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Oona Out of Order
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fiction (2020)A remarkably inventive novel that explores what it means to live a life fully in the moment, even if those moments are out of order.
It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order...
Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met? Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Margarita Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.
It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or remain at home in Brooklyn to pursue her passion for music and be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the New Year begins, Oona faints and awakens thirty-two years in the future in her fifty-one-year-old body. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. And so begins Oona Out of Order...
Hopping through decades, pop culture fads, and much-needed stock tips, Oona is still a young woman on the inside but ever changing on the outside. Who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club Kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met? Surprising, magical, and heart-wrenching, Margarita Montimore has crafted an unforgettable story about the burdens of time, the endurance of love, and the power of family.
339 pages, Hardcover
First published February 25, 2020
About the author
Margarita Montimore
4 books1,415 followersMargarita Montimore is the author of The Dollhouse Academy, Asleep from Day, Acts of Violet, and Oona Out of Order, a USA Today bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club pick.
After receiving a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, Margarita worked for over a decade in publishing and social media before focusing on the writing dream full-time. Born in Soviet Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn, she currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and dog.
After receiving a BFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, Margarita worked for over a decade in publishing and social media before focusing on the writing dream full-time. Born in Soviet Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn, she currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 12,008 reviews
August 29, 2020
Oh boy, WTH I just finished! My head should stop spinning! What’s that smell? Did I burn the dinner again? Oh, no I haven’t cooked anything for 2 years. There is an alarm sensing my footsteps as I take only one step in the kitchen. So it can’t be!
What a minute! This is coming from my brain cells! They’re burning! I overused them. What a mind bending, innovative, unconventional, complex reading I had! Wow! After reading this, I got a NewYearsEvephobia!
Imagine yourself as nineteen years old (I probably punched that version of myself because she was too know-it-all, pretentious prick!) celebrating your birthday and New Year’s Eve, feeling dizzy and passing out and when you open your eyes, finding yourself trapped in 51 years old version of yourself! Yes, the story starts like different version of Jen Garner’s “13 going on 30” but this is absolutely another kind of brain cells destroying story to catch what’s gonna happen next!
This is about Oona who is waking up different phase of her life at every New Year’s Eve. Yes, complicated right! Imagine finding yourself in an old body, living in a mansion (yes so loaded, uber rich, that is only best part of your condition) and as you look for the love of your life, he is nowhere to be seen.
So we catch different phases of Oona’s life and her self-discovery story! At some levels she was so mature for the body she’s trapped or vice versa.
How the system works: 1) Her mother knows her secret and she meets different versions of her daughter at every year. Madeleine is a hippy, down to earth, entertaining, nuts, sarcastic, vivid , so much lovable character (at some parts I loved her more than Oona) so she doesn’t question too much this paranormally awkward situation. She just adapts and prepares her daughter for her new year.
2) Oona’s future self always leaves her a letter to warn her what she’s getting through that year( giving a chance to a nice guy, making things up for her mother, being kind to her new husband etc.)
3) She never thinks about money because time travelling helps her to invest for the perfect stock portfolio and bet for the right teams.
What I liked about this book:
The author’s intelligence to play with our minds and usage of the details effectively. You gotta give your full concentration because any small detail serves you as an important revelation about the next year of Oona’s life.
What I didn’t like about it:
We don’t know the exact reason why this is happening to Oona. And without working or discovering her own passion to achieve something in the world, she does drugs, travels around the world, has heartbreaks and suffers from loneliness but sometimes her lack of holding something passionately (instead of taking guitar lesson but she resumes it to flirt with the teacher so it doesn’t count) made me think she is just acting like an aimless, dull vessel.
But later I thought that she was only 19 when she started her own journey so it is understandable that she got lost after bombardment of too much new information about her future life. The author just decided to give us some part of her journey but don’t worry, at those parts she learned so much life lessons and got so many experiences for her own age.
OVERALL: It’s fresh, complex, definitely grey cell killer, Unique, original, provocative, mind blowing kind of great story earned my 4 time travel, experiencing you new age, forming wonderful relationship with your mother stars!
Special thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books to share this mind spinning ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.
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What a minute! This is coming from my brain cells! They’re burning! I overused them. What a mind bending, innovative, unconventional, complex reading I had! Wow! After reading this, I got a NewYearsEvephobia!
Imagine yourself as nineteen years old (I probably punched that version of myself because she was too know-it-all, pretentious prick!) celebrating your birthday and New Year’s Eve, feeling dizzy and passing out and when you open your eyes, finding yourself trapped in 51 years old version of yourself! Yes, the story starts like different version of Jen Garner’s “13 going on 30” but this is absolutely another kind of brain cells destroying story to catch what’s gonna happen next!
This is about Oona who is waking up different phase of her life at every New Year’s Eve. Yes, complicated right! Imagine finding yourself in an old body, living in a mansion (yes so loaded, uber rich, that is only best part of your condition) and as you look for the love of your life, he is nowhere to be seen.
So we catch different phases of Oona’s life and her self-discovery story! At some levels she was so mature for the body she’s trapped or vice versa.
How the system works: 1) Her mother knows her secret and she meets different versions of her daughter at every year. Madeleine is a hippy, down to earth, entertaining, nuts, sarcastic, vivid , so much lovable character (at some parts I loved her more than Oona) so she doesn’t question too much this paranormally awkward situation. She just adapts and prepares her daughter for her new year.
2) Oona’s future self always leaves her a letter to warn her what she’s getting through that year( giving a chance to a nice guy, making things up for her mother, being kind to her new husband etc.)
3) She never thinks about money because time travelling helps her to invest for the perfect stock portfolio and bet for the right teams.
What I liked about this book:
The author’s intelligence to play with our minds and usage of the details effectively. You gotta give your full concentration because any small detail serves you as an important revelation about the next year of Oona’s life.
What I didn’t like about it:
We don’t know the exact reason why this is happening to Oona. And without working or discovering her own passion to achieve something in the world, she does drugs, travels around the world, has heartbreaks and suffers from loneliness but sometimes her lack of holding something passionately (instead of taking guitar lesson but she resumes it to flirt with the teacher so it doesn’t count) made me think she is just acting like an aimless, dull vessel.
But later I thought that she was only 19 when she started her own journey so it is understandable that she got lost after bombardment of too much new information about her future life. The author just decided to give us some part of her journey but don’t worry, at those parts she learned so much life lessons and got so many experiences for her own age.
OVERALL: It’s fresh, complex, definitely grey cell killer, Unique, original, provocative, mind blowing kind of great story earned my 4 time travel, experiencing you new age, forming wonderful relationship with your mother stars!
Special thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books to share this mind spinning ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.
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March 23, 2020
Definitely in the minority in this one. Oona drove me crazy.
Well, I saw enough like minded reviews not to feel *too* absurd in giving this only 3 stars. I have to admit I am really disappointed. It started out very strong, my interest was held and then it just fizzled right out. You've all seen the plot summary - an 18 year old leaps into the future or past every year on New Year's Day (which also happens to be her birthday). I thought this was incredibly unique and couldn't wait to begin. However, with each leap I grew increasingly frustrated with Oona and didn't care for many of the other characters either. The reason Oona really annoyed me was because I was real fed up with her terrible decision making skills. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt because she was in her early to mid 20s through most of the book (despite whatever age she leapt to was), but she was just a whiny brat through almost everything. There was only one real instance where I felt bad for her (Edward), but the whole Kenzie situation was completely over the top. I just couldn't understand that one. That's when the book really lost me.
I also was a little frustrated with the lack of explanation into the why behind most of this. I'm not someone who needs to have everything explained perfectly (and I'm capable of suspending disbelief), but it just kind of confused me as to why we wouldn't even bother a little to discuss anything having to do with this condition. My last point is that I was very emotionally disconnected from all of this. I didn't feel the highs or the lows - I was mostly just a passive observer. I'm not sure if it was because I disliked all the characters or what, but I just didn't connect the way I wanted to. I also thought some of the dialogue was really cheesy? (Wow, I guess I'm really going there in this review.)
Despite all that, I really liked the premise a lot. My wish is that it could have been executed better. I thought it was an extremely creative idea and the first two points in time that were covered I was HOOKED. I think this is really a case of right book/wrong person and I urge you to consider my review, but also take into account the many other reviewers who simply loved it. I think anytime I give a middle of the road review I try and think if I would read another book from the author again. If I would - then it's an overall positive rating. If I wouldn't, then I give it below a 3. Because I plan to give the author another chance, I give this a 3 star rating.
Thanks to Libro.fm for providing an ALC for me to listen to when I didn't have the book handy. I enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job. I do think a book that jumps around in time is better off being read in person so as to cut out any confusion with where you are in time (so you can flip back, etc. when picking it back up again), but not anything that ruins the experience. My last thanks goes to the Buffalo Library for providing the physical copy.
Review Date: 03/21/2020
Publication Date: 02/25/2020
Well, I saw enough like minded reviews not to feel *too* absurd in giving this only 3 stars. I have to admit I am really disappointed. It started out very strong, my interest was held and then it just fizzled right out. You've all seen the plot summary - an 18 year old leaps into the future or past every year on New Year's Day (which also happens to be her birthday). I thought this was incredibly unique and couldn't wait to begin. However, with each leap I grew increasingly frustrated with Oona and didn't care for many of the other characters either. The reason Oona really annoyed me was because I was real fed up with her terrible decision making skills. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt because she was in her early to mid 20s through most of the book (despite whatever age she leapt to was), but she was just a whiny brat through almost everything. There was only one real instance where I felt bad for her (Edward), but the whole Kenzie situation was completely over the top. I just couldn't understand that one. That's when the book really lost me.
I also was a little frustrated with the lack of explanation into the why behind most of this. I'm not someone who needs to have everything explained perfectly (and I'm capable of suspending disbelief), but it just kind of confused me as to why we wouldn't even bother a little to discuss anything having to do with this condition. My last point is that I was very emotionally disconnected from all of this. I didn't feel the highs or the lows - I was mostly just a passive observer. I'm not sure if it was because I disliked all the characters or what, but I just didn't connect the way I wanted to. I also thought some of the dialogue was really cheesy? (Wow, I guess I'm really going there in this review.)
Despite all that, I really liked the premise a lot. My wish is that it could have been executed better. I thought it was an extremely creative idea and the first two points in time that were covered I was HOOKED. I think this is really a case of right book/wrong person and I urge you to consider my review, but also take into account the many other reviewers who simply loved it. I think anytime I give a middle of the road review I try and think if I would read another book from the author again. If I would - then it's an overall positive rating. If I wouldn't, then I give it below a 3. Because I plan to give the author another chance, I give this a 3 star rating.
Thanks to Libro.fm for providing an ALC for me to listen to when I didn't have the book handy. I enjoyed the narrator and thought she did a great job. I do think a book that jumps around in time is better off being read in person so as to cut out any confusion with where you are in time (so you can flip back, etc. when picking it back up again), but not anything that ruins the experience. My last thanks goes to the Buffalo Library for providing the physical copy.
Review Date: 03/21/2020
Publication Date: 02/25/2020
June 30, 2020
This was a great book!! 🤗 I wasn’t sure if I would like this book. Reading the premise I immediately thought of the old show Quantum Leap. 🤨 This was so much better than expected. 👍 Oona was a great character. I was fully invested in her story and wanted to just keep reading more and more. I don’t want to give anything away.... Just know that I would absolutely recommend this as a ‘must read’ to my book pals! ❤️😱
January 3, 2021
2.5 stars. There were a lot of things I loved about this book (I'm a sucker for a well done time travel story), but unfortunately there were other things about this that I didn't like that really got under my skin and kept me from loving this the way I hoped I would. The biggest womp.
TW: drug/alcohol abuse, addiction, death of a loved one, slut shaming, fatphobia, transphobia, homophobia, cheating, terminal illness
TW: drug/alcohol abuse, addiction, death of a loved one, slut shaming, fatphobia, transphobia, homophobia, cheating, terminal illness
March 2, 2020
I loved this book so much that my only real complaint is that I think it should have been written as a series so that we could spend more time in each of Oona's asynchronous years.
February 9, 2020
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (#9 in 2020)
Thank you to @libro.fm and @flatironbooks for my advanced audio version of this newbie!
If I could describe this book, it would be a combination of Thirteen Going on Thirty (yusss, Jennifer Garner) mixed with the ghost of Christmas past from A Christmas Carol... mixed with any 90s primetime sitcom accompanied by a laugh track of fake audience members. I mean that... exactly as you're thinking I mean it. Now here we go with my unpopular opinion:
This book was somewhat entertaining, but it was a lil too cheesy for me. All of the characters, including Oona, have the exact same sense of wit. There isn't much variety between the characters' personalities, which left me a little bored. Don't get it twisted-- I love a good sarcastic character, but this element only works if there's contrast between characters and if the sarcasm is reserved for select characters.
The plot had way too many holes. Time travel is obviously fictional, but authors like Blake Crouch know how to craft the concept and still make it seem believable. Montimore left a lot of questions regarding the logistics of how Oona's time travel worked or why it occurred.
I felt like the author danced around a few potential themes, but never fully took advantage of any of them. With the lack of a theme, the progression of the storyline felt almost pointless. There were also a few moments that were pivotal for Oona, but the emotions never actually came. Perhaps this book just wasn't for me, so I'll give it 2.5 stars
Have you read this one? Thoughts? What books just kind of left you with that "meh" feeling?
Thank you to @libro.fm and @flatironbooks for my advanced audio version of this newbie!
If I could describe this book, it would be a combination of Thirteen Going on Thirty (yusss, Jennifer Garner) mixed with the ghost of Christmas past from A Christmas Carol... mixed with any 90s primetime sitcom accompanied by a laugh track of fake audience members. I mean that... exactly as you're thinking I mean it. Now here we go with my unpopular opinion:
This book was somewhat entertaining, but it was a lil too cheesy for me. All of the characters, including Oona, have the exact same sense of wit. There isn't much variety between the characters' personalities, which left me a little bored. Don't get it twisted-- I love a good sarcastic character, but this element only works if there's contrast between characters and if the sarcasm is reserved for select characters.
The plot had way too many holes. Time travel is obviously fictional, but authors like Blake Crouch know how to craft the concept and still make it seem believable. Montimore left a lot of questions regarding the logistics of how Oona's time travel worked or why it occurred.
I felt like the author danced around a few potential themes, but never fully took advantage of any of them. With the lack of a theme, the progression of the storyline felt almost pointless. There were also a few moments that were pivotal for Oona, but the emotions never actually came. Perhaps this book just wasn't for me, so I'll give it 2.5 stars
Have you read this one? Thoughts? What books just kind of left you with that "meh" feeling?
March 22, 2020
4.5 stars.
As if life isn’t complicated enough without time travel?
“How long ‘til my soul gets it right?”
—Indigo Girls, “Galileo”
NYC, 1982. It’s New Year’s Eve. At midnight, Oona will turn 19. She’s exactly where she wants to be—at a party with her beloved boyfriend and friends, and their band is about to perform. She has a tough decision to make: should she go study economics in London or should she stay and perform with the band? But regardless of what she chooses to do, she knows it’s going to be a great year.
Then the clock strikes midnight...and when she wakes up she’s 51 years old. She’s told by a friendly stranger that she has a condition where on the cusp of the new year every year, she leaps either forward or backward in time.
This discovery is bewildering for Oona. She tries to understand all that has changed in her world and the world around her, and as she connects with the constants in her life she tries to figure out how to spend the time until she can hopefully make it back to that night in 1982.
Oona Out of Order follows Oona as she travels back and forth through her life. Guided by advice from her previous self, advice she sometimes takes and sometimes ignores, she makes some big mistakes and some shocking discoveries. Ultimately she realizes the things she can and cannot change, and is buoyed by a series of loves.
This is a poignant, moving, tremendously thought-provoking book that is so beautifully written. I love books about time travel, especially those which deal with the emotional aspects rather than the scientific. There were so many wondrous moments to be found here.
I really enjoyed this and loved the characters, including the supporting characters, so much. I felt like it dragged a bit in the middle (maybe one too many leaps through time, even though each one added more depth to her story), but I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know how Margarita Montimore would tie things up.
This is one I won’t soon forget.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
As if life isn’t complicated enough without time travel?
“How long ‘til my soul gets it right?”
—Indigo Girls, “Galileo”
NYC, 1982. It’s New Year’s Eve. At midnight, Oona will turn 19. She’s exactly where she wants to be—at a party with her beloved boyfriend and friends, and their band is about to perform. She has a tough decision to make: should she go study economics in London or should she stay and perform with the band? But regardless of what she chooses to do, she knows it’s going to be a great year.
Then the clock strikes midnight...and when she wakes up she’s 51 years old. She’s told by a friendly stranger that she has a condition where on the cusp of the new year every year, she leaps either forward or backward in time.
This discovery is bewildering for Oona. She tries to understand all that has changed in her world and the world around her, and as she connects with the constants in her life she tries to figure out how to spend the time until she can hopefully make it back to that night in 1982.
Oona Out of Order follows Oona as she travels back and forth through her life. Guided by advice from her previous self, advice she sometimes takes and sometimes ignores, she makes some big mistakes and some shocking discoveries. Ultimately she realizes the things she can and cannot change, and is buoyed by a series of loves.
This is a poignant, moving, tremendously thought-provoking book that is so beautifully written. I love books about time travel, especially those which deal with the emotional aspects rather than the scientific. There were so many wondrous moments to be found here.
I really enjoyed this and loved the characters, including the supporting characters, so much. I felt like it dragged a bit in the middle (maybe one too many leaps through time, even though each one added more depth to her story), but I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know how Margarita Montimore would tie things up.
This is one I won’t soon forget.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
March 1, 2020
Wow what a book! The perfect blend of angst, romance, pop-culture, and time travel. When I read the blurb for this book I was intrigued, sounded like such a fun concept. And while this book was a lot of fun it was SO much more! Thought-provoking and emotional. The book really gave you lots to think about, what would you do if you were in Oona’s shoes? Are there parts of your past you would change, even if it altered your future? There was also much more emotional depth to this story than I was anticipating. I might have shed a few tears. There were also lots of fun pop culture references that really gave you the perfect sense of time with each time shift.
Oona is a typical 18-year-old celebrating New Year’s Eve. Trying to figure life out. Is she going to move to London and pursue her much desired finance career? Or stay home with her boyfriend and follow her musical dreams? But on New Year’s Eve while at 11:59 Oona is 18 at midnight..... she is 51. Oona soon finds out that every year on New Year’s Eve she will jump forward or backwards in time, never knowing what age she will be next. There is so much I want to say, but I don’t want to ruin this for anybody. Oona was such a likable character and I really did feel for her. However she did frustrate me at times, I had to remind myself that her actual age was not the age that she was living. Imagine navigating your 40s as a teenager? Some of the time travel concepts may not have been plausible, but I didn’t care I was completely caught up in Oona’s life. This was a story I did not want to end, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is a follow up.
🎧🎧🎧 The audiobook was narrated by Brittany Pressley Who is one of the best and did a marvelous job. You might think a story that bounces around like this one would be hard to follow on audio, but I can assure you it definitely was not.
This book in emojis ⏳ ✉️ 💵 🍹 🎸 📓
*** Big thank you to Flatiron, Macmillan Audio, & libro.fm for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
Oona is a typical 18-year-old celebrating New Year’s Eve. Trying to figure life out. Is she going to move to London and pursue her much desired finance career? Or stay home with her boyfriend and follow her musical dreams? But on New Year’s Eve while at 11:59 Oona is 18 at midnight..... she is 51. Oona soon finds out that every year on New Year’s Eve she will jump forward or backwards in time, never knowing what age she will be next. There is so much I want to say, but I don’t want to ruin this for anybody. Oona was such a likable character and I really did feel for her. However she did frustrate me at times, I had to remind myself that her actual age was not the age that she was living. Imagine navigating your 40s as a teenager? Some of the time travel concepts may not have been plausible, but I didn’t care I was completely caught up in Oona’s life. This was a story I did not want to end, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is a follow up.
🎧🎧🎧 The audiobook was narrated by Brittany Pressley Who is one of the best and did a marvelous job. You might think a story that bounces around like this one would be hard to follow on audio, but I can assure you it definitely was not.
This book in emojis ⏳ ✉️ 💵 🍹 🎸 📓
*** Big thank you to Flatiron, Macmillan Audio, & libro.fm for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
May 9, 2020
Nope.
I hate being harsh about books, because I know authors are people too, and it's hard for them to see their books slammed. But I have very strong feelings about this book. Spoilers ahead.
Bottom line: I thought it was dreadful. The concept is really intriguing, and it's a crying shame the execution is so very poor.
First off, this book commits one of the worst cardinal sins of a story: it tells far, far more than it shows. The choice to have Oona leap around means that she is essentially starting at square one each year, but it doesn't mean the author had to structure the book the way she did. She made the choice to summarize each of the seven years this book depicts, expanding on and highlighting key plot points, and then summarizing the remainder of the year. This not only stole a lot of the book's urgency, it made parts of it a chore to read because it was basically a laundry list of what Oona does when she's not dealing with each year's big event. Yawn. These bare bones vignettes gave me precious little feel for who any of the characters were.
My next biggest issue was with Oona herself. I thought she was just plain awful. I don't have to like characters to enjoy a book. In fact, I *hate* the whole "likeability" argument. But this wasn't the kind of book where Oona was an unlikable character whose story was still compelling to me. Instead, I was supposed to sympathize with this character, who, yes, is in an unfortunate situation, but who is so immature and self-centered I found it impossible to feel for her. She repeatedly makes stupid mistakes on an epic scale. I was fine with that the first go round or two, but every time she wakes up to a new year, she basically acts out like a toddler. At no point does she gain any wisdom. I get that she's young and immature, but I would think that her experiences would have led to her gaining far more wisdom than normal for a person her age. But, no. She's Oona. She's selfish, and she lacks any powers of self-reflection, and she's going to just go right ahead and rebel against herself every chance she gets because...that makes sense? If future you leaves a note for current you, shouldn't you maybe consider following its advice rather than deciding future you is a buzz kill? Oona acts like a snotty teenager from page one all the way up until the last page of the book.
As for her selfishness, it's mind-boggling. She treats her mother like crap every chance she gets, even though her mother puts up with astonishing amounts of nonsense from her. Some years Oona immediately leaps down her mother's throat, as if her time leaps are her mother's fault. I could not understand why she insisted on treating her mother like the enemy, or why her mother puts up with the abuse.
I'm about to spoil the big twist here, so read at your own peril. Of course, I saw the twist coming from miles away, so was it that big of a twist?
Her most selfish act, to me, is having a baby in the first place. She knows she jumps around in time and can't possibly raise a child, but she goes ahead and has one anyway because of her own emotional needs. This would be bad enough, but then she insists on interfering in that child's life because she's his mother and she deserves to interfere because she's sad. You see what's wrong with this? At no point does she think of him. Always, always, she is motivated by what she wants and needs.
(I also think her getting in romantic relationships is selfish, but I won't go into that. My rants about her selfishness have already overtaken this review.)
Another big issue I had with the book was Dale. Oona is straight up obsessed with the guy, even years after his death. I get that she would be dealing with grief for the first year or two, but the way she put that guy on a sky-high pedestal made me side-eye the relationship from the getgo. If you have to tell me how awesome Dale is, I'm going to think Dale is, in fact, not awesome. Yes, the book does address this to some extent, but at no point does Oona spare a moment to interrogate their relationship, despite the big warning flags. If you're with a guy who doesn't want you to play guitar in his band because he's hell-bent on playing guitar, and if you decide to ditch plans you made with your oldest friend because you're too hung up on your boyfriend, this is not a very healthy relationship--and I'm only just now realizing how terrible Oona is to her supposed best friend. I hope that poor woman went to London on her own, had the time of her life, and promptly forgot Oona existed.
Lastly, I just did not like the writing. The author shoehorns in so many lectures about music and fangirls so much over her favorite bands that I wondered why she didn't just write a novel using that as her theme. Like, why bother writing this sci-fi-esque story about a woman who experiences her life out of order if all you really want to do is talk about Kate Bush and Velvet Underground? That's not my only issue with the writing, though. The dialog is just so unbelievable pretty much all the time, and the writing itself didn't strike me as especially polished or profound. Some of the metaphors were excruciatingly awkward. I didn't find this to be straight-up bad writing, but it needed some work. I think this book has pretensions of being a profound work about life, but I just did not find it very profound. At all.
In the end, it looks like I should have listened to my bias against the twee title and skipped this book altogether, but the concept just sounded so awesome. I definitely wouldn't be opposed to seeing another, more skilled author tackle this same concept--just leave out all the preachy diatribes about music, please.
I hate being harsh about books, because I know authors are people too, and it's hard for them to see their books slammed. But I have very strong feelings about this book. Spoilers ahead.
Bottom line: I thought it was dreadful. The concept is really intriguing, and it's a crying shame the execution is so very poor.
First off, this book commits one of the worst cardinal sins of a story: it tells far, far more than it shows. The choice to have Oona leap around means that she is essentially starting at square one each year, but it doesn't mean the author had to structure the book the way she did. She made the choice to summarize each of the seven years this book depicts, expanding on and highlighting key plot points, and then summarizing the remainder of the year. This not only stole a lot of the book's urgency, it made parts of it a chore to read because it was basically a laundry list of what Oona does when she's not dealing with each year's big event. Yawn. These bare bones vignettes gave me precious little feel for who any of the characters were.
My next biggest issue was with Oona herself. I thought she was just plain awful. I don't have to like characters to enjoy a book. In fact, I *hate* the whole "likeability" argument. But this wasn't the kind of book where Oona was an unlikable character whose story was still compelling to me. Instead, I was supposed to sympathize with this character, who, yes, is in an unfortunate situation, but who is so immature and self-centered I found it impossible to feel for her. She repeatedly makes stupid mistakes on an epic scale. I was fine with that the first go round or two, but every time she wakes up to a new year, she basically acts out like a toddler. At no point does she gain any wisdom. I get that she's young and immature, but I would think that her experiences would have led to her gaining far more wisdom than normal for a person her age. But, no. She's Oona. She's selfish, and she lacks any powers of self-reflection, and she's going to just go right ahead and rebel against herself every chance she gets because...that makes sense? If future you leaves a note for current you, shouldn't you maybe consider following its advice rather than deciding future you is a buzz kill? Oona acts like a snotty teenager from page one all the way up until the last page of the book.
As for her selfishness, it's mind-boggling. She treats her mother like crap every chance she gets, even though her mother puts up with astonishing amounts of nonsense from her. Some years Oona immediately leaps down her mother's throat, as if her time leaps are her mother's fault. I could not understand why she insisted on treating her mother like the enemy, or why her mother puts up with the abuse.
I'm about to spoil the big twist here, so read at your own peril. Of course, I saw the twist coming from miles away, so was it that big of a twist?
Her most selfish act, to me, is having a baby in the first place. She knows she jumps around in time and can't possibly raise a child, but she goes ahead and has one anyway because of her own emotional needs. This would be bad enough, but then she insists on interfering in that child's life because she's his mother and she deserves to interfere because she's sad. You see what's wrong with this? At no point does she think of him. Always, always, she is motivated by what she wants and needs.
(I also think her getting in romantic relationships is selfish, but I won't go into that. My rants about her selfishness have already overtaken this review.)
Another big issue I had with the book was Dale. Oona is straight up obsessed with the guy, even years after his death. I get that she would be dealing with grief for the first year or two, but the way she put that guy on a sky-high pedestal made me side-eye the relationship from the getgo. If you have to tell me how awesome Dale is, I'm going to think Dale is, in fact, not awesome. Yes, the book does address this to some extent, but at no point does Oona spare a moment to interrogate their relationship, despite the big warning flags. If you're with a guy who doesn't want you to play guitar in his band because he's hell-bent on playing guitar, and if you decide to ditch plans you made with your oldest friend because you're too hung up on your boyfriend, this is not a very healthy relationship--and I'm only just now realizing how terrible Oona is to her supposed best friend. I hope that poor woman went to London on her own, had the time of her life, and promptly forgot Oona existed.
Lastly, I just did not like the writing. The author shoehorns in so many lectures about music and fangirls so much over her favorite bands that I wondered why she didn't just write a novel using that as her theme. Like, why bother writing this sci-fi-esque story about a woman who experiences her life out of order if all you really want to do is talk about Kate Bush and Velvet Underground? That's not my only issue with the writing, though. The dialog is just so unbelievable pretty much all the time, and the writing itself didn't strike me as especially polished or profound. Some of the metaphors were excruciatingly awkward. I didn't find this to be straight-up bad writing, but it needed some work. I think this book has pretensions of being a profound work about life, but I just did not find it very profound. At all.
In the end, it looks like I should have listened to my bias against the twee title and skipped this book altogether, but the concept just sounded so awesome. I definitely wouldn't be opposed to seeing another, more skilled author tackle this same concept--just leave out all the preachy diatribes about music, please.
February 19, 2021
This was another audiobook with my wife during our evening couch time. Before Netflix or Hulu, its Overdrive or Hoopla!
This book is a thinker! A creative new look at time travel: living life non-sequentially and what that would mean to your relationships and the decisions you make. Join Oona on this journey and discover how Margarita Montimore approaches this crazy conundrum.
I imagine this book will get under the skin of some due to the potential of time travel paradoxes and how certain consequences are ignored. While it is true that I thought about these and even discussed a few with my wife along the way, I was able to suspend disbelief and just sit back and enjoy. If you think you might struggle accepting paradoxes in a story, this is not the book for you.
Overall, this was enjoyable. My only criticisms would be around the pacing and the tightness of the story: it started to drag a little at times and I could feel the plot starting to meander. But the fact that the story could basically restart every chapter with a new year refocused my attention.
I recently read The Midnight Library, which has a somewhat similar theme and I liked a bit better, but this was still a good one worth checking out if you might enjoy a less sci-fi take on time travel and a little magical realism.
This book is a thinker! A creative new look at time travel: living life non-sequentially and what that would mean to your relationships and the decisions you make. Join Oona on this journey and discover how Margarita Montimore approaches this crazy conundrum.
I imagine this book will get under the skin of some due to the potential of time travel paradoxes and how certain consequences are ignored. While it is true that I thought about these and even discussed a few with my wife along the way, I was able to suspend disbelief and just sit back and enjoy. If you think you might struggle accepting paradoxes in a story, this is not the book for you.
Overall, this was enjoyable. My only criticisms would be around the pacing and the tightness of the story: it started to drag a little at times and I could feel the plot starting to meander. But the fact that the story could basically restart every chapter with a new year refocused my attention.
I recently read The Midnight Library, which has a somewhat similar theme and I liked a bit better, but this was still a good one worth checking out if you might enjoy a less sci-fi take on time travel and a little magical realism.
February 27, 2020
This book is one I would just call “ok”. It has been a big hype on Instagram, however I unfortunately never connected with the story nor the characters. Bummed because time travel and 80s/90s nostalgia had me SO eager to read this.
Oona’s character is what bugged me the most. She incessantly whined throughout her adventures and I ended up skimming just to get to the next year. I also yearned first more nostalgia, more heart and soul. I had high hopes for Oona, but alas this one fell flat for me.
Oona’s character is what bugged me the most. She incessantly whined throughout her adventures and I ended up skimming just to get to the next year. I also yearned first more nostalgia, more heart and soul. I had high hopes for Oona, but alas this one fell flat for me.
May 19, 2020
5 Perfect Escape Read Stars!
Book friends, I LOVED this book! I devoured it in 2 days. It provided the perfect escape from our dismal reality right now. It was innovative, fun, emotional, though-provoking and very well written.
I am not a huge time travel reader but the way it was done here was so intriguing. Oona is a 19 year old on the cusp of her future. It's New Year's Eve, she's in love, had amazing friends, a huge decision to make and her whole life ahead of her. Except that at stroke of midnight she awakens to find herself in a whole different place, surrounded by different people. Oh, did I mention her 19 year old self is in her future 51 year old body. Yup! Talk about a head trip!
Oona finds herself traveling through her life every New Year's Day - out of order. Never knowing where she will end up next. I loved how emotional her jumps were. There were years where she was so despondent she didn't want to do anything. Years where she was so frustrated she said F it and did all the BAD things. There were years where she grabbed the bull by the horns and did all sorts of amazing cross it off your bucket list things. Through it all, she had to keep the leaps secret from everyone except her mother. How do you fully commit to living when you know you are only in this place and time for 365 days?
Oona had many emotions to deal with, so many decisions to make based on snippets of her life she was putting together like a puzzle with only a few letters from her future or past self to guide her. She made mistakes, she learned, she loved and she lived an exceptional life - albeit out of order.
If you haven't read this one yet. I highly recommend it. It's definitely going to be one of my top reads of the year!
Book friends, I LOVED this book! I devoured it in 2 days. It provided the perfect escape from our dismal reality right now. It was innovative, fun, emotional, though-provoking and very well written.
I am not a huge time travel reader but the way it was done here was so intriguing. Oona is a 19 year old on the cusp of her future. It's New Year's Eve, she's in love, had amazing friends, a huge decision to make and her whole life ahead of her. Except that at stroke of midnight she awakens to find herself in a whole different place, surrounded by different people. Oh, did I mention her 19 year old self is in her future 51 year old body. Yup! Talk about a head trip!
Oona finds herself traveling through her life every New Year's Day - out of order. Never knowing where she will end up next. I loved how emotional her jumps were. There were years where she was so despondent she didn't want to do anything. Years where she was so frustrated she said F it and did all the BAD things. There were years where she grabbed the bull by the horns and did all sorts of amazing cross it off your bucket list things. Through it all, she had to keep the leaps secret from everyone except her mother. How do you fully commit to living when you know you are only in this place and time for 365 days?
Oona had many emotions to deal with, so many decisions to make based on snippets of her life she was putting together like a puzzle with only a few letters from her future or past self to guide her. She made mistakes, she learned, she loved and she lived an exceptional life - albeit out of order.
If you haven't read this one yet. I highly recommend it. It's definitely going to be one of my top reads of the year!
December 4, 2020
QUICK TAKE: If Rebecca Searle's THE DINNER LIST and Blake Crouch's RECURSION had a book baby, it would be OONA OUT OF ORDER. full of heart, humor and geeky genre fun, this was for sure one of the most unique and escapist books I read this year and perfect for fans of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE and WHAT ALICE FORGOT.
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August 27, 2020
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
When I first heard about this book I was soooooooo stoked. I mean . . . .
Every year, on your birthday, right at midnight, you travel through time to inhabit your body at a different point of your life. For exactly one year. Then you “leap” to another random age you haven’t lived before (could be older, could be younger). You’re physically and mentally healthy, but you’re experiencing your adult life out of order.
Now THAT is some tropey yum yum that I can get on board with. I immediately started getting the warm and fuzzies remembering some old blasts from the past like . . . .
Or . . . .
I figured if I love the idea of one age hop, then a whole bunch of ‘em would be even better.
But then I read this and . . . . .
Unfortunately Oona Out of Order was a case of an excellent premise that I was suuuuuuuuure was going to end up scoring 4 Stars, but the execution was a complete flop *insert sadface*. Oona was not someone I ever ended up liking even a little bit so that was never going to help matters - but then the majority of the story was all she’s going to be a famous rockstar and do drugs and have random sex despite being left notes from her damn self not to and just . . . . barf. There are enough vapid people on television 24/7 – I absolutely don’t need to seek them out in my fiction. And I realize this entire thing is steeped in the oh-so-very-not-realistic-at-all, but if you “wake up” once at a different age with no recollection of WTF happened and require an assistant or your mother or someone to ‘splain things to you, you can’t then at another time “wake up” and being fully cognizant of the goings on. Or be totally woke when you’re a boomer who hasn’t even lived your life in chronological order. Also, your average 19-year old isn’t aware of the workings of stop losses and limit orders in order to build a stock portfolio large enough to live on for eternity. Just sayin’. As my friend Ron 2.0 would say, this was just a big too ridiculous™ and one day I will get over this ceaseless case of FOMO and not check out every single book that is overshared on the ‘Gram.
When I first heard about this book I was soooooooo stoked. I mean . . . .
Every year, on your birthday, right at midnight, you travel through time to inhabit your body at a different point of your life. For exactly one year. Then you “leap” to another random age you haven’t lived before (could be older, could be younger). You’re physically and mentally healthy, but you’re experiencing your adult life out of order.
Now THAT is some tropey yum yum that I can get on board with. I immediately started getting the warm and fuzzies remembering some old blasts from the past like . . . .
Or . . . .
I figured if I love the idea of one age hop, then a whole bunch of ‘em would be even better.
But then I read this and . . . . .
Unfortunately Oona Out of Order was a case of an excellent premise that I was suuuuuuuuure was going to end up scoring 4 Stars, but the execution was a complete flop *insert sadface*. Oona was not someone I ever ended up liking even a little bit so that was never going to help matters - but then the majority of the story was all she’s going to be a famous rockstar and do drugs and have random sex despite being left notes from her damn self not to and just . . . . barf. There are enough vapid people on television 24/7 – I absolutely don’t need to seek them out in my fiction. And I realize this entire thing is steeped in the oh-so-very-not-realistic-at-all, but if you “wake up” once at a different age with no recollection of WTF happened and require an assistant or your mother or someone to ‘splain things to you, you can’t then at another time “wake up” and being fully cognizant of the goings on. Or be totally woke when you’re a boomer who hasn’t even lived your life in chronological order. Also, your average 19-year old isn’t aware of the workings of stop losses and limit orders in order to build a stock portfolio large enough to live on for eternity. Just sayin’. As my friend Ron 2.0 would say, this was just a big too ridiculous™ and one day I will get over this ceaseless case of FOMO and not check out every single book that is overshared on the ‘Gram.
April 13, 2022
"Oona Out of Order" by Margarita Montimore is a story with a creative premise!
On New Year's Eve 1982, Oona Lockhart is about to turn nineteen-years-old and she's excited about her choices. Should she secure her future with an education in London or follow her heart and remain in Brooklyn, NY with her boyfriend?
When the clock strikes midnight, Oona is lightheaded and disoriented. With a blink of her eyes, she finds herself in her fifty-one-year-old body and thirty plus years in the future. She just turned nineteen, for goodness sake! How can this be?
Oona learns that as each year ends, she will leap at the stroke of midnight, to another age and begin another year 'out-of-order' on New Year's Day. She remains her true age on the inside but it will never match her age on the outside. 'Bringing in the New Year' has an entirely different meaning now for this young lady!
If Oona is confused, this reader is really confused. I have no trouble suspending belief when it comes to a creative premise but the issue I have with this story is there's never a reason given to explain why this is happening to Oona. It's imaginative, it starts off fast, but then it begins to feel repetitive, and it's without a resolution. Is Oona trapped forever, with no way out?
I did like the author's thoughtful creation of a 'blast from the past' feel with each year Oona leaps to. Things have changed a lot since 1983 and it's super easy to forget how much, isn't it?
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley who has an amazing range of voicing. Seriously, she has the gender thing down! It's quite unbelievable and I've already compiled a list of audiobook's she narrates that I will be listening to sooner rather than later!
I feel like an outlier with this one though, so please check out other reviews before you cross this one off your list!
On New Year's Eve 1982, Oona Lockhart is about to turn nineteen-years-old and she's excited about her choices. Should she secure her future with an education in London or follow her heart and remain in Brooklyn, NY with her boyfriend?
When the clock strikes midnight, Oona is lightheaded and disoriented. With a blink of her eyes, she finds herself in her fifty-one-year-old body and thirty plus years in the future. She just turned nineteen, for goodness sake! How can this be?
Oona learns that as each year ends, she will leap at the stroke of midnight, to another age and begin another year 'out-of-order' on New Year's Day. She remains her true age on the inside but it will never match her age on the outside. 'Bringing in the New Year' has an entirely different meaning now for this young lady!
If Oona is confused, this reader is really confused. I have no trouble suspending belief when it comes to a creative premise but the issue I have with this story is there's never a reason given to explain why this is happening to Oona. It's imaginative, it starts off fast, but then it begins to feel repetitive, and it's without a resolution. Is Oona trapped forever, with no way out?
I did like the author's thoughtful creation of a 'blast from the past' feel with each year Oona leaps to. Things have changed a lot since 1983 and it's super easy to forget how much, isn't it?
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley who has an amazing range of voicing. Seriously, she has the gender thing down! It's quite unbelievable and I've already compiled a list of audiobook's she narrates that I will be listening to sooner rather than later!
I feel like an outlier with this one though, so please check out other reviews before you cross this one off your list!
March 24, 2020
Hello, if you're new here, I am the one with unpopular opinions. The one who seems to hate books everybody else enjoys, and love books everybody else hates. That's a big generalization, but kind of true.
Oona out of Order is a grand example of that. I look at all those 4 and 5 stars on Goodreads for this book, and I just can't relate.
Oona out of Order is a good example of why you should leave sci-fi concepts to sc-fi writers. Time jumps in this book are muddy at best, and very much tailored to fit the story, and not the other way around. Want a beautiful mind bend? Read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, the man knows his craft.
Oona is a very unlivable character, which does not help, she makes horrid decisions and is basically on the mission to sabotage herself throughout the whole book. Was this meant to inspire compassion and pity from the reader? Didn't work on me.
She's also incredibly rich, how convenient, and once again - can't relate. Time travel is easy when you're loaded. Try being an average middle class citizen who can't hold a job because of time travel, now that's something worth reading. Reading about Oona traveling Asia for half a year because she's depressed - well, didn't make me like her any better, let's leave it at that.
The book, while being 320 pages long, does not offer much of substantiality. Everything is trivial, and frankly, boring to read about. I've also had no emotional interest or connection to any of the characters, well maybe Kenzie, but that's it. The ending message feels generic and very much a cliche - enjoy every day, never take anything for granted.
And lastly, New York's late 80's/early 90's party scene - hard drugs, flowing booze, uninhibited decision making - is not something I enjoy reading about. So, me not enjoying this book is very much a case of "not my cup of tea" . It is apparently many other people's cup of tea, so pick your pick.
Big thanks to Flatiron Books for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
Oona out of Order is a grand example of that. I look at all those 4 and 5 stars on Goodreads for this book, and I just can't relate.
Oona out of Order is a good example of why you should leave sci-fi concepts to sc-fi writers. Time jumps in this book are muddy at best, and very much tailored to fit the story, and not the other way around. Want a beautiful mind bend? Read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, the man knows his craft.
Oona is a very unlivable character, which does not help, she makes horrid decisions and is basically on the mission to sabotage herself throughout the whole book. Was this meant to inspire compassion and pity from the reader? Didn't work on me.
She's also incredibly rich, how convenient, and once again - can't relate. Time travel is easy when you're loaded. Try being an average middle class citizen who can't hold a job because of time travel, now that's something worth reading. Reading about Oona traveling Asia for half a year because she's depressed - well, didn't make me like her any better, let's leave it at that.
The book, while being 320 pages long, does not offer much of substantiality. Everything is trivial, and frankly, boring to read about. I've also had no emotional interest or connection to any of the characters, well maybe Kenzie, but that's it. The ending message feels generic and very much a cliche - enjoy every day, never take anything for granted.
And lastly, New York's late 80's/early 90's party scene - hard drugs, flowing booze, uninhibited decision making - is not something I enjoy reading about. So, me not enjoying this book is very much a case of "not my cup of tea" . It is apparently many other people's cup of tea, so pick your pick.
Big thanks to Flatiron Books for a copy to review. All opinions are my own.
March 27, 2023
4.5 rounded up to 5 to help out this SHOCKING goodreads rating—did we read the same book?!
if i had to guess why the rating is so low, it’s because you guys wanted a reason behind WHY she time traveled right? welp sometimes you don’t get those answers bc there’s no way to even describe it (i’m looking at you too, THE MEASURE).
i’m a big fan of magical realism, especially when it involves time travel. this was soooo much fun on audio, i loved the narrator and it kept me super engaged in the time hopping. i could have read every year of Oona’s life, tbh i wanted the book to be even longer (who EVER says that!!?!).
the premise was soooo interesting to me—the MC, Oona, hops to a different year every NYE at midnight. but she doesn’t live her life in chronological order… so for example she’s 21 “inside” but living as a 50 year old “externally,” or 27 on the inside and living as a 19 year old. fascinating to reflect on how much you do grow and learn over the years and how that changes you, your friendships, values, etc.
there was one twist that shocked me and i actually audibly gasped when it happened. i think it was designed that way and if i was paying more attention/anticipating something, i probably could have guessed it ahead of time but i’m glad i didn’t. i was just fully along for the ride and it was FUN.
backlist books are the best 🥹
can’t decide if i like this or ACTS OF VIOLET more… both had similar themes and plots but the audiobook of AOV was a full cast and gave me DAISY JONES & THE SIX vibes which of course, i love. i think i liked the ending of this one more 💖
pick this up on audiobook and thank me later. I PROMISE it’s better than 3 stars 👏🏼
if i had to guess why the rating is so low, it’s because you guys wanted a reason behind WHY she time traveled right? welp sometimes you don’t get those answers bc there’s no way to even describe it (i’m looking at you too, THE MEASURE).
i’m a big fan of magical realism, especially when it involves time travel. this was soooo much fun on audio, i loved the narrator and it kept me super engaged in the time hopping. i could have read every year of Oona’s life, tbh i wanted the book to be even longer (who EVER says that!!?!).
the premise was soooo interesting to me—the MC, Oona, hops to a different year every NYE at midnight. but she doesn’t live her life in chronological order… so for example she’s 21 “inside” but living as a 50 year old “externally,” or 27 on the inside and living as a 19 year old. fascinating to reflect on how much you do grow and learn over the years and how that changes you, your friendships, values, etc.
there was one twist that shocked me and i actually audibly gasped when it happened. i think it was designed that way and if i was paying more attention/anticipating something, i probably could have guessed it ahead of time but i’m glad i didn’t. i was just fully along for the ride and it was FUN.
backlist books are the best 🥹
can’t decide if i like this or ACTS OF VIOLET more… both had similar themes and plots but the audiobook of AOV was a full cast and gave me DAISY JONES & THE SIX vibes which of course, i love. i think i liked the ending of this one more 💖
pick this up on audiobook and thank me later. I PROMISE it’s better than 3 stars 👏🏼
February 21, 2020
Rounded up from 3.5 stars.
The premise caught my attention: what if one woman doesn't live her life linearly, but completely out of order, one year at a time?
On the eve of her nineteenth birthday, Oona is in a good place: at a New Year's Eve party with the man she loves, counting down to both the new year and a new year in her own life. But just as the clock strikes midnight, Oona passes out—and wakes up as a 51-year-old, in an unfamiliar place, greeted by a stranger who expects this to happen, and a letter from herself explaining the wild ride she's just begun.
I appreciated the creativity of this story, which reminded me of Back to the Future for theme and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine for tone.
The premise caught my attention: what if one woman doesn't live her life linearly, but completely out of order, one year at a time?
On the eve of her nineteenth birthday, Oona is in a good place: at a New Year's Eve party with the man she loves, counting down to both the new year and a new year in her own life. But just as the clock strikes midnight, Oona passes out—and wakes up as a 51-year-old, in an unfamiliar place, greeted by a stranger who expects this to happen, and a letter from herself explaining the wild ride she's just begun.
I appreciated the creativity of this story, which reminded me of Back to the Future for theme and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine for tone.
April 14, 2020
⏳BOOK REVIEW⏳
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
Pub Date: February 25, 2020
352 pages
-DESCRIPTION-
It's New Year's Eve, 1982, and Oona Lockhart is about to celebrate her 19th birthday. At the stroke of midnight, the adventure begins. We learn that Oona, every birthday, age 19 and on, is lived out of order for one year. Her chronological age may be 26, but she wakes up during her 45th year.
-THOUGHTS-
So I loved the premise of this book. I've realized that I may have a thing for time travel books. There were so many times that you want to shake Oona. She is like a rebellious teenager during her first 3 "leaps". It's when it starts to really dawn on her that what really matters are those we love is when the book becomes magical. On one hand we pity her circumstance....but then we also envy it.
-RATING-
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars
I recommend this book!
-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-
The Time Travelers Wife
Big Little Lies
The Gifted School
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
Pub Date: February 25, 2020
352 pages
-DESCRIPTION-
It's New Year's Eve, 1982, and Oona Lockhart is about to celebrate her 19th birthday. At the stroke of midnight, the adventure begins. We learn that Oona, every birthday, age 19 and on, is lived out of order for one year. Her chronological age may be 26, but she wakes up during her 45th year.
-THOUGHTS-
So I loved the premise of this book. I've realized that I may have a thing for time travel books. There were so many times that you want to shake Oona. She is like a rebellious teenager during her first 3 "leaps". It's when it starts to really dawn on her that what really matters are those we love is when the book becomes magical. On one hand we pity her circumstance....but then we also envy it.
-RATING-
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars
I recommend this book!
-SIMILAR RECOMMENDED READS-
The Time Travelers Wife
Big Little Lies
The Gifted School
February 26, 2020
This was such a creative book about a young woman, who every year during New Year’s Eve on her birthday wakes up into a random time of her life. She can wake up in the future or the past and get to live her life for that year.
I found the story made me look at my own life and pondered the pivoting choices we have made causing major life changes. The career we choose, our partners in life, or the small decisions we make each day all cumulate to how our lives’ trajectory will be. In the end, we live with ups and downs, happiness and sadness, surprises and disappointments which are all part of our life and defines who we become. Life isn’t all a bed of roses full of perfect moments, and this story tells it so in such a beautiful and poignant way. I loved Oona and all her flaws, her courage, and how she wears her heart on her sleeve proudly.
I have never read anything like this. I absolutely loved and enjoyed this. I find myself looking forward to what point in her life she will me moving to - sometimes it’s in a 51 yo body of a 20 yo Oona, and so forth. I loved seeing her growth and progression as she is maturing and understanding more of what should be experienced. I loved reading about her young self waking up 35 years forward and learning about the internet, smart phones, the changes in our colloquial speech like ‘my bad’ or ‘Cray’ that someone from the ‘80’s would have an issue understanding. There were many instances like that which made reading fun, well researched and very witty read.
I loved it!! I highly recommend this!! Amazing!!
I found the story made me look at my own life and pondered the pivoting choices we have made causing major life changes. The career we choose, our partners in life, or the small decisions we make each day all cumulate to how our lives’ trajectory will be. In the end, we live with ups and downs, happiness and sadness, surprises and disappointments which are all part of our life and defines who we become. Life isn’t all a bed of roses full of perfect moments, and this story tells it so in such a beautiful and poignant way. I loved Oona and all her flaws, her courage, and how she wears her heart on her sleeve proudly.
I have never read anything like this. I absolutely loved and enjoyed this. I find myself looking forward to what point in her life she will me moving to - sometimes it’s in a 51 yo body of a 20 yo Oona, and so forth. I loved seeing her growth and progression as she is maturing and understanding more of what should be experienced. I loved reading about her young self waking up 35 years forward and learning about the internet, smart phones, the changes in our colloquial speech like ‘my bad’ or ‘Cray’ that someone from the ‘80’s would have an issue understanding. There were many instances like that which made reading fun, well researched and very witty read.
I loved it!! I highly recommend this!! Amazing!!
August 7, 2021
What a unique book! I was intrigued by the premise and it didn't disappoint.
Since her 19th birthday, Oona has literally been living her life out of order. That's because each New Year's Day (her birthday) she turns a different out of order age and lives that life for the year. If it sounds confusing and exhausting, that's because it is. As we follow Oona's journey, we really get a sense of the confusing and frustrating life she leads. Each birthday brings chaos and confusion to her life, and she's constantly trying to make sense of her life and who she is.
It took a bit of getting used to the disjointed style of storytelling. Just as I'd start getting used to Oona's life, New Year's Day would come up again and her life and details would get out of order. It was interesting to follow Oona's story though, which will likely make you reflect on life and what matters most.
Since her 19th birthday, Oona has literally been living her life out of order. That's because each New Year's Day (her birthday) she turns a different out of order age and lives that life for the year. If it sounds confusing and exhausting, that's because it is. As we follow Oona's journey, we really get a sense of the confusing and frustrating life she leads. Each birthday brings chaos and confusion to her life, and she's constantly trying to make sense of her life and who she is.
It took a bit of getting used to the disjointed style of storytelling. Just as I'd start getting used to Oona's life, New Year's Day would come up again and her life and details would get out of order. It was interesting to follow Oona's story though, which will likely make you reflect on life and what matters most.
February 27, 2020
I wanted to love this book. Time travel is one of my favorite tropes so I was excited for a new spin. I loved the first half of the book, but quickly tired of Oona's negative attitude and horrible decision making skills. I'm clearly in the minority (which seems to be happening a lot lately) because people are loving this story. The ending was nice with a good message, but I didn't really get it until the end.
February 17, 2024
4.45/5 ⭐
This is a must for the time travel trope lovers.
Personally, I'm not that big on time travel subjects because they kind of make my tired little brain hurt and this story was no exception, but as a complete picture, I can definitely say that The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart is a really good mixture of science, drama, emotion and aesthetics.
If you loved The Midnight Library and also you loved Daisy Jones and the Six , this is your perfect next read because it's a very interesting mixture of the both of them.
So try it, you might like it!
This is a must for the time travel trope lovers.
Personally, I'm not that big on time travel subjects because they kind of make my tired little brain hurt and this story was no exception, but as a complete picture, I can definitely say that The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart is a really good mixture of science, drama, emotion and aesthetics.
If you loved The Midnight Library and also you loved Daisy Jones and the Six , this is your perfect next read because it's a very interesting mixture of the both of them.
So try it, you might like it!
October 28, 2019
ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK
THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ ALL YEAR
(one of three, at least. I have only said this about three books and it's almost October, so. Take me with a grain of salt, but ONLY ONE grain of salt because I'm TELLING you, this BOOK!)
This is very high concept, and I'm a huge sucker for high concept, especially ones like this. I, once again, did not read the blurb or any copy before diving into this one and it was a great decision. I'll have to evaluate in a few days and see if I'm still as stunned because looking objectively there's nothing truly life changing about this, but sometimes they don't need to be.
I stayed up late to read this. I was already too sleep-deprived from a week of various things culmulating and YET this book was SO DARN GOOD that I kept my light on and kept flipping those pages. (Now I am more sleep deprived. Whose fault is that? I'm looking at you, Montimore.)
Yeah, I don't actually have much to say here, but the concept was so beautifully executed that you should probably read this. There's some really fun music stuff in there (spoiler alert: Dale does not like Pink Floyd, so don't be like me and fall in love with him in chapter one) and some absolutely beautiful glimpses at motherhood and what it entails. It's a lonely book, in a way, but in the way that makes you want to go and hug your loved ones. And it's one of those stories that keeps your brain churning about the "what-if"s and the endless possibilities that a concept creates.
I adored this. I'm so sad that it ended. I know logically that it ended at a beautiful point and made a nice story arc, but gosh darn it I just want to read about EVERY single second of Oona's life and EVERY conversation she has and EVERY moment of these years, and to see how it all unfolds.
I have already ranted about my adoration of this book to three non-book people and I have a feeling I'm going to be ranting about this for some time to come.
THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ ALL YEAR
(one of three, at least. I have only said this about three books and it's almost October, so. Take me with a grain of salt, but ONLY ONE grain of salt because I'm TELLING you, this BOOK!)
This is very high concept, and I'm a huge sucker for high concept, especially ones like this. I, once again, did not read the blurb or any copy before diving into this one and it was a great decision. I'll have to evaluate in a few days and see if I'm still as stunned because looking objectively there's nothing truly life changing about this, but sometimes they don't need to be.
I stayed up late to read this. I was already too sleep-deprived from a week of various things culmulating and YET this book was SO DARN GOOD that I kept my light on and kept flipping those pages. (Now I am more sleep deprived. Whose fault is that? I'm looking at you, Montimore.)
Yeah, I don't actually have much to say here, but the concept was so beautifully executed that you should probably read this. There's some really fun music stuff in there (spoiler alert: Dale does not like Pink Floyd, so don't be like me and fall in love with him in chapter one) and some absolutely beautiful glimpses at motherhood and what it entails. It's a lonely book, in a way, but in the way that makes you want to go and hug your loved ones. And it's one of those stories that keeps your brain churning about the "what-if"s and the endless possibilities that a concept creates.
I adored this. I'm so sad that it ended. I know logically that it ended at a beautiful point and made a nice story arc, but gosh darn it I just want to read about EVERY single second of Oona's life and EVERY conversation she has and EVERY moment of these years, and to see how it all unfolds.
I have already ranted about my adoration of this book to three non-book people and I have a feeling I'm going to be ranting about this for some time to come.
March 16, 2021
This sounded great when I read the premise but it took me ages to become invested in this story. Oona is a woman that inexplicably has a life that is lived “out of order”. On New Year’s Day, her 19th birthday, she gets hurled into her 51st year. No explanation at all. I listened to her become accustomed to everything that has changed from 1982 to 2015. It got boring listening to how things have changed - phones, internet, K cups, new slang words. Yes, we get that she should buy Apple stock. I mean, I understand that Montimore had to explain it but there had to be a interesting way to do it. And as each year ends, she gets thrown into another year and age. No matter what age she ends up on each New Year’s Day, inside she’s only aging one year at a time. The chapter headings do the math for you. So, because she’s still pretty young, she makes some incredibly stupid decisions. I had to keep reminding myself how young she truly was.
This was a much sadder book than I was expecting. I think because of the cover, I expected humor. But Oona spends most of her time feeling regret for what she’s missing (continuity) and for her bad decisions. So, I’m not sure if some of my disappointment was due to incorrect expectations. But it also needed some better editing as some sections lagged.
As the story went on, there were some interesting twists that piqued my interest. And by the end, I had grown fond of Oona.
Brittany Presley was the narrator and I’ve always enjoyed her work.
This was a much sadder book than I was expecting. I think because of the cover, I expected humor. But Oona spends most of her time feeling regret for what she’s missing (continuity) and for her bad decisions. So, I’m not sure if some of my disappointment was due to incorrect expectations. But it also needed some better editing as some sections lagged.
As the story went on, there were some interesting twists that piqued my interest. And by the end, I had grown fond of Oona.
Brittany Presley was the narrator and I’ve always enjoyed her work.
December 31, 2019
Ooooh, Oona! This may be one of the most popular books of 2020. It has been quite a ride and I am so happy I had the privilege of finishing on the very day when Oona anticipates her next leap. This time-jumping debut novel turned my brain into a pretzel. I can't wait for my bookish friends to catch up so we can discuss the book. An overarching theme of time travel gives Oona the bittersweet knowledge of a past she has skipped and a future she is not yet ready for. As we leap with Oona we have a front row seat to an emotional rollercoaster that begins with denial when her 19-year-old self discovers out she is already 51. Talk about whiplash! Montimore does an excellent job keeping the reader anchored in Oona's timeline by giving us the "inside age"/"outside age" with each new leap. Will definitely appeal to fans of Audrey Niffenegger, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Liane Moriarty. Highly recommended!
A big thank you to James Melia at Flat Iron Books for sending me a VERY early copy for my review.
A big thank you to James Melia at Flat Iron Books for sending me a VERY early copy for my review.
May 21, 2021
4.5 stars: loved it!
I'm a sucker for time-travel stories so when I read the premise of this one, wow... I couldn't wait to read it! I don't know why I hadn't heard about it before.
It took me a long week to read it because I was busy, but I was never tired of Oona's story. I was always happy to open the book again and really sad when it was over. I wanted more!
The author succeeded to keep me at the edge of my seat, I was eager to learn more about the past/future lives of Oona. My only complaint is that there were many characters and I wish I knew some of them a little more. For example, I felt it was too much about Edward and not enough about Peter.
A fabulous and memorable book!🌟
I'm a sucker for time-travel stories so when I read the premise of this one, wow... I couldn't wait to read it! I don't know why I hadn't heard about it before.
It took me a long week to read it because I was busy, but I was never tired of Oona's story. I was always happy to open the book again and really sad when it was over. I wanted more!
The author succeeded to keep me at the edge of my seat, I was eager to learn more about the past/future lives of Oona. My only complaint is that there were many characters and I wish I knew some of them a little more. For example, I felt it was too much about Edward and not enough about Peter.
A fabulous and memorable book!🌟
March 22, 2020
I absolutely love reading books that have anything to do with time travelling, especially ones that fall outside the science fiction genre. Some of my favorites so - Life After Life, The Time Traveler's Wife and The Outlander Series.
The story starts on New Years Eve 1982. On the stroke of midnight, Oona passes out and wakes up in 2015 in her 51 year old body. Thus begins Oona’s life of jumping forwards and backwards through time to a random different year in her life every New Years Eve, experiencing life out of order.
This was a fun, quick read and the author did a good job setting the stage for different decades with clothing, music, events and the general feel of the era. The shock a young person would experience waking up in an old body is well described, and gives us a bit of insight on how much value our culture puts on youth and looks. As we only got to experience a few of Oona's years with her, I never got to know her as a full character, only as snapshots in different times in her life.
Even though I love the time-travel trope, I always have some difficulty understanding the mechanics. This is more magical realism than sci-fi so we never know why Oona jumps around in time or the specifics of how it works, but from what I understand, she is still very much only living ONE life, just not in order. So please explain to me how she can leave a letter for herself on what will be happening in the year she wakes up in? She's not lived it before?
That aside, this was a fun, entertaining holiday read.
The story starts on New Years Eve 1982. On the stroke of midnight, Oona passes out and wakes up in 2015 in her 51 year old body. Thus begins Oona’s life of jumping forwards and backwards through time to a random different year in her life every New Years Eve, experiencing life out of order.
This was a fun, quick read and the author did a good job setting the stage for different decades with clothing, music, events and the general feel of the era. The shock a young person would experience waking up in an old body is well described, and gives us a bit of insight on how much value our culture puts on youth and looks. As we only got to experience a few of Oona's years with her, I never got to know her as a full character, only as snapshots in different times in her life.
Even though I love the time-travel trope, I always have some difficulty understanding the mechanics. This is more magical realism than sci-fi so we never know why Oona jumps around in time or the specifics of how it works, but from what I understand, she is still very much only living ONE life, just not in order. So please explain to me how she can leave a letter for herself on what will be happening in the year she wakes up in? She's not lived it before?
That aside, this was a fun, entertaining holiday read.
August 5, 2020
The year is 1982 and Oona Lockhart is about to turn 19 on New Year's Day. She time travels every year at that time and goes to another year of her life. Her 1st trip she becomes a 19 year old in her 51 year old body! It's random... and I always wanted to know why this was happening to her. Oona will jump from 51 to 23 to 40, etc.
I didn't think I would really love a time travel book, and thought it might be a little confusing or hard to follow... but it wasn't and I really did enjoy it for the most part. I almost wish it was a little longer. I would have liked to see more years or spend some more time with a couple of the other major characters. It's definitely a lot about living in the moment and making the most of the time you do have.
I didn't think I would really love a time travel book, and thought it might be a little confusing or hard to follow... but it wasn't and I really did enjoy it for the most part. I almost wish it was a little longer. I would have liked to see more years or spend some more time with a couple of the other major characters. It's definitely a lot about living in the moment and making the most of the time you do have.
February 21, 2020
What a surprisingly compelling story. I honestly haven’t read that many travel-esque novels, but I’m a fan! I just loved the way Oona bounced back around at different time periods of her life, and I found myself completely entranced to see what part of her life I would get to see next.
*Thank you Flatiron Books for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own
*Thank you Flatiron Books for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own
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