My Books
I write stories about everyday people determined to change their own little parts of the world. Sometimes they live in fictional towns and sometimes they live in real ones. Sometimes there's magic and sometimes there's not. But there's always love--fierce, stubborn, determined love--and in the end, in all its beautifully complicated imperfection, tomorrow always comes.
Streetlight People
Penguin Random House | In Stores
For most, Streetlight is just a dot on the map. But if you live there, you're either a Have-Not, like Kady, or a Have-Lot like her boyfriend, Nik, who also happens to be a member of the exclusive social club, The IV Boys.
Known for their wealth, The IV Boys have always refused to accept Kady regardless of how much Nik loves her. All the Boys except for Aaron, who didn't grow up in Streetlight and is one of the few who knows that life--real life--exists outside of it.
With Nik at college, Aaron stands by Kady's side. But all Kady really wants is Nik, and when a chance encounter on Halloween hands her the power to twist and hold time, she doesn't hesitate. Now she can keep Nik close for as long as she wants.
While Kady tries to relive her best moments with Nik, The IV Boys spread a rumor that Kady and Aaron are much more than friends--and not even twisting time is enough to defend against the power the Boys were born with,
The more Kady changes the clock, the more dizzying reality becomes, until she stumbles upon a truth darker than anything she could have imagined. Streetlight is filled with monsters--and maybe she's always been one, too.
Praise
★ “Ray Bradbury-esque….An intersectionally diverse cast of authentically flawed characters complement Thomas’s fiendishly clever premise and swiftly paced, slyly crafted plot.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “[O]nce the twists start, they don’t stop…. A reflective, time-bending look at power and young love.”—Kirkus Reviews “Thomas grounds her tricky, time manipulation story about fate and choice with realistically flawed, relatable, intersectionally diverse characters and a nostalgic small-town setting both charming and ominous.”—Booklist “An emotional genre bender with a startlingly eerie setting, sparkling prose, and a wholly original concept. Charlene Thomas is an author to watch.” —Jessica Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of The Legacies and The Counselors “Gorgeously written, atmospheric, and deeply intelligent, Streetlight People is part mystery, part sci-fi, and wholly original. Thomas tackles heavy topics like fate, identity, and class with grace. Her characters will stay with you long after their final page. You do not want to miss this book.”—Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Agathas and The Night in Question “Disorienting and delightful in equal measure, Streetlight People is a gorgeously told Lynchian tale of a claustrophobic small town full of insidious secrets. A gripping story about the measure of power and who gets to use it.”—Joelle Wellington, author of Their Vicious Games “Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, Charlene Thomas throws a curve ball into the space-time continuum in this gorgeously evocative book that will keep you guessing until the very end about the Have-Lots and the Have-Nots who inhabit the magical city of Streetlight.”—Susan Azim Boyer, author of Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win and The Search For Us “A dreamy story of class division and belonging, so sensory you can almost taste it. Charlene Thomas steers us through the dizzying lattice of the butterfly effect with a deft and attentive hand.”—Isa Arsén, author of Shoot the Moon “Streetlight People is a layered, slow-developing photograph of a novel, with the subtle tension of a shadow moving closer in the corner of your eye. With atmospheric prose and a setting so vivid I felt like I could find it on a map, Thomas expertly pulls you through Streetlight People, toward a satisfying twist that made me want to start over from page one. An entrancing read. —Jill Tew, author of The Dividing Sky “An utterly unique and twisty spin on time travel that will have you wanting to take one of Kady’s candies so you can go back and do it all over again. The last fifty pages will have your jaw on the floor.”—Stacy Stokes, author of Remember Me Gone and The Darkness Rises “Thomas’s fiery entrance into the speculative genre will have readers clawing to uncover countless truths. A story worth reading time and time again, Streetlight People challenges every facet of reality, questions who you can trust, and focuses on the morality of what’s done behind the doors that are meant to keep you out.” —Brianna Peppins, author of the Briarcliff Prep series “There are secrets abound, and more than meets the eye, in Charlene Thomas’s Streetlight People, an alluring story of intrigue set in a small town of the Have-Nots and Have-Lots, a generations-old not so secret society, powerful families, and an ending that will leave you breathless. I absolutely love Kady’s bravery and tenacity and her determination to uncover the truth no matter what the cost, even if the truth ends up revealing something ugly about herself, and I love Charlene’s way of storytelling even more.”—Yasmin Angoe, Anthony-nominated author of Her Name Is Knight “Heartsick and beautifully twisted, Streetlight People is an expertly crafted story of memory and longing—both the romantic and power-hungry kinds. Charlene Thomas will have you under her spell!”—Adam Sass, award-winning author of Surrender Your Sons and Your Lonely Nights Are Over
Seton Girls
Penguin Random House | In stores
Seton Academic High is a prep school obsessed with its football team and their thirteen-year conference win streak, a record that players always say they’d never have without Seton’s girls. What exactly Seton girls do to make them so valuable, though, no one ever really says. They’re just “the best.” But the team’s quarterback, the younger brother of the Seton star who started the streak, wants more than regular season glory. He wants a state championship before his successor, Seton’s first Black QB, has a chance to overshadow him. Bigger rewards require bigger risks, and soon the actual secrets to the team’s enduring success leak to a small group of girls who suddenly have the power to change their world forever.
Praise
“Legitimately unputdownable. It’s a scathing critique of toxic masculinity wrapped up in a gorgeously written prep-school mystery.”—Becky Albertalli, NYT bestselling author of Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda ★”Poignant conversations examining the lack of accountability for wealthy, well-protected men in power permeate this thought-provoking story.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review “A timely examination of consent, power, and who owns the rights to the truth.”–Kirkus Reviews “Thomas executes a smartly plotted debut where every page is fraught with tension…. This bold and unapologetic story of female empowerment will stay with readers long after the last page.”—Booklist “A timely addition to the #MeToo conversation, one that asks important questions about privilege— especially white male privilege—and consent.”—Washington Independent Review of Books
It's You Every Time
Scholastic | May 2025
When Sydney Michaels stops for breakfast in order to put off scholastic ruin a little longer, she never expected to—quite literally—bump into cute-boy stranger, Marcus Burke.
When Marcus invites her to have breakfast with him instead of going to class, she can’t ignore the urge to get to know him better—or the fact that this charming new acquaintance seems just as interested in her.
After a magical day together in their hometown of New York City, Sydney is finally willing to believe that maybe—just maybe—after years of loss and heartache, she’s finally reached the good part.
But when it comes time to say goodbye, as they linger in a crosswalk, something happens. An accident? Sydney isn’t sure—all she knows is that, after screeching tires, blinding headlights, and a moment of searing pain, she opens her eyes and is back in her bed. On September 24–the morning of her big exam—again.
Praise
"A beautiful, deeply moving exploration of fate, grief, and love. This is one of those books you can't stop thinking about long after turning the last page. Charlene Thomas is such a talent." - Ann Liang, NYT Bestselling author of I Hope This Doesn't Find You