After a career-ending illness, Greer Coffey returns to Detroit and discovers a time portal that transports her to 1925, where she forms a deep connection with Dr. Montgomery Gray, a member of the city’s Black elite. As their lives intertwine across a century, each journey through time unravels the fabric of their realities, exploring themes of identity, race, loss, and the unintended consequences of altering the past.

Reader Review Summary

Set in both 2025 and 1925 Detroit, the novel follows Greer Coffey, a principal dancer whose career is cut short by a neurological disorder, and Dr. Montgomery Gray, a physician from Detroit’s Black Aristocracy. After Greer’s life unravels and she returns to her hometown, she discovers a time vortex that transports her to 1925, where she meets Monty. Their repeated encounters across time begin to alter the present, with each visit causing more significant changes to Greer’s world in 2025. The story explores the social and historical landscape of Detroit, particularly focusing on the Black community, Prohibition-era tensions, and the expectations placed on both protagonists. The narrative blends elements of time travel, historical fiction, and speculative fiction, with a focus on personal and societal consequences of their actions across timelines.

Readers appreciated the atmospheric depiction of Detroit in both eras, noting the detailed attention to the city’s neighborhoods, history, and the Black community’s experiences. The audiobook narration by Dara Brown received frequent praise for its soothing, emotive delivery and clear character differentiation. Many found the exploration of themes such as race, trauma, ancestry, and identity compelling, and highlighted the emotional resonance of the story. The dynamic between Greer and Monty, as well as Greer’s relationships with secondary characters like her best friend Leah, were often cited as engaging aspects. Several reviewers also enjoyed the book’s handling of the butterfly effect and the consequences of time travel on both personal lives and broader history.

Common criticisms included issues with pacing, particularly a slow or dragging middle section and an abrupt or rushed ending. Some readers felt the character development was insufficient, especially for the main protagonists, and that both Greer and Monty were too passive in driving the plot. The mechanics of time travel were described as confusing or underexplained, with some wishing for a deeper exploration of the science fiction elements. Others noted that the story sometimes glossed over opportunities to delve into Detroit’s history or the implications of the characters’ actions, and that supporting characters were underutilized or inconsistently present. A few reviewers found the plot repetitive or felt that the narrative went in circles without a satisfying payoff.

The book is categorized as time travel, historical fiction, fantasy, and adult fiction, and was published in April 2025. It has an average reader rating of 3.84 out of 5, based on 37 ratings and 25 full reviews. The story is told in third person with dual perspectives, and includes content warnings for racism, depression, and violence. While the time travel mechanism is not deeply explained, its impact on the characters’ lives and the timeline is central to the plot. The novel is available in audiobook format, and several reviewers received advance copies through NetGalley or publisher giveaways.