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The Time Traveler's Boyfriend

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Claudia’s geeky boyfriend Adam has just invented a time machine.No, really—he has. She doesn't believe it either until Adam provides her with definitive proof that he does, in fact, have a functioning time travel device sitting in the living room of his Manhattan brownstone.But instead of getting ready to accept the Nobel Prize, Adam has very different plans for his groundbreaking invention. He wants Claudia to use the machine to travel back in time and stop the accident that landed him in a wheelchair over a decade ago, and prevent the trajectory of events that he believes ruined his life.When Claudia reluctantly agrees to become the first human time traveler, she knows she’s making a big gamble. If she succeeds, she could have the happy ending with commitment-phobic Adam that she’s always dreamed of. But if she fails, it could mean the end of the universe as she knows it.Other Books From Annabelle Costa...* The Boy Next Door* Harvard Hottie

183 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2014

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Annabelle Costa

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5 stars
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162 (21%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
Profile Image for Vivi.
450 reviews33 followers
November 5, 2018
4.5 stars!

If your boyfriend asked you to go back in time and prevent the accident that has bounded him to a wheelchair for 16 years...

Would you be brave enough to do it?

Or could you tell him No?

When Claudia's boyfriend, Adam, builds a time machine for this sole purpose... Will she use it?



Claudia is scared out of her mind and the risks of something going wrong in Time-traveling are high... But can Claudia really deny Adam of a future in which he can walk?

"Adam just offered me an opportunity to fix everything wrong with his life."

Deeply in love with Adam, Claudia certainly wants to erase some of his past's pain and suffering...

"I don’t have to do this. I don’t have to be the first human subject for my boyfriend’s crazy invention. But when I look at his face, I know that I kind of do. He needs me to do this for him."

BUT will going back in time really change things...for the better?!

Read the book to find out ;)

***********************************

I really enjoyed this little book and this sweet couple so much! ♥

I loved the drawn graphics... It was funny and original in a book.

I loved that the MCs are in their late 30's (almost forties!) and that they weren't perfect, but still so lovable as characters, and so in love with each other.

I loved how much the MCs cared about each other... and how their love grew and was shown in the little things in life. (Like how much Claudia missed just calling her Adam or holding him, when she was in the past)

I loved the inventions and how seriously sweet and thoughtful they were.

I loved the chick-lit. How clumsy and crazy Claudia was with her thoughts and plans to get Adam to propose or commit to her somehow.

Most of all, I loved the Love! The sweet, strong, beautiful love between Adam and Claudia.

This is such a cute book of a loving couple and how much time traveling might change things for them...or not.

It's a quick read, but a really light and enjoyable one! I definitely recommend it!
Profile Image for Marlene.
3,528 reviews248 followers
April 18, 2014
Originally published at Reading Reality

The Time Traveler’s Boyfriend is a sweet and utterly charming tale about the lengths that people will go to in order to help the ones they love. Or to keep the ones that they love.

Claudia wants to fix the past for Adam, the man that she loves. But what he wants her to fix, and what she wants to fix, are not exactly the same.

Adam wants Claudia to go back to the day of his accident, and prevent the events that put him in a wheelchair for the last 14 years. Claudia wants to go back to the past and keep Adam from becoming commitment-phobic by preventing his relationship with the woman only known as “The Bitch”. Said “Bitch” was Adam’s first relationship after his accident, and when she left him abruptly, he lost his willingness to try again.

But he says that he loves Claudia, he’s just “not ready”. (Manspeak never changes). After a year together, Claudia is more than ready, and at 36 she’s starting to think that she’d like to have children with the man she loves. Adam.

Then there’s that time machine. Adam is an inventor, and he’s created a device that will let someone go back and fix everything that went wrong in his life. But, as has been proven so often in time-travel stories, you can’t actually change what has already happened.

All you can do is make sure that it happens again.

Escape Rating B+: The thing that sticks with you after the end of the story is how much Adam and Claudia love each other. They will both do anything to make the other happy, in a case where “anything” is pretty extreme.

She can’t fix his accident. When he asks her to try, and she goes back to prevent him from riding his bicycle to work on the fateful morning, he ends up being hit by a taxi. The time stream really wants to stay in place.

The idea to go back and fix his relationship with “The Bitch” is all her own idea. She sneaks back to the time machine and sets herself for two weeks back in the past. Claudia’s intent is to fix Adam up with her younger self, to save him heartbreak and to save herself from the years in between, which contained too many lessons from the school of hard knocks.

But “the past is foreign country, they do things differently there.” Claudia’s younger self thinks that geeky and wheelchair-bound Adam is a loser--she’s 22 and still chasing hard-bodied bad boys. She’s also nasty, self-serving and a bitch. But then, she’s also not really grown-up yet either.

And Adam, even at 24, knows a good thing when he sees it. He falls for the 36-year old woman who values him as he is, and sees beyond the surface.

Claudia is in over her head, and her heart. She’s afraid that any move she makes might erase her personal past, which is Adam’s future. And as much as she loves the young Adam, she wants the one that he will become.

I really felt for Claudia and her dilemma. She wants Adam to be happy, and selfishly, she does want him to be happy with her. But they are happy in the future, she just wants to make it possible for him to accept that.

And her dealing with her younger self is both funny and touching. We all say that “if we knew then what we know now” we’d do something differently. But when confronted with that possibility, Claudia can’t make it happen, she can only go forward and hope she’s making things better.

The ending still makes me smile.

Profile Image for Cathy.
880 reviews23 followers
January 19, 2020
Love this book!

I have been binge reading Annabelle Costa books lately. Her books keep me reading late into the night always wondering what will happen next. The premise of this book was so interesting and it has been awhile since I read a book about time travel...and I loved it!! I really e enjoyed it but I must warn sensitive readers that there is some strong language and sexual references. Great plot and character development. I loved the hero and the heroine really grew on me. Highly recommend!!
Profile Image for Melody.
137 reviews17 followers
July 21, 2017
OMG this book was the best book I have ever read from Annabelle Costa!! It was so sweet and geeky that I couldn't stop smiling. I loved the twist and ugh I just want a guy like Adam.
Profile Image for Sweet.
107 reviews6 followers
April 22, 2020
I am NOT into science fiction especially not time travel as I can never follow the plot
Which is why I delayed reading this book although I love Annablle Costa.
But I loved it so much that this is my 3rd or 4th re-visit.
Very cute story. Loved the twist and it did take me some time to find it out though😊
Profile Image for Issa.
419 reviews21 followers
July 3, 2014
Claudia's in her late 30s and totally in love with her boyfriend Adam. But Adam keeps himself somewhat aloof and resists marriage no matter how much he knows that's what she wants. It puts Claudia at a crossroads, she doesn't want to start over, she loves Adam, but can't go on like this forever.

Adam, though, does want something from her. He's an inventor, tinkering and inventing all sorts of different things but the big one is a time machine. He asks Claudia to go back and time and prevent the bike accident that left him in a wheelchair. She agrees and meets young Adam right before the accident. Though she prevents him getting on his bike, he's still hit by a car and when she returns to present time finds that the accident was worse than it had been originally. Both disheartened, they realize the accident can't be prevented but Claudia decides to go back to the year Adam meets "The Bitch", the girlfriend that broke Adam's heart and who she believes is the reason he won't commit to her, to stop the relatiionship.

Written in a chick lit style, Claudia is quirky and little silly. Things do not go her way a lot of the time but she has a big heart. Back in time she meets her younger self, a very selfish woman, and Adam again, three years after she met him before. He remembers her and young Adam and Claudia can't help falling for each other again..or is it before?

There are several head spinning twists in this story. An example are Claudia's migraines. She states Adam always knew the best way to deal with them...dark room, soft Mozart, something he claimed to learn from someone he used to know. Back in time she also has a migraine and coaches young Adam to darken the room and play soft music. That's not the only chicken or the egg scenario in this story.

I enjoyed this story. Even when Claudia annoyed me, I remained intrigued by the whole set up and how and if Claudia could change the past to help Adam. The identity of "The Bitch" made me laugh and the results of her time traveling so surprising I had to stop back for a moment to really appreciate it. Fascinating plot that was a lot of fun.
Profile Image for Valerie.
928 reviews437 followers
April 20, 2014
3 stars - The cover really fits this one!

First Impressions...

The cover really is cute and the blurb had my interest. I enjoy a little sci fi thrown in with my story. I haven't read this author before but I was excited to give this one a try.

The Characters...

Both Claudia and Adams are older. They're in a committed relationship but Adam is reluctant to take the next step. He claims he was ruined by events in his life before he met Claudia. Claudia just loves him and wants to get married and have children. Her biological clock is running at age 36 and her mother would like grandchildren. I loved how Adam took care of Claudia when she had a migraine. I loved how Claudia saw the sexy in Adam. I enjoyed both of these characters.

The Story...

For a story with older characters, this one really has a YA feel. The cover is perfect for that feel. I expected BAM to come bouncing out of the book at any moment. Very cartoonish, very cute. But I could clearly see where this one was going. Enjoyable and certainly different, it has more of puerile style than most adult books.

Could I Put It Down...

It's pretty short, less than 200 pages so no need to put it down. As for whether I wanted to, I could have easily.

In The End...

I think this is an adult book that teens would enjoy. The characters are older but the themes are there and the feel is perfect. So if you're an adult who loves YA, this might be a good fit.

Profile Image for Gretchen Fatouros.
Author 3 books3 followers
November 15, 2020
Wow! I just love time travel & then add in a sweet romance.

I wasn’t sure what to read next, so did a search on my kindle for time travel. Glad I did. I loved the loop it took. Funny how Claudia really had no idea about any of the rules we tend to apply to time travel in most books. Which definitely helped her...
6 reviews
May 11, 2015
Very cute

The characters were likeable and was quick easy to read. I enjoyed this story very much. I recommend this book
Profile Image for May Kathryn .
1,353 reviews23 followers
May 25, 2022
This has been my earworm every time I take the time to read this book.

I realized one thing while reading this book. Time travel makes me anxious. Or maybe just in this story? Regardless, the main reason that comes to mind is that I am continuously bothered by many what ifs? What if she couldn't go back to the present? What if she got lost in the time and space continuum whatever-ever else? What if the changes that happened did not make things better? And the list goes on and on and on. But after finishing this one, I say that even if it put me into a brief book slump, it is worth finishing it because apart from the interesting storyline and witty and snarky narration, it gave us at least a glimpse of what could happen if we could indeed travel back in time. I mostly love that this book does not encourage that the alternative is better if you know what I mean. Rather, there is a reason why things happen the way they should. I commend the author for writing this enjoyable, funny, and heartwarming story. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Uju.
80 reviews9 followers
May 2, 2026
I went in blind and was intrigued by the older woman, younger guy dynamic... but wow, I was not prepared for how much I’d fall in love with this book 😅! The characters felt so real, and I loved watching their friendship grow in the past. What worked for me was how they didn’t try to change her younger self.

The girl was a little silly at times 🤣 (ok, maybe a lot charming?), and yeah, some of Adam’s behavior got a LOT of passes... but the way it all played out? Endearing. The friendship they built? 👏 It’s a fun, happy-ending read that left me smiling.

Definitely looking forward to more from this author 🙌
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jean Holtof.
429 reviews4 followers
October 14, 2018
I like to read time travel novels to see how creative authors will be with the methods. This one was cute, no fuss, just created a time travel machine last night!! What an interesting basis for time travel, undo the past and still be who you are when you come back... oh well, worth a try. I enjoyed the writing style, quirky and full of wit and sometimes dark humour I liked Claudia and her good intentions... which didn't always come out right of course. I recommend this book and I will be reading more from Annabelle Costa.
756 reviews2 followers
December 15, 2023
So cute, just the book to improve my mood.

It was obvious who the Bitch was the whole time. And at some point I thought is this a thriller is he gonna kill her, but no. Just a cheesy (in the best way possible) cute story. That I can't believe it's not a Hallmark movie already.

Oh to believe in love like Adam does. He's so damn perfect. She's kinda of annoying but still likeable which is hard to nail.
Profile Image for Melissa Basnight.
709 reviews18 followers
December 14, 2016
Claudia wants a marriage proposal from Adam, but he is not ready. He is in a wheelchair and not sure he wants to burden her with his disability. He builds her a time machine to go back in time to stop his accident so he will not become paralyzed. No matter how much he wanted to change time his fate was always the same. Claudia loved him just the way he was and he finally realized that she did.
Profile Image for Bec.
810 reviews17 followers
January 2, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. This was a super cute book and a quick read. I really enjoyed the interactions of Claudia with young Adam and young Claudia. It was a little predictable although there was one surprise at the end for me. My brain was working overtime putting all the bits together as I worked things out! A nice sweet story.
Profile Image for Pamela .
880 reviews4 followers
February 24, 2021
So you're dating a computer geek/inventor who happens to have invented a time travel machine. Would you travel back in time to alter events so that he would not be involved in an accident that left him in a wheelchair? Amusing story - with some sexual content (that I could have done without). Romantic, amusing storyline.
Profile Image for shannon  Stubbs.
2,013 reviews12 followers
January 31, 2026
very cute and sweet. Claudia and Adam meet as adults. neither one are perfect but they love each other. Claudia wants to marry Adam but he is afraid to commit.
so Adam decided to build a time machine to make things "perfect" . he sends Claudia back in time to stop him from getting hit by a car that caused him to be in a wheelchair.
boy does she mess it up.
149 reviews3 followers
August 27, 2018
The suspense was killing me.

I have to admit, not my favorite Annabelle Costa book, but still very good.
Annabelle is an amazing writer who writes very funny, and touching stories.
I am addicted to her books.
937 reviews7 followers
April 27, 2019
Cute and clever but could use a bit more plot to get your teeth into! Who wants to spend most of the story listening to her whine about her boyfriend not being able to commit? I liked the time jumps and the premise but would like more plot and something to put my teeth into!
Profile Image for Mona.
32 reviews12 followers
March 26, 2017
Although the story was kind of predictable and I wanted to slap the heroine over the head several times for being so naive, it was a fun read and very cute Story.
37 reviews
January 20, 2019
A very cute read! It was somewhat short but still a very endearing and fun book.
Profile Image for Paula.
1,319 reviews7 followers
September 8, 2019
Enjoyed the time travel story. Thought I knew the outcome, but was surprised. I liked the characters. Did not like the foul language! Would have been a good cozy without the foul language.
1 review
July 7, 2024
Me encantó, lo amé, es un libro con mucho romance de esos libros que te abrazan el corazón, amo a los protagonistas Adam tiene mi corazón 😭😭
239 reviews1 follower
October 19, 2016
Very intriguing story

This is such an interesting book! It's quite a story and it kept me on the edge of my seat, and I loved the surprise ending. I recommend this book because it's sweet and an unusual love story.
Profile Image for Reeka (BoundbyWords).
385 reviews94 followers
July 25, 2016
As seen on my blog:



I'm going to tuck my literary magnifying glasses away, and write a review for The Time Traveler's Boyfriend based on exactly what it was trying to be: a cutesy book with a slightly deeper life lesson. Time travel in my fiction is as near and dear to my heart as my own flesh and blood, yes, the dramatics are necessary. I LOVE time-travel, the concept of it, the execution of it through words, and ONE DAY! the execution of it in real life...yes? *sigh* One can only hope. Needless to say, The Time Traveler's Boyfriend wasn't going for the Nobel prize in the science and explanation of time-travel, for that wasn't the point of this book. It was an exploration of life, and the lessons it lays out for us along the way, should be so inclined to stoop down and pick them up.

Claudia is in love. For the first time she's found her heart, and it's within Adam, he super geeky inventor boyfriend, who also happens to be a paraplegic. His disability was a focus, but not in the typical way. His character wasn't belittled, or made to seem any different than a character that was able to stand. He was sexy, and charming, and intelligent (genius, really), and he made one HECK of a boyfriend. This aspect was, by far, my favourite, and I wished more authors had the guts to introduce more intellectually, or physically, challenged characters into their books.

Adam creates a time machine. Or as he would rather put it, a "wormhole". He then makes a 'simple' request of Claudia: he wants her to travel back in time, and stop the accident that permanently confined him to a wheelchair. She obliges, and embarks on a journey of a lifetime (literally). The consequences were to be expected, and the moments of hilarity and distress were in the multiples. Annabelle's writing was very matter-of-fact, as in "this happened, and then this happened, and I then next I did this, and then here's some more facts." There was little ambiguity, but there I go again, over-analyzing what was meant to be a cute feel-good tale about being happy with the cards you were dealt.

The Time Traveler's Boyfriend was entertaining, to say the most, and I definitely appreciated what the author was going for. The characters were likable, and I found that I was quite attached to Claudia by the end of it. If you're looking for a quick, start-of-summer read, check this one out!

Recommended for fans of: 'Chick-Lit', Science Fiction, Time Travel, Contemporary, Romance, Comedy, Sophie Kinsella.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews

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