Casey Donovan time travels. The why is never completely explained but I'm hoping it will be in a later book. The traveling doesn't mess up her present day life because she always returns at the exact moment she left. When she's gone, she may stay for days or weeks, she never knows. When she returns, she has to deal with all the high school drama and never knows when she may trip again, as she calls it. She has the usual problems--body image, hair and not part of the popular crowd. That doesn't stop her from liking Nate MacKenzie, the typical high school athlete. They bond in a unusual way, they time travel together. Casey takes him back to 1860 when he asks her to dance. When she has skin to skin contact, that person may end up going with her if she begins to trip. She always goes to the same time period--another piece of the puzzle I hope is explained. The characters in the past are well written. The history of 1860 is also part of that world, the beginning of the Civil War, and affects Casey and Nate's travels.I enjoyed many things about this book.I loved how Sara accepted Casey as she was and even though Casey disappeared at a moment's notice, Sara was unfazed. The villain in the past was well done, too. I didn't expect what happened at the end of the book with Samuel and loved the twist. Never saw it coming. I thought that Casey's time travel started at quite a young age (nine) and maybe the author could have had her be a little older. Twelve, maybe? I also thought Casey obsessed over her looks a little too much. I got that her hair was uncontrollable but in this day and age there are so many things to fix that. Ah yes, the good ‘ole days of high school. The adrenaline rush between football games, the energy radiating from the cheerleaders, the never-ending rush from hallway to hallway between class transitions, the mediocrity of school cafeteria lunch, and time travel. Wait, scratch that last part.Clockwise is the story of Casey Donovan, a high schooler who has the ability to time travel. The downside is that she can’t control it, so it happens whenever it wants to. This little disclaimer is the whole premise for the novel, setting our events in motion.Narrated in first person, Clockwise is very easy to follow with an age-appropriate narration from Casey. Her trips to the past all involve interesting insights as to how it might have been back in the day, showing the difference in societal behavior between then and now. Strauss’ concept for Casey’s time-traveling is actually quite interesting on the surface, as long as you don’t try to dissect and question the principle. The whole story flows well, weaving back and forth between her trips and present-day struggles, and they all get wrapped up nicely at the end with a bit of a surprise touch. A straightforward storyline with moderate pacing that flows by quickly, Clockwise is definitely a book that beckons to teenagers and to those who would like to revisit their teenage years.
What do You think about Clockwise (2011)?
I absolutely loved this book, I stayed up all night reading it on wattpad for the first time.
—trollingmoosh
This is like, one of the first books I've read on Wattpad in 2011!! Ahh, the memories :)
—samj07
Beautiful! I ❤️ Nate and Casey!! They're beautiful!!! So is the book but yknow...
—charles
