I was initially interested in reading 90 Days in the Nineties because I used to work in record shops in the late 1980s/early 1990s and thought this would resonate with my teens/early twenties lifestyle.
But from the get-go, I just didn’t gel with any of the characters or settings. At first I reasoned that it was because it was set in Chicago (whereas I worked in London) and the cultural differences were great enough to keep me from ‘totally getting it’.
Then I thought that my five years or so earlier than the books setting was another reason why I couldn’t connect. In the late 80s/early 90s, alternative Indie was much more D.I.Y and small-scale compared with the corporate Indie of the second part of the 90s. Small potatoes perhaps, but the zeitgeist had a different vibe.
Anyhoo, I could have just put all that aside and enjoyed the book as it was, but unfortunately, my head just wouldn’t let me give it much of a chance.
So my low score, is 50% ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ and 50% ‘ Actually, it is you. I’m just not enjoying this book’!

Is it a quirky time-travel adventure, kooky wish-fulfillment, or a deeper examination of self and placement in the universe?

I wanted to love this book so badly, and I do see a bunch of things that will appeal to certain types of readers, but it just wasn't my style. I did enjoy the nostalgia of it all as someone who really started to find my personal music taste in the 90's, but I didn't connect with the characters much beyond that.

A book about time travel and the 1990s - that had my attention but sadly it just didn't deliver for me. It all felt a bit thin and I just couldn't connect with the story or the characters. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I was expecting more about then music and the buzz you get at a great gig. Instead it took a long time to read as it didnt suck me in. The time jumping also made things a bit confusing in parts.

This was such a disappointment. I was so excited when I read this premise but the story just fell flat. I felt that Darby was just terribly written and the story itself left a lot to be desired. Thank you Atmosphere Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This had great potential for me as a kid who grew up in the 90s, but my interest started to wane even before the deep dive into the actual 90s began. I enjoyed all the pop culture references. Usually I like quirky books, but this one couldn't hold my attention for some reason.

This book reminds me of many famous bands in the 90s! Unfortunately, I didn't really care about the characters in this book and that made the reading experience less enjoyable. I really wanted to like it, but I don't think this book is for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

An entertaining and nostalgic romp back to the nineties. A recommended purchase for collections where time travel stories are popular.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I couldn't think of a more perfect book for me. I grew up in the 90s and they were some of the best years of my life. In my opinion grunge is the greatest music of all time and was (obviously) very heavy into the music growing up in the 90s. There are so many awesome references when Darby goes back to the 90s for 90 days, that I felt jealous that I couldn't go with her! I dont think I would want to stay there but maybe going back and living there for a few weeks wouldnt be so bad. Darby wants to fix a few things and I could totally relate. Who wouldnt want to go back and undo or not make those same choices if they could? I would go see Nirvana and Alice in Chains if I got back to the early 90s. Any 90s fan will love this book. Highly recommend.

I really love the concept but I think I was hoping for a more ‘’Peggy sue got married ‘ vibe. This isn’t it. Lots of back and forth and very confusing with little explanation as to where we were In the time period- I wanted relationships and to root for the main character but I couldnt bc she just wasn’t likable to me. I feel very sorry that this wasn’t my cup of tea.- just ho-hum.

Darby has many regrets she regrets quitting her record critic job and breaking up with Lana the love of her life. When her uncle dies and she inherits his record store she moves from New York back to Chicago where in her opinion she ruined it all. One night at a hole in the wall bar she meets an older gentleman Who claims he watched a Cubs game in person twice. Darby thinks it’s sad that such a spry old man suffers from Alzheimer’s but she is courteous. Later that night she is awaken by a rumbling under her apartment and the record store when she goes to investigate The smart watch she found in some boxes lights up and she sees a subway train stop and the doors open. Dobby is now frightened… Is she delusional? She goes to the Internet to see what she can find. She has heard of the urban myth the gray line that can take you to the past but that’s just a myth right? When she finds routes and rules to the gray line she is nervous but excited! Could she go back and change everything? Could she get her job back and Lana too? She doesn’t know but with a map of the Subway route an old ID and some money she is going to find out. Her first night back she hooked up with her best friend and they go see a new Hindu grunge band is she has the time of her life and that will be what she continues to do until her time runs down and she Musta saw does she want to go back home or stay in the 90s? This book was so much fun not only was it cool hearing about all the old bands especially smashing pumpkins my favorite band ever but it was so cool hearing about cell phones with antennas cable TV it’s so much more it was like a blast from the past and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think Mr. Fry has a winner with 90 days in the 90s it was an awesome fun read! I received this book from net Gally but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

What would you do if you could time travel—back to the 1990s? Fast paced, unpredictable and original with a storyline that made me gasp. Recommend……

I fell in love with the nineties all over again thanks to this book!!
Darby a business failure but music fanatic finds out the Chicago Grey line myth isn't so mythical after all. Using the train to time travel back to some of the nineties most memorable music concerts and maybe fixing her life along the way.
I am a massive music fan and book lover so this was a no brainer for me. The main character Darby was instantly likeable and relatable. All the music references mixed in to the story were amazing and really piqued my interest again in old music and how much it can affect us years later.
My only criticism of this book was sometimes the time line was difficult to follow and not overly clear at which point in time we were at. Apart from that I loved, a perfect mix of Sci-fi and music
Thank you to Net galley for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for my honest review

A bit of a letdown.

The title, premise, and covers immediately drew me in but I found the actual plot very flimsy and lackluster. I will say, I really appreciated the uniqueness of the time traveling itself. The set of rules and the method were really interesting, I wish those aspects were explored more. I also really loved Frye's method of introducing characters with mini biographies as it made it easy to follow the cast as it grew bigger and bigger.

Other than those bits, I didn't fall in love with this particular story. The middle dragged, it was hard to invest in Darby in general, and there wasn't any emotion. As much as I loved the amount of music talk, there were times Frye would just list bands or singers without much reason other than they were a part of the 90s. Most of the book can be skimmed (unfortunately) without missing a beat.

I do think this kind of story would work better as a movie or tv show as they don't really need a concrete plot when visuals can do the storytelling.

I was excited by this book based off the description, but when I got it and read it, it was just eh for me. Not what I was expecting I guess.

Alright, I think this comes with a biased heart but I'm not a HUGE fan of rock music. Hence a lot of the feels related to that was not in the same frequency with me. I'm also not very comfortable with foreign language snuck in between with bare to none translation. The story line was a bit confusing as I was not able to follow through what happened across the 1997 - 1999. And if she was in that timeline then how come she got a job offer but not in her actual timeline?? There we some gaps in my mind regarding the story timeline, but overall I felt the ending was a bit flat. I liked the concept however. It reminded me a jolly version of the midnight library.

I LOVED this novel! Andy Frye rules in this whimsical, never too-serious time-travel/nostalgia tour/romance (with little R) story about Darby, a thirty-something licking her wounds and dealing with inheriting her deceased uncle's record shop after returning to Chicago in the aftermath of both a failed relationship ten years earlier and a rapid fall from Wall Street. This novel saturates the reader with 90's mood, vibes, music, and fashion like the power washing Andy Dufresne got in Shawshank. All of the main, supporting, and tertiary characters are developed accordingly and relative to their participation in the story, which is NOT an easy thing to do. I adored Spacey and would read a whole book about her. Recommending this book to the max!

Oof I did not enjoy this. The premise was good but the whole book was messy. The time jumps were not handled well. In the middle of the book there is a long throwback section of what actually happened in 1996 prior t9 Darby going back in time. This would have been better at the start of the book or just left out completely. Some of it serves no purpose to the story. Just didn’t work out for me.

This was a really good idea and I'm definitely the target audience. The author's love for the era and the music is in no doubt, but I felt the storytelling could have been crafted a little better.