Audiobook Review: Time Will Tell by Barry Lyga

Author: Barry Lyga
Edition: ALC
Publisher: Hachette Audio (September 28, 2021)
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Mystery, LGBTQ+

Synopsis

My review of Time Will Tell

Time Will Tell is an ambitious YA thriller about family secrets and friendship that also explores racism and homophobia.

I received a free ALC from Hachette Audio in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Trigger warnings: mentions and descriptions of violence, mention of suicide, murder, racism, homophobia

An Expansive Story Full Of Layers

Time Will Tell follows four teenagers who dig up a time capsule their parents buried 30 years ago…and find evidence of a murder inside. The story switches between past and present, following our teenage heroes and their parents as events surrounding the time capsule unfold.

I love stories that use multiple POVs and multimedia aspects and on that front Time Will Tell definitely delivers. The switches in both POV and time kept the pace up and were easier to follow than I initially anticipated. A fictional NPR podcast that pops up occasionally was one of my favourite aspects, but it didn’t deliver on the level I had hoped. It’s a nice addition but not as plot-relevant as I had hoped.

Barry Lyga constantly plays with our perception of events and characters, providing the reader with more information than the characters in the book. Overall, I loved the way the story builds tension, every chapter felt purposeful. There are multiple subplots happening at all times. While not all of them worked for me, how Lyga manages them was impressive.

A Big Cast of Characters

Speaking of characters, there are a lot of them to keep track of. It took me half of the book to connect which teenagers in the past grew up to be which parents. If you’re easily confused by names and many characters, this book might not be for you!

However, I did appreciate the wide range of characters. They are diverse in both sexuality and race, both aspects intricately intertwined with the mystery that unfolds in the past and present. Elayah, one of the main POV characters is a smart Black teen with a knack for patterns and anything involving problem-solving. She was possibly my favourite character and with everything she goes through, I just wanted to give her a hug! Liam, on the other hand, managed to surprise me. Behind his constantly joking facade lies a sensitive and soft teenage boy. He really grew on me! Elayah and Liam get a fluffy friends-to-lovers romance that was very cute and fit into the overarching story very well.

Audiobook

I love big casts of narrators, especially in a book with multiple perspectives! The varying POVs, switches between past and present, and episodes from the podcast made for an exciting listening experience that kept me on the edge of my seat. Narrators Brittany Pressley, Josh Hurley, Jeanette Illidge and Kevin R. Free made the characters believable and helped ground me in both timelines. Their thrilling performances elevated the story and made it a fun read despite some of the plot shortcomings!

Overall…

Ultimately, the ending was disappointing. Right until the end I wasn’t sure what actually happened and I loved that tension! But then we’re presented with a false ending that seems incredibly boring. Unfortunately, the final reveal also didn’t manage to catch me in the way I had hoped it would and I was left hoping for more.

Overall, Time Will Tell is a Ya thriller with a premise that I loved that fell short in its execution. If you’re intrigued by the premise, I recommend you give it a go! Maybe it’s the perfect book for you.

This book is for you if…

…you like YA mysteries with multiple POVs and timelines
…you are looking for a book with a unique premise and a great audiobook performance

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