The Next Together
Told in four time periods, this multi-genre YA novel follows four incarnations of the same couple—all named variations of Katherine and Matthew—during their lives in 1745, 1854, 2019 and 2039. In each life, they meet, fall in love, and change history for the better, but are always separated by tragic deaths. However, as their 2039 counterparts learn, the 2019 couple was wronged in death, leaving behind a mysterious threat that might harm their current incarnations. It is up to them to stop it and save the world…again.
This book suffers from trying to be too much—romance, historical, adventure, sci-fi –and doesn’t live up to any of its potential. Two periods purport to be historical, but are peppered with thinly veiled “that’s what she said” jokes and quasi-modern language that take the reader out of the story. The character chemistry and development are lacking. The 2019 characters feel like immature teenagers, rather than the married professionals they are supposed to be; I couldn’t root for them at all. The 1854 couple is awkward, and 2039 are stereotypical teens. The only couple that seems to have any spark is in the 1745 landscape, and even they suffer from insta-love that has no consequences despite flaunting class etiquette of the time. Even the odd visual format of the book can’t disguise a lackluster plot; the story is bland and grows increasingly confusing in the last 100 pages as time and lifetimes converge, resulting in an ending that is as ridiculous as it is odd. Skip this one.
