The In-Between Bookstore - A Novel

"What would you tell your teen self if you could go back in time? Underhill's tender, innovative debut is the smartest take on this trope I've ever read. . . and for the record, I read it in a single sitting. A beautiful, thoughtful study of how we find our truest selves, and whom we choose to trust with that gift." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

A poignant and enchanting novel about a magical bookstore that transports a trans man through time and brings him face-to-face with his teenage self, offering him the chance of a lifetime to examine his life and identity to find a new beginning.

When Darby finds himself unemployed and in need of a fresh start, he moves back to the small Illinois town he left behind. But Oak Falls has changed almost as much as he has since he left.

One thing is familiar: In Between Books, Darby's refuge growing up and eventual high school job. When he walks into the bookstore now, Darby feels an eerie sense of déjà vu-everything is exactly the same. Even the newspapers are dated 2009. And behind the register is a teen who looks a lot like Darby did at sixteen. . . who just might give Darby the opportunity to change his own present for the better-if he can figure out how before his connection to the past vanishes forever.

The In-Between Bookstore is a stunning novel of love, self-discovery, and the choices that come with both, for anyone who has ever wondered what their life might be like if they had the chance to go back and take a bigger, braver risk.

Rezension:

"What would you tell your teen self if you could go back in time? Underhill's tender, innovative debut is the smartest take on this trope I've ever read. . . and for the record, I read it in a single sitting. A beautiful, thoughtful study of how we find our truest selves, and whom we choose to trust with that gift." - Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"The In-Between Bookstore is a charming and thoroughly modern take on the question of the road not taken that both challenges our assumptions about small-town prejudice and suggests that maybe you can go home again." - Gayle Forman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and After Life

"Underhill skillfully employs a clever set-up and a queer lens to explore the deep changes we all experience in growing up and the kindness and forgiveness we owe our younger selves. Truly lovely."
- Steven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of The Celebrants and The Guncle

"Underhill's stunning and bittersweet portrayal of the twisty, messy paths we take to adulthood, and the people and selves we lose and find along the way, proves that sometimes the greatest love stories are found in learning to love yourself." - Emma R. Alban, USA Today bestselling author of Don't Want You Like a Best Friend

"Tender, emotionally charged. . . sure to be a hit with fans of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. While this novel sets out to answer a central question-where am I supposed to go from here?-ultimately, the answer is that we make our own meaning in the places and people that feel like home to us." - Booklist (starred review)