When The Day Comes (and) In This Moment by Gabrielle Meyer

(Books 1 and 2 from the Timeless series)

Oh boy oh boy!!! I’m so excited to share these books that I used the dreaded three-exclamation points. You guys. If you like historical, sci-fi, romantic, intellectual Christian fiction, you HAVE to read Gabrielle Meyer’s time-shifting books. I listened to the audios and it took three days to consume two novels. I couldn’t stop. I was listening to them in the grocery store, while working out, while eating, and while I should have been sleeping. They are superb.

Gabrielle Meyer must be OCD-level meticulous to pull these off. Her characters experience two or three lives at a time, jumping back and forth in history. They are constrained by certain rules—like they cannot change the history of an older era and they must choose an era to live permanently before their twenty-first birthday. These rules are set and obeyed in a solid world-build. Time-slipping characters are stuck with cultural norms, beliefs, and technology in every era while experiencing the evils and joys of each. They become a type of third-culture kid, while also living twice the amount of life as a normal human. The author teases out the possibilities in satisfying ways.

Meyer also delves into the sorrows of knowing that, at twenty-one, the main character must choose to relinquish one of their lives. Imagine losing families, homes, and maybe modern technology all at once based on the life you choose. Meyer doesn’t coddle these characters.

I’m also impressed by Meyer’s character development. The main characters, despite their superhuman gift, are relatable and thoughtful. They exist in families of broken people, some who are complicated and hard to stomach, others who tug at your heart strings. The love interests also are creatively woven into multiple worlds, and I might have an imagination crush on one of them.

I intentionally avoided plots and spoilers here because the tension and mystery are part of this reading experience. I can only say, if this sounds like your cup of tea, you should drink it. Also, there are two later books at the time of this post, but I need a break from not-reality and will leave you to explore them.