Reviews with content warning for Medical content - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

I understand the hype. The novel is sweeping and unusual and feels new. But I wouldn’t want to live in the character’s world or grab a beer with any of them (except maybe Marx even though he seemed too shiny to be real). I found them stubborn and insufferable and stuck in their respective lanes. I DID enjoy the mechanics of this book even if the plot was infuriating and I will read this author again.

Content Warnings

aubreyrae_m's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was unlike any other love story/realistic fiction book I’ve ever read. I would highly recommend this book to people who enjoy books that have characters that feel like real people, with flaws, mistakes, and feelings.

I would not recommend this book to anyone who longs for a happy ending at the end of the story. There is some resolution, but the problem is not resolved completely.

Books like these are frustrating because you want the characters to make different choices, but they’re also exciting because they allow you to connect to the characters.

Content Warnings

squidface's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I raced through this book, which is a testament to Kevin's ability to pace well, write readable characters, and overall keep me that engaged. I nearly gave this a 5/5 but the book has a few flaws that downgraded it for me.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adored this book, flaws and all (which is definitely one of the themes of the book - loving someone wholly despite their flaws and your flaws). I loved the literary references, the use of Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson, and thought it was interesting that those things fell away as the characters got older - but yet it was sort of a turning plot point in the later third of the book to bring Macbeth back in so the characters could emotionally connect again (sorry if this doesn't make much sense, I'm trying to keep the review as spoiler free as possible).
I felt, as others have pointed out, that Zevin was using some kind of word of the day thing and tried to shoehorn in as many random words as possible. Tuberose was overused as an adjective. She misused the word tautology (who proofed this?).
I disagree with whoever said she clearly doesn't understand music - those observations about Miles Davis et al in the book are made from a character point of view and definitely aren't the views of the author.
Although I did at times find the characters to be thinly veiled versions of parts of Zevin, for the most part they're adorkable.
Despite the flaws, I think Zevin is an amazing and accomplished writer. And this book is definitely worth a read.
For me it actually could have gone into more elaboration about the games world itself and the business side of it, but I suppose in the end the book focused on relationships between people, and that's what mattered more, because it played to it's strengths.

Content Warnings

fi_sandison's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

intrepid_bibliophile's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

lahars_little_library's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The writing style by Zevin is gripping. Watching the story of two friends live and work together over decades and the realistic ways their relationship changes was masterful. There was quite a lot of triggering content but it was all handled delicately. I was so invested in the lives of these characters they felt so real to me as a reader.

Content Warnings

amelienchen's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

olivia_piepmeier's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Been meaning to read this for awhile and finishing a production of Macbeth is what finally made it happen.

The narrative structure of this, sometimes reading like a retrospective on the career of Sadie and Sam, plus the focus on game design through the lens of a deep friendship + business made this an incredibly engaging read. The characters felt real and complex. The setting felt vibrant. I enjoyed the peppering in of theater as part of Marx's identity. I definitely understand why this keeps appearing on best of lists.

Content Warnings

More...