ARC Review: Yesterday is History by Kosoko Jackson

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Yesterday Is History by Kosoko Jackson
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on February 2, 2021
Genres: YA Science Fiction
Pages: 320
Source: the publisher
Format: ARC
My Rating:
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Synopsis:

A romantic, heart-felt, and whimsical novel about letting go of the past, figuring out what you want in your future, and staying in the moment before it passes you by.

Weeks ago, Andre Cobb received a much-needed liver transplant.

He’s ready for his life to finally begin, until one night, when he passes out and wakes up somewhere totally unexpected…in 1969, where he connects with a magnetic boy named Michael.

And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he slips back to present-day Boston, where the family of his donor is waiting to explain that his new liver came with a side effect—the ability to time travel. And they’ve tasked their youngest son, Blake, with teaching Andre how to use his unexpected new gift.

Andre splits his time bouncing between the past and future. Between Michael and Blake. Michael is everything Andre wishes he could be, and Blake, still reeling from the death of his brother, Andre’s donor, keeps him at arm’s length despite their obvious attraction to each other.

Torn between two boys, one in the past and one in the present, Andre has to figure out where he belongs—and more importantly who he wants to be—before the consequences of jumping in time catch up to him and change his future for good.

My Review:

This book really blew me away! The idea of time travel is something that you don’t necessarily see a lot of in contemporary stories like this, since it is more of a science fiction plot. But the author mixed it throughout this story perfectly in a way that didn’t turn it into too far science-fiction, and kept the story really at a contemporary feel.

I really liked all of the characters, and for the most part they were very vivid and interesting. I wished for just a bit more with either his best friend Isobel, or maybe even some more of the time period that Michael was from, more from the people or events then. Those were really about the only things missing. Even with the things we all know are important rules in time travel, the things that Andre wanted to change or wondered about doing were unique and gave this story its own little spark.

Blake’s mother really surprised me a couple times in the story and I liked that what I expected wasn’t what happened. I like not only being able to predict a story, but also when a story can surprise me like that and take me down a path I didn’t see coming. I definitely will want to put this one in my school library, and look forward to reading more by this debut author in the future!

About the Author:

Kosoko Jackson is a vocal champion of diversity in YA literature, the author of YA novels featuring African American queer protagonists, and a sensitivity reader for Big Five Publishers. Some of his favorite authors are Courtney Summers, Jen DeLuca, Adib Khorram, Casey McQuiston, Ian McEwan, Alex London, Andi Christopher, Dhonielle Clayton, Ryan LaSalla, Denise Williams, and Natalie Parker.

Professionally, is a digital media specialist, focusing on digital storytelling, email, social and SMS marketing, and a freelance political journalist. Occasionally, his personal essays and short stories have been featured on Medium, Thought Catalog,

When not writing YA novels that champion holistic representation of black queer youth across genres, he can be found obsessing over movies, drinking his (umpteenth) London Fog, or spending far too much time on Twitter. His YA debut, YESTERDAY IS HISTORY, will come out in 2021, published by SourceBooks Fire and his adult #OwnVoices queer Romcom, I’M SO (NOT) OVER YOU will come out in 2022, by Berkley Romance.

Connect with Kosoko Jackson:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KosokoJackson

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kosokojackson/

Website: https://kosokojackson.com