appreciating what they had. Is that true to life? Yes, almost certainly. If this book has taught me one thing it's that it's seldom worth throwing away a good friendship on grievances - even ones that seem major or well justified. And when I'm next irritated with one of my friends, I'm going to imagine someone reading a novel about it and what their perception would be - almost certainly that whatever was bothering me so much would seem trivial and best to let go.

I would certainly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy video games and have an interest in the world behind it. Also readers looking for stories focussed on a friendship rather than romantic relationship can add this to their list. For more general readers, it's a decently written book, and if you have plenty of reading time is worth reading. If your time is very limited, there are better books to spend it on (including the earlier titles by the same author).

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a book that took me completely by surprise. From the blurb I was expecting something full of saccharine nerdy nostalgia and what I got was something completely unexpected and different. It is a book about games and people, and people making games but it’s also about the games we play with people; friendships, relationships, the things that go said and unsaid, literally the game of life. It’s a book that will make you laugh in places and cry in others. It’s philosophical and poignant. It’s impossible to read and not feel changed by the experience. Upon finishing it I feel shellshocked, I’m just not ready to part with Sadie and Sam.

This is a beautiful book however I found in places that it was a little slow going but other areas of the book were wonderful and showed an amazing view with gaming and friendships

This book is simply amazing. As a non gamer I wasn't sure if this would be for me but I've read a similar style book and I enjoyed that so I was hoping for the same. This was just as good, if not better and had me hooked from the start. Its set over 30 years so you get to see the characters grow into themselves. Loved the characters, loved the setting and loved the storyline. I'm a big audiobook fan and this is one I will definitely be revisiting on audio.

Torn on how to review this..
Parts of this book are 5 stars absolutely…other parts were just average. It’s a shame because I feel like with some more editing, this could definitely be a great book.

Good bits: loved the unique storyline, I don’t know much about the gaming industry and it was cool to feel smart for awhile when reading this 😊, the characters were loveable and had a lot of potential for some good drama! The author is a great writer, with a lovely flow.

The let down: The character arcs were pretty flat, the plot became redundant, I got bored at 3/4 of the way through.

This one is going to be hard to rate. The narrative follows the lives of Sam and Sadie from childhood friends to adult business partners in video gaming. There were parts of this book which i really enjoyed and the author creates a believable. almost see-sawing relationship between the two MCs. There is as much going on between the lines of the narrative as within it. Lots of things to make the reader challenge their own ideas and those of society.

However the gaming side is so drawn out, the descriptions of game playing were just mind-numbing for someone who has never played a video game in their life, The whole of "Pioneers" could, in my opinion have been dealt with in 2 pages. It felt contrived and unnecessary.

I am not sure that the parts I did like outweigh those I really struggled with. I do know that for an average sized book of 400 odd pages it took me a long time to read. I didn't find myself drawn back to the book whenever I could read and for that reason I think it is hard to rate at more than 3 stars.

The first novel I've ever read that really gets video games, even though it's not really about video games, but rather loss and friendship. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Sending this review after I’ve only read 50% of the book because I’m enjoying it so much I’ve pre-ordered the special edition hardback!

I’ve recommended it to a friend who usually reads sci-fi and fantasy - not because I think that’s what it is, but for me it sits in that territory. Almost hyper-real, like you’re not entirely sure the book is set in an accurate version of our world or in a particularly vivid dream.

I’m reading it slowly, adoring the characters, feeling like I know them, and getting lost in what Zevin has created. She’s firmly planted herself in my list of all time favourite writers.

I hate to say it but I was very disappointed with this book.

Having read Gabrielle Zevin's 'The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry' (which I loved) and 'Young Jane Young" (which I liked a lot), my expectations for 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' were very high. However, the story proved to be just as boring as the title, which I'm sure makes sense at a certain point in the book but I couldn't get past 30%.

If there's one thing I liked, that's the characters. Zevin creates really believable and interesting characters but even that couldn't get me interested in the story line and the neverending talk about video games. Yes, I know that's what the book is about and I usually like to learn new information on topics I know nothing about but - again - it was boring!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.