BOOK REVIEW: Time For Once by Jes Smyth

An ode to the power of love in the face of an unpredictable life.

I love the fact that I get to read books and then interview the authors on my podcast, Speaking LITerally. Not only does it give me insight into the book, but I connect with the author as a person, and that makes me even more invested in all their future books. Because my life this fall has been absolutely overwhelming, I was not able to actually finish this book before we interviewed Jes. I found this to be a blessing in disguise because I learned several things about Jes, the person and author, and the book that made the finishing of it more engaging.

In a nutshell, Time For Once follows Jolie and Jace over the course of 10 years. From the time they are college seniors, first meeting to their early 30s. It’s a story of life, family, adulting, choices, mistakes, forgiveness, second chances, self-discovery, self-worth, and the baggage that we carry around in life. Every time their worlds collide, it never seems to be the right time, but there is so much depth that as the reader, you don’t fully understand it all until the end of the book.

The book reads as a powerful and relatable contemporary novel about young adults learning to navigate their lives. Jes calls it “emotion fiction,” and who can argue with that. It is an emotional and moving tale. It was beautifully written, and honestly depicts that complicated and tumultuous nature of friendship and relationships in a way that doesn’t overly fictionalize or dramatize the reality of it. Life can be a mess. There were many moments and feelings that I totally found myself relating to which just caused me to become more engulfed in the story and invested in the characters. I met my now husband in college. I understand that power of that connection and love.

Jes shared on the podcast that it was in a slightly and in part, autobiographical, but she took some fictional liberties with it. That was a bombshell which had me so excited to finish the book, but once I was finished, I wished that I had completed the book before interviewing her. I have so many more questions!

It’s an easy read with a quick pace. Even though it covers 10 years, the transitions are smooth and the timeline makes sense. The dual POV between Jace and Jolie support the transitions and the progression of the plot. I enjoyed being able to see how they both spent those years - drifting, trying to fill a hole in their lives that only the other could fill and finding each other again only to drift again. 

I am not a big fan of love triangles, and while there is one in this book it is not grossly in your face or overwhelming to the rest of the plot and character development. It becomes necessary in helping Jolie become who she ultimately becomes. But, come on. It’s Palmer. Who doesn’t love Palmer?

The cast of supporting characters is fantastic. Alix, Dru, Carrie, and of course Palmer are critical characters throughout the 10 year story. Again, another aspect of life that I hope everyone can relate to. The friends that become family. The friends that don’t hold back and are brutally honest because they love you. One of my closest friends to this day is one I met in college. She means the world to me. I see that same connection in Jolie and Alix. It’s just one more reason that the book just takes hold of you and won’t let go.

I would erase our past if it meant we could meet for the first time today, as who I am now.

The final thing really to discuss with this one is the underlying impact of alcoholism on the addict and the family. Jolie struggles with her relationship with her alcoholic mother, and there is no hiding the impact that it has had on her life. How she views herself and how she interacts with others in regards to more than just social drinking. Jes gives a little bit of a sucker punch right in the gut at the end of the book. It’s a powerful moment and one that the entire story was building towards. To be honest, there were a few moments where I just wanted to shake Jolie throughout the book. Moments where I thought she was being a little annoying. And this is why I say it’s a sucker punch. That moment at the end made me feel guilty for how I felt about her at times, but it magnifies the ideal…you never know the baggage someone carries with them. You never know what someone is going through. Jace never gave up on Jolie, and man is that a powerful indication of what love is.

It reminds me of one of my favorite literary quotes: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” From the amazing Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird. This is how I felt at the end of Time For Once. The clarity that comes from that moment….

This was Jes’s debut novel, and I absolutely CAN NOT wait until her next book, Dream For a Second, is released in late spring of 2024. Apparently, it is Palmer’s story!!

Where does this land on my bookshelf?

Top Shelf for sure! This is the type of book that makes you want to put on your fuzzy socks, wrap up in a blanket and just escape into a world where there are good people and you are routing for good things for them. We’ve all experienced those moments in our youth where we doubt ourselves and our choices and wonder if we will ever be successful or have the capacity to fulfill our dreams. I think this is why Jolie and Jace are so believable. I feel that we can find a piece of ourselves in them. I adored this book, and I highly, highly recommend it.

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If you are really bored, you can read about some of my personal adventures in life raising two teenagers, commentating on professional wrestling shows and loving a husband who is fighting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and all the lesson I learn along the way. Educate This.