ARC Review: A Different Time – Michael K. Hill

OMG. O.M.G. Guys, I’m lost for words. This book – I know how big of a deal this is to say for a book lover and I’ve really thought about it, but brace yourselves for what I’m about to say next: it’s the best standalone I’ve read IN YEARS and definitely among the best books I’ve read ever. EVER.

Wow. There, I’ve said it. Do I have your attention now? Good, because I have a message to convey. An important message: Stop everything you’re doing and make a note in your calendar for when this book will be available, because no matter what you do, you have to read it. It’s so, so good!!! But let me tell you why (if this gushing wasn’t enough already).

First though, here’s the blurb:

In 1989 she spoke to the love of her life.

In 2019 he answered.

Keith Nolan falls in love with a remarkable young woman from the past, talking to him on a home video she recorded. To keep their conversation going, he must find more of her tapes, while forces work against them both, and time is running out.

So what is it about this story that made me feel so many things?

The main characters.

Keith and Lindsey are awesome characters, I immediately fell in love with them. Normally I find it hard to connect with main characters if they are men, but I totally connected with Keith. He’s so sweet, so down to earth, he’s a comic book fan and completing his collection is basically his biggest goal in life. Keith hasn’t really found his path in life yet, and it seems like something vital is missing from it. Say hello to Lindsey who kind of suffers from the same problems. A true artist at heart, she finds it difficult to come to terms with living an ‘ordinary’ life with ‘just’ an accounting job. Both of them are lovely and very likeable and you can’t help but want the best for them both. Keith stumbles upon Lindsey by accident when he buys some home video tapes on a flea market. I don’t really want to give too much away here because the idea the author came up with is so magical, so fantastic, and something I’ve never read about in a book before. Which brings me to point two…

The fantastic element.

When you start the book, you won’t think it’s a fantasy story at all. And it isn’t, really. But there’s a magical element in it which is so, so amazing, I was blown away when I read it, it gave me goosebumps, made me shiver and so emotional. Which brings me to point three:

The emotions.

I hope I don’t give too much away when I say that this is a love story, and oh boy, what a love story it is. If I’m sure about anything at all it is that Keith and Lindsey are meant for each other. The only problem is – EEEEEEK, TINY SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE!!! – they live in …

… DRUMROLLS …

…different decades. When they become aware that the other even exists, they just feel that they are meant for each other, they are the other’s missing puzzle piece. Both have always had the feeling that something crucial was missing for them, as if a big chunk of their heart needed to be filled. And that’s what they have found in the other – without even seeing the other live, I have to add!
This could be the path to a perfect happily ever after, but there’s more to the story. There are ups and downs, and Keith needs to figure out how to keep talking to Lindsey. Time is their enemy, and this was heartbreaking for me to watch. Keith is desperate to be able to keep talking to Lindsey, and the writing is so perfect, goes so deep, that you can’t help but feel with them. Which brings me to the ending of the book…

The heartbreak. The emotions. The tears. Oh dear, if you could see me reading the final pages of this book, you’d think I’m insane. How can one cry over a book so much? Well, I can. And I won’t tell you exactly why, but the ending is perfect for the story. Straight out perfect. It’s happy and sad at the same time, it’s beautiful and awful and yet so perfect because it’s so, so emotional.

Final thoughts…

I have read this book three times in the past couple of weeks, and looked into it again for the review just now. It made me shiver with emotions and ugly cry every single time. I love, love, love the story between Lindsey and Keith, and I cannot recommend it to you enough. The characters are perfect, they are so detailed that you don’t need or want a ton of support characters for the plot. You can feel their struggle, and understand why they act the way they do. Which is not to say that you expect everything to happen as it does – quite on the contrary. The story surprises you, it catches you off guard – and it makes you fall head over heels for it.

This book is amazing, and I just know it will stay with me for a while.

It’s obviously a 5 star read for me – I’d give it a million if I could. Get your hands on it as soon as you can, you can thank me afterwards. Lol. No but really – read it! You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

xoxo

Noly

EDIT

#UltimateBlogTour

For the next couple of weeks, TheWriteReads runs a HUGE blog tour on Twitter with a ton of amazing bloggers reviewing this book. I strongly encourage you to visit Twitter every day to read about this book from all the different angles. After all, no two people ever read the same book – even if it’s literally one and the same (does that make any sense?). You won’t want to miss out on any of the amazing reviews!

Michael K. Hill Bio

Beginning as a sketch comedy writer for American television, Michael K. Hill
progressed to become an internationally published writer of fiction and non-fiction.
His short story anthology, Anansi and Beyond, published in 2017, and his debut
novel, A Different Time, is available now. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, kids,
and 7 rescued animals.

Wanna stay up to date on Michael’s upcoming projects?
Visit http://michaelkhill.com/

Wanna purchase the book? Just click here.

Thank you so much for reading! And if you read the book, please come and tell me what you think! Thank you so much for your time!

Noly