It's You Every Time

by Charlene Thomas

Overview

A story about self-discovery, grief, and destiny that begs the question: How do you keep going when your world has stopped spinning?

When Sydney Michaels stops for breakfast in order to put off scholastic ruin a little longer, she never expected to-quite literally-bump into cute-boy stranger, Marcus Burke.

When Marcus invites her to have breakfast with him instead of going to class, she can't ignore the urge to get to know him better-or the fact that this charming new acquaintance seems just as interested in her.

After a magical day together in their hometown of New York City, Sydney is finally willing to believe that maybe-just maybe-after years of loss and heartache, she's finally reached the good part.

But when it comes time to say goodbye, as they linger in a crosswalk, something happens. An accident? Sydney isn't sure-all she knows is that, after screeching tires, blinding headlights, and a moment of searing pain, she opens her eyes and is back in her bed. On September 24-the morning of her big exam-again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781546111795
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/06/2025
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Charlene was sixteen when she wrote a manuscript that won the National Novel Silver Award from Scholastic Books and went on to minor in creative writing at North Carolina State University. She writes books about the world we live in, inspired by her experiences growing up in Montgomery County, MD. Charlene has an MBA from Emory University and a digital marketing certificate from Cornell.

When she isn’t writing, she’s a marketer - which means she can justify long Twitter-scrolling sessions as “research.” Seton Girls is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

A beautiful, deeply moving exploration of fate, grief, and love. This is one of those books you can’t stop thinking about long after turning the last page. Charlene Thomas is such a talent.” - Ann Liang, New York Times Bestselling author of I Hope This Doesn’t Find You

"A swoonworthy romance blending strong character development with realistic portrayal of the grieving process." - Kirkus

"A beautiful, heartwarming time-loop romance grounded in two meaningful journeys of emotional growth." - Booklist

"The “what if” plot of a fantasy romance serves a deeper purpose here as two teens grieve the death of loved ones." - School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2025-03-08
A cosmic mixed-up breakfast order pushes two Black teens into a merged time loop.

It’s September 24, and Sydney is running late for school, where she’ll have to take a dreaded precalc test. She stops at Dunkin’ for a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant—without the sausage and egg—and bumps into a boy named Marcus. Strangely, they have the same order number and similar tastes, only he’s ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant with no cheese. Marcus invites Sydney to join him for breakfast at a nearby park, and she agrees, figuring that she can make up the test tomorrow. They spend the day together, but as their date winds down and they lean in for a kiss, they hear screeching tires, feel intense pain, and see a blinding light. Sydney wakes up to find it’s September 24 again, but she remembers her day with Marcus. They reconnect at Dunkin’ and begin reliving the same day, including always being painfully ripped apart at 10:15 p.m. Over time, the teens open up to each other about painful losses that still affect them. Readers witness the well-developed evolution of their relationship and their different responses: Sydney wants them to break free from the cycle, while Marcus sees getting stuck with Sydney as a welcome reprieve from grief. Thomas excels at blending meet-cute elements with more serious themes.

A swoonworthy romance blending strong character development with realistic portrayal of the grieving process. (content note, playlist)(Romance. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews