This is basically a love story between two brilliant Harvard undergraduates, Zoe and Jack, who think they have discovered a cure for aging. Most of the first part of the book is concerned with their research, setting up their company and basically becoming rich. `There is far too much technical explanation of both the research and the business jargon, which I did not understand, also the way that American universities work seems very different to here in the UK. Then things start to go badly wrong. It is only towards the end when the narrative switches to James' past life - we know all about Zoe but Jack has kept his background quiet. This is the real story which I could relate to. The writing is good but the technical passages kill it for me. The author is a Harvard graduate in chemistry and English which explains a lot. Hs is just showing off with the Gilgamesh quotes!

I'm so gutted that this book just didn't live up to what I imagined it was going to be. Unfortunately I did abandon this around the 40% mark, and I was torn with whether or not to persevere, but I just feel like reading should never feel like a chore.

I will say that I LOVED the concept for this book. That's what drew me in and got me so excited to dive into it - it's so unique. I just wish it was executed differently. I made it to 40% of the book, and still all that had really happened was a lot of back and forth between Zoe and Jack at the lab while they work on this project. There were a lot of long, drawn out scenes that I think could've been skipped over as they didn't particularly add anything or set the story up, and the entire first half of the book is just very slow-paced, which I'm not used to.

What I would've loved is if the book started with some backstory as to *why* the cure for aging was significant, how it evolved, how Zoe and Jack bonded while developing it - but then quickly getting into the execution and the bringing it into the world and the press interviews and the fame. THAT'S what I was excited to read about, and I just didn't get that, and if it comes later then I unfortunately just couldn't stick out the wait.

Additionally, there was quite a lot of technical jargon that went over my head and at times I read entire pages without fully knowing what I read, so it would've been nice for it to perhaps be written in a slightly more accessible way. Carrie Soto is Back comes to mind as an example - this book largely centres around competitive tennis, which I knew NOTHING about, but it was written in a way that explained everything clearly to the reader and even had me fully invested and wanting to learn more about tennis by the end of it. That's what I was hoping for here, with the science side of things.

Like I said, I do still think the concept of this book is fab, and I think anyone who doesn't mind a slow-paced, descriptive book and who has a passion/understanding for science might enjoy this. It may well be one of those books that completely picks up in the second half and gets amazing - I'm just sorry I didn't get there.

This book is the story of Zoe and Jack who meet at Harvard university in America where they undertake internships in the biotech fields. Between them they come up with a potential breakthrough in the ability to increase organisms lifespan. They break away from the university abandon their university studies and set up a start-up company to research this further and take it forward towards drug development. The pace is initially fast and they quickly become wealthy with the potential of this new development.
There are an awful lot of acronyms at the start of this book that I didn’t actually understand. I wonder if there was specifically American University terms
I was struggling to get into it to begin with as I didn’t understand the science ( this is different to tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow to which it has been compared where we all understood basic computing )
I liked the way that the narrator changed from
Zoe to Jack at the three-quarter stage in the novel .It was good to see things from his point of view
I liked the way the novel switched from an increasingly being entirely on the upwards trajectory to potential disaster. This added some level of threat to the novel which made it much more interesting.
I didn’t really understand the Gilgamesh story which was amended to some of the chapters
I did not predict the plot twist in the middle it was fantastic
The author has a clean clear easily red writing style and the novel was an easy read once I got into it.
I’ve seen the book compared to tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow which was one of my favourite novels and this is what made me reach for it on NetGalley UK. Personally what I can’t see the similarity I found this novel rather more difficult to read because I didn’t really understand the underlying science as well as I felt I needed to.
I felt there was a lot of similarities with the television series Dopesick so I think if you enjoy that then you might enjoy this novel
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on the 10th of July 2025 by Michael Joseph Penguin a random house.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com. After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.

In a Harvard chemistry class, Zoe and Jack engage in a fierce intellectual rivalry, each determined to outsmart the other. But as they clash, they also spark a connection that goes beyond academics. United by their passion for discovery and ambition, they form an unstoppable partnership, both in research and in love. Their collaboration leads to a thriving startup, and their relationship seems perfect. But when a shocking accusation threatens to destroy everything they've built, their love and trust are put to the ultimate test. Will their dreams and ambitions survive the turmoil, or will the costs of success prove too high? This captivating novel explores the cutthroat world of innovation, the blurred lines between truth and deception, and the intoxicating power of love and ambition.