Class of ‘59 by John A. Heldt

Class of ‘59 by John A. Heldt
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Historical, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

When Mary Beth McIntire settles into a vacation house on June 2, 2017, she anticipates a quiet morning with coffee. Then she hears a noise, peers out a window, and spots a man in 1950s attire standing in the backyard. She panics when the trespasser sees her and enters the house though a door to the basement. She questions her sanity when she cannot find him.

In the same house on March 21, 1959, Mark Ryan finds a letter. Written by the mansion’s original owner in 1900, the letter describes a basement chamber, mysterious crystals, and a formula for time travel. Driven by curiosity, Mark tests the formula twice. On his second trip to 2017, he encounters a beautiful stranger. He meets the woman in the window.

Within hours, Mary Beth and Mark share their secret with her sister and his brother and begin a journey that takes them from the present day to the age of sock hops, drive-ins, and jukeboxes. In CLASS OF ’59, the fourth book in the American Journey series, four young adults find love, danger, and adventure as they navigate the corridors of time and experience Southern California in its storied prime.

John A. Heldt has written many good time-travel romances, and Class of ’59 does not disappoint. Mary Beth and Piper are young adult sisters living in the year 2017. They stumble upon a pair of intriguing brothers from 1959 and follow them back into the past. They make a quick buck by gambling using their knowledge of the future. Unfortunately, they get the attention of some bad guys while doing this.

Mary Beth and Piper and the brothers, Mark and Ben, have a great time together in 1959. The young women really enjoy learning about the era as they immerse themselves in it. Readers are sure to enjoy all the ‘50s details. Piper even enrolls in school. The two sisters fall for the two brothers and they in turn with them, but they know it can’t last. Mary Beth and Piper will have to return to the future.

Meanwhile, gangsters are trying to find them, and they are getting closer. Though there are suspense and a sense of danger in this book, it is more about the setting and the adventure than that danger. It comes into play every so often, but the focus is more on the young ladies’ discovery and romance.

This is a charming time-travel book with a surprise ending. I would recommend it.