REALITIVITY is a new kind of read for me. I have read several time travel-like books with hints of alternate realities and parallel dimensions here and there, but I've never read any that were purely alternate realities with no actual "time" travel involved. I love time travel stories, but this look on the different dimensions is unique and more focused without it. For those who get easily confused during time travel books, I don't think REALITIVITY would be so bad.

Even with the tree that can take people to different realities, the core of this story was very realistically grounded. Ruby is dealing with some decently heavy family issues, and because of that, I could relate to her as a character nicely. Though the author, Cristin Bishara, put a little romance in and some mystery, I love that none of that is the main focus. I always admire a book that can have such fictional elements like alternate dimensions, but almost use that to contrast how real the characters could be.

However, I feel that after Ruby gets more caught up in the realities, she becomes a more untrustworthy narrator. While there is nothing wrong with that in general and having a character be untrustworthy as the storytelling can be very beneficial, I have yet to find more than one or two books that I like it in. Even if a narrator isn't always trustworthy, I feel less of a connection to them when they cross the line to more untrustworthy than less. I do understand the purpose of it in this book and how her emotions are spinning at the time, it just isn't something I'm a fan of.

Overall, If you enjoy a little science fiction with heaps of real life philosophical/psychological questions, I would send this book your way. It didn't keep me up at night, but it certainly made me question what I would do if given the chance to live a different, but oh so similar life.

Book Summary