Book Review: Oona Out of Order

If you could visit parts of your life, past or present, would you change anything, or just let things happen? In Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, 19-year-old Oona discovers that every year on her birthday (which also happens to be New Year’s Eve), her mind leaps to a different year of her adult life, sometimes in the past, sometimes in the future. Her physical age fluctuates, but her mental age only progresses by one year each leap. What follows is a continuous cycle of learning, heartbreaks, charming meet-cutes, a lot of growth, back-sliding, and anything and everything in between.

The Good: I have always been a fan of romantic comedies with a hint of science fiction and time travel, so this book had me hooked before I even started reading. Montimore managed to sprinkle nostalgia throughout the early and mid-life leaps without being cheesy or heavy-handed, and even made me homesick for a future that Oona lives in her lifetime, but we haven’t seen yet. The dialogue was strong, witty, and compelling, and flowed beautifully. Oona’s relationships developed at a great pace throughout the book, and felt fully-formed in a way that also didn’t feel rushed.

The Bad: While I loved the dynamics of all of Oona’s relationships, the one I wish the book had paid a little bit more attention to was the one she had with her mother. There were a few scenes in which I just couldn’t understand why there was so much tension between them. Did it have more to do with events that occurred before the time-traveling? Was there some subconscious resentment from her mother that Oona could re-live moments of her life while her mother could not? Maybe those are questions that the reader has to answer for themselves.

Bottom Line: Oona Out of Order is hands down one of my favorite books of 2020. It made me think, it made me feel, and it had the power to transport me to another time when I was looking any and everywhere for a tiny escape.

Throughout reading it, I tried to put myself in Oona’s shoes, especially as she tried her hardest to change certain outcomes. Is fate real? Should we still attempt to make a plan for our lives, or should we just enjoy the ups and downs for what they are? This line of thinking has been especially important for me while we’ve all been hunkering down. Life is short, and I think we need to stop trying to control or speed up what we just can’t. Stay safe, allow yourself the time to process mistakes, ramp up the happy moments, and just...be.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone looking to smile, laugh, or reflect on the complexities of life and love.

Buy Oona Out of Order HERE.