The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso Book Review

The Book Of Lost Hours 

By Hayley Gelfuso 

Published Year : 2025

Page Count: 391 pages 

Medium Used: Kindle Scribe 

Genre : Science Fiction, Time Travel, Alternate Universe, Romance, Young Adult, Adventure, 2025-read. 

Rating : 4.85/5 😀😀😀😀😀

 I was munching candy while reading the book and the last few chapters, I forgot the count of how many I ate. I was surprised to find that I finished quite a lot of them. I was glued to the story. I was very invested in what the next chapter would unveil. I want to say wow, what a fantastic book this is. But I don't think I will. The main character is not flawless, moral and selfless which made her less of an adorable protagonist to me. She kept her lover and daughter first and foremost - above all other concerns. She killed, manipulated, hurt and harmed others so that her daughter would be safe. Yes, she was a typical mother. I think I could see her point to a certain extent and might very well do the same if I were to ever be in her place, but still it made her less of an ideal for me. 😶😑

 Also, I am still trying to wrap my head around the whole time space concept and the memories of dead people stored in books for eternity. In the story, there are special watches,mostly made by German watchmakers, that allow people from different countries to enter this time space which is sort of set up like a big library. The books in the shelves are memories of dead people from the past. These people know how to destroy and alter the past by burning away the books/pages of unwanted people. One special girl, who was stoved into this time space when she was a young German teen by her father, while escaping a Nazi attack on his watch shop, becomes untethered from time after spending years in the time space. She can not only navigate through these memories but can also change them at will. She meets an American, falls deeply in love with him, but erases his memories of her to keep him safe. Their paths cross again when she is forced to take on a role of secretary to her American boss and they fall in love again. Its sort of like a repeat when she removes her memories from his mind again. There is no where where they could live peacefully without external interference. She also had an ideology which inspired a rebellion after she left the time space. She tries to keep the rebels in check and make them forget her memory  but both she and her lover, Ernest know it is a futile effort. What they need is a permanent solution. What is that? Can they control access to this time space realm for others - including themselves? 

I liked the character of Ernest. He was so genuine, loving and their courtship and romance warmed my heart. No, I should say - my soul. Both the times they came together as if drawn by an unspeakable, unknowable magnetism, the love that flourished nourished me. The character of Jack is also well written - as a sort of villain that doesn't ruin the beauty of their realities, he is good. But all the times he threatened and forced her hand into acting in ways that are unmoored from her natural self - i hated him. I also liked the ending. A perpetual memory that is custom made for Lisavet, Ernest and their loving daughter, Amelia!! Its not confusing at all. Both the timelines of past and present seamlessly create a hassle-free, holistic picture of the life of Ernest and Lisavet. There are a couple of twists thrown in too which are not surprising but the events leading upto them are interesting. 

This book came second in the Goodreads Choice Awards for Science Fiction 2025. So do check it out!!