It’s You Every Time

Two Black teens stuck in a time loop are forced to relive the highs and lows their first date in this heartrending speculative novel by Thomas (Streetlight People). On the morning of her logarithmic functions test, 17-year-old Sydney Michaels, feeling like she’s doomed to fail, attempts a last-minute cramming session at a busy New York City Dunkin Donuts. It’s there that she meets charming and charismatic Marcus Burke, also 17. When Marcus suggests they eat together, Sydney—test anxiety forgotten—agrees. As they get to know each other, they open up about their dreams, their pasts, and their secrets. But instead of a kiss, their date ends with screeching tires, blinding lights, and “a pain that’s worse than anything I’ve ever felt before”—before Sydney again awakens on the morning of her exam. The cycle repeats as Sydney and Marcus meet up, venture out, and fall for each other all over again. While Sydney believes they should find a way to break the loop, however, Marcus is reluctant to escape. Though the teens’ perpetual meet-cutes can feel somewhat repetitive, Thomas skillfully crafts characters with distinctly rendered personalities and genuine romantic chemistry. Ages 12–up. (May)