ARC Review: Your Life Has Been Delayed by Michelle I. Mason

Title: Your Life Has Been Delayed

Author: Michelle I. Mason

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Hardcover, 308 Pages
Publication Date: September 7th, 2021

Summary: Jenny Waters boards her flight in 1995, but when she lands, she and the other passengers are told they disappeared . . . 25 years ago. Everyone thought they were dead. Now contending with her family and friends fast-forwarding decades, Jenny must quickly adjust to smartphones and social media while being the biggest story to hit the internet. She feels betrayed by her once-best friend and fights her attraction to a cute boy with an uncomfortable connection to her past. Meanwhile, there’s a growing group of conspiracy theorists determined to prove the whole situation is a hoax. Will Jenny figure out how to move forward, or will she always be stuck in the past?

I received a copy of YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED in exchange for an honest review, and I'm really glad that I did, because this book ended up being spectacular. I tore through this book in giant chunks because I would just sit down and become so sucked into it that I didn't want to let it go! I have so many great things to say about this book, so without further ado, let's get into my review! 

As the summary explains, the story follows Jenny Waters, a 17 year old girl who gets on a plane in 1995 and when she lands, it's 25 entire years later. She hasn't aged at all, but everyone around her has -- her parents are retired, her baby brother is married with kids, her grandparents are gone, and her best friend has moved on and has a family of her own, with someone that Jenny would rather not think about. Everything else about the story is completely set in contemporary times, so Jenny has to adjust to things like social media, cell phones, and digital journalism, all while navigating her new life and trying to keep the conspiracy theorists from burning her at the stake for being some sort of alien or hoax. Basically, the way I've been describing this book to people is a fictional account of what would happen if the Malaysia Flight 370 suddenly reappeared and landed like nothing was wrong, even after it's been missing all of these years. And when the passengers get off the plane, they have no idea what's going on, thinking it's been just a few hours since they got into the air. I couldn't imagine what something like that would do to me mentally.

Like I said, I absolutely loved reading this book! It was both hilarious and shocking to see Jenny adapting to the 21st century and all of its changes. Some of them were expected, such as the new technology, but there were others -- such as finding out what happens to Angie, her best friend -- that took me by surprise. I couldn't put this book down, and I kept wanting to stay up to just read one more chapter, to see what was going to happen to Jenny as she began to adjust to all of the different aspects of her life that have changed so dramatically. And in addition to that, she's also going through all of this while she's basically a celebrity for returning from the plane, and there's a conspiracy group out there, PATROL, that is destined to prove that her flight was a hoax and that she is some sort of alien or cyborg. So it's a lot for one teen girl to handle! And following along with her antics was equal parts entertaining and emotional. I loved every second of it! 

My favorite character in this story was definitely Dylan. He was so hilarious, kind, and witty, and even as Jenny was fighting off her feelings for him, I was rooting for him on every page. I mean, come on -- any teen boy who loves The Hunger Games and plans super-cute dates is the type of guy that I'd root for. I'm a hopeless romantic at heart! But for real, when I found out about the connection he had to Jenny's past (which I won't mention here, but I *will* discuss in the next paragraph!), I was pleasantly shocked. That was an absolutely awesome plot twist that I really didn't see coming, and it was incredibly well-written! 

[Spoilers ahead, so skip to the next paragraph if you want to avoid them!] I actually liked the fact that you don't find out what made the plane jump in time. I don't think having that answer would've changed anything at all -- Jenny is still here, in the 21st century, regardless of whatever phenomenon got her there. So not actually explaining how it happened was a really interesting choice, but I actually really liked it. It made sure that the focus was on Jenny adjusting to her new life and all of its challenges, instead of just harping on what happened to her. Also, having Angie and Steve end up together (and then having Jenny fall in love with their son) is a plot twist that I wasn't expecting, and I really loved it! And like I said, he was definitely my favorite character in the whole book.

Overall, I absolutely loved YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED. If you're looking for a refreshing new debut that will have you flipping through the pages until the very end, then look no further! I hadn't ever read a story like this one before, and I loved it so much and am already talking it up to everyone that I know. I'm already a solid fan of Michelle I. Mason, and I'm looking forward to reading more work from her in the future!