Suddenly, Zadie is catapulted back to their first date, trapped in a time loop she can't escape. To make matters worse, Jason's cousin Marcus is along for the ride, threatening to spill her secret. Can Zadie mend her relationship with Jason before he wakes up, or will Marcus shatter her hopes for a happily-ever-after?
For fans of The Do-Over and Check & Mate, get whisked away in this charming new rom-com abounding with betrayal, twists, and romance tropes. (Pub Date: Jun 23 2026)
Zadie thought she'd be getting a promise ring during a romantic dinner with her boyfriend after a year they'd been dating, but instead, he dumps her without explanation and they suffer an accident that leaves him in a coma. Still unable to explain what could have gone wrong. But also unable to tell others they were not together anymore. So Zadie continues to pretend to be the ideal girlfriend for him, even after his cousin, Marcus, finds out it is all a lie. Even while Zadie and Marcus somehow end up in a dream world that will show there are more sides to their perfect love story through dreams of their memories together.
For the beginning I was starting to think this was going to be YA While You Were Sleeping, which was great for me because I love the movie, but then the dreams of Zadie's past finally begin. It still isn't really a story about traveling back in time. She does get to see the past, even walk around it, but the lack of means to change it makes for a different story. It felt a little bit like she was in therapy, actually. So if you're here for the change-your-past trope, this is not it. Which was also great for me, because I recently read another YA that was pretty much what this book seemed to be, so I feared I'd up reading a similar story. In the mechanism for the magical realism, this book was quite different at least (unless you see it as a representation of therapy).
But moving on to the book itself, my big problem with it was actually Zadie. She definitely needed therapy, but it wasn't only that. For starters, did she have to vomit every quarter or so? Yuck. And I'm aware her fixation with having the perfect romance with the perfect boy was exactly they point, but I wish she had been more likeable with a more relatable goal. I liked the idea, but the execution was sometimes aggravating.
Once you overcome how insufferable Zadie is, the rest is a good book. I also liked the plot twist near the end. Though that is very risky for any story, I don't think anyone can complain about how it was conducted, which made for a fun effect.
I believe this was my first book by Sarah Everett, and I would love to read her next works. I like her choices, even if I'm not so into the main character in this one.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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