the hunger games (2012) dir. gary ross

Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room. The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months. When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?

It’s truly no surprise that I loved this book. To begin, I absolutely love Rachel Lynn Solomon and everything she puts onto paper. What was special about this book in particular was both its genre bending AND its audience bending. Rachel has previously written both YA and Romance however this book was steadily in the New Adult category with its college placement and sex positivity. I am always on the hunt for NA books, especially college books, because these didn’t exist when I was going through these experiences. As a Jewish girl (who also happened to write for her university school paper!) I felt a kinship to Barrett in a way I hadn’t with other Jewish characters before. She was explicitly written as NOT being skinny, having large curly hair, and being unapologetically Jewish, everything I was too at that age. From roommate bonding, to new college experiences, these were the very details I did at this point in my life, though I fortunately wasn’t trapped in a time loop! Without giving more away, I am just so happy this book exists. From my low sci-fi and romance loving heart, I hope more people realize books like this can exist (AND WITH AN AMAZING EDIT THAT THIS IS NOW AN NYT BEST SELLER!!!!!!) and I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing them whenever I get that chance.

Rachel Lynn Solomon writes about imperfect people falling in love. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow, See You Yesterday, The Ex Talk, and more. 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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