Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: The perfect beach read and million-copy bestseller

In Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, we follow the friendship of Sam and Sadie from the first moments they meet - and bond - over a Super Mario game in the hospital, through their reconnection in college and their forging together off their skills to make a video game company. We see them both suffer highs and lows from relationships, chronic health issues and grief - and while their friendship gets weaker and stronger at different times, the ties that bind them are never cut. When I tell you this book had a hold on me! I honestly didn't want to do anything else except read this book, and I love that feeling. I felt so engrossed and connected to Sam and Sadie's story (plus Marx) and I just couldn't put this book down until I swallowed it all up. This book is emotional and tense at times, and let me tell you, the characters can be utterly frustrating as well in how they act towards one another. There were times in the book I was so annoyed them (tbh mostly Sadie) and better communication would have been the key to a lot of problem solving. While both Sadie and Sam had their flaws in this book, I have to say Sadie definitely annoyed me more with some of her reactions - Sam was going through a lot in this book due to a childhood injury, he lives with chronic pain and disability, and eventually has to amputate his foot. He has every right to be moody, and stay home while recovering from his foot being chopped off. What's not right is Sadie ignoring him, giving him the silent treatment because she thinks he did something for his own benefit years earlier (not to mention how was he suppose to know the ins and outs of a relationship that didn't turn bad until after this event, and it's someone she remained friends with anyway. It all made no sense and was so frustrating). Sam had his tantrums and emotional meltdowns and jealousy but he also always came back from them, and worked despite it all and he never really shut Sadie out the way she did him on multiple occasions. My MVP of this book was 100% Marx - he is that type of goofy, handsome, perfect guy that couldn't possibly ever be real but I just loved the way he was the perfect glue that fit Sadie and Sam together, and how unconditionally he loved them both. The pacing of the novel was really good though I do think maybe it felt a little bit rushed near the end, and time skips forward very quickly. We see very little of Sadie as a mother, and I think I would have liked to have more time with that and Sam bonding with the child, especially as Sadie was such a pioneer for women in tech, seeing her be a mother as well would have been good. This book would have been a 5 stars for me but the last quarter of the book just didn't hook me as well as I wanted it to. I felt disappointed in the characters, and how the responded to the grief and trauma from the defining incident near the end of the book - I understand grief affects people in different ways and while we saw Sam, who had already been through so much, bounce back and get things up and running again, Sadie once again shut Sam out for really no reason at all, and decided to hate him - again, for no reason at all? Surely it goes against everything your lost loved one would want for you, if you shut out the person they loved the most, swill their company down the drain and give up on everything? Honestly, Sadie was so annoying. I loved the video game element in here - and while I'm not a massive gamer, I would call myself a passive gamer maybe. I love games like The Sims, Disney Dreamlight Valley and Ori so some of the games Sam and Sadie created sounded right up my alley. I'd love to play Maplewood or even Pioneer! This made me want to game (which was also hard as I wanted to read so much, haha) and it also made me appreciate all the art, time and skill that goes into making games you kind of just take for granted.

I finally got round to reading this book recommended by a few people at Book Club (it actually became last months read) usually i manage 3 books on holiday but the lodge was so dark I couldn't see the pages very well. I spent my time reading most of it at one of the kids' play areas (with the hubby and tiny human) Unfortunately, I missed the discussion due to being away. I was also surprised at the size of the book! (Thick pages) I've had very mixed emotions and thoughts while reading it. It isn't a happy book as such. It's a book about friendship, fallouts, romance, and work. And of course, gaming. The flow sometimes was staticky, and it took me some time to think where it was in relation to time and who was speaking. Although not my usual read, I really enjoyed the escapism of it. As a second life player and an escapee of mundane "nice" games, the talk of mapleworld was relatable, and the creation of pioneers was just so romantic and beautiful. I loved the side to each story and got so annoyed with each character that they couldn't see what the other was going through or that they didn't explain. But I guess that's what made it so real. It's a long book, and it doesn't have a proper end as such. But it's a lovely snippet into the life and friendship of Sam and Sadie.

A tale of friendship, a lesson in love and a perpetual game of life with its infinite number of second chances, lost opportunities and endless challenges. And at the centre - love and friendship of course. “What is a game?" Marx said. "It's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It's the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.” A chance meeting at a hospital is to connect the lives of Sadie and Sam through video gaming and home entertainment. A relationship that is tested, grows, changes, and suffers from many of the obstacles life creates - love, greed, misunderstanding, vanity, discrimination, domestic violence, abuse, death and many more. However, the constant in their lives is the love and ambition for building and playing video games. Yet, like many winning partnerships, their loyalty is tested when fame and success enter their lives and the two struggle with each other, despite the intervention of their loyal friend Marx. While the book includes many side stories and sub plots, the core to this book is the relationship between Sadie, Sam and also Marx with some important themes for the reader to reflect on. There is a sad moment in the book that will play on my mind tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow!!! But I will not spoil here. It was all about the writing style and relationships for me that took the meaning of gaming to a whole new level. The characters felt so real and genuine which came through in the writing and turned a seemingly ordinary plot into something extraordinary. A modern take on some timeless themes. A story of reinvention, infinity, and the possibility of a different life, but also a stark reminder that life is complicated, complex, painful and sometimes intolerable but it is also what we make of it. Despite the distractions and when the game of life becomes the cruelty of life, it is up to the individual to decide on the appropriate course of action, because after all there are no rules and no winners. Just love and friendship made better through willingness and forgiveness. The focus on relationships was superb but I particularly loved the reinvention of Sadie and Sam’s relationship. Overall an excellent book, there is no doubt that this book will continue to be enjoyed by many tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow!!!.

I really loved the writing in this book, but I struggled quite a bit with Sadie and Sam's friendship. For most of the story, it felt like they were outright enemies. They spent so much time not speaking, hurting each other, or failing one another at crucial moments, largely because they refused to communicate openly. Sadie especially seemed determined to always think the worst of Sam and cut him out without a second thought, leaving no room for any attempts to repair their deeply fractured friendship. By the end, their dynamic didn't even feel purely platonic anymore, which I had assumed was supposed to be the whole point? Instead, it came across as though Sam had been lingering in the background all along, harbouring a sense of entitlement toward a romantic relationship with Sadie - waiting for his turn, then stewing in bitterness when she chose someone else. Their relationship ended up feeling so uncomfortable that it really detracted from my overall enjoyment despite the strength of the writing. That said, I really enjoyed the game references and the exploration of the creative process, particularly the vulnerability required to open yourself up to criticism and the potential for failure. I also appreciated the insight into sexism in education and the gaming industry through Sadie’s perspective. Overall, I'd still recommend this, but I think I went in with the wrong expectations of what the core friendship would be.

I had never heard of Gabrielle Zevin but ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ was at the top of Goodread’s list for a while, so I took a closer look and purchased it when I saw it was about computer games and had been likened to ‘Ready Player One’ (which I loved). The book centres around two main characters; Sam and Sadie, who bond over playing video games when the pair meet in the children's ward of a hospital and later conceive of, and program, games of their own. They develop a friendship that spans almost 30 years and the novel follows the highs and lows of their friendship, including falling in love, falling out, a love triangle, successes, and failures. Throughout it all, the one constant in their lives is video games. I felt that this is a well written coming of age story, with likeable characters and a nice plot. I think this is aimed at a YA audience, which makes it super easy to read but it does include a couple of graphic scenes involving guns and sex which might be more suitable for an older audience. There are a lot of computer game references in this book, some of which I understood, some of which I didn’t but I don’t think you have to be a gamer to enjoy this book for what it is although I do think some knowledge of gaming will enhance the book for you. I don’t think the idea of this book was particularly original but the characters and their relationships are strong and made me feel invested in it. Overall, this is a well-written, complex and thought-provoking novel with a whole load of gaming fun thrown in. The characters deal with some tough situations and their turmoil really shines through. For a simple and relatively short book, this one is pretty good.

What a tour de force and I loved following the journey of the 3 of them. Having met many of the mentioned game designers and the Oliver twins who described themselves as ‘The last of the bedroom programmers’ I understood the scenario presented throughout your book. Working in the industry took me totally back to that time and having seen many of the game’s presented as concepts and had original art work from many of them in the first Game Art Gallery in the world I curated. Some game art is still displayed in my second life area. I also loved Braid and met the designer, and was encouraged that designers were at the time beginning to see the possibilities of future Game environment design. Loved it 🥰

There has been a lot of hype about this book, which is not always a good thing. Indeed, after having seen an endless flow of gushing reviews and exclamations about it, I had convinced myself that it was almost certainly the sort of book that I would hate, if I were ever foolish enough to submit to the hype and read it. Well, I can’t remember when I was last so wrong about a book, which only serves to reaffirm, if ever it had been in question (which it wasn’t) the importance of the adage about not judging a book by its cover. When I actually came to read it, rather than read about it, I thought it was wonderful. It may be that simple passage of time, and the relentless onset of age, had been one of the factors contributing towards my prejudice. I was just a few years too old to have much experience of the early years of computer/video gaming. The few examples that I encountered as a student were among the vanguard of arcade games, and while I simply loved Tetris, Galaxians and Asteroids, I never really caught the bug sufficiently to progress much beyond that level of participation, even when my nephews and nieces reached the stage of playing Sonic on their megadrive. However, while the world of gaming provides the backdrop for this book, it is not really about gaming as such. I am sure that if I had been an ardent and accomplished gamer, I might have derived even more entertainment from it, but even without much knowledge of the area, I was still completely hooked by the storyline. I am not going to attempt to offer any sort of synopsis, beyond saying that it follows the three principal protagonists from their early teens through their time as students, moving from developing games as independent creators 9working on a shoestring) to achieving worldwide success, and then struggling to retain their following and meet the relentless demand for new games. The characters are brilliantly drawn, and the ebbs and flows of their respective relationships are utterly plausible and compelling. I do feel a certain frustration because throughout my reading of it, I knew that it reminded my obliquely of another book (not in content, but in style), but I haven’t been able to recall what (down to that relentless surge of age again, no doubt). Still, I don’t often say this, but for this book, do believe the hype!

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is the story of Sadie and Sam, two best friends and gamers, who go on to make video games together and become business partners. The story spans over about thirty years; years that bring them success, but also failures, trials and heartache, their friendship having its ups and downs, but always enduring. This is in truth a hard book to describe, and not being at all into video games, I went into it with a little trepidation. However, this book is about so much more than gaming, such that I can see why it is so popular. At its heart it is a story about friendship, but also about the making and power of art in general and the possibilities of our imagination. It also tackles some weighty themes, including disability, depression, grief and trauma of various kinds, and in a way that never felt too heavy-handed. I also liked the diversity to the characters, and the way that race and identity was handled. I liked the nostalgic feel to the book, given that the main bulk of the story takes place in the 90s/2000s, and overall just thought that the story felt unique. It also takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions, in that you feel the highs and lows that both Sadie and Sam experience across the years. The lives of the two main characters are often messy, and they are both deeply flawed. As much I liked them both, particularly as the story went on, it did sometimes feel as if they didn't really show much development, but rather repeated the same patterns of behaviour, displaying their immaturity and self-centredness. Still, to the writer's credit, that didn't stop me from feeling invested in them, even when I wanted to bang their heads together. Marx was undoubtedly my favourite character, and I don't think the book would have been the same without him. As much as I enjoyed the special connection between Sadie and Sam, Marx often felt like the glue that held them together, both on a personal and professional level. He was always there quietly doing so much, without ever taking any of the credit or causing any drama, and that together with his optimistic outlook on life and how much he loved the two of them, just made him a really endearing character. I did actually enjoy the details of the creative process of making games, and in particular the reoccurring theme of the endless possibilities they provide. ' ''What is game?'' Marx said. ''Its tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Its the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.'' ' I think my favourite parts of the story were when Sadie and Sam and Marx are first making Ichigo, as that seemed to be them at their happiest and most creative, before their first experience of success and fame, and perhaps as such at their purest, before petty resentments and insecurities and jealousies start kicking in. I also liked the nod backs to Sam and Sadie as children and how they first became friends. I do think there were parts in the middle that dragged a bit, however, then something unexpected and truly shocking happened that really drew me back into the story, and perhaps was the part that hit the hardest. I will say that after that the story did then seem to get a big weaker again in that these were the parts where I perhaps didn't connect as well to either Sadie or Sam, though the ending itself did seem to come back full circle to the beginning, which I liked, and almost fitted in with that theme of pressing the start button and trying over again. There were some more experimental type chapters here and there, that sometimes worked and sometimes didn't For me personally not a 5 star read, but overall one that drew me into the story and made me care about the characters, even when they weren't always likeable, with some interesting themes explored in a unique and refreshing way.

Great story. Intriguing interpersonal conflicts. Finely-etched characters....I *know* these people. And, of course, for people who love such things, lots and lots of video game lore. Zevin's fictional characters are as diverse as the factual America; my only criticism of Zevin's work is that she wears her characters' diversity on her sleeve. That is to say, the characters would still have been strong (arguably more so) if Zevin had chosen to be subtle with their diversity. Let the storytelling do the storytelling. Political undercurrents are more intriguing, more entertaining, and more artistically satisfying than political rallies. I will read this novel again after a few years, and I will keep an eye out for Zevin's next work.

Very nice book, really recommend it!

Enjoyable drama following the lives of 3 friends for about 30 years through youth and young adulthood. Interconnected relationships, lots of love and complications. Backdrop of tech and gaming.

1980年代生まれの日本人読者として、この本は心の奥深くに響きました。ゼヴィンは日本のゲーム文化とアメリカの起業家精神を見事に織り合わせています。 基盤は純粋な日本のゲームDNA - マリオ、ドンキーコング、クロノ・トリガーは単なる名前の羅列ではなく、物語の骨格として機能。幼少期に父親のPCを通じてゲームの喜びを発見した私は、登場人物たちの原体験に深い共感を覚えました。 この作品を特別にしているのは、ゼヴィンがこれをUSカルチャーの重要点である、起業家精神。ハーバード/MITスタートアップのエネルギーとバランスよく描いている点です 「レベルアップ」の構造が素晴らしい - 仕事、友情、愛が競い合うのではなく、共に進化していきます。この並行した発展は、個人的成長と職業的達成が絡み合うゲーム世代の体験を完璧に捉えています。 最も重要なのは、この本が私たちの文化的輸出品を終着点ではなく、新しい創造性の出発点として描いていることです - そしてそれは日本人としての私自身の創造活動にも影響を与えています。真のイノベーションは情熱からくる融合から生まれるのだと。 異文化間を行き来する人、ゲームで育った人には必読。 As a Japanese reader born in the 1980s, this book hit me right in the heart. Zevin masterfully weaves together Japanese gaming culture with American entrepreneurial spirit in a way that feels both authentic and inspiring. The foundation is pure Japanese gaming DNA - Mario, Donkey Kong, Chrono Trigger aren't just name-dropped but serve as the story's backbone. As someone who discovered gaming joy through my father's PC in childhood, I felt deep empathy with the characters' formative experiences. What makes this special is how Zevin balances this with real Harvard/MIT startup energy - the urgency and ambition feels authentic, not romanticized. The "leveling up" structure is brilliant - work, friendship, and love evolve together rather than competing. This parallel development perfectly captures the gaming generation's experience where personal growth and professional achievement intertwine. Most importantly, this book shows our cultural exports not as endpoints but as launching points for new creativity - and it influences my own creation as a Japanese. True innovation comes from thoughtful synthesis, not dominance. A must-read for anyone navigating between cultures or anyone who grew up gaming. Zevin has created something genuinely transformative here.

I love the spray painted edges. Have not finished the book yet but it’s is very easy to read and I resonate with the characters so far.