I enjoyed the premise of this book, and the use of the 80s was very fun. The intertwining storylines kept it interesting but there was nothing that pushed it to great for me. I was missing a little more to give it that nudge. At the end, I felt like it wrapped up quickly and left me with questions unanswered.

This was an interesting read. Each time the song ‘Don’t you want me’ played I hoped that Lisa would get the happiness she craved. I thought the character development was good, we got to see Adam without ever really seeing him. In the original timeline we never actually see or hear from Adam, it’s only from all the trips back that we get to see him. I have to say Lisa is better off without him. Pretty near to the start I thought that Marcus was the right one for her, she talked about the happiness they felt at the start of their relationship and their grief over loosing their son was so palpable.

The friendship she created with Stephanie was nice, if a bit strange. They both loved the same man, and in each reality when they got him they were miserable. Adam really was the bad egg!

I loved the trip back when they realised that the Human League didn’t exist and they had to help create the song they needed to get home.

Time travel always messes with your head, and nothing ever runs smoothly, and the butterfly effect was interesting to read, seeing how Emily was affected by Lisa’s decisions and how over everything, Lisa had to put things right to get her best friend back.

A good, funny read.

Thanks to Netgally for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book was great. 80´s time travel sounded like something I would like. Growing up I loved the movies 13 going on 30 and back to the future and this book sounded like something in one of those directions.

Unfortunately the writing felt a little flat for me. I did not like most of the characters., I felt like they would say one thing and then 3 pages later had a total opposite opinion. The book starts with Lisa, our married main character who has an affair with Adam. Although the relationship with Adam is sort of the catalyst for the time travel, he barely shows up in the rest of the book and I had trouble seeing why he was supposedly such a catch of a man.

Overall I do think the concept has a lot of fun potential, this version of it just didn´t do it for me unfortunatelyl.

Book Review: Don’t You Want Me by Derlys Maria Gutiérrez
Rating: 5/5 stars

I looooooooved this book—yes, that many o’s. Don’t You Want Me is a stunning time-traveling rollercoaster with rich, immersive character building that completely pulled me in. Derlys Maria Gutiérrez crafted Lisa and Stephanie so vividly, it felt like I was walking beside them, feeling every emotion, twist, and heartache right alongside them. The time travel element? A perfect 10/10—clever, compelling, and never confusing. I was completely captivated from start to finish and genuinely didn’t want it to end. This one’s an instant add-to-cart for my physical bookshelf the moment it releases!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. All views and opinions in this review are my own.

I was intrigued by the time-travel premise and 80s nostalgia of “Don’t You Want Me?”, especially since the song it was inspired by was so popular back in the day. Reading the book required some suspension of disbelief, of course, as with most time-travel type stories. There are always “rules” and the possibility of altering the future and creating multiple realities. The book was lighthearted and entertaining enough to not dwell too much on the sci-fi aspect. I would enjoy it more if the characters had more personality, especially the main character Lisa. I know she’s supposed to be dealing with some traumatic events in her life, but I can’t really excuse her infidelity towards her husband. Also, Adam is awful! I couldn’t see what Lisa saw in him to jeopardize her marriage.

The ending felt rushed, probably because of too many time jumps in an attempt to make the story more interesting than it was.

Thank you to Post Hill Press and Regalo Press for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Don’t You Want Me by Derlys Maria Gutiérrez is a cute time-traveling romp that, like the title suggests, takes a place partially in the 1980s. In fact, it’s the very same song from the Human League that propels the main character through time as she attempts to rewrite her own present life by manipulating the events of her past.

This story was very lighthearted, despite the references to child loss and marital infidelity. While the book is scaffolded around a romantic relationship, a lot of the book really has to do with female relationships: motherhood, the role of daughters, female friendship, etc. Arguably the storylines about Lisa’s real and imagined children and her relationships with Emily and her mother were much more compelling than that of her with Adam.

The story was somewhat reminiscent of the movie 13 going on 30. It had the same elements of low-stakes time travel and realizing who you want to be and who you’ve become. I also thought that the story had a very strong theme of “the grass being greener.”

The issue with this book is that the characters are tragically underdeveloped and have very little depth. Adam is the very worst example of this. Despite being the whole catalyst for the events of the book, we see literally nothing about him besides that he has some wealth and is a womanizer. He is portrayed as a cartoonish abusive husband and lecher and the reasons why he’s so desirable to all these women is never shown. Short of a few corny jokes, there’s nothing even remotely pleasant about him and there’s literally no chemistry or sex appeal with a single character. It’s hard to sell a whole concept on the back of a character who reads as a cardboard cutout of a Lifetime-movie cheater.

In spite of the somewhat flat characters, I did think that the book was pretty fun. I thought it moved at a good clip, jumping back and forth in time. It’s imperfect but would be a great option for an easy beach read (especially if you want some 80s nostalgia.)

3/5 stars.

Freaky Friday time travel with a fun romantic twist! While this was a bit lighter than I’d like it to be, still had a great time on this journey.

DNF 38%

I thought the premise of this novel was solid, but the writing and the characters did not grab me in any way. In fact, I loathed every single character introduced and felt nothing toward them. I think another serious round of editing is needed in order to strengthen the characters and plot in order to make readers feel more invested.

Thanks to NetGalley & Post Hill Press for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I think I might be heading into a bit of a book slump, so take this with a grain of salt—but Don’t You Want Me didn’t quite work for me. The concept had potential, especially with the time travel twist, but the execution fell a little flat.

The writing didn’t fully pull me in, and I found it hard to connect with the characters. The main conflict—where the FMC goes back in time and falls in love with the MMC before he’s married—felt messy in a way that made it hard to root for their relationship. I get that love can happen unexpectedly, but the emotional cheating undertone just didn’t sit well with me.

Overall, it had a creative premise, but between the writing and the romantic setup, this one didn’t land for me. That said, I might revisit it once I’m out of my slump to see if I feel differently with a fresh perspective.

Lisa Williams is a woman on the edge—trapped in a failing marriage and emotionally entangled with a married man she believes is her soulmate. One evening, while waiting for him at a train station, a familiar '80s song transports her back to 1982, to her college days at Columbia University. She’s in her eighteen-year-old body, but with all the knowledge and emotional weight of her middle-aged life. What follows is a thoughtful, time-bending story where Lisa slips between decades, revisiting the early days of her relationship with Adam. She becomes determined to change the course of his life—and hers—by stopping him from marrying the woman he ends up with in the present. But time doesn’t move in straight lines, and each return to the past brings new complications and insights she never expected.

The novel explores love, regret, and the longing to undo mistakes, all against the vibrant backdrop of 1980s New York. It’s a mix of personal reflection and subtle sci-fi, asking whether knowing the future can ever really change it—and whether it should.

I clicked on this title because I love the song and from the description of the book, it seemed to be about 80s nostalgia. The book isn't about that at all, it's more about a mid life crisis. And for once it's nice to read about a woman's mid-life crisis. I really liked the book's nuanced take on infidelity, and how in most cases, the path you've taken will probably be the best one for you, and your choices can define how things go. If this all sounds vague, it's because I"m trying not to spoil the plot because it goes in really interesting ways, that I really did not expect. It's not cliched, it's quite feminist and while I'm not entirely on board with one aspect of the ending, I'm willing to forgive that because the book is genuinely compelling.,

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

Don’t You Want Me (4.29): The cover and premise behind this book drew in the Millennial in me so fast. Time travel back to the 80s?! Hell yeah. Human League as the main song that contributes to said time travel?! I’m in.

Except, the characters were kinda bland for me and you didn’t really learn why or how the time travel was happening until about 88% in and by that point, I was kind of done. The ending was sweet though and was a quick read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the premise of this book where an unhappy woman goes back in time to her college days in the 80s and then back to present any time a certain song plays, but there were some really big plot holes and the writing was not great. There were a few other issues for me but I’ll leave them out to avoid spoilers. It was a great idea but just so-so execution.

I read a digital advance copy of this book via netgalley.

It truly surprised me, how much I loved reading this! Not usually one for SciFi but the author handled this amazingly! I struggled at first to get through the cheating aspect in this story. It's just personally, an "ick" that I have, but it was SO worth finishing! Very much a page turner with heart warming surprises!

I rally enjoyed Don't You Want Me by Derlys Maria Gutiérrez. The story dives deep into Lisa’s turmoil, offering a raw and poignant look at her quest for love and self-acceptance amidst the chaos of time travel. The vivid 1980s New York City backdrop adds a nostalgic charm, with its music, fashion, and vibrant energy bringing every scene to life. As Lisa faces her past choices, the book explores themes of redemption, resilience, and the ripple effect of decisions, both good and bad. The blend of humor, spice, and heartfelt moments makes this story more than just a romance.

I really liked the premise of this novel -- time traveling back to the 80s to relive your glory days -- but the characters were so unlikeable that it never fully worked for me. No matter which of the multiverses they landed in, there was still an underlying despicability to the whole thing...and the girls were always out for themselves. There wasn't any character growth, or sisters supporting sisters...it just kept devolving. Then at the very end, it all just wrapped up with a neat little bow that...was too convenient. Good premise, but poor execution.

Be careful what you wish for in this trippy blast to the past! It’s 2008 and Lisa Williams is unsatisfied with her life. A flailing marriage to contend with, her extramarital affair with the equally married Adam is her only comfort. Believing that he is her one true love, she decides to take fate into her own hands by traveling back to the 80s to play matchmaker for her younger self. But she quickly realizes that playing with the past can have disastrous effects on the present!

This was a very quirky novel. I liked the nostalgia and the originality of it. I absolutely could not put this book down until I finished; that’s how hooked I was. Lisa was one of those characters you love to hate, because girl what do you mean your soulmate is a married man?! She was very much delusional at times but watching her antics unfold was entertaining. At its heart, it was a sweet story about friendship. I do, however, have mixed feelings about the way her infidelity was downplayed to a certain extent. And I wish we could have gotten more scenes with her actual husband. He almost felt like a forgotten character until the very end.

Thank you to Regalo Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Catch the release on April 29!

Lisa's desire to change her past relationship decisions reflects a common human tendency to romanticize "what might have been," but the story suggests that such backward-looking fixations may blind us to possibilities in our present and future.
The novel promises an engaging blend of romantic elements with deeper philosophical questions about fate, choice, and the impossibility of knowing how altered past actions might reshape our lives. Its premise offers both emotional satisfaction and intellectual substance for readers who enjoy speculative fiction with psychological depth.

Don’t You Want Me is the kind of book that’ll have you yelling at the main character—in the best (and most frustrating) way possible. Maria Gutierrez nails the cringe-worthy, all-too-real spiral of a woman who just. Can’t. Let. Go. The premise is nostalgic, fun, and had moments that I both hated and couldn’t stop reading—why was she like this???

That said, if you’re looking for a wholesome “girls supporting girls” vibe, this ain’t it. The MC choices had me side-eyeing her hard. But stick around—the ending delivers a cute twist , it almost makes up for all the secondhand embarrassment. Almost.

Thank you NetGalley and to the Publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!