The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Love Me Tomorrow

Series: Love Me #1

Author: Emiko Jean

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

What if your true love could write to you from the future?

Seventeen-year-old Emma Nakamura-Thatcher doesn’t believe in love, not after her parents’ bitter divorce. So when she attends the festival of Tanabata, her wish is simple: proof that love is real and can last.

Emma thinks little of her wish…until she finds a note from someone claiming to be her greatest love writing to her from the future. It has to be a prank, right? But as the notes pour in, each revealing secrets only she knows, Emma is forced to accept the impossible: This is really happening. Someone is actually reaching out to her from across time.

But who? Ezra, the musical prodigy who makes her pulse race? Theo, the literal boy next door who’s known her since childhood? Or Colin, the overly confident, overly handsome, overly rich kid she meets while cleaning his mega-mansion?

As Emma races to uncover the identity of the letter writer, she’ll discover that love is more than real—it’s the most powerful force in the universe. And it’s been waiting for her all along. – summary from Goodreads

Love Me Tomorrow is a unique contemporary romance with magical realism and a FMC who is hesitant to love.

This book was interesting and I liked it, but I also wanted to like it more than I did.

The thing I struggled with the most, I think, was that the romance side of things took a long time to develop, felt a little surface level, and the love square wasn’t that big of a deal.

I thought there would be a lot more contention between the three men Emma was considering. She did struggle a little bit with her choice, but I think it could have gone a little deeper.

I did like Emma. She was a shy, introspective character, as well as a hard worker. She was also lower income and was a house cleaner, which was a new perspective to me. I have read books in the past from lower income characters, but I really liked how this was done. Emma also played the violin, and I really loved that aspect! It was really nice incorporation, and I loved her passion for it.

There were three romantic interests. There was Theo, her childhood best friend. Ezra, a musical prodigy. And Colin, a rich kid whose house she cleans. I never thought Theo was a serious contender, and I think the book could have benefited a little bit had he only been thought of in a friend manner. Ezra and Colin had much more of a chance. A small spoiler ahead: I liked that she chose Colin. I didn’t mind Ezra, but there was something there that rubbed me the wrong way. Colin was so sweet and caring, and he just had a connection with Emma.

I wish them being together was explored a little bit more because I don’t feel like we got to see them together on page very much at all.

I also wish that the magical realism side of the story was explained a little more, as well as had a little more closure. I wish the writer had been revealed, or at the very least there was more of an answer on how this was able to happen.

Overall, I enjoyed Love Me Tomorrow, though I had a few minor issues with the story.

Love Me Tomorrow has magical realism, romance, and a shy FMC who doesn’t believe in love!

Quotes:

“Want to talk about loneliness? When I think of you, I find I am free from solitude.”

“Let the world greet you. You’ll find open arms, I promise.”

“I love you. I love you to the point of madness. And I always will- yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”