The In-Between Bookstore
Ratings1
Average rating3
15
Ratings1
Average rating3
A poignant and enchanting novel about a magical bookstore that transports a trans man through time and brings him face-to-face with his teenage self, offering him the chance of a lifetime to examine his life and identity to find a new beginning.
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
It was about a 3.5/5 for me. I loved the idea of the book. As someone who grew up gay in a small town, it was healing for me. Overall it was hard to understand how Darby didn't remember what happened between him and his best friend in school. I think many people would remember that type of thing, even when you try to tell a friend major information. I did see that Darby went to Oak Falls with no choice but eventually, he tried to heal past trauma. It is a solid book that I did love and it was eerily healing for me. I think most LGBT kids growing up in small-town America have the same feelings about trying to make space for themselves in a town like that.
The ending though was quite sad. I felt like the first 75% flew by and then the last 20 pages were heartbreak after heartbreak. I more felt bad for Mr. Grumpy and Michael than any other character.
As I was reading Edward Underhill's first adult novel, I started noticing that the plot was moving rather slowly for a romance. Eventually I realized that The In-Between Bookstore is a not actually a romance. It uses small-town, second-chance romance tropes, but they're primarily employed in the service of the MC's personal journey. Darby Madden left his small Illinois hometown for New York City as soon as he graduated from high school. Eighteen years later, New York is home. It's where he came out as trans and found a friendship group of other queers. But he's newly unemployed and at loose ends, so when his Mom tells him she is moving from their childhood home to a condo, he drives 13 hours to Oak Falls so he can help her. He'll stay long enough to make sure she's settled, while he brainstorms a new place to live and new job opportunities back in the Big Apple. He almost immediately runs into Michael Weaver, his childhood BFF who inexplicably ghosted Darby right before their senior year. It's not surprising that Michael still lives in Oak Falls and teaches high school. But Darby is shocked to learn that Michael holds him responsible for for the demise of their friendship. Darby's favorite place in Oak Falls was always In Between Books, where he worked and hung out with Michael. But it's more than nostalgia when he steps inside the shop and realizes that the familiar-looking salesclerk is himself - the 17 year old version of himself back in 2009 - when Darby was deep in the closet and Michael was still his bestie. Darby wonders if he's been given an opportunity to rewrite history. If he can get enough information out of “Young Darby” to figure out where it went wrong with Michael, perhaps he can change the future and preserve their friendship. I'll try to avoid spoilers but I will say that almost none of the assumptions I made about the plot were accurate. Yes, Michael turns out to be gay and yes, Darby realizes that even a small Midwestern town can have a close-knit queer community. But if you're feeling Sweet Home Alabama crossed with 13 Going on 30 vibes, you need to stop watching so many rom-coms. The choices Darby makes about his future feel very true to the character. Looking back at my 2023 review of Underhill's debut YA novel, [b:Always the Almost 60784592 Always the Almost Edward Underhill https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652393694l/60784592.SY75.jpg 92834586], I noted that the trans MC was fully developed, but the Love Interest was bland. So maybe Edward Underhill's heart really lies in exploring trans journeys, which may or may not include the romance novel version of HEA. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for review.
