Runaway Lover

A shallow, popularity-obsessed teen gets accidentally swept into a time travel adventure and lands nearly a century in the past — where she falls for a circus tiger trainer whose life is in danger, forcing her to choose between her world and her heart.

Runaway Lover is Book #3 in the Time Shifters YA series by Bob Kat, and this installment puts the spotlight on Zoey.

Zoey Chandler is popular, beautiful, and rich — and her greatest achievement, as far as she's concerned, is being on the cheer squad. That is, until she's accidentally swept along on a wild adventure with Austin, Kelly, and Scott, and discovers there's more to life than having a good hair day. 

Their newest adventure carries the group to a travelling circus, where Zoey falls hard for a charming young man named Jesse who trains tigers. Meanwhile, Kelly and Austin grow closer as all four teens take on circus jobs and experience a way of life completely unlike anything they've ever known. 

But love is complicated when there's a time gap of nearly a hundred years — and when Jesse is the target of a jealous killer. If they can save him, Zoey faces an agonizing decision: stay in the life she knows and loves, or give it all up for a boy from a different era who has stolen her heart. 

The book deepens Zoey's character significantly, transforming her from a background figure into a fully realized lead, while continuing to build the slow-burn romance between Kelly and Austin.