The Next Together

by Lauren James

Overview

Katherine and Matthew are destined to be born again and again, century after century. Each time they are total strangers thrust together under unusual circumstances. Each time their presence changes history for the better. And each time they fall hopelessly in love, only to be tragically separated.

Why does fate keep bringing them together to save the world, and what must they achieve before they can finally be left to love in peace? Maybe the next together will be different. . . .

Told in parallel time streams through a mixture of prose, diary entries, letters, “original” historical documents, news reports, and Internet articles, and spanning the Crimean War, the Siege of Carlisle and the near-future of 2019 and 2039, The Next Together is a glittering, sweeping story of time travel, fate, and the power of first love for fans of Outlander, Passenger (Disney), and The Girl from Everywhere (Harper).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510710214
Publisher:	Sky Pony
Publication date:	06/13/2017
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lauren James graduated from the University of Nottingham, where she studied chemistry and physics. She is an Arts Council grant recipient and was longlisted for the 2016 Branford Boase Award for her debut novel, The Next Together. She lives in the West Midlands in the United Kingdom.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“A heartbreaking and unpredictable love story spanning time and space.”
--Melinda Salisbury, author of The Sin Eater’s Daughter

“Such an absorbing book. Lauren James spins together multiple timelines and plot threads to create a story that’s complex and intriguing without ever being confusing. An accomplished debut.” --Kendra Leighton, author of Glimpse

“An explosion of storytelling. It’s everything that I love about books. Read it.” --Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire

“Packed with humor, adventure, conspiracy, and epic romance, The Next
Together is a sensational debut that is sure to put you on the edge of your seat and keep you there.” --Catherine Doyle, author of Vendetta

“A funny, gripping, and incredibly imaginative story of true love and reincarnation.” --Louise O’Neill, author of Only Ever Yours

"An ambitious, promising premise . . . James is one to watch." --Kirkus Reviews

"Interspersed with love notes, emails, and blog posts, this work captures not only the love between the couple but the danger surrounding their circumstances. Fans of Alexandra Bracken’s Passenger and Heidi Heilig’s The Girl from Everywhere0 will enjoy this romance through time and history. . . . This science fiction take on European history will excite any historical fiction reader. Although the main characters are teens, this title also has crossover adult appeal." --School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

A heartbreaking and unpredictable love story spanning time and space.” —Melinda Salisbury, author of The Sin Eater’s Daughter

“Such an absorbing book. Lauren James spins together multiple timelines and plot threads to create a story that’s complex and intriguing without ever being confusing. An accomplished debut.” —Kendra Leighton, author of Glimpse

“An explosion of storytelling. It’s everything that I love about books. Read it.” —Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire

“Packed with humor, adventure, conspiracy, and epic romance, The Next Together is a sensational debut that is sure to put you on the edge of your seat and keep you there.” —Catherine Doyle, author of Vendetta

“A funny, gripping, and incredibly imaginative story of true love and reincarnation.” —Louise O’Neill, author of Only Ever Yours
"An ambitious, promising premise . . . James is one to watch." —Kirkus Reviews

"Interspersed with love notes, emails, and blog posts, this work captures not only the love between the couple but the danger surrounding their circumstances. Fans of Alexandra Bracken’s Passenger and Heidi Heilig’s The Girl from Everywhere0 will enjoy this romance through time and history. . . . This science fiction take on European history will excite any historical fiction reader. Although the main characters are teens, this title also has crossover adult appeal." —School Library Journal

"The Next Together is a heartbreaking tale of love, loss, greater good, and sacrifice." —Foreword Reviews

“A heartbreaking and unpredictable love story spanning time and space.” —Melinda Salisbury, author of The Sin Eater’s Daughter

“Such an absorbing book. Lauren James spins together multiple timelines and plot threads to create a story that’s complex and intriguing without ever being confusing. An accomplished debut.” —Kendra Leighton, author of Glimpse

“An explosion of storytelling. It’s everything that I love about books. Read it.” —Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire

“Packed with humor, adventure, conspiracy, and epic romance, The Next Together is a sensational debut that is sure to put you on the edge of your seat and keep you there.” —Catherine Doyle, author of Vendetta

“A funny, gripping, and incredibly imaginative story of true love and reincarnation.” —Louise O’Neill, author of Only Ever Yours
"An ambitious, promising premise . . . James is one to watch." —Kirkus Reviews

"Interspersed with love notes, emails, and blog posts, this work captures not only the love between the couple but the danger surrounding their circumstances. Fans of Alexandra Bracken’s Passenger and Heidi Heilig’s The Girl from Everywhere0 will enjoy this romance through time and history. . . . This science fiction take on European history will excite any historical fiction reader. Although the main characters are teens, this title also has crossover adult appeal." —School Library Journal

"The Next Together is a heartbreaking tale of love, loss, greater good, and sacrifice." —Foreword Reviews

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
Gr 10 Up—It's 2039, and Kate is a college biology student in England when she meets her lab partner Matthew for the first time—or so she thinks. After a Google search, Kate finds pictures of people who look strikingly similar to her and Matthew and discovers that her grandparents had twins; one of the twins married a man who resembles Matthew. Kate and Matthew learn that the couple were also lab partners in 2019 and were accused of terrorism when they were caught with a biological weapon in their possession. As they attempt to clear Kate's aunt and uncle's reputation, the two teens realize that their own bond spans hundreds of years and several wars. This is a reincarnation novel that centers on the love between Kate and Matthew. As we meet them in different time periods, they find each other regardless of class or nationality. Interspersed with love notes, emails, and blog posts, this work captures not only the love between the couple but the danger surrounding their circumstances. Fans of Alexandra Bracken's Passenger and Heidi Heilig's The Girl from Everywhere will enjoy this romance through time and history. VERDICT This science fiction take on European history will excite any historical fiction reader. Although the main characters are teens, this title also has crossover adult appeal.—Dawn Abron, Zion-Benton Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

2017-03-29
James takes a well-worn trope—lovers reincarnated across time—and gives it a spin. Katherine and Matthew, both white, exist in four different times: 1745 Carlisle, 1854 Crimea, 2019 England, and 2039 England, where the latest incarnations stumble on a mystery surrounding their 2019 selves (who are also their respective aunt and uncle). This is a lot for an author to manage; despite clear planning, the execution is often weak. Both the 1745 and 1854 storylines combine anachronistic dialogue with weak characterization, while the 2039 future tantalizes but never comes across clearly. Meanwhile, insta-love flattens what should be swoony emotional beats throughout. In the 2019 section, Katherine and Matthew (seen only through their correspondence) have an engaging dimensionality (even if they also seem like lovesick teens rather than the professional researchers they are supposed to be). The other timelines, with two similar typefaces for the past and a quite different one for the future, combine "primary source" documents and third-person narration but lack the presence of the 2019 versions. The conspiracy surrounding the 2019 deaths creates a much-needed sense of tension, considerably enlivening the 2019 and 2039 sections. Unexplained brief inserts commenting on the various timelines similarly evoke a larger plot; the authorial decision to leave this feature unexplained leads to a needlessly confusing and unresolved ending. An ambitious, promising premise ultimately disappoints but still marks James one to watch. (Science fiction/romance. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews