The In-Between Bookstore – Edward Underhill

Published By: Avon Books
Pages: 272
Released On: 14/01/2025

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.

*****

Thank you to Anne at Random Things Book Tours for the gifted copy of this title in return for an honest review and spot on the book tour.

I have been wanting to read this for so long and was thrilled to be sent a copy for the book tour.

I was expecting it to be this magical, fantasy book right from the off, but it wasn’t. We had backstory first, introducing the characters and whatnot. And whilst it may have taken longer to get into the fantasy elements than I expected, I didn’t mind as it meant we could get to know the characters. And I really liked Darby. He’s been through some stuff (no spoilers) which means he often feels a bit lone, like he doesn’t belong anywhere, and I really felt for him.

I suppose, before reading it, I thought it would be similar to Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library (which I loved) but it wasn’t. To be honest, it felt like the time travel element was more of a background piece and didn’t really serve much to the plot.

There isn’t a huge amount of plot. It’s quite genteel and not much happens, which isn’t always a bad thing, but I wanted something more….something to happen. It’s more to do with Darby’s past, present, and future, and what he wants from like, rather than what he is actually doing in the story.

I think this is Edward’s debut adult novel and whilst there are a few issues, I think it is a promising one, particularly in his description of characters, emotions, locations etc. You can vividly see yourself there, which can be hard to achieve without feeling like you’re reading a list of adjectives.

I think this would be perfect for younger readers – older teenagers or young adults, when you’re trying to find your way in the world, find your friends, romantic partners, careers, your home. I’m not saying I’ve got my life together at 31, far from it, but generally speaking you tend to have more of an idea of your position in the world as you age. So I think it would be great for readers who want to see that someone else is going through the same difficulties as they are. Which I suppose is why Edward has been such a popular YA author prior to this.

It’s got great diversity of characters, but not just to tix boxes. These are genuine characters who have been thought out and well created, so most readers should be able to identify with at least one of the characters. It’s relatively short which means it’s quick to read, and I read it in less than a day.

It’s a bit of fantasy (but not quite enough), a flash of romance (but not quite enough) – everything that is there is good, but none of it quite hits the greatness I was hoping for. But I would still recommend it, especially for younger readers.