the rearranged life of oona lockhart by Margarita Montimore

34th book of 2021

Reading period: Apr 15th 2021 – Apr 17th 2021

Summary

Just because life might be out of order, doesn’t mean it’s broken.

It’s new years eve 1982, and Oona Lockhart has her whole life before her. At the stroke of midnight she will turn nineteen, and the year ahead promises to be one of consequence. Should she go to London to study economics, or follow her heart and remain at home in Brooklyn to be with her boyfriend? As the countdown to the new year begins, Oona feels lightheaded, woozy, and it’s not from the champagne. At the stroke of midnight Oona is torn from her life and everyone she loves, finding herself in her 51 year old body thirty-three years into the future. Greeted by a friendly stranger in a beautiful house she’s told is her own, Oona learns that will with each passing year she will leap to another age at random. Still a young woman on the inside, but ever changing on the outside, who will she be next year? Philanthropist? Club kid? World traveler? Wife to a man she’s never met? 

Hopping through decades, and a lifetime Oona Out of Order is a surprising, magical novel that explores the power of love, the bonds of family, and the wonders of life.

Rating

Review

Sadly, I am disappointed by this book. It’s funny as I didn’t have any expectations when I started this book, but I feel like the story did not reach them.

When I read the synopsis, I found the concept interesting, even if it’s more sci-fi than just a contemporary. However, the execution of this wasn’t well-done. The main issue I have is that there are many holes in the story by the lack of explanations. You don’t know why it’s happening to Oona, and you don’t see her search for a reason. The thing is that she totally accepts it from the beginning like it’s a regular thing. Also, you do not have a guideline through this time travels, and no, for me, a tattoo or a person isn’t.
Moreover, this book is divided into parts (each part represent one year); however, those parts are unbalanced. You have the main event or two that are well detailed, but the other things happening throughout the year are nearly like bullet points, not physically but figuratively.

Time to speak about the characters. I don’t like them, especially Oona. I struggle to disassociate them; they were too lookalike. I didn’t feel that any of them evolve one way or another, even if they are side-characters. That’s why I didn’t understand where this book was going, as Oona doesn’t change, and as I learn things about her, I found her despicable.

The only positive thing is that this book is a quick read. I will continue to discover more sci-fi book, but this one was a missed opportunity for me.

Liz.