Time After Time

by Sue Haasler

Remember the eighties? The batwing jumpers, the puffball skirts, the dragged-through-a hedge-backwards hair? Cass Thomson does – from the heavy eyeliner to the hits of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran, it all feels like yesterday…Cass is intrigued and a little frightened by the invitation asking her to a school reunion. If she goes, there’s the possibility that she’ll meet Gideon Harker, the boy Cass adored from the age of thirteen with the desperate intensity of first love. From his bleach-blond hair to his punk boots, Gideon was her ideal man, and she’s never met anyone to match him, not even now that she’s running a minor stately home and perfectly content with her sports journalist boyfriend, Greg. It’s dangerous to go back and see what might have what if Gideon is no longer the romantic, soul-searching, green-eyed charmer she remembers, but a balding, beer-bellied, nine-to-fiver? But Cass just can’t help herself…

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Humor

Paperback

First published August 1, 2002

About the author

I'm a British author of contemporary and (recent) historical fiction, but have recently taken a detour into non-fiction by writing the official BBC Holby City tie-in book, 'Holby City: Behind the Screen.'

My new novel 'Half A World Away' (set in East Berlin before the Wall came down) is published by The Dome Press.

I'm currently working on a mystery/thriller set in the fashion world of 1960s London.

Reviews

[Christine Blanksvard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blast from the past... back to the 80's with reunions, high school drama and music.... ( I too thought Gary Newman was cute!)

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, light romance stuffed with nods to '80s music. It takes a lot of willing suspension of disbelief to get through the non-romantic bits, but all-in-all, it's a fun trip down memory lane.

[Aria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the earlier books i've picked when I was younger. The plot is laidback nonetheless it has a very nostalgic feel to it that makes you reminisce the time of your first love. It reminds me of my first love, whom until now will always have that special place in my heart. Gideon was alot like him, unpredictable, brilliant and simply beautiful. I could relate to how the female leads thought of admiration on him. Even though I wasn't born in the 80s, the story still connects to me in terms of the romance.I actually teared up at the last part of the story, I often wish I could have that kind of ending as well but even if I don't get it, I just pray i'll still have an ending as beautiful as that.


It may not be the most exciting story you'll ever read but it has its sentiments and the strong message that came through: love knows not what time is.

You'll always have that one person tugging in your heartstrings every time you see him. Your first love :)

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It was a fast, breezy read that was totally amusing if you are old enough to remember the 80's. It always fascinates me as well how different British english is from American. It truly is a different culture. I liked the main characters and it ended well. Good summer reading!

[Chanele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was nothing but fun. It served as a reminder of the giddiness of first loves and that maybe nothing is impossible. It's a must-read for anyone who likes light-hearted romance - and 80s music!!

[Cherrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book that I could not put down!!! Love how she used song titles from the 80s as titles for her chapters. A lot of the songs brought back memories of my own. Perfect read if you were in jr. high or high school in the 80s!!

[Meredith Hines-Dochterman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book; I really, really did. It has everything! The one who got away coupled with 80s references galore, but I never really clicked with Cass. Luckily, there's a mixtape for to help me through my sadness.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for anyone that graduated in the 80's and loved music like "The Cure"
The story of Cass and Gideon is so romantic.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It brought back some fun memories of the good old 80's. It's a fun story and makes you think about your high school years and first crushes.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
I thought this book was really neat because it takes you back to the time you was in high school and what had in high school. For example the drama, the love for someone, the break ups and the list goes on and on. I have never read a book that actually thought of things the way this book does and the feeling of all that. It tells you that high school is not all of those things and it is about having fun with your friends and getting your work done. I really loved this message and the purpose of this book. There should be more books like this one.

[Martin Rinehart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cyndi Lauper's album, She's So Unusual was released in late 1983. It featured four songs that would become hit singles, including Time After Time, released January 27, 1984.

Contrary to Lauper's appearance (she made 'punk' mainstream), TAT is a sweet love song.

"If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time"

Haasler's book is also a sweet love song.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meeting your highschool sweetheart at the class reunion and falling in love again … except, he doesn’t show up.
Even though the plot follows the regular line of romantic stories, it just didn’t catch me. The characters were kind of flat and their love story didn’t take up enough speed.
It was a nice story but not more.

[Bethany Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute easy read. I’m a 90’s baby so the 80’s references were a little lost on me

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

British humor and lots of flashbacks to a the quirky 1980s music and fashion. Cass has a the job of her dreams trying to save 17th century hall museum and a less than attentive boyfriend sports journalist. She yearns for more as she seeks to reconnect with her first love Gideon successful trader turned hermit surfer. Will Cass save the museum from the greedy uncaring city council with the help of Gideon and the dedicated group of geriatric crusaders? Will Gideon escape from fraud charges? Will they take a chance on love and build beyond their teenage romance?
+ British humor
+ blast from the past 1980s song, fashion and cultural references throughout the book
+ surfing & English Devon beach descriptions
+ written around 2000going back and forth between that time and the 1980s high school years- no ubiquitous smart phones or computers characters have to talk in person and search for info from other people and paperwork

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book way okay. The beginning just took too long to get into the story. There was a lot of time spent on the reunion, and I felt like I would if I went with a friend to their high school reunion, just not that interested in all the descriptions of people. I also didn't find that the reunion had much to do with the rest of the story at all. I liked the 80's references, and the end 1/3 of the book was good.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a cute story about a girl who always wondered what happened to her High School love bc she still loves him. Those parts of the story and their romance were well developed and enjoyable. The parts about her regular life and the museum / house she's trying to save we're more boring to me, so I give this book 3 stars.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off a little slow for me at first. I kinda had to force myself to get into it and after a while I was a tad bit more interested but not enough to where I was looking forward to picking it up again.

Didn't really strike my interest like alot of the other books I've read.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent romance, mostly fluff plus 80s nostalgia. The author definitely tried to make the plot meatier and also gave the characters some decent backstory so they weren't cardboard cutouts.

Would read other books by this author. Light, quick read.

[Andrea Krivak · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked all the 80's references, the story itself felt a little like Bridget Jones, but not as good humor. Girl chasing after boy, boy not treating her right, life falls apart but somehow things all turn out all right in the end.

[Marykay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light romance; fairly predictable; like stories set in England

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice book, fairly captivating. I certainly wanted to read it until the end. The character sort of reminded me of Diary of Bridget Jones.

[Joan Horkey]

Fun and cute.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think you have to be into the 1980s to like this book. It was slow and almost entirely predicable.

[Alexandria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't read it all the way through. I felt like there wasn't much of a story. I skipped around a lot before I decided to just stop reading it.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw the jelly bracelets on the cover, I couldn't resist. This is a fun, happy romance without the usual romance novel stupidity. Good times.

[Biliwiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, well-written, easy to read story that won't tax your brain. A couple of typos, but nothing too distracting. Kept me turning the pages.

[Abigail Deeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. Characters were lovable and I could identify with the 80s references with smiles and cringes of equal measure.