One of my 2020 readings goals that I didn’t meet was to read a book published in the decade that I was born in. It’s not that I didn’t do research on books that came out in the 70s, nor that I hadn’t read any of the books on that list, I just wasn’t drawn to any of them.

So since it was my list, I decided to bend the rules a bit. I choose Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore which was published in 2020 but had a storyline that traveled through all the decades I’d been alive. 

Oona Lockhart leaps from year to year at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve beginning in 1982. Each leap lasts a year, either forward or backward through the decads of Oona’s life. She tries to prevent her future selves from mistakes and heartache, but in the end, finds that “everything has its time” even if lived out of order.

Although this story seems like a mash-up of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald with a bit of modern-day The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, it was surprisingly thought-provoking and refreshing.

If you are looking for a fun read this holiday season that entertains but reminds you to cherish the moment, then Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore is perfect for you!