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stephsbooktalk 's review for:
The In-Between Bookstore
by Edward Underhill
Thank you so much to Avon for the complimentary copy of this!
Thank you so much to HarperAudio Adult for the complimentary ALC!
This book is out now!
I read Edward's debut back in 2023 and really liked his writing. After reading this one, I now want to go back and read Everything Has Changed before his next book comes out.
I'll be honest I was a little apprehensive starting this because I had seen mixed reviews and I really don't know why. I thought this was really enjoyable! I was invested pretty much right from the start. Darby is at this crossroad in their life where he is about to turn 30 with no job, no love interests and in an apt that is small & costly (yay New York). So what does one do when they just want to reset their life - go back home to Oak Falls, IL. Luckily for Darby, using the excuse to help his mom back up his childhood home was the perfect excuse. What he didn't expect was running into his former best friend whom he did not know was still in the area. Darby isn't sure if New York City is still for him but also not sure if being in Oak Falls is where he should be either.
I thought Edward did such a great job with creating this backstory for Darby in New York. We got to meet his friends and see how they interacted with one another. And how he truly has this group of people in New York that has become his family. As much as Michael tried to include Darby in with his life and into his world with former classmates, Darby just felt so out of place. I think between the house party and the football game, I had this sinking feeling that IL was not for Darby.
As someone who is edging closer to 40, I could still relate to Darby's feeling of not being one way or another. And even though they may have been secure with themselves, there were still aspects of his life where he thought he would be further along in. The incorporation of the bookstore and seeing himself as a teenager has to be SO trippy! Especially when he was still a female, before he even realized that he was trans. I love Darby's relationship with his mom. She was so supportive and sweet. I found myself chuckling a few times at their dynamic.
Thank you so much to HarperAudio Adult for the complimentary ALC!
This book is out now!
I read Edward's debut back in 2023 and really liked his writing. After reading this one, I now want to go back and read Everything Has Changed before his next book comes out.
I'll be honest I was a little apprehensive starting this because I had seen mixed reviews and I really don't know why. I thought this was really enjoyable! I was invested pretty much right from the start. Darby is at this crossroad in their life where he is about to turn 30 with no job, no love interests and in an apt that is small & costly (yay New York). So what does one do when they just want to reset their life - go back home to Oak Falls, IL. Luckily for Darby, using the excuse to help his mom back up his childhood home was the perfect excuse. What he didn't expect was running into his former best friend whom he did not know was still in the area. Darby isn't sure if New York City is still for him but also not sure if being in Oak Falls is where he should be either.
I thought Edward did such a great job with creating this backstory for Darby in New York. We got to meet his friends and see how they interacted with one another. And how he truly has this group of people in New York that has become his family. As much as Michael tried to include Darby in with his life and into his world with former classmates, Darby just felt so out of place. I think between the house party and the football game, I had this sinking feeling that IL was not for Darby.
As someone who is edging closer to 40, I could still relate to Darby's feeling of not being one way or another. And even though they may have been secure with themselves, there were still aspects of his life where he thought he would be further along in. The incorporation of the bookstore and seeing himself as a teenager has to be SO trippy! Especially when he was still a female, before he even realized that he was trans. I love Darby's relationship with his mom. She was so supportive and sweet. I found myself chuckling a few times at their dynamic.
"Don't assume you're too much or too weird or too new. I know not everybody is safe, but...but sometimes it's worth taking the risk. You'll know when it's worth taking the risk, and then...And then you have to, because the only alternative is to be alone, and that's so much worse."
I was advised early on that this book was not a romance but that didn't stop me from rooting for Darby and Michael to be a thing. I loved their relationship and that they were able to reconnect again as adults. I know the miscommunication trope is not well liked but I felt like it does make things a bit more believable. Because humans and even adults have a hard time communicating especially when it comes to feelings. I was glad that they were able to resolve their tension and Darby was able to get closure on what had happened.
We don't get any reason as to why the bookstore is magical or if Darby's interference causes any sort of ripple effect. I was okay with that because there were just so many other things happening. I am more curious if this occurs to anyone else in the town at their prior work place.
I paired my reading with the audio and Shaan Dasani was fantastic!! I have listened to a few books where he has done narration and I enjoyed those. He really was able to bring out the characters, especially Darby. There was a lot of internal monologue and Darby trying to not only make sense of himself but what was going on at the bookstore and I thought Shaan was able to convey that really well. I saw he is going to be doing the narration for Edward's next book and I will certainly be listening!
Overall I just really enjoyed this and recommend this if you are looking for something light but with a lot of heart.