Stitch in Time

by Amanda James

[Leah]

When I first read the synopsis for A Stitch In Time, I wasn’t sure it was my kind of novel. Time travel? No, thank you. But instead of just dismissing out right, as once I might did, I took a look at the preview of the novel, and I was hooked. I was captivated, and I was so excited to read and review the novel. I started it just before a four-day stint at work, and finished it after finishing my four-day stint and the best part was, in between that break, I didn’t forget a single thing that happened and I was so disappointed I’d had to wait to read it, and was so glad to get back to Sarah and John, and Sarah’s time travelling adventures, that I stayed up until 2am finishing it!

Sarah Yates’s life was going swimmingly – she had a beautiful husband, a brilliant job, and a best friend you’d love to have. So when she finds out her husband has knocked up her best friend, it throws her world into chaos. Divorced and disullusioned, she thinks she’s going mad when a man called John Needler shows up at her door, telling her that she’s a stitch, someone who can go back in time and fix holes that need to be fixed in order for history to be as it is. Sarah doesn’t believe a word he says, but soon finds herself whisked back in time, trying to fix things that were never meant to be broken. But as she finds other people their happy endings, and makes sure the history of the world is secure, will she be able to find her own happy ending?

I loved A Stitch In Time. I’m on a really good run of books I’m enjoying at the minute, and A Stitch In Time continued that run. It was great, I loved the plot even if it wasn’t something I thought I’d enjoy, I adored the characters, both the ones in the present and in the past, especially John Needler. I don’t know if A Stitch In Time was historically accurate, and there will be people who read the book and proclaim the whole time travel thing is hocum or not done correctly but I absolutely loved it. I loved seeing Sarah whisked through the ages, and each tale as she travelled from the Sheffield Blitz to the Old American West to the Suffragette’s in London had a fabulous backstory, and I was moved by all of them. I particularly loved the Suffragette bit of the book. I think James has created such a wonderful tale, and I warmed to it so much, and enjoyed it so much. I think it speaks volumes that I stayed up so late to finish it, but it was so darn addictive that I couldn’t give it up, I had to know what would happen to Sarah and John, and all the people Sarah was trying to help.

I really enjoyed A Stitch In Time, I was so sad when I’d finished it because I just didn’t want to leave any of the characters. I wanted to follow Sarah and John throughout their lives, and read so much more about the whole stitching/time needling idea. I could totally see Amanda James writing a sequel, and I’d totally be on board to read it, because I adored this book! It had such brilliant characters, I warmed to Sarah and John immediately and I was sucked into all the tales from the past. I am so pleased I didn’t just pass on this book because it didn’t sound like my kind of thing, I’m so glad I decided to give it a chance and I wasn’t disappointed at all. It’s so nice to read a book that’s not specifically something I’d pick up in a shop myself, and it proves (yet again) that you cannot judge a book by its cover or synopsis or anything, and the preview of the book really gripped me. Do give it a chance, you will not regret it because it was wonderful. I’d love to be able to go back in time and read this book for the first time again, because it was just that good!