Cara Bastone has perfected the subgenre of romcom through phone exchanges, and this addition does not disappoint. Phone call through time might seem too weird to work, but Bastone totally pulls it off! I loved Juni and Mikey – quirky and sweet and conflicted and sincere. Their relationship development is delightful and gives all the warm fuzzies. Time travel is an element of the story, but nothing gets too bogged down in sci fi or philosophical quandry.
Specific aspects I enjoyed: I really appreciated that these two teachers could have real, personal things they were working through but also act like adults and professionals with their teenage students. (Some stories leave me wondering why we entrust our kids to teachers if we assume they are such immature screw ups!) Also, I delight in how “not steamy” relationships are in these phone/text romances Bastone writes. All the focus gets to be on the relational and personal development of the couple through their exchanges, which makes for such a refreshing audiobook. I regularly re-listen to these Bastone novellas for the sheer fun of their conversations, which is something I rarely do with romance novels otherwise. Loved that this one had so much of the two talking in person as well as over the phone. Finally, these narrators are delightful, capturing the characters’ emotions so well that you feel in-the-moment with them. Love how this sounds like radio theater too, with all the background sounds that add to the ambiance.