I LOVE this book with all me heart. I completely forgot I had this on NetGalley and bought a copy and now that I saw it on my titles, I need to scream and shout about this book!

It is my favourite book of all time. Kate Mascarenhas' writing is exceptional! I loved the plot, the different timelines we follow, and the diversity in this book! I love sci-fi and the time-travel element was done SO WELL. We have a murder mystery, a time-travelling organisation, and future versions meeting past versions! Following four female scientists, this book is everything to me. Please read this and if you're on the fence about it, I PROMISE you will love it!

at first i thought this was a non-fiction book, so it was a pleasant surprise to realise it's fiction, and all about kickass women who create a time travel machine. I loved how feminist this book was, focusing on women in a genre/trope (time travel) that is usually dominated by male protagonists. it was very refreshing.. this is a really unique story and unlike anything else i've read, and gave the idea of time travel a more emotional touch than i've seen before. at times a bit confusing.

Recommended for anyone interested in the concept of time travel

In the year 1967, four pioneers invent a time travel machine and begin to create rules and rights for a brand new world. In 2017, a young therapist attempts to unravel the history of her grandmother, who was ostracised by the time travel community. And in 2018, a student attempts to solve a confusing case where an old woman appears to have been shot in a locked room on her own. ‘The Psychology of Time Travel’ takes these three narratives and intertwines them to create an excellent tale of mystery, romance and deep reflection upon some of the problems travelling through time could cause.

One of my favourite things about this book was the comprehensiveness with which it analyses the idea of time travel. It is a popular concept in science fiction novels, yet often introduced with little explanation of the rules and obvious contradictions that arise. This book chooses to focus heavily on these contradictions, such as meeting future and past versions of oneself, dealing with death and romance and retrieving technology and knowledge from the future. Introduction of time travel ‘lingo’ also makes the world feel more real and the concepts less alien. By the end of the book the concept of time travel seems plausible and explored fully, yet perhaps the greatest achievement of this novel is that the explanations are spread out and tied into the story so that it never feels tedious nor bogged down with exposition.

The story itself is another achievement of the book. The book uses an almost entirely female cast yet it doesn’t feel forced nor does it stray into ‘girl power’ territory with flawless female icons. All of the characters are very believable and perhaps one criticism could be the length of the book; it is fairly short and I felt there were many interesting secondary characters that I would love to learn more about. This is particularly key in the first chapters when the actual invention of time travel is breezed through fairly quickly.

As with any time travel book, the multitude of different characters and timelines can make the book slightly confusing and I would highly recommend some sort of map or character list as one reads the book. The characters are all intertwined which ties the book together nicely but again can make it tough to keep track of who knows what as the mystery progresses. The chapters are very short and sequentially focus on the three different storylines, which can be annoying when you really want to know about one storyline in particular. The time travel also means we know the conclusion of the story long before it actually occurs but I would argue it is satisfying enough to not be a huge issue!

Overall I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the idea of time travel; the number of new angles and interpretations the book manages to come up with is incredible! It can be a bit confusing but that is to be expected with such a subject matter and the story is wholesome and interesting enough to tie the book together perfectly.

Boromir

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

It took me a while to get into this book, but when I did, I really enjoyed it. There are so many characters and they are all somehow connected. It's amazing and hard at the same time. I had sometimes issues remembering the names and who they were and what their function was, but the more I read, the easier it got.

This is a story about women and that is what really stood out. All these talented women who work relentlessly towards their goals and fight for what they believe in. All these characters felt real and fleshed out to me, even though there were so many. Of course, some got more attention, but in the end I knew them all to a certain extent.

The story itself should have felt all over the place. It jumps from time to time and character to character, but I still always felt consistent. Everything made sense where it was. It felt like a mosaic, loads of different parts, that make sense when put together but maybe not in their own.

I really loved the mystery part of the story. It was carried by the great characters, but I was really interested to see it unfold and find out all the little pieces that led to the outcome I was shown so early on.

What I also really enjoyed was the casual diversity this book had. So many main characters were of colour and there was a truly amazing romantic relationship between two women. This was all handled so well and with regard to issues that might arise. It felt real and honest and I loved that about it.

The time travel aspect of the story was also handled well. It's a very complicated and often used trope, but this novel shed a completely new light on it and I loved it. Seeing a whole organisation with rules and basically it's on society arise from it was something I hadn't seen before. I still think that it's always a difficult couple, but this book truly dealt with how it might influence the human mind and I loved that.

Overall I think this was a truly amazing debut novel and I can't wait to see what the author will come up with next.

#ThePsychologyOfTimeTravel #NetGalley

I liked the story. Very light and funny. This is a good book to read during the weekend or during a travel. I wished to see more leadership of certain characters and more details of the scientific process.

This was sent to me as a sampler, I enjoyed it so much I requested the full book and will soon be giving my full review on this site.

A brilliant book. I adored Ruby. Very well written. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

This is a delightful exploration of the power of the female intellect, the achievements of female scientists and a great mystery to boot. It tells the intertwining stories of Barbara, one of the four pioneers of time travel, her grand daughter, Ruby who finds herself entangled with a time traveller and Odette, the museum volunteer who finds a body and must investigate the crime. What I really enjoyed about the prose was the matter of fact quality to the story telling. Time travel is a fact, it was invented in the 1960s by these four pioneering women and the world has progressed with these facts since that time. So the world of the book is just like our own, with a little tweak. I thought that the characters were compelling and that their interactions were authentic, although I did feel that of the pioneers, Lucille was given a little bit of short shrift. The unravelling of the mystery plot was really well done and although it was a little predictable, the nature of the narrative meant that this wasn't an issue - in fact, I'm not altogether sure that we weren't meant to know who done it from the start! All in all, I found this to be a very enjoyable read and would recommend it to anyone who knows how boss women really are.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Reconozco que cuando leo que una novela tiene como temática los viajes en el tiempo algo se activa en mi cerebro. Y es que la práctica totalidad de las novelas que he leído de este subgénero de la ciencia ficción han resultado para mí todo un gustazo, como Vuelta a empezar de Ken Grimwood o Las primeras quince vidas de Harry August de Claire North, esta última reseñada en este mismo blog.

Es así como llegué a The psychology of time travel. Una materia que me interesa con un título que indica que este novela pueda centrarse en algo más que el mero viaje en el tiempo y sus consecuencias. Por su parte, y únicamente atendiendo a lo que he podido encontrar por la red, la joven británica Kate Mascarenhas se estrena en la publicación literaria con esta obra que, además, sale a la luz bajo un sello de notable tamaño para un primer lanzamiento.

El libro cuenta con varias protagonistas y líneas temporales que se van intercalando unas con otras con la intención de que la lectura no se haga pesada en ningún momento. Con un elenco de personajes netamente femenino en el que apenas veremos algún varón indirectamente mencionado, la historia comienza en el momento en que cuatro jóvenes científicas de 1967 consiguen encontrar la manera de viajar en el tiempo. Lo hacen con la ayuda de animales hasta que deciden probar usándose a sí mismas como cobayas para el test. A consecuencia de este logro les llega la fama hasta que, durante una entrevista, una de ellas empieza a reaccionar de manera extraña, aparentemente afectada mentalmente por los viajes temporales.

Este será el detonante de prácticamente todos los acontecimientos, viéndose especialmente afectados aquellos que tienen lugar en 2017 y 2018, donde veremos como las mismas científicas han seguidos sus caminos, algunas aun involucradas en el negocio del viaje en el tiempo. En estos años los viajes son algo mucho más común, asentado y comprendido que cinco décadas antes y son frecuentemente utilizados para resolver enigmas o crímenes como el que ocupara buena parte de la segunda mitad de la novela. Es en 2018 cuando aparece un cadáver en una sala cerrada por dentro. Un misterio ampliamente tratado en las novelas de misterio pero que cobra una nueva dimensión cuando los viajes en el tiempo son tan habituales como puede serlo coger un tren para ir a trabajar.

The psychology of time travel tiene varios puntos a favor y en contra. En la balanza de lo positivo diré que la novela se lee en un suspiro, tiene algunas aportaciones que me han parecido interesantes para las novelas de viajes en el tiempo (o eso me ha parecido con mi bagaje previo) y es lo suficientemente ligera como para que pueda llegar a un público ciertamente amplio. No puedo dejar de mencionar también algunas hilarantes escenas donde veremos a la misma persona repetida varias veces dado que cada uno proviene de diferentes líneas temporales y en los que la autora se manera con solvencia a la hora de describir.



En lo negativo, además de un final que no me convenció, tengo varios problemas con esta novela. Por un lado no he tenido en ningún momento la sensación de que el aspecto psicológico que se menciona en el título de la novela sea algo relevante en la obra más allá de su irrupción inicial y de la escisión que provoca entre las científicas en las primeras páginas. Por otro, en el aspecto más puro de los viajes en el tiempo, la novela no entra en ningún caso en complicaciones a la hora de explicar paradojas o ciertas leyes o restricciones propias del viaje en el tiempo más allá de las más evidentes. Sencillamente, no entra a ello ni parece que en ningún momento tuviera intención de ello. Esto hace que The Psychology of Time Travel termine por ser una novela más orienta al público generalista donde el thriller y las relaciones entre unos personajes lineales cobren todo el protagonismo.

Con todo lo dicho recomendar la novela puede ser un riesgo. Depende ampliamente del lector, las expectativas y la experiencia previa personal de cada persona. Para lectores avanzados en la materia o con interés en profundizar, creo que es más probable que acabéis frustrados en ciertos momentos que disfrutando la obra. Si por el contrario buscas una novela ligera, con relativa emoción (se intuye a leguas la resolución del misterio que enlaza todas las líneas temporales) y que te permita pasar paginas rápidamente, esta puede ser una buena opción.

There’s a lot to like here: female scientist time travellers, backstabbing and a murder mystery. Margaret, Grace, Lucille and Barbara are really interesting characters but the present day characters far less interesting. Overall I felt there were too many characters and for me too much exposition as opposed to action.

Description
1967: Four female scientists invent a time-travel machine. They are on the cusp of fame: the pioneers who opened the world to new possibilities. But then one of them suffers a breakdown and puts the whole project in peril...

2017: Ruby knows her beloved Granny Bee was a pioneer, but they never talk about the past. Though time travel is now big business, Bee has never been part of it. Then they receive a message from the future – a newspaper clipping reporting the mysterious death of an elderly lady...

2018: When Odette discovered the body she went into shock. Blood everywhere, bullet wounds, flesh. But when the inquest fails to answer any of her questions, Odette is frustrated. Who is this dead woman that haunts her dreams? And why is everyone determined to cover up her murder?

My review

The story kicks off with the introduction of the main characters - four female scientists 'Barbara, Margaret, Lucille and Grace ' on the verge of making time travel possible! Each character is complex and fully fleshed out - we get to know their strengths and flaws early on. This is a strong point because as the story unfolds it jumps back and forth in time narrated through the voices of different characters. With time travel also occurring within these time jumps, it could become confusing but the author cleverly manages to weave these intertwined threads and hold them together while the plot moves along at a quick pace. Being on the verge of such a big discovery takes it's toll on some of the characters and we get to experience their success (from which some will rise), and their lows. Through the latter the book explores many issues surrounding mental illness (trigger by time travel) and the isolation it can cause and the effects of racism in the past and future. *Plus I can't review this book without giving a mention to the rabbit Patrick Troughton.

This is a complex murder mystery thriller centered around physics and time travel with an added layer examining psychology and the human mind! That and the more inclusive all female leads, offers something new and exciting and also enabled extra dimensions to this story. I was so gripped reading this story that the sampler ended before I knew it! and I'm so excited for this book's release in August. Even though the ARC was a sampler, there's still there's enough high suspense and unexpected turns to keep the reader on their feet and wanting more!

The cover is a beautiful! The characters, the elements of physics (dna strands), the rabbit (and more) in a mirror image with the the hourglass (time element) heading up the top is perfection! It reminds me of an embroidered cross stitch pattern, while at the same time looking like the after effects from time travelling i.e. all the pieces being put back together!

Thank you to Kate Mascarenhas, NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC. I have provided my honest review.

Reading this sampler was like tasting a part of a very yummy dinner but just a small part of it. I cannot wait to be able to read the rest of the book.
Many thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the ARC

Print review available in Style Magazine's July edition, published by The Chronicle and News Corp in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.

What a ride! The pace of this story begins at full-tilt and does not let up at any point, leaving the reader almost breathless.
It follows six women in three different timeframes - 1967 onwards, 2017, and 2018.
In 1967, the reader meets the ‘Pioneers’ — four talented colleagues and friends who invent time travel. All seems well until one of the team has a breakdown on national television and is cut off from the group and subsequent company.
After decades of silence from her ex-colleagues, in 2017 Barbara receives a mysterious origami rabbit made from an inquest notice regarding a suspected murder that won’t take place until 2018. The problem is, the victim cannot be identified and there are no leads on the motive, method, or killer.
Fortunately for the reader, the explanations of how time travel works is remarkably light scientifically and is easy to wrap the head around. However, I do feel that some readers may find that frustrating as there is not much explanation to sink one's teeth into.
Jumping between time-frames and characters was surprisingly simple to follow, as that was my first concern in choosing this book.
Another concern I had initially was thinking that the characters would be flat and not relatable, but while some of them could have used a bit more work, for the most part they felt real. And Margaret in particular made me cranky because what a piece of work she is!
In short, it has been a very long time since I have enjoyed a book classed as adult fiction, and waiting for the full version is excruciating! Highly recommended.

A fascinating book and unfortunately only a sampler to review! The story is based on four female scientists/friends who successfully create a time travel machine.

I had to pay attention to the dates and years as it goes back and forth through time. There was some random numbers throughout the sample, must be an error as they bear no relevance to the story. The download wasn’t very good either as the text was spaced unevenly as if it didn’t download properly.

I look forward to reading the entire book when it’s released in August.

I found this book difficult to get into because of the switching between characters and timelines at nearly every chapter. It wasn't awful but I also don't feel like any of the characters engaged with the reader.

Despite this not being my usual sort of read, I really want to read the rest of the book. I want to know who the body in the toy museum was and Bee's experiments fascinate me!

The plot got a little too confusing for me. i generally loved the book overall and would love to read the finished product as maybe it would speak to me more than a sampler.

When I first started reading this novel, I was excited by the number of female characters (this book would meet the Bechdel test!) and at the same time, found their descriptions and stories overlapped and I couldn't keep them straight. That was only at the very outset and then all became clear...

I love that this is a complex mystery. It could never be straightforward with the physics of time travel entwined with a murder. The time travel elements make your brain bend.

Bee's story put me in mind of Delia Derbyshire - a female pioneer from the 1960s who worked on the Dr Who theme and whose story touches on similar issues regarding mental health issues arising either as a result of overwork, or work used as a "management tool" for a pre-existing condition.

While for me the book started slowly, it raced toward the finish of this sample and I'm excited for its release later in the year.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Head of Zeus and Kate Mascarenhas for an ARC of this book for the purposes of an honest review.

Time travel is my favourite genre so I was very excited about this one. The premise and plot are good, but I found the writing style distracting and difficult to read. It was very stilted and jarring instead of flowing easily, eg. X went to kitchen. X put on kettle. X went to cupboard to get cup. X put cup on kitchen bench. X waited for kettle to boil. X filled the cup with boiling water.

I am keen to find out what happens though, so will definitely be picking up the final release.

Great story, an atmosphere that manages to straddle time zones, and a rabbit who *must* have something to do with the conclusion. Can't wait for the full version.