Poorly written with a weak storyline, I am sorry to say I could not finish this book. Thank you Netgalley for the book.

Call Time by Steve Jones is an entertaining and engaging read. I admit, I was a bit, 'oh another celebrity novel,'' but I do love Steve Jones as a presenter, and the premise was interesting, so I thought, 'why not.' And I'm so pleased I did.

Our main character, Bob, is not a pleasant individual. His best friend's wife is correct when she labels him an arsehole, and for much of the first 40% of the book, the reader only knows about Bob the arsehole. We don't really know what makes him tick other than being a bit of a dick. But then, something changes, and from then on, the book is fast-paced and somewhat of a rollercoaster.

I really enjoyed the cultural nods to films I might have watched from the 80s, and while some might argue that the pretext of some of the ripples from changing the past is a bit flimsy, this is a story of redemption in the most unusual of ways. I don't want to give anything away, so it's quite hard to explain all the bits I liked, but yes, this is a film for fans of time-altering novels, and I think the last 20% of the novel is unexpected, and all the more enjoyable for that.

A fun novel that contends with that age-old issue of, 'Would you change the past if you could?'

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher of my review copy.

Reading this I realised how many female lead and authored books I read. This was a really nice departure from that, although I did have a few reservations because it was a very different style and character that I'm used to.

To begin with I noticed that there was a lack of descriptions of things but it actually helped speed through the book, I read this in one sitting and couldn't stop. I did enjoy that it was almost like watching a movie, really fast paced. I could see this being adapted for the screen.

I think the only downside, for me, was I would've loved to see either a couple more timelines or some more time spent with the timelines.

It's such a cool concept with some amazing twists and turns, the main character Bob/Rob/Robert redeemed himself throughout the book that the final few pages had me on the edge of my seat!

I really can't wait to read more from Steve and although it was a quick read it's a book I'll be thinking about for a long time, and I really hope it gets developed into something else.

I can't do half stars but this is def 4.5 stars

What happens if you change not only your destiny but others as well? Righting what you always felt was wrong? The saying change one thing you change everything is true. Living the consequences are not the outcome you want. Time travelling via a phone, leaving messages that changed everything. When you see the consequences would you change them back to the original outcome if you could.
An engrossing book that makes you think.

This book was sadly slow to start and never got any better. It was not for me and I gave up half way through. The blurb sounded good but the author was unable to deliver for my taste.

As a strong believer in the butterfly effect, this book was fantastic. I really enjoyed the story, i thought the set up was really well thought out and it was fascinating to see exactly how the ripples in time settled. I am so very glad that there was an epilogue and I will be recommending this book far and wide. The first few chapters took me a while to get accustomed to the style of writing, but after that, i couldn't put it down. Brilliantly captivating and a truly thought provoking.

This book sadly didn't work for me. The start was incredibly slow, and none of the characters (but especially Bob) were in any way likeable. It had a really interesting premise but just didn't have the pay off I was looking for.

I really liked this. It's like It's A Wonderful Life crossed with Back to the Future 2. It has plenty of twists and time-space continuum fun, and is surprisingly deep about regrets and focusing too much on what's passed. Good work Steve!

Sorry but I didn’t finish this book, so difficult to get into, very abrupt writing style that felt like it was being shouted at you rather than drawing you into a story. Life is too short to persevere when there is no enjoyment!!

Very sorry but this book was not for me at all.
Did not like the characters or the storytelling. The style was simple and a little immature and I just did not want to read on.

Really sorry

When I started this book I wasn’t sure I would end up finishing it. The start seemed a little slow and I was wondering what was coming. But I thought, give it a chance- and my I was glad I did! It was only when things started to get interesting that I understood the importance of the slower start, building the character to be someone you wasn’t really keen on. Great arc for Bob who I ended up wanting the best for. I loved the idea, the magical phone, the travel into the past. Excellent read and I would definitely recommend

From the first chapter this was a struggle for me. Shallow, obnoxious characters, unpleasant dialogue and a plot that was rambling. Definitely “lads” type of writing, which I have no problem with as long as it’s done well. Sadly this is not the case with this book, and no amount of flowery, over descriptive narrative will make up for a story spread too thinly.

With apologies to the author, but not one for me.

Thank you NetGalley.

Sorry i could not finish this book as it felt very disjointed and gave up half way through.

Thanks to NetGalley & Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for a ARC.

I was a little put off by the first line, but once past that, and if you can get on board with the unlikable protagonist, this is a funny novel that reminded me a little of Tony Parson's work. It is quite a 'blokey' book and the humour can be a bit immature, but if that 90's ladish humour (with plenty of cars, fights, romance and a little pathos) is your thing, check it out.

So Bob is the main character of this story and I found him difficult to relate to, that said I did finish it, whilst lazing on a sunbed on holiday

This book had such an interesting take on how one decision can change everything…
Bob doesn’t seem to have much to live for, burdened by guilt after his little brothers death when they were younger. But one day when he gets invited to a fancy dress party and surprisingly he agrees to go. However this means he needs to quickly sort out a costume. With a friend he heads to a dingy little shop for his costume. It’s in this shop that he buys a seemingly useless phone. Little does he know that this device, simply bought to go with his costume, will change his life forever.

While this book had twists that I never expected, it took a bit for me to get into the book. However once I did, I was really interested to see how it was all going to turn out.

Like others it took me a little while to get into this story, I really disliked Bob to start with which probably didn’t help. But once I got into it I thought it was an entertaining story line and I wasn’t expecting the twist towards the end at all. Genuinely an enjoyable read and fun to read something a bit different to my usual genre.

Struggled to get through this and found the main character bob too Iunlikeable to care about his story. Some of the scenes were odd.

I love a good time travel novel but found this one rather superficial and not very satisfying
The idea is that the narrator finds a telephone which allows him to talk to family members in the past and thus influence things that were about to happen in particular the accidental death of the narrators brother
One of the aspects I found failed for me was that by using the phone the author was not really able to see what was happening at the other end of the phone .Despite this there was description of things like what they were wearing
I got a bit confused at times about what was happening
I suppose I would describe the book as quite blokey ,it might appeal best to the summer holiday readership people who like to read on holiday and want something light and fun to read
I read a copy of this book on NetGalley Uk the book is published in the Uk 11 May 2023 by Michael Joseph Penguin Random house .This review will be published on NetGalley and goodreads and my book blog on Wordpress Bionic Sarah’s Books

really struggled to get into this story but perceived to see if it got better. sadly not for me, didn’t like Bob and found the story confusing and lacking the wow factor. disappointed as the blurb made me really look forward to reading it