Nothing Stays the Same By Catherine Chant
How far would you go to save someone's life? Leah and Brennan are going all the way back to 1973.
One Choice Changes Everything...
In 1973, The Beat Detectors are the hottest TV pop band to hit the airwaves since The Monkees, thanks to the appealing vocals of rising teen idol Ronnie Basford. But behind the scenes, not everything is rainbows and unicorns. Ronnie realizes much too late that one bad decision can ruin your whole life.
Forty years later, Ronnie is dead from an apparent suicide and his sixteen-year-old son Brennan wants answers. He needs to understand how it all went so wrong. When he finds himself dropped back in time, to the set of his father's TV show, he's determined to redirect the course of his father's life and create the happy ending Ronnie deserved.
Soccer star Leah Reinard has been crushing on Brennan Basford for ages. When they end up at the same summer job, she thinks the fates have finally aligned in her favor. That is, until Brennan suddenly disappears from existence. One day he's there, the next day, he's gone. And no one but Leah even remembers him. Can Leah find Brennan in time to stop him from ruining both their futures? Nothing Stays the Same
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever listened to a favorite old song, closed your eyes, and felt like you could actually be transported back in time? I know I have. And apparently so has Catherine Chant because she made it her time travel device of choice in Nothing Stays the Same.
Every time travel story has to establish a set of time travel rules such as How does time travel happen? and How does it affect the future? These concepts were laid out clearly without a ton of explaining or complicated and awkward conversations. This author's time travel rules were different from most stories I've read. In fact, the characters only had to listen to a record, focus on a memory, and whoosh! Back in time.
Nothing Stays the Same is fun and colorful. There are funny moments but also heart-wrenching ones. It's a clean, young adult novel with suspense, romance, and plenty of mystery. It's a great read for teens but also for those of us who spent an unmentionable amount of hours dreaming of the Monkees and David Cassidy and the like.
461 Fun concept. Great characters with a complex story line that pulled at my heartstrings. 461 I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Some of my review will be hidden because of spoilers.
Overall this is a great story of how relationships are stronger than physical objects or even personal goals. Relationships keep us grounded and unselfish, and allow us to truly live and experience life.
Brennan is a 16-year-old whose dad was a TV musician with a hit show in the 70s; his mom had a somewhat similar show in London at the same time. The two met on her show when his had a cameo on hers. Brennan's dad also had a solo career and, as far back as Brennan could remember, was not the warmest of fathers. He is 18 years younger than his older sister, which helps the reader keep track of the dynamic and relationship of the parents.
Leah is in the same grade as Brennan (though at a different school). The two know each other through sports clubs in their town; they share a love for soccer. They also end up working together for three days at a store where old music is sold. Leah's older sister Callie loves that music and helps link Leah to the past.
This is quite important when Brennan's dad's solo album is found and played in the store. That same day, Brennan gets a call saying his father had been found dead. In his despair, he finds journals his father wrote along with some music. The music brings him back in time and Leah ends up being the only one in town who remembers him.
One of my issues is that Chant doesn't capitalize God. I understand why for Ohmig** (which I don't like but teens use so that's a personal issue), but there are other times that Leah utters the name and the lower case truly irritated me.
Yes - that is the worst part of the book.
There were typos, and I like to point those out in case another printing is in the works.
~Page 76 (halfway in chapter 7): Leah resisted the urge rolled her eyes at their...
~Page 95 (towards the end of chapter 9): She and clasped Callie's hand... 461 As a big fan of time travel books I found this one disappointing. I thought the characters weren't that strong and the story moved really slow. By the time the story climaxed I didn't anymore. 461 4.5/5.0
This isn’t just another time travel story - this one is unique.
Read full review in the 2016 November issue of InD'tale Magazine. 461
