Too slow for me to finish sadly.

There was nothing holding me to the book and I was willing to be distracted because I couldn’t get into it

I really wanted to enjoy this book as the premise was intriguing. However I struggled, the story just dragged and in this case found me putting the book down more often. In the end, this one I admitted defeat and did not finish.

The Ancestor gets off to an extremely slow start, I assume because the main character was just thawing out from a century of being frozen and regaining his awareness of his surroundings. I found myself slogging through this book. Maybe I didn't show as much sympathy for the characters as they deserved, but I found them all unlikable.

I went into The Ancestor blind.....meaning I didn't read the synopsis, but mainly went by the cover and I thought that was very intriguing. I wasn't wrong and this was a great read! It had a great story plot and there were a few twist and turns that kept me interested throughout the book.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I wanted to like this book but found it boring and hard to finish.

This was a real joy to read. It felt a bit long in some places and too fast in others but overall a great reading experience. TGA k you so much for this opportunity.

Alaskan setting has always had a special place in my heart. Its a perfect mix of idyllic nature and its cruelty. I really enjoyed the way it was used to give a special atmosphere in this book. The story itself dragged a little, but overall I did enjoy reading it.

Thanks to All Due Respect and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the review.

This one is a book with a nice little twist and the plot was something I hugly enjoyed. Sadly, I had issues with the characters and the writing, both of which did nott leave me well entertained.
The story got too tangled at some point and I did not like the character portrayal or the writing style.

I received a free copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found The Ancestor to be quite fascinating to read. I am going to give it five stars. I would love to read more by Lee Matthew Goldberg in the future.

This book has two of my reading preferences: time travel (but not really) and an Alaska setting, both present day and historical. This should have been a four or five star review. As it is, I gave it three stars and I feel like I’m being generous. I liked the premise of the story and it is not something I have read before.

So what didn’t I like about the book? It dragged . . . painfully. I normally read a book in two to three days and this one took me weeks. I couldn’t make myself stick with it. My main problem with the book is none of the characters were likeable. I can understand their motivations, but there was no growth, no improvements. Wyatt was selfish and self-centered in his former life and he carried on the same way in his new life. Travis was no better.

I really wish I had not received this book as an early reviewers copy. Once I started it, I felt obligated to finish. It was not worth the time.

I was not quite sure what to expect from this book but the cover and the synopsis grew me in. I'm glad they did. Two men connected by blood come face to face in 2020 Alaska. The twist? One was born in 1860, the other is his great-great grandson. This unusual premise will be explored and explained as the two men meet and work through the personal issues that led to their being in this era together. It's a stretch, but a really good one. The story is not a happily ever after, there are plenty of ways this story will keep you wondering how it could end. If you are looking for something a little different, yet still full of suspense and drama, you've found it.

What would you do if you woke up 120 years later, with no memory, and meet someone who looks like your identical twin? So begins the story of Wyatt Barlow. The action begins in the first paragraph, and the suspense is a slow, constant build. We learn who Wyatt really is alongside him as he tries to get back to what he's lost ... Or maybe it's been right in front of him the whole time.

The Ancestor is part mystery, part suspense, a lot of Alaskan wilderness, and overall a great read. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, and the conclusion was heart stopping all the way to the last word. Thank you to NetGalley and Down and Out for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book via netgalley!

This book brings you on a journey where the past and present of a man are intertwined. You are taken on a roller coaster adventure as Wyatt explores the life of Travis while trying to figure out where did he come from. will he be able to unravel his identity or forever be living in confusion...

The Ancestor by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Wyatt Barlow, an 1890s man wakes up from a frozen state, not knowing who he is at first or what is going on. As he thaws, he hears shots fired nearby and slowly makes his way in that direction. He is shocked when he finds one of the two men looks just like him. He doesn't want to lose the connection to this twin person, so he hides in their truck and rides with them.

Travis Barlow sees a man in town, that looks like his doppelganger. It's uncanny. If Travis were to grow his beard long, they would be twins. They run into one another in the local bar and introduce themselves. Wyatt gives a different last name, he wants to figure out what's going on, before he reveals his true identity.

Wyatt finds himself falling in love with Travis' wife Callie and son Eli. They remind him of the wife and son he left back in 1898. He is 160 years old, so he knows he will never see them again. He finds himself wanting Travis' family for himself, at any cost.

Wyatt makes some friends in the local village, as he gathers intel so he can initiate his plans.

The book was fast paced, held my attention. Lots of twists and turns. Perfect for those looking for a thriller.

Many thanks for the complimentary copy from Net Galley and All Due Respect with no obligation to post a review.

This book was really different and I enjoyed it. The premise of someone being frozen in ice, then waking up 100 years later and meeting his descendants is pretty creative to me. Plus, I am really into genealogy so that's what kind of caught my interest in this book. There were a few times where I was slightly confused about the generation of men in the Barlow family but other than that, it was a good read. The summary for the book made me think that the plot was headed in a different direction at first, but everything made sense in the end.

I'm not entirely sure what I think about The Ancestor written by Lee Matthew Goldberg. I didn't much like Wyatt from the get-go. He is a narcissist pure and simple. He can try to reframe things as much as he likes, rewrite the narrative a million times but he will still be a selfish, arrogant a-hole. He isn't going to be a better man for Caillie and Eli than he was for Adailade and Little Joe; heck, I don't even consider him A MAN. A man does the right thing, he doesn't put himself before his wife and child, a man doesn't desert his family, a man doesn't steal a family a man doesn't rape. This novel glosses it over, perhaps because as narrator Wyatt doesn't consider it rape but rather what is owed to him but it is rape.

Chinook figures it out and it seems that Eli sensed something is different, I hope in the future they find a way to be safe but I doubt it. Look at what happened to anyone who sees him for what he is. Wyatt only cares for Wyatt whatever he chooses to call himself and just because he gave money to Aylen doesn't mean he is a good guy. He was just paying his way.

I guess if pressed, I'd have to say maybe this book isn't quite for me; perhaps, more accurately, this character isn't for me. I did complete the book, hoping for a different outcome but it was a page turned in its way. The characters drew me in, I cared about them. I guess there are already so many jerks in the world, I just done want to spend my downtime reading about them.

3 stars
The Ancestor
by Lee Matthew Goldberg

Truly unlike any other book I have ever read. This book will appeal to many readers. Very interesting, a bit slow at times but well wroth the read.

"Time has no meaning. Birth, death, and everything in between. We are simply in debt, paying for every mistake. You may not realize it but you are paying for things that haven't even occurred yet."

A slip time novel with a premise that requires even more suspension of disbelief than is typical for the genre, The Ancestor is a very bleak tale of the search for self through wealth and love in modern-day Alaska.

Wyatt Emmett Barlow wakes up from a deep frozen sleep to find himself in the cold Alaskan wilderness fending off a wolf. No idea who he is, how he got there, or why he is carrying a small silver mirror and a mostly-blank journal, he sets out in search of food and answers. Almost immediately, he happens upon two men on a hunting trip, and is shocked to discover that one of the men, who he hears is called Travis, bears an absolutely uncanny resemblance to himself. As he sneaks into the bed of the men's truck and hitches a ride into town, he soon discovers that his encounter with his doppelganger is perhaps the least confounding surprise of the day--a day that is, in fact, in the year 2020, a full 122 years later than the last one Wyatt remembers.

As Wyatt works to acclimate to the new world he finds himself in, he begins to remember snippets of his old self, helped along somewhat by the minimal journal entries he carried with him. Drawn to Alaska in search of gold, he left behind a family so much like Travis's, a wife with the same red hair, a boy of about the same age. Being a simple observer to Travis's life is excruciating; he must find a way to get in closer. It soon becomes clear to Wyatt that Travis Barlow is indeed his great-great grandson, and his ticket to getting to know the family that was taken from him far too soon. Of course, not all of the memories coming back to him are good, and in order to understand the man he is to become, Wyatt must reckon with the man he once was.

Definitely an easy and captivating read overall, but I found Wyatt (and literally every character in this book except maybe Eli, a small child) to be extremely unlikeable. The best parts of this book for me were Wyatt's journal entries. I found that story much more interesting and that version of Wyatt much more palatable. Modern Wyatt's complete self-centeredness and fixation on getting what he wants at any expense with no regard for others makes for a protagonist who is exceptionally hard to invest in. He is creepy, shady, and downright cruel on several occasions. But you can't even root against him because there are no satisfying alternatives. I would have DNF'd this book if I hadn't agreed to review it. If you're really into thrillers and looking for something with a wildly different premise, this one might really appeal to you though.

Also of note: Heroin addiction is a primary theme in this novel, and while it is met with both disapproval and compassion by other characters, the consequences are significantly downplayed (e.g., a character gets high and misses work, but within a few chapters his boss apparently doesn't remember that and he is still a model employee; heroin is apparently very close to free; overdose can be prevented by a trip sitter alone, etc.). Any consequences it does have are felt ten-fold by American Indians (sigh), with addiction being both source and symptom of their generational poverty (double sigh), but not for the primary character who is using in this story. This depiction feeds much too deeply into the exceptionalism narrative that many people who misuse substances experience. It's an irresponsible narrative of addiction that I would avoid if the subject is one that hits close to home for you.

Thanks to All Due Respect and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the review.

This is an interesting tale about an individual who becomes frozen and thaws out many years later. He runs into his grandson and the story takes off from there. It's well written and well worth a read.

This title is difficult to categorize. It wasn't what I was expecting from the author, but I enjoyed it anyway. It certainly put many things in perspective. A great read for those who like alternative lives.