A review by cassiealexandra
A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen

funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this science fiction, time loop love story. I say love story as the title does because I would definitely not market this as romance. While there is a central relationship and the characters are slowly falling toward each other in love and in their shared mission to break out of a 4-day Groundhog Day-esque time loop, their romantic feelings are not the primary focus of the book.

This book was quirky and fun. I really enjoyed the setting of San Francisco circa the 2090s. I thought the technology portrayed throughout was just advanced enough while remaining believable for 70 years in the future. The time loops and time travel also were well done. While my head was spinning a little in a few moments with technical language and science, my brain did not hurt trying to figure out the logistics of the time travel; I’m no expert, but the logic seemed solid and lacked the problematic inconsistencies I’ve found with so many books of this type.

I also really liked the slow-burn development of feelings between Carter and Mariana, two people who weren’t really looking for each other at all. 

I few items I struggled with:

I wanted more background and emotion felt about Carter’s family and his complicated relationship with them. 

I also wanted to feel the emotions of our characters a bit more. They seemed distant at times. The one time I got a little misty-eyed was when Mariana said goodbye to her AI.

There was a moment about half way through the book when I felt like the pace was dragging a lot, only to turn to the  next chapter and have the plot move rapidly to the finish line. 

Finally, I have mixed feelings about the ending, but I won’t spoil it for anyone. I will say it was slightly ambiguous. I’m undecided on whether I appreciate that, the way I appreciate indie movies, or if I wish there were a longer epilogue.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, but wonder if I might have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been expecting it to deliver more romance. My interest in this author has been piqued though, and I may be looking into his other works in the future.

  — NOTES — 
Genres: science fiction, time loops & travel, love story
POV: third-person
Content: grief, animal death (natural)
Romance: kisses

 — MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS — 
(all out of 5)
Pace: 3.5
Enjoyment: 4.5
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4
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