Member Reviews
A fabulous story jumping between the nostalgia of 1989 and the reality of the present. I loved all of the characters and found the wholes story a lovely cosy read. It would translate brilliantly on to TV as well!
As a huge fan of Louise’s Wilde series, I was so excited when I heard about this book. It’s set in the 80s and I love the aesthetics of that era, even though I wasn’t born then! This book certainly did not disappoint!! It’s such a unique plot, with romance, family issues and a wild mystery running through it!! Tabby is such a lovable character, and I love how we see her grow and become such a happier person by the end of the book. Speaking of the end of the book, that ending made me squeal- it was the PERFECT ending!! All in all, I really loved this book and I hope Louise writes more books soon because I can’t get enough of her writing!!
I loved this book, I loved how unique the story was and how it was written, I couldn't put it down. I thought it was very clever the 'twists' in the book and it really made a difference to what could have been a plain storyline.
I was so excited when I was approved to read this beautiful story! I have read most of Louise Pentland's other books and have been following her online for almost 10 years and this was probably my favourite book of hers yet. I also really appreciated the little nods to her own life, calling the vintage shop Pearls and Doodles was so sweet!
This entire book felt like a warm hug from a friend and I didn't want it to end, I thought I had figured out the plot twist with Bea and was feeling quite smug about it but wow, that last revelation really shocked me! Tabitha was a wonderful main character to follow and probably one of the most realistic main characters I've read about in a long time. I do wish that we could have spent more time in 1989, although I understand why that wasn't possible with the storyline.
The side characters were also written amazingly! I absolutely loved Tabitha's friendship with Vivienne but my absolute favourite had to be Tabitha's mum! She was so loving and nurturing whilst also being hilariously witty! One of my favourite quotes from her had to be "If you're going to ask me why I still like to eat my breakfast at a properly laid out table, it's because I have standards, Tabitha". I feel like that line sums up her character very well and I love it!
I already know this story will be a firm favourite and I'm very excited to go out and buy a physical copy! I am so excited to revisit this story sometime in the future.
I loved this, such a lovely read.
Tabitha is living her normal life, working in a shop, living with her boyfriend, Sunday lunch with the parents. Then everything gets turned upside down.
I did find the story a little predictable, however I think that was intentional. The reader was always slightly ahead of Tabitha realising what was happening.
The characters were all (mostly) warm and kind and so it was a perfect weekend read.
Having followed Louise Pentland on social media for years and yet not reading any of her books - I thought I’d better change that. The Wilde series didn’t really appeal to me but the blurb for this one definitely did. The story was good, some friendship, some parental drama & a spot of time travel. Tabitha’s life is starting to unravel. Her parents are splitting up, her boyfriend is a selfish oaf, her bestie is busy & she’s feeling a bit out of sorts. Until she tries on a beautiful vintage ring and finds herself back in 1989. I enjoyed this story, I felt we could have explored 1989 a little more and the story was a bit drawn out, but a fun & sweet read.
3.5 stars
This book perhaps wasn’t quite was I was expecting going into it but I still enjoyed it and OMG the flashbacks to C&A, coming in from a night out with smoky hair, and shell suits! All of which I do not miss - lol.
Main character Tabitha is 26 and is living a pretty comfortable life. In fact so comfortable that I felt that the character read older than she was. She’s a vintage shop manager with a side hustle as a vintage upcylcler on the gram. She has a boyfriend - David, and there is starting to be talk of babies and marriage.
There’s really two inciting incidents - the first involving a revelation by her dad and the second a time travelling ring.
The time travel aspect was intriguing but it did take a while to get going. There was even a bit where she suddenly went from thinking that what had happened when wearing it was a bit odd, to confessing to her friend she thinks she has magical powers. That actually came a bit out of the blue and had me checking to see if I’d managed to skip a chapter.
The time travel to 1989 is not a permanent thing and instead is something that Tabby can control at will and as such wasn’t used as much as I was anticipating. I also guessed partially why it was happening but the book did manage to add an extra little twist that I didn’t spot until pretty late.
The female relationships were what worked best for me in this book. We had Tabby reconnecting with her mother differently after her dad’s revelation, her best friend Vivi mostly having her back - although there’s tension between them linked to David. And back in the 80s there’s fun and adventurous Bea who I actually liked a lot (and would read more about for sure).
Both inciting incidents do lead Tabby to learn different things and she begins to step outside her comfort zone aided by the female characters around her. I think some reviewers have perhaps felt that Tabby was a little passive but I think that emphasises her character’s arc throughout the book. And who says women have to be entirely independent and oomphy to be valid anyway?
The male characters were also varied - with some of them deserving a slap for their antiquated views - and I’m not talking about the ones from the 80s.
The final 50 pages were pretty emotional as we start to realise how everything across the two time lines fit together.
I almost wish the epilogue hadn’t been included and instead that we would get a follow up following Tabby after the end of the story - and maybe more importantly a prequel focusing on Bea.
Actually randomly I’ve just thought of this comparison - if you like the Mamma Mia movies I think you’d enjoy this.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely adored this book and it’s one that I wish I could reread for the first time all over again.
A very enjoyable quick easy read. I loved the characters and couldn’t put it down.
I had suspicions of part of the twist very soon on, however was still shocked at the full reveal and found it very enjoyable.
I hope that this will become a series as I would love to follow Tabby’s life and know more about the girl at the end!
I loved this book so much, it had me feeling all kinds of emotions (I cried, I laughed). Louise Pentland’s works just keep getting better, I think this is my favourite story so far! I would put this as one of my top reads of the year so far, 5/5 highly recommend
The fact that this book involves the 80’s totally sold it to me….I love the 80’s. Even the title is an 80’s classic track. So imagine if you could travel back there….How I would love that! But this is exactly what happens to Tabitha! I am totally jealous of her Ha Ha.
I love that she works in a vintage shop. This took me back to my childhood when my mom used to go to shops like that.We follow her on a journey where she is transported back to 1989 when she wears a ring from the shop and sparks up a friendship with Bea who is a free spirit. A character I totally related to!
I must admit that this is the first book that I have read by the author and certainly won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Time After Time is a unique, quirky, fun uplifting read that I devoured in one afternoon. It is full of wonderful characters and laugh out loud moments. Now I am left wanting to read more books by Louise.
If you are looking for an adorable story and love the 80’s this is the book for you….you won’t be disappointed.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the story of Tabitha. She lives with her boyfriend David, visits her parents at the weekend and stays for the traditional roast. She works at a shops that sells vintage items. She refurbishes pre loved items and sells them on. Tabitha thinks that she is quite happy with her lot although has always longed for more. Then one day Tabitha goes for lunch at her parents house as normal but at that meal her dad reveals something nobody expected and throw in a magical ring that takes her back to the 1980’s things for Tabitha will never be the same again.
On the face of it this should have been a 5 star read for me. My favourite thing to read about is time travel, especially when it involves the 1980’s. The story really didn’t draw me in straight away. I also felt that there wasn’t quite as much time travel as I was expecting. The focus of this book was Tabitha’s relationships. The story could have been told without the time travel element. If you are a fan of Louise Pentland you will find that there are a lot of references to her life. They did start to irritate me after a while. This was an okay read but to be perfectly honest I just found it too sickly sweet. I really don’t think I could recover as quickly as Tabitha did with all the revelations she uncovered in such a short period of time.
⭐️ 4 ⭐️
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Time After Time is a fun, enjoyable, easy read.
Tabitha, our quirky protagonist is well-drawn and full of personality, she’s supported by an equally well-crafted cast. The character-driven story is nicely paced, although it did take Tabitha quite a long time to cotton on to one of the (fairly predictable) main twists. Happily I didn’t guess the biggest twist, and I particularly loved the ending.
I really enjoy time travel in a book, especially one that transports me back to the 1980s — reading it brought back happy memories and made me feel rather nostalgic; I do feel that the time travel element could have been expanded on slightly more than it was.
Time after Time is a light-hearted, entertaining read, but one that also touches on some more serious topics — it made me smile, unexpectedly it also made me cry.
Lovely story about family and friendship with a little bit of time travel thrown in. Tabby is a great character and one most of us will recognise in some way! Thoroughly enjoyed it.
“Sometimes you have to go back to move forwards….”
As an 80’s baby, I loved this read; with its uplifting and beautifully created characters and a comical and magical atmosphere, this was different to anything I have read recently. Impressive and original, this gave me ‘Back-to-the-Future’ vibes!
The plot is paced well, which makes it easy to follow and the duo timelines made for a delightful and nostalgic read. The relationship between Tabby and her Mum is presented wonderfully, and I am confident this story will appeal to many.
Admittingly, this is not exactly realistic, but overall a very entertaining and enjoyable read. If, like me, you are familiar with the era, this will trigger some fantastic memories; fashion, music, and lifestyles, to name a few.
I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fun and charming read focusing on the positive impact of self-confidence.
Thank you, NetGalley, and Bonnier Books, for a gifted copy of this. All opinions are my own.
Tabitha's life is a little stuck in a rut, a useless boyfriend and a bombshell from her farther leave her wondering if her life is as she would like. She runs a little vintage shop and comes across a ring that will change her future but first she's got to go back into the past.
This was a nice light read with some lovely heartwarming bits to it. It did leave me shouting out loud at some points at Tabitha wondering when she was going to cotton on to a few things. I enjoyed the ending and maybe leaves an option for a follow on book?!
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.
I had super high hopes for this book as I looked the Wilde trilogy from Louise Pentland & it didn’t disappoint.
Although it definitely took a while for me to get into the rhythm of it - I found it had quite a slow start - once it got going I really enjoyed it & found myself struggling to put it down. Definitely different to the Wilde novels but still super heartwarming and with a good twist towards the end that I didn’t see coming.
I definitely recommend reading this if you fancy an easy general fiction read.
Tabby’s life seems to be fairly happily set. She has loving parents, a boyfriend of 10 years and a job she loves. The first indication that all is not as settled as she thought comes over her usual Sunday lunch with her parents. Add in a ring that enables her to time travel to the 1980s and it soon becomes clear that changes are definitely afoot in her life. A lovely warm tale exploring relationships and how they can change over time and changing circumstances. This is the first book I have read by this author, I will definitely be looking for her other works in the future.
I loved this book! Such a fun yet suprisingly emotional and empowering read. I loved all the 80s references and thought it was a great idea for a story. For a light read it wasn't too predictable and I really liked the main character Tabitha and the complex relationships she had with her family and friends. I was also really pleased when she finally stood up for herself! Really enjoyable read
This is a quick easy read about loving oneself, with a slight magic twist. I mostly enjoyed it, but don't think it is a book that I will continue to think about or be tempted to read again. An enjoyable few hours, but not a stand out.
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
The story follows Tabitha finding a ring in her antique store that takes her back to 1989 when worn. She develops a friendship with Bea while there and uses this and her real life to develop her goals and self belief through the book.
I immediately fell in love with the characters and felt for Tabby with everything that happens to her throughout the book.
Having read Louise Pentland’s other books and followed her on YouTube for a while I also loved the little parts of her real life in the book and references to characters from Wilde Women.
Overall it was a great book and I really recommend it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️