See You Yesterday | Photo by Alexis Lewis | The Wright State Guardian
“See You Yesterday” by Rachel Lynn Solomon is an inventive and adorable read that will transport readers through time for an immersive reading experience.
Synopsis
After a hectic first day of college, which includes rooming with her high school nemesis and catching a fraternity house on fire, Barrett thinks that September 21 can not get any worse.
Until she wakes up the next morning, and it is September 21 again.
Miles, a boy from Barrett’s physics class, has been trapped in the ‘September 21 loop’ for months. Now, the two must figure out a way to escape the time loop using whatever means necessary.
On their daring adventures, Barrett and Miles do random acts of kindness, live life to the fullest and grow a deep connection. Throughout the book, readers wonder if the two make it to September 22 and what happens once that day arrives.
Barrett and Miles
Barrett and Miles are relatable in more ways than one. The two college freshmen both think that somehow, someway, college will change them. With these high expectations, Barrett and Miles did not have a time loop in mind, but maybe it is exactly what they needed.
In a combination of wit, self-degradation and utter cuteness, Solomon brings the two characters to life in a cosmic way (pun intended).
It is easy to relate to both Barrett and Miles, who have histories and family struggles that other people do not see at first glance. Barrett, the extroverted journalism major, is a catalyst and light for Miles, the quiet, stubborn physics major, to step into the world with more confidence and less fear.
Throughout the book, it becomes easy to root for the two and hope that they can figure out why they are stuck and how to get back.
Takeaways
This book has ‘carpe diem’ written all over it, but in a meaningful and applicable way. Through the monotony of repeating days and the seeming aura that time has halted, what becomes glaringly obvious is that maybe it is better that time keeps moving. Maybe it is good that we only have a limited time on the physical plane.
By learning how to cherish time and learning more about who they truly are, Barrett and Miles realize that college changed them in more ways than one, just in the course of one day (repeated over and over).
Taking the time to truly learn about other people and oneself is the perfect lesson for readers at any time of life.
This read was the sweetest ‘Groundhog Day’ plot one could ask for.
