My book review of 'You & Me, and You & Me and You & Me' by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees

by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees
You & Me, and You & Me and You & Me
by Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees

I think this is a terrible title but this book was getting a lot of attention and, having recently been lured back into time travel tales through the crime novels of Elly Griffiths, I thought I'd give this a go. And I was hooked. It's the story of a couple approaching middle age who have the chance to improve their relationship by going back in time!

Adam and Jules’s relationship has become a bit predictable. They're settled in their ways, the children are approaching adulthood, life isn't entirely what they had hoped. 

Then Adam finds some old mixtapes they've kept in the attic and when he presses play, time rewinds.

Adam and Jules can relive moments early on in their relationship, helping them remember how and why they fell in love. But also presenting the opportunity to make things better, to make different choices, to fix mistakes. 

They know they shouldn't be trying to change the past, but it's just too tempting. They come to discover, though, that one tiny tweak can have huge implications. 

This is a great read. The characters are engaging and their life's challenges are relatable! I did find that I enjoyed reading Jules's chapters more than Adam's and, though I'm not held in thrall by mixtapes, I thought it was a clever idea for time travel.

Above all I was intrigued by the concept of looking back on the choices and decisions of the past and seeing how they have impacted the future, assuming we could have done better, been happier, more successful. And the message that actually we can be content and accepting of the present and shouldn't hope to meddle with, or regret, what has been. Loved it!

Date of this review: February 2026
Book publication date: 5th February 2026