A romantic, mind-bending novel about parallel worlds, soul mates, destiny, and the big-time consequences of even our smallest choices, perfect for fans of *The Future of Us* and *Before I Fall*.
Abby Barnes had it all planned out—high school, college, career—but one decision made in her senior year of high school changed her carefully mapped-out future.
When Abby wakes up the morning of her eighteenth birthday, it's as though her past has been rewritten. Abby discovers that a cosmic collision of parallel universes has erased her old reality. Now Abby is falling in love with a boy from her Parallel's memories—a boy she's never even met. She's living the life she always wanted, but what if living her Parallel's life means she loses her soul mate?
**
### From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up–Abby has two memories of the day before she turned 17. In one, a schedule mix-up means she has to take drama. In another, she's late for school, and drama's closed, so she has to take astronomy. Two choices, two very different lives. One leads to being a movie star, the other to being an Ivy Leaguer. On that day, parallel universes collided. Then, the day before she turns 18, movie star Abby jumps to the universe to live Yale Abby's life. The problem is, she only remembers her LA life, not the one in New Haven. Luckily, her science genius best friend is at Yale and can fill her in on her own backstory and explain the mechanics of what's happening. Miller shines when describing the university's campus and the students' daily lives, including the partying and drinking. The time and universe jumping is initially confusing, but quickly settles into a pattern. Readers have seen the teen's different lives, and like her, have ideas about what the “right way” is, even if all of Abby's attempts to escape destiny and exert free will backfire horribly. Her lack of knowledge about her recent past and what happened to create her current life draws readers in. As the story unfolds, it's in seeing what's constant across realities, and in seeing the different paths laid before her, that Abby learns what–and who–is truly important.–Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VAα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
### From Booklist
Abby never expected to be starring in a Hollywood blockbuster and dating a leading man on the night before her eighteenth birthday. She had always planned on a different path, one that included college. Well, she gets her wish: she wakes up in a dorm room at Yale, where it appears she has been for weeks. With the assistance of her friend Caitlin’s knowledge of parallel universe theory, and a helpful professor, Abby soon realizes that a cosmic shift has taken place. The narrative shuttles back and forth in both time and location between Abby and her “parallel,” leading Abby to discover that the smallest decisions can lead to drastically different paths. While the narrative jumps take some getting used to, Miller ably depicts Abby at different points on her journey, with complex side characters and a cleverly nuanced romantic triangle. Adding questions of quantum mechanics, predestination, and soul mates to the day-to-day friendship, family, and boyfriend issues firmly situates this debut next to Cat Patrick’s books or Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall (2010). Grades 8-11. --Heather Booth
Description:
A romantic, mind-bending novel about parallel worlds, soul mates, destiny, and the big-time consequences of even our smallest choices, perfect for fans of *The Future of Us* and *Before I Fall*.
Abby Barnes had it all planned out—high school, college, career—but one decision made in her senior year of high school changed her carefully mapped-out future.
When Abby wakes up the morning of her eighteenth birthday, it's as though her past has been rewritten. Abby discovers that a cosmic collision of parallel universes has erased her old reality. Now Abby is falling in love with a boy from her Parallel's memories—a boy she's never even met. She's living the life she always wanted, but what if living her Parallel's life means she loses her soul mate?
**
### From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up–Abby has two memories of the day before she turned 17. In one, a schedule mix-up means she has to take drama. In another, she's late for school, and drama's closed, so she has to take astronomy. Two choices, two very different lives. One leads to being a movie star, the other to being an Ivy Leaguer. On that day, parallel universes collided. Then, the day before she turns 18, movie star Abby jumps to the universe to live Yale Abby's life. The problem is, she only remembers her LA life, not the one in New Haven. Luckily, her science genius best friend is at Yale and can fill her in on her own backstory and explain the mechanics of what's happening. Miller shines when describing the university's campus and the students' daily lives, including the partying and drinking. The time and universe jumping is initially confusing, but quickly settles into a pattern. Readers have seen the teen's different lives, and like her, have ideas about what the “right way” is, even if all of Abby's attempts to escape destiny and exert free will backfire horribly. Her lack of knowledge about her recent past and what happened to create her current life draws readers in. As the story unfolds, it's in seeing what's constant across realities, and in seeing the different paths laid before her, that Abby learns what–and who–is truly important.–Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VAα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
### From Booklist
Abby never expected to be starring in a Hollywood blockbuster and dating a leading man on the night before her eighteenth birthday. She had always planned on a different path, one that included college. Well, she gets her wish: she wakes up in a dorm room at Yale, where it appears she has been for weeks. With the assistance of her friend Caitlin’s knowledge of parallel universe theory, and a helpful professor, Abby soon realizes that a cosmic shift has taken place. The narrative shuttles back and forth in both time and location between Abby and her “parallel,” leading Abby to discover that the smallest decisions can lead to drastically different paths. While the narrative jumps take some getting used to, Miller ably depicts Abby at different points on her journey, with complex side characters and a cleverly nuanced romantic triangle. Adding questions of quantum mechanics, predestination, and soul mates to the day-to-day friendship, family, and boyfriend issues firmly situates this debut next to Cat Patrick’s books or Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall (2010). Grades 8-11. --Heather Booth