If I See You Again Tomorrow

Gr 9 Up–Clark is having a rough senior year: his parents are getting a divorce, his best friend has moved away to Texas, and he’s in regular therapy, which may or may not be helping. Oh, and one other thing: he’s stuck reliving September 19th over and over again, like a modern day recreation of Groundhog Day set in the Chicago suburbs. He’s now looped through the same day hundreds of times, and his loneliness and sense of futility are becoming overwhelming. But one day, a teenage boy named Beau shows up in his trig class and challenges Clark to deviate from the normal dreariness of his days. Beau, who it turns out is stuck in the same time loop, introduces Clark to a fun cast of characters who help him realize that he can work on his lack of friendships and his sadness surrounding the divorce. But how long can he continue in this trend before the time loop collapses, and he and Beau disappear? The time loop trope has been done before, but this story is fresh, engaging, funny, and heartwarming. Clark is a likable, fully realized character who makes mistakes, learns, grows, and sympathizes with people around him. Secondary characters also show depth and complications, and a few of their stories intertwine in unexpected ways. The story is expertly paced and includes a satisfying mix of romance, sleuthing, sci-fi, humor, and coming-of-age themes. The book also reads like a love song to Chicago, similar to Rachel Lynn Solomon’s devotion to Seattle in Today Tonight Tomorrow. Characters are racially diverse, and the main characters are gay.