Review: See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon

See You Yesterday

by Rachel Lynn Solomon 

May 17, 2022

Goodreads Summary:

Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room.

The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months.

When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?

Review

I always feel a little down when I don't end up enjoying a book as much as others have. Such is the case with See You Yesterday. I liked the book but thought that the story in general could've been shortened quite a bit.

I had the most trouble staying interested at the beginning of See You Yesterday. I didn't connect with the characters and not much was happening. But I persisted and am happy to report, the second half of the book was a lot more eventful.

Despite the slow pacing, See You Yesterday had deep and thoughtful characterizations. Both Barrett and Miles dealt with very serious and realistic issues. No one should have had to go through what Barrett endured. My heart ached for her. Miles's fears were different but relatable. The author does a wonderful job of giving closure and reassurances to Barrett and Miles.

Slow and hesitant is how I would describe Barrett and Miles's relationship. In the beginning, I couldn't fathom how these two very different people would ever get together. They were nothing alike yet, they were good for each other. "Somehow, we were able to move forward when we were standing still." (ARC, p.418) Barrett and Miles's romance was full of awkwardness but sweet at all the right times.

Now, as much as I appreciated Barrett and Miles together, Barrett and her former best friend, Lucie's development was my favourite part in See You Yesterday. Each repeated day gave them a chance to discover something new about each other. It was so rewarding to see slowly restart their friendship!

See You Yesterday is a coming of age story with all the identity searching and tentative feels. The book may have had a bit more pages than I found necessary but it's definitely a genuine and worthy read.

*I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.