Woah... I have been waiting literally years for the new "Time Traveler's Wife" sequel and now it is here. This book has big shoes to fill and boy does it. I'd like to describe it as an amazing companion piece to TTW as the Preface says that you don't have to have read TTW to enjoy this book as it isn't a direct follow on. I do agree with this but think that you would probably appreciate this book more if you have read TTW first. There were several scenes that I remember vividly from TTW and had me blubbing when we reached them in this book but lovely to see it from a different angle. This book is about Alba's life rather than her father Henry. You do see him popping up and popping in at various points in the book.

There is so much I could say about this book... I love the discussion about art vs AI which is very topical of our current time an you can see how more important, originally art is going to be so much more important in the future rather than something synthetic that AI has created. This book is genre-defying - a mixture of romance, sci-fi, dystopia, literary fiction and so much more.

I now need to go back and reread "Life Out of Order" by Audrey Niffenegger so that I can appreciate it once more.

Oh, wow! If you've ever wished you could read The Time Traveller's Wife again for the first time, you're going to love this sequel. The same beautiful prose, the same haunting atmosphere. It can be hard to follow up a book that has such acclaim, but Niffenegger has delivered an exceptional story here. I loved it.

Such a long time waiting for a sequel and with this follow on from The Time Traveller's Wife Audrey Niffenegger does not disappoint. It took me a while to get fully into this book - at the start there is chaos, distress and confusion as a dystopian future is ever doom-present and there is a sinister background and atmosphere that isn't fully explored but is ever-present.

Alba, daughter of Henry the original Time Traveller, has more control over her wanderings than her father did, although she can still be caught out by arriving naked and hungry at various points in time. Time travelling has become more open and there are more travellers, some of whom Alba meets again and again. At some points in the book there is a risk of is becoming more commonplace and not so remarkable, but it is still an unusual character trait enough.

If you go with the chaos and the kaleidoscope of characters , the clashing viewpoints and some morally questionable positions, then this is an absorbing and complex read. The 'rules' of time travelling can be mind-blowing - at one point four different Albas sit in on her parents' first date - and you have to concentrate to stop yourself getting tied in knots.

There are bad political actors, devastating climate change, and the threat of AI looming over the narrative, but taking shelter in there is the Yellow House, a safe space that Alba returns to again and again at various travels, there is family and friends who love and nurture, and there are moments of real humanity that touch the heart. Henry and Clare make appearances and we see scenes from the first book again from different viewpoints and perspectives that intensify your understanding of characters and situations.

It's amazing that Niffenegger creates so much of a back story and world to support the main narrative, but I wonder if this is just too much when I wanted to concentrate on the human aspects and relationships that were such a focus between Clare and Henry. But in trying to do so much more it achieves something remarkable and the scope is astonishing, of course in tight and muscular prose that is a delight to read.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I have been waiting for this book for YEARS. I was so excited when 'Life Out of Order' became available, yet was also so nervous about reading it. 'The Time Traveler's Wife' is one of my all-time favourite books, and I was worried its sequel would not live up to its predecessor's lofty heights. Thankfully, I needn't have worried. Niffenegger effortlessly transports the reader back into the DeTambles world, and I adored being reunited with the characters. While the book was a bit slow in the middle, and I was more interested in Zach than Oliver, this was a highly engaging read, somewhat darker than the first book as it explored the potential ramifications of climate change and AI. I would have appreciated more context about the dystopia Alba and co found themselves in, especially the political situation most heavily seen in Part 1, although equally, the first person narration made only flashbacks make more sense. I also enjoyed how Niffenegger incorporated events such as COVID and Trump. I wasn't as invested as I was in Clare and Henry's romance (and although it moved me, I did not end up sobbing), but I was still utterly immersed. This was well worth the twenty-year wait...

I'm kind of stumped for words. This is a complex 560-page novel and a sequel to The Time Traveller's Wife, which was published in 2003. I recently reread The Time Traveller's Wife before reading this sequel from Audrey Niffenegger, and I'm glad that I did as I feel I got much more from this book because of it.

In a world where many people have Chrono-Displacement Disorder, this novel explores the life of Alba DeTamble and those she loves. It's a complex, mind-boggling book, yet somehow remains a compelling read throughout. Niffenegger's writing style is distinctive, and the story is told through multiple points of view across different time periods.

There are many characters, and I'm deliberately not saying too much because I don't want to spoil the book. Set in a dystopian world, it explores a wide range of themes, including AI, climate change, politics, death, and grief.

This is a mind-bending novel that requires focus but succeeds on its own terms. It feels fresh, original, and unlike anything else I've read recently, which is one of the reasons I loved it. Despite all the complexity, at its heart, this is a very human story about love, loss, and the people who anchor us. The characters are complex and memorable, and I suspect this is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

I received a free advance review copy from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Life Out of Order, has, as its title suggests, very complicated timelines. These an either torment and obsess you or, you an do as I did; only check the precis which commences every new chapter when the contents of the chapter throw up questions.

I wondered if you needed to have read The Time Traveler's Wife to fully understand this novel. Life Out of Order is the follow up which explores the story of Alba, the daughter of Henry and Clare. I feel enough of the first story is revisited that it would be read as a 'stand alone', but a knowledge of the earlier title would definitely be beneficial.

A question that has arisen about the original story is the early meetings of Clare and Henry, when he is an adult and she, at the start, is only 6 years old. These continue through her childhood, in this book one of the main characters, Zach, does question the morality of this himself.

Audrey Niffenegger tackles big issues; trends in world politics, climate change, gender identity and artificial intelligence, all from the frame of a handful of people whose main focus is Alba. Is this a page -turner?, definitely yes. I was engrossed and read it over one weekend. If you liked 'The Time Traveler's Wife' you must read this, if you didn't then get both of them!

I absolutely loved this. Going back into the world of *The Time Traveler's Wife* felt like catching up with old friends, but *Life Out of Order* is very much its own story. Alba is such a compelling protagonist, and I was completely invested in her impossible choices and the emotional messiness of loving two people in such different ways.

The time travel is imaginative without ever overshadowing the heart of the novel. Whether the story was in Chicago, the Yellow House, or one of its stranger futures, it always came back to the characters and the relationships between them. I also appreciated how the book explored bigger ideas about grief, hope, climate, and what it means to keep choosing love in an uncertain world without feeling preachy.

It's emotional, inventive, and beautifully written. If you loved *The Time Traveler's Wife*, I think this is a wonderful return to that universe, and even if you haven't read the first book in a while, it's easy to get swept up in Alba's story. One of my favourite reads of the year.

The Time Traveller’s Wife was the publishing sensation of the early 00s, and when I saw that there was (finally!) a sequel I jumped at the chance to read it but assumed that it wouldn’t measure up. In order to remind myself, I reread the first book (which I had read at least 3 times since it was published in 2004, but not for at least a decade) and then went straight into Life Out of Order. And although this second novel would work as a standalone, I would recommend reading the first - and refreshing your memory of it if it’s been a while since first reading.

Anyway, all of this is so much waffle because I can’t quite find the words to explain how great Life Out of Order is. After almost DNF-ing in the first few chapters, I persevered and was soon completely gripped. A haunting, tense, dystopian love story which tackles so many of the big issues of our time with a real lightness of touch. The characters felt entirely real to me, and I was bereft when it ended. This will almost certainly be my favourite book of 2026 and will particularly appeal to fans of Emily St John Mandel.

It was lovely getting back together with the old Time Traveller's Wife crew. Things are the same, but then suddenly they really aren't. Alba predicts the orange President and understandably goes into a bit of a decline. But then the end of world seems to be approaching fast, which maybe explains Alba's interesting approach to husbands.
Halfway through the book there is a switch in focus and I did have to pay attention to the AI stuff, particularly as I find in real life, sticking my head in the sand and ignoring AI suits me fine. Although this took me out of the Time Traveller's Wife comfort zone it was necessary to give this book it's own identity.
A satisfying read, although it didn't make me cry like the original!

At times, perhaps even for the majority of the book, Life Out of Order feels vastly different to its predecessor The Time Traveller's Wife - there's a focus on larger-scale themes, with political and apocalyptical subplots which at times veer towards dystopia (whilst still being relevant to our present day). The final sections, hwoever - despite arguably having the more dramatic setting - return to the themes and considerations I was expecting. There is again a focus on closer relationships, love, and humanity. This wasn't a perfect five-star read for me, as there were quite a few narrative threads left unexplored. There are a set of characters - potentially villains - whom we see in different time periods. I thought this was building up to something in particular, but it remains unexplained and unresolved. I wanted to know more about this world, but didn't find the lack of knowledge frustrating. Overall, this was a highly enjoyable read - and it gets the extra half-star for making me cry, as is customary. Although a different experience from Audrey Niffenegger works I've read before, the deep emotion and moving prose remained. I'm keen to seek out more of her work.

I slowed down my reading with this one. I sat with it, let it consume me, have the attention it demanded and deserved.

Alba's story is as displaced as her dad's. She travels through time and ages without a rhyme or rhythm. She doesn't always like or agree with it, but like with Henry, its something she is forced to accept. She simply has no say.

So when she finds herself loving two completely separate men at once? And facing knowledge of a world falling apart both geographically and politically. What is a girl to do?

In a way, Life Out of Order is a continuation of Henry and Clare. We revisit them both amongst these pages. We see how their lives, the Gomolinski family and everyone touched by their love is irrevocably changed from Henry's death. We see a world he slips in and out of, albeit, less frequently. And we see how their daughter, Alba, slips in and out of time more forcefully, and sometimes, intentionally. It's hard to separate the two, but they deserve their own space within the time they share.

The way the story progresses, twists around itself within its casual loops, is baffling, and thrilling and intoxicating. It hits different, not as heart-wrenching as its predecessor, but as provocative and layered. It screams a message that feels eerily relatable and believable and a little too close for comfort. It makes you sit up, take notice and leaves a message that makes you linger within its pages long after the last word has been read.

The long awaited sequel to the Time Traveller’s Wife was eagerly received and also enjoyed. I loved the first book and was engrossed by this which featured the same characters and ambience.

Sometimes a bit confusing and dystopian in feel but the long wait was certainly worthwhile.

I am.a massive fan of The Time Travellers Wife and so although I was excited for this book I was also worried.
I needn't have been. As with the previous book it's very confusing flitting between different dates and ages. You just need to let go of trying to work out exactly what is happening.
I think some people will criticise it for being too political or too 'woke' but I thought it really spoke to the worries that we have currently.
Alba is different from her father although she time travels in a similar way. The number of people aware of the time travel has also expanded which makes for a lot of complexity. Alba is constantly trying to influence events without giving too much away.
I loved it

I was SO excited to see there was a sequel to The Time Traveller's Wife, and this did not disappoint at all!! Now I need to go back and read the first book to decide which one is my favourite...

The sequel to The Time Traveler‘s wife following Alba, Henry and Claire’s daughter who has also been born with the time travelling genes. Alba has a secret life. A complicated one which involves time travel while adapting to a Chicago which is deeply troubled and a future world in crisis.

There are many characters and interweaving stories as we are introduced to Alba’s family and found family. The original book now seems so straightforward. There is a real tangle here, at least until you are familiar with who is who and how they relate to each other, not to mention keeping up with very wide ranging leaps in time.

I particularly enjoyed the quiet scenes of domesticity between characters in their homes. The author has a talent for making nothing seem ordinary. I loved the Yellow House, it’s a character in its own right. I became fascinated with it, thinking about the housekeeping angle and the feeling of a ghostly presence within.

But oh the settings are bleak! In later time periods it’s post-apocalyptic, but when the story begins it’s not so different from the rather turbulent life we know now. It is in the post-pandemic period where mask wearing is still the norm, there are riots, immigration issues, fascism is on the rise, serious concerns about climate change and the rise of AI and corruption in the political system. I kept thinking about how life was when I read The Time Traveler’s Wife over 20 years ago. Already so much has altered, it’s been a surprise to reflect on the stealthy changes. We’re now in much more turbulent times.

The concerns of the first book were much simpler and the scope of the story much less far reaching. The pressing matters were basic need fufilment, mainly Henry needing to find safety, food, clothes, warmth and shelter.
The dystopian and political angles make this completely different from the first book, which was a love story, albeit rather confusing with the time travel causal loops and Henry’s awareness of what will happen in the future, but alongside an inability to change anything.

I believe this sequel is going to be really divisive; some will constantly compare it with the original and feel disappointed that the arc of the story has changed. There is one event concerning Claire and Henry which jarred with the original statement about Claire waiting and only seeing Henry once again, when she was an old woman. This bittersweet fact was so important to the end of The Time Traveler’s Wife I wish it had not been tweaked for this sequel. However, an author has the power over what happens to the characters, we do not.

At its heart Life Out of Order is a story of love, art, music and family both biological and found. It is complex, dark and dystopian. Audrey Niffenegger handles multiple plots and points of view extremely well, the pacing is good and as a read it is wholly absorbing. I savoured this book and thought about the characters. I’m still thinking about them several days after finishing.

Now I’m wondering what happens next in the post-apocalyptic world and where time takes the new characters. I can imagine there may be a third instalment at some point because there are so many possibilities to continue with the stories. I know would definitely read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I read The Time Travelers Wife when it was released about 20 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was thrilled to discover Life Out of Order and very grateful for being given an advance copy on netgalley in return for my review.
Life Out of Order is the story of Alba, Henry and Claire's daughter, who is also a time traveller. I found the book gripping and enjoyed reading about the other characters aswell as Alba's story.
I loved this book as much as The Time Travelers Wife and felt sad when I had finished it as I'd become so interested in the characters.
It is one of the best books I have read this year.

There will not be spoilers - but there will be feelings which may operate as spoilers - so reader beware.

This is a sequel of sorts, a follow up to "The Time Traveller's Wife" which is one of my favorite all time books, and which I have read multiple times.

You do not have to have read the first book in order to enjoy this one, but frankly, you should, for many reasons, and it will enhance your experience.

Needless to say when "Life Out of Order" was announced I was beside myself.

How could Niffenegger top herself with a book that had me flipping back and forth between chapters and pages (a lot easier to do with a hard or softcover book I might say than a Kindle version) to be certain where I was in the non-linear story, and who was speaking.

Did she top?

It's a bit like loving two people - you love them both, but differently.

And yes, I loved this book. Differently, not more, not less, but differently from its predecessor.

And yes, that comment about loving two people is a prevalent theme in the book, and done quite well I might add.

I started crying within the first few pages, and the end (before the actual end) left me as stunned and needing time as did the previous volume.

Between the beginning and the end we are introduced to new characters and information - as well as revisiting some we already knew. There are more POV in this book than the first, and it is an important part of the book.

Our lead character is Henry and Clare's daughter - and she too has the genetic mutation which allows (compels with little control) her to travel to points in her life (outside her life as well!?) showing up naked with no possessions, and having to make her way.

We get hints and glimpses of our future - and we also are subject to commentary on the state of today's world.

Like today's world, it is not that pretty.

There are questions in the book as to how much we can affect the future. In the novel, the future has already happened, and is immutable.

In the real world, where I write these words, it is less so, and we still have options and this book, while not presenting them in great detail, does enough to remind us of the very real dangers on the horizon, and suggests that if we do have the opportunity, we might want to correct course.

Over all though, this is again a book about relationships, and love.

Great and lasting love.

Loves.

And how those relationships can be navigated, and the surprising things people can and will do for and with the people they love.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

Reading this book is like piecing a puzzle together. You get a piece but you don’t know where it goes—is it somewhere in the top right corner or maybe the bottom left? Then you find out and you go, "Oh, that's where it goes!"

​Set in a post-Covid—but Covid is still very much around—world, the setting is a lot more dystopian and politically charged. Themes of climate change and AI are a big part of the story. There’s a lot of pressure on Alba to help with whatever she can from the future, making Alba’s life doubly more complicated than her dad Henry’s was. Once again, Audrey Niffenegger asks the question: how do you live your life when you know that everything has already happened?

​There’s definitely more action than the first book. I think you can totally get into it even if you haven’t read The Time Traveler’s Wife. But if you have read it, you can’t escape the constant comparison—at least that’s how it was for me, even though I didn’t remember much and had to go back and skim through the last chapters of the first book.

​That said, for the people who loved Clare and Henry’s love story, your hearts will be touched. The glimpses we get of them are so tender—easily my favourite parts of the book.

I loved the fact we hear every main character's POV so we can understand them better.

​I was a bit confused in part three. After getting to know Oliver, I had no idea where we left off with Alba’s present, but I loved getting to know another time traveller from a completely different background.

​In the last part, I was torn between the feeling of 4 stars and 5 stars, but I think the ending was fitting—so it’s a definite 5-star read for me.

this book made me think a whole lot more than the first book. i cant actually believe how long ago it was when i read the first book. maybe that is why i think differently about it? because im older now so things mean something different. i dont know, but i reflected a whole lot more on this one and the topics and themes explored. and im not sure this was always a good thing. i think for me this is why i dont do sci-fi alot. because i dont like the dread it gives me of certain futures or topics.
in this we do explore a future we dont know of yet as well. whereas the last book explored history we know of, or can get to know of because its happened somewhere in our pasts. and of course being in the future we are taken on this ride by Alba who is the daughter. i thought that was a really clever move.
i was moved and i was emotional through some points which is something i very much was in the first book too so im heartened to see Audrey can still do this to me, haha.
the dystopian nature of the book and my feelings on it im sure is a me problem.
once again like in the first book Audrey stuns me with her attention to create this world. her attention to detail means i am captured and captivated by this world and the characters she creates. and im still far too impressed by how she manages to keep on top of such details to make sure it lines up each and every turn the book takes.
seeing this as Henry's daughters story was a stunning move and made me even more invested and involved. i felt quite protective of her. and when we see it all come together it gave me just as much of a satisfied emotional sigh as the first book. because Audrey manages even to the last moments to grip you to every one of her pages and worse and still surprise you with her genius.
this was the book we have been waiting decades for. and im so glad in my own lifetime we got to go back to this world. a thoroughly brilliant read which impressed my very much older self even more than the first if anything. because i appreciate even more the work that must go into getting the details of a book like this right. and also somehow a warning and a possibility of the dark future a few of us are already thinking of with the way our own current world is.
i have so much more i want to think and say on this. so if you are like me, read with a friend so you can go pour over it once again.

Life Out of Order is the long awaited sequel to The Time Traveller's Wife, a book that I remember reading and loving as a teenager. As soon as I saw the announcement for this next installment, I hit that NetGalley request button as soon as possible.

As much as I loved the predecessor and its delving into how time travel affects and controls the relationship between Henry and Clare, this book was so much more in its speculation and intricacy. The first book was undoubtedly a love story, with a science fiction angle. This, I would say, is the reverse.

There are moments of this story that were deeply dystopian, political and hypothetical (but with stark credibility) as the author considers just how our future might play out over the remainder of the century. I loved the technological advancements she explored, finding some of them geniunely terrifying and some unfathomably useful, and despite the bleakness of accepting the inevitable, I thought it important that even when the characters wish they could do something to change the future, they know they can't, resulting instead in a heartwarming banding together that allows everyone involved to deal with the fallout of devastating developments and losses.

There are, of course, still the threads of romance woven throughout this book, with the relationships that develop being as integral to the plot as the time travel that allows for some of the more 'impossible' character interactions to occur. I thought the relationships were entirely believable and well-written - tender and imperfect and allowing us to really feel the characters' joy and pain on the page. What really interested me was the intersection of characters that seemingly should never cross paths and the way that even apparently disconnected events were intrinsically linked to one another in a painstakingly crafted tapestry that you couldn't quite see until you stepped away from the finished book and looked at the big picture. Watching everything slowly come together as more and more of the non-linear plot was revealed was a real joy, as the author allows us to piece together ideas that are initially glossed over, just to plant the seed, finally bringing them to fruition in sometimes devastating ways.

Overall, I thought this was a triumph: clever and complex and it isn't just a continuation of the first book, but an expansion of it, that is brought up to date with the difficulties of life, today (and potentially tomorrow).

I was a huge fan of The Time Traveller’s Wife, so was delighted to see this sequel was due to be published. I quickly requested it on NetGalley UK and it went straight to the top of my to be Read pile.

For a lot of the Story, you are firmly in the territory of the time traveller’s wife as we meet the daughter of the original time traveller who has become a time traveller herself. As the novel progresses we divert from the original novel as things have progressed since the original novel was actually written we now have AI we have pandemics and so things that seemed futuristic when the original novel was written are more firmly part of our reality now.

It is firmly set in the world of the original novel with added AI and pandemics as these have happened on real life since the first book was published in 2013
I love the sentence about watching TV News “we watched because someone has to remember later” it described how we watch the TV during the pandemic so perfectly and so succinctly
This is a lengthy novel, but one of that novels that I really didn’t want to end as I’m reading my Kindle and the percentage still to Read goes down I’m feeling sad. I loved it so much.
Reading the novel as it jumps back and forward in time is made easier by the chapter headings which tell you the date and the age of the people in the scene. It also tells you who is the narrator which is very helpful. As I read I can’t help thinking that it must’ve been a nightmare to plot all these scenes for the author but she’s done it so well. I often struggle keeping up with multiple narrative novels but this is very clear and although I did have to doublecheck a few times by going back to the start of the chapter I didn’t find myself getting lost
Where is someone very perceptive intriguing concepts within the novel the artificial intelligence for example describes the senses in addition to hearing in sight as being censored like “the sense of time passing, the sense of being stared at, proprioception reception, pain, hunger and empathy”
This novel is going to do extremely well when it’s published and I’m sure it’s rights are already snapped up for a film sequel to the time Traveler’s wife
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an honest review the book is published in the UK on the 6th of October 2026 by Hanover Square press
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com after publication will also appear on Amazon and Waterstones