I absolutely loved this book, and would give it more stars if I could. i am a complete sucker for a time-travel book, so I thought I would enjoy this story, but once I had started it, I couldn't put it down. It's a very sweet story about being a mother, and the importance of family and love, but wrapped up in a compelling time travel adventure. I was surprised (in a good way) by the ending, and I was also caught up in the nostalgia of being a child in the 1970's (I too had a Space Hopper!). I will be recommending this book to all my friends, and I look forward to reading more from Helen Fisher.

So I’m not really sure how to start this review as I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this book!

Quick synopsis, Faye lost her mother when she was young and, although now happily married with children of her own, she finds a photograph in a Space Hopper box from her childhood which is all she has left of her memories with her mum. The Space Hopper box then becomes a portal where she can travel back in time and reconnect with her mother, an opportunity many who have lost loved ones would cherish.

I don’t get the time travel aspect of the box, it doesn’t seem plausible it would work through the means of a cardboard box and, don’t get me wrong, I’m not the biggest fan of time travel/sci-fi etc but I just couldn’t get my head round this at all.

Having said that I didn’t hate the book and there is a quirky twist at the end that I must admit I wasn’t expecting. The relationship content is strong and, having lost a parent at a young age, I do feel that connection of why you would explore any possibility of having a loved one back in your life again by any means possible.

It was definitely a different read to normal!

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One of my favourite books is The Time Traveler’s Wife and this one certainly has similar elements to it while being totally different. I loved the idea of the plot and felt it was very well constructed although- of course - a certain amount of disbelief has to be suspended.

At times it seemed quite slow but maybe that was more down to my impatience to find the resolution. For me, there was something about the style which did not quite “click”, but I think this is probably just a personal thing.

I think this will be an enjoyable read for many.

I thought this was a great read. There are so many elements to it . Say time travel and lots of readers will say not for me, but it is not a sci fi book or a fantasy book. So much of this book we can relate to. The book is primarily about relationships, specifically mother and child. It focuses on a young mother who lost her own mother when she was only a young child. The characters are very well drawn and particularly important for me I really liked the ending.

thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I loved it!!! i was hooked by the get go. i have never read a book like it! it made me laugh, cry cringe and gasp! it was well written and best book I have read in a long time, well done Helen Fisher this was a refreshing change in genre for me

Just finished and I'm very satisfied. One of the things I liked about this book is that the characters were nice. You don't often get that, I particularly liked Eddie, so handsome, so good.
As the book went on I got more and more into it, I didn't want to put it down and had to know what happened. Much to the disgust of my very own Eddie trying to sleep while I kept the light on!
It's a deep book, it's about faith and love and loss. Brilliantly done as well.

Not to my taste. Unbelievable storyline even suspending credibility didn't help. Good quality writing style just not a good idea.

A really wonderful read, what would you do if you were given the chance, a great story with some lovely charecters, enjoyed it very much

Most of us would give anything to turn back time and revisit friends and family who are missing from our lives -and Faye gets the opportunity to do just that .
A soon to be vicar's wife -travelling back in time -via a cardboard box -to catch up with her dead mum ??
I know it shouldn't work -but it soooo does -this is a fabulous story and I devoured it from beginning to end .

This is one of my favourite books of the year .

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

I absolutely adored this nostalgic and heartwarming story, possibly because I grew up in the same era and had the same roller skates gifted to me by a beloved late grandmother. The story is so lovely and makes me yearn for the possibility of time travel to be real. Told in a very clever way, I loved everything about this book and didn't want it to end.

PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION:
"As much as I love and need my husband, over the past few months I’ve realised something important. I can’t tell Eddie what’s been happening, no matter how much I want to. Not because he won’t believe me, but because he might.

And if Eddie believes me, he’ll try to stop me.

Faye knows that she is lucky. She has two beautiful daughters, a caring husband, close friends. The only thing that is missing is her mother, Jeanie, who died a long time ago. It is a loss that Faye feels ever more keenly as her own children grow older. Although her grief is always there, she has learned to keep it locked away.

And then something extraordinary happens, something that might allow her to speak to her mother again.

Faced with the chance to finally ask her mother all the questions she never could, Faye finds it impossible to let go of the past and live in the present. But does she really need to choose between the two? If making that choice means saying a final goodbye to her mother, Faye will try anything to hold on to both."


NO SPOILERS

This time hopping debut novel from Helen Fisher has a plot I liked very much; it’s a little different from the usual time travel tale although the paradox is as ever, a conundrum. It only happened because the traveller returned and the traveller only returned because it happened!

There are some lovely parallels of belief and faith; the protagonist’s husband is training to be a vicar, so faith is all important to him and that he will believe Faye is all important to her. There is much commentary on relationships within families, friends, colleagues…all well observed and accurate.

But, for me, the book falls short of its potential. It’s a good plot with good observations and some insightful philosophy but it needed further editing. It is littered with similes and adverbs which, frankly, felt like filler to increase the wordcount; and some of the tangents are simply distractions. The similes seem to be less prolific in the last few chapters; perhaps the plot became enough in itself.

However, Space Hopper is a very quick, easy and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

I’ve had the privilege of reading both this full ARC. having already read the preview. Thank you.

A story of a woman who has found a way of visiting her mum who had died 30 years previously. Yet this is no ordinary story of time travel and barely crosses into the sci-fi genre as, above all, it is a story of hope and love after a lifetime of loss.

Helen Fisher has beautifully and rather wittily narrated a journey across two generations, bringing with it love, laughter and also despair. From the start to the end, the events, the little twists and heartfelt prose make this an emotional rollercoaster!

Such a clever story, so cleverly written. Would definitely recommend.

This read was an interesting one for me, it was a slow start but I pushed myself to keep going through and I was pleasantly surprised with what I was given. The plot line of this book is one that I haven't experienced before to the journey of time travel was a new one for me. It was done in a easy, flowing way with uncomplicated details. However for some reason the title of the book although fitting somehow doesn't fit for me. I am unable to come up with a more fitting one myself there is just something in me that feels like its not right,

The overall feeling I got from this book was that if you are looking for a light read while stuck in isolation or hopefully when Space Hopper is released next year it will help pass the time while enjoying time at the pool or in the garden then this could be the pick for you.

From the description given of the book I thought that I would get a more emotional pull from the building of a mother and daughter relationship, although there is a relationship being formed it wasn't one that made me think of the moments I have shared with my own mum.

I look forward to seeing what the cover will look like of this, as at the moment I am unsure how it will be marketed (this might help me warm to the title also). I would recommend this book but not really in any other situation than what I have previously stated.

Thank you again to netgalley and Simon and Schuster for being able to review this book.

I absolutely loved this gem of a novel. It's quite unlike anything Ive read for a long time. The voice is so compelling & unique with a genuine thread of humour running all the way through. The exploration of grief & loss is beautifully executed. I also loved the mystery/surrealist element which lended the narrative a dreamlike quality. I will be recommending this to everyone!

Faye finds a picture of a spacehopper from when she was little, she then finds the box and refuses to let go as it reminds her of when her mum was alive. There is a looming darkness around this box and a sense of possessiveness as she becomes nostalgic and obsessed with her past despite having the perfect life - a happy husband and two children she still misses her mother who died a long time ago.

She then climbs into the box and falls 30 years into the past. She can finally see her mother again however there is a sense of unease as Faye and Faye Junior's world collide. The past takes over Faye and she lies to Eddie (her husband) and her close friends. As she begins to make changes in the past they have an effect on her future which leads to her questioning everything she has known as she desperately fights for the truth as old wounds are opened her greif is fresh.


Despite the idea of a cardboard box being a portal into Fayes past I thought the ending was perfectly executed. The novel as a whole was uplifting. Fisher has created a gripping tale which evokes an array of emotions. I can't wait to have a physical copy of this book, also excited to see what the cover will look like