ALA Booklist (Wed Dec 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Aimee disappeared at lunch yesterday iterally, for two minutes relive a memory of her estranged mother. And again, after school. She has a time-travel syndrome linked to her sense of smell, which means she can disappear at any time, from any place, with little or no warning. When the smell of sawdust takes her back to a memory that doesn't agree with the family history her father has told her, she starts to wonder about her mother's exit from her life and travels to Korea to find answers. What she finds are new friends, a family that offers small clues, and maybe the truth about her mom and her syndrome. Sensory Time Warp Syndrome (STWS) is a bit of a leap, but Suk's compelling and realistic writing makes it worthwhile, and inclusions like notes from Aimee's counselor and a pamphlet on STWS add to the story, drawing parallels to depression or anxiety. Recommend this to your teens who loved XO, Kitty and those who are a little adventurous.

Kirkus Reviews

A Korean Canadian teen with Sensory Time Warp Syndrome looks for answers.Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has a rare condition that causes her to spontaneously travel back in time to specific memories when she's exposed to relevant sensory triggers. Since her mother left when Aimee was a child, it's just her and Appa now, and he refuses to acknowledge that Aimee, whose uncontrollable disappearances are becoming more frequent, might need help. After an especially long disappearance into a revealing memory about her mother, Aimee starts to wonder if there was more to her mother's departure than Appa let on. With the encouragement of her best friend, Nikita Lai-Sanders, she seizes the opportunity to go to Korea to search for her mother and find a way forward with her STWS. This is a quietly moving story that explores family secrets, shifting memories, and finding one's home, with a​ gentle romance and a time-traveling mystery to further propel readers. The narrative is interspersed with supporting artifacts-notes from the school counselor's file on Aimee, snippets of conversations from online STWS forums, entries from Aimee's journal-that extend the worldbuilding. First-person narrator Aimee is a well-developed lead. While a few of the secondary characters are somewhat lacking in depth, Suk deftly handles the time-travel premise, and the story's emotional core resonates. Most primary characters are Korean Canadian or Korean.Evocative and original. (Fiction. 12-18)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this speculative novel by Suk (Made in Korea), Korean Canadian 17-year-old Aimee Roh navigates sensory time warp syndrome (STWS), a condition that causes her to physically travel back in time to certain memories when exposed to specific triggers. Her occasional disappearances are prompted by scent memory, and when they start increasing in frequency—and lasting for longer durations—she’s desperate to see a specialist. But her father, who has been distant ever since her mother left for Korea, forbids it. After experiencing a memory that doesn’t line up with what she’s been told of her mother, Aimee travels from Vancouver to Seoul during her spring break seeking answers. There, she reconnects with long-lost childhood friend Junho Kim. A leisurely buildup hits its stride once Aimee leaves Canada; her search for her mother, rekindling her relationship with Junho, and meeting other Koreans with STWS combine into an uplifting and pensive adventure. Aimee and Junho’s quippy banter, interspersed with heavier conversations about their families, culminates in a natural romance that’s easy to root for, though Aimee’s richly wrought character arc remains the focus of this unique take on travel, grief, and connection. Ages 13–up. Agent: Linda Epstein, Emerald City Literary. (Oct.)