Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

I've been a huge fan of Zevin's work since the incredible Elsewhere came out in the UK and this book betters even that,
I'm not a gamer but like the best books or films not knowing the intricacies of this world didn't detract at all, enough detail was given that I could follow everything and it made me want to play some of the games created.
So many different topics are touched on in the novel which will make great discussion points in book groups but it never became an 'issues' book - just a fantastic novel about a cast of characters who you love/hate/are exasperated by as you would be in real life.

This is one of my favourite books of the year. It is a beautifully written story, the unconventional love story of two people who meet aged 11.. If you were to read that it is about gaming, and creation of the games, you might not wish to read it. Don't be deterred! It's simply a really good story that I rushed through, enjoying all the twists and turns. It's a reflection on what's important growing up, family and friendship, oh and a bit of Shakespeare too.

Good books are fun to read, great books stick with you a little longer, exceptional books have a way of crawling under your skin, digging their way through your heart and creating a home within you.

There is a poem from The Second O of Sorrow by Sean Thomas Dougherty that says

Why Bother?
Because right now there is someone
Out there with a wound in the exact shape of your words.


That is what Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was to me, a book in the shape of all the themes I love in literature. A bit of technology, a healthy dose of nostalgia, an interesting outlook on an entire generation, a Forrest Gump-esq story of two friends who became part of the digital footprint of the world we live in today.

“What is a game?” Marx said. “It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”


We follow mostly Sam and Sadie, two childhood friends who connected over video games. Sam was in the hospital after a car accident, Sadie was visiting her sister who was recovering from cancer. They played Oregon Trail, Mario Bros, and other classic titles. They were both relentless and competitive, and one day, their friendship was over.

Many years later they find each other, they are different, older, wiser, they might even be frenemies. But, still, after all, they can't deny an invitation to play. Sam wants to create something new and unique - he wants Sadie to build games with him.

Spaning 30 years, this book is about technology, the gaming industry, how millennials learned how to speak "videogames" and how that not only shaped our lives but also the world that we live in. After all, the gaming industry is a multibillion-dollar giant. But mostly it's about people, a psychological study in humanity and how we earn to connect.

This was also the story of Marx, their close friend and an NPC. A Non-playable character that is essential to the story, the one who will allow the hero to be heroic. Close to the end, Marx is gifted with a few pages in his POV, and they were absolutely beautiful.

Just like Chris McCandless wrote "Happiness is only real when shared", Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow invites the reader to dwell on what truly matters in life. Is it family, friendship, love, collaboration, how we thrive over our own limitations, our jobs, our fortune, our story, or the trails we leave behind?

There is no right answer, this book is deeply moving and I believe it to be a personal experience to whoever reads it. What I can tell you is: this is an instant classic and one of the greatest pieces of literature of our modern generation.

This is a stunning book - so imaginative and epic, and yet intimate. I loved each character and inhabited their worlds so deeply. It was devastating, but also beautiful, I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

An epic and heart-wrenching story of love, friendship and creativity. Think Daisy Jones & The Six, but set in video gaming rather than the music industry. I fell head over heels for this book - it's SO good.

I think this might be one of my favourite books ever! Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is an absolute wonder of a book. It is exceptionally well written, wonderfully developed and so very human. Hopes, dreams, wants, needs, love, hate, heartbreak, life and death... This book has it all and the gaming worlds just add more dimension. It is intrinsically plotted and I honestly don't know how Gabrielle Zevin managed to write something so bloody wonderful. I've played games through my life, not a great deal but enough to appreciate the gaming aspects of this book and I found it to be so very heartwarming. It's familiar and reminded me of being a kid but with the appreciation of now being almost thirty-eight and seeing games for what they truly are and how much they mean to gamers.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is going to stick with me for a long time and I'm so very glad I had the opportunity to read it. Now I just need to make some new online gaming friends so I can recommend this book to them all!
5 absolutely massive stars from me!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the wonderful Gabrielle Zevin for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled at first with this book about gaming and thought, maybe I’m just not of the right generation? I persevered and I’m so glad I did because hiding behind the gaming front, is a beautiful story of friendship, love, trust and loyalty in all their forms - and yes, sadly, along with all those emotions there’s going to be some sadness but it doesn’t detract from what a fabulous story this is.
I think, because I’m not a gamer, I got confused by the part where Emily meets Dr Daedalus but that was a great reveal when I finally understood.
This is definitely worth a read. I’m glad I did.

What a treat of a book! Zevin's latest is a chunky tome telling of the entwined lives of three best friends brought together by loneliness and gaming. A coming of age story, it centers gaming as another form of storytelling. I absolutely loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

Although I am not a gamer, many of my loved ones are, however, I do not think being a gamer is a requirement for reading this gem. This book not only pulled on my heartstrings but submerged me in a world of nostalgia and vibrant characters. Gabrielle Zevin has seamlessly made worlds within worlds and allows the reader to fall head over heels not only for the characters but for the relationships (platonic or otherwise). This story and its characters had me hooked from the first second and kept me all the way to the end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to experience a world of gaming, love, loss and being human. I will be buying a copy of this when it is out in stores!

This is my first taste of author Gabrielle Zavin, and I have to say I was impressed, this is beautifully written and smart storytelling that goes back and forth in time, embedded in the world of gaming. I am not a gamer myself, so if you are not either, do not let this put you off, because this is essentially about the all too human aspects and the complexities of what it is to be human, the connections made through this medium, such as the relationships, the friendships and the joyful delight to be found in a perfect digital world, a sharp contrast to the problems and difficulties that are to found in the more messy real world. Sam and Sadie first meet fortuitously in the late 1980s as children in a hospital, finding common ground in playing games, like Super Mario, competitively.

Memories comes flooding back when they meet again years later at a rail station as we follow their lives evolving through the decades, as they begin to create games together, setting up in business together, the creative input balanced by the grounding and practical presence of Marx. They do extremely well which brings all the pressures and trappings associated with success. The characters are vivid, distinct and from diverse backgrounds, in a narrative that touches on a wide variety of issues and themes that resonate, like identity, love, loss, family, technology, race, disability, betrayal and inevitable failures, and what is important in life.

We are given a insightful glimpse into the gaming industry, its history and business side, and how gaming can help people endure hard times through the escapism it offers. A brilliant and imaginative read that I think will appeal to many readers. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

This was a wonderful story about love and friendship spanning across three decades. Sam and Sadie meet in hospital as kids; Sam has been in a car accident and Sadie is visiting her sick sister. The pair develop a bond over their shared love of video games but lose touch until years later when they decide to make a video game together, with Sam's friend Marx joining as Producer.

The book to me explores the complexities of friendship between two people as they grow older and circumstances change. It highlights the difficulties of transitioning from childhood to adulthood, the pressures of running a business with your best friend and the issues that can arise from it.

As the popularity of their games intensifies, so does the pressure to deliver and the business of making video games becomes more serious. It's inevitable than cracks will start to form in their friendship as things aren't as simple as they used to be.

The characters were incredibly diverse; they all had different backgrounds that they came from and perhaps wouldn't have met ordinarily if it wasn't for certain circumstances. Marx for example had such a different upbringing to Sam, but they were paired together as roommates at Harvard. I loved that these characters were so different and yet alike in enough ways to come together and create something magical with their video games.

As someone that loves video games I was mostly drawn to this book for that reason; but even if you don't like games you can find a connection with these two characters from different walks of life. It was fascinating to watch them change as the years go on; see how they grow as people and how the years affect their friendship.

I also adored Marx and the calming influence he brought to the two main characters. He was level-headed and knew how to bring peace to the office. Sadie and Sam may have designed and developed the games, but Marx enabled them to just be creatives by taking care of the business side of things. Towards the end of the book were a few pages from Marx's point of view and they were some of my favourite pages of the book.

All in all I was transfixed by this book. Each character was unique and complex; each had their own issues and insecurities which made them incredibly relatable. A solid five star read for me.

Much anticipated, this book did not disappoint. Wonderful stuff.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

If you like: video games, strong female characters, slice of life, friendship and love, success, failure, loss and resilience, hope then do not click further.


This book had me repeating one word throughout Smart and Smart and Smart

The story starts in 1985 in a hospital where a boy is healing from a car crash; Sam Masur meets Sadie Green, the girl who is there because of her sister. They became close friends through the joy of playing video games.
They grew close to each other through the 90s indie video games and let me tell you as someone who played these games as a child in the 90s: a sensational way of feeling something completely new and undeveloped, when there was so much room for improvement.

And then as often friends do they get separated because of a minor misunderstanding and get back together after years because of a major coincidence.

They became close friends again and they do what they do best; play and also create games together. We also meet another main character, Marx Watanabe, who is probably every girl's dream; tall, handsome, intelligent and most of all; kind.

And that's when things get a bit more like a neverending side quest where you end up dying at every combat.

The 3 friends were college students in Cambridge, Massachusetts when in a blink of an eye they had an idea, and then after months of painstakingly hard work they make their first game, which later becomes a huge success and because of that, they are able to launch their own company. All of a sudden the 3 kids became parents.

The first thing that came to my mind when I was reading this book was that the author truly loves and cares about these characters.
Both Sam, Sadie and Marx felt very close to me; their personalities were so nicely done that I instantly cared about them.

It also brought back my love for video games as well. The memories I have with my brother playing together. To be honest I'm very thankful for this little inspiration.

I also enjoyed the games themselves and made me want to actually play them.
Can’t tell you how much I wish for a game company to have this thought: ‘Wow, let’s make these games.’ Thumbs up and smile.

Although I have just heard from a little bot that tomorrowx3 is in development as a major motion picture, I’m thrilled and excited to see what’s going to come out of it.

I found the book knowledgeable about game designing and although I'm not a professional it was told with just enough detail that I did not get bored with the technicalities.

As so many reviews emphasized this before me, this story was about friendship and love, and how malleable and flexible these words and their meaning are.

I do think it was about loss as well, how grief seeps its way into our consciousness and leaves a fingerprint on everything we do. Especially if it’s something that we create, like art where you literally put a part of yourself into your work,

The main wonder and gift of the book were definitely how the 3 main characters and their life was so relatable.
How their work had ups and downs just like in real life and how this book taught me that to get back on doing what I'm doing after failing is enough because it is what matters the most.
That I don't give up and keep on going tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

Thank you for Random House UK, Vintage and @trinort04 for my free e-copy.

A more detailed review will be seen on my website: nolitethoughts.co.uk when I will own a physical copy of the book.

If there ever was a book that would make me want to play computer games this was it !I loved the book right from the start I am not a gamer but living in a household with sons who were game mad I found I knew more than I thought I did , I found the games being in the background decades games were in the background of the story as the group of friends grew up and started their company really rooted the sections in those particular eras from early games to later multiple player on line role playing games . The various sections really caught the essence of the decades where they were set and I enjoyed reliving these decades through the different technologies
The author has a clear easily read prose style and I was quickly caught by the characters and wanted to know more about them , I really cared for them .
I loved the relationship between the 3 main characters and the close friendships that morphed over the years between friendship and romantic love ., this was at the heart of the book throughout .
I would recommend the book to people who love a novel looking at relationships over the years . I loved the Tv series halt and Catch Fire for many of the same reasons that I loved this book

Magnum opus. A pretty epic story that covers on all experience of human existence - love, friendship, loss, sadness and happiness. I was utterly captivated and did not want it to end.
Beautiful characterization and a plot full of challenging situations. Will be recommending to all book lovers!

This book RUINED me. I was reading at dinner, when out with friends, on the bus -- I could NOT put it down for the life of me!! It was so compelling and the premise -- how love and care is built into video games? found family? narratives of loss and creation? so stunningly written, and each character was real.to me, with their own flaws and quirks that I grew so attached to. Marx was a personal favourite!! I cannot wait to get this in hardback when it is published! I eagerly await it.

This blew me away, a fantastic modern romance with a twist. I loved the gaming theme and how that was brought into a literary novel with contemporary flair and humanity, making it fully accessible, rich and rewarding to explore even if you aren't in that culture yourself. The business dynamics made for fascinating reading and the human relationships were unique, believable, moving and authentically drawn. A really fresh, exciting read - highly recommended, I loved it.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.

This book is a tremendous accomplishment; it is clever and nuanced and multi-layered and full of intricacies, but also, at the heart of it, is a simple story of friendship. Video games feature heavily in it but don't be put off if you're not a gamer - here, gaming is used as another form of storytelling, so anyone who likes stories will like it (though it was still fun to recognise some of the games I played as a child growing up too). I was completely captivated by this book and would really recommend it, though don't go into it expecting a huge plot. If however you are happy to be swept away with the characters and the nuances of their lives and relationships you'll love it.

What an astounding book. I think even if I tried I could not put into words how absolutely I adored this book. Confession, I am not the worlds biggest gamer, I don’t like video games on consoles but regularly find solace in games that Sadie loves. The best thing is that didn’t matter. If I knew the games referenced or not the feelings about the games really underpinned everything.

It has been years since I have stayed up sobbing my heart out unable to put a book down because it is everything I wanted it to be even when it is so heartbreaking that you’re not sure you’ll ever recover.

It is the most glorious story about overcoming adversity, hard work, friendship and love. And I love this book. I imagine it will not be long before I re read it. I will miss the characters, and their story. The phrasing and the intricacies and way that historical writing is woven in so perfectly.

Thank you for the opportunity to read a book that at once broke my heart and filled it up simultaneously.

Love, Friendship and Extreme Gaming.

In common probably with most of us, I know at least a little about love and friendship, so two of the three ‘abouts’ were likely to have some resonance.

I hesitated long before requesting this, put off by the gaming subject. One I have no interest at all in. I ADORED this book. Now, it is possible, - or even probable – that if I were a gamer, I would have adored it even more.

Do not hold back from reading this if you are uninterested, disinterested or completely put off by the idea of gaming. I doubt I will ever want to game, but I did fall in love with the invented games, the way these were imagined, in the same way that my imagination and interest has been stirred by novels where invented works of art are beautifully described, so clearly that the reader is convinced they must exist

Frankly, given my DISinterest in gaming, I’m still amazed and surprised by how much I loved this, it is inventive, playful, intense and immersive in its writing. Zevin created characters who were real, prickly and troubled, both irritating and, ultimately ones the reader cares intensely about.

There are 3 major characters, two of whom meet as children in hospital. Sam and Sadie are obsessively entranced by gaming. They are bright, hurt, resentful and marginalised, for different reasons. The narrative jumps both forwards and backwards in time, sometimes revisiting experiences told earlier, but with a somewhat different perspective. The sections of the book are divided into game epochs. Sam, Sadie, and the third character, the beautifully grace endowed, compassionate Marx, whom Sam meets as a student, end up as creators of a gaming company.

Ultimately aspects of friendship, aspects of love, in all their rich and often troubled forms are explored.

I have no desire to say any more about the ‘what happens’ To do so would take away the pleasure of the reading encounter. The reader needs to ‘play’ this reading adventure for themselves, and explore the worlds within

I’m certainly noting the writer’s name, and absolutely would read anything else she pens

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher’s – and the early reviewers who persuaded this ‘why on earth would I want to read a novel about computer games’ to take a punt. And most of all, of course, to Gabrielle Zevin

I have to admit the following things.

First and foremost I am a sucker for a coming of age story.

I am also a geek.

I liked playing video games when I was younger.

I love to read.

If you are also all (or most) of these things then Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is the book for you. It is a character driven novel, looking at life, coming of age, relationships, friendships all through the eyes of video games. Don't get me wrong, even if you have no interest in video games you will still enjoy this book however I think it will be even more special for those of us who do.

I really like all three main characters, both within themselves and how they were with each other.

This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage, Chatto & Windus for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was an ode to books and her Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is an ode to video games.

We need stores, alternate stories than ours because they help us see our stories better. They also give us a time out from our troubles, make us think, give us hope, show us different perspectives and make us part of the bigger world. I think that it does not really matter where these stories come from, be it books, video games, theatre, pictures, art in all it's forms is welcome as long as it touches us. I am not a gamer but it did not matter here because I was still drawn in reading about it. After all that is one of the reasons I read, to taste different things.

Around this love poem to video games, Zevin builds the story of three friends, their dreams, pains, loves, needs. How all these change with time. How life itself sculpts our decisions and all is a work in progress.

Great read.

An ARC gently provided by author/publisher via Netgalley

This book appealed to me because my son is a gamer and I thought it would be nice to have an insight into that world through my love of reading. This book is amazing!! I love a coming of age story and this just blew me away. I'm going to recommend it to everyone and buy the hardback copy as soon as I can!

Review Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a wonderful contemporary novel that examines many of the issues we will all deal with in our lifetime; the nature of identity, creativity, disability, failure, redemption and above all connections. Our human need to be loved and to love.

That said this novel is not a romance, not in that sense but it is about love and also friendships that are so necessary but so fragile. We see two kids meeting in a hospital gaming room in 1987. One is visiting her sister, the other is recovering from a car crash. The days and months are long there but their love of video games becomes a shared world – a world of joy, escapism and fierce competition. But all too soon that time is over and a bitterness takes over.

Eight years later the pair spot each other in a crowded train station, they are catapulted back to that moment. The spark is immediate, and together they get to work on what they love. Creating video games to delight, immerse and challenge players, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives. Their collaborations make them superstars. But the perfect worlds Sadie and Sam create in their games is far different from the imperfect one they live in. And while success brings its own rewards of fame and money it isn’t long before tragedy and duplicity follow.

What stuck out most to me about this story is the realism of it all. Dealing with themes that nearly everyone will have faced within their life and looking at how these affect all those around them. You find yourself wrapped up in the lives of the characters, not just Sadie and Sam but Marx and others as well. We go through their struggles and their joys and sometimes you just want to shake them up because you can see where things are going.

The writing is easy and engaging, keeping you hooked. The characters are all beautifully flawed and imperfectly perfect. Despite their issues you find yourself liking them. Understanding them and wanting to see it all work out right in the end. The ending is beautifully bittersweet and captures what often happens. The themes of different kinds of love and the love of two friends able to transcend decades and all the strains that come with growing up and growing old is beautiful and something I really enjoyed. I would recommend to anyone who likes a slice of life type of novel that deals with all the gritty and sometimes sad things that happen within life.
As always thank you to netgalley for the ARC to review

'"What is a game?" Marx said. "It's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. Its the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever."'

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a coming of age novel about Sam and Sadie. It follows their friendship based off a shared love of gaming.

This book reads to me as 500 Days of Summer meets Ready Player One.

As a part-time gamer, the backstory of gaming really intrigued me. The detail in how to make video games is phenomenal, but its described in such a relatable way, allowing you understand and appreciate everything that goes into creating a video game over the 30 years spanned in the book. The connections made throughout about the intricacies of gaming to life, had me mesmerised! There was lots of little quotes that will stick with me long after finishing this book.

The characters are loveable, honest, and relatablely frustrating at times. How Sam deals with his disability and tries to shut people out and deal with his pain himself, and how Sadie switches herself off from the world to cope with bouts of depression, really connects them more fluidly with the overall premise of them treating life as a game and being able to switch off and restart when you meet hurdles.

I loved everything about this book and cannot wait for its release in July!

“What is a game?” Marx said. “It’s tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It’s the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”


Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Thank you so damn much to NetGalley and Knopf publishing group for the advance copy because this book is fricking amazing.

I have to admit I haven't actually heard of Gabrielle Zevin before starting this, but (when dissertations and such like are done) I'm going to search out the backlist! Although a bit slow at points, this book was practically perfect - and I never say that.

Reading the synopsis might put you off if you're not a gamer - don't worry! I'm not a gamer, and I loved it. Yeah, they did talk a lot about video games, but I was so engrossed in the characters and the writing that I didn't feel left behind. I guess I might have got more out of it if did game, but maybe that would have been too much! There are some technical bits about computing, but very little - it's entirely accessible. So, therefore, you have to read this book. It comes out in July and you will regret it if you don't!

I don't really know where to start with this... it starts from the MCs (Sam and Sadie) as children and (with gaps) follows them through life. That's such an understatement about this wonderful book - I don't know how to write about it to give it the praise it needs.

Let's just say: I laughed, I cried, I felt paralysed with grief, I was apprehensive, sad, annoyed and frustrated (why can't characters see when they do things that are bad for them?), and I was completely fully engaged. I loved Sadie and Sam (even when I wanted to throttle one, or both, of them). Their friendship was beautifully real; these characters felt so authentic that I dreamt about them while reading this.

I guess some people might find it heavy-going, just as a fair warning. It's quite long - and Zevin plays around with different techniques (second person, dropping you into a video game) which might not gel with everyone. But, please, please give it a try.

This review is entirely inadequate; maybe I'll write something better on a reread (there will be rereads). It's taken a piece of my heart with it and I was so sad to finish it. I truly think this is a masterpiece.

This book is simply amazing. As a non gamer I wasn't sure if this would be for me but I've read a similar style book and I enjoyed that so I was hoping for the same. This was just as good, if not better and had me hooked from the start. Its set over 30 years so you get to see the characters grow into themselves. Loved the characters, loved the setting and loved the storyline. I'm a big audiobook fan and this is one I will definitely be revisiting on audio.

The first novel I've ever read that really gets video games, even though it's not really about video games, but rather loss and friendship. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Sending this review after I’ve only read 50% of the book because I’m enjoying it so much I’ve pre-ordered the special edition hardback!

I’ve recommended it to a friend who usually reads sci-fi and fantasy - not because I think that’s what it is, but for me it sits in that territory. Almost hyper-real, like you’re not entirely sure the book is set in an accurate version of our world or in a particularly vivid dream.

I’m reading it slowly, adoring the characters, feeling like I know them, and getting lost in what Zevin has created. She’s firmly planted herself in my list of all time favourite writers.

A beautifully written and fantastic story about friendship, childhood, and video games. The novel was so multi-layered and honestly, I could not stop thinking about it days later. I want to re-read it once it is out in hardback/paperback just to relive it.

I was sure I wouldn't like this book because I'm not into gaming or computer games at all, but this book has been one of my favourite reads this year. Its actually not about computer games at all- it's about love and friendship, but essentially it's a love story. Twisted, complicated, frustrating and heart breaking, and at times you'll scream out loud at Sadie and Sam, you're so mad with them. They'll get under your skin and never leave, but along the way you'll learn a lot about love. Wow, I need to recover from that read. I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

Oh boy, this has skyrocketed into my all-time favourites.
The story? Sensational.
The characters? Incredible.
The video game-based plot? *Chefs Kiss*
I loved everything about this. It made me laugh but it also had some really sincere and upsetting elements. As someone who sometimes uses mobility aids for chronic pain and joint problems, I saw a lot of myself in Sam, and I found that his experiences of internalised ableism matched my own. Following this group of friends had a complete hold on me. I adored every page.

This book was incredible and I still think about it even after finishing it. I highly recommend picking this one up!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is a magnificent achievement. It is a contemporary epic of friendship, relationships and running a contemporary video games business. It is my new favourite book of 2022!

Sam and Sadie met in a hospital when they were kids but have been unexpectedly reacquainted eight years later whilst both studying for a college degree. Their love of computer games brings them together and sets them off on a path that will be adventurous in many senses.

I got such fulfilment reading this wonderful story - it felt like falling into a comfortable chair each evening as I sat down to read. The characters are complex but perfectly matched; their interactions develop along a complicated path. Their early career success unfortunately doesn't lay a strong enough foundation for later when things don't go so well. Zevin has created an original storyline that reflects society on so many levels. I loved it!

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is a wonderful novel about friendship with the backdrop of video games from the 1990s to present-day. I can see why there was a bidding war over this book! It's incredibly enthralling and makes you want to sit down and read. Zevin is wonderful at world- and character-building. I loved the journey the characters took and found myself very connected to them. Even though they didn't always make the best decisions, I liked that they were imperfect but trying. It incorporates how we change through our lives and when encountering success and failure. I really enjoyed this well-written novel.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I think this is definitely a contender for my favourite book of the year.

Spanning 30 years this is a story unlike most. We follow two friends, along with other really well developed characters (NPCs if you will) across the course of their lives from children to successful game designers. Don't be put off by the focus on video games if that's not your bag, this book was about so much more than that. I really enjoyed all the references to old games and nostalgia thrown in along the way, but mostly it was about navigating life, relationships, love in it's various forms, trauma, and the need to depend on and work with others to find meaning in life in whatever form that may take.

Had me hooked and I one of those books that stays with you long after reading. Excellent writing throughout as well. I'll be buying this for a friend or two.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

I was intrigued by the premise of this one, and by the rave reviews I had already read, and although I have no interest whatsoever in gaming (which is at the core of the book), I found myself hitting request anyway. I am SO GLAD that I did.

While ostensibly about two childhood friends with a shared love of gaming, it is so much more than that. This is a sweeping novel that encompasses love in all its forms, illness, mortality, sacrifice, family (and maybe even more importantly, chosen family), and the mature of life itself.

I fell so hard for the two main characters, Sam and Sadie, who felt so real to me that I pined for them after the book ended. I loved how certain chapters switched things up, and how we sometimes found out information we hadn't gotten to chronologically yet. There was a chapter towards the end that was one of the most beautifully written and exquisitely moving observations on death and dying that I have ever read, and which I will be thinking about for ever. (And which made me sob like a baby). And there was a bittersweetness to the whole novel - the agonies and ecstasies of growing up and growing older, of loving, and of losing.

There are very few books that affect me so much that I feel like they will be branded on my heart forever, but Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is one of them. I loved this book with my whole heart, and I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher who granted me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.