Latest news with #Colson
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why the Fever see Caitlin Clark's injury as an 'opportunity for growth' for the star guard and the team
The Indiana Fever's upcoming stretch is far from the worst time to be without Caitlin Clark. The franchise is banking on the early-season setback — at minimum two weeks without the MVP contender while she rests a left quad strain — ultimately benefiting its championship intentions. 'When you're playing in the end of the year and you're playing in the postseason, your rotation can be a little bit deeper,' head coach Stephanie White told reporters on Tuesday. 'And you want players to have confidence in those moments to be able to step up and make the play or take the shot. So I think it gives us opportunity for growth.' Advertisement Clark got up shots in an open portion of Fever practice on Tuesday, an indication her injury isn't severe. White approached guard Sophie Cunningham's ankle injury cautiously in the season's first week and the Fever, fully invested in their championship window, appear to be doing the same with their franchise cornerstone. The league's assists leader traveled with the team to Baltimore, where the Washington Mystics (2-3) will host the Fever at CFG Bank Arena on Wednesday in their first game without Clark. She never missed a game in four years at Iowa, a durability she was proud of for the fans who filled arenas to see her. The Mystics moved both Fever games this season to the larger arena with triple the capacity of their regular home. Here's how the Fever are moving forward without Clark in the lineup. Fever to start Colson in place of Clark Sydney Colson will start at point guard for the Fever on Wednesday against the Mystics, White told reporters on Tuesday. Colson carved out a 10-year career coming off the bench, winning two WNBA championships in three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces. The 5-foot-8 guard played pivotal minutes in the clinching Game 4 of the 2022 WNBA Finals after point guard Chelsea Gray injured her foot. That type of big-moment experience is why the Fever wanted her on their roster. Advertisement 'I work hard and everybody that I play with, they know I want the best for each individual person and what's best for the team,' Colson told Yahoo Sports ahead of the season opener. 'If that means that I'm not playing at all and my role is to cheer for everybody, be a good scout player and get people ready for the games, I take that very seriously. If I need to go on the court and contribute, I also take that very seriously.' Colson won't replace Clark's scoring (19 points per game ranks eighth in WNBA), but is a standout communicator, can facilitate in the half-court and will immediately improve their starting defense. It will give the team a chance to stack minutes with other main ball handlers for when Clark is taking breathers on the bench in postseason play. 'It's going to look different without the ball in Caitlin's hands,' White said. 'So what are our looks? Who can we get our looks for? And then the ability to communicate that to everybody on the floor in live action. And that's the piece that we're still growing with. We can't call a timeout every time to get a matchup or recognize a switch, and so she can help us with that on the floor and she can set the tone on the defensive end.' Colson played a season-high 13 minutes in the season-opening win over Chicago with a 17-plus/minus off the bench. She played 11 combined minutes in the home-and-away split to the Dream. White did not play Colson in the loss to New York over the weekend. The Fever believe Caitlin Clark will benefit from watching her team from the sidelines while she nurses her quad injury. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) (Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images) Who else can step up? Cunningham will also play heavy minutes at point guard, White said. Expect Colson to set the tone, while Cunningham continues to play off the bench in the sixth-player role for which she's known. Her contributions, particularly from the perimeter, will need to help make up the scoring deficit without Clark. Advertisement 'The other thing we love is what Sophie or Lexie [Hull], whichever one, brings us from the bench and having that spark, having that punch,' White said. Cunningham debuted in Atlanta after missing the first two games with an ankle sprain. She's played about 20 minutes in each game, scoring a combined 14 points, shooting 5-of-10 (3-of-6 from 3). White was cautious about the shooter's return from that injury, keeping it on the safe side while Cunningham appeared healthy and ready to play in the home opener. 'Sometimes you have to save players from themselves, right? Help them understand the big picture,' White said the day before the opener. 'It's not an advantage for us if she plays, but then she blows up and has swelling or tweaks and then is out for another two to three weeks.' One of Clark's unparalleled strengths is her range and ability to draw out defenses that create space and open shooters. The Fever will need to find other looks without Clark's vision, pinpoint passes and individual shot creation to bail out the offense. Advertisement 'Clearly we want [Clark] out there,' Cunningham said. 'I think she draws so much attention and she's a phenomenal, phenomenal player. But at the same time, I think it's a great time for her to learn from the sidelines. It's a great opportunity for us to learn offense, right? Move the ball, pass, cut; we just can't stand and watch anymore. So I think it's going to be good for us to actually get into our action. And then defensively, for us to take another jump up a little bit and be more aggressive on the defensive end.' It could also be a good time for DeWanna Bonner to settle into the offense after a subpar start to the season. She has 10 points, shooting 2-of-16 and missing all four of her 3-point attempts. Bonner came off the bench against the Liberty, a situation she hasn't experienced since 2016. Clark's opportunity from the sideline Clark said on the eve of the season that she doesn't believe she's 'at the peak of my game yet.' The injury is an opportunity to continue improving her own game and that of this particular roster. Advertisement 'Now she's going to see it on the sideline, she's going to be hearing us talk about it on the sideline from a coach's perspective,' White said. 'There's varying levels to how you see the game as a player in year 1 [and] 2, and a player in year 9 [and] 10, and as a coach and assistant coach and all those things. So it gives her an opportunity to see it from a different lens. Clark leads the Fever in average minutes (34.9), scoring (19.0), 3-pointers (2.8) and steals (1.3) per game. She's top-10 in league usage rate (27.1%). Her two-player game with center Aliyah Boston has blossomed even further in year 2, resulting in about five points of Boston's 18.5 ppg average. Nineteen of Clark's league-high 37 assists (51%) are to Boston, per Her Hoop Stats. Nearly half of Boston's assists are to Clark. The point guard's time away is an opportunity for Boston, who is more poised in her third year, to build chemistry playing off another guard. Fever's favorable schedule without Clark The WNBA features a quick and condensed season. A mini losing streak can quickly drop a team out of the standings' top four and the opportunity for home-court advantage in the playoffs. It's common for the No. 1 team's losses to stay in the single digits. Advertisement The four games the Fever play in the next two weeks are forgiving. After the Mystics, they host the winless Connecticut Sun (0-4) on Friday. It will be the first time White faces her former team. The Fever's Commissioner's Cup schedule tips off on Tuesday with the Mystics in town, and continues next Saturday at the Sky (0-4) in a rematch of the season opener at Chicago's United Center. The first real concern will be on June 10 in Atlanta if Clark is not cleared. Atlanta's size caused matchup problems for the Fever, and they split their first two games in a season series that could break ties for seeding come September. A loss to the Dream could sink any chance the Fever have at winning the Eastern Conference Commissioner's Cup title game berth. The Liberty (4-0), who play at Indiana again on June 14, are the favorites.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why the Fever see Caitlin Clark's injury as an 'opportunity for growth' for the star guard and the team
The Indiana Fever's upcoming stretch is far from the worst time to be without Caitlin Clark. The franchise is banking on the early-season setback — at minimum two weeks without the MVP contender while she rests a left quad strain — ultimately benefiting its championship intentions . 'When you're playing in the end of the year and you're playing in the postseason, your rotation can be a little bit deeper,' head coach Stephanie White told reporters on Tuesday. 'And you want players to have confidence in those moments to be able to step up and make the play or take the shot. So I think it gives us opportunity for growth.' Advertisement Clark got up shots in an open portion of Fever practice on Tuesday, an indication her injury isn't severe. White approached guard Sophie Cunningham's ankle injury cautiously in the season's first week and the Fever, fully invested in their championship window, appear to be doing the same with their franchise cornerstone. The league's assists leader traveled with the team to Baltimore, where the Washington Mystics (2-3) will host the Fever at CFG Bank Arena on Wednesday in their first game without Clark. She never missed a game in four years at Iowa, a durability she was proud of for the fans who filled arenas to see her. The Mystics moved both Fever games this season to the larger arena with triple the capacity of their regular home. Here's how the Fever are moving forward without Clark in the lineup. Fever to start Colson in place of Clark Sydney Colson will start at point guard for the Fever on Wednesday against the Mystics, White told reporters on Tuesday. Colson carved out a 10-year career coming off the bench, winning two WNBA championships in three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces. The 5-foot-8 guard played pivotal minutes in the clinching Game 4 of the 2022 WNBA Finals after point guard Chelsea Gray injured her foot. That type of big-moment experience is why the Fever wanted her on their roster. Advertisement 'I work hard and everybody that I play with, they know I want the best for each individual person and what's best for the team,' Colson told Yahoo Sports ahead of the season opener. 'If that means that I'm not playing at all and my role is to cheer for everybody, be a good scout player and get people ready for the games, I take that very seriously. If I need to go on the court and contribute, I also take that very seriously.' Colson won't replace Clark's scoring (19 points per game ranks eighth in WNBA), but is a standout communicator, can facilitate in the half-court and will immediately improve their starting defense. It will give the team a chance to stack minutes with other main ball handlers for when Clark is taking breathers on the bench in postseason play. 'It's going to look different without the ball in Caitlin's hands,' White said. 'So what are our looks? Who can we get our looks for? And then the ability to communicate that to everybody on the floor in live action. And that's the piece that we're still growing with. We can't call a timeout every time to get a matchup or recognize a switch, and so she can help us with that on the floor and she can set the tone on the defensive end.' Colson played a season-high 13 minutes in the season-opening win over Chicago with a 17-plus/minus off the bench. She played 11 combined minutes in the home-and-away split to the Dream. White did not play Colson in the loss to New York over the weekend. The Fever believe Caitlin Clark will benefit from watching her team from the sidelines while she nurses her quad injury. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) (Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images) Who else can step up? Cunningham will also play heavy minutes at point guard, White said. Expect Colson to set the tone, while Cunningham continues to play off the bench in the sixth-player role for which she's known. Her contributions, particularly from the perimeter, will need to help make up the scoring deficit without Clark. Advertisement 'The other thing we love is what Sophie or Lexie [Hull], whichever one, brings us from the bench and having that spark, having that punch,' White said. Cunningham debuted in Atlanta after missing the first two games with an ankle sprain. She's played about 20 minutes in each game, scoring a combined 14 points, shooting 5-of-10 (3-of-6 from 3). White was cautious about the shooter's return from that injury, keeping it on the safe side while Cunningham appeared healthy and ready to play in the home opener. 'Sometimes you have to save players from themselves, right? Help them understand the big picture,' White said the day before the opener. 'It's not an advantage for us if she plays, but then she blows up and has swelling or tweaks and then is out for another two to three weeks.' One of Clark's unparalleled strengths is her range and ability to draw out defenses that create space and open shooters. The Fever will need to find other looks without Clark's vision, pinpoint passes and individual shot creation to bail out the offense. Advertisement 'Clearly we want [Clark] out there,' Cunningham said. 'I think she draws so much attention and she's a phenomenal, phenomenal player. But at the same time, I think it's a great time for her to learn from the sidelines. It's a great opportunity for us to learn offense, right? Move the ball, pass, cut; we just can't stand and watch anymore. So I think it's going to be good for us to actually get into our action. And then defensively, for us to take another jump up a little bit and be more aggressive on the defensive end.' It could also be a good time for DeWanna Bonner to settle into the offense after a subpar start to the season. She has 10 points, shooting 2-of-16 and missing all four of her 3-point attempts. Bonner came off the bench against the Liberty, a situation she hasn't experienced since 2016 . Clark's opportunity from the sideline Clark said on the eve of the season that she doesn't believe she's ' at the peak of my game yet. ' The injury is an opportunity to continue improving her own game and that of this particular roster. Advertisement 'Now she's going to see it on the sideline, she's going to be hearing us talk about it on the sideline from a coach's perspective,' White said. 'There's varying levels to how you see the game as a player in year 1 [and] 2, and a player in year 9 [and] 10, and as a coach and assistant coach and all those things. So it gives her an opportunity to see it from a different lens. Clark leads the Fever in average minutes (34.9), scoring (19.0), 3-pointers (2.8) and steals (1.3) per game. She's top-10 in league usage rate (27.1%). Her two-player game with center Aliyah Boston has blossomed even further in year 2, resulting in about five points of Boston's 18.5 ppg average. Nineteen of Clark's league-high 37 assists (51%) are to Boston, per Her Hoop Stats. Nearly half of Boston's assists are to Clark. The point guard's time away is an opportunity for Boston, who is more poised in her third year, to build chemistry playing off another guard. Fever's favorable schedule without Clark The WNBA features a quick and condensed season. A mini losing streak can quickly drop a team out of the standings' top four and the opportunity for home-court advantage in the playoffs. It's common for the No. 1 team's losses to stay in the single digits. Advertisement The four games the Fever play in the next two weeks are forgiving. After the Mystics, they host the winless Connecticut Sun (0-4) on Friday. It will be the first time White faces her former team. The Fever's Commissioner's Cup schedule tips off on Tuesday with the Mystics in town, and continues next Saturday at the Sky (0-4) in a rematch of the season opener at Chicago's United Center. The first real concern will be on June 10 in Atlanta if Clark is not cleared. Atlanta's size caused matchup problems for the Fever, and they split their first two games in a season series that could break ties for seeding come September. A loss to the Dream could sink any chance the Fever have at winning the Eastern Conference Commissioner's Cup title game berth. The Liberty (4-0), who play at Indiana again on June 14, are the favorites.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Coronation Street star reveals he's working as a groundsman at local cricket club days after being killed off on soap
Pitch Switch Coronation Street star reveals he's working as a groundsman at local cricket club days after being killed off on soap CORONATION Street star has revealed he's swapped the cobbles for the cricket pitch - just days after his character was dramatically killed off. The actor, who recently bowed out of the ITV soap in emotional scenes, is now working as a groundsman at his local cricket club. Advertisement 6 Colson's character Craig Tinker passed away following the horror clubbing Credit: ITV 6 But now the star is volunteering at his local cricket club as a groundsman Credit: instagram/@colsonjsmith Coronation Street fans have been left in tears following PC Craig Tinker's passing. The loveable policeman died in hospital in sad scenes after being brutally murdered by Mick during a botched arrest. Craig had attempted to arrest drunk driver Mick but after turning his back for a moment, Mick was able to grab hold of a baseball bat in his van and club Craig over the head and left him to die in the road. Having been raced to hospital, his family and friends and long-standing colleague PC Jess watched on as he succumbed to his injuries and passed away. Advertisement Craig's death comes after actor Colson Smith was axed from the show as part of on-going cost-cutting measures at the soap and ITV. The soap favourite has now shared a behind-the-scenes snap from the pitch, trading scripts and stunts for mowers and maintenance. Taking to his Instagram stories, Colson posted a snap of himself getting his hands dirty while he looks after his local cricket club's pitch. He captioned the snap: "Groundman duties @castleford_cricket_club". Advertisement The Cricket fanatic has been volunteering there since his departure from the soap. The Sun exclusively revealed his character was being killed off back in March. Coronation Street's Colson Smith reveals the moment soap boss 'binned him' from show and says 'I knew it was coming' A source told us: 'Craig has grown up on the street and he's become part of it so it was a tough decision to make but one that will be worth it. 'PC Tinker will meet his maker in heroic circumstances this summer and there won't be a dry eye in the house when it goes out. Advertisement 'Colson is taking it well and there's a real feeling that this chapter is closing for him and there are bigger and brighter things ahead." The star marked his soap exit with a wild, booze-fuelled leaving bash. The police themed party paid homage to his character PC Tinker and featured fancy dress, balloons and police tape at the tapas bar and restaurant El Gato Negro Tapas in Manchester. Many of Colson's Corrie co-stars attended full of smiles including Andy Whyment, Brooke Vincent, Georgia Taylor, Lucy Fallon, Jacobs Roberts, Tony Maudsley and Sam Aston. Advertisement The 26-year-old actor was one of several stars who have been axed from the ITV soap. Corrie is gearing up for a number of exits for some iconic characters this summer, including Eileen Grimhshaw who is set to exit the cobbles with actress Sue Cleaver quitting the soap after an incredible 25 years. The soap has already seen several characters depart the cobbles from the likes of Daisy Midgeley to Mason Radcliffe. ITV is facing a financial crisis due to soaring production costs, a decline in advertising revenue, and a drop in viewing figures, leading to budget cuts and cast departures. Advertisement Consequently, the broadcaster is reducing the length of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale episodes from hour-long to 30-minute installments, starting in January 2026. This change will create a "soaps power hour" where Emmerdale airs at 8pm, followed by Coronation Street at 8.30pm each weeknight. But with ratings falling and viewers switching to streamers like Netflix, more soap stars are fearing the axe - should they be worried? Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 or stream from 7am on ITVX. Advertisement 6 Craig's friends and family were left devastated by his death Credit: ITV 6 Colson had a boozy bash to mark his departure on the soap after 14 years Credit: Instagram/colsonjsmith 6 The party was full of drinks and emotional speeches Credit: Instagram/colsonjsmith 6 Many of Colson's Corrie co-stars attended full of smiles Credit: Instagram/colsonjsmith
South Wales Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Coronation Street star gets 'exciting' new job after ITV axe
Colson Smith, who played PC Craig Tinker on the show, saw his character recently killed off after 14 years on our screens. The actor, who made his debut back in 2011, announced he was leaving Corrie back in January. Now, he has revealed his next job, and teased that he has more "exciting" things in the pipeline. "I wouldn't be the person I am today without this show" Thank you for 14 great years of Tinks, Colson ❤️ @ITV #Corrie Taking to Instagram, Smith wrote: "Thank you so much for all the love this week! I really appreciate it! "Some of you have been asking, what next for me? There's a few exciting things going off!! "BUT one thing I can tell you for now, is that I'm joining the team at BBC Radio Leeds this summer!!! Catch ya on the wireless in Yorkshire!!" Fans took to the comments to wish the Coronation Street star well. A post shared by Colson (@colsonjsmith) One said: "Good luck with everything @colsonjsmith you will be missed in Corrie T cried so much at your scenes this week. They made a mistake letting you go." Another added: "Yes Colson! You're going to go far in the presenting world, I can feel it. You've such a warmth and likability... Never change." Smith announced he was leaving Corrie in January, saying: "I feel incredibly lucky to have grown up in, on and around Coronation Street. "I've learnt pretty much everything about life from the people who call it home." The 26-year-old, who has played police officer Craig Tinker on the show for 14 years, saw his character die after being beaten with a baseball bat by Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton), after he tried to arrest him. Speaking on ITV's This Morning, Smith said of his departure: 'It literally is just working at Coronation Street (that I'll miss the most) and calling that place my work. 'And it was weird, because when I got asked about highlights, I was trying to think of some of the things we've done, and I've done some mad things, I've met the (late) Queen, and I've done all this stuff, but it's the simple stuff. 'Like, on a summer's day at Corrie, we get an ice cream van, with all your mates and sit outside in the car park and the cast, the crew, the production team, the security staff, the cleaners, we're all so tight there, so sitting out in the summer having an ice cream with your mates, they're kind of the best days. 'It's that craic, that's the stuff that I won't get at any other job, and that's the stuff that I'll miss forever.' Recommended reading: Smith was just 12 years old when he joined the soap and his memorable storylines have included him joining the police force and struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He appeared for the last time in last Friday's episode as doctors pulled a sheet over his deceased character's body. Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Geek Dad
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Stack Overflow: Portals to the Past
I joked on Bluesky recently that I have so many time travel books in my reading pile that it would take a time machine for me to finish them all—but, hey, I'm working on it! I made a little more progress in the past couple of weeks, so today I've got three more books about time travel to share. The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi Beth Darlow (along with her recently deceased husband) have created a time machine, though it has some limitations. It only transports a person's consciousness to another point in their lifetime, and while they re-experience the moment as if they were there, they aren't able to change anything—they can only observe. The other problem? They haven't figured out how the machine determines when to send the traveler. Beth has been sent to the most traumatic moments of her life, which has been wreaking havoc on her mental well-being, but she's under a lot of pressure from the billionaire who provides all of her financial backing. On top of that, Beth is constantly torn between putting in hours at the lab and spending time with her daughter, particularly now that she's a single mother. It doesn't help that the CEO has decided now's a good time to invite a reporter to do a big piece about her time machine, probably in the hopes of attracting some more funding. But then weird things happen. She thinks she sees Colson, her dead husband, while she's at the park with her daughter. There are some strange discrepancies in the data that make her wonder if her travels do actually affect the present. Why does the machine keep sending her to terrible memories? What did Colson know about the machine before he died? There were parts of the time travel that I thought were pretty fascinating and I really wanted to see where the story was going, but I also didn't really care for the writing itself. Some of it was just a little awkward, and sometimes it felt a bit creepy—like a description of the five-year-old daughter that was weirdly lyrical about her hair. There were a few surprises once things got going, but I don't know that it's one that I would recommend strongly over some of the other time travel books I've read recently. Love and Other Paradoxes by Catriona Silvey The year is 2005. Joe Greene is a student at Cambridge University—supposedly philosophy, but he's close to failing out because he'd rather dream about being a poet like Lord Byron. The problem is, he's mostly just dreaming and not actually writing. Then he runs into Esi, a barista at a coffee shop, who reacts very weirdly to his presence. As it turns out, it's because she's a time traveler from the future, where he has become a famous poet—and there's a time travel tour guide who brings people back to get a sneak peek at him when he was young. This knowledge both exhilarates and paralyzes Joe—he feels reassured knowing that he'll pass his classes, marry fellow student Diana, and write love poems that are so amazing that they were published in a book. So the first thing he does is go out and make a fool of himself to Diana. One of the big questions in the book is whether the future is set or not. Can Joe's actions set him on a different path, or is the book that Esi brought back proof that whatever he does will lead to this bright, shining future? Esi is actually hoping the future is mutable, because she desperately needs to fix something in her own life—but it seems that one of her tasks may be repairing Joe's relationship with Diana. It came as no surprise to me, though, that Joe and Esi start to develop feelings for each other. After all, that's Esi on the cover of the book with Joe, not Diana, and I've seen and read enough stories to know how these things turn out. Still, it's a complicated situation, because they both believe that Joe's future success as a poet is inextricably tied to his romance with Diana—and what happens if that gets broken? I really enjoyed this one: there's less of a focus on how the time travel works (it's a weird portal, controlled by a time travel tourist agency in the future) and it's more about the choices the characters make—and particularly the way that they handle information about the future. It reminded me a little bit of a book I read over a decade ago, The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. In that book, two kids in 1996 fire up AOL for the first time and discover a weird site called Facebook, featuring profiles of themselves as adults, and they have very different reactions: one is terrified that she will turn out like the status updates she sees and works to behave differently now; the other thinks his future life sounds perfect and does everything in his power to drive his life in that direction. It's appropriate that Joe is a philosophy student, because he has some conversations with his advisor, though dancing around the subject of time travel. He wants to know when we become the person we're meant to be—and as it turns out, that's probably a question more suited to a philosopher than a physicist. Joe is kind of a dolt sometimes and you mostly feel like he doesn't really deserve to win over Diana or Esi, but he gets his own version of a hero's journey and eventually makes some progress to 'kind of a decent human,' which I know is a pretty low bar, but it's enough for a time travel rom-com. (For additional reading, Catriona Silvey published a piece back in March about five other time-travel romance stories—check it out! I've previously written about two of the titles in the list myself.) Sixteen Minutes by K. J. Reilly The last book on my list today is a young adult novel. Nell, Cole, and Stevie B are a trio of best friends—Nell and Cole are an item, though everyone knows that Stevie B is also in love with Nell. Life isn't great in Clawson, a small town in New York, and though Nell dreams of someday getting away and traveling the world, she doesn't think that's ever actually going to happen. People in Clawson don't do that. When Charlotte shows up at high school and Cole starts behaving strangely, Nell and Stevie B aren't sure what to make of it. Cole says he knows her somehow, but he won't say how or why. Eventually they get the story out of him: she's a time traveler from the future, here to offer him a chance to save his little sister from a rare respiratory disease that will otherwise kill her by the end of the week. But to do that, he's going to have to make a pretty big leap of faith that just might kill him in the process. The emotions run hot in this book—all of the kids are full of passion and hormones. To be fair, they're also going through some pretty serious stuff. Cole's sister is dying, Nell and Stevie B aren't sure if Charlotte is running some sort of scam—and if so, what's the payout? Nell's home life is also in a downward spiral: her dad passed away from cancer a few years ago, and her mom got addicted to her pain meds, so she's basically on her own most of the time. Throw the possibility of time travel into the mix, and the stakes have been raised even higher. It's not really a spoiler to tell you that, yes, Charlotte is actually from the future, and time travel is real. Even expecting that, there's still a good bit of tension and drama in the third act of the book because Charlotte leaves out certain pieces of information until later. But the way that the time travel is implemented left me dissatisfied. This is one of those stories where time passing in the future is also passing in the present. The deadline to save Cole's sister carries over into the future—they had 3 days left when they jumped into the future, so they have 3 days in the future to get the medicine and get back to deliver it. I mean, you have time travel—just come back earlier, right? Charlotte does provide an explanation for some of the limitations of the travel that are supposed to explain why this is the case, and also why the travel itself is so risky. But there seems to be a much simpler solution to the whole thing, simple enough that when I laid out the concept to my kids they both immediately asked why the kids didn't just do that instead. For all of the physics concepts that Reilly incorporated into her story—and in the afterword she does list a lot of the things that were based on current theories—it felt like there was a plot hole that didn't quite get filled in. Still, I really enjoyed this one for the most part. Reilly does a great job of telling the story through Nell's voice, and she just has a really fun way of putting things into words. You really feel that connection she has with her friends, and the fear that Cole is somehow betraying her. Nell's relationship with Cole's sister is also beautiful and touching. It's definitely a book written to pull at your heartstrings, and it does it well, even if some of the time travel parts don't quite hold water. My Current Stack I've just started another time travel book: Costumes for Time Travelers by A. R. Capetta. It's due out this week, and it takes place in Pocket, a place where time travelers first show up when they leave their own 'hometime,' and our main character Calisto works in a shop that makes bespoke, era-appropriate costumes for travelers headed to different times. And this one is also a romance. That's about all I know so far, but I like the premise. Disclosure: I received review copies of the books covered in this column. 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