Immerse yourself in the Eighties where Thursday meant 'Top of the Pops', Sunday meant taping The Top 40, and photos took two weeks to develop.
Thirty-somethings Tash and her brother Jamie didn’t mean to time travel back to October 1984, but bizarrely they did on the very day that Bob Geldof watched the BBC news report which moved him to form Band Aid and record 'Do They Know It’s Christmas?'. Except their arrival caused him to miss it. So because of them, there’ll be no Band Aid, no USA For Africa, and no Live Aid.
Jamie wants to find Bob and put things right. Tash wants to go straight back to the 21st century—she has a 5-month-old baby waiting for her.
What would YOU do? Go to your baby or feed a million others?
Hmm, can one write a book review after only reading the first 15 pages and then giving up? Well, I am certainly going to try!
This booked seemed right up my street, being a Sci-fi geek, an 80's child and lover of comedy. And then all the 5 star reviews, top of the charts etc. Seemed like a no-brainer to me, especially as it is included in my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
Well I was correct, however the no-brainer was in the prose itself.
The first sentence reads, "It probably was illegal, but so was letting your dog shag one of the Queen's corgis." Is this a funny sentence? Maybe if you like watching "Mrs Brown's Boys" or Roy "Chubby" Brown (there are other unfunny comedy acts without "Brown" in the title, FYI), but let's be honest, it is not even remotely funny.
And not even factually true, despite the author trying to establish that the character who shared the fact has Asperger's and therefore knows many pointless facts. Am I a pedant? Yes, probably, but anyone who reads sci-fi, especially time travel related, knows that an internal logic and inherent truth within the prose are essential to allow the suspension of disbelief needed to accept the premise of time travel. (We are never told what was illegal BTW, I inferred it was because they were on a train faking selfies for a journey they never intended taking, but this is never made clear.)
Other really very annoying facts that were incorrect included a baby of five months old still not being named (by law in England, Wales and NI this must take place within 42 days of birth) and train doors not locking until a train reaches 5 MPH (I think the author must have last taken a train in 1988 on an old slam door service).
I would like to say things improved in the humour stakes, but apparently someone who always closes their eyes when a photo is taken and has done so since childhood is also meant to be funny. Mr Crookes, it really isn't.
"You look like someone's rammed a Twix up your arse," also isn't funny, it's not even crude; it is the humour of a ten year old boy who has just learned to swear.
Tash leaving a baby on a train is of itself not intrinsically funny; if you want funny about leaving a baby somewhere, watch the episode of "Friends" when Joey and Chandler leave Ross's son Ben on the bus whilst trying to chat up a couple of women. That is funny, because of how it was written, the lead up to it and the subsequent aftermath. I will repeat, leaving a baby on a train is not funny.
"Jamie's humour, honesty and positivity were an enviable personality cocktail," we are told. This is the main character with Asperger's. All he has said until now is to point out his sister Tash's bad year and accused her of being scared of their grandma. So completely the opposite of what we were told. Show, don't tell, Mr Crookes.
Oh, on page 13 we eventually find out why the baby is nicknamed Lucan; it’s because Tash keeps leaving her baby in places and her father George decides the baby has been engineering this so decides to call him Lucan. Geddit? The English peer who disappeared after accusations of murder. Hilarious, yes? No, it really is not.
I note Mr Crookes has written for shows on BBC One, CBeebies and CBBC. The latter two I totally get as the level of humour definitely seems pitched at children under the age of ten (if the swearing is taken out). (I have always thought that swearing is big and it is clever, I am now rethinking my philosophy.) I can only assume his other writing credits on BBC One actually include the very unfunny “Mrs Brown’s Boys”, because that show has never made me laugh and neither did this book.
So I gave up by page 15, five less than recommended by Mark Billingham recently; if a book doesn’t grip you by page 20 he suggests throwing it across the room. I fully appreciate humour is subjective, so if you like “Mrs Brown’s Boys”, “Benidorm”, Roy “Chubby” Brown and humour of this ilk, then this book is for you. If you prefer any higher level of sophistication from your humour, just give it a wide berth.
I was a little disappointed. A promising set up with likeable characters but then, for me, loses its way. It doesn't do anything interesting with its time travelling narrative until the final quarter and I found the Bob Geldof plot a bit irritating the longer it dragged on.
However, there are some nice moments including a number of enjoyable nostalgic references. But, in my opinion, nowhere near enough to raise it above 2 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book had so much potential, but sadly did not live up to it. It wasn't well written and it tried much too hard to be funny - what my mother would have called "Too daft to laugh at".
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. All the characters were relatable. The brother and sister combats rang true in a fun way. James has created characters that you want to like, a mishmash of different ages and experiences, from now to back in the 80’s. I found myself wanting to read more as the story unfolded. With oh no moments and a lot of chuckles. And under current circumstances, some light relief hoping there is a time machine out there somewhere. I hope there’s a follow up!
I started reading this book after hearing about it on the local radio station. I’ve listened to James Crookes on the radio for years so I had high hopes for this book. I’m so glad I read it. Lovely nostalgia for the 80’s and a fantastic story with twists. A great debut novel and fingers crossed for the film version!
Funny, thrilling and full of heart, James Crookes' first novel is destined for the screen. Packed full of pop-culture references, it's Back to the Future for the Covid generation. An absolute triumph.
I read this book all in one day. Is the plot ridiculous? Yes! Is it frustrating at times? Yes. Is it enjoyable? Hell yes! This book has an interesting time travel premise and it’s a genre that lots of people like. Myself very much so. This one is a comedy which is a refreshing change for me. And there are a few good giggles along the way. It’s very British so much of the humour might be lost to some. It’s a nice easy read and the chapters are short which keeps the plot moving along at a good pace. Although there are lots of 80s music references, I personally don’t feel it gets too bogged down. The other 80s references are really good. Political ones, the fact the cars are small and technology to name a few. My particular favourite was the reference to opening an Opal fruit and there is always that little bit of the sweet wrapper left stuck to it. That used to bug me immensely when I was 14 in 1984. It’s small detail like that that I particularly enjoyed. The characters are not overly developed and I think it’s the dialogue and their interactions which shape them and make them so relatable rather than being bogged down with back story and detail. I think that’s a skill from the writer. Some may disagree. The brother sister relationship was sweet in how it showed their intense irritation with one another alongside the signs of their clear bond. Jamie’s Asperger’s was nicely portrayed and not hammered home too much. Having a son with Asperger’s myself I did recognise a little bit of the traits and did think it was handled well. Just as his Asperger’s provide his comedic moments, so did Raymond’s hen pecked personality, Maureen’s self absorption, and Tash’s innate frustration and disappointment which manifested itself in sarcasm and expletives. The plot was nicely paced and kept me interested but I do admit that there were ridiculous moments, a lot of them. Especially in the hospital scenes etc, but I guess you could get away with a lot more in the 80s before everything was on cctv and information was available at a seconds notice or a tap of an iPhone. I got frustrated at times by the amount of things that went wrong for the characters but not enough to stop me reading.... just enough to utter the odd expletive myself.
There is a mild spoiler from here . So you can stop reading. It’s not a full spoiler on anything other than a loose end that appeared in the last couple of chapters. I haven’t posted anything that gives away the ending. Just that one character’s loose end is intriguing:
The end of the book is almost satisfying but there are a couple of loose ends that have made me wish for a second book in grandad’s story. Why DID he invent the time machine? And what WAS the thing he changed? If James crookes wants to tell that story. I will happily pay to read it.
I loved this book, packed full of nostalgia, fast moving action, and laugh out loud moments!! Yes, it would make a terrific film, but in the meantime, curl up with this book and give yourself a real treat.
1984 was one of my favourite years. 16 and full of hope! This book was such a wonderful glimpse back to that time. The writer takes you on the adventure with wit, laughs and memories. Loved the read from start to finish. Will deffo get the sequel …….
This story is part one of an 80’s time travel story split over two books, so to get the full story I would recommend reading both books together. This book does have an ending, but it is clear the story continues in part two.
This is very much a Back To The Future type tale, not a hard sci-fi story. Instead of a DeLorean time machine this adventure has a Sinclair Spectrum fixed to a Sinclair C5. Remember the C5? This is a fantastic story which fulfils my 80’s nostalgia especially as it is set in the UK. Remember Woolworths?
The story has a comedic side, there is plenty of 80’s references, characters with different traits and changes that come about because of the time travel.
It’s 2020 and Tash and Jamie (sister and brother) are going to their grandmas for Christmas. These two have a great relationship with plenty of sibling banter and irritation, but underneath there is a loving, heartfelt, and emotional relationship. Tash is a single mum with a 5 month old son and Jamie has Asperger’s.
While at Grandma’s, they go to check out a C5 that their late Grandad had modified into a Christmas ride which they enjoyed over the years. It also turns out that Grandad had adapted the C5 into a time machine!
1984 here we come! Simpler times!
Quote - “ Just for a moment the two of them forgot all about adulthood. All about bosses. All about bills. All about exes. All about expectation and failure. They were children again. And everything was perfect.”
Quote - “How interesting it was to see teenagers actually talking to one another without holding or staring at a mobile phone. They weren’t posturing themselves for a selfie or leaning in to see the latest story from an influencer. Many wore Walkmans.”
Walkman – The mobile phone of the 80’s. I wore a Walkman all the time. Loved being able to take my music with me.
The consequences and paradoxes of time travel are explored. When they arrive in 1984 they unintentionally interfere with Bob Geldof’s life which destroys Band Aid and the hit single “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, which no longer exist.
Though the plot of this story involves time-travel, don't expect a rigorous treatise on time-paradoxes or the consequences. The time-travel here serves the story, not the other way around. Instead, expect a light-hearted and well told story. As the title clearly indicates, the 80's figure heavily and for anyone who lived through that era there is plenty to trigger feelings of nostalgia here. And humour. I particularly liked how the author handled this, with much of the humour being in the interactions and reactions of the sibling-protagonists. One of them has Asperger's and his utterances in certain situations were truly hilarious (and not, I hasten to add, in a cruel way). Definitely a book for those who were growing up the 80s and miss those times.
I really enjoyed this, had me giggling right from the very start, interesting little story with lots of twists and turns but I think what I laughed at most was all the memories of the things talked about, based in a local area as well I could easily relate to lots of what was mentioned, looking forward to starting the 2nd, after reading the litle bit at the end I didn't realise the author was self published, I hope this book opens up lots of promise!
I don’t really do time travel books and comic reads aren’t my usual either but something about the blurb for Do They Know It’s Christmas Yet? spoke to me. Maybe it reminded me of my childhood. I remember the Band Aid appeal and the song hitting the charts big style. Maybe it’s because when it comes to a Christmas read I’m a tad more open given the majority appeal to my more light and fluffy side. Maybe it was just the bold cover! Who knows, whatever it is, I wanted to read it. And I’ll admit for something that is way out of my normal reading radar, I really enjoyed it!
This is a mad cap story. Think back to the future on red bull. After a rather confusing start, Tash and Jamie’s family travel to the City of Steel to the family matriarch’s house for Christmas. As the siblings go looking in the loft, they discover their grandad’s old C5. Little did they know he’d converted it into a Time Machine and they found themselves in 1984 having changed history!! What ensues is a caper to put things right so Bob Geldof can feed the world.
I’ll admit, I struggled to start with; I was so confused by the first chapter of the book but as the story unfolded, things slotted into place and I had fun spending time with Tash and Jamie. But oh the reference to my number one Christmas tune since F.O.R.E.V.E.R 😍😍 no you are not allowed to hit Shaky with a car real or fictional or whatever!!!!!! Just no!!!! NO NO NO NO!!!!
Do They Know It’s Christmas Yet? is a fun, slightly crazy read. It’s very different to the usual festive reads I normally gravitate to which are either heartwarming or some lunatic killer hell bent on ruining December for all. It was a refreshing change and I’m really glad I took a punt on something that is so not my norm. I will be asking Santa if he wouldn’t mind getting me the next one in the series (or at least an Amazon voucher so I can buy it) 🎄🎅🏻
I kept seeing this book pop up in my Facebook timeline and as I love a Christmas read, 80s nostalgia and time travel I couldn’t resist adding this to my Christmas reading challenge. And I was so glad that I did as it was hugely entertaining, exciting and fun. I loved how the time travelling was done in an iconic 80s invention! All the little references to life in the 80s were so cute and brought back memories from my childhood/teenage years. Lots of twists kept the story interesting and the ending did take me by surprise but it was perfect! Added to the mix was the fact my name and where I lived was in the story! What a strange coincidence! I will definitely read the next book as I enjoyed the humour and fast paced story with brilliant characters in an era that I love!
What a great read - a super trip down memory lane for a child of the 80s like me! I was 6 when “Do they know it’s Christmas” was in the charts and loved all the references to 80s pop culture littering this book.
It reminded me a bit of “Time Travelling with a Hamster”. So, if that’s your bag, add it to your list!
3.95🌟 Enormous fun with some belly laughs along the way. It was a good antidote to all the horror/folk horror I have been reading of late. Look forward to reading the second book.
Great read if like me you prefer your time-travel light on the Sci and heavy on the Fi. Very British, nostalgic and funny. Excellent to have a character with Asperger's so well written and showing a full range of emotions alongside classic traits. Great characters and a proper caper, would definitely make a great movie with top 80s soundtrack. It's not Back To The Future, more Back To The Future meets Clockwise. Really hope there will be more!
I was pulled in by the title and it was an okay read, but I often find humorous books to be a little too light reading and this was no exception. It wasn't really all that funny either.