About the Book
-
Author:
- Farah Heron
- Genres:
- Magical Realism
- Mystery
- New Adult
- Voices:
- Canadian
- Cis Girl
- Indian Diaspora
- Straight
Cover Story: Her Time, His Time
BFF Charm: Peas in a Pod
Talky Talk: Straight Up
Bonus Factors: Friendship, Tasty Business
Anti-Bonus Factor: Frenemies
Relationship Status: Class Reunion
Cover Story: Her Time, His Time
A cover that’s divided between morning and evening, with Aleeza and Jay on opposite sides, is a nice way to show the central conflict of the story.
The Deal:
Journalism student Aleeza Kassam just got ditched by her podcast partner, Mia, who was also her roommate and (so-called) best friend. She needs a new podcast idea and a new place to live, fast, so being assigned to the room that once belonged to missing student Jay Hoque sounds like an offer she can’t refuse. She decides to investigate Jay’s disappearance, both because the mystery intrigues her and because she feels he deserves justice. The last thing she expects is for Jay himself to start texting her via the residence app. Is this a scam, a ghost, a software glitch … or fate?
BFF Charm: Peas in a Pod
Our parents may have immigrated from different places, but Aleeza still took me back to my own Canadian university years: being sober at a party when everyone else is drinking, keeping a stuffed animal on your dorm room bed because you’re never too old for that, fishing out your ID card from under a dozen layers of winter clothes to unlock your door, learning to interview people when your introvert instincts are telling you to run, and most importantly, finding out your weird hobbies aren’t too weird after all if you have a roommate (sort of) to share them with.
Swoonworthy Scale: 3
The odd premise of Aleeza and Jay’s relationship made it difficult for me to warm up to them at first. They both start out extremely suspicious of each other and exchange some nasty accusations; I find it difficult to believe they’d keep texting after that. To be fair, Aleeza is a much better journalist than I am; her curiosity and stubbornness will not let her rest until she solves the case. And once they do earn each other’s trust, their text-only flirting becomes very sweet. They watch sci-fi movies together, get into friendly arguments about food and the space-time continuum, and even (sort of) share a bed.
Talky Talk: Straight Up
The characters sound like real college students for the most part, slang and all. I have to admit I wouldn’t be flattered if someone described me as “looking like a snack”, as Jay does Aleeza (he knows what she looks like from her social media feed), but it’s certainly authentic. The one exception is Jay’s friend Jack, who speaks in flowery metaphors about swamps and water lilies when he’s drunk, and that’s funny enough (and surprisingly plot-relevant) to justify as a stylistic choice.
Bonus Factor: Friendship
Aleeza and Jay’s neighbor, Gracie Song, is determined to protect Jay’s reputation from nosy classmates, including Aleeza. Earning her trust is the first challenge in Aleeza’s investigation, first because she might know something, then because Aleeza respects her for her forthrightness and loyalty. But can the two sort-of-roommates really stay friends with their neighbor while keeping an entire space-time anomaly secret?
Bonus Factor: Tasty Business
Aleeza and Jay are both foodies; they share restaurant recommendations and have an ongoing debate about bowls vs. wraps.
Anti-Bonus Factor: Frenemies
With friends like her former roommate Mia, Aleeza doesn’t need enemies. Mia is kind to Aleeza in private, but makes fun of her in public, and only spends time with her when her boyfriend isn’t there. As for Jay’s friends, they’re not what they appear to be either. They are classist and racist (complaining about a “dangerous” immigrant neighborhood, when Aleeza knows for a fact how low the crime rate is), and one or more of them may have made him disappear.
Relationship Status: Class Reunion
Dear Book, thank you for reminding me of the “good old days”. 2017 wasn’t that long ago … was it? (Sigh.)
Literary Matchmaking
Time After Time (Time Between Us #2)
Tamara Ireland Stone’s Time Between Us is another time-bending love story.
Rachel Lynn Solomon’s See You Yesterday also stars an aspiring journalist heroine.
Nisha Sharma’s The Letters We Keep is another college romance featuring a Desi couple.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review.
