This Review Isn't Out of Order, I Promise: A Re-review of Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

Hello, Book Nerds! Welcome back to Reading Has Ruined My Life or welcome if you are new. As always, my name is Hannah and I am your captain on this journey into my bookcases.

It’s time for me to write another re-review. Normally I only re-review books in which I believe my subsequent review sucks, but today I want to change that. Today, I want to re-review a book because I think it deserves to be talked about more, and mainly because I wanted to reread said book. My original review is actually quite good, I do suggest giving that a read if you haven’t already, I'll have it linked below. I’ve probably repeated myself just a tad, but let’s see if I can write something better.

So what book is being re-reviewed? What book is in the hot seat today? Please give a warm welcome back to Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore!

As always, a spoiler alert is in order. If you’ve read any other review on this site then you will know I love to spoil the entirety of the books I read. This is your one and only warning. I also have a quick content and trigger warning. Oona Out of Order has mentions of drug use, and there is a scene involving transphobia. Please note these topics are in the book, and with that, let’s get to the synopsis.

The year is 1982, it is December 31 to be exact, and Oona Lockhart is turning 19. She’s a New Year’s Eve baby! And what better way to celebrate than by hosting an awesome party with your hot, amazing boyfriend and all your friends! But at the stroke of midnight, something happens. Something abnormal. Something strange. Something life changing. Oona time travels to 2015, and while she just turned 19, and feels that way on the inside, she ends up in her 51-year-old body.

Every year at the stroke of midnight, Oona finds herself in a new year, but if she’s young or old remains a mystery. The only constant in her life is her mother Madeleine, and in later years, her personal assistant Kenzie. These are the only two who know the truth of what happens to Oona every year. Things are still incredibly strange though. Oona never knows what year she’s going to find herself in, and she has no clue how or why she’s time traveling. What transpires is a coming of age story, the ups and downs of aging, family, and the power of unconditional love.

This book is really all about love when you think about it.

Oona Out of Order is a wonderful book, it truly is, but a reread will not hit the same way the initial read does. The charm of this book is not knowing where or when Oona will end up at the start of each year. Sometimes she’s decades into the future, other times she’s enjoying her youth. Knowing where and when she ends up, even though I didn’t remember the order in which the years happen, takes the charm away from the book.

Oona’s character growth is still exceptional. As I said in my original review, she goes through so many big life events that typically don’t happen to people in their youth. She begins the story at 19-years-old, she’s in the prime of her life and is experiencing her first real love while figuring out what she wants to do with her life. But in the blink of an eye, that all changes. She goes from 19 to 51. Oona is forced to deal with growing old without having gone through the acceptance of aging, she’s forced to deal with the loss of friends and loved ones she should have had more time with, and learns every life lesson you could think of; thus causing her to grow up at a much faster rate than others her age.

And Oona takes it all in stride! It would be so easy for her to lock herself away and avoid the world. Every year she’s thrust into a world she hardly knows and/or understands, she meets amazing, awesome people only for them to be taken from her the next year. Despite this, Oona continues to live her life to the fullest. She travels the globe, she forges friendships, she helps to better the world. Oona is a strong person. Yes, her first time traveling experience takes a toll on her, she becomes depressed and struggles with the experience and twist of fate, but she overcomes. How she handles the situation is a testament to her strength.

Applause for Oona's character growth and arc!

I cannot recommend Oona Out of Order enough. The novel makes readers laugh and cry. It makes readers contemplate life while taking them on a fun ride. It’s truly a great book that I recommend everyone debating reading it to do so.

With that, I shall bid you all adieu. Thank you very much for joining me today, Book Nerds, I hope you had a lovely time here. I will see you all again next week with another new review. If you can’t wait till then, may I suggest giving RHRML a follow over on Instagram (@ReadingHasRuinedMyLife). I post there almost daily so come back often to revel in literary goodness. You can also give the blog a follow over on Twitter and BlueSky (@RHRMLBlog). If you want something not related to books, then I highly suggest checking out my podcast Nothing to See Hear. It stars me and two of my dearest friends as we talk everything and anything. You can follow and listen to the show on Spotify and YouTube. New episodes of the show go live every Wednesday.

Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and read some good books for me.

See y'all then, bye!