A huge thank you to Andy Frye and Atmosphere Press for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I am unable to provide a full list of content warnings due to my inability to finish reading the novel. Please educate yourself on the content warnings for this novel before reading.
// Quick Statistics //
Overall: 3/5 Stars
Characters: 3/5 Stars
Writing: 4/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 2/5 Stars
Memorability: 4/5 Stars
// Quick Review //
I enjoyed many aspects of this novel but also was slightly disappointed with the execution of this 90s-filled time travel story.
// Other Information //
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Page Count: 356 pages
Release Date: June 1, 2022
Series: None
Tag: Fiction, Adult, Science fiction, LGBTQ+, Music, Time travel, 90s
// Book Description (from Goodreads) //
What would you do if you could time travel—back to the 1990s?
Go see Nirvana’s first gig? Form your own punk band? Play a winning lottery ticket? Buy a bunch of Amazon stock?
That all sounds great, but Derby Derrex has other things on her mind.
Darby is not—repeat not—experiencing an early midlife crisis. (Or is she?) She’s failed on Wall Street and failed in her relationships. And once she returns to Chicago to take over her uncle’s record store, she decides she really needs a “do-over.” Little does Darby know a time machine rumbles under her feet.
Chicago, 1996: Grunge and punk are preeminent. Indie rock tops the charts. Concertgoers are crowd surfing at Lollapalooza. Bands like Smashing Pumpkins rescue our ears from Celine Dion and hair metal. And it’s the year Darby left behind her music critic job—along with her true love, Lina. Once she gets back to the 1990s Darby starts trying to fix simple things.
But soon enough she’s having a blast, and that’s part of the problem. And she has only 90 days to return to the present or stay back in time forever. Both options are tempting, but Darby has to face the music.
For fans of Portlandia and High Fidelity—and anyone who loves American pop culture, Ninety Days in the 90s is a witty, tender love letter to rock ’n’ roll nostalgia and the power of second chances.
// Review //
Promising a nostalgia-filled story for those fortunate enough to experience the 90s, Ninety Days in the 90s follows the time-traveling excursions of Darby, a music store owner who just wants to relive the past.
I was fairly excited about this novel because although I was born after the 90s, I still love music and movies from the decade. A lot of the novel focuses on the pop culture of the time, even from the very start. This has its pluses and minuses, as the references to 90s culture at the start of the novel seem to take away from the actual 90s setting during the rest of the book.
The setting was by far the best part of Ninety Days in the 90s. Darby wishes to redo her past in order to change her future and is able to do so by traveling to Chicago in 1996 through the Grey Train. The Grey Train was explained fairly well and was an interesting part of the book. It was nice to know how the time travel aspect worked. Darby is thrust back into the 90s to reunite with old lovers, friends, jobs, and music.
Unfortunately, I found that the plot felt repetitive and slow-moving. Darby traveling back in time is perhaps the most exciting part of the book to me. I will say that I cannot judge the second half of the novel, but the first half was definitely not for me. Though I enjoyed the 90s vibe and culture, I didn’t feel like anything important to the book occurred within the first half of the book. Though the idea that Darby traveled back in time itself is spectacular, the events of the novel seemed to had little to no effect on Darby’s character.
I wish that the leap back in time would have contributed to Darby’s journey of self-discovery and reconciling herself with the past. It would have made her character more enjoyable and realistic while also adding meaning to the plot.
I called this book quits past the halfway point because it felt like nothing was going anywhere, and I accepted that the book just wasn’t for me. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t the target audience, but I had a hard time reading this book. Like I said though, there were definitely things that I really enjoyed and loved reading about.
Purchase Ninety Days in the 90s.
Add Ninety Days in the 90s to your Goodreads shelf.
Maya's Reviews 
Maya, you mentioned that time travel ‘half little to no effect on Darby’s character.’ … Had you not given up, you would have seen how. Too bad you gave up. Independently published literature isn’t for everyone. Good luck reading the next Dean Koontz “masterpiece.”
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