All Our Yesterdays (All Our Yesterdays, #1)

by Cristin Terrill

A brilliantly brain-warping thriller and a love story that leaps back and forth in time - All Our Yesterdays is an amazing first novel, perfect for fans of The Hunger Games.

Em is locked in a bare, cold cell with no comforts. Finn is in the cell next door. The Doctor is keeping them there until they tell him what he wants to know. Trouble is, what he wants to know hasn't happened yet.

Em and Finn have a shared past, but no future unless they can find a way out. The present is torture - being kept apart, overhearing each other's anguish as the Doctor relentlessly seeks answers. There's no way back from here, to what they used to be, the world they used to know. Then Em finds a note in her cell which changes everything. It's from her future self and contains some simple but very clear instructions. Em must travel back in time to avert a tragedy that's about to unfold. Worse, she has to pursue and kill the boy she loves to change the future . . .

• ISBN10: 1423185242
• ISBN13: 9781423185246
• Publish Date: 26 August 2014 (first published 1 August 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 18 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[reveriesociety_]

All Our Yesterdays messed me up so much. It’s been about half an hour since I finished the book and I can already tell you with absolute certainty that it’s become one of my favorites.

Time travel done right,

Said the blurb, and I have to agree with it.

I mean, wow.



It was just so perfectly plotted

I’m not tat good at it to begin with but… I couldn’t find one plothole. Not even one. Time travel stories tend to suffer from those, and mainly because authors start having so much fun with the concept that they think that the more complex they make their time traveling, the more we’ll be wowed by it. To everyone’s dismay, they only succeed in alienating us.

But this authors’ work is so simple, and it works. It’s just damn near flawless. I can’t help comparing your typical time travel book to the doodles of a toddler who’s barely discovering the power of crayons, to the contained strokes of a sesoned artist that is All Our Yesterdays.

It’s really not that unique a book, but the execution is very well done, and that’s all I ask, really.

It has one of those satisfying open endings

So this is what has me tied up in knots, because to be honest, it’s a good ending, a perfect one even. But you know how I just prefer the complete happy ones :/

An epilogue would’ve been nice.

It doesn’t leave you hanging, so don’t worry about that, it just leaves you wanting more, which is good and bad, depending on how you look at it.

The plot twist

There is one little twist that takes place super early, and that I caught like just a page or two before it actually took place and that’s it. I was hooked from that moment on because it was just too awesome. Everything made sense and I was so excited to see where it all led.

The author keeps you on your toes

Nearing the end, I was genuinely filled with dread. I was fairly certain in the grand scheme of things, the world would be alright. But I feared for these flawed but lovely characters. At one point, shit hits the fan and I was positively terrified because this gal is not messing around, people.

Those stupid emotions

Yes, those human emotions, remember them?

They suck.

Because when everything should be straightforward and logical, the pop up like daisies and demand attention. Even in life or death situtions.

In this story, emotions and feelings are very, very much important. Because our characters can’t just easily go epic and badass and take out the bad guy. That’s actually kind of the point, because it’s all just so difficult, and we as the readers get that. And we’re right along with them wondering if they’ll beat their reservations or not.



Do yourself a favor and read this book!

This and more gushing and booing reviews can be found at Reverie Society too!

[readingwithwrin]

"There are risks," James concedes, "but progress is always dangerous, isn't it? Most of the time, walls don't get dismantled brick by brick. Someone has to crash through them."


Well this book was terrifying and heartbreaking all at the same time.

I'm not going to lie at first I was slightly confused by the dual point of views of Marina and Em and who they were exactly. But after awhile you start to understand it and get who they are. Which is heartbreaking all on its own.

For the majority of the book you are following Em and Finn who have been held captive and tortured for information on documents they have hidden. While you are finding out that information you also learn what has happened in the world and what the future has become, (Which is terrifying.) and why they have had to go back in time to try to stop a certain person from creating time travel and essentially making the world a terrifying place to live.

You do also have the perspective of Marina who is best friends with James who she has a huge crush on and would do almost anything to make him fall for her. While this part did annoy me at times, it was very realistic and really showed what you would do for your first love.
As for Finn well, he's James' best friend and also the person Marina can't stand.

While all of this may seem slightly confusing somehow it wasn't and Terrill pulled of the complexity of time traveling and the dual perspectives beautifully.

The thing I loved the most about the book is seeing the characters grow and how they changed. Terrill did an amazing job of this and really made the characters multi-layered and made them seem extremely real.

This book was very fast paced for me and I wish I had been able to read it in one sitting.

While Terrill has said there won't be a sequel she has released a short companion story that you can find here.

See more reviews like this on my blog

[Nessa Luna]

Actual rating: 4,5 - In 2013, All Our Yesterdays was released. I had heard about it before its release already and got curious. A book about time travel? Yes sign me up! Why did it take me so long to actually read the book? No idea, maybe it was because I was waiting for that gorgeous cover to be released in paperback? I really do not remember why it took me so long to read this book, but after finishing it it made me wish time travel exists so I could travel back in time and tell myself to read the book right away. (I'd create a paradox, but hey apparently that's not such a big deal). So yeah, I guess I could say I really enjoyed this book! I'm sorry but this review might contain a couple of spoilers, so beware.

All Our Yesterdays is about Marina and Em. Marina is in love with James, and has nothing to really worry about. Em has been in prison for a long time and only has one goal - to escape and kill him. Together with the boy in the cell next to hers, she must escape back in time to ensure her past self will never have to suffer the way she suffered. But that isn't as easy as she had hoped it would be.

I really got sucked into the story right away, mainly because it starts right away with a scene that makes you think 'what happened?'. It starts with Em in a cell, staring at a drain wondering why she feels that drain is so special. And it doesn't get less exciting from that point, in fact - I really thought this book was very thrilling and I told myself to at least finish the chapter before going to eat, sleep or work. I really liked the way this story was written, I think the author did a very good job. I would love for her to write more books, but not a sequel or anything - just another book. Personally, I think a sequel wouldn't fit. Because this book kind of got a happy ending (maybe not a Disney happy ending, but I never expect books to have that kind of happy endings), and I don't think a sequel will add anything to this story. No, I just want the author to write another book with a complete new story. Though I wouldn't mind her writing about more time travel, hahaha!

Character-wise, I really liked Em and Finn. I felt a bit dumb when I didn't immediately realise who they were though. I actually had to reread a part of the book because I thought they were but wasn't sure. The one person I did 'recognise' almost immediately was the doctor, so I guess the other two would have been obvious as well - but I just completely missed that. It didn't bother me too much though, because I just enjoyed reading about Em and Finn - I loved reading about their relationship and their determination to kill him. I also liked Marina and James and their relationship. I loved how she tried to take care of him after the event that kind of started all of this, and I really wished for them to have a happy ending. Even though I already knew that was going to be impossible.

The only thing I was a bit bothered about in the beginning was the fact that Em and Finn were creating a paradox by traveling back in time and killing the person that created the time machine - thus erasing that timeline. But then, in the story it was explained that paradoxes weren't really that bad as everyone had thought and that everything would work out eventually. Other than that, I was also a little bit bothered by the flashbacks. Because they were the same font as the normal story and not italicized or anything - or a different paragraph. It was a bit annoying because I couldn't really see where the flashback started or ended. But hey, there weren't that many flashbacks so it wasn't super annoying. What I am still a bit confused about is that ending. Because how did that happen?! I mean Finn got shot and died. How is he suddenly still alive after that, and how does Marina not remember anything that happened to her in that cottage? I have the idea maybe the author wrote this while she still had the sequel in her mind, but ??!?! I'm just a bit confused about this ok.

In the end, I really enjoyed All Our Yesterdays and it's really made me want to pick up books I'm interested in right after they get released. Because maybe I am missing out on a book like this because I'm not too sure if I'm going to like it. If it sounds interesting, I really should just buy it and read it. If it's not that interesting after all - it's a shame, but if it is - I won't be that person that finds out about it two years after it's release!

My opinion on this book in one gif:

[Stephanie]

Time travel is weird.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of All Our Yesterdays from Disney Book Group via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

Fast paced time travel / science fiction story, but some things and especially the flash-backs are quite confusing.

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews

Overall I really liked All Our Yesterdays! By far the best part of the book was the time travel. I was worried that it was going to be confusing (always a possibility with time travel), but it wasn't. I think the author did a great job of gradually explaining things and making it super easy to follow along. Thank goodness!

I loved how the characters were confronted with alternate versions of themselves.. it was kind of a terrifying thought. Just imagine, an innocent version of you being confronted by a dark, terrifying, older version of yourself. It's scary to imagine that darkness existing in you somewhere, just waiting to emerge! Obviously, this was particularly true with James. I thought that last scene with James and The Doctor coming together was INTENSE. Just having James seeing that side of himself... it was scary! I can't imagine what that would be like..

At the beginning Marina wasn't the greatest character. She was shallow and trying so hard to fit in with the 'cool' girls. For the most part I brushed it off because I figured she was supposed to be young and stupid and then learn some valuable life lessons or something and change. Although, to be honest, at the end of the book I thought she seemed really pathetic. When all the crazy stuff went down (the climax of the book) she was basically just huddled up crying and shouting, "What's going on???? Ahhhh someone tell me!" I get that it was an intense and confusing moment, but she seemed a bit pathetic.

I did like Em and Finn though. I think they had an amazing romance and I loved seeing how hard they fought for each other! My feelings towards them are a bit strange though... Like, I did really enjoy their romance, passion, and dedication towards each other. But I never REALLY connected with the characters themselves. I liked them, but I felt like something was missing. I just didn't connect with them as much as I could have. I didn't really get a ton of feels and I never cried or anything (I saw that some people did).

But that being said, I loved the subtle hint of soul mates. So there are two 'versions' of Marina with two different timelines. I loved how it's implied that both versions of Marina end up with Finn. It's like no matter what happens, they find some way to fall into place together. It was sweet!

When everything comes together at the end, the paradoxes are INSANE! For the most part I really enjoyed them. Paradoxes are crazy to think about it and I love how they keep my mind alive just imagining the possibilities! I mean, the very nature of paradoxes is that they're confusing and don't make much sense, but all things considered, I think Cristin Terrill handled them brilliantly. Despite being paradoxes, they do kind of make sense.. in the context of time travel, at least.

Overall, All Our Yesterdays was an awesome book! I think I am a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to give it 5 stars, but I still really liked it. I just think I could have connected with it a little more, and Marina could have been a bit more likable. The world building could have also used some work. The focus was so 100% on the romance, the friendship, and the time travel, that the actual world itself was left behind. I never felt like I got a clear understanding of the politics or current state of the world. But despite that, this book is definitely still worth a read!

[Stephanie]

I really don't know were to begin with this, other than what I actually want to say: "OMG THIS BOOK, I LOVE IT!" It's hard for me to talk about this book without really going into all the details, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone, so you're now warned that this review is a big jumbled mess of my very vague thoughts.

I really enjoyed learning about the science behind the time travel, and time in general. There's more discussion on the actual traveling itself and the science behind it. Time ends up being a character itself, because it's always present and makes sure to show that it is in control.

I loved all the characters and the roles they played. My favorite, by far, was Finn though. He was such a comic relief, but he also knew what to do at times and held his own. I just loved him. I also really enjoyed the dual narrative between Em and Marina and how they were connected. Terrill did a really good job at showing just how much the future characters changed, compared their their past self's.

There was one thing that was confusing, though. The one thing I feel like everyone needs to know before going into the story is Cassandra. I was very confused in the beginning because Finn and Em were all like "We have to get to Cassandra!" and I could not figure out who Cassandra was. Who is Cassandra and why is she so important?! Turns out, Cassandra was the name of the time machine.

I'm worried about this book being part of a series. I feel like the book ended so perfectly, it doesn't need another book. It also scares me, because I feel like the next book is going to undo everything that happened in the first book, which breaks my heart. It wrapped up so nicely! Don't ruin it for me! But I also really want to read the next book, because I'm hoping that it will show that I was right about how things ended the way they did. Just so I could be like "HA! I was RIGHT!"

I think the main reason I loved All Our Yesterdays so much was because of the ending, and how it made me want someone to to discuss it with. I loved that it got me thinking, and the fact that the more I thought about it the more excited I got, and confused, because time traveling can be confusing with all it's paradox's, but that is, what I feel, makes this book awesome.

[jnikkir]

Find this and other reviews at my blog, There were books involved...
_________________________________________

All Our Yesterdays is a book I'd been looking forward to for a LONG time. I remember seeing the original cover, which was kind of 'meh' for me... but after reading the blurb, I immediately knew this was a book I needed to check out. And once the new cover was revealed - the one currently on this post - BAM - I knew I had to have this book.

In case you didn't know already: I am a sucker for time travel, a little romance, and most of all, awesome characters - and All Our Yesterdays delivered on all counts. The pacing was excellent and the plot was absolutely riveting. I couldn't put it down.

The first thing I want to talk about is the narrative perspectives in this book, which were really cool. It switches back and forth between present-day Marina, and "Em" who is from four years in the future. Though the two narratives begin in different timelines (Marina in the present, and Em in the future), Em ends up traveling back to the same timeline we've been following with Marina. So the narration, even though it's from (technically) the same character in the same timeline, really acts to differentiates the Marina from the past and the "Em" from the future - who is risking her life trying to save Marina's (her own past's) timeline, so she doesn't have to endure the things Em had to go through.

At first, I didn't like Marina's sections sections that much - they read more as a contemporary, where the girl has very little self-confidence and is just waiting for the boy she likes to notice her. But that only lasts for a little while until Something Happens which throws her timeline into intense-thriller mode. I actually really loved that Marina starts out the way she does, because it offers her so much room for growth, and she finally gets a chance to shine and show the beginnings of the girl who ends up becoming Em.

Also, I found it incredibly unique and, thus, really moving, that Em was risking her life for the more innocent and not-yet-hardened version of herself. In a lot of ways, Marina could be considered the "weaker" individual, but the fact that Em values her so much and wants to protect her is just incredibly telling, I think. This is actually her main motivation when when goes back in time - of course she wants to stop the time machine from being created, because it totally screws up the world, but you can tell by how much time she spends thinking about saving her past self, that she is fighting to keep her alive more than anything else. I really liked that.

I've already touched a little bit on the time travel aspect - really, that was the thing I was most anticipating (and at the same time, dreading). Time travel can be easily messed up, and it annoys me a LOT when it isn't dealt with "realistically" - meaning, when it's all hand-wavy instead of actually offering coherent explanations of the paradoxical theories involved. Such as: If events got so bad that you go back in time to fix them, wouldn't you never make it to the point where you need to travel back in time in the first place? This is especially true of the paradox we're presented with in All Our Yesterdays - time travel in order to prevent time travel? (Ow, my head.)


Much to my delight, all of this was dealt with exceedingly well in All Our Yesterdays. The science of the actual "time-machine" (more like a big explosion that rips the fabric of space/time) is only touched on in the barest of ways, near the beginning of the book - which is totally fine within the context of the story. But there's a lot of discussion of how changing the past would actually work. Terrill did an awesome job at explaining things like my hypothetical question above, and never once bogged the story down with miles of pseudo-sciency-sounding explanation. It was all clear and made total sense for the story. My little time-travel-geek self was in timey-wimey heaven. *_*

Other than Em and Marina, who are really the main focus of this book, I also have to say that I really loved her relationships with the two other main characters, Finn and James, as well. Em and Finn were perfect together in Em's timeline/perspective. (There were lots of feels.) But I also really liked seeing them go from dislike, to tolerance, to friendship... in Marina's own timeline, too. James was another super interesting character, and I ended up liking him a lot more than I thought I would - I was predisposed to like Finn just because he and Em are so awesome together, but James as a character was just really intriguing.

Oh also, the bad guy, who we only know as "the doctor" in the beginning... Such an awesome villain. O_O When you meet him in Em's timeline in the beginning, he seems kind of like a stereotypical evil bad guy - but then as you learn more about him... ugh. I can't give anything away, but his motivations and back-story are just so well-done.

In conclusion...
I can't recommend this book enough, both to people who already love sci-fi and time travel, and to those people who prefer character-driven stories as opposed to thrillers. All Our Yesterdays is a perfect balance between the two - neither character development nor excitement are ever sacrificed in favor of the other, and the twisty plot only serves to enhance the development of every main character in the book. Seriously, if you haven't read it yet (WHY??), give it a chance. It does not disappoint.

[Rinn]

Also posted on my book blog, Rinn Reads.

From a non-linear, non-subjective view point, time is not simple. No, in fact it's more...



Thank you, Doctor*. Bearing that in mind, books about time travel are never going to be simple. It is something that has fascinated humans for a long time, the possibilities it would bring but also the potential troubles it would cause. And when I heard that this book, so loved by many a YA fan, was about time travel, I was quite surprised.

That was, until I read it myself.

Because it's not simply a story about time travel. Whilst that is the main essence of the story, the focus of the plot, it's so much more. It's also a story of young love, of heartbreak, friendships, power, intelligence. The story is so well-structured; the flitting between past, present and future works so well and builds up to the final events perfectly.

From the very first chapter, I knew I had to find out what was really going on, and soon. As if that wasn't enough, a couple of chapters in one little word had me reeling, needing to know more. The plot is exciting, the action fast-paced and exhilarating and there are several little twists thrown in to catch you off guard. Although I guessed one important element of the story early on, it was revealed shortly afterwards and is a crucial plot point from thereon out.

The time travel in this book is explained early on, conveyed through exposition, and best of all it's not unnecessarily complicated. I'm not particularly scientifically-minded, so I don't know how it would sound to someone who is, but it made sense to me - at least in the context of the story and its universe.

With well fleshed out characters and relationships, built up more effectively by 'flashes' - moments where a character blacks out and relives a past moment, caused by the time travel - Cristin Terrill cleverly makes you both like and dislike the same character through the use of different points of view. And that's what makes this such a tense read, because you're at once both aching for someone to get their comeuppance and simultaneously be saved. It also meant that I wasn't always rooting for Em and Finn's success in their mission, and at other times I was.

Marina, one of the main female protagonists, was snobby and rather selfish, as well as being a bit of a spoilt rich kid. But I couldn't dislike her completely, I felt that her lack of parental contact redeemed her from that a little, and she had a certain naivety to her that couldn't be ignored. There was a great contrast during the first third or so of the book, between Marina's normal life, where her biggest worry was confessing her feelings to James, and that of Em, imprisoned, tortured and with a secretive and tangled past. Em is tough and hardened, mysterious and brave.

And as for the guys... it was nice that they weren't too different, which is how it often seems to be. Often they have opposite colourings, interests, body types, personalities... but both boys are intelligent and ultimately well-meaning. James is so brilliant and full of good potential but... it's hard to write much about the characters of this book without getting a bit spoilerific.


Take it from someone who knows all about spoilers.

It's not often a book has me totally torn between characters and events. It is powerful, drawing you in and making you unsure of the conclusion you wish for. The ending was heart-breaking but with a sequel on the way, things might not be as they seem... and I'm fine with that.


I like GIFs now. GIFs are cool.

*Disclaimer: I am not sorry in the slightest for the Doctor Who references.

[Kelly]

http://divainpyjamas.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/all-our-yesterdays-by-cristin-terill.html
All Our Yesterdays was difficult to review, without giving away the stunning and shocking plot twists. It's young adult, but the intelligence behind the storyline will leave even adults breathless. More science fiction than fantasy, the time travel aspect is well thought out and like most that dabble with the subject, it isn't confusing and won't leave you with boring and lengthy descriptions either.

I really enjoyed it. It's an emotional ride, but more often than not, will leave you on the edge of your seat. The characters are brilliant and it blurs the lines between heroes and villains. Prepare yourself for a gut wrenching ending that you won't see coming. You'll be left utterly exhausted.