Wait Until Tomorrow

Evraft

by Jenni Sauer

Rapunzel and The Steadfast Tin Soldier reimagined as a sweet romance…
Rue has never been happy with her life as a dancer at the Golden Tower. Using her quick fingers to relieve as many customers as she can of their extra cash, she’s slowly building herself a way out. So when Robbie walks into her life, it’s outside of the plan. Rue welcomes their afternoon chats but knows it could never lead to anything more- a dancer in a public house doesn’t end up with an Inspector of the Guards.

But when the bouncer at the Golden Tower takes an unwanted interest in Rue and she’s forced to flee, the question that remains is just how far Robbie is willing to go to rescue her. How much is he willing to sacrifice for the girl who claims it could never work between them? And is Rue willing to allow him to make that sacrifice for her?

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Retellings, Fairy Tale Retellings

Published November 1, 2023

About the author

Jenni Sauer writes fairy tale retellings for soft, angry hearts. She didn’t go to college, but she has a degree of mental health and has her masters in optimism from the school of life. Her proudest achievements include staying soft despite the trauma she’s lived through and holding on when life tried its hardest to take her out

If you’re looking for her, she’s probably bent over her laptop plotting treason—er, her latest story idea—or procrastinating on that by making another playlist or cute aesthetic. Or you can find her on Instagram @ivorypalaceprincess

Reviews

[Eva-Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet novella retells both Rapunzel and The Steadfast Tin Soldier in such a beautiful, clever way. Rue is a dance hall girl at the Golden Tower and Robbie is a Guard with a prosthetic leg. Chance (and a little bit of larceny) throw the two together and they fall in love. Rue is such a sympathetic character and Robbie is THE SWEETEST and as a potential couple they are lovely. But many obstacles stand in the way of their happily ever after--can those obstacles be overcome? You'll just have to read Wait Until Tomorrow to see!

[Jenni Sauer]

This little book will forever hold my whole heart. I revisited it because I needed some comfort and it was exactly what my heart needed 💕

[Selina Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rue and Robbie are so sweet! Rue's story is heartbreaking but hopeful, and the ending almost made me tear up. There are worldbuilding things I have questions about and it's a darker world than I had initially expected, but it's a good little novella.

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rue mattered, and he'd crawl to get to her if that's what it took.

What a lovely, fluffy, angsty, exactly-what-it-promises-to-be little book. I've loved everything I've read from Jenni Sauer, but this one just enchants my heart. Rue deserves all the happiness in the world. Robbie has set my standards WAY too high. They will always be among my favorites and I am still emotional (in the best way) about that ending. Five stars from me!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Steadfast Tin Soldier and Rapunzel are two of my favorite fairy tales. So a novella by Jenni Sauer that melds the two, set in the same universe as Rook di Goo and Yesterday or Long Ago? Totally my jam.

I love that I can trust Sauer to deliver a happy, hopeful ending. Although the original Steadfast Tin Soldier ends with fire and death, the author finds a logical way to subvert those that leaves me with a satisfied smile.

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet, heartwarming story I couldn’t help but finish in one night (and then went to bed late but who cares when you have an amazing book to devour?).

Rue and Robbie captured me from page one, especially Rue who I had an instant connection to as I relate to her struggle to see herself as anything other then worthless even as I longed to tell her otherwise. And Robbie is just the sweetest and so so devoted to Rue going above and beyond everything just to make sure she was safe and well and had the best in the world and I just love him. Their romance was so sweet and respectful and I ate it right up and loathed anyone who dared to get between my precious beans tooth and nail.

The worldbuilding isn’t extensive but I didn’t mind as this is only a novella that’s clearly focused on the characters. I only labeled it as sci-fi because I know it’s part of the author’s bigger universe as nothing in this story hints at it being sci-fi beyond mentioning things like galaxies rather then world or something similar. The mashing of Rapunzel with The Steadfast Tin Soldier was, to my knowledge, well done as I know nothing about TSTS beyond that it doesn’t have a happy ending which I’m happy to report isn’t present in this tale. No unhappy endings for my sweet couple are allowed! ⚔️

I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author hopefully in the near future!


‼️Content‼️

TRIGGER WARNING: sexual assault (a man grabs, slaps, and forces a kiss on a girl)

Violence: sexual assault (a man grabs, slaps, and forces a kiss on a girl); a guy slaps a girl’s face; a man almost drowns; characters are trapped inside a burning barn

Sexual: mentions of “upstairs girls” (prostitutes); a girl is threatened with prostitution or being given to a man as property (neither of these things happen); a character lives and works at a brothel/dance place; mentions of guys being handsy with girls; kissing (not detailed)

Drug/Alcohol: drinking and drunk men

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rue and Robbie’s story was everything I wanted it to be and more 🩷 it reads like a fairytale with the lovely worldbuilding of Jenni Sauer’s sci-fi universe, and I would definitely recommend it 🫶🏻

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this retelling of Rapunzel and The Steadfast Tom Soldier. I had so many emotions in this short story.
Rue and Robbie are wonderful characters, and people with different life paths are treated with so much grace.
The overall theme of the story, if I had to find one, w would be about finding love and happiness, and how sometimes you go through the worst times and you can still have happiness at the end.

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so good. Sauer blends themes with characters and plots so well. This story is short but very satisfying. We get character growth and action and the exploration of a great world.

Can’t wait to read more!

[Ella J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet novella. I appreciate how healthy Rue and Robbie's relationship is. They respect each others boundaries, want what's best for the other, and sacrifice so the other person can be happy.
My only critique is that I wish it had been just a bit longer. An epilogue giving us a glimpse into Rue and Robbie's lives after the end of the story would have been nice and I think would have wrapped up the story well.

I'm looking forward to reading more books set in the Evraft Universe!

[Joyce Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet retelling! The messages were so moving and woven into the story with such artistry. Rue and Robbie are both characters with a lot of depth that kept me enthralled in the story until the end. I can’t wait to read more in this world when Rook di Goo releases!

[Melody Personette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute!

Such a sweet story with a very fairytale-ish vibe. Rue and Robbie are adorable and it was fun dipping into the Everaft Galaxy again! I can’t seem to get enough of this world and Jenni’s characters haha

[Amelia E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok don’t get me wrong, I love Rue and Robbie, but the side characters are my favorite in this one (pastry lady) (random boat guy) (Maris) (Avi)

Also I think I’ve read all the canon published Evraft books????

[Elisabeth Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and sweet retelling of Rapunzel and the Steadfast Tin Soldier. I noticed a few proofreading errors, but the message was lovely. Light and hopeful.

[Morgan Giesbrecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the first Rapunzel-like retelling I’ve read. Sauer put an interesting spin on this tale about the escape of a public house dancer and her relationship with a Liosi Guard.

Since it’s a novella, things happen really fast and the development isn’t super in depth. But it was still a nice, short read.

[Britt]

Adorable

What a sweet, sweet set of characters!! Robbie and Rue are such a delight and SOOOOO adorable. Cinnamon rolls? Yes, present! I loved this story.

[Blake Barrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely adorable book! If you're looking for a sweet little romance with cozy vibes and a lowkey plot, this is definitely the book for you. Though it's definitely short, it's a well-written little adventure, with two adorable leading characters.

PROS

-I loved Rue. She's hopeful yet pessimistic. She longs for a better life, yet doesn't feel that she really deserves it because of her background. I was rooting for her from page one.

-Robbie is the greatest guy. He is so selfless it's kind of amazing. He doesn't pursue Rue because he wants to win her love, but because he just wants to know she's safe. I fell in love with his selflessness and his willingness to let Rue go if that was what she wanted.

-Mother Mara and Bogey are such well-written antagonists. I hated both of them about as much as I hated Umbridge, and that's saying something. They're never cartoonishly evil, but a different, very real sort of evil, which is even worse. I wanted to gnash my teeth every time they appeared in a scene, and when it comes to antagonists, that's a good thing.

-Rue and Robbie are so cute together. Just so cute.

CONS

-I wish the initial scenes of Rue and Robbie talking weren't gone through so quickly. We only get to see them talk a few times before they're in love. I know its a novella and supposed to be short, but I would've liked a little more time to see them really talking and building up the blocks of their future love. I'm perfectly fine with believing they fell in love so quickly, I just would've liked it to be built up a little more.

-There's one scene partway through where Robbie gets into an incident and solves it basically by telling his story and being let go. I'm all for the "power of love," but it just felt he got off a little too easily, there. I was expecting it to be a big problem, and while I was thankful it wasn't, it felt a little unrealistic. But maybe I'm just jaded.

SUMMARY

Wait Until Tomorrow is a sweet book that'll take you hardly any time to get through. Rue and Robbie are easy to fall in love with. The antagonists are wonderfully despicable. The story is sweet and cozy. If you want a warm, happy feeling with two wonderful leading characters, this story is perfect.

[Maegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella, set in the same world as her upcoming novel, is a very sweet and fun read! It is also a reimagining of Rapunzel and The Steadfast Tin Soldier.

I enjoyed the cutesy romance between Rue and Robbie, how they seemed shy around each other. They are very respectful to each other, and their love grows through talking. Though Rue dismisses it because she believes herself not worthy of his love.

Then the adventure begins when Rue decides to run away from the Golden Tower, and Robbie makes a choice to help her. I really enjoyed this part of the story, especially the characters who come in later to help Robbie and Rue.

I do have a few issues with this story. Firstly I wish there was more set up of their relationship. It was written that they talked a lot, but we hardly saw any of their conversations beyond Robbie's original inspector questions. Their story would have been more believable if I had read some more dialogue between them.
Then when Rue pushes Robbie away, he leaves without a fight, not even offering her help or at least saying that if she ever needs help she could call him.

After finding out she ran away, Robbie even wondered to himself, "When he had left her the night before he had assumed she would stay there, that she had turned
him down because she felt trapped in that life, because she felt that was where she belonged." Why didn't he offer to help her out of that life, instead of just leaving her. I understand him wanting to respect her wishes, but it's not that she wished to stay; it's that she believed she couldn't leave.
Also, nothing major, but I am not sure what Rook Di Goo means. It was used a few times in this novella but each time the context was different.

There were the basic elements of Rapunzel in this story. Rue did dance/live at a place called the Golden Tower, the madame of the place was known as Mother Mara, and Rue runs away from her as the "witch." I did think it was an interesting choice to make Rue's hair black instead of the typical golden tresses of Rapunzel. I have no idea what the Steadfast Tin Soldier story is so I can't speak to its elements.

Overall though, a short and sweet but adventurous read. 3.5/5⭐⭐⭐✨

[Emma Couette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think my true rating is closer to 3.5 because though this novella was good, it didn't wow me, but not all books are meant to be stellar, if that makes sense.

The book was short, but it was sold and marketed as a novella, so I can't really fault the author for that, even though I do prefer longer books. That being said, I do feel like the book could've benefited from a bit more length. The relationship built in the book wasn't insta-love, as the characters knew each other for 3 months before the one confessed their feelings, but it felt like it was because we only got to see their first 2-3 encounters in detail and then the story skipped to "It had been 3 months since they first met." So I feel like we didn't spend enough time with them to truly be invested in their relationship.

That aside, this was a really cute and quick story that really shows that there's nothing wrong with happy endings and that you should follow your heart and your dreams to achieve the best results in life. I enjoyed both the main characters and their resilience, and I love how their two plots wove together at the end.

[Payton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved every book of Sauer's, and this one is no exception. I recently got Wait Until Tomorrow and it wasn't long until I cracked it open to finally read Rue and Robbie's story. Perhaps its a short one, but that doesn't diminish the sweetness it contains.
Rue is a dancer at a public house. Robbie is an Inspector of the Guard. She's biding her time until she can break free from the Golden Tower...and then Robbie introduces himself into her life and things change.
When I started this novella, I didn't know much about what I was about to get into except for the blurb on the back. But I was quite happy with the adventure I was taken on, enamored by Robbie and the sheer lengths he went for Rue. There's something about him and his sweetness and the way he respects Rue and her boundaries that made me fall in love with him.
Some people might say this story moved too quickly, but it's a novella. I think the pacing worked quite well (and maybe I'm a little biased when it comes to the "insta"-love trope.)
Either way, this is a 5 star read from me!

[A.C. Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful and sweet retelling of The Tin Soldier and Rapunzel.
What I love about Sauer’s writing is how much heart she puts into the themes of her books. Rue and Robbie are foils of each other. Rue does not see her own self worth because of her circumstances, and Robbie wants to prove that he is worthy of her. I love that Robbie reverts the trope of a mysterious, and toxic love interest, by being so open with Rue from the start.

The book could have used a few more round of edits. And honestly I would love to have experienced the flashbacks through their own chapters.
But overall very well done.

[Leah Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, simple story about a girl with no hope for a brighter future and a man who longs to give her just that.

80 pages wasn't deep enough to fully develop Rue's history or Robbie's character or the sparks between them and what caused them, but the whirlwind tour through their story was rather adorable.

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, fairy tale style sci fi romance

Wait is SFR since it occurs on a planet in another galaxy. It's fairy tale style because the characters and their actions are fantastical; the hero is very heroic, the damsel is very distressed, and the villains are very dastardly.

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast paced but very cute retelling of Rapunzel and the Steadfast Tin Soldier. The characters are likable and easy to root for. Wait Until Tomorrow was a quick read and exactly the palate cleanser I needed right now.

[Austin Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet little story is a tale with both adventure and heart (and yup, I totally stole that), but gah, I need more Jenni Sauer books, like yesterday.

[Ashley]

DNF

[S.H. Dontell · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet!! I love this retelling and the beautiful reunion at the end

[J. Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so lovely!!!!! Rue and Robbie are literally so sweet. Robbie is pretty much the best, and Rue deserves all the good things. Also, the side characters my beloveds

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet story that handles some darker subject matter very well.

Be aware that while all references are veiled, this is set in a dance hall with upstairs brothel, and an implied attempted rape takes place during the story, as well as various kinds of abuse and manipulation.

[Arisha (Free Palestine 🇵🇸) · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is definitely not my favorite book by this author, it was incredibly sweet nonetheless.