ARC Review: Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

Genre: Women’s Contemporary/Magical Realism

Somebody once asked me that if I had the chance would I ever change my past? The good, the bad, the downright painful?

I thought about it, really thought because a lot has happened and I’ve been through a lot but truthfully I don’t think I would change anything. I am who I am because my experiences have made me who I am and although life is terrible at times (and now) it doesn’t mean it always will be. I’m not saying that I’m stronger or anything for what I’ve been through. I’m just me.

Now if you ask me if I would go back in time and eliminate certain obstacles and people the answer is hell yeah. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE. YOU ARE EXPENDABLE.

Oona’s birthday is New Year’s Day and it’s 1982 and she’s living it up with her boyfriend and fellow bandmates right before the clock hits midnight. When it does however she’s out of sorts and awakens not as a 19 year old but as a 51 year old Oona. She’s traveled into the future and according to a note she’s left for herself this isn’t the first time nor will it be her last.

With each year Oona will time travel and learn more about herself and her life. In a way it’s enviable but too much of one thing is never too good and as Oona tries to navigate the trickiness of her destiny we see why you should never try to change fate.

And still the sorrow threatened at the edges like a tidal wave on the horizon.

I came into this novel not expecting much and was blown away. It’s great. It was endearing and hilarious in so many ways and Oona as a character was funny and frustrating and reminded me way too much of me. I wanted to shake her and tell her to stop being so stubborn but at the same time I completely related to her. Who wouldn’t try to change the course of fate when you knew that certain actions could lead to disaster? The idea of leaping from random age made my anxiety skyrocket but also intrigued me. I sympathized completely with Oona staying in bed weeks at a time because of her depression because girl.

GIRL. YES.

The best part? Her wealth. The woman was smart. She used her leap power for GOOD. She invested in stocks and left notes for herself. Love it. And she didn’t just spend the money on herself, she frequently donated to charities and kept herself busy and traveled. Sigh, superhero status.

My question though is do the leaps ever end because honestly it has to be exhausting at some point lmao. This is a nice read overall and the characters were fun and witty so if you’re looking for a light women’s contemporary novel mixed with magical realism this is the book for you.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Everything has its time.