Quick Take
- Narration: No narrator is listed in the available metadata for this audiobook, listeners should verify current narrator information before purchasing.
- Themes: self-love and identity, multiverse theory as romantic conceit, grumpy/sunshine dynamics
- Mood: Playful and propulsive once it finds its footing, with genuine emotional stakes beneath the absurd premise
- Verdict: A genuinely original LGBTQ+ romance that does more with its high-concept premise than skeptics will expect, though the first half tests patience.
I picked this one up because the premise is exactly the kind of thing that either succeeds completely or collapses under its own absurdity: a quantum physicist named August Blackthorne falls in love with a version of himself from another universe. The immediate question is whether W.H. Lockwood can make that work, not just as a thought experiment but as an actual emotional experience. Having listened through, my answer is a qualified yes, with one significant caveat about pacing that anyone going in should know.
The book has accumulated nearly 400 ratings at 4.4 stars, which is meaningful for an LGBTQ+ romance with a premise this unusual. Something in the execution is working for a broad audience, and I think I know what it is: Lockwood is genuinely interested in what it would mean to fall in love with yourself, not as narcissism but as a confrontation with everything you have avoided about who you are.
Our Take on Doppelbanger
The two Augusts are drawn as genuinely distinct people who happen to share an origin. One is the quantum physicist who opened the dimensional rift; the other comes from a universe that took a different path, making him what one reviewer describes as the sunshine to the original August’s grumpy baseline. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is well-worn in contemporary romance, but it lands differently when the two characters are literally the same person, because every incompatibility between them is also a tension within a single psyche, and Lockwood seems aware of that and uses it deliberately.
The science is affectionate rather than rigorous. Paleo-quantum physics is not a real discipline, but it is deployed with enough internal consistency to function as a set of rules the story plays fair with. One ARC reviewer reported giggling at the term and then finding it surprisingly coherent as a plot mechanism. That is about the right response to calibrate to.
Why Listen to Doppelbanger
The book is at its best when it is doing the emotional work. The question of what it means to love a version of yourself, to see your own potential and pain reflected back at you through someone who made different choices, is genuinely rich territory, and Lockwood mines it with more sophistication than the high-concept pitch would suggest. Reviewers consistently praise the emotional intelligence of the dual characterization, noting that both Augusts feel fully realized rather than one being a vehicle for the other’s growth.
The multiverse stakes, involving the potential collapse of multiple universes, add adventure plotting that keeps the narrative from becoming too insular. Found family elements surface in the supporting cast, and the hair metal references, which feel random at first, accumulate into something unexpectedly meaningful by the end.
What to Watch For in Doppelbanger
The first sixty percent is where listeners lose people. One reviewer described it as the slowest fast burn they had ever read, and another noted that it felt like nothing was happening across more than a hundred pages. The payoff in the final third is significant enough that readers who pushed through reported the frustration disappearing retroactively. But listeners who need momentum from the start will struggle.
The absence of narrator information in the available metadata is also worth flagging. For a fifteen-hour LGBTQ+ romance with a premise this dependent on voice differentiation between two versions of the same character, the narrator is a genuinely important variable. Prospective listeners should verify current narrator details before purchasing.
Who Should Listen to Doppelbanger
The obvious audience is readers who love queer romance and are willing to follow a high-concept premise with some patience. But the book also works for anyone interested in identity, selfhood, and what we lose or preserve across the choices we make, dressed up in a very entertaining adventure narrative. Listeners who bounce off slow burns in general should approach cautiously. Those who love a payoff that justifies the investment will find this one delivers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the book explain the science behind the multiverse premise?
It invents its own framework, called paleo-quantum physics, and applies it consistently enough to function as internal plot logic. The science is affectionate and self-aware rather than technically rigorous, reviewers describe giggling at the terminology while finding it surprisingly coherent as a narrative device.
How distinct are the two versions of August Blackthorne from each other?
Meaningfully distinct, which is the book’s central achievement. They share an origin but have taken different paths, resulting in recognizably different personalities, most commonly described as a grumpy/sunshine dynamic. Reviewers consistently praise Lockwood’s ability to make both feel fully realized rather than one serving as a foil for the other.
Is the slow first half worth pushing through?
Multiple readers who reported frustrating early sections describe the final third as making the patience worthwhile. If you can reach the sixty percent mark, the consensus is that the investment pays off. If a slow-building romance is a dealbreaker for you regardless of payoff, be realistic about that before starting a fifteen-hour listen.
Who is the narrator for the audiobook version?
Narrator information was not available in the metadata at the time of this review. Given that voice differentiation between two versions of the same character is central to this story, the narrator matters considerably, listeners should verify current narrator details on the Audible product page before purchasing.
