Book Review: Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Published: July 14th 2020 by Simon and Schuster
Rating: ★★★★★ (5)
Genre: Young Adult // Contemporary Romance
Quick Thoughts: The book swept into my life like a love letter to Seattle, mixed with a rivalry-to-adoration story-of-dreams vibe.
About The Book:
The Hating Game meets Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by way of Morgan Matson in this unforgettable romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.
Today, she hates him.
It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.
Tonight, she puts up with him.
When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.
As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.
Tomorrow … maybe she’s already fallen for him.
First Thoughts
After loving (and devouring) See You Yesterday, I made it my mission to read all the Rachel Lynn Solomon books before it (and after) that I hadn’t read. I got Today Tonight Tomorrow for Christmas, and as soon as I had a gap to reach for it in my TBR, I didn’t miss a moment, diving straight in for another comforting story.
My Review
It’s the last day of Senior Year for Rowan Roth, and the first thing on her mind is beating Neil McNair one last time. Sure, a lot of other important things should be on her mind—like saying goodbye to her friends, thinking about how things are changing so fast—but somehow, getting the upper hand over Neil always seems to fall into first place in her priorities. They’ve been this way for years, competing over tests, student council elections, classes and, today, valedictorian. But when Neil gets the title, Rowan tries not to be crushed, but she is. And she knows her one last chance is to beat him at Howl, a Senior class game that takes place across Seattle, with a bit of an assassin-vibe to the game.
Only, when Rowan finds out there’s a group of Seniors out to get her and Neil for being the overachievers (and taking all the glory for years) she reluctantly teams up with him to get to the end of Howl together—and then it’s fair game. But the more that Rowan and Neil get to know each other, share jokes and let one another in on their secrets—the game and close proximity oozing it out of each other—the more Rowan begins to consider: does she really hate Neil? Or is the feeling more complex than that? And faced with the fact that Neil, someone she long thought hated her, might actually love her, the more Rowan can’t help but feel she’s wasted years fighting with someone when they could’ve been . . . partners.
Overall, Today Tonight Tomorrow swept into my life like a love letter to Seattle, mixed with a rivalry-to-adoration story-of-dreams vibe. I can’t tell you how much I adored Rowan and Neil. Getting to know them felt like a true privilege. Rowan’s friends Mara and Kirby were also firm-favourites, but somehow I felt myself truly blinded by the connection between her and Neil. They brought out new colours in each other, and I loved how raw the emotions felt at times, especially when Neil’s past was brought up. This was just such a great read—and I didn’t expect anything less from Rachel. She’s becoming a firm-favourite YA author of mine. An incredible five stars!
About The Author
Rachel Lynn Solomon is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ex Talk, Today Tonight Tomorrow, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Originally from Seattle, she’s currently navigating expat life with her husband in Amsterdam, where she can often be found exploring the city, collecting stationery, and working up the courage to knit her first sweater. Connect with her on Instagram @rlynn_solomon.
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happy reading!