This is long, spanning decades as it follows a pair of friends from their first meeting in a children’s hospital ward to adulthood. Sadie and Sam bond over a love of computer games, and as adults they work together to create their own games that capture the imaginations of millions. But there are fractures and breaks between them, and their relationship takes many twists and turns as the story progresses. It put me in mind of A Little Life, in terms of its scale, the complexity of the relationships and the sense of reality. Really lovely.

If there were 6 stars, I'd be giving them. I absolutely loved this book and devoured it at speed. It had charm, depth and heart. Highly recommended.

First, I was raised on the Atari. The Sega Mega Drive followed soon after. Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails, the controller passed between sticky hands. I spent rainy afternoons upstairs in my friend's box bedroom mashing the buttons of her Nintendo 64, a console which I have regrettably never owned. My brother got a Playstation for Christmas, and I snuck into his room when he wasn't there, traumatising myself on Resident Evil 2, later calming myself with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Driving laps on a quad bike on our first PC in Tomb Raider 3. And so on.
I read a lot too, and have done throughout the decades that followed. One could surmise that these two hobbies consisted primarily of different means of escapism, so it's hard to believe that it's taken this long for me to come across a novel in which both of these hobbies collide.
I've read books in which the author has casually mentioned Tetris, or Pacman in passing, but they've never actually been about gaming. Until now.
First things first. You don't need to be a gamer to enjoy this book, but it certainly helps. Zevin mentions Hideo Kojima in the same way that your favourite band mentions your home town in the middle of a concert. She brings up the early Grand Theft Auto games, stirring up a dose of nostalgia. Zelda. Final Fantasy. Metal Gear Solid. And on, and on.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow follows Sam and Sadie, two friends that meet in a hospital games room. The novel follows them throughout their youth and into adulthood, bouncing between both of their perspectives as they grow up to work together as game developers. The novel is about gaming, but it's mostly about their friendship, and their relationships with those around them.

Zevin also deals with chronic pain and disability in a refreshing way. One of our protagonists has a disability, but this is not a story about overcoming in spite of or despite disability. It's just another facet of this character's personality. It's not tragic or the main focus of the story. It plays its part in how the story progresses, but it's not a story about illness. It just exists, as do illness and disability in general.

I liked this novel, but I didn't love it in the way that I expected to. I found the timeline a little jumpy sometimes, almost reading like a biography in which this happened and then that happened, and then the unimportant years are ignored in favour of our protagonist doing this impressive thing, and then this other impressive thing. Although some parts of the story were emotive, I somehow found this book lacking in emotion despite our protagonists living through some incredibly traumatic experiences.

The novel isn't always written from Sam or Sadie's perspectives either. Sometimes it's written from their friend Marx's perspective, or even from the viewpoint of a character in one of their games. Personally, I found this chopping and changing of perspectives to be a little jarring and I'm not sure that it worked all too well.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the story. It kept moving, and was well researched. I know that there are people out there for whom this novel will be incredibly special.

Sam and Sadie first met when they were children. Then they didn't see each other for years - until one day Sam sees Sadie on the subway platform. This chance meeting starts them on the road to success as video game designers. You follow Sam and Sadie over thirty years - as they play games, design games and grow up, always linked together but sometimes pulling in different directions.

You all know that I’ve been reading mostly stuff with happy endings or resolutions for the last *checks calendar* two years or so and this took me a little while to read because I wasn’t sure I was going to like how it all worked it. But I’m so glad I stuck with it because it is just wonderful - even if there was some crying involved, thankfully not on a train though. You watch Sam and Sadie grow and develop and try to help each other through life’s challenges. I can’t really say too much more than that because it’s going to give to much away.

I was a PC gamer when I was younger - mostly simulators like Sim City, the Sims and Transport Tycoon, but also Commander Keen and some of the other shareware games of that era, so I’ve played some of the games that Sam and Sadie played when they are kids and I understood the sort of games they were trying to create even if they weren’t my sort of games. But I don’t think you have to be a gamer to get this novel, don’t worry. It’s two people navigating friendship while working together. And it’s 400ish pages, so if you need a book for the beach this could be it!

I haven’t read any of Gabrielle Zevin’s books before, although I’ve had The Storied Life of A J Fikry on the list of books I would like to read at some point for years. But if her other books are anything like this one, I need to get to them sooner rather than later, just as soon as I’m in a more resilient state of mind, because this broke me at various points.

This was absolutely incredible. I expected to like it but wow. So tender, such gorgeous prose and fully fleshed out characters. I felt completely transported reading this, and I'm certain this will stay with me for a long time.

Will be recommending this to everyone.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. After seeing so many great reviews of this one I couldn’t wait to pick it up. When I was in London I popped into Waterstones and picked up a signed copy with blue spredges for my collection.

This story follows the beautiful and turbulent friendship of Sadie and Sam and it is one hell of a rollercoaster ride. We begin the story with the pair reuniting after not speaking for some time and as we progress through the story we learn about the start of their friendship through a series of flashbacks.

Both Sadie and Sam are complicated characters with interesting back stories. I found Sadie to be infuriating in some parts and her attitude towards Sam really wound me up at times. I will admit that Sam wasn’t perfect but I felt that at times he was the bigger friend and willing to show his feelings towards her. They were like an old married couple at times, always bickering but underneath it all you knew just how much they needed each other.

Gaming does feature heavily in this book and whilst I am not a gamer I did find it interesting. I loved learning how a game went from an idea to being produced and didn’t realise just how much work went into the process and how many people were involved. The community they built at Unfair Games felt more like a family and I loved the quirky characters that joined them. Marx was my favourite character. His ability to unite Sadie and Sam whilst maintaining the peace was masterful and you could feel his connection to them both deeply.

Over the course of thirty years we see the highs and lows of Sadie and Sam’s friendship. The good, the bad and the ugly are all on show and it was a beautiful thing to watch. Gabrielle Zevin’s writing is detailed and beautiful I was completely sucked into the story. When my eyes had absorbed the final words I wanted to hit the restart button and enjoy it all over again.

Firstly, I'm not a massive gamer, although I do love the Lego games! However, I don't think you need to be to love these characters and their friendship that starts when Sam, aged 11, meets Sadie in hospital.

I'll say no more on that as I don't want to spoil but this huge novel, spanning 30 years, is a wonderful read. The characters are all believable and the descriptive writing explaining the games is beautiful. I've not read any of work before but I will do now.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for granting me a copy.

I finished this beautiful book last night and I loved it. The characters were wonderful and flawed, the story was gorgeous, it made me cry. I loved the different perspectives and how the story unfolded. I’ve read 2 other Gabrielle Zevin books over the years and both have been 5 stars and instant favourites, and this book is joining them

You know that a book has you when at the end you are sad that it is finished and you have to say goodbye to the characters and the story.

Yes, it is largely about gaming, however it is also not, gaming is incredibly important, but not everything. It is a job and a passion for these characters. The book for me, was more about how to create art and how a passion can impact people and relationships. It was also about love, love for work, love for partners, love for friends.

Zevin told the story interestingly, playing with the narrator and vantage points. The characters were not black and white, but messy and grey like we would expect people to actually be. I loved how I could follow Sadie and Sam from a young age and live through their experiences with them.

An incredibly enjoyable and emotional experience, I will be running to the bookstore now to get copies for my friends.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House and Vintage UK for my eARC.

Wow, what a book!! It’s in my top five of this year.

Sam and Sadie meet whilst playing a computer game in hospital, this sparks a long term relationship with each other and gaming.

The book takes you from their childhoods and across the decades as they encounter lovers, deal with grief, and form businesses. I love a sweeping piece of literary fiction, and this one had me in floods of tears at one point. You don’t need to know about computer gaming to enjoy this book, as it’s the love between the characters that drives the story. I loved the ending, which left me with a smile but also wanting more!

I’ll certainly be purchasing this book for friends.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with ebook access via Netgalley.

I really don’t know where to start in reviewing this new novel from author Gabrielle Zevin. It’s such an imaginative and interesting read about friendship, love, loss, work, trauma. So many things are packed into this novel. The first thing I will say though is that I fell in love with Sam and Sadie by the end of the first chapter. In fact such wonderful characters throughout like Marx and all the others made this a joy of a book to read.

The story is about two kids who meet in a children’s hospital and form a short friendship over their love of video games and play together, one to kill time while waiting for her sister to receive treatment, the other to numb pain as he recovers and receive treatment to repair damage to his foot from a car accident. Their friendship, however, is cut short by an unfortunate ‘misunderstanding’ of sorts, and they no longer continue to see each other.

However, 8 years later Sam spots Sadie at a train station and their love of gaming once again brings them back together. The story follows them, back and forth in time, as they start a career together along with the wonderful Marx and we follow their lives over about 30 years, watching how their experiences mould them into the adults they become. How both success and failure impact their lives and how they deal with that. It had me love, laugh and cry in equal measure.

You don’t need to know a lot about gaming or current gaming trends to read this novel as those mentioned are rather retro, or made up (I think) and make up part of the story themselves rather than determine your understanding of the story. In fact the way gaming is used in the book is wonderfully imaginative and made great reading. I don’t want to mention anymore of the story line as to read this knowing as little as possible make the read even more enjoyable. There is so much that happens, so much I didn’t expect, and told in such varied ways that I wouldn’t want to ruin it’s enjoyment for others.

What I will say though is that this novel is packed full of emotion, love, friendship. I laughed and cried. A really wonderful read and one that I would highly recommend.

I'd never read anything by this author but the premise appealed to me. I'm not a huge gamer, I don't really have time these days, but most like people, have dabbled with a few games in the past. For Sadie and Sam, gaming is part of who they are. So many of their formative experiences, and certainly key moments in their relationship, have been anchored around games or one type or another.

We see Sadie and Sam as children initially, Sam in hospital after a car accident almost destroys his feet, and Sadie as a visitor to her ill sister. They bond in a common room over a Nintendo. After a falling out, their paths continue to cross over the years until the meeting described in the blurb. From there, we follow them more closely, as they start collaborating to create games which will change the course of their lives and those around them.

The characters created here were wonderful. Sam and Sadie each have their flaws which only serves to make them feel more real. Its not just Sam and Sadie here though, I really liked the supporting cast, and must give an honorary mention to Marx, who I thought was great. These characters make mistakes, do things that you won't agree with, love each other generously and more.

I read this pretty slowly, not because I wasn't enjoying it, but it just felt like a leisurely book to savour. Its the characters you're reading about here, rather than the plot. I do love a coming of age story.

The concept of starting again is mentioned several times in the book. In a video game, if you die, you can start again, fully formed and ready to go. These characters have to start again a few times after life deals them out some right stinkers. Not quite fully formed and ready to go, but picking up the pieces and trying to put their lives back together. The constant throughout, is love. Not romantic love necessarily, but Sam and Sadie do love each other (though some of their actions may betray that fact on occasion) and the nature of that love is explored throughout the book.

I would really recommend this book, reading it was a really enjoyable experience.

AHHH what a genius book! Absolutely worth the hype - really beautifully written and completely addictive. I think this book has been optioned for film so I keep imagining what that may be like. My favourite part of the book was the opening because I thought that I was the only person in the world (along with my friend) that played Oregon Trail but the opening casts it as a key thing! I also loved how everything feels like a game - like at the start where he is battling against the crowds on the underground but more people keep appearing to fill each new space. Genius. I haven't yet finished but I just wanted to share the buzz! (Plus how cool are the special editions?)

We featured Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow in our article '22 more books to look out for in 2022' on Caboodle, the rewards programme from National Book Tokens.

"Two kids meet in a hospital gaming room in 1987. When the pair spot each other eight years later, they are catapulted back to that moment. The spark is immediate, and together they get to work on what they love – making games to delight, challenge and immerse players.

This is the story of the perfect worlds Sadie and Sam build, the imperfect world they live in, and of everything that comes after success."

Just perfect. My favourite book of the year so far. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, I was crying in the first 50 pages. Really looking forward to reading more by this author, as I just absolutely loved writing, absorbing from the very beginning. One to re-read

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is an extraordinary novel. It is utterly original. If ever a book can be said to celebrate creativity and difference, it is this one. Whilst it may not be a romance in the traditional sense, it is written in a romantic spirit.

That the story should emerge from the world of gaming is part of its romance. Gaming is a world of infinite possibilities. Its impermanence transcends the tragedies of life in the novel.

Sadie and Sam first meet in a children’s hospital and introduce themselves by each confirming that they are ‘not currently dying’. This sets the bittersweet tone for the book, which is essentially about a relationship. After all, there is no more intimate act than play, according to Sam.

Yet this is a relationship that includes more than two people. The events of the novel test the characters, especially Sam. Sam faces some of the toughest challenges in his life and he does not strive for a romance with Sadie in a stereotypical sense. ‘It’s better than romance. It’s friendship,’ is how he puts it. Yet he hates to be isolated while the woman he loves is in love with someone else. His jealousy is a reminder that relationships are always personal and friendship not always enough.

Sadie’s real life is imperfect too, and gaming is an escape. She heals through games and ultimately games are more forgiving than people. Sadie’s relationship with Sam works because of their differences. Their collaboration is equal but they bring different qualities and insecurities. Their philosophies of life rub up against each other: it is a creative tension. Sadie is very aware that if they were lovers, she would not be seen as an equal partner in their creative relationship. This is just one of the barriers that separates them.

Zevin is clever enough to subvert our relationship with the characters. They do not behave towards each other in a stereotypical way and the reader is challenged to understand their world and the forces that drive their emotions. They find each other attractive but don’t always seek monogamous relationships. Sex is not at the centre of their lives, though they are very conscious of its importance. They behave badly and make mistakes. But it is a powerful dynamic that holds them together.

Zevin writes dialogue beautifully. The book is populated with witty exchanges and soundbites that carry many of the deeper messages beneath the storyline. She touches on issues lightly, including gender, race and cultural appropriation. Somehow, Zevin manages to make distasteful scenes funny, a classic example being Sadie declaring her love while chained to the bed by her lover.

There is plenty of humour. Sadie meets Sam over 609 hours of community service because that is the deal. Sam’s greatest spiritual experience is with the Donkey Kong game. Sadie, on the other hand, thinks that sex and video games have a lot in common. Sex, after all, is just another game.

The gaming community is beautifully described through some sharp dialogue. Gaming is a gateway to the imagination. It is the link between the world you live and the multiverse of your imagination. The world grows in relation to your capacity to feel. Most importantly, games designers require empathy because they have to understand how games are received.

And games aren’t just played on computers but in life. Sometimes one becomes a cipher for the other. The novel draws out points of similarity. The truth of any game, says Sam’s mum, is it can only exist in the moment it is being played.

The novel explores language cleverly - its power and its variety. Computer games are written in different languages and sometimes that language communicates better than ours. Sometimes, though, our language says it perfectly, such as Marx’s image of the world as like breakfast at a five-star hotel in an Asian country. And the quotation from Shakespeare from which the title of the novel is drawn.

In the end it is almost a romance, yet full of tragedy too. It has been an epic journey. Relationships have become entangled with games. But that’s life, isn’t it?

What this novel delivers triumphantly is a sense of perspective. It is a much-needed medicine for our times.

Oh what an incredible book! My favourite read of the year so far and the book I can’t stop myself buying for friends.

Gabrielle Zevin has created a beautiful novel of friendship, love and relationships which last years despite the strain placed on them.

Having never been particularly into video games myself, I didn’t know how I would find this aspect of the book. However, I found it totally compelling and understandable.

I found myself making comparisons between what Zevin is doing with video games and how Taylor Jenkins Reid takes surfing, tennis, music and Hollywood as her subject matter. Both authors create an immersive world and crucially have complex and very real characters who you can’t help but feeling emotionally invested in.

Outstanding. I am so in love with Sam and Sadie. This book is incredible, and I want to just scream about it to everyone, buy a copy for every person I know. It's such a beautiful story and the prose is succinct but elegant. As a fellow author and gamer from a similar generation to Sam and Sadie, this just hit all the right notes for me. Beautiful.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I expected this to be a little like Ready Player 1 & 2. It was anything but. I quite enjoyed the Ready Player books. I was entertained. But 'Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' is emotionally intelligent. The characters are equally likeable and unlikeable but at different times.

Sam and Sadie are best friends. Marx plays an excellent supporting role. And Dov is an incredibly complicated character.

We follow Sam and Sadie as they grow and develop and their friendship is put to the test, with the nineties and later the new millennium, with its advancing technology, in the background.

There are a few interesting issues the author raises: video game violence, class, race, pain, appropriation and friendship. An idea I thought she tackled really well was what it means to find true friendship in the throw-away society.

While devouring this highly recommended novel, I kept thinking it would make an excellent film and I was so pleased to discover the screenplay has already been written! I expect there to be a lot of hype around this really engaging and intelligent novel. Loved it!

For the right book club, this is an excellent book as there are many discussions to be had.
Thank you to NetGalley for approving me for an ARC.

This book was requested after I’d seen an influx of advertisements on social media. Targeted ads knowing me? I gave it a request.

After such a build up, I was expecting a let down. Instead what I got was “Little Lies” vibes. This book is a real slow burner of character development - characters you fall in love with. It is deep and questioning and absolute perfection. Cannot recommend more highly.