diff --git a/google_takeout_parser/parse_json.py b/google_takeout_parser/parse_json.py
index a99d550..cdea89f 100644
--- a/google_takeout_parser/parse_json.py
+++ b/google_takeout_parser/parse_json.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from typing import Iterator, Any, Dict, Iterable, Optional, List
+import warnings
 
 from .http_allowlist import convert_to_https_opt
 from .time_utils import parse_datetime_millis
@@ -25,6 +26,16 @@
 from .time_utils import parse_json_utc_date
 
 
+def _read_json_data(p: Path) -> Any:
+    try:
+        import orjson
+    except ModuleNotFoundError:
+        warnings.warn("orjson not found, it can significantly speed up json parsing. Consider installing via 'pip install orjson'. Falling back onto stdlib json")
+        return json.loads(p.read_text())
+    else:
+        return orjson.loads(p.read_bytes())
+
+
 # "YouTube and YouTube Music/history/search-history.json"
 # "YouTube and YouTube Music/history/watch-history.json"
 # This is also the 'My Activity' JSON format
@@ -124,7 +135,7 @@ def _parse_timestamp_key(d: Dict[str, Any], key: str) -> datetime:
 def _parse_location_history(p: Path) -> Iterator[Res[Location]]:
     ### HMMM, seems that all the locations are right after one another. broken? May just be all the location history that google has on me
     ### see numpy.diff(list(map(lambda yy: y.at, filter(lambda y: isinstance(Location), events()))))
-    json_data = json.loads(p.read_text())
+    json_data = _read_json_data(p)
     if "locations" not in json_data:
         yield RuntimeError(f"Locations: no 'locations' key in '{p}'")
     for loc in json_data.get("locations", []):
diff --git a/google_takeout_parser/time_utils.py b/google_takeout_parser/time_utils.py
index 729db0c..6843998 100644
--- a/google_takeout_parser/time_utils.py
+++ b/google_takeout_parser/time_utils.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import sys
 from typing import Union
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 
@@ -10,11 +11,17 @@ def parse_datetime_millis(d: Union[str, float, int]) -> datetime:
     return parse_datetime_sec(int(d) / 1000)
 
 
-def parse_json_utc_date(ds: str) -> datetime:
-    utc_naive = datetime.fromisoformat(ds.rstrip("Z"))
-    return utc_naive.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+if sys.version_info[:2] >= (3, 11):
+    # from 3.11, it supports parsing strings ending with Z
+    parse_json_utc_date = datetime.fromisoformat
+else:
+    def parse_json_utc_date(ds: str) -> datetime:
+        utc_naive = datetime.fromisoformat(ds.rstrip("Z"))
+        return utc_naive.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc)
 
 
 def test_parse_utc_date() -> None:
     expected = datetime(2021, 9, 30, 1, 44, 33, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
     assert parse_json_utc_date("2021-09-30T01:44:33.000Z") == expected
+
+    assert parse_json_utc_date("2023-01-27T22:46:47.389352Z") == datetime(2023, 1, 27, 22, 46, 47, 389352, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 01f3900..d4736a1 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ console_scripts =
     google_takeout_parser = google_takeout_parser.__main__:main
 
 [options.extras_require]
+optional =
+    orjson
 testing =
     flake8
     mypy