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This Time Around
Most of us would jump at a chance for a do-over of our teenage years...but what if our worst mistakes lead to our happily-ever-after?
Josie Gardner’s life revolves around her amazing children and her career. But, when her husband threatens to take her kids in their divorce, and the business she’s put most of her passion, time and money into building is at risk of failing, a panic attack shatters her grip on reality… and the present.
Josie wakes up in her teenage bedroom, thirty years in the past. She’s forced to relive her emotionally devastating senior year of high school — the year she cut her father out of her life, caused one of her best friends to sever ties, and turned away the boy she loved.
Determined to get back to her children in her own time, Josie tries to fix the mistakes she made, in the hope that righting wrongs will send her back to the present. But when tempted by her high school crush Josie faces the real possibility of losing her future for good.
Would you take a second chance for love…even if it meant losing everything?
This Time Around was an America Book Fest finalist in romance and winner of a 2025 Stiletto award from the Contemporary Romance Writers.
Josie Gardner’s life revolves around her amazing children and her career. But, when her husband threatens to take her kids in their divorce, and the business she’s put most of her passion, time and money into building is at risk of failing, a panic attack shatters her grip on reality… and the present.
Josie wakes up in her teenage bedroom, thirty years in the past. She’s forced to relive her emotionally devastating senior year of high school — the year she cut her father out of her life, caused one of her best friends to sever ties, and turned away the boy she loved.
Determined to get back to her children in her own time, Josie tries to fix the mistakes she made, in the hope that righting wrongs will send her back to the present. But when tempted by her high school crush Josie faces the real possibility of losing her future for good.
Would you take a second chance for love…even if it meant losing everything?
This Time Around was an America Book Fest finalist in romance and winner of a 2025 Stiletto award from the Contemporary Romance Writers.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2024
19 people are currently reading
2221 people want to read
About the author
Kimberly Packard
7 books221 followersKimberly Packard is an award-winning author of women’s fiction.
She began visiting her spot on the shelves at libraries and bookstores at a young age, gazing between the Os and the Qs. Kimberly received a degree in journalism from the University of North Texas, and has worked in public relations and communications for nearly 20 years.
When she isn’t writing, she can be found running, planning her next trip, asking her dog what’s in his mouth or curled up with a book. She resides in Texas with her husband Colby, a clever cat named Oliver and a precocious black lab named Tully.
Her debut novel, Phoenix, was awarded as Best General Fiction of 2013 by the Texas Association of Authors. Other published works by Kimberly includes a Christmas novella, The Crazy Yates, and the sequels to Phoenix, Pardon Falls and Prospera Pass, and her stand-alone titles, Vortex, Dire’s Club and This Time Around. She was honored as one of the Top 10 Haute Young Authors by Southern Methodist University in 2019 (she was most excited about the young part). Vortex was the 2019 winner of the Pencraft award in Women’s Fiction, and Dire’s Club, was awarded the 2021 General Fiction of the Year by the North Texas Book Festival. Her most recent novel, This Time Around, was an America Book Fest finalist in romance and winner of a 2025 Stiletto award from the Contemporary Romance Writers.
She began visiting her spot on the shelves at libraries and bookstores at a young age, gazing between the Os and the Qs. Kimberly received a degree in journalism from the University of North Texas, and has worked in public relations and communications for nearly 20 years.
When she isn’t writing, she can be found running, planning her next trip, asking her dog what’s in his mouth or curled up with a book. She resides in Texas with her husband Colby, a clever cat named Oliver and a precocious black lab named Tully.
Her debut novel, Phoenix, was awarded as Best General Fiction of 2013 by the Texas Association of Authors. Other published works by Kimberly includes a Christmas novella, The Crazy Yates, and the sequels to Phoenix, Pardon Falls and Prospera Pass, and her stand-alone titles, Vortex, Dire’s Club and This Time Around. She was honored as one of the Top 10 Haute Young Authors by Southern Methodist University in 2019 (she was most excited about the young part). Vortex was the 2019 winner of the Pencraft award in Women’s Fiction, and Dire’s Club, was awarded the 2021 General Fiction of the Year by the North Texas Book Festival. Her most recent novel, This Time Around, was an America Book Fest finalist in romance and winner of a 2025 Stiletto award from the Contemporary Romance Writers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
June 12, 2024
This novel may be light-hearted, but it has a tale to tell.
I think we have all been there, wishing we had done things a little differently in our youth. Maybe nothing extravagant, but something like studying a little more, being kind to classmates, loving your family, and so forth. Josie gets that opportunity against her will, not by choice, and realizes that maybe this is her chance to make things a little better for the future. If she changes things too much, that butterfly effect we hear about could come with a cost.
I really liked Josie's character. She has been dealt a few blows recently, but nothing that she cannot overcome. However, fate has decided to throw her back in time thirty years to relive her senior year of high school. She has always wondered about the one that got away, Daniel. Was he her true love? Could she reconnect with him? But how would that impact her present? And she is really a 47-year-old woman in a 17-year-old body; she has the wisdom to make wiser choices. But will she?
There is so much more to this story than just redoing a year of her life; there are choices to be made, memories to relish, friendships to save, and deciding what she wants her life to be in the future. I appreciated her reaching out to classmates she might not have befriended in her original past, witty dialogue with her parents and her friends, and discovering who she is deep down.
All of these blend together for this fantastic tale that made me think about what I would change if I were put in this situation. I might find myself on some of the same paths as Josie, or maybe I would leave most things alone. You never know until you have that opportunity to change your life with one small change.
I am excited that the author believes that Josie's best friend, Em, needs her own book. Perhaps then we will learn a little more about what happened to Josie when she made it back to the current day.
We say pick up this book and read it! You'll thank me later. We give it 5 paws up.
I think we have all been there, wishing we had done things a little differently in our youth. Maybe nothing extravagant, but something like studying a little more, being kind to classmates, loving your family, and so forth. Josie gets that opportunity against her will, not by choice, and realizes that maybe this is her chance to make things a little better for the future. If she changes things too much, that butterfly effect we hear about could come with a cost.
I really liked Josie's character. She has been dealt a few blows recently, but nothing that she cannot overcome. However, fate has decided to throw her back in time thirty years to relive her senior year of high school. She has always wondered about the one that got away, Daniel. Was he her true love? Could she reconnect with him? But how would that impact her present? And she is really a 47-year-old woman in a 17-year-old body; she has the wisdom to make wiser choices. But will she?
There is so much more to this story than just redoing a year of her life; there are choices to be made, memories to relish, friendships to save, and deciding what she wants her life to be in the future. I appreciated her reaching out to classmates she might not have befriended in her original past, witty dialogue with her parents and her friends, and discovering who she is deep down.
All of these blend together for this fantastic tale that made me think about what I would change if I were put in this situation. I might find myself on some of the same paths as Josie, or maybe I would leave most things alone. You never know until you have that opportunity to change your life with one small change.
I am excited that the author believes that Josie's best friend, Em, needs her own book. Perhaps then we will learn a little more about what happened to Josie when she made it back to the current day.
We say pick up this book and read it! You'll thank me later. We give it 5 paws up.
June 18, 2025
I enjoyed this. It kept me entertained throughout and I really liked the characters. What I didn't like were all the similes. While at first they added humor, there were just so many.
That said, this was a fun read and I would read more by this author.
That said, this was a fun read and I would read more by this author.
June 16, 2024
Oh, how I needed to read a book like this right now! THIS TIME AROUND was so entertaining and such a page-turner that I almost missed a doctor's appointment and then nearly died because I sat reading in my turned-off car, windows up, in my garage (in June, in Texas) for an hour to finish the book.
Okay, that last part's a little dramatic because it was an overcast day and we'd had rain and it was only about 80 degrees in the garage, BUT, I had been catapulted back into the '90s via Kimberly Packard's tale -- and there was drama in spades there. Sometimes it was hilarious, sometimes it was heartbreaking, and as the story began to wind to a close, I was distressed by main character Josie's precarious position and decision before her. Seriously distressed! Between some of the chapters, I might have texted the kids to tell them I loved them.
This is not my *official* book review; or maybe it is? In either case, this is me needing to say how much I adored this book and that despite my being vocal about how I REALLY DON'T LIKE ROMANCES, I now have a book boyfriend named Daniel. We'll say it's the forty-seven-year-old Daniel, though, so it's not creepy.
Well done, Kimberly Packard. Well done.
Okay, that last part's a little dramatic because it was an overcast day and we'd had rain and it was only about 80 degrees in the garage, BUT, I had been catapulted back into the '90s via Kimberly Packard's tale -- and there was drama in spades there. Sometimes it was hilarious, sometimes it was heartbreaking, and as the story began to wind to a close, I was distressed by main character Josie's precarious position and decision before her. Seriously distressed! Between some of the chapters, I might have texted the kids to tell them I loved them.
This is not my *official* book review; or maybe it is? In either case, this is me needing to say how much I adored this book and that despite my being vocal about how I REALLY DON'T LIKE ROMANCES, I now have a book boyfriend named Daniel. We'll say it's the forty-seven-year-old Daniel, though, so it's not creepy.
Well done, Kimberly Packard. Well done.
June 18, 2024
Engaging and unputdownable
This was such an engaging read that I finished it in one sitting. I truly couldn't put it down. For four hours, Ms. Packard entertained me with a story that should be implausible but I accepted it wholeheartedly without blinking an eye. No suspension of disbelief necessary. I was hooked from the highly relatable beginning until the totally satisfying ending.
I liked all the characters in this story. From Josie to her kids Aubrey and Ben; her best friends Em and Sofia; her parents Patricia and Alan; her three geeks Stuart, Matthew, and Jake; and the love of her life Daniel. I even liked some of the not-so-sympathetic side characters—Peter the ex-husband and Ruby the ex-best friend. They are all somehow real and familiar, similar to flesh and blood people I've met in my life.
Ms. Packard's writing of Josie was superb. The author balanced the lead character's forty-seven-year-old and seventeen-year-old selves amazingly well.
This Time Around has many elements that please me as a reader -- themes of family and friendship, thought-provoking ruminations and discussions, evocative situations that elicit an emotional response, massive character growth, and a sweet romance. I look forward to reading more of this series and this talented author's work.
This was such an engaging read that I finished it in one sitting. I truly couldn't put it down. For four hours, Ms. Packard entertained me with a story that should be implausible but I accepted it wholeheartedly without blinking an eye. No suspension of disbelief necessary. I was hooked from the highly relatable beginning until the totally satisfying ending.
I liked all the characters in this story. From Josie to her kids Aubrey and Ben; her best friends Em and Sofia; her parents Patricia and Alan; her three geeks Stuart, Matthew, and Jake; and the love of her life Daniel. I even liked some of the not-so-sympathetic side characters—Peter the ex-husband and Ruby the ex-best friend. They are all somehow real and familiar, similar to flesh and blood people I've met in my life.
Ms. Packard's writing of Josie was superb. The author balanced the lead character's forty-seven-year-old and seventeen-year-old selves amazingly well.
This Time Around has many elements that please me as a reader -- themes of family and friendship, thought-provoking ruminations and discussions, evocative situations that elicit an emotional response, massive character growth, and a sweet romance. I look forward to reading more of this series and this talented author's work.
July 10, 2024
4.5 stars
This Time Around is a heartwarming time travel RomCom that sees Josie Gardner’s life turned upside down when her ex threatens taking her kids away and on top of that her life as she knows it is falling apart. Suddenly finding herself thrown back in time what choices will she make?
I like that Kimberly gives us a more mature woman as the main character as she has life’s lessons behind her. Kimberly got the balance right.
This engaging tale had me from the start and I could not put it down. It is full of so many emotions as Josie struggles with what she wants.
Reminiscent of movies like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and 17 Again, This Time Around begs the question if your life was turned upside and you go back in time would you do it differently or do it the same all over again? And isn’t that is the million-dollar question. You may just find the life you were always meant to have but to do so means giving up everything you ever had.
This wonderful tale not to be missed out on. It evokes many emotions within as you ruminate about your own past. Is love better the second time around?
This Time Around is a heartwarming time travel RomCom that sees Josie Gardner’s life turned upside down when her ex threatens taking her kids away and on top of that her life as she knows it is falling apart. Suddenly finding herself thrown back in time what choices will she make?
I like that Kimberly gives us a more mature woman as the main character as she has life’s lessons behind her. Kimberly got the balance right.
This engaging tale had me from the start and I could not put it down. It is full of so many emotions as Josie struggles with what she wants.
Reminiscent of movies like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and 17 Again, This Time Around begs the question if your life was turned upside and you go back in time would you do it differently or do it the same all over again? And isn’t that is the million-dollar question. You may just find the life you were always meant to have but to do so means giving up everything you ever had.
This wonderful tale not to be missed out on. It evokes many emotions within as you ruminate about your own past. Is love better the second time around?
July 3, 2024
Josie for the win!
I’ve read all of Kim’s Books, even some of her earlier unpublished works! When you read a book that is so good you find yourself 2/3rds of the way through it and you try to slow down and make it last and can’t! This is that book!!
I’ve read all of Kim’s Books, even some of her earlier unpublished works! When you read a book that is so good you find yourself 2/3rds of the way through it and you try to slow down and make it last and can’t! This is that book!!
May 14, 2024
Get ready for a crazy adventure in This Time Around. It’s about a woman who finds herself who self on journey traveling back in time away from her children and about to be ex-husband. So the question will she be able to change anything from her past and will she be able to get back to her children. It’s quite the struggle. I did enjoy this story and would recommend this book. This is a new author for me. Thanks for allowing me to read and review this book.
July 6, 2024
Thank you to Goodreads and Kimberly Packard for the opportunity to fall into one of the most nostalgic reads of my life! If you grew up in the 90s, put your hyper color t-shirt on and prepare for some fun.
Josie is living the life many of us have. She chases her teenagers, feeds them, makes sure they are decent human beings, etc. Her career is demanding and teetering on some tragedy and her marriage took the back burner to being a mom,,, so divorce is looming. When her husband threatens to take the kids in the divorce her life spins out and a panic attack of all panic attacks does the unthinkable: it sends her back in time.
Dropped into her life 30 years prior, Josie is now faced with the challenges of her teenage self.
How many of us have said we'd love to go back and do it over, but for Josie changes could lead to a completely different life! So how does she navigate high school, best friends and parent issues with getting back to her real life???
This author is freakin funny and I laughed out loud several times, but it's the heart of the book that will get you if you lived through these times. Released on 6/11/2024 it's available on Kindle and paperback (which I purchased this morning-cannot wait to share with my other mom friends)
Josie is living the life many of us have. She chases her teenagers, feeds them, makes sure they are decent human beings, etc. Her career is demanding and teetering on some tragedy and her marriage took the back burner to being a mom,,, so divorce is looming. When her husband threatens to take the kids in the divorce her life spins out and a panic attack of all panic attacks does the unthinkable: it sends her back in time.
Dropped into her life 30 years prior, Josie is now faced with the challenges of her teenage self.
How many of us have said we'd love to go back and do it over, but for Josie changes could lead to a completely different life! So how does she navigate high school, best friends and parent issues with getting back to her real life???
This author is freakin funny and I laughed out loud several times, but it's the heart of the book that will get you if you lived through these times. Released on 6/11/2024 it's available on Kindle and paperback (which I purchased this morning-cannot wait to share with my other mom friends)
June 18, 2024
"At this moment, we are the past, the present, and the future."
This Time Around by Kimberly Packard is a fantastic second-chance romance/comedy that will surely delight and cause you to ponder a what-if scenario that includes reliving your senior year of high school.
It’s 2024 in Austin, Texas, and forty-seven-year-old Josie Gardner (née Berry) is desperately trying to hold her life and her job together as her ex-husband seeks custody of their two children and as her hard-earned business teeters on the brink of disaster. What’s a woman to do except stare at a framed drawing of herself from thirty years ago and spiral into the abyss, otherwise known as senior year 1993/1994.
While This Time Around is a time-traveling romance about one woman’s crisis in 2024 and her teen shenanigans in the 1990s, it is way more than that. Going back decades to relive a pivotal time and maybe prevent bad things from happening might not be possible, but what if? This story is about stepping outside of your past self’s teen bubble and viewing that same life through a lens polished by maturity, motherhood, and choices. What Josie discovers is that some things can be changed or prevented, while other things can’t or even shouldn’t be altered.
Kimberly Packard does an excellent job with this impossible scenario, providing it with an air of believability, humor, and insight into how our past shapes our present and our future, no matter where we are on that timeline. For Josie, her focus is getting back to her kids in 2024 and hoping nothing she does in 1993 and 1994 erases them from her life. But what if she has a second chance to choose her long-time neighbor and best friend, Daniel, who gave her that drawing after graduation and then disappeared from her life forever? What if marriages and lives can be saved and broken bones that destroy a career can be prevented? What if unlikely friendships can be formed this time around that will help and bring joy in the future? What if?
This wonderful story is fast paced and fun, with so many well-developed and interesting characters and with an ending that will make you laugh and maybe shed a tear or two. One thing is clear, This Time Around will probably make you think about your own past and the choices that have shaped your life and wonder if anything could or should be changed. Maybe it is simply adjusting how you perceive people and your own slice of the world around you and how you treat others so that your future self will be proud of you and thank you. This is quite a heavy but important idea nestled in this enchanting story.
"Are you still you?"
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
This Time Around by Kimberly Packard is a fantastic second-chance romance/comedy that will surely delight and cause you to ponder a what-if scenario that includes reliving your senior year of high school.
It’s 2024 in Austin, Texas, and forty-seven-year-old Josie Gardner (née Berry) is desperately trying to hold her life and her job together as her ex-husband seeks custody of their two children and as her hard-earned business teeters on the brink of disaster. What’s a woman to do except stare at a framed drawing of herself from thirty years ago and spiral into the abyss, otherwise known as senior year 1993/1994.
While This Time Around is a time-traveling romance about one woman’s crisis in 2024 and her teen shenanigans in the 1990s, it is way more than that. Going back decades to relive a pivotal time and maybe prevent bad things from happening might not be possible, but what if? This story is about stepping outside of your past self’s teen bubble and viewing that same life through a lens polished by maturity, motherhood, and choices. What Josie discovers is that some things can be changed or prevented, while other things can’t or even shouldn’t be altered.
Kimberly Packard does an excellent job with this impossible scenario, providing it with an air of believability, humor, and insight into how our past shapes our present and our future, no matter where we are on that timeline. For Josie, her focus is getting back to her kids in 2024 and hoping nothing she does in 1993 and 1994 erases them from her life. But what if she has a second chance to choose her long-time neighbor and best friend, Daniel, who gave her that drawing after graduation and then disappeared from her life forever? What if marriages and lives can be saved and broken bones that destroy a career can be prevented? What if unlikely friendships can be formed this time around that will help and bring joy in the future? What if?
This wonderful story is fast paced and fun, with so many well-developed and interesting characters and with an ending that will make you laugh and maybe shed a tear or two. One thing is clear, This Time Around will probably make you think about your own past and the choices that have shaped your life and wonder if anything could or should be changed. Maybe it is simply adjusting how you perceive people and your own slice of the world around you and how you treat others so that your future self will be proud of you and thank you. This is quite a heavy but important idea nestled in this enchanting story.
"Are you still you?"
I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.
July 26, 2024
Josie Gardiner's life revolves around her 2 children and the business that she built from the ground up. On one of the worst days of her life, her ex-husband wants to take her children away and her business is on the verge of failing, she collapses and wakes to find herself in her teenage bedroom, 30 years in the past.
Josie realises that she has a chance to have a do-over and maybe fix some of the mistakes she made in the past, including telling the boy she always believed was the love of her life that she loves him. But all decisions have consequences and whilst she might end up with the love of her life, she could lose the children she already has. Is it worth it?
I loved this book. The characters were so well-written and full of heart. you could really empathise with Josie and the choices she had to make to try to get back to her future. It was thought provoking and I thought the ending was perfect.
Josie realises that she has a chance to have a do-over and maybe fix some of the mistakes she made in the past, including telling the boy she always believed was the love of her life that she loves him. But all decisions have consequences and whilst she might end up with the love of her life, she could lose the children she already has. Is it worth it?
I loved this book. The characters were so well-written and full of heart. you could really empathise with Josie and the choices she had to make to try to get back to her future. It was thought provoking and I thought the ending was perfect.
July 29, 2024
This Time Around
I was so excited to see Ms. Packard had released another book and then I read the synopsis and I was even more excited.
While I'm a few years older than Josie, I'm still a Gen Xer and could relate to so much and I found myself getting nostalgic as I read.
Josie ends up in a reverse 13 going on 30 situation by going back 30 years to right before her Senior year of high school which I know I wouldn't be able to survive again, but at the same time there are definitely some things I would do differently. But I would still want the kids I ended up with even knowing what I know now.
There are so many little things from our past that have a huge impact on who we end up. Change just one of those things and it has a ripple effect.
Absolutely loved this book and read it instead of fully paying attention to the Olympics which I hope Ms. Packard realizes is a huge deal for me.
I was so excited to see Ms. Packard had released another book and then I read the synopsis and I was even more excited.
While I'm a few years older than Josie, I'm still a Gen Xer and could relate to so much and I found myself getting nostalgic as I read.
Josie ends up in a reverse 13 going on 30 situation by going back 30 years to right before her Senior year of high school which I know I wouldn't be able to survive again, but at the same time there are definitely some things I would do differently. But I would still want the kids I ended up with even knowing what I know now.
There are so many little things from our past that have a huge impact on who we end up. Change just one of those things and it has a ripple effect.
Absolutely loved this book and read it instead of fully paying attention to the Olympics which I hope Ms. Packard realizes is a huge deal for me.
January 6, 2025
My first favorite book of 2025!!! I am always a sucker for a good time travel romance!!! The themes of lost/ found friendship and motherhood were so amazingly real!!! I need the next book ASAP, and hopefully, some Josie and Daniel cameos!!!
This book contained a lot of amazing metaphors and quotes. Here is one of my favorites: "What was worse? A split with the loud gnashing of earth being ripped apart or a friendship that fades like a spent bloom?" Pg. 25
12/9/23 and 12/7/24 I got to meet this author at an event! She was very kind and down to earth! She even signed my book, took a picture with me, and answered all of my burning questions!
If you liked this book the I suggested:
The rest of this author's books
The Seven Year Slip
Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Malice by Pintip Dunn
The Husbands
The Siren by Kiera Cass
Listen to:
Pause Rewind by The Roads Below
Like I Loved You by Brett Young
The One that Got Away by Jake Owen
Watch:
Frequency (T.V. Show)
Senior Year
Time Cut
Kate & Leopold
This book contained a lot of amazing metaphors and quotes. Here is one of my favorites: "What was worse? A split with the loud gnashing of earth being ripped apart or a friendship that fades like a spent bloom?" Pg. 25
12/9/23 and 12/7/24 I got to meet this author at an event! She was very kind and down to earth! She even signed my book, took a picture with me, and answered all of my burning questions!
If you liked this book the I suggested:
The rest of this author's books
The Seven Year Slip
Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Malice by Pintip Dunn
The Husbands
The Siren by Kiera Cass
Listen to:
Pause Rewind by The Roads Below
Like I Loved You by Brett Young
The One that Got Away by Jake Owen
Watch:
Frequency (T.V. Show)
Senior Year
Time Cut
Kate & Leopold
July 11, 2024
Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book. I could not put it down. Wonderful, well-written characters (all of them, not just the FMC, the physics boys? Come on, so great), a storyline that answered the question we have all asked "what if I could go back and change something?", and so much fantastic 90s nostalgia.
I was excited to read that the author is going to write Emily's story, and I hope we see glimpses of Daniel and Josie, because I don't want to give any of them up yet.
I was excited to read that the author is going to write Emily's story, and I hope we see glimpses of Daniel and Josie, because I don't want to give any of them up yet.
July 3, 2024
Kimberly Packard’s new book, This Time Around, is a fun twist on the time-slip trope. The story begins with heroine Josephine Berry Gardner, a 47-year-old divorcee, experiencing a terrible day before she’s even had lunch. Troubles loom at home and the office, and the stress of it all propels her back in time to the beginning of her senior year of high school.
The story is enjoyable and has a depth that goes beyond typical time-traveling tales. Yes, Josie is conflicted between exploring what would happen if she didn’t let go of “the one who got away,” but she is also trying to prevent tragedies from happening the way they did 30 years ago.
As a middle-aged mother of a teen girl, trapped in the body of a 17-year-old, Josie’s interactions with her own Mom were priceless. Their relationship is one of the many places Josie’s eyes of experience give her more insight and a broader view of events as they unfold. As she says, “If nothing else, slipping back to my past allowed me to see beyond the glow of the headlights of you.”
Packard’s compelling insights about parenting, friendship, and choices that permanently impact our lives are punctuated by moments of humor – notably as Josie survives (happily) without the internet or cell phones.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, mostly because I wanted to find out how things ended for Josie. Would she choose her children or her childhood sweetheart? Would she prevent any of the tragedies from her first time around? Finding answers to those questions propelled me to the end of the book in less than two days.
My one critique would be wanting to know more at the end. I found myself wishing for a couple of beats about how Josie’s life moved forward. Thankfully, it sounds like Packard is already working on the story of one of Josie’s friends in the story. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll get an update there.
The story is enjoyable and has a depth that goes beyond typical time-traveling tales. Yes, Josie is conflicted between exploring what would happen if she didn’t let go of “the one who got away,” but she is also trying to prevent tragedies from happening the way they did 30 years ago.
As a middle-aged mother of a teen girl, trapped in the body of a 17-year-old, Josie’s interactions with her own Mom were priceless. Their relationship is one of the many places Josie’s eyes of experience give her more insight and a broader view of events as they unfold. As she says, “If nothing else, slipping back to my past allowed me to see beyond the glow of the headlights of you.”
Packard’s compelling insights about parenting, friendship, and choices that permanently impact our lives are punctuated by moments of humor – notably as Josie survives (happily) without the internet or cell phones.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, mostly because I wanted to find out how things ended for Josie. Would she choose her children or her childhood sweetheart? Would she prevent any of the tragedies from her first time around? Finding answers to those questions propelled me to the end of the book in less than two days.
My one critique would be wanting to know more at the end. I found myself wishing for a couple of beats about how Josie’s life moved forward. Thankfully, it sounds like Packard is already working on the story of one of Josie’s friends in the story. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll get an update there.
August 3, 2024
I enjoyed this book! Even if we could go back in time and change things that broke our hearts, we wouldn’t have the life we have now. Acceptance in her decisions was a big turning point for Josie and her life when she wakes up. Cute little ending too!
August 26, 2024
I graduated from high school in 1991, so I enjoyed the pop culture references. However, I felt that this story had so much more potential. There were times it dragged. For as much as she loves Daniel, she doesn't spend that much time with him. It's hard to wrap your brain around the love story.
June 17, 2024
Have you ever wished you could go back to high school? Maybe things would be different, better, if you could take the knowledge and wisdom you'd gained over the years and relive those awkward teen moments. Josie Gardner doesn't necessarily wish she could go back, but she's going through a divorce, and as her marriage is ending, she often thinks about Daniel. The one she let walk away. She's tried to find him over the years, but he's not easy to track down. But she's got her business, and she's got two of the best kids a woman could ever ask for.
When Josie learns that a store her business was about to close a significant deal with is filing bankruptcy, she has a bit of a panic attack. And when she wakes up, she's thirty years in the past - her senior year of high school. Before her parents' divorce. Before whatever falling out removes someone from their friend group. Before she breaks Daniel's heart. At first she thinks she must be in a coma, and this is all some product of her addled brain. But as near as she can tell, she has actually traveled back in time. What will she do differently? And if she makes different choices now, how will that affect the future she already knows?
I can't exactly relate to Josie. I didn't have "the one who got away" in high school. I have been asked if I would have married my first husband knowing it would end in divorce. My answer is always "of course," because if I hadn't married him, I wouldn't have my fabulous, funny firstborn son. And I can't imagine making a choice that would take him out of existence! Josie wrestles similarly with the idea of choosing differently and never seeing HER kids, the ones she already knows and is frantic to get back to, come into being.
It's pretty entertaining watching Josie navigate high school with the mind of a forty-something mom in a teenager's body (oh, yeah, I'd take my teenage knees back - they didn't creak and hurt!). She's trying to figure out a way to unravel her predicament without letting people know what's really going on, and she stumbles into the assistance of three of the nerdiest boys in her class (she gives them a couple of useful tips that serve them well and become important later in the book!) Armed with a list of wrongs she can right that will hopefully send her back to her own time, Josie moves through her senior year fully aware of what will be coming, and also aware that if she says yes to Daniel this time, she's saying no to her beautiful, wonderful children.
The characters are all wonderfully written, from Ian, the class jerk Josie saves from drowning, to her parents, whose divorce Josie handles with much more grace and dignity this time, to Daniel. Will Josie ultimately choose him, or will she choose her future and the knowns and unknowns it holds? Read the book and find out.
This is a fun spin on the time-slip trope, and the story makes you think: really, how WOULD you do things differently if you knew doing certain things differently would change the entirety of your future? I understand the author is writing a book about Em's story, and hopefully we'll learn more in that book about how Josie's life played out after she made it back to her own time.
When Josie learns that a store her business was about to close a significant deal with is filing bankruptcy, she has a bit of a panic attack. And when she wakes up, she's thirty years in the past - her senior year of high school. Before her parents' divorce. Before whatever falling out removes someone from their friend group. Before she breaks Daniel's heart. At first she thinks she must be in a coma, and this is all some product of her addled brain. But as near as she can tell, she has actually traveled back in time. What will she do differently? And if she makes different choices now, how will that affect the future she already knows?
I can't exactly relate to Josie. I didn't have "the one who got away" in high school. I have been asked if I would have married my first husband knowing it would end in divorce. My answer is always "of course," because if I hadn't married him, I wouldn't have my fabulous, funny firstborn son. And I can't imagine making a choice that would take him out of existence! Josie wrestles similarly with the idea of choosing differently and never seeing HER kids, the ones she already knows and is frantic to get back to, come into being.
It's pretty entertaining watching Josie navigate high school with the mind of a forty-something mom in a teenager's body (oh, yeah, I'd take my teenage knees back - they didn't creak and hurt!). She's trying to figure out a way to unravel her predicament without letting people know what's really going on, and she stumbles into the assistance of three of the nerdiest boys in her class (she gives them a couple of useful tips that serve them well and become important later in the book!) Armed with a list of wrongs she can right that will hopefully send her back to her own time, Josie moves through her senior year fully aware of what will be coming, and also aware that if she says yes to Daniel this time, she's saying no to her beautiful, wonderful children.
The characters are all wonderfully written, from Ian, the class jerk Josie saves from drowning, to her parents, whose divorce Josie handles with much more grace and dignity this time, to Daniel. Will Josie ultimately choose him, or will she choose her future and the knowns and unknowns it holds? Read the book and find out.
This is a fun spin on the time-slip trope, and the story makes you think: really, how WOULD you do things differently if you knew doing certain things differently would change the entirety of your future? I understand the author is writing a book about Em's story, and hopefully we'll learn more in that book about how Josie's life played out after she made it back to her own time.
June 23, 2024
Perfect for a summer beach read!
First off, I’ll admit that I’m not a huge fan of time-travel stories, but “Back to the Future” was one of my favorite movies, and this story has the same kind of feel. Young people solving problems. Lots of humorous moments, like when words just tumble out of Josie’s mouth before she can stop them. Her friends are shocked, primarily because of the references to things in the future.
I laughed when she let slip that in the future she could just Google time travel and get some answers as to how she can get back to her future life. One of the geeks she’s with says something like, “While you’re goo-ling we have work to do.”
She’s asked the three nerdiest boys in her class to help her, and they determine that the cause of her trip back in time could be one of three things; medical, philosophical, or physics. Josie decides the philosophical path might be the quickest and easiest way to undo the phenomenon, so she makes a list of wrongs she can right that will solve her dilemma.
This is a multi-layered story that goes deep into the angst of difficult decisions to be made, among them how much should Josie try to alter things in her teen life. Can she save some friendships and her parent’s marriage? Can she keep the librarian from falling and breaking her leg? Should she? And what about Ian and the lake? Can she keep him from drowning? Should she?
Choices is the theme of the book. The ones we make and the ones we don’t. The ones that propel us down the path we’ve chosen and the ones that don’t. And the toughest choice teen-Josie must make is whether to tell Daniel that she loves him. She loved him first time around in this teen life and continues to love him as the 47-year-old adult.
She has never told him that she loves him and throughout most of the story she wonders if she should. And what would happen if she did? Her life would go down a different path and she knows she couldn’t live without her children. The ones she has now with Peter.
What a conundrum that is rich in angst and suspense.
At one point in the story Josie muses that perhaps she was sent back in time to learn life skills that will make her a better person, a better mother, and a better wife when she gets back to her future life. She is determined to be that better person if only she, and her three cohorts, can find a way to send her through time once again.
Kimberly Packard does a terrific job in blending the mom-Josie with the teenage-Josie. Writing about the same person at different ages can be challenging, and Packard met that challenge splendidly. I especially enjoyed the push-pull between the mom and the teen in Josie’s contemplations about decisions that she has to make.
With the exception of a few awkward metaphors, as well as a penchant for using them when perhaps they weren’t necessary, the narrative flows smoothly. The tension is always high as Josie flip flops between the present and the future, and will she be able to get back to the future?
And does she even want to.
This is a terrific story, and I highly recommend the read. Kudos to the author for giving readers characters and a story that is so entertaining.
First off, I’ll admit that I’m not a huge fan of time-travel stories, but “Back to the Future” was one of my favorite movies, and this story has the same kind of feel. Young people solving problems. Lots of humorous moments, like when words just tumble out of Josie’s mouth before she can stop them. Her friends are shocked, primarily because of the references to things in the future.
I laughed when she let slip that in the future she could just Google time travel and get some answers as to how she can get back to her future life. One of the geeks she’s with says something like, “While you’re goo-ling we have work to do.”
She’s asked the three nerdiest boys in her class to help her, and they determine that the cause of her trip back in time could be one of three things; medical, philosophical, or physics. Josie decides the philosophical path might be the quickest and easiest way to undo the phenomenon, so she makes a list of wrongs she can right that will solve her dilemma.
This is a multi-layered story that goes deep into the angst of difficult decisions to be made, among them how much should Josie try to alter things in her teen life. Can she save some friendships and her parent’s marriage? Can she keep the librarian from falling and breaking her leg? Should she? And what about Ian and the lake? Can she keep him from drowning? Should she?
Choices is the theme of the book. The ones we make and the ones we don’t. The ones that propel us down the path we’ve chosen and the ones that don’t. And the toughest choice teen-Josie must make is whether to tell Daniel that she loves him. She loved him first time around in this teen life and continues to love him as the 47-year-old adult.
She has never told him that she loves him and throughout most of the story she wonders if she should. And what would happen if she did? Her life would go down a different path and she knows she couldn’t live without her children. The ones she has now with Peter.
What a conundrum that is rich in angst and suspense.
At one point in the story Josie muses that perhaps she was sent back in time to learn life skills that will make her a better person, a better mother, and a better wife when she gets back to her future life. She is determined to be that better person if only she, and her three cohorts, can find a way to send her through time once again.
Kimberly Packard does a terrific job in blending the mom-Josie with the teenage-Josie. Writing about the same person at different ages can be challenging, and Packard met that challenge splendidly. I especially enjoyed the push-pull between the mom and the teen in Josie’s contemplations about decisions that she has to make.
With the exception of a few awkward metaphors, as well as a penchant for using them when perhaps they weren’t necessary, the narrative flows smoothly. The tension is always high as Josie flip flops between the present and the future, and will she be able to get back to the future?
And does she even want to.
This is a terrific story, and I highly recommend the read. Kudos to the author for giving readers characters and a story that is so entertaining.
June 11, 2024
What a ride! No hyperbole—I could not put this book down. Dinner was late and the world disappeared as This Time Around put me under its spell. Kimberly Packard’s exploration of a mother’s love is masterful, creative, and compelling.
Josie Gardner’s once orderly life seems to be coming apart at the seams as she navigates an impending divorce and custody battle, raising two teenagers, and running a business to either new heights or a steep dive. All of this impending doom racing at her sends Josie into a panic attack as she focuses intently on a picture drawn by her first love—the one who got away. Awaking in her seventeen-year-old body, Josie must figure out why she’s here and how to get back home.
Before reading this book, I’d have told you that the thought of reliving a year of high school would fill me with utter dread. But being able to take my older, wiser self through some of those events with a new lens of understanding is a thoroughly compelling notion. Josie knows that it doesn’t really matter if she switches from calculus to home economics or befriends a group of geeks. And one can’t help but commiserate when she realizes she can’t have a glass of wine after a rough day! This time around, she can call out a guy’s inappropriate behavior with no qualms, coach younger girls on how to stand up for themselves, and have greater compassion for the hidden lives of those around her.
Packard breathes such life into her characters and has a deft hand at dialogue. I felt like I was right alongside Josie as she interacts with the geeky guys trying to help her get back home, battles her desire for Daniel against her deep need to return to her kids, develops a new understanding of her parents’ crumbling relationship, and works to stop terrible events that happened during her original senior year.
Unlike many time-travel tales, Packard doesn’t let her story veer into the silly territory some inhabit. She infuses the novel with the perfect touch of humor—because truly, so much of high school is ridiculous--while also using the time travel device as a means of helping Josie delve into her own life to understand herself and the events that shook her foundation. Her husband’s divorce papers demanding primary custody had caused her to doubt herself as a mother. Now stranded so far from them in space and time, she knows she will do whatever it takes to return to her kids, no matter what.
With a stellar cast of characters, Kimberly Packard artfully weaves together science fiction, humor, romance, and drama in this not-to-be-missed story celebrating second chances and the strength of a mother’s love.
Josie Gardner’s once orderly life seems to be coming apart at the seams as she navigates an impending divorce and custody battle, raising two teenagers, and running a business to either new heights or a steep dive. All of this impending doom racing at her sends Josie into a panic attack as she focuses intently on a picture drawn by her first love—the one who got away. Awaking in her seventeen-year-old body, Josie must figure out why she’s here and how to get back home.
Before reading this book, I’d have told you that the thought of reliving a year of high school would fill me with utter dread. But being able to take my older, wiser self through some of those events with a new lens of understanding is a thoroughly compelling notion. Josie knows that it doesn’t really matter if she switches from calculus to home economics or befriends a group of geeks. And one can’t help but commiserate when she realizes she can’t have a glass of wine after a rough day! This time around, she can call out a guy’s inappropriate behavior with no qualms, coach younger girls on how to stand up for themselves, and have greater compassion for the hidden lives of those around her.
Packard breathes such life into her characters and has a deft hand at dialogue. I felt like I was right alongside Josie as she interacts with the geeky guys trying to help her get back home, battles her desire for Daniel against her deep need to return to her kids, develops a new understanding of her parents’ crumbling relationship, and works to stop terrible events that happened during her original senior year.
Unlike many time-travel tales, Packard doesn’t let her story veer into the silly territory some inhabit. She infuses the novel with the perfect touch of humor—because truly, so much of high school is ridiculous--while also using the time travel device as a means of helping Josie delve into her own life to understand herself and the events that shook her foundation. Her husband’s divorce papers demanding primary custody had caused her to doubt herself as a mother. Now stranded so far from them in space and time, she knows she will do whatever it takes to return to her kids, no matter what.
With a stellar cast of characters, Kimberly Packard artfully weaves together science fiction, humor, romance, and drama in this not-to-be-missed story celebrating second chances and the strength of a mother’s love.
July 21, 2024
This Time Around is not only one of my favorite reads of the year but also an all-time favorite. It's definitely a 5-star read for me!
How often have you thought you would like to return to your teenage years? That is precisely the predicament Josie Gardner has found herself in after a panic attack sends her back to the beginning of her senior year in high school, a year full of pain for her. She endured her parent’s divorce, closing her father out of her life, a friendship that doesn’t stand the test of time, and breaking the heart of the boy she was in love with.
She is still 47 but in an 18-year-old’s body. She has no aches and pains, and her body hasn’t endured the changes that come with having children and aging. I loved that she viewed her return with the wisdom of a mature woman. She tried to right some wrongs that occurred. I loved how she looked at her parents' divorce; the time she spent with her parents was so endearing and heart-warming.
Josie was incredibly relatable. While she enjoyed her time with her family and friends, she desperately wanted to return to her children. While her heart ached as she remembered holding her children for the first time, I found myself doing the same. You think that time of no sleep and wiping runny noses will last forever, but it’s gone in the blink of an eye.
While she has a chance to make things right with Daniel, she has to ask herself how that affects her current life. Will she choose the unknown road with Daniel or the path she knows is fraught with joy and sadness (her impending divorce from her husband)? She has to do some soul-searching and ask herself some fundamental questions.
“That’s the thing about life. It’s the sum total of the choices, the mistakes, the right calls, that we make up until that moment. If you change one of those–turn left instead of right, go out with Mr. Football instead of the geeky guy in your class, or choose a different college–it completely changes who you are. Who you become.”
There were so many things I enjoyed about this book. I loved some of the new relationships Josie built outside of her usual group of friends. In addition, it took me back to a simpler time before the internet exploded…a time when you had to go to a library and use the card catalog to look up information…a time when you talked face-to-face with people instead of over a screen.
How often have you thought you would like to return to your teenage years? That is precisely the predicament Josie Gardner has found herself in after a panic attack sends her back to the beginning of her senior year in high school, a year full of pain for her. She endured her parent’s divorce, closing her father out of her life, a friendship that doesn’t stand the test of time, and breaking the heart of the boy she was in love with.
She is still 47 but in an 18-year-old’s body. She has no aches and pains, and her body hasn’t endured the changes that come with having children and aging. I loved that she viewed her return with the wisdom of a mature woman. She tried to right some wrongs that occurred. I loved how she looked at her parents' divorce; the time she spent with her parents was so endearing and heart-warming.
Josie was incredibly relatable. While she enjoyed her time with her family and friends, she desperately wanted to return to her children. While her heart ached as she remembered holding her children for the first time, I found myself doing the same. You think that time of no sleep and wiping runny noses will last forever, but it’s gone in the blink of an eye.
While she has a chance to make things right with Daniel, she has to ask herself how that affects her current life. Will she choose the unknown road with Daniel or the path she knows is fraught with joy and sadness (her impending divorce from her husband)? She has to do some soul-searching and ask herself some fundamental questions.
“That’s the thing about life. It’s the sum total of the choices, the mistakes, the right calls, that we make up until that moment. If you change one of those–turn left instead of right, go out with Mr. Football instead of the geeky guy in your class, or choose a different college–it completely changes who you are. Who you become.”
There were so many things I enjoyed about this book. I loved some of the new relationships Josie built outside of her usual group of friends. In addition, it took me back to a simpler time before the internet exploded…a time when you had to go to a library and use the card catalog to look up information…a time when you talked face-to-face with people instead of over a screen.
June 18, 2024
Have you ever wished you could live your life over again and make different choices? Or make the same choices but with more information? That's the question Kimberly Packard explores in her new novel, This Time Around.
Josie Gardner is given that chance when a panic attack in response to a custody battle she hadn't anticipated sends her body into a coma and her brain back to her high school self. What ensues is part self-examination, and part fix-it fiction, where she attempts to seed better future results into the lives of her past friends.
Does it really happen? It doesn't really matter. Author Packard has given us a likeable, well-meaning heroine who knows she isn't perfect, and isn’t trying to be. She just wants to be better. It's that distinction that makes her so relatable, and makes this book suck you in. Sure, the scenes of present-Josie interacting as past-Josie are often amusing, but the emotional truth that runs through everything is what really resonates.
With snappy dialogue, a believable cast of characters who alternately doubt and support Josie, and a present-day family that knows they don't quite deserve her, this book is a rich tapestry of people and situations.
I particularly liked that past-Josie's closest friends were willing to believe in her even when they didn't quite believe her. I also liked that in the present day her almost-ex husband wasn't painted as a one-dimensional villain, but as a complex character whose intentions were good, even if the execution of them was not.
Packard has a knack for making impossible situations feel both plausible and organic, and she's true to form with This Time Around. Overall, it's a satisfying story, and much meatier than the blurb reveals.
Goes well with: pepperoni pizza and cherry coke.
Josie Gardner is given that chance when a panic attack in response to a custody battle she hadn't anticipated sends her body into a coma and her brain back to her high school self. What ensues is part self-examination, and part fix-it fiction, where she attempts to seed better future results into the lives of her past friends.
Does it really happen? It doesn't really matter. Author Packard has given us a likeable, well-meaning heroine who knows she isn't perfect, and isn’t trying to be. She just wants to be better. It's that distinction that makes her so relatable, and makes this book suck you in. Sure, the scenes of present-Josie interacting as past-Josie are often amusing, but the emotional truth that runs through everything is what really resonates.
With snappy dialogue, a believable cast of characters who alternately doubt and support Josie, and a present-day family that knows they don't quite deserve her, this book is a rich tapestry of people and situations.
I particularly liked that past-Josie's closest friends were willing to believe in her even when they didn't quite believe her. I also liked that in the present day her almost-ex husband wasn't painted as a one-dimensional villain, but as a complex character whose intentions were good, even if the execution of them was not.
Packard has a knack for making impossible situations feel both plausible and organic, and she's true to form with This Time Around. Overall, it's a satisfying story, and much meatier than the blurb reveals.
Goes well with: pepperoni pizza and cherry coke.
June 12, 2024
Imagine blending the best elements of Back to the Future and Freaky Friday, but with a surprising amount of depth and heart. That’s exactly what you’ll find in this delightful story. Josie is your average mom navigating the ups and downs of raising teenagers, dealing with a joyless divorce, and managing a struggling business. Everything seems to hit hard at just the right moment and when it looks like things couldn’t get worse, a panic attack lands her back in her teenage bedroom, poised to start her senior year all over again.
We’ve all wondered what we’d change if we could go back in time, and Josie gets that chance. What I loved most about her journey was how she embraced her teenage self with the wisdom and sensibility of a 47-year-old. It’s not just about reliving the past; it’s about making better choices, helping others avoid tragedy, and dealing with high school drama from a more mature perspective. Her interactions with some of her friends led to laugh-out-loud moments!
Josie’s quest to be honest with the “what if” love of her life adds a romantic twist to her journey. It’s fascinating to see how she balances her desires with the potential consequences of changing too much. The ending might not be the conclusion you want, but for me, it wrapped up perfectly with a satisfying sense of happily ever after.
This story is a heartfelt exploration of second chances and personal growth. It’s relatable, touching, and thought-provoking – a wonderful read for anyone who’s ever wished they could hit the rewind button on life. This book isn’t just a trip down memory lane; it’s a masterclass in blending humor, heart, and the complexities of real life. Trust me, you’ll be hooked from the first page! I was!
We’ve all wondered what we’d change if we could go back in time, and Josie gets that chance. What I loved most about her journey was how she embraced her teenage self with the wisdom and sensibility of a 47-year-old. It’s not just about reliving the past; it’s about making better choices, helping others avoid tragedy, and dealing with high school drama from a more mature perspective. Her interactions with some of her friends led to laugh-out-loud moments!
Josie’s quest to be honest with the “what if” love of her life adds a romantic twist to her journey. It’s fascinating to see how she balances her desires with the potential consequences of changing too much. The ending might not be the conclusion you want, but for me, it wrapped up perfectly with a satisfying sense of happily ever after.
This story is a heartfelt exploration of second chances and personal growth. It’s relatable, touching, and thought-provoking – a wonderful read for anyone who’s ever wished they could hit the rewind button on life. This book isn’t just a trip down memory lane; it’s a masterclass in blending humor, heart, and the complexities of real life. Trust me, you’ll be hooked from the first page! I was!
July 5, 2024
This Time Around puts a twist on the idea of getting a do-over with time travel. I've read a few books where protagonists get the chance to redo moments in their life, creating a new ripple effect that changes their life's trajectory. However, I've never read one that has the kinds of high stakes that this one has. This puts a shift to contemporary romance, resulting in bittersweet developments that kept me intrigued all through the story.
Typically when I read do-over stories, they involve teenagers and are YA reads. This is the first one I've read where an adult is making the changes. I've seen films that show returns to youth, such as 17 Again or do-over days like Groundhog Day, but nothing I've experienced has been quite like This Time Around. The story challenges a woman to decide what she wants in her life and what she's willing to give up for love.
Most romances involve challenges with family, career, and lifestyle. This book challenges the protagonist by posing if she could have the one who got away over life as a mother in the midst of a potential divorce. I love that Josie is an older heroine who gets the chance to relive her choices. I also love the helpful cast she befriends in her revisit to teenhood. There are such charming characters, but big decisions since her love-challenged future involves her children.
I love the pace, I love the premise, and I love the stakes. I was gripped from the start by the concept, and I really enjoyed seeing Josie battle with the choices she made before versus the ones she has the potential to make. If you want to see a woman challenged by the choice of what fulfillment she can find when life is throwing hard times at her, This Time Around is a perfect read.
Typically when I read do-over stories, they involve teenagers and are YA reads. This is the first one I've read where an adult is making the changes. I've seen films that show returns to youth, such as 17 Again or do-over days like Groundhog Day, but nothing I've experienced has been quite like This Time Around. The story challenges a woman to decide what she wants in her life and what she's willing to give up for love.
Most romances involve challenges with family, career, and lifestyle. This book challenges the protagonist by posing if she could have the one who got away over life as a mother in the midst of a potential divorce. I love that Josie is an older heroine who gets the chance to relive her choices. I also love the helpful cast she befriends in her revisit to teenhood. There are such charming characters, but big decisions since her love-challenged future involves her children.
I love the pace, I love the premise, and I love the stakes. I was gripped from the start by the concept, and I really enjoyed seeing Josie battle with the choices she made before versus the ones she has the potential to make. If you want to see a woman challenged by the choice of what fulfillment she can find when life is throwing hard times at her, This Time Around is a perfect read.
June 19, 2024
Kimberly Packard weaves a tapestry of memories, emotions, and realities in her multi-dimensional narrative of Josie Berry's life. One moment, she’s immersed in the present, and the next, she's transported back to her senior year in high school. These moments are not just revisited but reimagined with the wisdom of hindsight. Yet, the rawness of the original experiences is palpable in the vividness of friends, conversations, experiences, and emotions.
The passage of thirty years is a mere blink, a testament to the unique approach to time travel fiction in This Time Around. Josie and her friends' adult attributes are not just a result of time travel but a reflection of their teenage traits. The lens of life experiences allows Josie to review choices made or options not pursued, fostering a deeper understanding of others and concern for potential shifts in outcomes. Josie's introspection on the unchangeable parts of her life is a thought-provoking aspect that invites readers to reflect on their choices and experiences.
Snappy, endearing dialogue with contemporary terms makes the story relatable. What would you do if you could re-live your senior year of high school? How honestly would you see yourself and others? Would you change your goals or destinations? Why do some decisions from your youth plague you today? Kimberly Packard is a master storyteller who explores the love between parents, children, friends, and acquaintances in a thrilling, gripping adventure that is impossible to put down until the last line. This Time Around takes time travel romance reading to an outstanding level that will leave you breathless.
The passage of thirty years is a mere blink, a testament to the unique approach to time travel fiction in This Time Around. Josie and her friends' adult attributes are not just a result of time travel but a reflection of their teenage traits. The lens of life experiences allows Josie to review choices made or options not pursued, fostering a deeper understanding of others and concern for potential shifts in outcomes. Josie's introspection on the unchangeable parts of her life is a thought-provoking aspect that invites readers to reflect on their choices and experiences.
Snappy, endearing dialogue with contemporary terms makes the story relatable. What would you do if you could re-live your senior year of high school? How honestly would you see yourself and others? Would you change your goals or destinations? Why do some decisions from your youth plague you today? Kimberly Packard is a master storyteller who explores the love between parents, children, friends, and acquaintances in a thrilling, gripping adventure that is impossible to put down until the last line. This Time Around takes time travel romance reading to an outstanding level that will leave you breathless.
July 21, 2024
This was a very interesting read with a unique twist. It is a story of romance, lost love, fate, rediscovering yourself, and learning about consequences of your decisions. My heart went out to our main character Josie has to comes face to face with problems from her past but while she has the ability to make these right how will changing past events effect her future.
Josie is a mother and business woman. When her life feels like it's falling apart, her husband is wanting a divorce and custody of the kids and the big deal for her business falls through she ends up having a panic attack.
When she wakes up she finds herself back in time to her teenage self.
Suddenly realising she now has the opportunity to change things about her past, make things right and finally be with the man she truly loves Josie plans to do just that. However having the knowledge and experience of an older woman will she make the sensible decisions she knows she should make or will she follow her heart.
And what will happen to her future self if she makes those changes. Will she still end up married to Peter with her kids that she loves and adores or will she end up losing the one thing she loves more than anything in the world?
I really enjoyed this story and I loved the trip down memory Lane with a return to the 90s. I could really relate to Josie and I felt how hard things were for her having a choice between the person she always loved and her kids who are her world. This was a captivating read that I couldn't put down.
Josie is a mother and business woman. When her life feels like it's falling apart, her husband is wanting a divorce and custody of the kids and the big deal for her business falls through she ends up having a panic attack.
When she wakes up she finds herself back in time to her teenage self.
Suddenly realising she now has the opportunity to change things about her past, make things right and finally be with the man she truly loves Josie plans to do just that. However having the knowledge and experience of an older woman will she make the sensible decisions she knows she should make or will she follow her heart.
And what will happen to her future self if she makes those changes. Will she still end up married to Peter with her kids that she loves and adores or will she end up losing the one thing she loves more than anything in the world?
I really enjoyed this story and I loved the trip down memory Lane with a return to the 90s. I could really relate to Josie and I felt how hard things were for her having a choice between the person she always loved and her kids who are her world. This was a captivating read that I couldn't put down.
July 3, 2024
This Time Around by Kimberly Packard was such a heartwarming, enchanting modern story! This story follows Josie, a 47 year old who’s life seems to be tearing at the seems. But, before the horrible day is over, Josie is thrust back to her 17 year old self, and gets to relive her senior year of high school. It somewhat reminded me of the movie 17 again, only instead of just having a 17 year old body, Josie is reliving her senior year, but learning so much more about herself. I’m sure we have all questioned “what would we change if we could go back?” And that is the true question that drives this story… what would Josie change? And DOES she change anything once she relives what happens to be a significant year in shaping her life?
There was so much to enjoy about this book! It’s fast paced, with highly engaging characters. The story itself is very enchanting! I have to admit, I really enjoyed Josie’s relationship with her mother. These two were priceless on the page and lovely to read about. I love how Josie seems to have a new awareness about things regarding her mother, it allowed her to see and understand the choices her mom hade made.
This book was so fun! And it grasped my full attention, though it was a quick read, it was hard to put down because I so very much loved Josie’s character and I wanted to see what was going to happen to her.
I highly recommend this book! Perfect read for a summer breeze!
There was so much to enjoy about this book! It’s fast paced, with highly engaging characters. The story itself is very enchanting! I have to admit, I really enjoyed Josie’s relationship with her mother. These two were priceless on the page and lovely to read about. I love how Josie seems to have a new awareness about things regarding her mother, it allowed her to see and understand the choices her mom hade made.
This book was so fun! And it grasped my full attention, though it was a quick read, it was hard to put down because I so very much loved Josie’s character and I wanted to see what was going to happen to her.
I highly recommend this book! Perfect read for a summer breeze!
July 19, 2024
I really enjoyed this ‘what if’, second chance story and it kept me captivated throughout. Josie is given the chance for a ‘do-over’ of her teenage years, but whether she makes the same mistakes again is up to her. Josie’s life revolves around her children and her career, and is going through a divorce. When her husband threatens to take the children and then with her business at risk of failing, she suffers a panic attack. She then finds herself waking up thirty years in the past, in her teenage bedroom. She then has to relive her senior year at high school, which she found emotionally devastating the first time round. That year she cut her father out of her life, turned away the boy she loved and caused her best friend to sever ties. Josie is determined to get back to her own time and to her children. She tries to fix the mistakes she made, hoping that righting those wrongs will send her back to the present. But then she’s tempted by her high school crush to take a second chance at love. However, this may result in her losing everything she has in her future. The likeable and relatable Josie has a dilemma and I felt invested in her story. This is an enjoyable and engaging read which kept me happily turning the pages.
July 15, 2024
Kimberley Packard’s This Time Around follows forty-seven year old Josie in the midst of a divorce, and the potential loss of her company looming in the distance. Then suddenly she’s seventeen again and faced with two options; to make the same choices she made the first time around, or to fix what she deems her mistakes. It’s a bit like Look Both Ways, or a reverse 13 Going On 30. I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary figurative language, and it could come across as a little misogynistic at times, but I got really hooked into the story and cried at the ending. Her relationship with the boys, her relationship with the girls, her relationship with her parents and ex-husband and children, her reunion with Daniel, it was perfect. I recommend this book because it really makes you think about life and is genuinely inspirational. I already believed this, but it reaffirmed that you shouldn’t regret any of the decisions you make as they all lead up to where you are now, where you’re meant to be. ‘I keep to myself that a decision only looks like a mistake in close proximity. When scar tissue grows around that mistake, one starts to realize something beautiful took root.’
July 18, 2024
Josie's life couldn’t get any worse right now. A divorce on the horizon, custody battle, and her business is not doing good. It’s just one thing after another and it is taking its toll on her. She spirals into a full blown panic attack and wakes up 30 years in the past. Her senior year. Josie thinks that this is just a panic induced dream since she has a few regrets at this time including turning away the one boy who had her heart.
When Josie realizes she isn’t waking up back in the present, she decides to fix her mistakes from the past. She wants to tell Daniel how she feels but in doing so, she might erase her current life and lose her 2 kids she adores.
Who doesn’t love a time travelling trope. You’ve heard of 15 going on 30 but have you heard of 47 going on 17? Redoing your senior year in hopes of getting it right this time around. If only I could go back. I really enjoyed the main character Josie. She spent so long being a wife and mom first that she forgot what it is that she wanted in life. She may spend a lot of time inside her 17 year old body but she still has the mindset of her current age. Everyone has regrets. Only difference is Josie gets to change hers.
When Josie realizes she isn’t waking up back in the present, she decides to fix her mistakes from the past. She wants to tell Daniel how she feels but in doing so, she might erase her current life and lose her 2 kids she adores.
Who doesn’t love a time travelling trope. You’ve heard of 15 going on 30 but have you heard of 47 going on 17? Redoing your senior year in hopes of getting it right this time around. If only I could go back. I really enjoyed the main character Josie. She spent so long being a wife and mom first that she forgot what it is that she wanted in life. She may spend a lot of time inside her 17 year old body but she still has the mindset of her current age. Everyone has regrets. Only difference is Josie gets to change hers.
July 7, 2024
When I first started this this book, it seemed meh. Then I got really into it and made me think, what I would do if I was transported back to my senior year in high school? Would I make changes to affect my future self? This was a great story. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen. The story line was well written and thought out. Even though Josie made some slight adjustments that affected the future, it righted itself out in the end. She wasn’t the hormonal teenager who wasn’t thinking about anything but what she had going on in her life. She used that 40-something year old to thoughtfully make decisions. While she was dearly missing her children, you could definitely tell the shift in the book when she wasn’t as fretful over getting back to them and focused on the last couple of months of her senior year. She has the same Aubrey and Ben. Maybe even the happier ever after part. I cannot wait to see what may come next after this book. Definitely going to keep an eye out on future books.
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