Today Tonight Tomorrow and Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon | Reviews

I received this book for free from Publisher, Purchased in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Series: Today Tonight Tomorrow #1
Also by this author: We Can't Keep Meeting Like This
Published by Simon and Schuster on June 1, 2021
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Love & Romance, Juvenile Nonfiction / Religion / General, Young Adult Fiction / Religious / Jewish, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Friendship
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher, Purchased
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“Brilliant, hilarious, and oh-so-romantic.” —BuzzFeed
“Swoony, steamy.” —Entertainment Weekly

The Hating Game meets Booksmart by way of Morgan Matson in this unforgettable romantic comedy about two rival overachievers whose relationship completely transforms over the course of twenty-four hours.

Today, she hates him.

It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.

Tonight, she puts up with him.

When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.

As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.

Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him.

Young adult contemporary books still have such a grip on me. I fully enjoyed Rachel Lynn Solomon’s duology – Today Tonight Tomorrow and the sequel Past Present Future. These books were captivating and transported me back to a time in my life where I experienced a lot of transition. It was quite easy to be able to relate to the characters. 

The first book is where we meet Rowan Roth and Neil McNair. It is the last day of senior year — the two are bitter rivals — competing over everything. They are about to find out who valedictorian will be. Also, it is the night of the howl — an all night scavenger hunt that will take the characters all over Seattle as they compete to win a cash prize. Today Tonight Tomorrow explores what happens when the two put their rivalries aside to team up to win the prize. 

Of course, you can use your imagination to predict what will happen. Enemies/rivals who work together to overcome a challenge? I would imagine you would have to have never read a contemporary romance before to not be able to figure out where the book is going. However, even though Rachel Lynn Solomon goes into a tried and true trope, she does so masterfully. I enjoyed the journey of Rowan and Neil — their growth in just under 24 hours. Oh and did I mention I loved those two aspects — the scavenger hunt AND the twenty four hour timeline. I absolutely HIGHLY recommend you read this book, kick off your summer reading with it.

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Also by this author: We Can't Keep Meeting Like This
Published by Simon and Schuster on June 4, 2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / Dating & Sex, Young Adult Fiction / Social Themes / New Experience
Pages: 384
Format: ARC, Hardcover
Source: Publisher

Deluxe edition with special embellishments on first printing only!

They fell for each other in just twenty-four hours. Now Rowan and Neil embark on a long-distance relationship during their first year of college in this romantic, dual POV sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow.

When longtime rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different places.

In Boston, Rowan is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She’s just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice.

In New York, Neil embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health—or how to talk about it with the girl he loves.

Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits, and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They’ve spent so many years at odds with each other—now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?

Rachel Lynn Solomon follows up Today Tonight Tomorrow with Past Present Future. I absolutely love a duology. Getting to follow beloved characters to see what next is such a joy — especially when there is a clear and logical end point in mind. I especially love when that happens in young adult contemporary. This story picks up with Neil and Rowan in college. The two are both on the East Coast. Neil is at NYU and Rowan is at Emory College. Neil is majoring in linguistics – Rowan in creative writing, if I remember correctly. The story follows the ups and downs of their first year in college and doing the whole long distance thing.

Past Present Future truly was a solid follow up. I liked that we got a look at how college isn’t always easy and magical for everyone. It isn’t effortless. I really liked the fact that they had to work for their good experiences, so to speak. We also get so much more background on Neil, as in this book he is one of the point of view characters. Neil is struggling with his mental health in this book. He struggles with his past as it comes calling. He also is not having an easy time being so far from Rowan. Then we have Rowan who is experiencing a creative block and not being entirely true to her writing.

This book does growing pains so well. It really is such a good exploration of young adulthood and the independence of college – being a fish out of water. I also truly liked the change of setting as well — even though the first book for sure reads like a love letter to Seattle. The settings of Boston and NYC are interesting too. I have such a soft spot for NYC, so love seeing that in this book. Pick up Past Present Future for the what next and for the exploration of mental health and how maybe its okay to change direction.