The House of Now and Then: A Novel

All I knew going into this was that it was queer, with a trans main character, and that there was a magical summer cottage... And frankly that's all I needed to know! 🥰 So other than that I went in fairly blind, and I ended up starting and finishing this all in one day. At a little under 300 pages, with writing that really transported me to the coast of Cape Cod, it was a breeze to get through. The magical elements of the house added quite the mystery element and I just couldn't put this down until I reached the end. Never did I think this little book was going to have me balling my little eye balls out, but good on Edward for pulling that out of me 😭 🏖️ Magical Cape Cod Cottage 🩵 Slow-Burn Queer Romance 🏖️ Trans MC 🩵 Unexpected Reunions 🏖️ Time Slip 🩵 A House That Knows What You're Avoiding This story is set on the coast of Cape Cop, in a beach cottage that is filled with ghosts of Harlowe (our MC's) past including his dad, his old professor, and his ex-boyfriend that he just broke up with... talk about awkward 😬. I didn't know how I felt about this one until I got to the last bit and everything started coming together. Frankly, Harlowe's storyline with his dad, boyfriend, and professor did not tug at my heart strings nearly as much as the side characters connection to the house. It was like one little revelation after another at the end that turned me into a weepy little mess and then the book ended and I desperately wanted more time. Which for a story…

I was able to read this book ahead of its release date thanks to Avonbooks & Netgalley. I would recommend this book to someone looking for small beach town summer vibes and lots of emotion. I really enjoyed this story. I really connected with Harlowe’s journey with his past and self reflection. If only we all had the opportunity to stay at a magical beach cottage and really work on being honest with ourselves. Harlowe was given the chance to confront the conversations in his life that impacted his future and have a chance to be honest this time around. I loved that Harlowe and all the other main characters were in their 30s or older. There is a level of maturity and life experience that I enjoy reading. The author was able to write this little beach town in such a way that I could see it and smell it. From the summer vibes in P-Town to the calmer ones seen in the cottage and lake. One of my favorites was probably the drive in. Had me googling nearby drive-ins. I really liked all the side characters and representation. My favorite kind of book is when being queer or trans isn't the plot. The characters just are. There were a couple times during this story that I got teary eyed. Harlowe’s confrontations. Nathan’s family past. Even Dana’s last dance hit me in the feels. There is a romance story line in this book but it is not the main plot. I still very much enjoyed watching Harlowe and Nathan go from new friends to lovers.They aren't perfect people but they are good…

The House of Now and Then is a story about Harlowe, a trans man who just broke up with his boyfriend and is looking for a safe place to land while he regroups and mends his heart. He's struggling with his identity—not as a trans person, but just as a person in general who feels like he's just not enough for those around him, and is constantly feeling overlooked as a result. Because Harlowe is battling these thoughts throughout the entire story, it was a lot more sad that I had originally be expecting: full of struggles and grief—not just his but from other characters as well—and facing the tough moments in life in order to move past them. Overall it's a very queer-centric story (and I don't say this as a bad thing). Most of the main characters are queer, living near a queer-friendly city with many queer-based events, and it was so nice to have so many LGBTQIA+ characters in such a welcoming environment, as that is not always the case with books like this - I don't recall offhand reading any bigotry towards any of these characters, which was a nice change and allowed you to focus on other aspects of the characters without any shadows being cast over any of the scenes from that. This book starts off a bit slow, taking a while to set the scene and really get into the meat of the storyline. In my opinion, it almost felt too slow, and I wish there was a little bit more progress on resolving the Uninvited Roommates issue a bit sooner. I also felt like there could have been a bit…

UPDATED for audiobook review. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Logan Rozos. The production quality was excellent, and the narrator’s ability to bring the characters off the page and into real life added to my enjoyment of the story written by Underhill. The narrator’s pacing and tone were befitting of the story, and Rozos’s ability to express emotion with their voice was amazing. The ability to provide differing voices to the many characters portrayed in this book was impressive as well. I would highly recommend this audiobook. This book was one of my most anticipated books of 2026. Underhill’s book, The In-Between Bookstore, was a 5-star read and meant a lot to me. It was so well written and thoughtful. The House of Now and Then did not disappoint. Just like Underhill’s previous works, this book was incredibly well written, with an intriguing plot, well-developed characters, and so much more. He can go into the deepest corners of people’s thoughts and write a book to scratch the itch that those thoughts have caused. I love how he can grab a reader and not let them go until the final word is read. This book features magical realism, which is something that is extremely difficult to do well. Underhill was able to turn a Cape Cod cottage into a magical, romantic time capsule that provided Harlowe with a summer he will never forget. This sweet, unforgettable story of a trans man in his thirties who books a Cape Cod cottage for one lonely summer—only to have its…

The House of Now and Then is a story about Harlowe, a trans man who just broke up with his boyfriend and is looking for a safe place to land while he regroups and mends his heart. He's struggling with his identity—not as a trans person, but just as a person in general who feels like he's just not enough for those around him, and is constantly feeling overlooked as a result. Because Harlowe is battling these thoughts throughout the entire story, it was a lot more sad that I had originally be expecting: full of struggles and grief—not just his but from other characters as well—and facing the tough moments in life in order to move past them. Overall it's a very queer-centric story (and I don't say this as a bad thing). Most of the main characters are queer, living near a queer-friendly city with many queer-based events, and it was so nice to have so many LGBTQIA+ characters in such a welcoming environment, as that is not always the case with books like this - I don't recall offhand reading any bigotry towards any of these characters, which was a nice change and allowed you to focus on other aspects of the characters without any shadows being cast over any of the scenes from that. This book starts off a bit slow, taking a while to set the scene and really get into the meat of the storyline. In my opinion, it almost felt too slow, and I wish there was a little bit more progress on resolving the Uninvited Roommates issue a bit sooner. I also felt like there could have been a bit…