Greetings, booklovers and welcome to another dazzling review!

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As we settle into late September, bidding the wintery onslaught of frost and rain adieu, what better way to spend the longer days than sprawled in the sunshine with a great read? And while my list of book recommendations may be long, this month’s pick is a surefire winner for those with a penchant for fantasy, romance, action and suspense.

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The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso is a captivating and heartwarming novel that immediately drew me in – especially as a tragic Whovian – that explores the concept of time and the enduring power of love and connection.

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Spanning across two timelines from Germany on the outbreak of WWII to mid-60s America, the story unfolds through the perspectives of Lisavet Levy and Amelia Duquesne, two young women forced into the time space; a magical library existing outside of time that stores each person’s memories in their own book.

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I really hope the font reflects the personality.

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The only other people to enter the time space are the timekeepers, a secret global organization intent on maintaining their versions of the past to ensure a ‘safe’ future (think Philip K. Dick crossed with Matt Haig).

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When Lisavet learns that their policy involves burning memories so people, events and ideas are wiped from existence, she chooses to interfere, putting herself in great danger and unleashing a chain of events that inexplicably alters time and impacts the lives of those close to her. As the ones she loves come under direct threat, she has no other choice but to continue down this path despite the cost.

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Ah love, continuing to ruin people’s lives left, right and centre.

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Years later, teenage Amelia – a fiery redhead with a passion for poetry and snark befitting her age – is recruited against her will by the timekeepers and thrown into the middle of a battle with seemingly no one to trust and no training to rely on (very first job vibes). As she learns the transportive art of time-walking, sliding into a memory as an invisible spectator (let’s see AI manage that), she gradually uncovers the trail Lisavet and her uncle left behind and begins to understand how much is at stake.

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Written with all the intrigue of a spy thriller and forbidden romance, Hayley Gelfuso spins a complex idea into a sweeping, magical narrative of two people drawn together and the painful sacrifices they must make. The constant theme of hope in the grim reality of war, heartbreak and grief is written with such nuance and empathy that it makes The Book of Lost Hours a truly unforgettable novel. These characters stayed with me long after the final chapter and I am very excited to see what this author does next.

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Five out of five gold pocket watches.

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SIMILAR TITLES

 

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The life-changing reader-favourite, from the acclaimed author of How To Stop Time, Reasons to Stay Alive and The Comfort Book.

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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all.

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By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

No.1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult brings to life the woman many believe was the real playwright behind the work of William Shakespeare alongside a contemporary story of a New York author suffering the same fate of being silenced.