Jackson, Kosoko. Yesterday is History. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Fire, 2021.
ISBN-13: 978-1492694342 | $17,99 ISD | 320 pages | YA Time Travel Romance
Blurb
A romantic, heart-felt, and whimsical novel about letting go of the past, figuring out what you want in your future, and staying in the moment before it passes you by.
Weeks ago, Andre Cobb received a much-needed liver transplant.
He’s ready for his life to finally begin, until one night, when he passes out and wakes up somewhere totally unexpected…in 1969, where he connects with a magnetic boy named Michael.
And then, just as suddenly as he arrived, he slips back to present-day Boston, where the family of his donor is waiting to explain that his new liver came with a side effect—the ability to time travel. And they’ve tasked their youngest son, Blake, with teaching Andre how to use his unexpected new gift.
Andre splits his time bouncing between the past and future. Between Michael and Blake. Michael is everything Andre wishes he could be, and Blake, still reeling from the death of his brother, Andre’s donor, keeps him at arm’s length despite their obvious attraction to each other.
Torn between two boys, one in the past and one in the present, Andre has to figure out where he belongs—and more importantly who he wants to be—before the consequences of jumping in time catch up to him and change his future for good.
Review
3 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Yesterday is History has an intriguing premise and I like how it pulled from a real-world concept like organ donation to explain something supernatural like time travel. It’s fairly lighthearted while still packing an emotional punch…one that left me feeling very conflicted.
I love the intent of the story and the way it was delivered. Andre is a Black gay teen, but I like that this is a story that proudly states that it doesn’t center Black pain, instead choosing to send Andre on adventures similar to other teens his age, like falling in love (with two very different people) and coming of age, while dealing with his unique ability. And apart from some light implications in regards to homophobia when he travels back to 1969, this is what this is: a celebration of Black queer identity that isn’t tied to trauma.
However, I did feel the romances he becomes entangled suffers from the same imbalance that plagues many a love triangle in YA romances: a clear preference for one love interest over the other, to the point where I was rooting for the “wrong” guy. It resulted in me feeling disappointed when I reached the end to find out how it all worked out, even though I had a feeling that that was where it would be headed due to the stakes. The ending is optimistic, but I didn’t really believe in the relationship that Andre ended up in by the end, when their other prospective partner was so much more compelling.
I do think it does ultimately have a good message in spite of my own personal hang-ups in regards to the romance. I think this is a sweet YA book that also gives us a lot to think about in the guise of an engaging story.
Author Bio
Born and raised in the DC Metro Area, Kosoko Jackson has worked in non-profit communications for the past four years. His debut, YESTERDAY IS HISTORY, comes out 2021 by SourcebooksFire.
Buy links
Bookshop (affiliate link)
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