Once and Again

Thank you so so much to Atria Books for this gifted ARC copy (that I begged on my hands and knees for) This book was so cute. I’m a sucker for time travel and magical realism. The girls in the Novak family have a gift, a magic ticket that can undo the past. Lauren’s mom, Marcella, used hers a long time ago when their dad got into a car accident. Her grandma Sylvia used hers, but for what is a secret. Lauren still has hers left; and the knowledge of being able to turn back a moment of time is a burden on it’s own . What makes a moment worthy of the ticket? How do you know when it’s the right time? Lauren’s husband gets a job in NY for the summer, and Lauren moves back into her childhood home in Malibu. She doesn’t expect to see her high school boyfriend, Stone, back home for the summer, or to spend so much time with him while they’re both home. Lauren ends up using her ticket that summer after something happens, rewinding it back to the start. She also uncovers secrets that the women in her family kept from her along the way. Infertility and surfing are two main topics discussed throughout this book, which are not really things I can relate to. But the infertility struggle was written so clearly, you can really understand the pain that Lauren goes through during her IVF journey. I loved this book and would definitely recommend, especially to women who are in their late 20s/30s or married / trying to have kids/ have kids.