As 2023 comes to a close, I have just finished my last book of the year (although I have picked up a few paperbacks to read over Christmas – but the reviews likely won’t go up until January.) While I didn’t read as many books this year as I have in past years, the books that I did make time for were absolutely worth it. Nearly every book from 2023 was amazing (except for one… if you know, you know!) But one of these books stands out from the rest: Wrong Place, Wrong Time by the amazingly talented Gillian McAllister. Before I get into all the things that I loved about this book, here is a quick recap of the books that I read this year.
All The Books I Read in 2023:
- Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. December 19, 2023.
- The Weirdies Get Weirder by Michael Buckley. October 20, 2023.
- The Weirdies by Michael Buckley. October 20, 2023.
- All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers. October 20, 2023.
- The Summer House by Keri Beevis. October 12, 2023.
- The Coldest Case by James Patterson. February 5, 2023.
- The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy. January 20, 2023.
- Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell. January 13, 2023.
- The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. January 5, 2023.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
As you can see right on the cover, this is a Reece’s Book Club pick, which was my first clue that I might enjoy this book. Most of the books I’ve read from that list have been solid choices, but this one went far beyond my expectations. This book is the best book I read in 2023- it’s up there as one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. It was everything that I was hoping to get out of a novel and it surprised me. I don’t like time travel and I genuinely avoid books and movies that surround the subject. But this book is a lot less about time travel and a lot more about the woman who is forced to travel through time.
The hardest part about writing this review is that I do not want to reveal anything. I can only say that it is so beautifully written with a perfectly satisfying plot. If I had an uncapped highlighter next to my bedside when I was reading, I’m sure every page would be marked with vibrant yellow.
This is the first novel that I’ve read from Gillian McAllister, but I’m now itching to find another. The mystery is compelling and there’s a sort of urgency to the timeline. It’s one of those novels that will creep back up on you throughout the day and you just can’t stop reading until the book is done. More than the mystery, which is flawlessly executed, the characters and the way they interact with each other are so well done. I could see reflections of myself as a mother in Jen, the concerns about “doing it the right way” and wondering if things would be different if you went back and did it all again. And her relationship with her husband, Kelly, and the implicit trust between them. The way that they set each other on fire, even after 17 years together, and the love that still binds them. I’ve only been married to my husband for 10 years, but I see glimpses of that in my own relationship too.
This novel is thought-provoking, but not in an existential way. It’s not about whether you believe in time travel or whether Gillian McAllister can get you to buy into the concept. It’s about the relationships that the characters build over the years and whether knowledge of hidden secrets will change the love they have for one another.
Gillian McAllister is such a talented writer. The way she describes scenes, character’s thoughts, and conversations makes it feel like you are in the room with them. It’s one of those books that is so well written that a movie version wouldn’t even do it justice, because you’d miss out on the way it was written. As an author myself, I felt pure jealousy.
If you could only pick up one book and you needed to choose a good one, do yourself a favor about read Wrong Place, Wrong Time.
As a side note, I listened to this book on Audible and the narration is fantastic. I almost wish I had read it on Kindle or paperback though, because there were so many lines that I wished I could highlight or write down to remember for later – something that is a lot harder to do when listening to an audiobook while driving or folding clothes.
Book Description
NSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK
“It’s perfection, every word, every moment. A masterpiece . . . One of the best books I’ve ever read.” —Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author
New York Times bestselling author Gillian McAllister has created a thriller unlike any other in this endlessly clever, twisty story of a mother who must move backward through time to prevent tragedy from striking at the heart of her family.
Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?
It is midnight on the morning of Halloween, and Jen anxiously waits up for her 18-year-old son, Todd, to return home. But worries about his broken curfew transform into something much more dangerous when Todd finally emerges from the darkness. As Jen watches through the window, she sees her funny, seemingly happy teenage son stab a total stranger.
She doesn’t know who the victim is, or why Todd has committed such a devastating act of violence. All she knows is that her life, and Todd’s, have been shattered.
After her son is taken into custody, Jen falls asleep in despair. But when she wakes up…it is yesterday. The murder has not happened yet—and there may be a chance to stop it. Each morning, when Jen wakes, she is further back in the past, first weeks, then years, before the murder. And Jen realizes that somewhere in the past lies the trigger for Todd’s terrible crime…and it is her mission to find it, and prevent it from taking place.
Both the story of a mother’s love and the sacrifices she will make for her child, and a thriller with a brilliant twist, Wrong Place Wrong Time is a one-of-a-kind novel that begs to be read in one sitting.
Description from Amazon for Wrong Place, Wrong Time
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