Charlotte Sometimes

Fun to identify the resonances here that probably come from this book! It was very popular when it came out, but seems unknown now. In part two, we’ve got some plotty overlap with Connie Willis’ Blackout, where time travelers go back to WWII in England. And there's a crowd scene that I think one of the Hilda books is referencing!

Noted on December 23, 2025

Also this is an all-timer of a book title.

Noted on December 23, 2025

What a gem of a book - I don't know why this isn't more popular. Our heroine starts at a new boarding school, but after her confusing first day, she wakes up to find things aren't quite what she remembers... and in fact she has traveled back in time and taken the place of another student, during WWI. Charlotte switches times every morning, and has to navigate living in both eras, while her counterpart is doing the same in her future.

This is a delightful idea for a book! Slipping into the past but only every other day, and taking the place of someone. while the past person is taking your place; it's part time loop, part freaky-friday, part portal fantasy where the magic world is just The Past. And it's sweetly written, where our lead (Charlotte) is not a plucky world-conquering Mary Sue, but instead she's not sure what to do. And as the book progresses, she's not even sure who she is.

Noted on December 23, 2025