Shanti Hershenson

Shanti Hershenson’s Helipads in Heaven is an inspiring story about 30-year-old Dillon Hershkop, a world-famous writer married to a wonderful husband with five-year-old twins. Unfortunately, Dillon is suffering from writer’s block. She is incredibly bored and cannot think of anything new to write about. Desperate for inspiration, she agrees to participate in a time travel project at the Center for Experimental Science at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Dillon is offered the chance to travel back in time to see herself when she was a 10-year-old struggling writer nicknamed Goose. Back in 2018, Goose was in the fourth grade at Valley Park Preparatory School, spending her time in class daydreaming or scribbling stories instead of learning math. Dillon’s publisher hopes that the experience will lead to another blockbuster book to help rejuvenate Dillon’s career. Dillon thinks it may help her recall events from 2018 that she does not remember clearly so she can include them in her autobiography.

According to the terms of the agreement, Dillon will have 48 hours to observe her 10-year-old self. She will not be allowed to interact with anyone who could potentially recognize her, including herself. She is aware that time travel involves the risk that even small changes, amplified over time, may have large effects. Dillon clearly does not want to do anything that might jeopardize her future career. However, when Dillon travels back to 2018 she remembers what happened to her when she sees Goose being bullied by her classmates and ignored by her teacher. Dillon struggles to control the anger she feels and must decide whether she should break the rules and intervene to help Goose and herself.

Hershenson tells Dillon’s story from two perspectives beginning with a prologue about Goose and ending with not one, but two epilogues, one for Dillon and one for Goose. Alternating the narrative between Goose and Dillon was a brilliant way to demonstrate the dynamic cause-and-effect that played out in real time as their lifelines briefly intersected. Hershenson’s book also offers a novel approach to dealing with the long-term effects of childhood bullying. Since Hershenson allows Dillon to use time travel to go back and address the injustices of the past, she enables both Dillon and the reader to experience a much-needed catharsis. Hershenson’s book is beautifully written and an outstanding accomplishment for a teenage author who has found a way to transform her own experiences into a heartwarming story about believing in yourself and your dreams.… (más)

It was a short but cute read - the story was captivating, interesting, I didn’t want to put the book down.
The characters were lovable, Goose’s story, the injustice she faced with broke my heart (but her mother’s love and their relationship were heart-warming). I would recommend this story to everyone who had similar struggles in school, it’s healing.
The only thing I didn’t like was Dillon’s complete lack of persistence when it came to (not to) intervening in her past, interacting with her past self even though she had been clearly warned about it.
My rating: 3.5⭐️ rounded up.
(This book was sent to me in exchange for my honest review.)… (más)

A touching tale of reconnecting with memories and realizing the truth.

Dillon (aka Goose, as a child) might have been misunderstood as a kid, who tended to day dream and was lost in imagination's stories, but now, at thirty-years-old, she's become a famous author and household name. Her life has been blessed, but boredom leads her to accept the chance to be the first person to experience the newest technological wonder—time travel. After signing tons of waivers and stifling her doubt, she heads off to her time of choice—her childhood. There she wants to observe her younger self. She knows she can't get directly involved or it will cause problems. But sometimes, emotions tend to overpower practical reasoning.

This is a beautifully written read, which steers straight into emotions, memories, and the heart. The prologue and first chapter let both Dillons come across just enough for the reader to get a grip on their situations and personalities. So, when the older Dillon is thrust through time (very simply and nicely done), the situations of both characters (older and younger) is already set. Goose, the younger Dillon, is kind and misunderstood, which also means there is more than a little bullying involved. It's easy to sympathize with her and understand the older Dillon's feelings and thoughts as things unfold. It's a well-played balance between the two, which invites to understanding as well as realizations.

There are many wholesome and wise messages in these pages, and these hold depth and maturity. It's a character driven read, carrying plenty of emotions and depth. At times, it does have a slightly slower pacing because of this (I tend to be more of an 'action' girl), but it flows smoothly from beginning to end. The length is perfect for the read and makes it an easy one to dive into and enjoy. I would recommend it, however, to slightly older readers than the YA audience (although I have no doubt that there are readers in this age group who will enjoy it too) simply due to older Dillon's perspectives. While readers learn from Goose and root for her as well, it's the older Dillon, who experiences the true character arc.

In any case, it's impossible to guess the age of the author when reading this. The heart, emotions, and messages carry a depth and maturity way beyond her age. It is going to be a treat to see where she goes from here. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the wholesome trip through time.… (más)