Timeless

Since February had me barely reading my goal one/month debut author challenge read, I decided to start March off with Timeless by Alexandra Monir. Finishing it up this morning was a special birthday treat.

I originally added the book to my Amazon Debut Authors Wishlist because of the time travel aspect. Though I don't read too many books involving time travel, every once in a while one catches my attention, like Prada & Prejudice last year.

In this book Michele moves from the life she has always known with her mom in California to living with the grandparents she has never known in New York City. A family with a prestigious background and history in the city, it takes some adjusting for Michele to get used to her new life. Complicating matters is that she ends up traveling through time - not really understanding how or why and not really having a close friend to confide in at first.

Some aspects that I loved about the book was how Michele traveled back and forth between different periods in the city's history, trying to solve a mystery and do what was best long-term versus what she wanted the most. While much of Michele's thoughts revolved around a young man, we also catch glimpses of different teenage girls in her family's history, which ended up being another fun layer to the book. For those who have read Hubbard's Prada & Prejudice, this might give away too much, but I was thrilled to see that the books had something in common, something I was hoping for while reading the book.

The ending was somewhat abrupt, yet enough to have a satisfying conclusion. It also had a To Be Continued message, and I am thrilled that there will be more to the story. As a fun added bonus, toward the bottom of the Amazon link I have above, there is a playlist of songs mentioned in the book, including two original songs by Monir that have a special significance in the book. I love this added twist to have the book be a multi-modal experience and to bring the historical aspects of the book alive even more. For additional information about Alexandra and her projects, you can visit her website.

*2011 Debut Author Challenge Book 3/12