today tonight tomorrow

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: June 4th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

They fell for each other in just twenty-four hours. Now Rowan and Neil embark on a long-distance relationship during their first year of college in this romantic, dual points of view sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow .

When longtime rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different states.

In Boston, Rowan is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She’s just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice.

In New York, Neil embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health—or how to talk about it with the girl he loves.

Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits, and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They’ve spent so many years at odds with each other—now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?

LOVED THIS.

There was something so true to life in this book that spoke to my previous college aged self on multiple levels. I loved that I got to see Neil and Rowan struggle. It was the good kind of struggle, the one where you know they’ll make it, they just have to tousle with some things. And tussle they did. Exploring the depth of their relationship, making long distance work, learning to communicate, figuring out college, it’s all there and it’s all beautiful. I feel like we don’t get many books of a couple after they get together and I didn’t find this story boring or slow in any context. The plot was exactly as it should be to see Neil and Rowan and that invisible string between them.

I loved both of these characters together and separate. And those are the best kind of books for me. Neil’s depression was such a hit to my soul and the representation of that was so well handled. Seeing both of them navigate friendships and new cities brought back a lot of the same things I used to feel in school. I loved this book (the audio is great) and it’s definitely worth picking up if you enjoyed the first.

Overall audience notes:

NA Contemporary Romance
Language: low-moderate
Romance: 3 vague open door
Content Warnings: parent who’s incarcerated, depression depiction

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 364 pages
Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: July 28th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The Hating Game meets Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by way of Morgan Matson in this unforgettable romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.

Today, she hates him.

It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.

Tonight, she puts up with him.

When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.

As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.

Tomorrow … maybe she’s already fallen for him.

BETTER THAN EXPECTED.

I honestly didn’t know what to think about a book that takes place in roughly 36-48 hours. That’s short, ya know? But I looooved the way this was developed and how it all unfolded.

I adored Rowan and Neil. They are a classic high school rivals to lovers and the forced proximity of the last day of school helped them realize all of those connections. I think some of the drama was a bit dragged out and I could have done with a little less of that in the end.

There’s a lot of great discussions throughout on multiple important topics. And mixed in with a really neat scavenger hunt idea this was a hard book to put down. I enjoyed the audio version and had no issues with the narrator. This is fast paced, coming of age, taking those steps into adulthood kind of YA read. Add a dash of a sweet romance and it’s a good book.

Overall audience notes:

YA Contemporary Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: brief open door
Trigger/Content Warnings: anti-semitism, misogyny, domestic abuse mentioned, car accident mentioned, bullying