Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon

I spent my weekend on an emotional whirlwind with Rowan and Neil in this YA duology by Rachel Lynn Solomon. I know that I talk about a lot of books as being my new favorite or one of the best reads of the year. And I do mean it every time I say it, but I also know my favorite books and best reads of the year stack up to quite a lot. But here I am again, saying I loved this book a whole damn lot and it is one of my best reads of the year so far. This series has a really special place in my heart, and I will love it forever.

The sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow, Past Present Future picks up with Rowan and Neil as they start college. Rowan is headed to Emerson to study creative writing, and Neil is headed to NYU for linguistics. They’re close enough to see each other a few times a year for weekend trips or when they both go home together for breaks, but there’s a moment for both of them where they both realize long distance isn’t going to be easy, and the rivalry they had in high school is no longer a part of their lives.

This novel alternates between Rowan and Neil’s points of view as we see them adjust and sometimes struggle to adjust to entirely new cities, new schools and making new friends. They are learning about who they are and what they want now and in the future. This comes with its own difficulties too. Neil discovers new areas of interests but also realizes there are parts of his past he needs to let go of once and for all. For Rowan, writing was always so easy, but now she can’t write the way she used to. Everything feels flat. She is completely blocked and worries that being in love means she can’t write about it anymore.

Can I just say how perfect this book is? How even though these characters are eighteen years old, and just starting their adult lives, this book is a layered and deep novel with so many themes that any adult or young adult can relate to? Rachel Lynn Solomon is pure magic. She writes about love in a way that is realistic and magical. Love isn’t always easy, but it’s not supposed to be. Relationships take work, staying in love is the part of the journey we don’t often get to read about in romance novels, but she tackles it here in the best way possible, and it reminds you that the best parts of love and relationships are all the small moments. Remembering what your partner likes. Being there for them when they are having a tough day, week, or even month. Not giving up when it gets hard but figuring out how to make it better no matter what life throws your way. So I loved this book so much.

And to Rachel Lynn Solomon’s husband: Thank you for insisting on the epilogue. We couldn’t have lived without it.