In Easton Gray’s time, the world is a ruin and humanity ekes out an existence underground, avoiding the murderous nanobots that live on the surface. To try and save humanity, she is sent back in time to kill Zach and Tess Nolan, but finds the job almost impossible to complete when she starts to fall for Tess.

I’ll be honest, I picked this up because it reminded me of the Terminator series. I thought it might, in fact, combine the Terminator with Kyle Rees, creating a fun, morally grey sci-fi adventure romance. And it did have… some of those things.

It had so much going for it – time travel, moral conundrums, even a time loop (my favourite)!– but although I really tried, something about this book just didn’t work for me. The pacing felt off, sometimes key events were glossed over, and the characters didn’t feel particularly distinct from one another in terms of narrative voice or personality.

I will say, the second half of the book did improve. Scene firmly established, we finally made a turn towards the Action genre, and the pacing of the story finally seemed to work with the narrative, rather than despite it. I’m also a big fan of that last line – great ending – but the change came just that little bit too late.

This book had some great concepts, but it just didn’t quite work for me.

Rating: ★ ★ ½
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Representation: WLW, Lesbian
Trigger Warnings: Referenced death, referenced animal death
Would I recommend this? No
Would I read a sequel? No

The premise of this book is super interesting and I thought it would unfold very differently from what I just finished reading.

I didn’t expect some sort of Groundhog Day type of story, but that is exactly what it turned out to be. I think that is a bit of a shame, actually not a bit, it’s a shame.
Easton travels back in time to “remove” Tess and her brother from the timeline so the future wouldn’t be as bleak as the one she is living in. This sounds super interesting, they way they meet is fun as well. Well not fun exactly, but interesting. I thought it would be going somewhere but then boom, back to day one. Easton remembers, but Tess doesn’t. So they meet again, this time it’s different, romance wise better. Oh I forgot to mention we also have these sort of flashbacks to Easton’s story in the future, but it’s in the past in the future so we don’t call them flashforwards, I think? Yes, it gets confusing lots. The “present” timeline also jumps a bit time wise from page to page at times. It’s been a while since I read a book that had me so confused about timings. I guess maybe that’s the point of this book.
Anyone, the story of changing the timeline is actually pretty interesting but it doesn’t find a good conclusion in my opinion. With the best of intentions you can call it bittersweet, I don’t think I can go there. I just don’t like it much.

I was rooting for Easton and Tess, but the book is so confusing I don’t even know how I really feel about it. And I say it’s confusing but it’s straightforward at the same time, I just can’t wrap my head around it. I suppose I enjoyed it. Maybe there is an opening for a second book, not sure if I will go for it. Maybe just out of curiosity. As I said, confusing.

This book will get 5 stars from me because A: it stayed in my head long after reading and B: the writing style, plot, characters, dialogue..everything works in my opinion.
It's science fiction in the sense that it deals with time travel from the future and while that can become tricky and overly complicated, Birch managed to keep it simple yet explanatory enough to get sucked into the story where Easton is from the future sent back to kill Tess Nolan and her brother Zach before he invents the nanotechnology that destroys civilization and forces people to move underground.
The fact that every loop you find out more and more information and not everything is as it seems at first glance make for compelling reading. It also gives you another view on the characters who react differently to each other every loop. I don't want to say too much, but please read this book if you like a read that keeps your mind churning and gives us a romance different from the mainstream romance books out there.

Thank you Netgalley en BoldStroke Books for giving a copy to review.

First: That cover! It is so amazing.

I used to live in the Cariboo. Which meant I spent a stupid amount of time trying to figure out where the fictional city of Smokey River was supposed to be located. So times when I should have been paying attention to the story, it was like I was looking out the window saying to myself "nope not here". Oh, it is that far from Vancouver, so not there either. And driving down the road the trees are like that so definitely not there. Mind you, I did kind of like that the setting was based on "home".

I felt overall this could have been a longer story, allowing for more world-building and even character development. There was no explanation for how time travel worked, how the slipback worked or what it meant. The plot relied on tropes of time-travel from a movie like 12 Monkeys and TV shows like Continuum (both of which have a similar plot line) to fill in the gap.

I liked the book, but was left wanting more.

As a rule, I try to avoid science fiction that involves time travel. Time travel gets very messy, and most authors don't think enough about the implications on a character's own timeline when moving those characters back and forth through time. Case in point: a recent movie on one of the streaming services that sent soldiers back in time to gather a group of people to come fight in the future (of those soldiers) against something. I didn't watch it because my immediate thought was: why not just bring technology backwards or give it to the people in that time, a la Star Trek IV's transparent aluminum?

In any case, I'm glad I took a chance on this book, because it is fantastic.

Hundreds of years into the future, people 0n Earth are living far underground to avoid detection by drones. Most live a hand to mouth existence, there is no sun, no plants, and no fun. It seems nanobot technology ran amok (Terminator-style) and humans went into hiding.

Using AI as a helper, they've figured out how to use time travel, and they send people back to the past with specific tasks to perform to try to avoid having this particular occur, based on percentages determined by the AI. I could see a problem with this.

Easton Gray is selected to be a level five in her department: the level fives are the people who slip into the past, perform their task, and then hit the recall option on the computer implanted in their forearm. Her sister Calla is the only family she has left: her mother died when she was 12, and her father died at some undetermined date along the way. Calla has been promoted to the survey crew - a very dangerous job in itself - but Easton doesn't want her to take it because of the danger. They argue a bit about it, and Easton tries to deal with Calla's boss to move her to something else, only to find someone higher on the food chain has already done this. As it turns out -and as to be expected -it isn't just actions in the past that have consequences.

Easton makes the jump. Her task: find and kill Zach Nolan, who is deemed responsible for the nanobots raging out of control. She finds herself in a field, naked, near a farmhouse. When the residents leave, she pops in, steals some clothes, and she's on her way. Eventually, she finds and presumably breaks into the veterinary office of Dr Tess Nolan.

It turns out Tess has come to live in this rural town after leaving Vancouver and a rather crazy woman she was dating. The local vet was retiring, so she bought the practice. Tess happens to come into the office, and patches up Easton, who refuses to go to the hospital.

They meet again around town. Easton continues gathering information, as the people coming from the future are dropped in near when their target(s) can be acquired, never an exact date. Tess and Easton get to know one another, and they're quite taken with one another. But Easton knows that not Zach alone needs to die: his discoveries go to Tess when he dies, and she is then responsible for the dystopian nightmare in the future. Easton arranges it, then sits back.

Only to find herself dropped into the field again. Something has gone wrong, and when that happens, they're just dropped right back into the same place to try again.

Easton goes through a few of these iterations, increasingly having issues with not wanting to kill Tess, even though she knows one death could save billions.

But then a mystery visitor shows up, and the entire mission is turned on its head. I won't go further than that except to say: the explanation makes complete sense, and confirmed one of my suspicions. The action picks up as hunters arrive to chase them, and the outcome is...well, you'll have to read it.

It's a great read, even if you're not particularly into science fiction. If you do like science fiction, like me, I think you'll find both the technological and philosophical issues around time travel adequately explained, and better, to make sense.

Five out of five stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Bold Stroke Books and NetGalley for the reading copy.

As a general rule I don't read science fiction and yet I bought into this book after just a few pages. Easton Gray is an operative sent on a mission from the future. In her time, what is left of the human race, live in four underground cities. Her mission is to eliminate a person, Zach and his work. He is developing nano bot technology. Eventually it will cause the robots to rise against the humans. (Think Terminator storyline.) When Easton arrives she meets Dr. Tess Nolan (Zach's sister), a small town vet. Through their interactions you get Easton's thoughts on her mission. I'm not going to comment more on the storyline because of spoilers. But the technology makes sense. The theory of time travel (which I have a hard time understanding all the implications) works well with the story. I have a few quibbles about some minor points but I got the big picture angst of killing a few to save billions. I enjoyed the story and while I usually like more concrete endings this one works for me. I will look for future more work by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really well written book. The structure, the vibe, the dialogue, all just perfect for me. So much so that I will definitely keep my eye out for this author.

Easton grey is sent back in time to prevent Zach Nolan from producing a nanotechnology that supposedly ends the human race/ creates disaster. She's sent back in time and crashes right into his sister, Tess Nolan, who she has undeniable chemistry with. This sets us on an adventure filled with wonder, love and confusion.

If I'm going to be honest, I wasn't too sure if this book was for me. I've never had much luck with this genre but I can safely say I was pleasantly surprised with this one.

Tess and Easton were such a cute pair that balanced each other out. Tess is such a heartwarming character so pure and trusting, wish we got to see more from her perspective. I absolutely loved how well the author captured Easton's mood and thoughts making her a lovable character.

While I am unsure about the whole practicality of the story I don't think that would be a problem for most people as the author presented a rather straight forward view. Amazing book flow and pacing on her part.

I feel like I should stop my review here because I might give too much away. So I'll just say, I enjoyed the book, had the writing been any less that what I liked I probably would have had an issue with the ending. The book ends on a very ominous note that I genuinely think that the writing alone made it okay- had it been any other structure or mood, I would have definitely been upset, not sure if I'm making any sense but that's how it felt.

In other words, I'll definitely keep my eyes out for this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for a honest review.

Easton Gray is sent from the future to stop the development of nanotechnology, the technology that has destroy society and endangers the future of the human race. Dr. Tess Nolan is a veterinary who has retuned to her small town looking for solitude and quiet. Her life takes a turn when she stumbles into Easton, who was sent to follow one order, but can she follow orders when her target is Tess?

This book was super interesting. As a science person, I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit slow at the beginning, but not for long. I thought the way the time traveling was described and explained was very well done and not confusing, which is great to keep the story consistent and 'believable'. I really like both main characters and both were well developed.

I hope more books like this will follow and will definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Five and a half stars. I've only read one other book by C.J. Birch and it was a contemporary romance (Just One Taste), so I had no idea what I was in for here. It should also be noted that I am bone-tired of dystopian sci-fi. This book drew me in with the first couple of pages.

I will mention a couple of things that bothered me, miniscule though they are. (Spoilers! Major ones!) First, there is a little too much discontinuity for my taste: the story is peppered with flashbacks, which I think were unavoidable, but some of the scene breaks were disorienting. For example, I don't know whether the author had a deliberate reason for skipping over the end of the first timeline, inserting a flashback, and then starting a new chapter with the loop, but it was weird to read. I didn't think it would have been hard to show Easton... fulfilling her task? It might have been just to avoid the violence, but the closure would have made it easier (for me at least) to move on. It doesn't seem right to have a plot point like that glossed over and then brought up several times later on, even if we can easily fill in the blanks. I would have liked to see inside Easton's head at that moment. Worse than that was finding out about Calla's death in conversation. That was probably an oversight by the author, but if it wasn't, then it was a problem for me. I immediately grew suspicious of Easton, since the scene was from Tess' perspective, and I assumed Easton was thinking her sister would basically be dead once she completed the slipback. Then again, Easton (and the author) made a point of emphasizing the difference between killing people and erasing their existence.

Second, the background info! I got the sense that the author was trying to answer any possible question a reader might ask so the story wouldn't unravel with a supposed loophole. I appreciate the effort. At the same time, this usually skeptical reader had no problem suspending her disbelief. I didn't even think of many of the possible problems that the details filled in, and it got to a point where there was a touch too much exposition, even considering the genre of the book. So, fabulous worldbuilding, but there was almost too much.

Let it be known that I still think this book had fewer flaws than many that I've read of this genre. I adored the leads, and I adored their chemistry, which is already a big checkmark. I had no problems with believing the science, or the intent of the mission, or the underlying problem. I like how thoughtful Easton was in working through her moral dilemma, and I basically just loved being in her head: watching her work really had me immersed in the adventure of it all. The pacing was incredible, considering that I felt the physical effects of reading the book in almost one sitting, but the intensity never slowed enough to bore me. The plot didn't seem remotely repetitive. Then the ending left me speechless in the best way, although it wasn't something I expected to like. Really, I don't know what more there is to say. I already knew I thought highly of C.J. Birch, but I was blown away here.

I hope I've defended my star rating adequately, and yes, I do use the five star system. Jokes aside, I would love to see this book get so much more attention than the author's books have been getting. I'm almost concerned that talent like this isn't rocking the world of lesfic.

Easton Gray is sent back from the future to make some changes to our timeline that will prevent the end of the world as we know it. Tess Nolan, a local vet in Smoky River BC, finds herself running into an intriguing stranger in town over and over again. When Easton’s assignment intersects with Tess’ family things get a little more complicated than either of them bargained for.
This was a great book, I loved the time travel aspects of this and this plot kept going with twists and curves I was not expecting. Tess and Easton were entertaining MCs and I loved reading short snippets of Easton’s life leading up to her time slipback. The author created a future world that was highly detailed and believable where nano bots could be used in warfare and beyond. Time travel can be hard to pull off well but this was one of the best I’ve read. I’ll definitely be pick it back up for future re-reads. CJ Birch was also a new author to me and I’ll be keeping an eye out for future work as I really enjoyed reading this.

Will there be a sequel? Terminator type story (only not as graphically violent) but similar premise. Don’t want to give away the ending therefore much as I would like to comment on it I won’t. But it does beg for a continuation. Which I would look forward to reading. Although I liked the storyline and the ending even if no sequel is
forthcoming.

Easton in her time where all humans live in four cities under the earth’s surface. She sent into the past to stop the two people who believes causes the world domination by nano bot technology.

Tess is vet although she feels lonely when she meets Easton when she keeps ruining into her around town. Her brother Zach has been working on nanotechnology to help with life threatening diseases.

Easton is torn between what she has to do and following her heart especially when she learns things is not what they seem. I like both characters how they both surprise you. The author did great job with time travel that you didn’t get lost with logistics of it. Wouldn’t it be something if you could go back in time what would you change or better yet invent something that can stop disasters and crimes before it happens all together.




I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

CJ Birch. CJ Birch. You need to remember this author’s name. I know that I will next time I am looking for a well written exciting book to read.

Easton Gray is sent back from the future to eliminate the two people who are responsible for the world domination by nano bot technology. In Easton’s time all humans live in four cities one hundred kilometres under the earth’s surface. Life is drab, cramped and limited.
Tess’s brother Zach has been working on nanotechnology to assist the medical world with diagnosis of life threatening diseases. Tess is a soft hearted veterinarian who recently returned to her small home town to work and live.
Easton’s entry into the past is successful and she is in position to accomplish her mission except she keeps running into Tess around town. Now having met and gotten to know one of the two on her elimination list Easton begins to question her mission goals and her heart.
CJ Birch has written an ingenious novel based on time travel yet without all the confusion normally found in most of these stories. CJ’s writing is riveting from the very first sentence onwards. Her storytelling prowess is what makes this book so hard to put down. Tess is a character who will grab your heart easily and Easton will surprise you the deeper you read into the story.
The Edge of Yesterday is bound by a spectacular book cover which only hints at the remarkable book which lies beneath. CJ Birch. CJ Birch. You need to remember this author’s name.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.