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

Chose this as it was a mega bestseller in 2023 but it fell a bit flat for me. Spoiler warning:

The constant switch up in writing perspectives and styles

like cutting to a page of game reviews or an interview in the future with Sadie / Sam

was an interesting choice but once or twice I felt it detracted from the story.

Marx and his chapters hit home the most for me - despite making him the obvious "likeable" character while Sadie and Sam's flaws were obviously meant to be a main focus.

Some of the word choices in the prose (not only character dialogue) felt a bit over the top and like the author wanted to remind you how smart, not only the characters, but she was.

I absolutely hated

the choice to have Sadie remain in contact with Dov after her experiences. Even if it is realistic, there wasn't enough emphasis for me on WHY Sadie made that choice other than 'she still looked up to him'

The passages from Marx's POV

with both the Macbeth and Strawberry Thief references were my favourite part and I honestly struggle to understand why his focus was as more of an NPC? If it was meant to be a big reference to how Sadie and Sam treated him, it was a bit flat.

Overall there were some really emotional and resonant scenes, and the references to theatre, art, and games were typically well thought out and had a place in the story. I wish that this book had a better idea of exactly what it was about, so our throughlines didn't get so muddled.

Content Warnings

charadelle's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring 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

Initial Thoughts~~
Holy cow! This book is written just as beautifully as the cover was designed. I loved being able to see the story from different angles. The use of online gaming worlds to show characters healing was stellar. I am completely unsure what it is about authors that make them always want to

kill off my favorite characters

, but I was a complete mess.

If you haven't read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes you may spare yourself the foreshadowing of your own heartbreak.

Plot~~
The plot of this book was different than anything else that I have personally read. Primarily, due to the fact that this is about the world of creating video games and that's not normally on my list of primary plots I choose to read. (I won't lie, I was interested in this book solely due to the cover.... because I'm a judger. Sorry, not sorry). I love how the plot went through different periods of life for each character. Or if something happened to a character, we were often quickly transported to a moment of time to see why this current incident may be having a larger impact on the character.

Characters~~
We have Sam, who in my opinion was not my favorite. He pissed me off more than he didn't. Sadie, made me think of myself. The cycle of leaving and returning to bad relationships really hit home. Marx... I am going to need more time on this one.

World/Setting~~
Set between the 90s and 2000/2010s we got to watch the world of gaming develop and evolve. This was primarily what gave us the details in the setting. Yes, the book took place in Massachusetts and Los Angelas, but the whole setting was MADE due to the gaming industry during the different time periods.

Pacing~~
This book was decently medium paced. Every so often I would get a little confused when we went back to the past. The only thing that bothered me with pacing was how occasionally some information had been repeated.

Pre-Reading~~
I first saw this book at Target and became enthralled with the cover art. I’m so excited that the first book club I will be participating in is reading this book this month.

August TBR~~

~~The Key Thief~~- DNF
~~Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow~~
Verity
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Fantastic Beasts and Where the Find Them
Quidditch Through the Ages
Tales of Beedle the Bard
Southern Book Club Guide to Slaying Vampires
~~The Best Way to Bury Your Husband~~

Content Warnings

boba_nbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Spice Rating: 🌶️ / 5

This was such a unique book. I loved the way the story was told not only through multiple POVs but also through video games. As the characters grew up and adapted, so did the storytelling.

Sam/Mazer is such an intriguing character who you can’t quite wrap your head around. He has been invisible his whole life and isn’t quite sure how to love and be loved. His character grows quite a bit but still has his flaws to the very end.

All in all, this was a delight to read.

Content Warnings

chloel29's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad medium-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

3.0

Content Warnings

marlene_wp's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted fast-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? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

soggygarlicknot's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

I adored this book. I love the relationships and how complex and human everyone is. When a character is in the wrong,

unless it's Dov, hated that guy,

I can still love them in a way that proves the author truly understood people and made the charcters have such a depth that I don't usually see. Even the character I hated the most became one who I could appreciate at some points.

Content Warnings

tbrnichols's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

I really appreciated the seriousness that gaming was given, both as a past time and a creative art and the descriptions of how sacred and intimate a space gaming should be really rang true to me. I also appreciated the idea of a representative audience of one as the genesis of great creative works, especially since it sort of created "muse" as a super category for friends, lovers, rivals, and sometimes even acquaintances. I'm not sure if I think that Sadie got better at understanding someone through mere observation in the ways that Mazer seems to prefer and intuit, while he seems to have gotten much better at verbal explication, but the creation of gaming as a sufficient alternate feels justified as a hybrid, a synthesis, and a deeper examination of motivations along the lines of acting.

Content Warnings

and_deni's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

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