I’m pleased to say that this is another stunning debut novel that I’m reviewing on my book blog today. I first heard about Space Hopper last year, and the title both intrigued and delighted me as a child of the 1970’s.

Having read the opening chapters, I decided to pick a time to finish the book without interruption (not easy in lockdown part 3 in a house with two teenagers, one husband and two dogs. However the rugby six nations came to my rescue and I was able to curl up and engross myself in the story.

I’m on the last day of the blog tour, and hopefully you may have read some of the reviews by my fellow book bloggers and bookstagrammers (see above poster for more information), but I still don’t want to leave any spoilers. However as the synopsis gives some clues, what would you do if you suddenly found yourself back in time and could meet a missing loved one? Especially when you’ve lost most of your clothes during the journey? And would you keep going back and risk getting stuck there, leaving your own children without a mother?

I loved this original story, both as an avid reader and also a closet Sci-fi fan (I love watching Doctor Who). The idea of travelling back in time has interested people for hundreds of years and I enjoyed the way the idea was used here. I also loved the fact that one of Helen’s main characters is blind, just as my cousin was.

A delightful debut novel, featuring the bond between mothers and daughters. I look forward to reading more by Helen Fisher in the future.

Space Hopper is a tale of grief, memories and love that is brought together through time travel it so beautiful to read I just loved this book so easy to read story just grip me

This is one hell of a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I absolutely loved it and was bereft when it ended. If you only read one book this year, make it this one. The characters are so well described that you feel you’re reading about your friends. I loved the concept of time travel and particularly appreciated the space hopper play on words but also a very much loved toy for us growing up in the 70s. A very well deserved 5 stars

Can I just say, I LOVED this book? I gobbled it up over the space of three days, and just felt myself *exhale* when I finished. I’ve included the synopsis in the next slide but as a brief summary: Faye’s mother died when Faye was only eight or so. In the present at age 36, Faye has been visiting her mother through the medium of time travel. The novel sees Faye grappling with whether to stay in the past forever and seeking the answers to questions she’s always had.

Though this book includes time travel, it’s not a science-fiction book in the slightest. It’s more fiction about family relationships, and particularly explores faith. Whether that’s Faye’s faith in time travel and her mother, her husband Eddie’s faith in God as he trains to be a vicar (interestingly, Faye is a non-believer), and Louis’ faith in hwo the world is being presented to him as a blind person.

This story is utterly compelling and I loved all the small retro references to similar stories such as the 70s space hopper box being the time travel portal and Faye being adopted by an Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Perhaps my only quam would be the occasionally narration Faye has, addressing the reader specifically as it kind of takes you out of the story and doesn’t really have a reason as to why it’s there.

Overall I highly recommend this! It’s compelling, witty and is a great exploration of how great a pull a mother has with her child.

At the beginning of this book I really wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it - a magic time travelling cardboard box?! BUT - by the end I was in love!! Such a blast of nostalgia for an 80's kid as well, it brought back so many memories from my own childhood.

Faye has never got over the death of her mother when she was a child and yearns for answers that no one has ever been able to provide. Happily married with two daughters of her own she often thinks about what her mother would be like and indeed if it would change how she behaved if she had known her longer. She is given the opportunity to get to know her mum when she (through the medium of a Space Hopper cardboard box) travels back to 1977. Without revealing who she is she soon becomes firm friends with her mum and younger self. Now it would be easy to start asking to many confusing questions here and have an existential crisis but don't - just go with it.

Truly one of the most touching, beautiful books I have ever read and it will stay on my mind for a long time.

I'm so pleased that this book caught my eye and I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read an advanced review copy.

This début is a truly marvellous story. Eddie and Faye are happily married and they have two much-adored daughters, Esther and Evie. Eddie is training to be part of the clergy, and whilst Faye doesn’t share his belief in God their relationship is built on love, honesty, trust, respect and support. Though everything Faye's life is grand, at just eight years old when her mum, Jeanie died, she still feels her loss keenly. When Faye discovers a photograph hidden amongst the pages of her mother’s cookery book that was taken one Christmas of Faye sitting inside an empty space hopper box, Faye senses her mother's presence even though Jeanie isn't pictured. The space hopper box is in her attic and becomes Faye’s portal back to the 1970s, a journey into the past that may threaten to interfere with her life in the present day. Keeping her secret under wraps from Eddie is a risk Faye is willing to take if it means she can see her beloved mum again and again.

As soon as I began reading Space Hopper I knew it was going to pull at my heartstrings. Told from Faye's viewpoint there wasn't anything in this novel to dislike. As the story progressed I came to care for both Faye and her thoughtful husband Eddie. Whilst they were both great people, I thought Faye could have been more open with Eddie sooner than she was. There was something extra special about the considerate, perceptive Eddie with his loyalty and genial demeanour.

Helen Fisher's writing was truly magical in the way she portrayed all manner of moods and emotional states. I became rather smitten with all of the characters and wanted nothing but better things for them. The secondary characters brought so much to the storyline, too, particularly Faye's hilarious, grounded, rational, blind co-worker and friend, Louis. His blindness added an extra dimension to the story and the author's portrayal of him was first-class.

Space Hopper is rich in emotion, a truly outstanding début, and I cannot wait to see what Helen Fisher writes next. A fabulously untypical, whimsical and warm, contemporary tale that will melt hearts.

A special thank you to Simon & Schuster UK, Helen Fisher, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

What would you do if you could travel back in time?
My first thing would be to say to my mum to go to the doctor before it’s too late…
This is the story of Faye, she has a happy life but she can’t forget her mother who died when she was young, so, when one day she feels transported to her childhood in the 1970s, when her mother is still alive and she can be with her again.
But this is not a book about reencounters but choices; how much time is she willing to spend in the past instead of the present with her family? Will the choices she makes in the past affect in the present? Faye will tell the story in first person, so we’ll know her struggles from the beginning; how she hides her travels from her family and knows that what she is doing is not completely right but can’t stop doing it.
This is a story to enjoy, but at the same time to make us reflect on our decisions, the repercussions of our acts and how much we would sacrifice for five minutes more with the person we miss.
I have to say that this had been a very interesting read, having lost my mother a few years ago, it was easy to connect with Faye, the need to talk to her again, hug her or say that I love her. But as I said previously, the doubts of the consequences of the actions are there…
This is an emotional book, bitter sweet and introspective; you will like it or not, but believe me, it is worth the read!
Ready for the “Space Hopper”?

Space hopper is one of the most moving, books about motherhood, love, family, memories and relationships I’ve read in a long time. Faye, is a mother of two girls and is married to husband Eddie who is training to be a vicar. They have a close relationship and a happy life but Faye is quietly worrying about her future role as a vicars wife, will she be good enough, can she meet the expectations of what will mean a new role for her too? Maybe it’s this that has unsettled her but finding a photograph of herself, transports her back 30 years, opening up a Pandora’s box of emotions. She lost her mother when she was only eight years old and has no recollection of her father, as an adult so many questions for her mother.

Faye finds a picture of her as a childhood sitting beside a Spacehopper box in front of a Christmas tree. She still has the box from the picture, and it’s this that is pivotal in the story, she clings onto it as her link to the past which inadvertently does just that - transporting her back to her childhood taking me with her! The story made me suspend belief, though it wasn’t a conscious thought at the time, I just did, probably because it’s such a nostalgic read that evoked so many memories of my own childhood - the descriptions, could have been Polaroid’s of my own childhood.

Faye was just eight years old, when her mother suddenly died, leaving a hole in her life that she’d found impossible to fill - she had so many questions she wished she knew the answers to. When she unexpectedly finds herself in the 70’s as an adult observing her own childhood she’s thrown off balance. The story was disconcerting, scary, yet exciting and intriguing at the same time. When Faye is returned back to ‘real life’ the pain, heartbreak and the emotion Faye was feeling was palpable - it poured from the pages. The grief genuine and raw.

All kinds of thoughts rattled round my head as I read, was Faye dreaming, having lucid dreams or was she Time Travelling? Is it even possible I don’t know, but at the time of reading I didn’t question it. Helen Fisher’s skill as a writer to present something so out of the ordinary and have me suspend belief, accept the theory and jump with Faye was just something else.

The pull of her life as a wife and mother and that of herself as an adult remembering her childhood, lost in the present, needing her mother was utterly heart breaking to read. To watch her torn between the past and the present, the deep aching love of her husband and children and that of her own need to know her mother was difficult to bear. The dilemma and inner turmoil of being a mother but wanting to know more of her own mother, ruminating on the past but not able to settle in the present made the story edgy, sad and utterly heart breaking to read.

Faye wants to talk to Eddie about what is happening but can’t bear to add to his burden, he’s too close, emotionally attached and she knows - her face is an open book, she can’t hide her turmoil, she aware he is worried about her, but doesn’t know how to explain so Faye confides and leans on blind friend and colleague Louis, trusting him with her innermost thoughts. An independent person with no emotional attachment. She trusts him to guide her, his blindness making him ultra sensitive, able to listen on a deeper level. They formulate a plan that culminates in one of the most emotionally charged endings to a book I’ve read. Spacehopper was beautifully written, sensitive and is a story that raised so many questions, I want to read the story again with fresh eyes. I loved this book, it was captivating, beautiful and emotive and have already recommended it to so many friends.

"𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 - 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐’𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘥. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯…"

Space Hopper tells the story of Faye who although happy in life, finds the loss of her mother as a child weighing on her mind. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events (and with the help of an empty Space Hopper box from her past) she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s. Faced with the opportunity of getting to know her mother and asking the questions she's never had the answers to, Faye finds herself torn between her past and present. But just how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother?

I was really intrigued by the time travelling aspect of Space Hopper as I think given half a chance we'd all snatch the opportunity to visit a lost one, wouldn't we?

I found the story to be both emotional and quirky - it's fair to say the way in which Faye returns to her past is rather unique! It's such a heart felt story with love and loss playing a major role. It definitely tugs at your heart strings but it also has such a fun vibe to it.

Faye narrates the whole way through, talking directly to the reader and I loved hearing about the time she got to spend with her Mother. Her emotions were explored really well and I thought it was clever how the author connected the past with the present through the actions of present day Faye - Fisher plays around with the different time frames which I enjoyed and I found it interesting that she found ways to introduce characters from the past into the present in unexpected ways.

Faye ultimately ends up with a difficult decision to make, which made for a suspenseful read and the ending was quite the surprise. It was a story of second chances like no other and I really enjoyed spending time hopping from one decade to another!

How can anyone resist an invitation into a book that has the tagline - "Take My Hand And Jump With Me". Of course I wanted to take her hand and go with her to see where we ended up.
The staff at Simon & Schuster have really championed this book, so much so that they turned their profile pictures to the rollerskates of the front-cover. I was intrigued and excited, when invited to the blog tour of this long-awaited book, to see if it really is as good as it sounds.

Rollerskates and spacehoppers take me back to being a child of the 80's and 90's. It's outdoor toys that I can relate to. I can also relate to loss of a family member, which is a theme in the book, in this instance, it is her mother. She has a husband who is training to be a clergyman and it would make her a vicar's wife, what is brilliant is the juxtaposition of his and her views, as she is a bit more scientific that what he is in their beliefs, and yet they are together and have children, which is also good as it shows that you can be a bit different and yet still have love. This however has all sorts of elements of love, not just the romantic kind.

The beginning feels like you are perhaps sitting having a cup of tea or wine (or whatever beverage), with her as Faye starts to tell her story, which all starts with a photograph. The book takes readers into her grief for her mother. It's such a taboo subject that is such a part of the cycle of life, that is finally being talked about a bit more on tv and in books and it is not all as it looks. It is not all doom and gloom at all. There is something pleasing about this for a start. It also confronts the feelings and thoughts of grief very well. It really does feel like you've literally taken Faye's hand and jumped with her, down a hole and into a Space Hopper Box. It's all in the way the book is written that really makes it that involving.

How she ends up there is wildly interesting and begins a fantastical journey into her past, which is as intriguing as it is to how she will return home to her, rather astute husband, Eddie and her children. She ends up meeting her younger self, with all the toys and annuals, that would take readers of a certain age back to their childhoods; and she wants to conduct an interview with her younger self. The book has fascinating concepts that create an enthralling story, which also has cleverly placed titles of enchanting and popular children's books and comics, within it, all in the context of the plot of Space Hopper and all that adults of a certain age would be certain to remember.

The book is profound and yet also has a clever lightness to it as it tackles grief, challenges in the characters past and present times and also shows people's vulnerabilities as well as their resilience. It also questions what if you could travel back to your past and ask all the unasked and questions that may float around your head and makes it pertinent to ask your relatives them before it is too late. 

It's a very moving book about clinging onto the past, grieving and letting go, a bit. The ending left me a bit flumoxed, but apart from that, it's indeed a great book and one that is so tenderly mesmerising and beautiful.

This is one of those books where the story shouldn't really work! Time travelling back to your youth to see your mother and re-connect once more?! But the way it is written, you truly believe in the concept and appreciate the ability of somebody being able to go back and appreciate those final memories a little more, so it makes for a touching and fun read as you just want to do the same to go back and see loved ones.

Faye is a normal 30 something - married with 2 kids - but something is missing from her life. She lost her mother when she was 8, so her memories of time with her mother are very sketchy. She clings on to a photo taken when she was 6 and just wants to be back there again to relive those times and savour them a little more. When she finds her old spacehopper box in the loft, she doesn't realise it has the magical powers of time travel so she soon finds herself face to face with her beloved mum - and her younger self!

What follows for Faye is the dilemma - does she dare get too close to her mum again and try and change the past, whilst forgetting to spend time with her family in the present? It is a story that does get you thinking - ooh how i wish time travel was a real thing! - and makes you cling on to hope and savouring all those little memories before it is too late.

I thought the ending was a little too fantastical, but that didn't spoil the overall story for me as it was written with great heart and tenderness.

A really interesting read. Does the lure of your past go before your current life. If you could step back in time to see a love one again would you even if it meant loosing what you had now.
Faye discovers an old spacehopper box. as she steps into it she is teleported to her life when her mother was still alive.
A riveting read and will certainly keep you engrossed.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC

This is a debut book by the author, Helen Fisher and Space Hopper is an excellent first novel. It is in many ways a gentle, thoughtful look at a young child, now an adult who loses her mother, Jeanie. Faye is married to Eddie and has two girls, but has always wanted to know more about her mother, who disappeared when she was so young. She was adopted by two neighbours who loved her and gave her a home but there was always that urge to know more about her mother.
Then one day when she is up in the loft she sees a box from her childhood and a whole new world opens up to Faye. She is able to meet her mother and her younger self through time travel!! Who would believe her !!
This is a delightful, improbable story but it is also very moving and shows the power of love. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Highly recommended.

I will confess I had reservations when I started this book as whilst intrigued, I wasn't convinced that a novel about time travel was going to be my kind of book. But those reservations were quickly blown away and this proved to be a beautifully written, quirky but emotionally engaging book, a story of love, loss and faith.

Faye is happily married with two daughters. Now 36, she lost her mother when she was only 8 and it is a loss she has never entirely come to terms with. When she has the opportunity to go back to the 1970s and see her mother and her younger self again, she finds herself torn between the chance to get to know her mother and risking her future with her husband and children.

As a child of the 70s this was a book filled with nostalgia for me, from the Space Hopper that I always wanted but never owned to the strap-on roller skates that i did have to the Smurfs figures. But the reason I loved this book was the emotions it invoked and the way in which Fisher's beautiful writing style and her use of the first person drew me into Faye's world. However fantastical, I defy anyone not to reflect a little on what you would do if you found yourself in Faye's position.

I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something thought provoking and a little different - I certainly look forward to seeing what Fisher writes next.

I was immediately drawn in by the conversational style of writing, it felt comfortable and enjoyable to read. Like I was chatting with an old friend.

My first thought was how Faye was doing what she was claiming to do? I was glad that my answer came quickly and surprised at the Alice in Wonderland feeling it gave me. I also wondered what she hoped to get out of the visits and how it would affect her family life. So many questions!

As I read, I couldn’t help but imagine myself in Faye’s shoes, the whole idea of travelling through time was captivating and really got my imagination going.

Louis was a standout character for me, I loved his humour and the way he seemed to put Faye at ease. Their scenes were fun to read and I enjoyed seeing Faye let go of the tension she was carrying.

Favourite Moments:

* A magical fall
* Twenty questions
* The Turkish café
* An eventful beach goodbye

Space Hopper was a thought provoking and unique read with an incredibly twisty ending!

I first read this book last year, but then the release date changed. When I was asked onto the blog tour, I was excited to read it again. I remember being so intrigued by the premise - I always get strangely giddy when an author does something unexpected or genre bending! On the second read I still had me the same sense of delight and wonder as Faye gets into her space hopper box and careers back into the 1970s.

This is a story about taking a leap of faith
And believing the unbelievable
 
They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect.
 
I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight.
And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here.
 
Right now, you probably think I’m going mad. 
Let me explain…
 
Although Faye is happy with her life, the loss of her mother as a child weighs on her mind even more now that she is a mother herself. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events, she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s. Faced with the chance to finally seek answers to her questions – but away from her own family – how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother?

This truly is a unique and original debut novel that mixes a heartfelt story about mothers and daughters, time travel, and the 1970s. I’m a child of the 1970s and though I never owned a space-hopper they were an instantly recognisable symbol of my childhood. The author takes these elements and brings us moments of intense delight - I was smiling to myself as Faye climbs into the ratty and tattered space-hopper box in the attic - but also a poignant and heart rending sense of loss. Faye has a photo of herself in the box, it was taken when she was six and it must have been taken by her mother, Jeanie. Although her Mum isn’t in this photo, everything about it tells her how much she was loved and how much was taken away from her. It’s Christmas and Faye remembers the decorations, the presents and can see the sense of wonder in her little face. She can also see the love, the trust and the sense that her Mum is her absolute world. Her presence in the photograph is so strong, even though we can’t see her. This photo is like a talisman for Faye, and the reader feels the strong emotional pull too.

Yet she doesn’t know her mum. There’s a moment, when adult Faye has hidden herself in the garden shed, and watches her mum open the back door and look down the garden.

‘hands on hips looking straight down the short, narrow garden, straight at me in fact, and took in a long deep breath of cold air. She closed her eyes and smiled. She looked so content and I realised I knew nothing about this woman.’

It questions whether we can ever truly know our mother, even though the emotional bond is so incredibly strong. Faye wonders if, through time travel, she can get to know her mother on an adult-adult level, especially if her mother doesn’t know who she is. Although in a philosophical chat with her friends, they point out that Faye would always know she was Jeanie’s daughter and can only relate to her in that role. The question is, can she tell them what has happened to her? There are pros and cons to having this portal to her past. When she’s with her mother, she worries whether she’ll be able to get back to her husband Eddie and her own daughters Esther and Evie. She wants to be there for her daughters, so they don’t have the very same experience of loss that she had. Eddie is training to be a vicar, so he has a belief in God and the afterlife. Faye has no belief, and worries about where she’ll fit as a vicar’s wife without faith. Now can she ask Eddie to belief she’s found a portal back to her childhood in a ratty, space-hopper box that’s hiding in the attic? Every character is so loving and supportive of Faye, but I have to mention her friend Louis who happens to be blind. I liked the sense in which he takes a leap every single day into a world he can’t see and doesn’t always understand in the same way we do. He makes the point that his inner world is very different from the sighted person’s world, although sighted people always think he sees like they do. If you’ve never seen a cat, you can only go on the way it feels. There’s a brilliant example where he’s asked to draw a bus and he draws one vertical line, followed by three smaller horizontal lines.
His experience of the bus is the vertical handle he holds to get on and three horizontal steps he climbs. Maybe Louis would understand the sense of different worlds?

When working in my day job, I sometimes counsel people who are bereaved. We talk about grief in many different ways, but one of the most popular metaphors is the sea. It tends to come in and out in waves. On anniversaries it sweeps in and then recedes again. There are times when it stays far out of sight and others when it comes in so fast and strong it’s like a grief tsunami! If Faye returns, having got to know her Mum as Jeanie, will she grieve for her all over again? If she’s stuck back there, she will grieve for her family and friends in the present. I was deeply touched by a section where she talks about her childhood grief and needing to ask questions about her mother.

‘ I searched my memory like it was a messy drawer, trying to find an image, some mental recording of a conversation, something to explain exactly why I’d felt so alone in dealing with losing my mum, when Em and Henry had been so supportive, so caring, in every other way. I could see Henry’s face in a memory so coated with dust I could barely picture it. It was his face with a worried look, glancing over at Em as I asked her a question or said something about my mother. What would it have been? ‘I miss my mother. I want to see my mother again. Do you think my mother was happy?’ I had seen those looks of his, and I’d filed them away. I hadn’t thought about it, but I realised what they were: he didn’t want me to upset his wife Em.’

So, in order to avoid upsetting Em she’d kept her questions and her grief to herself. My heart broke for this little girl so alone in her loss. However, despite being deep and poignant, the author has found a way of making the novel fantastical, quirky and even humorous. It’s suffused with love and joy. I’m so impressed with this magical debut, it absolutely charmed me from beginning to end.

Appearing as part of the blog tour this February.

*BIG thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for approving me for this title!*

I was very intrigued when I first read the synopsis to this book as the combination of the science fiction elements with more contemporary themes is something that I have never come across before. However, when I got into reading the book itself, I was not as convinced. The plot is pretty whacky and logistically does not make all that much sense. I understand time travel itself is not something that can be explained really because it is impossible but, the plot here didn't feel plausible at all really. I don't really want to spoil anything but the big reveal towards the end of the book is heartbreaking but also, very confusing. Furthermore, the tone of the book is quite unusual and felt a little on the childish side as it is written in a journal format. Once I got used to this, it didn't bother me too much but, it did take some time. I enjoyed the little references in the writing though, including Great Expectation's references and one to Rebecca, two book which I read in January. It was a weird coincidence that they were mentioned in here as well. A Tunnock's Caramel biscuit also gets a brief mention which is one of my favourite biscuits ever so, I appreciated that too, as trivial as it may be.

I have conflicting opinions about the characters in this book. I can't say that I felt particularly attached to Faye or her husband and children. We are also told that she has two best friends who are practically like sisters to her yet, we don't see a lot of them at all so, that was pretty unconvincing. I liked the characterisation of Faye's mother but, we didn't see that much of her and I felt that it could have been developed a lot further. She is described as being quite hippy and free spirited, I would have loved to see more of that. However, I really enjoyed the inclusion of Elizabeth, a woman from the past and present as, even though we only saw her briefly, she was a voice of reason and had an important dose of realism for our main character. I also really liked the character of Louis, a blind character in the story who seems to actually be Faye's best friend, despite the writing stating otherwise. He was such a great character, sarcastic, witty and called people out when they were treating him differently because of his disability. I LOVED the exchange between Louis and Elizabeth. I am a little conflicted by the representation here as, at some points I thought it was good but then at other times I felt a bit of ableism coming through. I can't really comment on the accuracy of the depiction and I'm unaware of details of the author's biography but, there were some moments that I found myself asking, is that okay to say? is that right? Just something to bare in mind.

I've basically told you a lot of reasons why I didn't like this book so far: the plot isn't particularly convincing and I didn't love the characters. HOWEVER, I can't get this book out of my head. The main reason for that is the commentary on faith that we have running through it. Initially, with Eddie, Faye's husband, on a journey to becoming a priest, I thought this was going to become a little preachy, arguing for complete faith in religion. Yet, the discussion was much more complex than that. Space Hopper acknowledges the idea that faith comes in so many different forms, whether that be in god or time travel, and belief in anything, no matter what it is, can really help people through their life. It is this that I keep coming back to and the reason that I keep talking to everyone (everyone being the limited people of contact I can actually have with people at the minute) about this book. The rating I have gone for may then surprise you but, I do think it deserves it.

3 stars! . It's one that I think is going to be very hit or miss for people. However, I keep thinking about it and I wanted the rating to show that.

This book is about faith, faith in love, in magic, in family and in things beyond our sight. This book is like a warm cosy blanket that was so needed.

I began reading this book on a snowy day with a hot coffee and I could not move afterwards. Such a captivating book, hats of to Helen for this being her first book and for never giving up and getting this beauty published.

Faye as a character is so inspiring, she is strong and she believes in love and is honest in her battle of faith in more ways than one, in faith of a higher being, in faith of the unknown that we have all battled with at some point in our lives. She has such a strong family around her the deep connection that she has with her husband Eddie just adds to the magic of this story.

With an ending that I was not expecting at all but absolutely perfect and fitting for the story and the characters. I hope Helen continues to bless this World with her writing

I mean wow .... just WOW.

I will admit this was a total cover request for me. I saw the bright skates and thought yes I need to have that it looks likes it gonna be a YA contemporary and boy was I wrong!!

Although this book is a contemporary adult fiction with time travel elements, something I haven't read much of in the past I thought this was absolutely beautifully crafted! I cant believe how much of a gut punch some of this was, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Every detail seemed to serve a purpose in this outstanding tale of love, loss, friendship and everything in between and it could quite possibly by my favourite book of 2021 so far!

My thanks to Simon and Schuster U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Space Hopper’ by Helen Fisher in exchange for an honest review.

“They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect. ... I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight. And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here.”

I began reading this novel with little foreknowledge of its whimsical plot. Faye has a happy life with husband Eddie, who is training to enter the clergy, and their two daughters. Yet she has always deeply felt the loss of her mother.

One day while storing the Space Hopper box that she had preserved from her childhood, she steps into it and whoosh.....after an Alice in Wonderland-like descent she is back in her living room under the Christmas tree in 1977, some thirty years previously. She manages to avoid being caught, though later engineers a meeting with her mother and younger self. I won’t say more in order to avoid spoilers, but the narrative takes a number of interesting turns.

Helen Fisher’s debut was beautifully written and sensitively addressed a range of issues including aspects of faith, both personal and spiritual, love, grief and loss as well as various time travel theories. In addition, Faye works for the R.N.I.B., the British charity that assists the blind and partially sighted, and through this and Louis, Faye’s friend who has been blind since birth, she explores issues linked to blindness and ableism.

This is an extraordinary novel that provides a great deal of scope for discussion making it an excellent choice for reading groups that are looking for something different.