The Two Lives of Miss Charlotte Merryweather

November 23, 2009
In the 10 years since she arrived in London as a know-nothing college graduate with caterpillar eyebrows and her hair in a scrunchie, American Charlotte Merryweather has transformed herself into the stylish proprietress of the city's poshest public relations firm. Charlotte (along with her faithful assistant, Beatrice) is in pursuit of a hot new client and a home for herself and her boyfriend, when a sighting on the morning commute derails her: a curly-haired young woman in a beat-up orange VW Beetle who resembles the Charlotte of 10 years earlier. On a whim, Charlotte follows her home and discovers that, through some sort of inexplicable time-bending phenomenon, the girl is in fact Charlotte's younger self, called Lottie. Buddying up with her doppelgänger, Charlotte finds paradoxes taking a backseat to life lessons; thinking she's got a decade of hard-won wisdom to teach Lottie, Charlotte is surprised to find herself learning from her past persona about love, passion, and trusting herself. Though the plot mechanics grind noisily, Potter (Me and Mr. Darcy
) rescues her high-concept romance with charming characters, sharp dialogue, and a satisfying conclusion.

January 15, 2010
From "Back to the Future" to "A Wrinkle in Time", readers have long enjoyed a little time travel. Potter ("Me and Mr. Darcy") plays with time in a most modern sense in her new novel. Thirty-one-year-old Charlotte Merryweather is mature and successful and in a long-term relationship; she's apparently got it all. But judging by the eczema and anxiety, she's not happy. When Charlotte finds herself face to face with her 21-year-old self, she first wants to save herself from all the poor choices she had made at that age. But as she spends more time with her younger identity in this alternate time-space continuum, Charlotte realizes it is her older self who is making the bad decisions. VERDICT If you were in your late teens or early twenties in the 1990s, you'll identify with Charlotte and her time-travel adventure. Chick-lit connoisseurs will enjoy this twist on a much-loved, albeit familiar, story line.Anika Fajardo, St. Catherine Univ., St. Paul

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.