Explore the best book list of books about alternate realities or parallel lives that create a world of second chances for readers that love a “what if” book.
Welcome to the time travel world where reality twists and bends, offering readers glimpses into parallel lives and alternate realities.
What Are Books About Alternate Realities and Parallel Lives?
I describe these stories as books like Sliding Doors because that is how I was first attracted to these storylines through the movie’s imaginative theme.
One of my earliest memories of these books was a Taylor Jenkin’s Reid story called Maybe, Next Time, when Women’s Fiction was called “chick-lit”- a trend that, thankfully, has ended.
These books offered complete escapism in my early motherhood, and there were indeed days when I imagined what my world would look like if I had taken different paths.
Sometimes described as ‘what if books,’ they show what happens when characters make different choices, leading to parallel realities with multiple outcomes.
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After you finish this list, visit my other book lists with the best forward and backward time travelers, time loops, parallel universes, and multiverse stories that are shared at the bottom of today’s post.
If you crave more magical books like this, don’t miss these book lists:
Time Travel Books—Don’t miss this list filled with time travel that moves forward and backward through time. This is the list for books like Stephen King (11/22/63), The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, or The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Books About Parallel Universes and Multiverse Stories—This book list features books like Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. It also explores parallel universes in science fiction stories, such as Dark Matter, A Darker Shades of Magic, and The Ten Thousand Doors of January.
The Best Time Travel TV & Movies—This TV list celebrates the new TV shows and movies you haven’t heard about yet and can stream for your weekend!
Time Loop Books—This book list is for readers who love Groundhog Day loop stories, which involve time travel repeating with new lessons each loop.
Don’t forget we have an incredible best time travel TV shows and movies resource list that includes time loop stories for the screen, like Russian Doll and Happy Death Day!
What do YOU think are the best time loop books? Let us know in the comments below what this list needs! Happy time traveling, friends!