Science, chemistry and dreams of finding the cure for ageing are part of the formula to pique my interest in a book (e.g vibes of The Code Breaker). Add in rivals to lovers and a full range of emotions and ambition and it might become a great book which Notes on Infinity is. Still, some characters felt a bit too immature (maybe this was on purpose done) and so, I couldn't warm up too much to them but overall I think a person who loves science and all that relates to biotechnology and so on will love this book.

I struggled with the first half of this book. I felt it was too bogged down in detail and unless you’ve been to Harvard you will become bored. The two main characters Zoe and Jack take us on a journey of friendship, soul mates and lovers. The second half picked up slightly but this book just wasn’t for me. Thank you to netgalley and penguin for an advance copy.

Sadly, overall, it didn't really work for me.
Zoe and Jack meet at university courses together, they make a discovery that leads to them heading up a medical science company worth billions. a heartwarming tale of youth making good despite some inevitable setbacks and pitfalls along the way? Yes, but for me, much of it was not an easy read. I coped with the technical terms well enough as I have a scientific background, though I needed some help from search engines. It may not be as easy for some readers.
For the first 20% or so, very little seemed to be happening, and for a similar amount at the end, it lost its way. The middle part I found very good with author Austin Taylor exhibiting clear knowledge of both science involved and the world of venture capital, together with a comfortable writing style.
Overall it left me disappointed.

Notes on Infinity had a surprising affect on me, it pulled me in from the start, so much that I didn't want it to end. I was totally immersed in the plot and the multi-faceted characters.

Zoe and Jack’s journey, starts off as rivals in a Harvard chemistry class, to co-founders of a thriving start-up. Later, deep in a relationship that feels dynamic, built on ambition and intellect with a spark that feels real. I loved how the relationship unfolded with equal parts intensity and vulnerability.

The plot takes a darker turn with a shocking storyline that upends everything they’ve built, adding depth and emotional complexity. It’s a story about love, ambition, trust, and the cost of chasing big dreams.

Austin Taylor’s storytelling is smart and heartfelt, making this a standout read.

If you love contemporary fiction that balances emotional resonance with sharp, character-driven drama, this one is a must.

Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

I don’t think I was prepared for this to be THIS science heavy, it took me out of the story often because I don’t understand the jargon and would end up googling words or scientific terms. I can see the Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow similarities but I personally enjoyed TTT more! Thank you to Michael Joseph for the ARC!

Zoe and Jack, a friends to lovers story, coupled with business, chemistry aspirational dreams and devastating shocks. I really enjoyed this story, was so invested in Jack and Zoe, and Stunned by what happened.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to have this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book and was excited to see how this played out. The writing style flowed well and the dialogue was strong. However, the weight/volume and level of detail of the scientific and start-up business information weighed it down for me and started to bog down the story. I have limited understanding of this and found it too detailed and hard to read. I think I could have coped better with this had the central love story been stronger but it felt implausible to me and lacked convincing emotion.

The final part with the switch to Jack's voice felt much weaker with the time jumps breaking the story, although I did like the switch in perspective.

I did like the themes of ambition, the use of science and women in STEM.

N.B. The medical detail in the book about Jack's health issues were grossly inaccurate.

I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.

What a ride! So many unexpected twists. I thought I could predict the entire plot, but little did I know! Brava, Austin Taylor.

First things first: I have not read “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” so I can’t compare the two novels, although I see there are quite a few comparisons being made. I love books about startups and early-stage investments, so this was just my cup of tea. The love story was a bit unusual, and I also enjoyed the double narrative. Indeed, the soul of another person is always a complete unknown to each of us!

One of the most compelling aspects of “Notes on Infinity” is the nuanced love story at its heart. The relationship between the two main characters is a vivid exploration of young love - filled with excitement, vulnerability, and the uncertainty that comes with discovering oneself through another person. Both characters are ambitious, driven by their personal dreams and haunted by their insecurities. The love story intertwines with themes of betrayal. In the world of startups and high-stakes ambition, trust is both precious and fragile. The novel deftly shows how love and betrayal can exist side by side - how the very people we care for most are also those who can hurt us most deeply. The characters’ choices, both intentional and accidental, are masterfully executed!

I wish the book were longer! But then again, it was just the right length and ended on a perfect note. I grew to love the (somewhat) controversial characters, their love story, and their dysfunctional families. Austin Taylor impeccably covers so many stereotypes - from women in STEM to patriarchal family dynamics.

It never could have been a five-star read, not only because of the slightly annoying scattering of all the Harvard names and references, which are lost on people who have never been to Harvard (and, actually, I have, but the names of the places still rang hollow to me). While you can immediately sense the author’s scientific background, I did not appreciate that most of the scientific references were fake, although somewhat loosely based on actual research.

Anyway, a great read! A page-turner at its best!

ARC: Releases 10th July
Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

I was really happy to get the chance to read this early – it was positioned as one for fans of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (here referred to as TTT), which was my favourite read of 2024 and has become an all-time favourite. But that both made me nervous and excited – it had big shoes to fill and gave me 5-star expectations.

Zoe and Jack meet at Harvard in a chemistry class. They cross paths a few times, and when Jack realises that Zoe’s theoretical skills could really benefit his practical research, they team up to work on anti-ageing projects. After two years of hard work, they’re on the brink of launching a huge start-up valued at billions – until an accusation made against Jack threatens everything they’ve built.

___

I feel like I went through a few stages with this book:

♾️ 0–40%: I struggled quite a bit here. There were a lot of similarities to TTT that were hard to ignore: friendship turning into business partnership, inexperienced students trying to build a company, a “third friend” joining the mix. This section was very centred on Harvard, and it felt like the author really wanted you to know she went there.

♾️ 40–60%: The plot jumped around a lot – at times, one paragraph covered a week, and the next, we were suddenly months ahead. It felt like the book was trying to force plot progression, but the pacing was off after the slow first 40%. This section could have done with a re-edit – cutting some parts, adding detail to others. It came across as a bit panicked.

♾️ 60–90%: The pacing slowed down, and we had a perspective flip, revisiting earlier events from another point of view. If anything, this part could have been faster – it recapped what we already knew, just from a different angle, and could have been more concise.

Towards the end of this section, the switches between present and past felt more organic and polished.

♾️ 90–100%: It felt like we reached the end of the story – and then suddenly jumped back in time again. By that point, it disrupted the momentum.

___

I liked where the book ended up, but it was a long road to get there. The story seemed to struggle early on to find its own identity, with elements that were hard to overlook in their similarity to TTT.

I think the author assumed a lot of prior knowledge from the average reader around scientific terms – for example, “PI” (which came up a few times early on but wasn’t explained – it’s essentially a project manager for a scientific project, by the way).

Austin Reed herself is a Harvard graduate in English and Chemistry. This is her debut novel and, at 25, between the bursts of scientific terminology, the tone sometimes veered into YA – which I don’t think was intentional. Once we moved past the university setting, the plot lost its linearity somewhat, perhaps because we’d moved beyond the parts of the story the author could draw on most naturally.

The Harvard setting felt overdone at times, with niche references to courtyards and buildings that might amuse a select few readers – but in the first 40%, it felt like every few pages dropped in a random location, and I wanted to shout, “Okay, I get it, you went to Harvard.”

Overall, this had the bones of something really good – but it didn’t feel like a finished, fully edited book. More like a mid-stage draft, with elements that felt disjointed and rushed. A huge shame as I'd saved reading this for a few months as I truly thought I'd love it and it be a 5 star read.

Austin Taylor’s coming-of-age love story, Notes on Infinity, is one of my standout reads this year. Notes on Infinity gives the reader a fascinating look into the world of academia and the pressures surrounding scientific research. I loved Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow as well, and I got similar vibes to that one when reading Notes on Infinity, especially in regard to the tone and pace of this novel.

The characters of Zoe and Jack were explored beautifully and the ending was satisfying albeit heart-wrenching. I didn’t predict many of the twists. I wasn’t entirely sure about the POV shift towards the end of book but I think Taylor managed to pull it off.

I look forward to reading another Taylor book in the future. A big thank you to NetGalley, Taylor, and Penguin Random House for my ARC.

Five stars for the writing which is beautiful. I will be reading more of Austin Taylor's work because she has a fantastic voice and style!

Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor is a compelling debut novel that intertwines the fervour of scientific discovery with the complexities of personal ambition and ethical dilemmas. Set against the backdrop of Harvard's elite academic environment, the story follows Zoe and Jack, two prodigious students who embark on a ground-breaking journey to develop an anti-aging drug. Their venture quickly escalates into a high-stakes biotech start-up, testing the limits of their partnership and moral compass.​
School Library Journal

Zoe, the daughter of a renowned MIT professor, and Jack, hailing from a modest background in Maine, connect over their shared passion for biology. Their collaboration leads to the creation of "Manna," a biotech company that garners significant attention for its promise to reverse aging. As their enterprise flourishes, the duo faces mounting pressures, including ethical quandaries and personal sacrifices, culminating in a dramatic climax that challenges their ideals and relationship.​

Taylor's narrative is lauded for its incisive exploration of themes such as ambition, the allure of immortality, and the ethical boundaries of scientific advancement. The prose is described as both "blazing" and "insightful," effectively capturing the intensity of start-up culture and the personal turmoil of its protagonists. The novel also delves into issues of gender dynamics in STEM fields, with Zoe navigating the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry.​

Notes on Infinity is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel that examines the intersection of scientific innovation and personal ambition. It's an ideal read for those interested in narratives that challenge ethical boundaries and explore the human aspects of technological advancement.​

For readers who appreciate stories that blend scientific intrigue with deep character studies, Notes on Infinity offers a rich and rewarding experience.

I went into this without knowing of the comparisons with Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - however that’s the vibe I instantly got from this book. I wasn’t a huge fan of TTT, and this is very similar in terms of setup and scope. I did enjoy the story and was interested to know where it went, but I wasn’t convinced by the romance. I also feel that the change in POV to Jack’s fell a bit flat for me. Sadly just not the book for me.

A convincing look at the highs and lows of start up culture, with a great romance to tie it together. Two great characters in Zoe and Jack and their complicated relationship was beautifully drawn. However, I have to say that, for me, the writing lost its way rather when we came to the change of viewpoint with Jack’s side of the story, which was just not so well realised, and therefore not as convincing, as Zoe’s.

For me this book was just average. After reading other reviews and the comparison to tomorrow tomorrow and tomorrow I was expecting far better. The story just seemed to unfold naturally with nothing major to draw me in.

Overall 3 stars it was far too predictable to be worth the read.

There are a lot of books coming out at the moment which are pitched as “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” meets X””.

And honestly, I loved Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow so I’m going to lap those up.

I really loved this. I loved the characters of Jack and Zoe who felt so real.

My knowledge of Harvard is purely from my obsessive watching of The Social Network so most of these references were pretty esoteric to me, but I imagine if you know Harvard they would be wonderful Easter eggs.

Speaking of esoteric, absolutely all of the science was lost on me, of course. It must be really hard to tell the story of a science start up without including some of the science, but even at a novel-level it was lost on me.

I really enjoyed the non-linear structure of this and the mix of perspectives, newspaper articles, and other media elements.

My only criticism is I felt it escalated (and then decelerated) too quickly. Suddenly Manna was a billion dollar start up and suddenly everything was unravelling. I think I could have done with a bit more time.

A very impressive novel which I think will be huge this summer. A great concept and incredibly well-researched - I very much enjoyed the references at the end!

4 stars

I had high expectations of this book having seen the praise from one of my favourite authors and other reviewers but it just didn’t do it for me. Whilst not averse to learning about new subjects when reading a novel I found having to google scientific terms and abbreviations for things simply detracted from what is a nice but tragic love story.
I simply didn’t fall in love with the characters as much as I like to when reading a book and found myself confused at times, perhaps due to the writing style. I’m sorry but am sure other people will love this book, it just wasn’t for me.

I absolutely loved Tomorrow x3 so I had to read this as soon as I got the arc. I enjoyed it and I would recommend it to people who also liked the previously mentioned similar books.

Zoe is an ambitious young scientist, set on following her father's footsteps to becoming a respected tenured professor when she meets Jack in an undergrad chemistry lecture in Harvard. What was supposed to be a class to fill out her schedule becomes a contest between her and her new rival, the brilliant but mysterious young man who has already scored an enviable role in a professor's lab, and is a worthy opponent for Zoe when he bothers to show up.

That spirit of competition turns into an inspiring, creatively fulfilling connection that brings them to dizzying heights just a few short years later, as the upstarts who are on their way to invent the first anti aging drug, or as they put it, the secret to eternal life. Amid all the glamour of the hallowed halls at Harvard, and then the fast paced world of venture capitalists, TED talks, and magazine covers, the heart of the project, and the book, is the partnership and connection between Zoe and Jack - until it all starts to spiral out of control.

Notes on Infinity isn't out until the 10th of July, but in the meantime you could definitely read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevlin, one of my favourite books from the last few years, and a comparison title that Notes on Infinity is definitely being pitched with. It's very hard not to make this comparison as there's a lot of overlap, but I think that maybe is misleading - a lot of it sounds the same on paper, but while Tomorrow is more dreamy, more sentimental, and in a lot of ways more experimental, Notes on Infinity is a more straightforward novel that is very much influenced silicone valley startup culture, name checking a lot of tech bros we now know and hate, but it also was definitely inspired by Elizabeth Holmes and the series The Dropout.

Notes on Infinity is an American Dream made seem possible by new tech, but one still as flawed and slippery by all the versions of that dream that came before, appealing to the ambitious, brilliant many while still benefiting the same types of people again and again.

I did enjoy this book, however I did struggle with all the science chat. If you can get by that it was a great read. Thanks