Really not sure what to make of this book. At times delightful, all absorbing and tender ... at other times, a little contrived and then again far-fetched. But it can be touching, demonstrates differences and embraces friendships of various types. It shows how actions we take in one context can have a different - and unintended - impact elsewhere.

It took me ages to read this book - about 3 times longer than usual - perhaps this was due to the unusual nature of the book, but as I’ve read several in the genre I’m just not sure.

If you like this type of book, with social history, complex relationships and a little bit of fantasy/magic realism ... then you’ll probably love it. But too many things irritated me to rave about it.

It’s probably a 3.5* but I need to think about it. Certainly a ‘different’ book

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish and just couldn't put it down.

I literally read it in about 2 days and found it amusing in parts but also very emotional and moving. We've all experienced loss of loved ones and what would we give to be able to meet them again and be able to tell them all the things we wanted to say to them whilst they were with us but didn't get chance.

This story was completely different to anything I've read before and parts of the story and how the characters felt really resonated with me.

I hope this author writes more books and I've added her to my list of must reads

Really enjoyed this book even though the concept did seem to be a bit far fetched and I must admit I didn't expect the twist at the end.

The really unobtrusive title does not really do this story justice.If you we’re judging a story by its title this would not get past the first post. Nonetheless I can relate to the idea of a space hopper toy as I had one as a child and my thirty something children also enjoyed playing with theirs so I kept reading on. I can really believe that the box still exists in someone’s life and has a profound effect on them with the memories it brings back. Basically in this story the box is a Time Machine which is used by Faye the main character in the story to go back to a time when she was a young child living with her single mother.She wants to find the answer to various questions which have never been explained to her in her life. The disappearance of her mother when she was eight and the consequences that had on her life she wants to try get an explanation for.The time travel facilitated by the Space Hopper box allows Faye access to her life as a child living with her mother.She meets up with them in nearly tragic circumstances where her younger self is nearly killed by a car. From then on she is a ‘Guardian Angel’ to her mother. and her younger self. On repeating the time travel at a later date various things happen.These still do not answer the nagging questions Faye has about her identity and subsequent adoption by a childless older couple who were friends of her and her mother.
Some of the book deals with identity and how we define it.Other parts deal with present day difficulties which arise from what is happening in the personal lives of those around us especially when a husband wants to change has life’s direction in a major way.It also deals with important questions we never ask of our family and friends until it is too late and they are dead and no longer around to ask. It is quite a spiritual book and is uplifting because it makes you think about your own life and how you could get answers if only!

An unusual, moving time travel read. It’s devastating when you lose someone especially your mum. To have the opportunity to go back in time and see her is ultimately amazing. Even though I enjoyed the book I felt it was too long, the characters especially Faye annoyed me at times, Louis was great and I feel he deserves a story of his own. I put it down a few times but was intrigued to find out the outcome, you won’t be disappointed

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

At first I found the method of time travel in this novel to be ridiculous and feared the story would be far-fetched, however as the story progressed, I was drawn in and was able to suspend disbelief.

The overall story is marvellous - I loved the style of writing, the main character Faye and her relationships with Louis and Jeanie worked really well. I felt for her due to the dilemma she faces and the pain it causes her. However, Faye's husband and children seemed irrelevant to the story and didn't add much besides providing her with an anchor to present times.

The ending was rather odd and unexpected but was fitting and left me wanting to find out more - a potential sequel possibly? I hope so.

An original, light and entertaining read. Recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for the ARC.

For fans of the time travellers wife, this is a read for you!

Thanks for the early copy via Netgalley, was a really different read for me. It's about travel, relationships, time and consequences. I was so gripped on the description and loved the story that followed.

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.

This is an interesting read where you really have to suspend disbelief because the way in which Faye is able to talk to her mother again is, to put it mildly, odd. I'll admit that at first, I found it too ridiculous but I got into it and decided that it didn't matter at all that it was odder than odd, all that really mattered was the way the story pulled me in just strongly enough to suspend that disbelief. Just about.

It's a new take on time travel that works reasonably well and the first person narrative helps in this but I'm not sure that this would be a read that fans of time travel would necessary bond with. That said, I liked the characters and the story and really didn't see what was coming at the end until we got to the end, which is always a good thing. I love not being able to guess exactly what's coming next in a book. It's a light, short read and I think many people will get something from it, especially as we're all locked down at the moment and I'd happily suggest it as a slightly odd but rather engaging short read.

I was looking forward to reading this novel, because the plot sounded intriguing, but I've held off giving a review after reading it, just to let my opinions percolate a little and because, as a novelist myself, I know how hard writing a novel is in the first place and I don't want to be disparaging. But...this is a narrative about time travelling, a 'Back to the Future', 'Quantum Leap' idea about a woman who, grieving for her mother, finds a way to go back to the 1970s to see her and who tries to put to bed any questions she had about what exactly happened. To reveal more would be a spoiler, and whilst, as I say, the plot is indeed intriguing, the execution of it needed to be spot-on. However, it wasn't, I'm afraid.

There were several issues: Fisher attempts to use a confessional narrative voice, which was fine, but went nowhere and I don't think achieved what it intended to do, which was to draw the reader into this complex plot because in places it felt as if it had been written and included later, bolted on for effect. Worse than that though was the persistent bad habit of WAY over-writing, of telling too much about facial expression or gesture or voice, which could have actually been implied through dialogue or other means. In places, it was as if the novel was still in the stages of a first draft. I'm sorry to say it felt as if, perhaps Fisher might have needed a couple of lesson in creative writing, because this is not 'technique', this is 'mistake' and it was both irritating and ineffective. Other readers might like the fact that the protagonist is written as a perfect person with a perfect life. She has no flaws, and she has a fairy-tale relationship with her (also perfect) husband and children, and she seems to be able to get away with pretty much everything.

Aside from that, there were other irritations. Without trying to spoil anything, the method of time travel is by way of the protagonist (preposterously) standing in an old cardboard box that a 1970s Space Hopper (hence the title) came out of. Towards the end of the novel, her friend, Louis, asks if her husband will allow her to use the box again. I mean....ALLOW HER? What century?? The resolution of the novel is, I suppose, meant to be the twist, but even that makes little sense, largely, as I say, because of the execution and poor writing style.

I hate to be this discouraging, but I'm really surprised to see something like this in print at all.

My thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ahead of time.

I couldn’t put this down. This is the book I’d like to have written! My personal favourite novel is The Time Traveller’s Wife and if you like that, this is the book for you!
On a personal note, I lost my own mum to cancer in 1977 - when part of the book is set - so this resonated with me and made me think about what I’d do if I could go back. I really identified with Faye and thought the portrayal of her was both sympathetic and honest.
I hope the author decides to write a sequel. I’ll definitely read it!

I originally picked this book because I like time travel books but I would say this book is more about relationships. Firstly between the main character and her mother Jeanie but also with her husband, and my favourite character Louis her friend who is blind. Louis is a great character who is easy to like and quite comical.

If you are looking for a great story that gets on with the story without long descriptions of scenery getting in the way this is for you. It won’t blow your mind but is an easy story to read about what if... and consequences

Space Hopper was time well spent reading. I loved all the characters it was well written and totally caught me by surprise. A wonderful book to lose yourself in.

This is an unusual take on time-travel. Faye travels back through a cardboard box (!) to visit her mother who died when she was 8...or did she? It is an interesting concept but it didn't quite work for me. There is too much description, Faye is a little too obsessed considering she has a lovely family in the present time. The daughters are barely characters, they are just mentioned now and again in passing. The blind friend, Lucas, who believes her and helps her, is the most interesting character. The paradoxes of time travel are touched on but insufficiently explored, which makes the ending very weird - how will the family manage this situation??

I have to admit I didn’t think I was going to like this. The premise of time travel is not very appealing to me, and I nearly gave up. However on persevering i came to become quite involved with Faye and her search for what happened to her mother.. an original idea for a book, and an engaging style,of writing, left me wanting to know what happened and the ending was quite poignant, altogether an enjoyable read

What an uplifting story.

Faye is in her 30s, very happily married and with 2 lovely girls of her own. Her mother died when she was just 8 years old and although Faye was adopted by her lovely neighbours, she knew nothing of how or why her mother died.

Until one day, Faye discovers that she is able to travel back in time through the box of a space hopper that she received one Christmas.
But Faye can't keep travelling back in time to get to know her mother. She has a life to live here in the present.

Faye is a lovely, well rounded character with some fantastic people around her and I really enjoyed travelling with Faye.

The only thing that I didn't like about this book was perhaps the title, or maybe the cover.

This was a sheer joy to read. Beautifully written, enigmatic and full of magic. Faye is a wonderful narrator and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing her journey with her. An unusual concept which stretches the imagination in a good way and reaffirms the bonds of love.

"...don't dwell too much on the past.Life is ahead of you,and if you keep looking back you won't be able to see where you're going."

This was a real page turner!

Faye is a woman in her 30s who has missed her mother Jeanie for most of her life. She lost her mother at the young age of 8 and was later adopted by her kind ,children loving neighbours who for Faye's sake liked to pretend nothing had happened which caused Faye to know little to nothing about her mother's disappearance from her life. All she had that reminded her of living with her mother was a Space Hopper box. It was very near and dear to her and she didn't want to lose it,ever. So when Faye accidentally discovers that that very Space Hopper box is a time-travelling teleporter to her mother's house in the 1970s,she is at first very shocked and surprised but when she realizes what has happened,she wants to spend all the time in the world with her loved mother. Of course,that can't be possible because Faye has a loving husband and 2 amazing children in the present,so we follow Faye and her journey through time until she has to make a tough decision. Can she keep on travelling to the past and risk losing her family,or will she realize what she has and make the right decision?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! Faye was a very well thought through character and I felt for her pain throughout the whole book. But a character I actually liked more than her is her blind friend Louis. Louis seemed to me like such a great friend. He was always there for Faye,even when she was about to make some stupid decision that could possibly ruin her life. He was always straight forward,no sugar coating or lying to make things easier.I really appreciated his character and it's not often we see a blind character that appears more than a few times throughout the book.
I look forward to reading more stories from this author and considering that ending-maybe even a sequel? I won't spoil anything, I could see a sequel happening from that but this ending was satisfying as well. I'm also excited to see the official cover. This one has the orange of the box, but I do wonder what the final design will look like :).

Faye misses her mother Jeanie, now even more so as she’s a mother to two little girls. She has a wonderful life but that bit without her loving parent is missing. But there’s a way of being able to speak to her mother again, one that you won’t see coming but is all the sweeter for it, and Faye wants to take it. Of course she does but with that choice comes another decision: to stay or to go. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut, it’s so confidently written and Fisher has written a novel that will sing to all.

Love love loved this book! I loved Helen’s writing her prose is just magical. Highly recommend reading this absolute gem.

Anyone who has felt a hole in their heart where their mother should be should read this novel. Who hasn’t wanted to go back for that last hug, that last conversation, that last kiss with their Mum. Perhaps the vehicle for this, a cardboard box, was a little ridiculous and at times it did become a little twee but was still a heart rending read. And the ending was just perfect. A movie in the making.