The In Between Bookstore
I received this galley in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Edward Underhill
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Avon
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Format: eBook
★★★☆☆
This book is perfect for those that like: Time-Bending, Found Family, and Stories of Finding Yourself
You might not like this book if you aren’t into: Magical Situations or Miscommunication Storylines
Favorite Line: “Because nobody else can tell you who you are.” ~ Darby
The Book
When Darby finds himself unemployed and in need of a fresh start, he moves back to the small Illinois town he left behind. But Oak Falls has changed almost as much as he has since he left.
One thing is familiar: In Between Books, Darby's refuge growing up and eventual high school job. When he walks into the bookstore now, Darby feels an eerie sense of déjà vu--everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the register is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen. . . who just might give Darby the opportunity to change his own present for the better--if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.
The In-Between Bookstore is a stunning novel of love, self-discovery, and the choices that come with both, for anyone who has ever wondered what their life might be like if they had the chance to go back and take a bigger, braver risk.
my thoughts
The story features Darby, a trans man living in NYC, who finds himself without a job and no real direction for his future. Despite his friends’ protests, Darby decides to move back home to a small town in Illinois, only to run into a younger version of himself at the bookstore he used to work at in high school. He’s confronted not only with his pre-transitioned self, but all the questions he had about those around him while growing up. Did everything from his youth really happen the way he thought it did? Was moving to NYC a mistake?
Likes: His mom was a delight, even if I bit wonky in her support of her son, lol, and there were no scenes of anyone harassing Darby for being trans.
Dislikes: I wish we had more of Darby with his NYC friends. They play such a vital role in his life and this story but we only see them snippets or in flashbacks.
Side Note: There is a love story in the book, but it is NOT a romance book.