Time After Time is the epitome of a timeless romance: guy meets girl; guy can’t stop thinking about girl; guy finds girl and they fall in love. The catch? Girl is actually a ghost stuck in the purgatory between life and death.

As I write this, I realize I’ve been reading a lot of stories involving ghosts lately (i.e., The Beautiful Strangers, Natalie Tan’s Book of Love and Fortune). I wonder what that says about me, especially since I tend to really like them! We can take a deeper dive on that another day…

This story is set in 1930s NYC with Grand Central Terminal at its center. I loved reading about the history of the famous and ornate station, especially during the end of the depression into the time period of World War II.

Joe is a lever man helping to ensure the safe passage of trains into and out of the terminal. From Queens, he dreams of traveling the world and escaping New York. Nora was from the rich and elite of NYC but is permanently stuck at 23 years old after the train accident that took her life.

I connected almost immediately with Joe and Nora and found this story to be happy, sad, moving and totally captivating. I loved their adventures and explorations around Grand Central, I saw the terminal and Joe age over time, while Nora stayed forever 23 (I wish!!!).  If you love rom-coms and historical fiction, and especially love reading about NYC – this should absolutely be on your TBR list.

Verdict: read it! (4.5/5 stars)
Length: 416 pages
When: You’re in the mood for a magical romance.
Quote: “Nora had come to understand the difference between infatuation and love. Infatuation was weather. Love was climate.” and (because there were too many), “Patience meant you had to honor the moments before things happened the same way you honored the moments when they did.”
Also Read: The Beautiful Strangers by Camille DiMaio (B2C review)

Buy Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald