Alternate Timelines
The alternate timelines premise is characterized by changing the past and then observing the effect on the present.
This premise can be characterized across a number of vectors:
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Precipitating event: health-related vs. mystical encounter
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Scope: changing one decision vs. re-living the past
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Alternatives: exploring one vs many alternate timelines
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Type of change sought: relationship, health, career, family, mental health/happiness
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Guide: present or on their own
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Other characters are aware of their time travel: yes vs no
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Starting point on alternative timeline(s): time of decision vs alternative present
Thoughts
I found myself drawn to The Midnight Library during a difficult point in my life, and it quickly became my favorite book. After I finished The MidnightLibrary, I searched for books like it and quickly became fascinated by the genre.
I enjoy the thought experiment of What If-- what if I had chosen differently, been bolder, more responsible, less responsible, changed careers, moved, etc. The mind goes to certain possibilities, and although we can never know if those possibilities would have come to pass, I think there is value is in asking whether it is still possible to create aspects of our own alternate timelines by making different decisions now.
I also think that if one has regrets, and the majority of us do, seeking out these types of books can be an attempt to process and try to come to terms with those regrets, perhaps understanding them in a different way than before.
Regardless, I love the alternate timeline premise, and I have found a number of books that utilize it that I really enjoyed.
Books with an Alternate Timeline Premise
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The books are presented in no particular order, with the exception of The Midnight Library, which is first.
My favorite book. Through a series of events, a woman feels hopeless and attempts to end her life. She is then given the chance to explore all of the lives she could have lived if she had made different choices. I really liked the way that each life is examined and how the main character comes away with a realization. I myself felt lighter after each realization- this was an impactful book for me. I read the book first and then later bought the audiobook, which was also excellent in my opinion. I have re-read and re-listened to this book so many times that I have lost count at this point.
This is the second book in Matt Haig's Midnight Universe (The Midnight Library being the first), which is exciting because that seems to suggest there will be more. The premise is similar to The Midnight Library in the sense that it is about regret; however, the format is very different. The Midnight Train is more of a Christmas Carol format (the comparison was even mentioned in the book a bit after I started to notice the similarity). The main character is at the end of his life, and through The Midnight Train, we are able to witness his life and watch his current self reappraise some of the events and associated meanings. There is a pivot point where things get much more interesting and impactful. Like another of Haig's books The Life Impossible, you cannot just skip to the impactful part. Instead he slowly gets you invested in the character, their history, their feelings, their struggles. Then, and this is why it works, Haig gut punches you with some perspective shifts. I find this technique to be very effective, and although I'm unlikely to re-read The Midnight Train or The Life Impossible, I did find reading them to be impactful. One final note: I found the late connection to characters from The Midnight Library to be a little forced. For me it felt like finding out Han Solo is teaching astrophysics at Hogwarts. I think it would have been better if the connection had been a bit more explicit at the start of the book.
Emma is a wife and mother with a busy career. On a seemingly normal day, tragedy strikes. But, the next morning, everything seems to have re-set. The book follows Emma as she relives the day of the tragedy over and over, making different choices each time and experiencing the outcomes. This book was a bit mixed for me. I like the idea, and I really liked the end of the book. There were parts in the mid-beginning though that were a little slow for me, and I almost did not continue reading. I'm glad I did though, because the later parts really drew me in.
This book explored how life might have been different for Meg if she had made a different decision at a key point. I thought this was a great read- interesting and excellent pacing, a lot of interesting surprises. What I enjoyed the most though was that there were pros and cons to both the original and alternative life, and it felt a little deeper to me than the average alternate timeline book. It read more like a story that involved an alternate timeline than a lesson through an alternate timeline story, if that makes sense.
The Girl I Was (2021)
By Jeneva Rose
Alexis experiences a traumatic break-up and ends up going back in time to when she was in college. A twist in this book that is not typical for this genre (and this is disclosed on the book jacket, so is not a spoiler), is that her college-aged self is also there. The book follows the rocky relationship between the two as they try to fix both her (their) life and the timeline. Both characters are pretty obnoxious throughout, but I really started enjoying the story the near the Thanksgiving section. To be fair, I wonder how many of us would judge our younger and older selves harshly if we could interact with them. I wanted more kindness, but I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it was a bit of a commentary on how we talk to ourselves sometimes. So, I would recommend, but also prepare to possibly be a bit annoyed by the characters.
This was a fascinating account of what it might be like if you could wake up as your 16-year old self in the life you were living at 16 and make different choices. The author did an especially good job of describing the unexpected details the main character (Alice) noticed and reflected on about herself, her dad, and various situations. It had a themes of family and grief and closure, but wasn't necessarily a sad book. I thought this book was a wonderful combination of interesting and healing.
Right now, this is DNF for me. Greta suffers a series of losses that result in a depression. Her therapist sends her for electroconvulsive therapy. I was a bit horrified and stopped reading. It sounds like if you keep reading, she experiences life in a series of different time periods. If I come back to this book, I'll update the review.
Wow, this was a good book. This is an emotionally complex story following Lydia in two timelines after her fiancé dies. There is a lot of emotional introspection and growth throughout the book. Both the plot twists and the other characters' behavior are believable and realistically complex. I deeply enjoyed this book, but it is not a light read. The chapters are often short, which makes it good for quick reading breaks if you like that. I LOVED the ending. I loved the results of the introspection that the reader is ready to hear at the end, and I also loved the way the character's story ended.
Also, just a heads up that there is a death scene (and the emotional aftermath) and a birth scene, both of which are described in detail.
This book follows the main character (Dawn) across two potential timelines after she is almost in a plane crash. The plane doesn't crash in either timeline, but she makes a different decision in the two timelines right after the plane lands. This is a very detailed book. The chapters are dense, and there is a lot of backstory. The author also includes hieroglyphs and other illustrations in the Egypt timeline. So, if you like this type of read, you will love this book. I got a bit stuck and am currently DNF on page 86, but I might come back to it. If I do, I will update the review.
The Husbands (2024)
By Holly Gramazio
This book explores different lives, but within one timeline. Lauren finds that she has the ability to switch husbands an infinite number of times, and the story runs along one timeline with these husbands (and her life circumstances) switching. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy the book at the start. It felt a little choppy, and it took a little bit for me to get invested. Around Carter, I started enjoying the story. There were harrowing parts and several interesting twists. I also liked the bit of self-discovery that Lauren went through as she tried on the different lives. I did not predict the ending. Overall, it wasn't my favorite alternate timeline book, but I did enjoy it. My favorite quotation from the book is "This whole situation makes it hard to trick yourself about what you're like."
The premise is extraordinarily similar to The Midnight Library, but via an accident instead of a suicide attempt. If you loved The Midnight Library, it is difficult to say whether you will like this book. It is very similar, but I think The Midnight Library is better written. Also, I related to the alternate timelines in the Midnight Library much more than those in this book, and The Midnight Library was more emotionally impactful. That said, if I could do it over (see what I did there), I would read this book again, it's just not a favorite.
Insignificant Others (2025)
By Sarah Jio
After a big break-up, we get to see what the main character's life would have been like if she had stayed with or married different men she had previously dated or met. I liked that each "life glimpse" was substantial enough that you really get invested in either that life or that she needs to get out of that life. In that way, it was somewhat similar to the Midnight Library although I would say that the realizations the main character has weren't as impactful for me. That can be a good thing if you are looking for a lighter read. If you like alternate realities, I do recommend giving it a read. The story was enjoyable, it was interesting to consider the wide variety of situations Lena's choices could have led to, and the ending was satisfying. I will definitely see what else the author has written.
The Players Club (2026)
By Rachel Mills
This is not a time travel or alternate reality book. However, I am adding it here because of the absolute delight I experienced reading the first two chapters about purposely inhabiting a different life for an afternoon. I loved the descriptions of how the change in mindset changed the main character's experience and others' reactions. It felt like a taste of alternate lives in the real world (or at least a world that does not depend on fancy physics). However, after the first bit, although there are a few additional situations like this, it slowly turns into a book about a deep grief. There is also some very vivid content at an extreme club, and later some video of that is found, so that could be triggering for some. Overall, I did like the book enough to finish it, but the first two chapters were my favorite part by far.