This book thoroughly facinated me, I've never read anything quite like it. Steeped in video game culture but also a wonderful introspection on human relationships and how messy they are through life.

I became obsessed with the journey of the Sadie, Sam and Marx building their own company in the golden age of games. And then I became obsessed with how their relationships evolved, the good and the bad. None of the characters ever seem to react the way you predict, there is constant conflict and resolution but it's what makes this irresistible to keep reading. Zevin represents race and disability with such realism, it really grounded the story.

I would honestly reccomend this for anyone who has an appreciation for video games, but at heart loves good stories about people

A beautiful, character-driven novel about two friends and the game production company they start. The writing is stunning, and I grew really attached to the characters. A few plot points seemed a little rushed, but all in all a very good book that I really enjoyed reading.

It's the late 1980s, and pre-teens Sam and Sadie meet in a Los Angeles hospital. Sam is recovering from a horrific car accident that killed his mother and smashed up his foot, leaving him permanently disabled, while Sadie is visiting her older sister. Sam and Sadie bond over playing computer games, so when they reunite as young adults, it's not surprising that they end up designing games together. However, their partnership is not always an easy one. Half-Korean, half-Jewish Sam - who's reminiscent of a softer version of the traumatised Theo in Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch - is secretive, struggling with the chronic pain caused by his injury and the way it's alienated him from his own body. Sadie is frustrated when Sam is given primary credit for their collaborations; the world assumes that as a female programmer, she must be the sidekick. Gabrielle Zevin handles the duo's conflicts beautifully, never casting one as the wronged victim and one as the permanent aggressor. They also have recurring, complex disagreements about how far 'making art' conflicts with the desire to reach a larger audience, which Zevin explores thoughtfully and intelligently.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a smash hit. I absolutely loved this novel. Zevin somehow manages to port everything that's great about YA into adult fiction, and it works so well. It focuses on work and friendship rather than romance, which I adored. Sam and Sadie have a complicated history but Zevin ultimately puts their professional and platonic bond front and centre, which is so refreshing. The material on gaming is also handled very cleverly. I rarely play computer games but love reading about them, so I'm somewhere in the middle of the scope of this book's audience. But this feels like it would be accessible and engaging even to somebody who has no interest in games at all. Zevin focuses on games as a form of storytelling, rather than getting bogged down in the nuts and bolts of programming. She invents wonderful fictional games that demonstrate how the format is used to tell stories that wouldn't work in more traditional genres, ranging from an Animal Crossing style farming game to a hunt for the murderer of Christopher Marlowe in Elizabethan England. Ultimately, Zevin uses games like so many other authors have used music or visual art - to talk about the challenges and joys of creating.

If this wasn't enough, Zevin's writing is so smart and moving. It's difficult to strike the right balance with recurring motifs in fiction; it's easy to lay them on too thick or make them too subtle. Zevin handles the themes that echo throughout this novel so well, letting the reader do some work without making them work too hard. One haunting image is the series of gates that Sadie walks through at a Shinto shrine in Japan, helping her understand after a professional failure that there's always another gate ahead. This returns at an even harder time in Sadie's life through the German phrase 'Torschlusspanik', 'gate-shut panic... It's the fear that time is running out and you're going to miss an opportunity. Literally, the gate is closing, and you'll never get in.' However, this also speaks to a wider theme of the novel; the tension between always being able to start again, like having infinite lives in a video game, and running up against true end points. Zevin somehow makes this story both incredibly hopeful and incredibly poignant at the same time, reflecting the title - which references both Macbeth's nihilistic 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow' speech and a sense of infinite possibility. Too much time when you have nothing to live for, not enough when you do. 4.5 stars.

Thank you so much for my early copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t finish. I just struggled to care about the characters as they got older and felt the pacing was a little off.

This book broke me. Absolutely bloody RUINED me. The book opens with Sadie and Sam bonding over video games after first meeting in a hospital in the 80s where Sam was admitted for injuries from a car accident, and Sadie was visiting her sister who was a patient. From there we see them find their way back together a decade later. I know most people will be fooled by the cover (I was too) and although this book mentions a lot of gaming, this is not a gaming book. This is a book about friendship, growing up, growing apart, your true self identity and above all, what is true love?

Thank you to @vintagebooks for sending me a copy of this gripping book. I loved it.

This is a soaring, heart-wrenching and deeply tender portrayal of love, friendship, and creativity that spans thirty years - Zevin has created something of an epic in this wonderful novel.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - named for the speech in Shakespeare's Macbeth, if you were wondering - follows Sam Masur and Sadie Green, who meet by chance as children and bond over their love of video games. They meet in a children's hospital - Sadie a visitor, Sam an inpatient. Sam is a visibly disabled character, with lifelong chronic pain issues. Characters like this are increasingly visible in fiction but it's the best portrayal of living with pain I've read maybe ever - Zevin writes with compassion but not pity, and allows Sam to become more than just his pain. And he really does become more - together with their friend Marx, Sadie and Sam found Unfair Games, which becomes a very successful company. This creates a need to bend and stretch their creative partnership to the perils of fame, however, and much of the book's central conflicts arise from this.

It reminded me of Dark Quiet Death, a fantastic episode of the show Mythic Quest - which treads much the same ground - of a creative partnership doomed by success. Tomorrowx3 is more nuanced, however, and spends more time on the friendship between Sadie and Sam than their business arrangements. It is all the better for it.

This is a wonderful novel, with agonising twists that had me - once, memorably - gasp aloud. The characters - particualrly the central trio - are fully-formed, compassionate individuals it's impossible not to fall for. Zevin critiques the attitudes of the 1990s gaming industry through the lens of Sadie - a lone woman working in games at this time - as well as Sam and Marx, both of whom are People of Colour.

Seeing these characters thrive in such a white male dominated environment was perhaps unusual for the times but nonetheless it was beautiful to read about the nuances and challenges they faced - give me books that aren't about white men any day of the week. Marx, Sam and Sadie are all complex, full people who make mistakes and cause problems for one another, but they are bonded by a shared creative vision and love for one another, and that's enough to capture this readers heart.

Slow-paced, immersive, littered with references that gamers will love, this book is wholly unique - but even as someone who has played two (2) games in her life, I found so much to love here. A novel that has tucked itself away in my heart for good.

As a long-time fan of Gabrielle Zevin, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Zevin has the distinct ability to formulate memorable characters alongside quirky and unique stories that often make lasting impressions. I truly expected to love this one but unfortunately, it just didn't work for me.

Sam and Sadie are more than friends, but never lovers, though it could be argued they are the definition of soul mates. They bond over video games, which leads to them designing their own game together and eventually going into business. Their relationship is a tumultuous one, and toxic at times. Together, they experience everything from fame and fortune, to hate and tragedy.

This book had all the ingredients for a book I should love - strongly character-driven, a new-to-me topic (video game design), and lots of intertwining layers. And at first, I was really invested, The flash-forwards kept me intrigued as to what was in store for Sam and Sadie's futures and I really enjoyed seeing their friendship blossom. But then I put the book down to read something else and just struggled to find the motivation to pick it back up again.

Firstly, the pacing was painfully slow and the book was way too long in my opinion. I'm not opposed to big books, quite the contrary, but it has to keep my attention and this one just didn't. Secondly, I did not in any way connect with the characters. Sadie and Sam were both stubborn beyond belief and I was instantly put off by some of their self-absorbed actions. The other characters were okay but I wasn't enamoured by anyone, except Marx yet I still don't think we ever glimpsed enough to really know him - let's be clear, Sadie and Sam are the stars of this show - everyone else is just an NPC.

Thirdly, the video game references, while interesting at times, were a bit too much. I love books that teach me something new and usually enjoy going in blind, but this one definitely felt like it was targeted more towards people that at least have an invested interest in video games and know the basics behind their design. As this makes up such a hefty portion of the book, I think I can safely say it wasn't for me personally.

I also had issues with the writing (namely the ludicrous choice of words), random narrator shifts, and the weird video game scenes towards the end. These left me either confused, lost, or bored.

So, not a winner for me, however, I think it's evidently a book that just isn't for everyone and that's okay. I still wholly admire Zevin as an author and will be first in line to read whatever she releases next.

What's the book about?

Sam and Sadie have known each other for nearly 30 years. They met as kids and became friends because they both loved video games. The novel follows their lives as they go through love affairs, breakups, successes, losses, and failures. The only constant in both of their lives is their obsession with video games.

My thoughts:

This book's writing style was absolutely fantastic.

Flawed but raw and real characters, beautiful prose, and an accurate attempt to capture life's ups and downs.

I did feel a little lost with all the gaming references and ended up skimming over the majority of them.

A touching and intimate look at friendship, love and humanity.
I will admit this book pulled me in immediately and I requested this because 1) I loved this authors previous book (A J Fikry) and 2) I like gaming.
It's definitely a book with many directions you think it could go and others it actually goes down. I think I loved this book because of the realistic nature- there isn't always a HEA.
This book is about people, and the nature of those people and the way that lives can be so intertwined yet so detached. It is so beautiful but very slow- so if that's not your thing then maybe this book isn't for you.
I just have to say it's very disorienting towards the end but everything winded up making sense at the end.
I did cry a little at a certain point and the author definitely wanted me (specifically me) to feel pain.
Thanks for ruining what I thought would be a cute story because it was even better.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow definitely left me feeling bittersweet but I loved it all the same.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars (it's a good book I just found it a bit slow at times but seriously do read it if you want a good sob❤️)

I absolutely loved this book - it's rich, immersive, and contains multitudes. It was the perfect escapist read and I fell in love with the complex characters and the worlds they created through their games.

I was sure I wouldn't like this book because I'm not into gaming or computer games at all, but this book has been one of my favourite reads this year. Its actually not about computer games at all- it's about love and friendship, but essentially it's a love story. Twisted, complicated, frustrating and heart breaking, and at times you'll scream out loud at Sadie and Sam, you're so mad with them. They'll get under your skin and never leave, but along the way you'll learn a lot about love. Wow, I need to recover from that read. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

I think I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I liked the writing style of Zevin. And I liked that she can make the characters feel real. The plot is creative. I enjoyed the first half but started to lose me towards the end. It just seemed longer than it needed to be. The relationship between Sam and Sadie was nice and I liked the highs and lows. It’s good for the character building but lost me with all the descriptions of game building. Not a bad read, I’m sure others with love it.

Thank you to Random House UK for this advanced reader copy.

Oh boy, this has skyrocketed into my all-time favourites.
The story? Sensational.
The characters? Incredible.
The video game-based plot? *Chefs Kiss*
I loved everything about this. It made me laugh but it also had some really sincere and upsetting elements. As someone who sometimes uses mobility aids for chronic pain and joint problems, I saw a lot of myself in Sam, and I found that his experiences of internalised ableism matched my own. Following this group of friends had a complete hold on me. I adored every page.

This book was incredible and I still think about it even after finishing it. I highly recommend picking this one up!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Meeting as preteens and the friendship over time. Business partners but never lovers. 2 lines of a triangle. I loved this story.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is a magnificent achievement. It is a contemporary epic of friendship, relationships and running a contemporary video games business. It is my new favourite book of 2022!

Sam and Sadie met in a hospital when they were kids but have been unexpectedly reacquainted eight years later whilst both studying for a college degree. Their love of computer games brings them together and sets them off on a path that will be adventurous in many senses.

I got such fulfilment reading this wonderful story - it felt like falling into a comfortable chair each evening as I sat down to read. The characters are complex but perfectly matched; their interactions develop along a complicated path. Their early career success unfortunately doesn't lay a strong enough foundation for later when things don't go so well. Zevin has created an original storyline that reflects society on so many levels. I loved it!

3.5., maybe. Nothing especially literary, just had fun with it. Zevin somehow kept me (mostly) interested for 400 pages in a book about two video-game creators (I'm not a gamer)*. The prose is easy, no-nonsense and the characters are well-developed. It's a story about a boy and a girl, at its crux. In some ways it reminded me of A Little Life. Though I found myself wanting to keep picking it up, having now finished it, I just feel like it was a nice story. At times I toyed with the idea that I would give it 4-stars on finishing butt there's just nothing very profound about it. Zevin has however created two characters and naturally, as human beings, all we really need is two characters to root for. Maybe I'll think about them in days to come? Not sure. But for people who love character-driven novels about love, failure, friendship, etc., this one is a good place to look. It is expected to be published in about 4 days.
"What is a game?" Marx said. "It's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It's the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever."

Zevin tries throughout to link life with video games, and in some cases she succeeds. The above is true: the concept of gaming, of having 'lives' and the ability to 'save', it's wishful thinking in our own lives. At one point she attempts to compare sex with gaming, which I couldn't get behind. Another example,
Memory, you realized long ago, is a game that a healthy-brained person can play all the time, and the game of memory is won or lost on one criterion: Do you leave the formation of memories to happenstance, or do you decide to remember?

I raced through one part of the novel which involved a shooter and was written well; I was tense for the duration of it. There is a segment very close to the end where we are actually inside one of the games and it stalled the whole narrative for me. Though the reason and payoff was relevant to the novel's narrative arc, I felt its placement, so close to the end, just felt like a distraction. Overall it was baggy in places. Some of the video game stuff lost me but on the whole Zevin leans into the characters and their emotions. It is, however, a novel about video game developers, and so lots of pages are given to describing their games. I thought this would be an issue but the describing of a game isn't too dissimilar to the describing of a novel. In the end I looked forward to them coming up with more ideas, so it wasn't a hinderance.

On the whole, fun, a little maudlin but overall touching if in the right mood. The 400 pages moved quite swimmingly, but there was no tremendous emotion on finishing, just the little glint of contentment one feels after watching a nice movie. Thanks to Random House for the advance copy.

(And kudos on the great Hokusai** cover and the wonderful title taken from Bill's Macbeth, a passage made even more famous by another Bill, Mr Faulkner, who also took a great title from these very lines.)
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

* Though in the early 2000s my only friend was the boy across the road. A., with Asperger's Syndrome (though now it isn't called this, A. believes it is ridiculous that they've removed the title), loved to game, and still does. As children we played Super Mario together, Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, all the things that were popular. In fact, going to a friend's house back in the day meant playing outside until we were tired or it rained and then playing video games. So some of the ideas about gaming and innocence, youth, escapism, I understood.

** The game that launches our protagonists into stardom in their early 20s is all inspired by the famous Hokusai wave.

(Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4803703596)

#friendship #gaming #VideoGames #love #respect # truth #relationships #honesty #support #pain #family #loyalty

If I have left anything out, it would be depth, integrity, self-awareness, profundity..

I will be honest. I haven’t actually finished this book. I love it so deeply that I am having difficulty. I have spent much of the book fearing tragedy or some other disaster, because these three characters, Sadie, Sam and Marx are just so real, brilliant, deeply woven and human. I am rooting for them 100%

I am deep enough to know that this is in my peak pile of books for 2022. The writing is brilliant, the scenario is so fitting for the characters, and the inter-relationship dynamics of everyone in this book is peak, the family, friendships, the lovers, co-workers.

Because of my connection with the characters, I have been savouring this book, taking nibbles here and there as I do not want this book to end. It’s like a fantastic box of gourmet chocolates that you eat with delicious respect, savouring every bite and immersing yourself in its richness.
Hats off to Gabrielle Zevin, she has done it again. For me, The Storied Life of AJ Fikry was gold, this one is platinum. This book is ‘chef’s kiss’

I thank #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this epic book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.
Now I will gorge on the final chapters, and then recommence reading it again.
Thank you.
More stars needed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this and I loved the fact that both of the main characters had flaws. None of us are perfect and this story highlights how our imperfections can impact our relationships. Not being completely honest about how we feel, and trying to hide what we perceive as our flaws can actually create weakness in the very foundations of a friendship.
Both Sadie and Sam are complex and fascinating, I love that the focus is about how together they can create whole new worlds, and when you add Marx then the intricacies and obstacles are given so much more depth.
A truly wonderful story about love, and computer games. My inner nerd rejoiced.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
By Gabrielle Zevin

This is the story of friends who never become lovers. They find each other as children and instantly recognise themselves in each other. The are reacquainted during their college years and forge a very dynamic partnership, but resentments and misinterpretations create a barrier between them that fame, fortune and tragedy reinforce.

I realise that I am an outlier here but for me this was a total drag. It needs to be said that 80% + of this novel is set in the gaming world. I read earlier reviews that assured that this would not be a problem to non gamers, but I vehemently contradict them. I almost set this book aside during the first chapter because nothing was appealing. I stuck with it and it definitely started to come together again until around the 45% mark. As a Gen Xer who never had any affinity to gaming, gamers or anything in the virtual realm I found huge chunks of this story to be boring, infuriating and a bit depressing. I kept wanting them to go outside and get a breath of fresh air. Maybe then they might have seen the wood for the trees.

I think the characters were very well written. Both Sadie and Sam had an inability to process their relationship. They rarely were on the same page at the same time and Sadie was particularly unforgiving in her self absorption. The author did a good job of fixing their attitudes to age, gender and race in line with the times and it was interesting to see these attitudes evolve.

Overall, I cannot say that I enjoyed this story, but I think it would be fabulous for any of the remaining 99% of the population who can probably relate more to the gaming world and millennials in general. It's not you, it's totally me.

Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouseuk for the egalley

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is a wonderful novel about friendship with the backdrop of video games from the 1990s to present-day. I can see why there was a bidding war over this book! It's incredibly enthralling and makes you want to sit down and read. Zevin is wonderful at world- and character-building. I loved the journey the characters took and found myself very connected to them. Even though they didn't always make the best decisions, I liked that they were imperfect but trying. It incorporates how we change through our lives and when encountering success and failure. I really enjoyed this well-written novel.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.