When I first started reading I thought I would have to give up after a couple of chapters. I am glad I persisted.
I couldn't then put it down.
The book follows Bob a middle aged successful Advertising executive who has money and status but little in the way of personal relationships.
His brother is killed in a tragic accident when they were both young which he feels responsible for and wishes he could change.
He gets an invite to an employee's fancy dress party. He goes with a friend to a costume shop where his outfit includes an old brick like mobile phone.
What would happen if he dials his parents old phone number?
Bob experiences a number of consequences as a result where the best intentions do not always work out as intended. Bob has to navigate through his past and future to get back to his real life.
A great read which I would thoroughly recommend.
Re-iterates the fact that we can only influence that which we have control over and can't change other people's.

4 stars mainly because Bob is so unlikeable ;) a brilliant read that I wasn't sure where it was taking me to begin with but I went with the flow and rode with it. It's so cleverly written and a fantastic debut novel. I look forward to more by the same author. Though I hope the phone is gone for good! Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for my arc

This was not for me, I couldn't connect with the storyline or characters - I don't think this was the right style for me and it's not my type of humour either. Overall I don't think I was the audience for this.

An interest concept - would you go back and change a moment in your life.
Bob Bloomfield is a high powered executive, who thinks he’s God’s gift, ruthless with no scruples.
But he carries a trauma from his childhood “a moment never to be forgotten, a moment that would come to define his entire life”
What if he could stop the very thing that made him the man he is today - the death of his younger brother in 1986, and all it took was a seemingly ordinary phone allowing him to connect to his past.
Reminded of the film Sliding Doors - where one moment in time done differently could change your future, and also Scrooge, in A Christmas Carol, in how Bob was transformed.
An entertaining read, loved the 80s nostalgia, took me right back.
Such an emotional rollercoaster story, perfect for any fans of time travel novels.
Thanks @stevenashtonjones @michaeljbooks & @netgalley for the eARC

The book starts with Bob – a single bloke, exactly the same age as me, with a successful career but possibly less successful private life – living between his bachelor pad and a fancy office. He heads off to a colleague’s fancy dress party – and when getting the outfit for this party comes across a retro mobile – and this is the key to the phonecalls to the past.

What happens next is all pretty far fetched (but time travelling stories don’t tend to be ‘real life’!!) but makes you question if you could make a phonecall back in time to change something – what effects could that have on how other things, other people’s lives etc turn out?

There are then a few different entwined iterations of the story encompassing Bob / Robert and his family and friends (and someone who is a friend of sorts in one timeline and family in another!)

Whilst the original Bob is not very likeable, you definitely find yourself rooting for him as the book progresses.

It’s very clever and enjoyable. Overall a fun, escapist read.

Absolutely brilliant concept which kept me up until the small hours. The beginning started slowly for me and I confess I nearly stopped reading but I’m so pleased I pushed through.
We meet a thoroughly unpleasant businessman, Bob who doesn’t seem to care about anyone else but carries a huge regret and guilt over his younger brother’s death 37 years before. Events unfold and without giving away too much of the story, Bob gets the chance to change history. This is a book which gets you thinking about time and decisions and their impact. I’m hoping there is more from this very talented author.

I’m going to admit - when I first started reading this one, I didn’t like Bob or the writing style. It starts off as brash, very unlikeable and unrelatable. Very much like Bob’s character when he’s first introduced. But then the clever bit - the tone and style changes as the story and his character develops.

I loved the premise of this one; if you could undo a trauma from your past - would you do it. The way the maguffin is introduced had that whimsical vibe from classic 80s mystical films - really up my street. After I got over brash Bob, I really enjoyed this one - it didn’t go the way I was expecting. (Not necessarily a fluffy ending!) A great debut from Jones! Call Time is out tomorrow!

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.

3.5 stars
Such an interesting concept.
Would you go back and change a moment in your life if you were able to ? What about any implications as a result ? The intrigue of this story was a major grab for me - it kept me thinking what would I do in those circumstances?
I found Bob a challenging character- obnoxious and crass he was plagued with demons due to actions in his childhood, but there was also a different side to him.
The dark humour in this story kept it alive for me and I was intrigued to see how it would pan out as we learnt more about Bob.

3.5 stars
If, and it's a big IF, you can get past the first quarter or so of this book then it's not a bad story at all... Sadly it did nearly lose me as it is a bit all over the place, and slow, but I popped over to read a couple trusted reviews and the general census was to keep going. So I did. And it did get better. Way better.
I guess what doesn't help is that initially Bob (other names may apply) is a bit of an unlikable chappie so I took an instant dislike to him and tbh didn't really care much about what happened to him. Maybe part of that too is that I actually know a Bobbie Bloomfield in real life and he is just the nicest bloke ever...
But as soon as the phone came into play the whole book changed for me an it actually became interesting. Change the past to make something different in the present... seems easy enough, until... well... unforeseen repercussions. An interesting trope that is delivered quite well here, but way better in many other books and indeed films...
One thing I really did enjoy, and it nearly tipped the one star to being rounded up, was the wonderful trip back to the 80s that the book took me on. And despite my misgivings there was also some quite neat humour to be found herein. Oh, and Scotty, he pretty much stole the book.
So yeah, bit hit and miss for me but I did finish and the ending was mostly worth the slog...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

There’s been a few special books where a debut has really blown me away, that I’ve immediately given 5 ⭐️ to and gone through every emotion while reading, this joins those books! This was an incredible debut, one that had me completely gripped from start to the very end, equally as humour filled as it is heartbreaking, I already can’t wait for what he writes next!.

From the moment I read that brilliant premise I felt sold, and as soon as I started reading it I loved the writing style, the flow is effortless and the rollercoaster of unpredictable events that this book served up was just such a powerful and epic experience.

I love anything that has any element of time travel and just includes how by little actions events can be changed and then the outcomes to follow, I loved how it was so complex and also very unpredictable, you could be reading it and thinking you know how it’s going to turn out but I promise you that you’d be wrong, the rug is well and truly whipped out from you many times and it makes for such a fast paced and suck punch filled read - just bloody brilliant! It had me welling up one minute and then laughing the next, like an emotional seesaw.

I loved following Bob through the many ups and downs of what he is faced with, from a random situation he finds himself in, and the choices along the way, it’s inventive, feels so fresh and exciting, and makes for reading experience that I didn’t want to put down.

What would you do if you had the chance to change the past? To bring back someone who died before their time? What if when you did that there were unexpected consequences?
Bob goes to a fancy dress shop to get an outfit for an employees party with his best friend. This leads to a chain of events that he needs to keep changing to get back to where he was. Not easy for someone who is determined to change an event in his past for the better.
An interesting read.

I am sorry to say that this didn't really hit the spot for me .Probably my fault for requesting it ,this is not my usual type of book, and I hope others will enjoy it more.

If you could go back in time and change something in your life, would you do it? Would you still do it if that one change, no matter how simple it may be, would change the course of your life forever?

Bob Bloomfield is a career driven bachelor that pulls away from women when they get too close. His best friend from childhood, Scotty, is married and has 3 children with the girl Bob used to bully at school, Kirsty. Bob is ruthless and cutthroat, you have to be in the Entertainment business, but also due to the death of his brother, Thomas, when they were younger. This death Bob blames himself for and has made him detach from his emotions.

I find it so interesting how one decision you make can impact the rest of your life. For example, if I hadn't said yes to a date with a man on Hinge, I wouldn’t be where I am now - a year and a half into our relationship, living in our own flat, and now I can’t imagine my life without him. That is why Sliding Doors and The Butterfly effect are two of my favourite films. I often think about the impact each decision makes on our lives.

I do think that Call Time could have got going a bit quicker, the beginning was a bit drawn out compared to the rest of the book. I saw another review that also likened it to Christmas Carol which I also agree with! I really disliked Bob to begin with due to his attitude, but as the story progressed I really started to like him and saw how he changed his thinking. I also loved Scotty, who I think carried the book. Without him it would have been a bit boring! That brings me onto his wife, Kirsty, who had the best interaction with Bob and had me laughing.

Thank you NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, and Steve Jones for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love time travel, time loop sliding door type storylines. And this book is perfect.

The start is very, very slow though. I would have preferred a little intro into who Bob was then straight into playing with the phone. This way we could have explored more with changing history.

Despite that I still really enjoyed the book. The whole butterfly effect idea was perfect. It gets us thinking how one little change in life can have a complete knock on effect on lots of things.

Yes Bob was definitely not a likeable character, but I was still emotionally involved in his story.

The writing did seem very laddish at times, but it's Steve Jones what do you expect? I enjoyed it and learnt a bit more about cars and football, especially World Cup '86.

This book was such a wild ride! Especially that ending! Bob Bloomfield starts out as an unlikeable, pretty grumpy, almost old man. I've seen a couple of people complaining that he's unlikeable but that's the whole point of the book. How does a grumpy old man undergo a Scrooge-esque transformation if he's nice to begin with? It really makes the story work and I loved the learning to appreciate what you've got message. And the others characters are likeable enough at the beginning to make up for it, I loved Scotty (in all timelines)!
I loved the "how" of the time-altering/changing the past thing with the phone, I thought that was really cool. The way it then worked in the present made me feel a little uneasy at the start in the same way that The Midnight Library did for me with the whole memory issue but not as bad. It definitely worked for this book though and the story wouldn't have worked if it had been done differently. There was only one little bit that seemed like it didn't fit with the way the time change mechanic worked the rest of the way through the book.
The ending though, was absolutely insane! I kept thinking it was over and I'd turn the page (or well, scroll it) and BAM another chapter that's also crazy and surely now it's over but NOPE here's another chapter! Totally crazy ending, I thought it was great and definitely no one will see that coming!

Absolutely loved this original take on time travel. The characters were well rounded and the world setting was great

An accomplished narrative with great prose and funny one liners and a storyline that twisted and weaved.

Really enjoyable

A slow start but it was worth sticking with, this was really dark and very funny. There was a real retro vibe to the story with lots of nods to 80s pop culture, I especially enjoyed the Gremlins meets Mr Ben scene.
If you were given the opportunity to change one seminal thing in your past, would you? For Bob, the answer is a resounding yes, without any thought of reprisals or the butterfly effect!
The final third of the book was a rollercoaster that was impossible to put down, and boy what a ride!

Not normally the type of read I would choose. Out of my comfort zone however I found it an intriguing and great read. I read it through very quickly.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this arc.

I had such high hopes for this book but it was the complete opposite. I just felt that it was a weak storyline and I really didn't like the characters either. I do not like posting bad reviews but sometimes there is no option. I tried to finish this book but I couldn't keep going with it at all.

This was not for me, I couldn't connect with the storyline or characters - I don't think this was the right style for me and it's not my type of humour either. Overall I don't think I was the audience for this.