This one wasn't what I expected it to be. I honestly thought I was reading the wrong book when I started based off the synopsis and how far away the first chapter felt.

The synopsis sounded interesting but as I was reading, I realised it wasn't really one that I'd normally go for.

This is the third time I review this book as I like the author. This is my review:
I really enjoyed this book. A very interesting and entertaining plot, well developed character and a very sound plot.
Highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book. How it all works wasn't fully explained, but knowing more wasn't that important, since the main focus was on Hallie and her relationships and feelings. In the middle of the book, not a lot happens (or rather, is vague about it), and the story focuses more on Hallie and the effects the time traveling is having on her life. So, if you're looking for an action packed time travel book, this isn't it. But I liked how one of the secondary characters was incorporated and the resolution of that part of the storyline. The latter part of the book was about this relationship and how it helps Hallie come to terms with her life and move on, which just felt pretty realistic. 3.5 stars.

Oh gosh, I read this book a while ago and completely missed giving it my feedback - so this is going to be a tricky review.

I rated this book 4 stars, and particularly enjoyed the complex approach to time travel. There's almost a dual story of finding yourself, strongly enmeshed within the fantastical elements, as well as a really deep love story to Paris.

Solaris are quickly becoming one of my go to publishers, with every book I've picked up being absolutely brilliant.

This time travel adventure exalts the beauty and magnetism of Paris, and explores what it is to be young and searching for your own identity in a fast-changing and political world.

It follows gap year student Hallie as she escapes the pressures of her upbringing, fleeing to Paris, where she works the night shift at Millie’s bar and meets a rag-tag group of other lost souls. When she discovers that downstairs in the keg room is a consciousness - an ‘anomaly’ - that can transport her through time, she realises that she’s far more important than she ever knew, and might just be the key to saving the city she loves from devastating war.

The writing is punchy, well-researched and thought-provoking. The characters are misguided and opinionated and all-too-relatable at times. There’s not much explanation of how the time travel system works, but the intrigue around it and the cost of using it keep you reading, and there’s little need for technicalities.

I love the found family, glimpses of past and future Paris, emotional depth and gradual character development in this novel, and I encourage lovers of time travel fiction to pick it up.

I think that lovers of This is How You Lose the Time War and Addie LaRue will really like this story!

Unfortunately, neither of those books were for me and neither was this beauty 😭 But the writing was gorgeous!

So this book was definitely different and I never really knew what direction it was going to go. I feel like it started out super strong but then started to stall out. At times it felt like I was reading several short stories put into one book. I guess you could say I felt “adrift” when trying to connect the dots. However, I really liked the premise of this book and found it overall intriguing.

I love a good time travel / genre bender like this, and I really wanted to like the characters but found it hard to be completely invested.

3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Solaris for my digital review copy.

As I read it, I found myself gaining more and more questions about the world. I haven't read many books with time shenanigans, and this felt like a change from what I think about when I think about time travel. I wish more of the questions I had about anomalies and the world got answered instead of being left to linger.

One downside I had, was that whilst I enjoyed the book and the world being built, I didn't particularly like or dislike any of the main characters and what ended up being the main relationship felt like it came out of nowhere, even though I suspected it was happening.

I felt like this could have done so much more with the sci-fi aspect and that it took a seat on the back burner for the most part.

This book wasn't my cup of tea: the POV's and time jumps were a little confusing for me, and I'm not a huge fan of end of the world books. I'm sure there are plenty of people who will love this book, it just wasn't for me.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Paris Adrift by E. J. Swift is a contemporary sci-fi focusing on time travel in Paris. Hallie is a young British woman who has moved to Paris and is working at a bar. One day, she is sent back to 1875 where she tries to figure out how to return home. Meanwhile, in the 24th century, they send someone back in time to save the future and to make contact with Hallie.

We go back to several different points in time in Paris’ history, from 1875 to WWII and even to 2070. Hallie is tasked with changing parts of the past in order to change the future without knowing that this grand mission even exists, only receiving clues from the chronometerist or the occasional bit of writing. The first thing she’s asked to do is to stop the construction of the Sacre-Coeur, which is replaced with the Moulin Vert, a later home for a political movement.

In the present day, Hallie’s coworkers are largely unaware of her adventures. Coming from all over the world (Sweden, Colombia, America, and more), the discuss current politics as we know them and politics as they shift after each of Hallie’s adventures. The international presence helps to add different viewpoints, especially when it comes to current issues many societies face and why someone might not want to return home even if they still love their family.

I really liked Hallie and Leon’s relationship as it reminded me of the romance subplot in Terminator. I’ve always loved the idea of two people falling in love despite being born in very different times and while romance isn’t a focus, I was happy with the subplot.

Content warning for mentions of the Holocaust and mentions of modern politics around the globe

I would recommend this to fans of time travel novels, readers looking for a sci-fi set in Paris, and those who like to see the cause-and-effect of making changes to the past

Features:
-Themes of found family and finding your direction in life
-Time traveling as both a heroic effort to save the world and a personal, destructive addiction
-Set in past, present, and future Paris

The fate of future Earth rests in Hallie’s hands, but can she be more than just a tool of time? This time-bending tale takes you to past, present, and future Paris as Hallie tries to rearrange history to save a future she has never seen. Despite this setup, I found that the real focus of the story was the people working with Hallie at Millie’s bar Hallie’s journey of self-discovery. The time travel was interesting and The Choronometrist was a fascinating character, but they felt very separate from the actual story I had become wrapped up in. Overall, if you like a found family story with a little bit of time travel thrown in, you will likely enjoy this book.

Lost, Not Broken

Millie’s is a notorious bar near the Moulin Rouge that serves as a ‘home base’ for Hallie and most of the other main characters in this story. Though a few scenes capture working at Millie’s, most of the story that does not take place in another time period happens directly before or after Hallie’s shifts. Through interactions with her co-workers, it becomes clear that Millie’s is a ‘rest stop’ for a wide variety of people on their own personal journeys. Far from being a dead end, each character is trying to figure out their next step and interacting with them is one of the main ways that we see Hallie grow. Even with the complicated element of time travel thrown in, this book never strays from the idea that being lost does not necessarily mean being broken.

Identity Crisis

I really enjoyed where this journey took me and there were a lot of clever elements that tied the story together. However, like Hallie, the story overall seemed to lack clear distraction despite these shimmers of brilliance. On the one hand, it is about Hallie’s personal journey to find direction and love in her life alongside others who are in the same place. On the other hand, it is a time-bending adventure to save a far flung future before…it’s too late? It handles both of these elements fairly well, but it doesn’t really excel at either and it does not really make these two elements feel meaningfully connected.

The story kicks off by introducing us to the Order of Janus and showing the world at its imminent collapse. Though a couple of members play a key role in Hallie’s journey, the Order itself is rarely mentioned after this introduction. Though Hallie’s journey through time is interesting, she herself is not aware of the purpose and eventually, the reader kind of forgets as well. As a result, the time travel lacks urgency and is not really used to develop the story in a unique way. The Chronometrist and anomaly that causes the time travel are both really interesting and I would have liked them to be used a little more effectively to really make this story shine.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this, the time travel element of the story was unique and interesting. I loved seeing Hallie reinvent her identity while experiencing these new things happening in her life.

I really enjoyed reading this it had everything that I was hoping for from the description. I enjoyed getting to know Hallie and how she went about reinventing herself. It had a strong concept of love and was everything hat I was hoping for. I thought the time-travel element was great and worked with what I was hoping for.

A time travel story with elements of history and romance. I liked the Paris setting and the different centuries viewed through Millies Bar and the catacombs under the city. The narrative though was slow and the main characters not sufficiently written for me to care about them. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Solaris for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

While this story and genre was a bit outside of what I’d typically gravitate towards, I really enjoyed Paris Adrift! The set up of the world was so intricate and detailed but not in an overwhelming way. As someone that loves Paris, I loved the touches of Parisian history sprinkled throughout.

At times, I did feel like there was a bit too much the author was trying to squeeze in to the story, but overall I did find myself identifying with Hallie and parts of her experience and identity.

I’d definitely recommend Paris Adrift to anyone that’s looking for time travel, sci-fi, historical fiction, with a bit of romance and self discovery.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

When I first stumbled upon this ARC, the cover had me interested immediately! Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the target audience for this novel. The beginning of the book left me a little confused and overall, it just fell a bit short for me personally. However, I can definitely see this being someone else’s cup of tea. It just wasn’t what I expected and lives outside of what I normally reach for.

The writing style and tone wasn't for me, but I know a lot of dystopian sci-fi enthusiasts will love this.

This books tells a truly compelling story, that at its heart is about growing in unexpected ways. The world building is absolutely fantastic. A fully realized world and magic system is created in less than 300 pages (where many struggle to do nearing 500). Every character is lovable in their own way, and they all feel like full people, not just props in the main characters story. I also really enjoyed the history aspects. I don't know Parisan history, but Swift did a great job of making sure I knew what I needed to without taking too much time from the story. As with most good books this left me wanting more- more about these characters, more about the world, more from this author, and even more about French history. Though I believe Hallie's story is over, I would love to see other incumbents stories- especially after Hallie's actions inevitably change their stories.

Set across several time frames we start in an apocalyptic future and in that future they send one of their own, Leon, back to the past to avert a catastrophe. Hallie has moved to Paris to find a better life, she finds a job in the local bar and in there she finds a portal to another time frame. This book started slow and I was confused, but once I started Hallies POV it all starts to make sense. This book is such a fun read and takes you back and forth through time and space with plenty to keep you gripped to the end. A great read.

Thank you so much to Solaris & Net Galley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.