This is basically a loose queer NA retelling of *13 Going on 30*, and as such, it's rather predictable in terms of all the big plot points, but it's the in-between journeys that matter. The main character is a mess of problems who is very focused on his career as a comedian. Hyperfocused, maybe. He's in love with his best friend and it's very clearly mutual, but instead of pursuing the romance, he puts it aside as something he'll get to once his career is in the right place. He has problems in his relationships with his family, but again, the only way he sees of tackling them is by succeeding as a comedian and making them acknowledge his success, and then of course everything will be fine. 

This extreme case of one-track mind leads him to make some pretty terrible decision, to the point that for the first 20% of the book or so, I had multiple urges to DNF just because I couldn't sympathize with him at all. At the same time, there were other aspects of the story that did hold my interest from the get-go: the mysterious cultish wellness organization producing mysterious magical goods; some of the other characters like Drew, the love interest and an absolute sweetheart; and that impending obvious time travel plot twist that I just knew would force him to confront the consequences of his actions. In that last regard, I definitely wasn't disappointed—Nolan's growing realizations of every way he's messed up were masterfully done, and the moment the story set out on that course, all thought of DNFing left my brain.

Like I've said above, the story's fairly predictable, but there are some fun twists that keep it interesting. Nolan slowly becomes more relatable as he starts acknowledging his flaws, and even before that, once he ends up all lost and confused in his shiny, lonely future, he starts being actually compelling to follow. The mystery wellness corporation mainly serves as a supplier of assorted deus ex machina devices to keep the plot moving, but it also has some mysteries of its own around it that add a nice touch. There were also some fun easter eggs scattered around the narrative, like little nods toward the other books from this series of standalones. So overall, after the frustration of the beginning this turned into an enjoyable experience!