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Retro
Win a free print copy of this book!
14 days and 11:58:17
50 copies available
U.S. only
An out-of-work actress gets a job as a tour guide for an ultra-luxury time travel company—only to discover her trips to the past could upend her present—in this sharp, speculative debut novel.
When Ash spots an ad for Retro during a depressing Instagram scroll—she’s in debt and unemployed; everyone else is, evidently, thriving—she’s surprised the algorithm sent it her way. She’s heard of recreational time travel, but it’s way out of her budget. Then she sees the Come away with us! We’re hiring.
So begins Ash’s life as a Time Travel Agent, leading wealthy tourists on vacations to historical hotspots. She takes bachelorette parties to live out their cowboy-romance fantasies in the Old West and throws “'20s for your twenties” birthday bashes at speakeasies; she smiles politely as rich Wall Street guys give prospecting a shot in the Gold Rush. It's all thrilling, outrageous, and totally surreal. Bygone America is just a Retro Metro ride away.
Despite Ash’s tendency toward cynicism, she finds herself swept up in her dazzling new job. Sure, Ash isn’t the actress she always dreamed she’d be. But isn’t this so much better? It’s like Ash’s life is a movie, complete with an impossible love triangle. How is she supposed to choose between her mysterious office crush and the handsome private eye pursuing her in 1937?
For the first time in years, Ash’s life feels enviable—so she’d really rather not pay attention to the strange things happening to her memory and relationships outside Retro. But as her trips threaten to unravel her real life, she confronts an unsettling “escaping” into the past was never really an escape at all.
When Ash spots an ad for Retro during a depressing Instagram scroll—she’s in debt and unemployed; everyone else is, evidently, thriving—she’s surprised the algorithm sent it her way. She’s heard of recreational time travel, but it’s way out of her budget. Then she sees the Come away with us! We’re hiring.
So begins Ash’s life as a Time Travel Agent, leading wealthy tourists on vacations to historical hotspots. She takes bachelorette parties to live out their cowboy-romance fantasies in the Old West and throws “'20s for your twenties” birthday bashes at speakeasies; she smiles politely as rich Wall Street guys give prospecting a shot in the Gold Rush. It's all thrilling, outrageous, and totally surreal. Bygone America is just a Retro Metro ride away.
Despite Ash’s tendency toward cynicism, she finds herself swept up in her dazzling new job. Sure, Ash isn’t the actress she always dreamed she’d be. But isn’t this so much better? It’s like Ash’s life is a movie, complete with an impossible love triangle. How is she supposed to choose between her mysterious office crush and the handsome private eye pursuing her in 1937?
For the first time in years, Ash’s life feels enviable—so she’d really rather not pay attention to the strange things happening to her memory and relationships outside Retro. But as her trips threaten to unravel her real life, she confronts an unsettling “escaping” into the past was never really an escape at all.
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First published June 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
June 18, 2026
Review of advance
Copy received from
NetGalley
Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein is a contemporary, character-driven story that focuses more on memory, identity, and emotional reflection than on a fast-moving plot. It follows characters who are looking back at their past choices while trying to figure out where they stand in the present.
I liked the idea behind the book and the way it explores nostalgia and how the past shapes people, but I didn’t fully connect with it. The story felt quite introspective, and at times that made it hard for me to stay emotionally invested in the characters or their journeys.
That said, the writing is strong and very atmospheric. Jessica M. Goldstein does a good job of capturing emotional shifts and the subtle dynamics between people. There are moments that feel thoughtful and well observed, especially when it comes to relationships and personal reflection.
Even though it didn’t completely work for me, I can see what it was aiming for. Readers who enjoy slower, reflective literary fiction focused on character and emotion would probably appreciate it more than I did.
Thank you NetGalley, Jessica M. Goldstein and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date: June 25th 2026
Copy received from
NetGalley
Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein is a contemporary, character-driven story that focuses more on memory, identity, and emotional reflection than on a fast-moving plot. It follows characters who are looking back at their past choices while trying to figure out where they stand in the present.
I liked the idea behind the book and the way it explores nostalgia and how the past shapes people, but I didn’t fully connect with it. The story felt quite introspective, and at times that made it hard for me to stay emotionally invested in the characters or their journeys.
That said, the writing is strong and very atmospheric. Jessica M. Goldstein does a good job of capturing emotional shifts and the subtle dynamics between people. There are moments that feel thoughtful and well observed, especially when it comes to relationships and personal reflection.
Even though it didn’t completely work for me, I can see what it was aiming for. Readers who enjoy slower, reflective literary fiction focused on character and emotion would probably appreciate it more than I did.
Thank you NetGalley, Jessica M. Goldstein and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date: June 25th 2026
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June 8, 2026Thank you Ballantine Books and Net Galley for the ARC!
Well I’m not sure how to rate this honestly. The concept is really unique, and the overall story was interesting. But this was like a buffet of story lines. A lot of different things, none of them really cooked that great, and when you’re done you realize you filled up on enough that you’re full but not really satisfied.
First, there seemed to be a lot of focus on colors. Liftoff gold was more of a main character than Ash it seemed and I’m not sure why.
There wasn’t enough of the story dealing with the trips, I wanted more of that.
So many story lines that felt just added to be added, not fully fleshed out. Even the overall story. So she had a famous movie star friend. Ok. They wrote a script that might be a movie. Ok. She had an unfortunate run in with a movie executive. Ok. She had a relationship with a man in the past. Ok. There was an influencer that had some health issues after time traveling. Ok. She was having health issues. Ok. Even the end, she got in the tomorrow train. Ok. I don’t think many of these went anywhere, or were expanded on enough.
And the ending. Cmon. I get letting the reader sometimes decide or come up with how they interpret the ending but it felt lazy. What happened to Ash? What happened to Jane? What happened to Ro? What happened to Retro? Did others remember her again?
Also, and this bothered me a bit, if she was going to stay in the past but needed to leave the embassy for other explorers what was to stop her from telling them what happened, or violently taking their pastports to get back and if they go back to the same point in time and place wouldn’t it be Ash’s past anyway?
This was probably a 2 star book but bc I love time travel and this was a new concept to me I was forgiving. But it could use a liftoff gold coating to make it better.
Well I’m not sure how to rate this honestly. The concept is really unique, and the overall story was interesting. But this was like a buffet of story lines. A lot of different things, none of them really cooked that great, and when you’re done you realize you filled up on enough that you’re full but not really satisfied.
First, there seemed to be a lot of focus on colors. Liftoff gold was more of a main character than Ash it seemed and I’m not sure why.
There wasn’t enough of the story dealing with the trips, I wanted more of that.
So many story lines that felt just added to be added, not fully fleshed out. Even the overall story. So she had a famous movie star friend. Ok. They wrote a script that might be a movie. Ok. She had an unfortunate run in with a movie executive. Ok. She had a relationship with a man in the past. Ok. There was an influencer that had some health issues after time traveling. Ok. She was having health issues. Ok. Even the end, she got in the tomorrow train. Ok. I don’t think many of these went anywhere, or were expanded on enough.
And the ending. Cmon. I get letting the reader sometimes decide or come up with how they interpret the ending but it felt lazy. What happened to Ash? What happened to Jane? What happened to Ro? What happened to Retro? Did others remember her again?
Also, and this bothered me a bit, if she was going to stay in the past but needed to leave the embassy for other explorers what was to stop her from telling them what happened, or violently taking their pastports to get back and if they go back to the same point in time and place wouldn’t it be Ash’s past anyway?
This was probably a 2 star book but bc I love time travel and this was a new concept to me I was forgiving. But it could use a liftoff gold coating to make it better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2026
I did not want this book to end, which is how I know I had to give it five stars.
It’s just such a rich story filled with three-dimensional characters and workplace dynamics that feel so true to life. I loved our flawed-yet-relatable protagonist, Ash, and I was always rooting for her and her friends. The times/places they visited in the past were both vivid and fascinating. Plot twists kept me on my toes. The time-travel “science” was easy to digest, and it never distracted from the real story — which was one of a human being wondering what life is really supposed to be about. What are memories worth? What value do we really provide to one another? How do we leave an imprint on this world?
Blown away by this debut novel. Jessica Goldstein is a star.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
It’s just such a rich story filled with three-dimensional characters and workplace dynamics that feel so true to life. I loved our flawed-yet-relatable protagonist, Ash, and I was always rooting for her and her friends. The times/places they visited in the past were both vivid and fascinating. Plot twists kept me on my toes. The time-travel “science” was easy to digest, and it never distracted from the real story — which was one of a human being wondering what life is really supposed to be about. What are memories worth? What value do we really provide to one another? How do we leave an imprint on this world?
Blown away by this debut novel. Jessica Goldstein is a star.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
March 23, 2026
I loved this.
In a world where time travel is available to the wealthy, Ash sees an ad that Retro is hiring and gets a job. She and her coworkers spend their days off time traveling for fun, and she starts a fling with a man from the 1930s and also her present-day coworker. Meanwhile the billionaire CEO has taken a special interest in her, and there is an underlying tension that something isn’t quite right at the company.
Honestly this has a little bit of everything— romance, sci-fi, historical fiction.
I hope the author writes more books because I will read them!
In a world where time travel is available to the wealthy, Ash sees an ad that Retro is hiring and gets a job. She and her coworkers spend their days off time traveling for fun, and she starts a fling with a man from the 1930s and also her present-day coworker. Meanwhile the billionaire CEO has taken a special interest in her, and there is an underlying tension that something isn’t quite right at the company.
Honestly this has a little bit of everything— romance, sci-fi, historical fiction.
I hope the author writes more books because I will read them!
June 19, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I hate to say it, but this book was just boring to me. There was SO much happening throughout the book, it felt all over the place. There were way too many side characters to keep up with. The fact that I can say I was bored with all of that is kind of sad. I was just rushing to finish it.
First we started with the long build up of Ash being down on life to eventually her getting the job to work for Retro. We learned about the job and started sending her to travel with people. I know the story needs to be set up, but it took too long in my opinion. It shouldn’t take that long to set up the premise. Then we went back and forth jumping around all over different timelines, to worrying about who Ash was going to end up with, and so much more.
I didn’t care for her relationship with Frank. I loved Miles. If he was in the book more it would have been better. I didn’t really like the nickname dollface, but it wasn’t a huge deal. At least he was an interesting character. I feel like it focused more on Frank’s relationship than with Miles, so despite me liking Miles more, the relationship seemed forced. I didn’t feel that much chemistry, between either couple to be honest. I feel like I was more told than shown. And she was playing both guys, which I thought was an interesting choice. I know it is in different periods of time, but she was still dating two people at one time basically. Miles did know about it, but still.
I liked Luca as well. His character made me laugh. I enjoyed Jane too! She really picked up for me at the end.
I didn’t really care to follow Ash. There was nothing really about her character that made me want to root for her. Some things rubbed me the wrong way, like the one scene where she said who cares if women feel like a sex object or invisible, because it isn’t that important. What a wild thing to say. I know she was talking about herself in that case, but still. Plus, I just didn’t feel very connected to her.
I thought it was good that it talked about the dangers of time travel and thought it was unique how it messed with people’s head, whether they were the ones to time travel or not.
It finally started to get good at about the 20% mark.
Ro was crazy, and it was so scary to see what he was capable of. You had to suspend your disbelief with some of his theories and practices, but that is okay.
I was so excited to finally be engaged in the rest of the book. Then boom. It just ended. No conclusion, no answers, nothing. Now I don’t always mind an open ending. Sometimes it makes sense for the story. This one was just frustrating! Not only are there a lot of characters stories that are left open ended that interacted with Ash, but we don’t even find out what happens to her! Which makes me so upset. I guess in a way it is cool for the author to leave it up to the reader to decide what happens, and I have what I think does, but to go through that whole book and build up to the end, only for it to end super abruptly, really sucked. It just made it feel like everything we went through while reading was kind of pointless. Also, Ash’s conflict at the end of the book didn’t last for very long. Not that I necessarily wanted to read more of her time there, but still. I was so panicked for her and what she was going through, only for the next page practically it started to get resolved.
This book had a really cool concept. Being able to take a train to a random point in time just willy-nilly sounds like it would be really fun to read about! This one just did not work for me at all.
I hate to say it, but this book was just boring to me. There was SO much happening throughout the book, it felt all over the place. There were way too many side characters to keep up with. The fact that I can say I was bored with all of that is kind of sad. I was just rushing to finish it.
First we started with the long build up of Ash being down on life to eventually her getting the job to work for Retro. We learned about the job and started sending her to travel with people. I know the story needs to be set up, but it took too long in my opinion. It shouldn’t take that long to set up the premise. Then we went back and forth jumping around all over different timelines, to worrying about who Ash was going to end up with, and so much more.
I didn’t care for her relationship with Frank. I loved Miles. If he was in the book more it would have been better. I didn’t really like the nickname dollface, but it wasn’t a huge deal. At least he was an interesting character. I feel like it focused more on Frank’s relationship than with Miles, so despite me liking Miles more, the relationship seemed forced. I didn’t feel that much chemistry, between either couple to be honest. I feel like I was more told than shown. And she was playing both guys, which I thought was an interesting choice. I know it is in different periods of time, but she was still dating two people at one time basically. Miles did know about it, but still.
I liked Luca as well. His character made me laugh. I enjoyed Jane too! She really picked up for me at the end.
I didn’t really care to follow Ash. There was nothing really about her character that made me want to root for her. Some things rubbed me the wrong way, like the one scene where she said who cares if women feel like a sex object or invisible, because it isn’t that important. What a wild thing to say. I know she was talking about herself in that case, but still. Plus, I just didn’t feel very connected to her.
I thought it was good that it talked about the dangers of time travel and thought it was unique how it messed with people’s head, whether they were the ones to time travel or not.
It finally started to get good at about the 20% mark.
Ro was crazy, and it was so scary to see what he was capable of. You had to suspend your disbelief with some of his theories and practices, but that is okay.
I was so excited to finally be engaged in the rest of the book. Then boom. It just ended. No conclusion, no answers, nothing. Now I don’t always mind an open ending. Sometimes it makes sense for the story. This one was just frustrating! Not only are there a lot of characters stories that are left open ended that interacted with Ash, but we don’t even find out what happens to her! Which makes me so upset. I guess in a way it is cool for the author to leave it up to the reader to decide what happens, and I have what I think does, but to go through that whole book and build up to the end, only for it to end super abruptly, really sucked. It just made it feel like everything we went through while reading was kind of pointless. Also, Ash’s conflict at the end of the book didn’t last for very long. Not that I necessarily wanted to read more of her time there, but still. I was so panicked for her and what she was going through, only for the next page practically it started to get resolved.
This book had a really cool concept. Being able to take a train to a random point in time just willy-nilly sounds like it would be really fun to read about! This one just did not work for me at all.
July 5, 2026
4.5*
Can I just say, talk about a dream job! How fun would it be to get paid (and housed!) to travel back in time with all the safeguards in place, no commitment, just a day trip? Sign me up. Ash agrees, because she signs up without much (or any, frankly) hesitation. It makes sense for her character, though. Her life feels like one giant dead end, she’s just been canned from a job she hated, her acting career is going nowhere fast while her bestie from college is walking red carpets and filming in amazing locales. She barely speaks to her parents, has no local friendships or romantic prospects… basically nothing is keeping her in the present time and place.
And the adventures truly do await! She heads back in time with her team- Luca and Jane, who she was initially worried about working with, but eventually grows to truly see as a “team”- as a sort of hospitality job. They are basically guides, there for the wealthy clients who pay a lot for the newest elitist brag- time travel. But, there are definitely secrets being kept, and much more at stake than Ash could possibly know. I absolutely devoured this book, for the time travel and the excitement, but also for the character development and relationships. Honestly, how many of us are feeling like we’re not fully living? Retro highlights social media’s influence on how we feel about ourselves and our lives, and how the grass always looks greener on someone else’s (perfectly curated to look greener) feed.
My only qualm? I have never needed a sequel so badly! Will there be one? I haven’t a clue, I could find nothing (and believe me, I tried) confirming or denying. But if the author wanted to write one, I know there’d be an audience! Also, a fun tidbit: while I was searching, I stumbled upon the author’s website, which has its own Retro site, where you can do fun things like make your own Pastport! Definitely check it out, and obviously, you’ll want to read the book, too!
Can I just say, talk about a dream job! How fun would it be to get paid (and housed!) to travel back in time with all the safeguards in place, no commitment, just a day trip? Sign me up. Ash agrees, because she signs up without much (or any, frankly) hesitation. It makes sense for her character, though. Her life feels like one giant dead end, she’s just been canned from a job she hated, her acting career is going nowhere fast while her bestie from college is walking red carpets and filming in amazing locales. She barely speaks to her parents, has no local friendships or romantic prospects… basically nothing is keeping her in the present time and place.
And the adventures truly do await! She heads back in time with her team- Luca and Jane, who she was initially worried about working with, but eventually grows to truly see as a “team”- as a sort of hospitality job. They are basically guides, there for the wealthy clients who pay a lot for the newest elitist brag- time travel. But, there are definitely secrets being kept, and much more at stake than Ash could possibly know. I absolutely devoured this book, for the time travel and the excitement, but also for the character development and relationships. Honestly, how many of us are feeling like we’re not fully living? Retro highlights social media’s influence on how we feel about ourselves and our lives, and how the grass always looks greener on someone else’s (perfectly curated to look greener) feed.
My only qualm? I have never needed a sequel so badly! Will there be one? I haven’t a clue, I could find nothing (and believe me, I tried) confirming or denying. But if the author wanted to write one, I know there’d be an audience! Also, a fun tidbit: while I was searching, I stumbled upon the author’s website, which has its own Retro site, where you can do fun things like make your own Pastport! Definitely check it out, and obviously, you’ll want to read the book, too!
Did Not Finish
April 25, 2026Just can’t read about millennials without wanting to kms sorry
June 30, 2026
*morning after edit*
The longer I dwell on the ending the more I think the author bit off more than they could chew. It built and built and then ends. I understand why it ended that way but I think with a few small changes it would have wrapped up a lot better. So I’m changing my rating from a 4 to a 3.5
* *
That was so fun but hey what was that ending, someone help. The dialog was fun and the concept was fun! I truly did not guess some of the events that unfolded so that was fun too
The longer I dwell on the ending the more I think the author bit off more than they could chew. It built and built and then ends. I understand why it ended that way but I think with a few small changes it would have wrapped up a lot better. So I’m changing my rating from a 4 to a 3.5
* *
That was so fun but hey what was that ending, someone help. The dialog was fun and the concept was fun! I truly did not guess some of the events that unfolded so that was fun too
February 24, 2026
I read Retro as a buddy read and really wanted it to click for me, but overall it fell short of my expectations.
Jessica Goldstein sets up an intriguing premise and a very specific atmosphere, but the pacing dragged for a large portion of the book. It felt like the story could have been significantly tighter, and I often found myself waiting for the plot to truly move. There’s a lot of setting and scene detail layered in, and while I can see what it was trying to establish, much of it didn’t feel essential to my experience as a reader.
The strongest element for me was Ash. Her character development is solid, and I appreciated watching her evolve from the moment she lands the job at Retro through everything that follows. That said, I wanted more depth and sharper emotional payoff. A lot happens across the timeline, and while the slow build is clearly intentional, the eventual delivery didn’t hit as hard as I expected.
It wasn’t until around the last 20% that I felt fully engaged, and by then I was wishing the earlier sections had been trimmed or given a stronger sense of forward momentum.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Goldstein, and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and shared voluntarily.
Jessica Goldstein sets up an intriguing premise and a very specific atmosphere, but the pacing dragged for a large portion of the book. It felt like the story could have been significantly tighter, and I often found myself waiting for the plot to truly move. There’s a lot of setting and scene detail layered in, and while I can see what it was trying to establish, much of it didn’t feel essential to my experience as a reader.
The strongest element for me was Ash. Her character development is solid, and I appreciated watching her evolve from the moment she lands the job at Retro through everything that follows. That said, I wanted more depth and sharper emotional payoff. A lot happens across the timeline, and while the slow build is clearly intentional, the eventual delivery didn’t hit as hard as I expected.
It wasn’t until around the last 20% that I felt fully engaged, and by then I was wishing the earlier sections had been trimmed or given a stronger sense of forward momentum.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Goldstein, and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and shared voluntarily.
June 24, 2026
••• ARC/ALC REVIEW •••
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.25 stars)
Do I recommend: I liked it! So really your call.
***Available now***
I love a good time travel story, and this one had an excellent premise. I liked it but unfortunately I felt like I didn’t know where to focus, so it’s landing at 3.25 (positive!) stars from me.
Ash lands a job at Retro, a luxury time travel agency (why go on a normal vacation when you can go BACK IN TIME?!). She soon realizes that time travel isn’t as simple as everyone has been led to believe.
This really had a lot of fun elements and moments! I liked the premise, appreciated the social commentary (spoiler alert - billionaires and men are the worst BUT YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT, YOU BEAUTIFUL GENIUS), and enjoyed stepping into the world of time travel.
Ultimately I think this book had too many elements to focus on (Her friend! Her screenplay! Her ex! Her past! Her mom! Her love interest(s)! Her friends!) that I simply lost focus. I was reeled back in at the last 10% or so, at which point I was like OKAY NOW WE HAVE A BOOK I REALLY WANT TO READ (cue Jojo singing Too Little, Too Late).
Anyway, it was a good time and I’m not mad I read it but I also will forget everything that happened and won’t use time travel to read it again for the first time, know what I mean?!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.25 stars)
Do I recommend: I liked it! So really your call.
***Available now***
I love a good time travel story, and this one had an excellent premise. I liked it but unfortunately I felt like I didn’t know where to focus, so it’s landing at 3.25 (positive!) stars from me.
Ash lands a job at Retro, a luxury time travel agency (why go on a normal vacation when you can go BACK IN TIME?!). She soon realizes that time travel isn’t as simple as everyone has been led to believe.
This really had a lot of fun elements and moments! I liked the premise, appreciated the social commentary (spoiler alert - billionaires and men are the worst BUT YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT, YOU BEAUTIFUL GENIUS), and enjoyed stepping into the world of time travel.
Ultimately I think this book had too many elements to focus on (Her friend! Her screenplay! Her ex! Her past! Her mom! Her love interest(s)! Her friends!) that I simply lost focus. I was reeled back in at the last 10% or so, at which point I was like OKAY NOW WE HAVE A BOOK I REALLY WANT TO READ (cue Jojo singing Too Little, Too Late).
Anyway, it was a good time and I’m not mad I read it but I also will forget everything that happened and won’t use time travel to read it again for the first time, know what I mean?!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
June 23, 2026
Was the plot in the room with us?
June 30, 2026
I loved every second of this! It took a turn I never expected. Set in a world where time travel is commercialized - hop on a train to check out the Wild West, hang out at a 2000's mall or get drunk at a speakeasy. It is definitely slower paced at first, but it is a cool concept and so well executed. It was not sciencey at all and it was mostly focused on the behind the scenes and the employees’ lifes of the time travel agency. I loved the writing and how much detail and research was put into the story. Ash (a fellow overthinker 🤝) and her co-workers will stick with me!
Thank you to Ballantine books for the gifted review copy.
Thank you to Ballantine books for the gifted review copy.
June 30, 2026
This is a tentative 4, I really liked the concept and the writing was well done but I think this book had a slight structural issue. The 1st and last quarters are great but there’s about 200 pages on the middle where it lags.
SPOILERS
Bring the ending up and expand on her being stuck in the past and then her going to the future and I think we would have a 5 star read on ours hands.
However that being said I really did like the observations made by the main character and her lost self deprecating approach.
SPOILERS
Bring the ending up and expand on her being stuck in the past and then her going to the future and I think we would have a 5 star read on ours hands.
However that being said I really did like the observations made by the main character and her lost self deprecating approach.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2026
Typical millenial fiction featuring a rudderless urban transplant whose deep interiority belies a complete lack of self- and social-awareness. The well-meaning author’s note seems to describe a book completely different than the one they wrote. This is an uninteresting and unexciting slog. Fans of recent, similarly bland fare like The Ministry of Time and Yesteryear may enjoy this book, but I think it’s probably worse than both. I’d like to propose a ten-year moratorium on all novels written by individuals born between say 1987 and 1997.
April 22, 2026
This was really different and I loved the dose of magical realism. Juicy reading about rich people wanting to time travel and seeing the potential fallout - feels like a future that could be not too far away?
June 29, 2026
Extremely well written but not all it could be: I was swept in immediately by the reality of the characters, places, the heroine’s inner thoughts, the way people behave. This realism grounded the fantasy of the setting and worked beautifully until close to the end when the story shifted in a way that didn’t make sense for the characters nor the plot but did make sense for the author’s overarching thesis. I read books for character driven stories, so this was a disappointment.
You also have to overlook a massive plot hole throughout which is if the CEO can go back and forth in time, which he could use to make himself the richest man in the world without the hard work of building a whole company, why is he bothering with building that company? He is little more than a (deftly done) caracature, so we’ll never know.
Reader warnings: There’s a lot of drinking and some smoking in this book, a memory of a past SA, and it ends as a cliffhanger (this is not intended as a series, it’s a deliberate unresolved cliff.)
You also have to overlook a massive plot hole throughout which is if the CEO can go back and forth in time, which he could use to make himself the richest man in the world without the hard work of building a whole company, why is he bothering with building that company? He is little more than a (deftly done) caracature, so we’ll never know.
Reader warnings: There’s a lot of drinking and some smoking in this book, a memory of a past SA, and it ends as a cliffhanger (this is not intended as a series, it’s a deliberate unresolved cliff.)
July 6, 2026
Cool concept, but did not work completely for me. A few too many plot holes (and some weird pro-gun stuff???) and the ending was disappointing.
Ashley, a failed actress, turns to working as a tour guide for a time travel agency. Her clients are the ultra rich, her boss is a billionaire, nothing they are doing is safe.
Ashley, a failed actress, turns to working as a tour guide for a time travel agency. Her clients are the ultra rich, her boss is a billionaire, nothing they are doing is safe.
Did Not Finish
June 17, 2026This sounds so intriguing but I couldn't get into it. Might try again eventually. This is an arc and the book releases next week.
June 26, 2026
A unique version of a time travel tale... a bit heavy on the exposition at the beginning, and weirdly casual about the actual traveling into the past. But a quite enjoyable story overall.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Retro follows Ash who desperately wants to be an actress but it hasn’t worked out and she has given up when she sees an ad for Retro. Retro is a company that discovered time travel and hires time travels agents as guides to lead wealthy people on tours to the past. They travel to historic events in American history on the Retro Metro and the guides help the wealthy to blend in with the time period and locals. Ash is soon hired by Retro as with her acting background she is the perfect fit to host bachelorette parties in the Old West and take Wall Street men to the Gold Rush. Ash is having the time of her life at Retro as the agents get to time travel wherever they want when they are not hosting tours. Ash gets to go to Woodstock and even starts a relationship with a man in 1937. The time travel agents are told there are no problems with time travel and that the timeline is stable but Ash starts to have glitches in her memory and her relationships in the present are not what they once where. Ash begins to suspect something is wrong despite Retro claiming the timeline is stable and she wonders if it’s safe to continue time travelling and escaping reality.
I really loved this novel and I’m giving this five stars. It was absolutely amazing and I loved every second. I love media about time travel and I love what this book did with the time travel. The science behind time travel is not really explained in this book and it’s very much vibes based as the characters time travel essentially by special trains. The time travel by Retro is exclusive to American history and I just found this whole book fascinating. I enjoyed following Ash as a main character and experiencing the different places with her. I do tend to love historical settings so I really liked the places in America that Ash traveled to especially 1937 where she met Frank. There is a twist in this book that shocked me and I really liked it. This also felt very realistic to me because if time travel was real, wealthy people would definitely treat it like they do in this book. They treat it as normal and forget how amazing it actually is. The wealthy people treat it as if it is a fun day out when in reality each time period they travel to is full of hardship which Ash experiences when she travels to the 1800s.
There are some interesting things regarding the impact of time travel that I found really intriguing and made me question if/how time travel could ever work with the impact it has on the real people in the past with the time travel agents having actual relationships with them. This book also considers the norms of each time period and discusses how people behave differently, for example, the way some people in the past would be deemed racist/misogynistic today. This book is absolute perfection and I had the best time reading this. It’s been over a week since I finished this and I’m still thinking about it. This is definitely one of my top reads of the year and I will be recommending this to everyone I know.
Retro follows Ash who desperately wants to be an actress but it hasn’t worked out and she has given up when she sees an ad for Retro. Retro is a company that discovered time travel and hires time travels agents as guides to lead wealthy people on tours to the past. They travel to historic events in American history on the Retro Metro and the guides help the wealthy to blend in with the time period and locals. Ash is soon hired by Retro as with her acting background she is the perfect fit to host bachelorette parties in the Old West and take Wall Street men to the Gold Rush. Ash is having the time of her life at Retro as the agents get to time travel wherever they want when they are not hosting tours. Ash gets to go to Woodstock and even starts a relationship with a man in 1937. The time travel agents are told there are no problems with time travel and that the timeline is stable but Ash starts to have glitches in her memory and her relationships in the present are not what they once where. Ash begins to suspect something is wrong despite Retro claiming the timeline is stable and she wonders if it’s safe to continue time travelling and escaping reality.
I really loved this novel and I’m giving this five stars. It was absolutely amazing and I loved every second. I love media about time travel and I love what this book did with the time travel. The science behind time travel is not really explained in this book and it’s very much vibes based as the characters time travel essentially by special trains. The time travel by Retro is exclusive to American history and I just found this whole book fascinating. I enjoyed following Ash as a main character and experiencing the different places with her. I do tend to love historical settings so I really liked the places in America that Ash traveled to especially 1937 where she met Frank. There is a twist in this book that shocked me and I really liked it. This also felt very realistic to me because if time travel was real, wealthy people would definitely treat it like they do in this book. They treat it as normal and forget how amazing it actually is. The wealthy people treat it as if it is a fun day out when in reality each time period they travel to is full of hardship which Ash experiences when she travels to the 1800s.
There are some interesting things regarding the impact of time travel that I found really intriguing and made me question if/how time travel could ever work with the impact it has on the real people in the past with the time travel agents having actual relationships with them. This book also considers the norms of each time period and discusses how people behave differently, for example, the way some people in the past would be deemed racist/misogynistic today. This book is absolute perfection and I had the best time reading this. It’s been over a week since I finished this and I’m still thinking about it. This is definitely one of my top reads of the year and I will be recommending this to everyone I know.
June 28, 2026
I loved Retro!! Such an amazing adventure!! Loved all the references and travel to times and places we all have a shared American history!! It’s so good!! A joy to read!!
July 4, 2026
This was a really engaging story up to the end, but I feel like the FMC never really learned or resolved anything.
June 21, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
First, thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC of this book.
Jessica Goldstein has a masterpiece on her hands, here. The world building, the lore, the vibes, all spectacular. The story is so unique and different, taking the idea of time travel and making it feel like something brand new. It’s snarky and funny, it’s heartbreaking and heartfelt, and it’s a commentary about so much of our present.
This book is BONKERS and I am genuinely obsessed. My only criticism is I wanted about 10 more chapters. I would love to see a sequel or more stories from this same universe!
I want to keep this as spoiler free as possible because I think this book benefits from going in somewhat blind, but definitely give it a chance.
First, thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC of this book.
Jessica Goldstein has a masterpiece on her hands, here. The world building, the lore, the vibes, all spectacular. The story is so unique and different, taking the idea of time travel and making it feel like something brand new. It’s snarky and funny, it’s heartbreaking and heartfelt, and it’s a commentary about so much of our present.
This book is BONKERS and I am genuinely obsessed. My only criticism is I wanted about 10 more chapters. I would love to see a sequel or more stories from this same universe!
I want to keep this as spoiler free as possible because I think this book benefits from going in somewhat blind, but definitely give it a chance.
June 21, 2026
If you only read one book this year, read this one! This is an absolutely amazing novel which tackles themes of identity, self-fulfillment, friendship and technological advancement all wrapped up in an incredibly interesting and engaging story. The plot is wholly original and deftly handled. There is definitely something that will resonate with everyone.
May 24, 2026
I found this book fascinating! I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.
This is a speculative novel, bordering on sci-fi but also with a look to literary fiction. It’s so close to reality, just a gentle step away from what we have now. We follow an actress whose career isn’t going as well as she had hoped so she takes a job at the eponymous retro. This is a travel company that takes people back in time so they can vacation at specific historical events and periods. There is a bit of a West World vibe here but it still managed to be its own unique story, exploring this concept in a very different way.
The main character immerses herself in this new technology, dipping back to time periods to reconnect with a person of interest, travelling with her colleagues as requested. But it takes its toll and she starts to have unexpected side effects.
I loved the cleverness of this novel, it never felt out of reach, only a small step from reality. I think this is achieved through how character focussed the book is. We don’t really get a huge amount of in-depth explanation on the tech, but we learn it as the main character does, seeing their reaction as they learn more.
The novel went in a direction I didn’t expect. I felt slightly betrayed by this due to my investment in a certain storyline, but I completely understood the necessity and the ending was satisfying. An impressive read.
This is a speculative novel, bordering on sci-fi but also with a look to literary fiction. It’s so close to reality, just a gentle step away from what we have now. We follow an actress whose career isn’t going as well as she had hoped so she takes a job at the eponymous retro. This is a travel company that takes people back in time so they can vacation at specific historical events and periods. There is a bit of a West World vibe here but it still managed to be its own unique story, exploring this concept in a very different way.
The main character immerses herself in this new technology, dipping back to time periods to reconnect with a person of interest, travelling with her colleagues as requested. But it takes its toll and she starts to have unexpected side effects.
I loved the cleverness of this novel, it never felt out of reach, only a small step from reality. I think this is achieved through how character focussed the book is. We don’t really get a huge amount of in-depth explanation on the tech, but we learn it as the main character does, seeing their reaction as they learn more.
The novel went in a direction I didn’t expect. I felt slightly betrayed by this due to my investment in a certain storyline, but I completely understood the necessity and the ending was satisfying. An impressive read.
June 26, 2026
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early review copy.
I enjoyed this and I really liked the writing. I'm excited to see what she publishes next!
But I got a bit antsy in the beginning, because Ash is one of those characters who just sort of lets life happen to her. She doesn't ask questions, she doesn't research, she bluffs her way through. If someone asks her a question, she just shrugs and says "sure" even if she has no idea what they're talking about. Take some ownership of your life!! Make informed choices, PLEASE! The unknown facets of her new job were perhaps meant to add plot tension, but it just annoyed me and made me NOT want to read.
Even more annoying, it quickly becomes clear that Ash is That Special Girl and every man who meets her is instantly, inexplicably, fascinated with her. The Tech Bro head of the company, Ro, is fascinated with her. The mysterious Tech Bro guy who works in the basement, Miles, is fascinated with her. The PI she meets in 1937, Frank, is fascinated with her. Each one of these guys seems to develop an instant fixation. Why? The only men she interacts with who do NOT immediately fall all over themselves for her are gay.
Note: all of this is intentional. Goldstein has a plan.
At some point in the middle, I realized I was actually bored. How can a time travel novel be boring? I don't know. This story had both too much detail, and not enough detail. The things I wanted to know more about were glossed over or ignored, and things that did not feel important to me were described in endless detail. I'm glad I kept reading, though.
Certain things (à la "Chekhov's gun") are mentioned that seemed to have no reason to exist other than to serve as foreshadowing, so I waited with some anticipation to see how that would all come together. It does eventually all come together in the end, and the things that were annoying me play a key role in the plot. I wish Goldstein had found another way to get there, because the end was surprising and satisfying, but it's hard to shake my annoyance at everything I had to wade through before in order to get to that point. But, honestly, I cannot think of another way. All that stuff that came first was necessary. (Well, maybe SOME of the details about her trips could have been removed.)
The ending was open-ended, leaving it up to the reader to decide what happens next. I'm not super fond of that sort of ending, but I know many readers love it. It leaves things open for a sequel, and if that happens, I'm so HERE for it. Despite all my annoyance in the middle of the book, I found the entire thing very satisfying.
words I looked up:
* epistaxis - medical term for a nosebleed
* aprosexia is an abnormal, severe inability to sustain attention or concentrate.
* lambent - giving off a soft, flickering, or gentle glow (I actually knew this one, but I looked it up anyway)
* minacious - threatening or of a menacing character (obvious from context so I really didn't need to look it up)
* red sauce joint - this is a phrase that I've never heard before, but I immediately knew what it meant. I found a reddit thread with a lot of energetic responses saying they'd never heard this phrase before in their lives. Consensus seems to be that it started with food writers (possibly Anthony Bourdain) and spread to social media influencers. I guess it's fair enough for a present day time traveler to use this phrase in 1983 NJ. But no average New Jerseyite in 1983 NJ was using it, I can attest to that!
I enjoyed this and I really liked the writing. I'm excited to see what she publishes next!
But I got a bit antsy in the beginning, because Ash is one of those characters who just sort of lets life happen to her. She doesn't ask questions, she doesn't research, she bluffs her way through. If someone asks her a question, she just shrugs and says "sure" even if she has no idea what they're talking about. Take some ownership of your life!! Make informed choices, PLEASE! The unknown facets of her new job were perhaps meant to add plot tension, but it just annoyed me and made me NOT want to read.
Even more annoying, it quickly becomes clear that Ash is That Special Girl and every man who meets her is instantly, inexplicably, fascinated with her. The Tech Bro head of the company, Ro, is fascinated with her. The mysterious Tech Bro guy who works in the basement, Miles, is fascinated with her. The PI she meets in 1937, Frank, is fascinated with her. Each one of these guys seems to develop an instant fixation. Why? The only men she interacts with who do NOT immediately fall all over themselves for her are gay.
Note: all of this is intentional. Goldstein has a plan.
At some point in the middle, I realized I was actually bored. How can a time travel novel be boring? I don't know. This story had both too much detail, and not enough detail. The things I wanted to know more about were glossed over or ignored, and things that did not feel important to me were described in endless detail. I'm glad I kept reading, though.
Certain things (à la "Chekhov's gun") are mentioned that seemed to have no reason to exist other than to serve as foreshadowing, so I waited with some anticipation to see how that would all come together. It does eventually all come together in the end, and the things that were annoying me play a key role in the plot. I wish Goldstein had found another way to get there, because the end was surprising and satisfying, but it's hard to shake my annoyance at everything I had to wade through before in order to get to that point. But, honestly, I cannot think of another way. All that stuff that came first was necessary. (Well, maybe SOME of the details about her trips could have been removed.)
The ending was open-ended, leaving it up to the reader to decide what happens next. I'm not super fond of that sort of ending, but I know many readers love it. It leaves things open for a sequel, and if that happens, I'm so HERE for it. Despite all my annoyance in the middle of the book, I found the entire thing very satisfying.
words I looked up:
* epistaxis - medical term for a nosebleed
* aprosexia is an abnormal, severe inability to sustain attention or concentrate.
* lambent - giving off a soft, flickering, or gentle glow (I actually knew this one, but I looked it up anyway)
* minacious - threatening or of a menacing character (obvious from context so I really didn't need to look it up)
* red sauce joint - this is a phrase that I've never heard before, but I immediately knew what it meant. I found a reddit thread with a lot of energetic responses saying they'd never heard this phrase before in their lives. Consensus seems to be that it started with food writers (possibly Anthony Bourdain) and spread to social media influencers. I guess it's fair enough for a present day time traveler to use this phrase in 1983 NJ. But no average New Jerseyite in 1983 NJ was using it, I can attest to that!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Huzzah! Although this is not a perfect piece of speculative fiction, it’s absolutely the book that Caro Claire Burke’s
Yesteryear
should have been, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. After failing to make it as an actress, Ash takes a job at a commercial time travel company, Retro, that sells trips into the past to its wealthy customers, complete with add-on experiences (want to play-act at being a damsel in distress in the Wild West? Retro will have you tied to the train tracks with slipknots). Jessica M. Goldstein spends much of Retro simply exploring the world of this company and its excursions, which I felt, on the whole, was a great choice; the premise is so rich, and I’ve read too much speculative fiction that launches into plot without giving itself space to think more carefully. It also allows her to develop Ash’s character more deeply. It slowly becomes apparent that Retro is set in an alternative version of the 2010s rather than in the present-day or the near-future, another clever authorial decision that allows Goldstein to explore how we romanticise the very recent past. Ash was born in 1986 and ends up exploring the early 00s malls of her teens with a nostalgic friend: ‘She wanted to slide into the Photo Booth at the Limited Too and press her cheek right up against Ash’s and leave with sticker sheets of pictures of their faces smushed together in frames of fluorescent flowers.’
On the surface, therefore, Ash looks like another messy millennial, but there’s a specificity to her problems that moved her out of that category for me (and frankly it’s just more interesting reading about somebody who works in time travel than in, for example, content moderation, as in Elaine Castillo’s excellent Moderation, which shares some DNA with this novel). Ash’s history as an actress informs how she relates to Retro, and how she increasingly struggles to feel alive in the present; a birthday trip back to prehistoric Manhattan cements her sense of being out of time, or what the novel calls ‘déjà encore’: ‘A turtle made its leisurely passage along the mucky brim of the water towards a flotilla of water lilies whose pink petals yawned open towards the sun. Ash let her fingers graze the water as a flat, silvery fish flitted past’. Still, she can’t scrub her mind of its accumulation of contemporary references: ‘It looked like… the cover of a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper’. As this suggests, Retro does what Yesteryear promised to do but didn’t: explore why we so desperately want to return to an imagined pre-modern past, and then pick at the ways in which our ideas of that past are just plain wrong (Ash is dismayed to find cowboy tat on sale in mid-nineteenth-century Texas: ‘I guess I just thought we were going back for the real thing… What is all this based on if there isn’t something real somewhere?’) It’s a shame that a promising plot thread that would have let Goldstein explore these themes more thoroughly is introduced in the final few chapters then wrapped up too quickly, but I loved the actual ending.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
On the surface, therefore, Ash looks like another messy millennial, but there’s a specificity to her problems that moved her out of that category for me (and frankly it’s just more interesting reading about somebody who works in time travel than in, for example, content moderation, as in Elaine Castillo’s excellent Moderation, which shares some DNA with this novel). Ash’s history as an actress informs how she relates to Retro, and how she increasingly struggles to feel alive in the present; a birthday trip back to prehistoric Manhattan cements her sense of being out of time, or what the novel calls ‘déjà encore’: ‘A turtle made its leisurely passage along the mucky brim of the water towards a flotilla of water lilies whose pink petals yawned open towards the sun. Ash let her fingers graze the water as a flat, silvery fish flitted past’. Still, she can’t scrub her mind of its accumulation of contemporary references: ‘It looked like… the cover of a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper’. As this suggests, Retro does what Yesteryear promised to do but didn’t: explore why we so desperately want to return to an imagined pre-modern past, and then pick at the ways in which our ideas of that past are just plain wrong (Ash is dismayed to find cowboy tat on sale in mid-nineteenth-century Texas: ‘I guess I just thought we were going back for the real thing… What is all this based on if there isn’t something real somewhere?’) It’s a shame that a promising plot thread that would have let Goldstein explore these themes more thoroughly is introduced in the final few chapters then wrapped up too quickly, but I loved the actual ending.
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Retro by Jessica M. Goldstein immediately sucks you in with an unmistakable strength and voice. the main character, Ash, is an archetype for the angst felt almost universally today by late gen z'ers/early millennials (zillennials, anyone? 😉): the dread of dead-end job after dead-end job; having yet to find your passion, or worse — having found it and not achieving success with it; the insurmountable student loans and impossibility of the elusive american dream; the constant barrage of social media and inundation that everyone else your age seems to be making more money, traveling more often, and overall having more fun. when Ash loses yet another job, all of these feelings are magnified. enter: Retro, a time travel agency that allows its wealthy customers to experience history since before humanity as we know it existed, who happens to be hiring.
i loved reading about the expected destinations Ash and her coworkers, as well as guests, would choose to travel — Woodstock, Studio 54, the Wild West — but also the more mundane yet overwhelmingly nostalgic places like an early 2000s mall. this book weaves history into present day seamlessly and effortlessly inspired me to learn more about America's past. it also had me reflecting on experiences of my own that may have seemed small and maybe even insignificant at the time, but that i would go back to if given the chance.
what i think Retro conveys implicitly yet beautifully is the weighing of romanticizing days gone by with enjoying present day. while much of the book is spent on luxurious trips to when (not where!) life was completely different — vast, unpolluted skies, prices so low your head would spin, the freedom living without constant documentation allows — everyone always chooses to come back to the comforts of modern day. there can't be progress without change.
another theme that stood out to me is the promise and perceived infallibility of technology. unfortunately, i don't think there is one technology out there that has not backfired to some degree. while we all can't live without our cellphones and appreciate the connectedness they facilitate, what do we give up or risk losing entirely in the process? the same can be said about cars, flying, microwaves, air conditioning, you name it. nothing is without its drawbacks, unlike the mega-rich tech giant CEOs of these companies would like you to believe. Retro's CEO embodies this wholly, and his particular interest in Ash and deliberate ambiguity about the company adds a suspense and discomfort to what would otherwise be a lighthearted, burning the disco down reading experience.
this would've been 5 stars but there were moments in the middle where the pacing felt a bit slow. i would not be surprised if i come back and revise this to 5 stars after not being able to stop thinking about it the rest of the summer, or beyond. this has a glowing recommendation from me.
thank you to netgalley and ballantine books for an arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
i loved reading about the expected destinations Ash and her coworkers, as well as guests, would choose to travel — Woodstock, Studio 54, the Wild West — but also the more mundane yet overwhelmingly nostalgic places like an early 2000s mall. this book weaves history into present day seamlessly and effortlessly inspired me to learn more about America's past. it also had me reflecting on experiences of my own that may have seemed small and maybe even insignificant at the time, but that i would go back to if given the chance.
what i think Retro conveys implicitly yet beautifully is the weighing of romanticizing days gone by with enjoying present day. while much of the book is spent on luxurious trips to when (not where!) life was completely different — vast, unpolluted skies, prices so low your head would spin, the freedom living without constant documentation allows — everyone always chooses to come back to the comforts of modern day. there can't be progress without change.
another theme that stood out to me is the promise and perceived infallibility of technology. unfortunately, i don't think there is one technology out there that has not backfired to some degree. while we all can't live without our cellphones and appreciate the connectedness they facilitate, what do we give up or risk losing entirely in the process? the same can be said about cars, flying, microwaves, air conditioning, you name it. nothing is without its drawbacks, unlike the mega-rich tech giant CEOs of these companies would like you to believe. Retro's CEO embodies this wholly, and his particular interest in Ash and deliberate ambiguity about the company adds a suspense and discomfort to what would otherwise be a lighthearted, burning the disco down reading experience.
this would've been 5 stars but there were moments in the middle where the pacing felt a bit slow. i would not be surprised if i come back and revise this to 5 stars after not being able to stop thinking about it the rest of the summer, or beyond. this has a glowing recommendation from me.
thank you to netgalley and ballantine books for an arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 rounded up to 4.
I think the author wanted Ash to come across as more Gen Z maybe? But she feels firmly millenial to me. She's an out of work admin who used to be an actress, once. In desperation, she fills out an application to Retro and is surprised to be hired. Perhaps the reason is that Ash's self-loathing and lack of center come through in the application, because she's essentially being hired to pretend all the time.
Retro is quite the place! It's got its own trademarked signature color, a rich Liftoff Gold. It's described as Klimt-esque. It has a costume department, a medical bay, dorms (Ash's room is pure 1920's glam), tech repair and a fixer for any time mishaps. What could these mishaps be? The author avoids the butterfly effect entirely: you can pretty much do whatever you want and the timeline won't be affected because most people simply don't matter that much to the timeline.
One of the least believable parts of the book for me is that the Retro time travel technology seems to be purely used for luxury tourism. Ash is a guide for bachelorette parties in 19th century North Dakota who want a cowgirl experience, bachelor parties who want to experience the 1960's Woodstock, men who want to bond with their sons in the unexplored wilderness of America past. One disappointment for me: time travel only went back about 400 years and only to America. People want to party in the Roaring 20's. They want to see Golden Age Hollywood up close. What would you do? What would you want to see?
Ash drinks all the Koolaid that Retro gives her and so we don't really get to see much beyond what she notices. She has a dim feeling that she and the other employees are being kept distracted and busy, but why? She finds she's got a talent for improvisation in crisis situations and that she can slip into alternate personas easily. She's finally found a fit for herself. And it's GRIM, the work world out there, so she very much wants to keep her fun and exciting job.
What I liked most about the book was the vibe of it. One of the characters says that "everyone is nostalgic for something" and the author certainly is able to evoke that feeling. I'm not young anymore and I got nostalgic for the feeling of being young and untethered and open to whatever marvelous things came next.
The characters are nostalgic too. Ash's co-workers want to revisit certain places again and again. One craves the danger of Action Park (look it up, it's worth it). When another feels overly stressed, all she wants to do is hit an early 90's mall, get a pretzel and Orange Julius, and watch the teens who are the age she was in the 90's go by. I get it, for real.
I had my theories about where all this was going. I was only off by a bit!
I think the author wanted Ash to come across as more Gen Z maybe? But she feels firmly millenial to me. She's an out of work admin who used to be an actress, once. In desperation, she fills out an application to Retro and is surprised to be hired. Perhaps the reason is that Ash's self-loathing and lack of center come through in the application, because she's essentially being hired to pretend all the time.
Retro is quite the place! It's got its own trademarked signature color, a rich Liftoff Gold. It's described as Klimt-esque. It has a costume department, a medical bay, dorms (Ash's room is pure 1920's glam), tech repair and a fixer for any time mishaps. What could these mishaps be? The author avoids the butterfly effect entirely: you can pretty much do whatever you want and the timeline won't be affected because most people simply don't matter that much to the timeline.
One of the least believable parts of the book for me is that the Retro time travel technology seems to be purely used for luxury tourism. Ash is a guide for bachelorette parties in 19th century North Dakota who want a cowgirl experience, bachelor parties who want to experience the 1960's Woodstock, men who want to bond with their sons in the unexplored wilderness of America past. One disappointment for me: time travel only went back about 400 years and only to America. People want to party in the Roaring 20's. They want to see Golden Age Hollywood up close. What would you do? What would you want to see?
Ash drinks all the Koolaid that Retro gives her and so we don't really get to see much beyond what she notices. She has a dim feeling that she and the other employees are being kept distracted and busy, but why? She finds she's got a talent for improvisation in crisis situations and that she can slip into alternate personas easily. She's finally found a fit for herself. And it's GRIM, the work world out there, so she very much wants to keep her fun and exciting job.
What I liked most about the book was the vibe of it. One of the characters says that "everyone is nostalgic for something" and the author certainly is able to evoke that feeling. I'm not young anymore and I got nostalgic for the feeling of being young and untethered and open to whatever marvelous things came next.
The characters are nostalgic too. Ash's co-workers want to revisit certain places again and again. One craves the danger of Action Park (look it up, it's worth it). When another feels overly stressed, all she wants to do is hit an early 90's mall, get a pretzel and Orange Julius, and watch the teens who are the age she was in the 90's go by. I get it, for real.
I had my theories about where all this was going. I was only off by a bit!
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