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RE: Trailer Trash: A Do-Over Story
In the year 2045, an MRI mishap transmits Tabitha Moore's mind back into her body in the past. Now it's 1998, she's thirteen years old, and she has to confront her long, miserable lifetime of failures—and once again being trailer trash—all over again.
...Or does she?
...Or does she?
818 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2022
134 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
October 26, 2022
Fcuking AMAZING! I hope everyone who comes across this book and this review takes a chance and gets a copy of this book for themselves. I cannot recommend it enough!
I was captivated from the start and I could not put this book down. Tabitha is such an awesome character to get to know. Having her live her life again with years of memories from future her in her head... the way she changes things in her life, and seeing her grow up all over again in a sense. Her adult self was naive to the things this Tabitha is forced to go through.
To me it kinda ends quite abruptly and has me wishing there's a second book to follow this one. I'd love to see 13 year old Tabby as she gets into her older teenage years... with Alicia (yes, my little lesbian heart is wishing for the besties to fall in love). Then Tabby buying stocks and just seeing her be the person she's striving to be. Oh, and the whole Julie thing... I'd love to see what happens with that.
I was captivated from the start and I could not put this book down. Tabitha is such an awesome character to get to know. Having her live her life again with years of memories from future her in her head... the way she changes things in her life, and seeing her grow up all over again in a sense. Her adult self was naive to the things this Tabitha is forced to go through.
To me it kinda ends quite abruptly and has me wishing there's a second book to follow this one. I'd love to see 13 year old Tabby as she gets into her older teenage years... with Alicia (yes, my little lesbian heart is wishing for the besties to fall in love). Then Tabby buying stocks and just seeing her be the person she's striving to be. Oh, and the whole Julie thing... I'd love to see what happens with that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2022
Rating 4.0 stars
The rating for this changed while reading. For the first half of the book I was thinking it was 5 stars. I even went out and bought a copy for my daughter and my niece to read so they can do a buddy read. There was so much emotion, sorrow with hints of hope and sometimes triumph. Then something happened at the halfway point that made me upset at the author. She took the story in a direction that if she kept on in that direction I would have been really upset. I spent the first half of the book getting really invested in the story and the characters and when what happened happened I didn't like it. I told myself it better not be what it appears to be or the rating might fall to 3 stars if I even finish. Luckily the author didn't go through with that action. Even though everything in the story got better again I couldn't get it back up to 5 stars. At that point it was a 4.5 star story. Everything was going fine until the last 4 hours of the book. I had a lot of problems with how this book ended. I was considering rating it 3.5 stars but I liked it so well for 20 hours that I couldn't do less than 4 stars. I was disappointed though. With how great I thought the first half of the book was (to go out and buy copies for people in my family) this should have ended up on my favorites list. Instead I am walking away unfulfilled.
The story follow a woman named Tabitha. She is 60 years old and she is getting an MRI for headaches. She is scared of the machine because she had an incident when she was younger. She just doesn't remember it that well. It all comes rushing back once in the machine. She as been in this machine before. When she was 13. Something malfunctioned while she was in the machine back in 1998. Next thing she know she is there. 13 years old again. Most people would jump for joy. Not Tabitha. She hated who she was a child. She was Tubby Tabby again. It took her years to get over that and get into shape. Not until she was in her 50's. She lived in a trailer. Her mother was obese and was a mean person. Her life was terrible back then. There is no way she wanted to do that all over again. It isn't like she had a choice though. She decides she is going to make changes for herself. She gets into shape over the summer and is able to start High school thin. This didn't really solve all her problems and make life perfect. She had her whole previous life of being socially inept and a loner. She had 60 years of self hatred. That isn't something one can just get over. She has future knowledge but it has been 47 years. She doesn't remember a lot of specifics. The time travel aspect isn't the most important part of the story. Yes it is the mechanism for how a 60 year old Tabitha got into the body of a 13 year old. What I mean about it not being the most important part is that she didn't spend all her time trying to figure out how to utilize her future knowledge to get ahead in the world. Yes there were some of the things she knew about that she wanted to change but mostly she just wanted to change who she was back then. Doing this allowed her to do things that she had never done in either life. She had some friends now. Close friends which she didn't have in either life. This made everything she did feel more genuine. Despite having the mind of a 60 year old, there were times that she acted like the 13 year old that she actually was because she was doing things she never did before. But there was the butterfly effect. Little changes led to big changes. Things that she thought she knew weren't exactly the way she expected them to be. It was 1 step forward 2 steps back, then 10 steps forward, and then a few steps back. There was a great deal of emotion in everything that was happening. Then the halfway point and my issue Things continued to progress for Tabitha with her two friends Elena and Alicia. Other supporting characters like Matthew and Casey were introduced. Each had their own little story but it all connected very well with Tabitha's story. The author might have spent a little more time on one aspect of the story that I felt was a little too much but it all connected back. Then there was the last 4 hours of the book. This is when I felt the author took the story on a tangent.
The rating for this changed while reading. For the first half of the book I was thinking it was 5 stars. I even went out and bought a copy for my daughter and my niece to read so they can do a buddy read. There was so much emotion, sorrow with hints of hope and sometimes triumph. Then something happened at the halfway point that made me upset at the author. She took the story in a direction that if she kept on in that direction I would have been really upset. I spent the first half of the book getting really invested in the story and the characters and when what happened happened I didn't like it. I told myself it better not be what it appears to be or the rating might fall to 3 stars if I even finish. Luckily the author didn't go through with that action. Even though everything in the story got better again I couldn't get it back up to 5 stars. At that point it was a 4.5 star story. Everything was going fine until the last 4 hours of the book. I had a lot of problems with how this book ended. I was considering rating it 3.5 stars but I liked it so well for 20 hours that I couldn't do less than 4 stars. I was disappointed though. With how great I thought the first half of the book was (to go out and buy copies for people in my family) this should have ended up on my favorites list. Instead I am walking away unfulfilled.
The story follow a woman named Tabitha. She is 60 years old and she is getting an MRI for headaches. She is scared of the machine because she had an incident when she was younger. She just doesn't remember it that well. It all comes rushing back once in the machine. She as been in this machine before. When she was 13. Something malfunctioned while she was in the machine back in 1998. Next thing she know she is there. 13 years old again. Most people would jump for joy. Not Tabitha. She hated who she was a child. She was Tubby Tabby again. It took her years to get over that and get into shape. Not until she was in her 50's. She lived in a trailer. Her mother was obese and was a mean person. Her life was terrible back then. There is no way she wanted to do that all over again. It isn't like she had a choice though. She decides she is going to make changes for herself. She gets into shape over the summer and is able to start High school thin. This didn't really solve all her problems and make life perfect. She had her whole previous life of being socially inept and a loner. She had 60 years of self hatred. That isn't something one can just get over. She has future knowledge but it has been 47 years. She doesn't remember a lot of specifics. The time travel aspect isn't the most important part of the story. Yes it is the mechanism for how a 60 year old Tabitha got into the body of a 13 year old. What I mean about it not being the most important part is that she didn't spend all her time trying to figure out how to utilize her future knowledge to get ahead in the world. Yes there were some of the things she knew about that she wanted to change but mostly she just wanted to change who she was back then. Doing this allowed her to do things that she had never done in either life. She had some friends now. Close friends which she didn't have in either life. This made everything she did feel more genuine. Despite having the mind of a 60 year old, there were times that she acted like the 13 year old that she actually was because she was doing things she never did before. But there was the butterfly effect. Little changes led to big changes. Things that she thought she knew weren't exactly the way she expected them to be. It was 1 step forward 2 steps back, then 10 steps forward, and then a few steps back. There was a great deal of emotion in everything that was happening. Then the halfway point and my issue Things continued to progress for Tabitha with her two friends Elena and Alicia. Other supporting characters like Matthew and Casey were introduced. Each had their own little story but it all connected very well with Tabitha's story. The author might have spent a little more time on one aspect of the story that I felt was a little too much but it all connected back. Then there was the last 4 hours of the book. This is when I felt the author took the story on a tangent.
October 18, 2022
5 Everyone Knows That Uncooked Broccoli Has Dangerous Things Like Arsenic In It Stars
RE: Trailer Trash is A Do-Over Story by FortySixtyFour.
I find myself profoundly floored by how impactful this work turned out to be. The title alone does not imbue any real considerations of seriousness or how deeply imploring this work is. The struggles Tabitha faces to consider both her thirteen year old self and the 2045 old woman she can still find in her memories. That she still must carry the weight of her past life's trauma while she delves into setting this second chance toward a better future.
I want to read Goblina. I don't actually know whether it's a real work of fiction, but with the author having touted its praises throughout this book I'm craving learning more. When there are original pieces of media tucked inside works of fantasy I always can't help but yearn to explore their depths further. Goblina and the Goblin Princess seem like such fascinating tales.
Further, I truly hope this series continues. Tabitha is such am inspiring and reverential character to perceive. As she focuses her will on improving not only herself, but her relationships, and other people's lives around her. It is concerning the impact her time travel has on the story. It's barely been broached with other characters.. Elena and Alicia know, even if Elena struggles to grapple with the unbelievable truth of it. There are grown ups who wonder at her maturity and the remarks she makes on occasion.. But most concerning is how assured Ashlee was that Tabitha wasn't her best friend Tabby..
I want to see her succeed or at least witness a better potential for 2045 than the one she has already experienced.
But mostly I enjoyed traipsing back into the misconceptions of the late 90's with Tabitha. The social culture that differs so heavily from the 21st century, and even further in Tabby's previous future. The hilarity of what the world was before the internet, with Google at your fingertips, and social media pervading every aspect of life. It's been unbelievably interesting to witness as the narrative tackles the social mores being a teenager, of small town gossipmongering. The little surprises as the ripples of Tabitha's influence affects her timeline.
RE: Trailer Trash is A Do-Over Story by FortySixtyFour.
I find myself profoundly floored by how impactful this work turned out to be. The title alone does not imbue any real considerations of seriousness or how deeply imploring this work is. The struggles Tabitha faces to consider both her thirteen year old self and the 2045 old woman she can still find in her memories. That she still must carry the weight of her past life's trauma while she delves into setting this second chance toward a better future.
I want to read Goblina. I don't actually know whether it's a real work of fiction, but with the author having touted its praises throughout this book I'm craving learning more. When there are original pieces of media tucked inside works of fantasy I always can't help but yearn to explore their depths further. Goblina and the Goblin Princess seem like such fascinating tales.
Further, I truly hope this series continues. Tabitha is such am inspiring and reverential character to perceive. As she focuses her will on improving not only herself, but her relationships, and other people's lives around her. It is concerning the impact her time travel has on the story. It's barely been broached with other characters.. Elena and Alicia know, even if Elena struggles to grapple with the unbelievable truth of it. There are grown ups who wonder at her maturity and the remarks she makes on occasion.. But most concerning is how assured Ashlee was that Tabitha wasn't her best friend Tabby..
I want to see her succeed or at least witness a better potential for 2045 than the one she has already experienced.
But mostly I enjoyed traipsing back into the misconceptions of the late 90's with Tabitha. The social culture that differs so heavily from the 21st century, and even further in Tabby's previous future. The hilarity of what the world was before the internet, with Google at your fingertips, and social media pervading every aspect of life. It's been unbelievably interesting to witness as the narrative tackles the social mores being a teenager, of small town gossipmongering. The little surprises as the ripples of Tabitha's influence affects her timeline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2021
Мислили ли сте някога какво щеше да бъде, ако можеше да започнете живота си отначало, но със сегашните знания и акъл? Мислили сте, естествено, всеки е мислил. И как ще хванете живота за врата...
А мислили ли сте, че даже и да се случи, хващането на живота за врата може да не се окаже толкова лесно, колкото го предполагате? Че човек може и да не може да избяга от себе си и от природата си, колкото и да се опитва и колкото и знания, умения и възможности да има?
А мислили ли сте, че даже и да се случи, хващането на живота за врата може да не се окаже толкова лесно, колкото го предполагате? Че човек може и да не може да избяга от себе си и от природата си, колкото и да се опитва и колкото и знания, умения и възможности да има?
July 30, 2023
Started Strong, Finished Weak.
The book started good. But the Author wrote in way too much thinking, pondering, and second guessing. This killed the flow of the book. The back half of the book was so full of just thinking and worrying over nothing, that I started skipping pages and even whole chapters. It was a hard slog to finish the book as nothing much happened in the 2nd half but massive over thinking of everything. I will not be reading anymore of this series and can not recommend this book.
The book started good. But the Author wrote in way too much thinking, pondering, and second guessing. This killed the flow of the book. The back half of the book was so full of just thinking and worrying over nothing, that I started skipping pages and even whole chapters. It was a hard slog to finish the book as nothing much happened in the 2nd half but massive over thinking of everything. I will not be reading anymore of this series and can not recommend this book.
September 18, 2022
I put off getting this book because it wasn't on KU, and it had been written by an author I hadn't read before. Fast forward a week or two and I have some digital credits from Amazon that I can apply to the book to bring the price down.
The book starts out with Tubby Tabby (Tabitha) much older and an adult now, getting an MRI for the various health problems she's experiencing. For reasons that aren't explained, she goes back in time until she's thirteen again, and just as flabby as she remembered herself being.
Taking her weight as a challenge, she starts running (jogging) and changes her diet. She picks up the Taekwondo that she learned as an adult and uses it to drop all the extra poundage from her body.
I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that it works. After a lot of work, she's thin, beautiful, and hated by a good portion of the student body who don't like that she's threatening them now.
First off, this is set in Kentucky, which I can't really relate to. Nor can I relate to living in a trailer park, even though our family was a million miles away from being rich. None of that really matters when the story begins to take hold, though.
As the book goes on, there are repeating patterns where Tabitha is forced to learn something new, such as how to socialize with other students. Or boys. Or her nephews. Or the extended family. Most of the time it ends with her in the hospital, but not always.
The book is set in 1998, well after I was out of high school, and is filled with violence that is shocking to read. If you're the kind of reader who hates reading about people with strong reactions or emotions to what is happening to them or around them, this isn't the book for you.
Having said all that, I enjoyed it. It's not LitRPG despite being from Aethon, and the main character treads a thin line between Tubby Tabby, her new 13 year old self, and her adult self.. It's well done.
I can't recommend it because of how different it is, but I'm still giving it a 5/5*
The book starts out with Tubby Tabby (Tabitha) much older and an adult now, getting an MRI for the various health problems she's experiencing. For reasons that aren't explained, she goes back in time until she's thirteen again, and just as flabby as she remembered herself being.
Taking her weight as a challenge, she starts running (jogging) and changes her diet. She picks up the Taekwondo that she learned as an adult and uses it to drop all the extra poundage from her body.
I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that it works. After a lot of work, she's thin, beautiful, and hated by a good portion of the student body who don't like that she's threatening them now.
First off, this is set in Kentucky, which I can't really relate to. Nor can I relate to living in a trailer park, even though our family was a million miles away from being rich. None of that really matters when the story begins to take hold, though.
As the book goes on, there are repeating patterns where Tabitha is forced to learn something new, such as how to socialize with other students. Or boys. Or her nephews. Or the extended family. Most of the time it ends with her in the hospital, but not always.
The book is set in 1998, well after I was out of high school, and is filled with violence that is shocking to read. If you're the kind of reader who hates reading about people with strong reactions or emotions to what is happening to them or around them, this isn't the book for you.
Having said all that, I enjoyed it. It's not LitRPG despite being from Aethon, and the main character treads a thin line between Tubby Tabby, her new 13 year old self, and her adult self.. It's well done.
I can't recommend it because of how different it is, but I'm still giving it a 5/5*
May 10, 2024
I loved this.
I struggle to read realistic depictions of bullying and abuse, so some of this novel was challenging – worth it though. I can't count the times it brought me to tears.
The author seems focused on the inner life of the characters. Their psychology and interactions are described in loving detail. Towards the end, I was getting a little frustrated with the digressions to explore Tabby's emotional ruminations but that's the worst I can say about this amazing book.
If you like stories of redemption, don't hesitate to pick this one up. It's long but so rewarding.
I struggle to read realistic depictions of bullying and abuse, so some of this novel was challenging – worth it though. I can't count the times it brought me to tears.
The author seems focused on the inner life of the characters. Their psychology and interactions are described in loving detail. Towards the end, I was getting a little frustrated with the digressions to explore Tabby's emotional ruminations but that's the worst I can say about this amazing book.
If you like stories of redemption, don't hesitate to pick this one up. It's long but so rewarding.
July 28, 2022
5 stars
Wow, I'm not saying its the perfect book, but I just loved it. Those perfect hits of nostalgia, and the emotional charge was excellent. So your millage might vary depending on when you grew up, but I'd still recommend it. My only regret is that it'll probably be a long wait for the next book.
Wow, I'm not saying its the perfect book, but I just loved it. Those perfect hits of nostalgia, and the emotional charge was excellent. So your millage might vary depending on when you grew up, but I'd still recommend it. My only regret is that it'll probably be a long wait for the next book.
April 1, 2020
What a bizarre idea, but somehow the author makes it work. It is oddly captivating to watch this girl rebuild her life from a position of absolute powerlessness.
It's low-key relaxing material.
It's low-key relaxing material.
March 18, 2022
This is a brilliant novel. Superb characterisation, absolutely convicting. The way the author captures the struggle a 60 year old faces inside her 13 year old self is wholly captivating.
May 23, 2024
Rating: As A rule if I DNF the rating will have to be ⅕ stars
Technical rating: (3.7/5 stars)
PLOT [5/5]: The plot was intriguing. I guess this also translates to the pacing, but when I initially found this on webtoon I didn’t know what the story would be about other than the very small blurb of a girl getting a second chance at life and being put back into a world where she was sixteen years old. I figured this would be a coming of age story with a bit of a twist since this girl has technically already lived her life.
I enjoyed how the main character Tabitha made it very clear what her outward goals were. It was unique because it allowed the plot to have a unique take on dramatic irony. The reader and tabitha knew what was going to happen when it came to the big traumatic life events. Like family tragedies
The unique part is that the daunting reality of being a sixteen year old is still prevalent even though Tabitha has lived through her life and knows better. I think this strengthened the plot and was humbling and relatable. Peer pressure doesn't’ go away just because we get older, and I enjoyed seeing that in this book. I think there was a nice commentary on really making sure we don’t waste our time on this earth. Although that isn't explicitly said in the story, it is definitely an undertone to reflect on.
The plot follows the coming of age profile which I loved. There was much needed bonding between Tabitha and her mother and stile references to her “future past” as things start to change. Like a plate that breaks that Tabitha remembers being attached too when her parents die and used everyday, but now it is broken on the floor because her father gets mad at all the fighting (which he never did in the past). I think this was unique because the readers knew major plot points in advance while not knowing the small and more personal things that could happen with Tabitha. Like her dream of being a writer, the bond between her mother, the support she gives to her cousins which she never did before. If she will end up with a boyfriend and get married (which she did not do before), if she will pursue her dreams of joining school teams ect … There was so much!
PROFANITY: [3.5/5]
the rating for profanity is backwards. 5/5 would mean there was no swearing at all. The lower the number the worse the profanity
This would have been a higher number but using the Lord’s name in vain is no joke and I think should be taken more seriously. There was the use of Jesus Christ, in a derogatory way with ‘freakin’ as the substitute. The B word was used as an image of graffiti for bullying on Tabitha’s locker once. They say “oh - m - g**” 2-4 times and the word S**t and wh**e, are used a few times as well (again 2-4 times one of the instances as bullying graffiti included).
I was disappointed because once again, the majority of the story (first 14 chapters or so) were clean except for one instance of omg. I tend to be hopeful with highschool books with little profanity in hopes that it won’t be used, but that wasn’t the case. It was definitely “manageable” if you have the time and want to print off the book to censor it to read again one day since there is so little of it and it wouldn’t cause the sentences to not make any sense.
Although this isn’t an excuse It also came across like the author was trying to make this sound like real highschool bullying so there wasn't an excess of swearing but the ‘popular words’ at the time “s word and w***e ” so I get but still not necessary.
The S**t was also used when Tabitha approaches her uncle and offers to be more supportive, there was only one scene like this which was daunting and a lot of boys called Tabitha the b word (at least 5 times) because there were rumors of Tabitha being “easy” and also the boys were just upset after her glow up that Tabitha didn’t want to flirt with guys that were bullying her as little as two weeks ago before summer ended. There were some sexual comments that weren’t too explicit profanity wise but still audacious and again unnecessary.
FAITH [n/a]: This is not a christian book and there was no commentary against Christianity or any other faith. It wasn’t touched at all.
MORALS [3/5]: It made me laugh a bit, because this is again a 50+ year old woman stuck in her 16 year old body. So the concept of right and wrong was very prominent and done well in my opinion. There was even a joke in the beginning when Tabitha is first picked up and she makes her dad uncomfortable, feeling like he was being scolded by an authority figure (since technically she is older than him).
Tabitha was quick to apologize to her parents but still addressed how hard it was still to be a kid again and to deal with her parents. She even admits that she remembers her mother being worse than she remembered. But there were a fair amount of lessons on being patient, knowing how to choose your battles and the very real reality that choosing your battles doesn't always mean that it will feel good or look like you have won the battle.
However, without God as the root to all wisdom of good and evil, this can’t be a perfect score.There is also a small segment/ hint to queer ideology near the end of the comic so far, which is what made me put it down (more info in character segment).
CHARACTER [2/5]: I found Tabitha to be a very well rounded character. She was easy to understand but also had relatable complexities as a teenage girl would. The introduction to Tabith as her future present self was done well enough that we could see her ‘change into a different person’ even though this was the first time we have been with Tabitha Moore. There is a good balance between going back to give information without it feeling like information dumping, which I enjoyed.
I won’t go too far into the bullies but there was a referral to a group of girls who may have had something to do with the initial accident that caused Tabitha to need to get the MRI in the first place, and their goal is to keep her from knowing the truth. But the reason behind this plot trail hasn’t been expanded on so far. The only hint that we do have is that one of the girls Ashlee Taylor ( a group of sisters) was friends with Tabitha and then they fell apart but Tabith has no idea why their falling apart was initiated.
The main group of bullies is very typical. Spreading rumors and all of that, even their design seems to be the stereotypical Mean girls mini skirt style.
There was also a partial love interest which I am sure will be followed up upon. I liked that it was not automatically sexual and that Tabitha didn’t automatically fall head-over-heels for ‘the boy on the track team’ was refreshing. I love romance but I was a bit scared that there would be a fair amount of encouraged promiscuity given the bullying comments earlier on in the book.
Elena is one of the bullies that is an important character, I am not sure why but at some point when Tabitha becomes a bit more well known (not specifically popular but definitely the talk of the school) and has a friend who will defend her through the progressing rumors on behalf of the ‘queen b Carrie’. Elena decides to switch sides. This is fine but it is annoying because Elena doesn't seem to understand why she is being treated poorly or skeptically when she approaches Tabitha and forces herself to be the best friend. Other than this peculiar attitude though there was no real development to her. She lives in a big house and her mother used to be friends with Tabitha’s mother and doesn’t know that she is actually still living in the same town.
Unfortunately this is where it gets disappointing. Tabitha’s new/ best friend is Alicia Brooks, a girl who is a loner and an artist. I loved their chemistry. I find that often if you were a loner kid in highschool you had fewer friends and were more mature than your peers, and that was exactly what happened between Alicia and Tabitha. But of course near the end of the book (of what was uploaded so far) Alicia was approached by the art club president who exclaims that she really needs more members this year and heard from Elena that she is a really good artist. But out of nowhere Alicia goes on to express that this girl is also very pretty and wonders if she likes girls now. Thai was the last straw for me as I saw the profanity starting to hike up more and more over the last 3 chapters or so. I loved the plot but the elements were causing me to lose a lot of trust to the point that I couldn't enjoy it anymore.
Other than that I would say half of the characters were very strong (Tabitha, Alicia, Shannon (the mother)) and the other half were lacking but not unbearable.
PACING[5/5]: I was also learning something new and there was always some kind of character development or risk included in each chapter. I was always hooked but in a way that was meaningful. They weren’t just empty cheap cliffhangers.
QUICK NOTE:
I did look into the full novel (it was written online first before being adapted) and unfortunately the original is even worse for it's profanity level as a start. I really do not recommend!
Technical rating: (3.7/5 stars)
PLOT [5/5]: The plot was intriguing. I guess this also translates to the pacing, but when I initially found this on webtoon I didn’t know what the story would be about other than the very small blurb of a girl getting a second chance at life and being put back into a world where she was sixteen years old. I figured this would be a coming of age story with a bit of a twist since this girl has technically already lived her life.
I enjoyed how the main character Tabitha made it very clear what her outward goals were. It was unique because it allowed the plot to have a unique take on dramatic irony. The reader and tabitha knew what was going to happen when it came to the big traumatic life events. Like family tragedies
The unique part is that the daunting reality of being a sixteen year old is still prevalent even though Tabitha has lived through her life and knows better. I think this strengthened the plot and was humbling and relatable. Peer pressure doesn't’ go away just because we get older, and I enjoyed seeing that in this book. I think there was a nice commentary on really making sure we don’t waste our time on this earth. Although that isn't explicitly said in the story, it is definitely an undertone to reflect on.
The plot follows the coming of age profile which I loved. There was much needed bonding between Tabitha and her mother and stile references to her “future past” as things start to change. Like a plate that breaks that Tabitha remembers being attached too when her parents die and used everyday, but now it is broken on the floor because her father gets mad at all the fighting (which he never did in the past). I think this was unique because the readers knew major plot points in advance while not knowing the small and more personal things that could happen with Tabitha. Like her dream of being a writer, the bond between her mother, the support she gives to her cousins which she never did before. If she will end up with a boyfriend and get married (which she did not do before), if she will pursue her dreams of joining school teams ect … There was so much!
PROFANITY: [3.5/5]
the rating for profanity is backwards. 5/5 would mean there was no swearing at all. The lower the number the worse the profanity
This would have been a higher number but using the Lord’s name in vain is no joke and I think should be taken more seriously. There was the use of Jesus Christ, in a derogatory way with ‘freakin’ as the substitute. The B word was used as an image of graffiti for bullying on Tabitha’s locker once. They say “oh - m - g**” 2-4 times and the word S**t and wh**e, are used a few times as well (again 2-4 times one of the instances as bullying graffiti included).
I was disappointed because once again, the majority of the story (first 14 chapters or so) were clean except for one instance of omg. I tend to be hopeful with highschool books with little profanity in hopes that it won’t be used, but that wasn’t the case. It was definitely “manageable” if you have the time and want to print off the book to censor it to read again one day since there is so little of it and it wouldn’t cause the sentences to not make any sense.
Although this isn’t an excuse It also came across like the author was trying to make this sound like real highschool bullying so there wasn't an excess of swearing but the ‘popular words’ at the time “s word and w***e ” so I get but still not necessary.
The S**t was also used when Tabitha approaches her uncle and offers to be more supportive, there was only one scene like this which was daunting and a lot of boys called Tabitha the b word (at least 5 times) because there were rumors of Tabitha being “easy” and also the boys were just upset after her glow up that Tabitha didn’t want to flirt with guys that were bullying her as little as two weeks ago before summer ended. There were some sexual comments that weren’t too explicit profanity wise but still audacious and again unnecessary.
FAITH [n/a]: This is not a christian book and there was no commentary against Christianity or any other faith. It wasn’t touched at all.
MORALS [3/5]: It made me laugh a bit, because this is again a 50+ year old woman stuck in her 16 year old body. So the concept of right and wrong was very prominent and done well in my opinion. There was even a joke in the beginning when Tabitha is first picked up and she makes her dad uncomfortable, feeling like he was being scolded by an authority figure (since technically she is older than him).
Tabitha was quick to apologize to her parents but still addressed how hard it was still to be a kid again and to deal with her parents. She even admits that she remembers her mother being worse than she remembered. But there were a fair amount of lessons on being patient, knowing how to choose your battles and the very real reality that choosing your battles doesn't always mean that it will feel good or look like you have won the battle.
However, without God as the root to all wisdom of good and evil, this can’t be a perfect score.There is also a small segment/ hint to queer ideology near the end of the comic so far, which is what made me put it down (more info in character segment).
CHARACTER [2/5]: I found Tabitha to be a very well rounded character. She was easy to understand but also had relatable complexities as a teenage girl would. The introduction to Tabith as her future present self was done well enough that we could see her ‘change into a different person’ even though this was the first time we have been with Tabitha Moore. There is a good balance between going back to give information without it feeling like information dumping, which I enjoyed.
I won’t go too far into the bullies but there was a referral to a group of girls who may have had something to do with the initial accident that caused Tabitha to need to get the MRI in the first place, and their goal is to keep her from knowing the truth. But the reason behind this plot trail hasn’t been expanded on so far. The only hint that we do have is that one of the girls Ashlee Taylor ( a group of sisters) was friends with Tabitha and then they fell apart but Tabith has no idea why their falling apart was initiated.
The main group of bullies is very typical. Spreading rumors and all of that, even their design seems to be the stereotypical Mean girls mini skirt style.
There was also a partial love interest which I am sure will be followed up upon. I liked that it was not automatically sexual and that Tabitha didn’t automatically fall head-over-heels for ‘the boy on the track team’ was refreshing. I love romance but I was a bit scared that there would be a fair amount of encouraged promiscuity given the bullying comments earlier on in the book.
Elena is one of the bullies that is an important character, I am not sure why but at some point when Tabitha becomes a bit more well known (not specifically popular but definitely the talk of the school) and has a friend who will defend her through the progressing rumors on behalf of the ‘queen b Carrie’. Elena decides to switch sides. This is fine but it is annoying because Elena doesn't seem to understand why she is being treated poorly or skeptically when she approaches Tabitha and forces herself to be the best friend. Other than this peculiar attitude though there was no real development to her. She lives in a big house and her mother used to be friends with Tabitha’s mother and doesn’t know that she is actually still living in the same town.
Unfortunately this is where it gets disappointing. Tabitha’s new/ best friend is Alicia Brooks, a girl who is a loner and an artist. I loved their chemistry. I find that often if you were a loner kid in highschool you had fewer friends and were more mature than your peers, and that was exactly what happened between Alicia and Tabitha. But of course near the end of the book (of what was uploaded so far) Alicia was approached by the art club president who exclaims that she really needs more members this year and heard from Elena that she is a really good artist. But out of nowhere Alicia goes on to express that this girl is also very pretty and wonders if she likes girls now. Thai was the last straw for me as I saw the profanity starting to hike up more and more over the last 3 chapters or so. I loved the plot but the elements were causing me to lose a lot of trust to the point that I couldn't enjoy it anymore.
Other than that I would say half of the characters were very strong (Tabitha, Alicia, Shannon (the mother)) and the other half were lacking but not unbearable.
PACING[5/5]: I was also learning something new and there was always some kind of character development or risk included in each chapter. I was always hooked but in a way that was meaningful. They weren’t just empty cheap cliffhangers.
QUICK NOTE:
I did look into the full novel (it was written online first before being adapted) and unfortunately the original is even worse for it's profanity level as a start. I really do not recommend!
September 24, 2022
Trailer Park Opus
Everything that could go wrong did. Small Town petty soap opera more tragic than war and peace, a child's emotional feelings through a more mature lense, and how the worst of teenage circumstances can be turned around from a whirlwind of violence into personal triumph.
She's exhausted, and you will see why, but the journey is greater than the destination. Hang on as a tiny teenager is forged by a dumpster fire of circumstance into some amazing.
Everything that could go wrong did. Small Town petty soap opera more tragic than war and peace, a child's emotional feelings through a more mature lense, and how the worst of teenage circumstances can be turned around from a whirlwind of violence into personal triumph.
She's exhausted, and you will see why, but the journey is greater than the destination. Hang on as a tiny teenager is forged by a dumpster fire of circumstance into some amazing.
September 26, 2022
I hope this saga continues for this amazing young girl. The book was well written and the narration was excellent. This book touched on so many hot button issues that young people have to deal with. I don’t usually choose books this long, but when I started I finished it in record time. I enjoyed this book tremendously.
March 29, 2022
Note: I’ve read up to chapter 38, the latest available.
“RE: Trailer Trash”. An odd name, but one well-suited for a story about Tabitha Moore, a person who would describe herself with blunt, brutal words such as: Fat. Disgusting. White trash.
Her difficult childhood was marked by poverty, bullying, an unsupportive father, a toxic mother, and no friends.
Now she has the chance to redo it all, and she is *determined* to rise above her troubles and make something of her life. But the world is intent on throwing every obstacle at her, no matter how incessant, how cruel.
Yet she overcomes. And she forms new connections. And the relationships will warm your heart.
—
That said, it’s not a perfect tale.
Thankfully, the problem does not lie with the prose. This is one of the best written web series I’ve read, unblemished by the grammatical errors and clunky pacing or phrasings that mar so many web series (especially at their beginnings, before their authors have found their voices).
The issue is one of narrative pacing. Early on, for example, there are a couple moments where Tabitha’s obstacles are overcome just a bit too quickly. It’s an extremely difficult needle to thread, I know, and not even really an issue! If an obstacle is resolved quickly, that means being able to see the next development and surprising shift in status quo more quickly.
Unfortunately, the pacing missteps go from rare to not-quite-rare in later chapters, as certain moments drag on just a bit too long, dwelling on thoughts that are either superfluous or redundant.
—-
Besides that, there may be other issues… but it’s impossible to say, when reviewing a story this far from finished. What _has_ been written has been, for the most part, a joyful ride. Enjoy!
“RE: Trailer Trash”. An odd name, but one well-suited for a story about Tabitha Moore, a person who would describe herself with blunt, brutal words such as: Fat. Disgusting. White trash.
Her difficult childhood was marked by poverty, bullying, an unsupportive father, a toxic mother, and no friends.
Now she has the chance to redo it all, and she is *determined* to rise above her troubles and make something of her life. But the world is intent on throwing every obstacle at her, no matter how incessant, how cruel.
Yet she overcomes. And she forms new connections. And the relationships will warm your heart.
—
That said, it’s not a perfect tale.
Thankfully, the problem does not lie with the prose. This is one of the best written web series I’ve read, unblemished by the grammatical errors and clunky pacing or phrasings that mar so many web series (especially at their beginnings, before their authors have found their voices).
The issue is one of narrative pacing. Early on, for example, there are a couple moments where Tabitha’s obstacles are overcome just a bit too quickly. It’s an extremely difficult needle to thread, I know, and not even really an issue! If an obstacle is resolved quickly, that means being able to see the next development and surprising shift in status quo more quickly.
Unfortunately, the pacing missteps go from rare to not-quite-rare in later chapters, as certain moments drag on just a bit too long, dwelling on thoughts that are either superfluous or redundant.
—-
Besides that, there may be other issues… but it’s impossible to say, when reviewing a story this far from finished. What _has_ been written has been, for the most part, a joyful ride. Enjoy!
September 14, 2022
So damn good
Don't let anything about this book fool you, this is one hell of a good story, told extremely well. Tabitha Moore is such a well written character, with such depth, that it's hard to see her as anything but a real person.
From chapter to chapter the world around her effortlessly grows and each of the characters become real as well. Nothing goes quite as good or bad as expected or planned, just like real life.
I found it impossible to put down, even through two meals. It's just so poignant and riveting and has so much heart. I love it!
Don't let anything about this book fool you, this is one hell of a good story, told extremely well. Tabitha Moore is such a well written character, with such depth, that it's hard to see her as anything but a real person.
From chapter to chapter the world around her effortlessly grows and each of the characters become real as well. Nothing goes quite as good or bad as expected or planned, just like real life.
I found it impossible to put down, even through two meals. It's just so poignant and riveting and has so much heart. I love it!
October 17, 2020
Has elements of my favorite genres but had too many Mary-Sue qualities and lacked a cohesive plot line. Felt like a high schooler’s idle powerwank daydream.
MC was far too OP and never really seemed to have much of a strong personality, for all that she was driven and generally well meaning.
Story had an incredibly terrible tendency to make the world revolve around MC. Everything Tabitha did had to have 5 side-characters have their own POV snippet with their reactions to her actions. I find it terribly hard to believe the course of events in the story. For example, expelling a student for stealing a notebook? Detention or suspension, sure. Expulsion? Highly unlikely. MC loses all her excess weight only to find out she’s absolutely gorgeous, a 10/10 looker ... sure ... and of course every time she goes to school, alllll the guys will check her out 90% of the time they’re within eyeshot. And all the girls are immediately jealous.
At first impression, I disliked the cover picture for the story as well as the title of the story, as petty as that sounds. Read it through because all the other top stories on Royal Road really deserves their spot. In this case, I feel this story really doesn’t deserve the current status it enjoys.
Chapter 23 - 01/13/20
MC was far too OP and never really seemed to have much of a strong personality, for all that she was driven and generally well meaning.
Story had an incredibly terrible tendency to make the world revolve around MC. Everything Tabitha did had to have 5 side-characters have their own POV snippet with their reactions to her actions. I find it terribly hard to believe the course of events in the story. For example, expelling a student for stealing a notebook? Detention or suspension, sure. Expulsion? Highly unlikely. MC loses all her excess weight only to find out she’s absolutely gorgeous, a 10/10 looker ... sure ... and of course every time she goes to school, alllll the guys will check her out 90% of the time they’re within eyeshot. And all the girls are immediately jealous.
At first impression, I disliked the cover picture for the story as well as the title of the story, as petty as that sounds. Read it through because all the other top stories on Royal Road really deserves their spot. In this case, I feel this story really doesn’t deserve the current status it enjoys.
Chapter 23 - 01/13/20
May 14, 2023
This is a story about Tabatha Moore, a 60-year-old woman in the year 2045 and she enters a hospital for an MRI scan to determine why her headaches won’t stop. During the process, there seems to be a shift in her consciousness and she wakes up in the year 1998, back in her 13-year-old overweight body and living in poverty. Just as before with zero social skills, she is bullied by everyone. Even the sisters of her one and only friend torment her with threats and then assault her, leaving her with a concussion.
Her Dad is loving but simple, but her emotionally shattered Mom is verbally abusive, and that is when she isn’t being negligent.
Left with no alternative but to relive the difficult times of her adolescence, poor Tabby faces an uphill road either by repeating the events of her formative years or….by trying to “fix” her life this second time around.
I chose this particular book while trolling through Amazon for an urban fantasy with a strong female lead. Sometimes these kinds of specific searches yield very unsatisfying results. Despite the epic story ideas or fantastic character development by the author, there’s just something missing in the story which leaves me feeling unsatisfied after completing the book.
Re: Trailer Trash, though, surprised me from the start.
The first thing which struck me was this book is so well-written. I find some books, despite their well-constructed paragraphs, become very clunky, or dry as the story carries forward, but others, even if they’re flawed, have this intangible something that pulls you inside and doesn’t let go.
Re: Trailer Trash covered all of the points by which I judge the quality of a book.
First, the story must be one where my mind stops seeing words on a page, and becomes mentally visual, like watching a movie, but without a soundtrack. This book did that on steroids.
Second, I need to empathize with the characters. Not just their personalities, but to really get inside their heads and CARE about what happens to them as individuals. Right from the start, this book delivered, not just with Tabby, but also in the emotions I formed about her mom, her dad, her grandmother, her cousins, her first real friend, and even her enemies.
What I loved, beyond the well-crafted story was the way in which the author handles the familiar arc of time travel.
Now the concept of journeying back or forward in time is not new. We’ve seen this in everything from books, shows, and movies. At the core of the book, it’s another back-to-the-future sort of deal. Tabatha returns to her teenage years to face the nightmares of bullying, awkward social occasions, and physical changes experienced by anyone who has ever been through middle and high school.
It’s also something everyone has dreamed of more than once. Who hasn’t thought about going back and experiencing a do-over? I mean I can’t be the only one who has parts of their past they feel they could have fixed to make their current life so much better, and I’m not just speaking about money. There are the relationships that were broken, or the ones forged but would have been better had they never started in the first place.
The psychology of such an event, however, tends to be overlooked. Not so with this book. For once, an author took the time to seriously consider the reality of this concept, and that is a lofty achievement in my mind.
Rather than the more common, shrug and roll-with-it, sort of reaction we find so often with some main characters in time travel fiction. The protagonist in this book seems to really feel the need to change and aggressively does NOT roll-with-it, at least at first. For that, I applaud the author.
Further, I loved how utterly believable the characters were throughout the book. Not just the dialog, not just the world, but also on a personal level. Having been close to the main character’s own 13 years during 1998, I remember that time and even grew up in a not-so-dissimilar economic level. But even beyond the not-so-great reminiscences, the ability to glimpse inside the character’s heads, their motivations, and struggles, as well as understanding their thought processes makes this story amazing.
I really experienced the trauma of Tabatha’s life of nearly 6 decades. Her life, unexciting and full of regrets, had been inundated with trauma. She has managed to accept her life was what it was and tried to move forward, but suddenly finds herself back in a body she hates, in a school that either ignored her as if invisible or bullied her as the disgustingly gross poor kid.
It’s hard to remember how cruel kids can be to other kids who might be in extreme poverty. Tabby’s only crime was being unable to afford clothes that fit or a lack of resources in order to regularly wash her clothes. Cheap food left her unhealthy and overweight and living in an unhygienic mess. It leaves the reader wondering how she managed to make it through childhood at all the first time around.
To be honest, there is very little I didn’t love about this book. The pacing is good, the story idea is thought-provoking and the characters are awesome. Okay, there are a few grammatical issues throughout, but they are rare and I didn’t find they detracted from the book at all.
If I had anything to complain about, it’s that I am an addict who is impatient for the next update. My one Achilles Heel when it comes to finding books I love, I always want more to feed my binge-a-thon nature.
December 22, 2022
Six stars… if that were possible.
Unbelievably good! The author proves that hindsight isn’t always 20-20… and a do-over doesn’t guarantee success. Outstanding read.
Note: a few reviewer have complained that this book left too many loose ends. That’s because it’s the first third of a web novel still in progress. Find and read the rest there or wait for the sequels to be published.
Unbelievably good! The author proves that hindsight isn’t always 20-20… and a do-over doesn’t guarantee success. Outstanding read.
Note: a few reviewer have complained that this book left too many loose ends. That’s because it’s the first third of a web novel still in progress. Find and read the rest there or wait for the sequels to be published.
April 2, 2024
I started reading this one because I was reading a web comic based on the novel and wanted to read ahead. The two diverge on some things, so some of the web comic will still be a surprise when I get there even after completing the novel.
I like the nostalgia, the way doing things over is handled, and honestly I like seeing someone so much like me depicted in a novel. I mean, come on, a chubby red head who lives in a trailer park and gets picked on a lot? Yeah... Because the author gives us dates I know that I am less than four years younger than the main character. I even wrote a bunch when I was younger and wanted to be an author. Might still want to. It was a bit immersive for me.
I do not like that people, including the characters in this story, see poor people as well as fat people in such a negative light. I remember that being a thing when I was younger that was just a given, and for some people it still is, but these days we know you can be fat and/or poor and not an awful person. I can assure people that by the end of the book the view is more complex, but at first Tabby sees things with the eyes of someone who wanted to fit in, but didn't. I think some characters that needed compassion to do better got it, while others not so much. The parental friction is real in this story just as much as the hatred of self.
I like the depiction of the main character as being driven because I know for a fact that if you threw me back into the before we all had internet devices days I would be a monster to live with. I am used to being able to read, play games, look things up, and do something all the time. I remember that I used to do something similar before the internet was such a presence by hauling novels with me everywhere I went so I could fill empty time with one, but I think time has made me worse. My partner has walked in on me playing two video games on two different devices at the same time. When one is making me wait for something I would pick up the other one. (This is what ADHD that wasn't diagnosed until adulthood looks like.) So being thrust into my pre-internet life would be HARD. I would get so much done out of BOREDOM.
I also liked the way the adults respond to the main character's sudden adult outlook on life. Some of them are reading it as a sign of trauma, while others treat her as an adult once they pick up on it. I think that is the range of reactions you would see. Some people would refuse to see it, some would accept it, and others would see it as trauma. (Legit, if you see this in a teen in real life, that kid is going through some shit. Support them. If they actually tell you what is going on, at least believe that they see things happening the way they say they see them, even if they might be wrong.)
I like where the novel went, though it wandered a bit, and I hope to see the next book in the series pick up some of the threads of story that are still hanging.
I like the nostalgia, the way doing things over is handled, and honestly I like seeing someone so much like me depicted in a novel. I mean, come on, a chubby red head who lives in a trailer park and gets picked on a lot? Yeah... Because the author gives us dates I know that I am less than four years younger than the main character. I even wrote a bunch when I was younger and wanted to be an author. Might still want to. It was a bit immersive for me.
I do not like that people, including the characters in this story, see poor people as well as fat people in such a negative light. I remember that being a thing when I was younger that was just a given, and for some people it still is, but these days we know you can be fat and/or poor and not an awful person. I can assure people that by the end of the book the view is more complex, but at first Tabby sees things with the eyes of someone who wanted to fit in, but didn't. I think some characters that needed compassion to do better got it, while others not so much. The parental friction is real in this story just as much as the hatred of self.
I like the depiction of the main character as being driven because I know for a fact that if you threw me back into the before we all had internet devices days I would be a monster to live with. I am used to being able to read, play games, look things up, and do something all the time. I remember that I used to do something similar before the internet was such a presence by hauling novels with me everywhere I went so I could fill empty time with one, but I think time has made me worse. My partner has walked in on me playing two video games on two different devices at the same time. When one is making me wait for something I would pick up the other one. (This is what ADHD that wasn't diagnosed until adulthood looks like.) So being thrust into my pre-internet life would be HARD. I would get so much done out of BOREDOM.
I also liked the way the adults respond to the main character's sudden adult outlook on life. Some of them are reading it as a sign of trauma, while others treat her as an adult once they pick up on it. I think that is the range of reactions you would see. Some people would refuse to see it, some would accept it, and others would see it as trauma. (Legit, if you see this in a teen in real life, that kid is going through some shit. Support them. If they actually tell you what is going on, at least believe that they see things happening the way they say they see them, even if they might be wrong.)
I like where the novel went, though it wandered a bit, and I hope to see the next book in the series pick up some of the threads of story that are still hanging.
March 21, 2023
I was surprised at how well I enjoyed this book. In this day and age of independent publishing and over-inflated numbers of novel offerings, I assumed that this one would be another read-and-forget. I was wrong.
The characters are all well designed and many of them demonstrate character development, often inspired by the protagonist. The protagonist is, despite her foreknowledge of events, a flawed individual and while her experiences from her previous timeline inform her decisions and actions in the new timeline, I never get the impression that she runs around being perfect because she's already been a long-lived adult. There are periods where it *seems* like she has all the answers, and then it eventually gets demonstrated that she missed something, or didn't think something through, and the author also demonstrates how she learns from her mistakes, but not always perfectly and occasionally getting the wrong lesson out of things. The protagonist starts out as an emotionally stunted person, and the way she learns to make and enjoy connections with other people in her "do over" is heartbreaking in many ways, but also very compelling.
I saw someone make a "Mary Sue" reference in another review, and while it does feel like the author self-inserted to some extent--and almost BLATANTLY TELLS US THAT IS WHAT'S GOING ON--the other elements common to the so-called "Mary Sue" trope appear to be absent. The protagonist does not perfectly fix everything and do everything. She pushes herself to focus and fix her situation, and has to constantly redirect herself to stay on track, and then deal with consequences she can't foresee. She literally fails an environment awareness check at a critical moment and nearly loses everything she had achieved in the new go-around. This novel seems, to me, to be the actual goblin story that the protagonist is in the process of writing, minus the fantasy elements other than time travel.
While this may be written for a young adult audience, it does not read like one, other than limits on topics better left to adults. The adults are adults, the kids are kids, and the protagonist, despite having an extra 60 years of real life experience, has all the limitations of any other 13 year old girl when it comes to how adults treat her and control her life. The protagonist even comments on the differences between her life and that of the average young adult character.
I listened to the audible edition, and the narration was well done, also.
I was very impressed and urge more readers to pick this one up. :)
The characters are all well designed and many of them demonstrate character development, often inspired by the protagonist. The protagonist is, despite her foreknowledge of events, a flawed individual and while her experiences from her previous timeline inform her decisions and actions in the new timeline, I never get the impression that she runs around being perfect because she's already been a long-lived adult. There are periods where it *seems* like she has all the answers, and then it eventually gets demonstrated that she missed something, or didn't think something through, and the author also demonstrates how she learns from her mistakes, but not always perfectly and occasionally getting the wrong lesson out of things. The protagonist starts out as an emotionally stunted person, and the way she learns to make and enjoy connections with other people in her "do over" is heartbreaking in many ways, but also very compelling.
I saw someone make a "Mary Sue" reference in another review, and while it does feel like the author self-inserted to some extent--and almost BLATANTLY TELLS US THAT IS WHAT'S GOING ON--the other elements common to the so-called "Mary Sue" trope appear to be absent. The protagonist does not perfectly fix everything and do everything. She pushes herself to focus and fix her situation, and has to constantly redirect herself to stay on track, and then deal with consequences she can't foresee. She literally fails an environment awareness check at a critical moment and nearly loses everything she had achieved in the new go-around. This novel seems, to me, to be the actual goblin story that the protagonist is in the process of writing, minus the fantasy elements other than time travel.
While this may be written for a young adult audience, it does not read like one, other than limits on topics better left to adults. The adults are adults, the kids are kids, and the protagonist, despite having an extra 60 years of real life experience, has all the limitations of any other 13 year old girl when it comes to how adults treat her and control her life. The protagonist even comments on the differences between her life and that of the average young adult character.
I listened to the audible edition, and the narration was well done, also.
I was very impressed and urge more readers to pick this one up. :)
October 25, 2022
Some truly epic reading...
...in parts of the book.
The author definitely has more than a firm grasp on human nature. It, was at times, enlightening.
But also, some truly dragged out reading as well. If I thought the book had a follow up sequel I'd probably understand the ending.
I loved the concept of the story - 13 year old teenage angst handled by a 60 year old time traveler. The Do-over is/was clearly working and making good changes.
And, yes, the reality is - no solution is a black/white fit for every problem.
I honestly can't imagine this book was targeted for YA reading. The main character didn't think at all like a 13-year-old.
(Yet that is my biggest gripe when reading dystopia stories involving teenagers. That the author writes like a child - it might be technically good but too simplistic a style for dystopia).
I did enjoy the reading of this book - some good editing could have thinned it down a bit. Way to much focus on the Goblin books - probably could have just put that stuff which was stunningly on target - into a journal instead. For as much as the main character wrote about, talked about, and thought about the Goblin stories - in the end the reader is just left feeling incomplete. Sure, I could guess how the story relates to the situation (over-weight teenage loner treated like a goblin) but other than reading the main characters notes (not the actual story).
I guess more than anything I was left with so many questions. The friendships that had been carefully nurtured in the beginning just fizzled out.
POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS:
Sorry, I normally try not to include any but I was completely blown away by the immense detail and the amount spent on thought processes throught out the book that the ending was just so unsatisfying. Or if there will be sequels, maybe spread some of the angst in the first book into the sequel.
No closure on Ashlee, the youngest sister. No closure on Mom and Dad Moore.
No closure on the friends Alicia and Elena.
For as much as mom and dad Moore loved the main character the ending seemed odd.
I dunno I'm starting to feel like this review is turning too long. Over all good writing, good plot, good character development for the good guys. The bad guys just kinda popped up and little back ground was given. Especially for Lisa. Really confusing ending.
...in parts of the book.
The author definitely has more than a firm grasp on human nature. It, was at times, enlightening.
But also, some truly dragged out reading as well. If I thought the book had a follow up sequel I'd probably understand the ending.
I loved the concept of the story - 13 year old teenage angst handled by a 60 year old time traveler. The Do-over is/was clearly working and making good changes.
And, yes, the reality is - no solution is a black/white fit for every problem.
I honestly can't imagine this book was targeted for YA reading. The main character didn't think at all like a 13-year-old.
(Yet that is my biggest gripe when reading dystopia stories involving teenagers. That the author writes like a child - it might be technically good but too simplistic a style for dystopia).
I did enjoy the reading of this book - some good editing could have thinned it down a bit. Way to much focus on the Goblin books - probably could have just put that stuff which was stunningly on target - into a journal instead. For as much as the main character wrote about, talked about, and thought about the Goblin stories - in the end the reader is just left feeling incomplete. Sure, I could guess how the story relates to the situation (over-weight teenage loner treated like a goblin) but other than reading the main characters notes (not the actual story).
I guess more than anything I was left with so many questions. The friendships that had been carefully nurtured in the beginning just fizzled out.
POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERTS:
Sorry, I normally try not to include any but I was completely blown away by the immense detail and the amount spent on thought processes throught out the book that the ending was just so unsatisfying. Or if there will be sequels, maybe spread some of the angst in the first book into the sequel.
No closure on Ashlee, the youngest sister. No closure on Mom and Dad Moore.
No closure on the friends Alicia and Elena.
For as much as mom and dad Moore loved the main character the ending seemed odd.
I dunno I'm starting to feel like this review is turning too long. Over all good writing, good plot, good character development for the good guys. The bad guys just kinda popped up and little back ground was given. Especially for Lisa. Really confusing ending.
September 27, 2022
THIS BOOK IS GOOD ENOUGHT THAT I'M GOING ON EVERY PLATFORM I CAN TO REVIEW.
Wow oh wow will this one pull at the reader to join in the story as it unfolds. not the run of the mill isekai tale, but something I resonated with deeply.
What would have happened if one went back to their youth with the cumulative experience and wisdom from the year after?
Years where they learned what was acceptable and what was not for others to do and for home life.
Years where they had to learn hard lessons, and struggle with youthful innocence against every challenge.
Years of not understanding, wasting time, being abused, and unable to articulate to others the gravity of everything going on.
**Specific to Me w/ Potential Spoilers**
This book helped as much as it hurt to experience. I keep rereading parts because they are eerily similar to life events I had, but with a fantasy outcome that trigger and soothe in equal measure. It's hard to be in the story and overlay personal demons as the characters, but in a way, it also helps me face what did happen in a more optimistic way.
To those of you who don't feel like adults; like time passes and you're still a kid inside but with more experience now, I have this to say.
Please pay attention to those sticky and irritating children in your life. The level of vulnerability they have beggars belief and they don't know if something going on isn't normal until you talk to them. This isn't a call to arms, just a call to those of us who can. Don't write these little ones off, don't overlook them. It doesn't matter what they wear or where they're from. You can be someone's hero who truly needs it.
Wow oh wow will this one pull at the reader to join in the story as it unfolds. not the run of the mill isekai tale, but something I resonated with deeply.
What would have happened if one went back to their youth with the cumulative experience and wisdom from the year after?
Years where they learned what was acceptable and what was not for others to do and for home life.
Years where they had to learn hard lessons, and struggle with youthful innocence against every challenge.
Years of not understanding, wasting time, being abused, and unable to articulate to others the gravity of everything going on.
**Specific to Me w/ Potential Spoilers**
This book helped as much as it hurt to experience. I keep rereading parts because they are eerily similar to life events I had, but with a fantasy outcome that trigger and soothe in equal measure. It's hard to be in the story and overlay personal demons as the characters, but in a way, it also helps me face what did happen in a more optimistic way.
To those of you who don't feel like adults; like time passes and you're still a kid inside but with more experience now, I have this to say.
Please pay attention to those sticky and irritating children in your life. The level of vulnerability they have beggars belief and they don't know if something going on isn't normal until you talk to them. This isn't a call to arms, just a call to those of us who can. Don't write these little ones off, don't overlook them. It doesn't matter what they wear or where they're from. You can be someone's hero who truly needs it.
October 30, 2022
Doing your life all over again? How would you survive?
Such a great tale that will draw you in like a magnet to iron. The do-over genre isn't ready for such a well-written book like this. The things Tabitha (Tabby) goes through and how she tries to make changes but the Universe responds in different outcomes that what she expected. A 60-year old mind in a 13-year-old body. How would you handle being 13 again and going through schooling, puberty and life's struggles? Do you think you could save the life of a Policeman you just witnessed get shot? Do you think you could handle High School and some over the top gossip spread just to destroy you? What about a school student that takes a baseball bat to your head with the goal of smashing for perceived things she imagines you have done? All the while your 60 years of living clashes with the way you acted and talked when you were really 13 the first time around?
Such an amazing story. The plot is FirstClass. The writing is just amazingly well done. This is one of those rare tales that you must keep reading. You not only won't want to put it down, but you also won't be able to put it down. There is always something happening, just read a little bit more. Then a little bit more. There is always some new event, some new exposition that will leave you perplexed and processing in order to understand what just happened.
Thank you, Forty Sixty Four. This is such is a great tale and the next part is going to answer so many questions while opening us up to new experiences as Tabith navigates the maze of her new life.
Such a great tale that will draw you in like a magnet to iron. The do-over genre isn't ready for such a well-written book like this. The things Tabitha (Tabby) goes through and how she tries to make changes but the Universe responds in different outcomes that what she expected. A 60-year old mind in a 13-year-old body. How would you handle being 13 again and going through schooling, puberty and life's struggles? Do you think you could save the life of a Policeman you just witnessed get shot? Do you think you could handle High School and some over the top gossip spread just to destroy you? What about a school student that takes a baseball bat to your head with the goal of smashing for perceived things she imagines you have done? All the while your 60 years of living clashes with the way you acted and talked when you were really 13 the first time around?
Such an amazing story. The plot is FirstClass. The writing is just amazingly well done. This is one of those rare tales that you must keep reading. You not only won't want to put it down, but you also won't be able to put it down. There is always something happening, just read a little bit more. Then a little bit more. There is always some new event, some new exposition that will leave you perplexed and processing in order to understand what just happened.
Thank you, Forty Sixty Four. This is such is a great tale and the next part is going to answer so many questions while opening us up to new experiences as Tabith navigates the maze of her new life.
May 12, 2024
What led me here was reading a couple of the Webtoon chapters: https://www.webtoons.com/en/drama/re-... (excellent, 10/10 recommend)
I wanted to read what it was adapted from and boy I wasn't prepared for reading such a detailed and descriptive story! In line with the other reviews, I feel as though this would have been better suited as an anthology. There was just so much to tackle, and so much remained, that I felt it would have been best split up. The ending felt a bit incomplete to me, but also after reading so much, it was a good stopping point.
Never have I read a story that tackled the concept of time-travel so realistically. Of course, there are moments of disbelief and I had some issues with how certain topics were handled - however, it was the first time I felt like the character saw the pros, cons, joys, and horrors of what it would be like to be trust back into your teenage years after living such a long life. It made me think of my own life and what I would do and quite honestly, I am glad we don't have the ability to turn back time. Just like anyone, of course there are things I'd want to change but...when faced with the realities of dealing with the changes you made and the new future you have created, those ideas may be best kept in the past IMO.
Definitely recommend this story! Just make sure to carve out more than just a night as a binge read, or you may find yourself facing memory/thought overload, like our dear Tabitha.
I wanted to read what it was adapted from and boy I wasn't prepared for reading such a detailed and descriptive story! In line with the other reviews, I feel as though this would have been better suited as an anthology. There was just so much to tackle, and so much remained, that I felt it would have been best split up. The ending felt a bit incomplete to me, but also after reading so much, it was a good stopping point.
Never have I read a story that tackled the concept of time-travel so realistically. Of course, there are moments of disbelief and I had some issues with how certain topics were handled - however, it was the first time I felt like the character saw the pros, cons, joys, and horrors of what it would be like to be trust back into your teenage years after living such a long life. It made me think of my own life and what I would do and quite honestly, I am glad we don't have the ability to turn back time. Just like anyone, of course there are things I'd want to change but...when faced with the realities of dealing with the changes you made and the new future you have created, those ideas may be best kept in the past IMO.
Definitely recommend this story! Just make sure to carve out more than just a night as a binge read, or you may find yourself facing memory/thought overload, like our dear Tabitha.
August 16, 2025
It sort of starts out slightly above average (3.5 star?) and gradually descends into screeds of emotional navel-gazing and dissecting every single social interaction in minute detail, her origins eventually completely irrelevant to what's going on (2.4 star?). I think she gradually becomes a worse person overall, craving popularity and slinging insults instead of staying calm. The individual voices of the characters aren't well-developed and tbh, given how the school staff praise her work Tabitha seems a much better author than fortysixtyfour. The Goblina story wasn't particularly enjoyable tbh, what little there was of it. Tori Transmigrated is praised a couple times in the author's notes and you know, TT is actually superior in that things do actually happen, but it's so much worse in that Tori is an awful person in a canonically poorly made up world whereas Tabitha is sort of... lacking in individuality. There are no scenes of her past as an adult, it's all just exposition. The last few chapters were a mild slog and I'm kind of glad it's over tbh. Though it isn't actually over, the chapters have just stopped coming as of 4? months ago.
Honestly the chapter I most enjoyed on my previous read through was an April Fool's chapter where she goes into an actual litrpg, which is apparently deleted now.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who can't speed up their reading at will and sort of blitz through the later chapters which turn into like 40+ page things.
Honestly the chapter I most enjoyed on my previous read through was an April Fool's chapter where she goes into an actual litrpg, which is apparently deleted now.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who can't speed up their reading at will and sort of blitz through the later chapters which turn into like 40+ page things.
July 30, 2023
My husband convinced me to read this time travel book because he couldn't put it down. My daughter said it was a page-turner for her, too, but I found it to be an absolute slog of a read. I had to force myself through the last ... well ... 75% of it probably. It took me a while to figure out why, but it's because something would happen, and then the character would have to rehash it to people and mentally replay and think about it several times before the plot would move along. I would say that it was 25% plot and 75% thinking or talking about the plot.
So, the premise is an old lady time travels back into her 13-year-old body. Her 13-year-old self was overweight, underachieving, and lived in a trailer park. This time, however, she's determined to do everything differently, starting with getting in shape and cleaning up the trailer. Just these slight changes and Tabitha just existing as something other than an invisible lump paints a target on her for extreme bullying.
This is an 818-page book, and it has an ending of sorts. But the author apparently has continued it online. I'm done though. Really and truly done. It's not a bad book at all. I just have no desire to have to live and relive and relive and relive events of a story over and over through thoughts and conversations. I'm really a one and done person.
So, the premise is an old lady time travels back into her 13-year-old body. Her 13-year-old self was overweight, underachieving, and lived in a trailer park. This time, however, she's determined to do everything differently, starting with getting in shape and cleaning up the trailer. Just these slight changes and Tabitha just existing as something other than an invisible lump paints a target on her for extreme bullying.
This is an 818-page book, and it has an ending of sorts. But the author apparently has continued it online. I'm done though. Really and truly done. It's not a bad book at all. I just have no desire to have to live and relive and relive and relive events of a story over and over through thoughts and conversations. I'm really a one and done person.
July 11, 2024
It's a good story, although the ending is unsatisfactory. A lot of things are left unexplained. What happens to the her friendship with the other two girls? What about Julia? Will she exploit her future knowledge? Will she be profited by it? What about her relationship with her parents? How did her cousins took her getting their mother arrested? How will she get them back on her side? What did she do with the settlement money? Did she finish her book? How did it do? and it goes on.
I loved this story, it's progression and everything well until the end. That's where it went disappointing. I suppose there's a sequel. Because although she does discover herself, or rather I should say begin to discover herself by the end, it does not reach any solid conclusion from the story point of view.
The storytelling is fine, although there's at least 10-15% extra details. But that's bearable.
Audiobook narration is average. The narrator has barely 4 voices, which she mixes for different characters. You can not tell which character is speaking until their name is mentioned. Why couldn't the editor do some digital modulation?
All in all I liked this book. It is much better storytelling than all the Shawn Inmon's Middle Falls stories. They all seem so shallow in front of this one.
I loved this story, it's progression and everything well until the end. That's where it went disappointing. I suppose there's a sequel. Because although she does discover herself, or rather I should say begin to discover herself by the end, it does not reach any solid conclusion from the story point of view.
The storytelling is fine, although there's at least 10-15% extra details. But that's bearable.
Audiobook narration is average. The narrator has barely 4 voices, which she mixes for different characters. You can not tell which character is speaking until their name is mentioned. Why couldn't the editor do some digital modulation?
All in all I liked this book. It is much better storytelling than all the Shawn Inmon's Middle Falls stories. They all seem so shallow in front of this one.
October 16, 2022
An issue with a MRI on 2045 send Tabitha, Tabby, back to her teen years, the summer before she is to start high school. She gets to relive one of the worst years of her life, Tabby is overweight and gets teased relentlessly about it so in this do over she works hard all summer to get down to a better weight. But the same girls as before start spreading rumors about Tabby to get at her in this time. She is able to stop things from happening like the cop still gets shot by her house but doesn’t die. Even though she does things like that and can tell her friends things that will happen most still don’t believe her.
This is a great book and it could have been broken down into many books had the author wanted but I am glad we got everything at once. Tabby was such a complex character but yet so much a better person than me, with all she put up with and just kept turning her cheek. The different time lines tend to also be complicated but this story made the transitions easy to follow. I really enjoyed this audio very much narrator Amy Landon was a great choice for this book she made it fun, sad, and heart wrecking, and like I said I would love to be the kind of person Tabby is even if she thinks she is trailer trash she has more than anyone in a house.
This is a great book and it could have been broken down into many books had the author wanted but I am glad we got everything at once. Tabby was such a complex character but yet so much a better person than me, with all she put up with and just kept turning her cheek. The different time lines tend to also be complicated but this story made the transitions easy to follow. I really enjoyed this audio very much narrator Amy Landon was a great choice for this book she made it fun, sad, and heart wrecking, and like I said I would love to be the kind of person Tabby is even if she thinks she is trailer trash she has more than anyone in a house.
April 25, 2025
In the last 12 pages it dawned on me that they couldn't possible resolve all the open subplots within the last pages. And they didn't! It's like the author out their pen down at some point and was like ok let's call it a day. I see why the webtoon continues after this because this ending in the middle of a scene is truly unsatisfying.
The webtoon got me to read this and it has it's strengths (the ending being over worked, clearly, also Alicia is much better handled, as is Elena, the removal of police violence) but it also has its weaknesses (removal of Ashlee's disability, erasure of the Taylor sister's back stories, etc. which is very dark but helped me to understand what's going on).
This book took some getting used to in terms of style but I read a few web novels and so far this is my favourite. I just really with it felt "rounded", with a satisfying ending.
And I'm gonna be honest. After the MRI Part 2 I completely forgot Julie existed. She never came up again. That's one of the main reasons why I say it feels unfinished. It's like the second MRI the author just lost their notes and forgot about half of the subplots. So that was disappointing. But up to then it was really amazing.
The webtoon got me to read this and it has it's strengths (the ending being over worked, clearly, also Alicia is much better handled, as is Elena, the removal of police violence) but it also has its weaknesses (removal of Ashlee's disability, erasure of the Taylor sister's back stories, etc. which is very dark but helped me to understand what's going on).
This book took some getting used to in terms of style but I read a few web novels and so far this is my favourite. I just really with it felt "rounded", with a satisfying ending.
And I'm gonna be honest. After the MRI Part 2 I completely forgot Julie existed. She never came up again. That's one of the main reasons why I say it feels unfinished. It's like the second MRI the author just lost their notes and forgot about half of the subplots. So that was disappointing. But up to then it was really amazing.
May 14, 2024
DNF - Disappointing. This book had a promising start with lots of potential that it never really realised (or perhaps it suddenly did after the 45% point but I’m tapping out).
I didn’t like the endless unnecessary commentary about the MCs stunning, elfin looks - her gorgeousness, her milky skin, her cute nose etc. it felt really jarring given the single POV and slightly creepy/fetishising given that she’s a 13 yr old girl (at least externally) Tabitha’s personality (as well as the personality of many of the characters) was really inconsistent - like the author couldn’t decide whether she was a genius, a badass, or a a vulnerable and fragile waif. So kind of just bounced between all of them.
This felt like it had so much possibility - if it could have just fast forwarded some of the repetitive teen HS drama, skipped 80% of the inner monologuing and got on with the Mc doing some wacky side missions to fix things, make money or start doing something more fun and interesting then I might have continued.
I would add that I also checked out the web toon comic and that seems to have avoided some of the aspects I dislike the most - so worth checking out instead!
I didn’t like the endless unnecessary commentary about the MCs stunning, elfin looks - her gorgeousness, her milky skin, her cute nose etc. it felt really jarring given the single POV and slightly creepy/fetishising given that she’s a 13 yr old girl (at least externally) Tabitha’s personality (as well as the personality of many of the characters) was really inconsistent - like the author couldn’t decide whether she was a genius, a badass, or a a vulnerable and fragile waif. So kind of just bounced between all of them.
This felt like it had so much possibility - if it could have just fast forwarded some of the repetitive teen HS drama, skipped 80% of the inner monologuing and got on with the Mc doing some wacky side missions to fix things, make money or start doing something more fun and interesting then I might have continued.
I would add that I also checked out the web toon comic and that seems to have avoided some of the aspects I dislike the most - so worth checking out instead!
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