REVIEW: Not You Again by Erin La Rosa

In Not You Again by Erin La Rosa, Carly Hart was already not a fan of Julian, California, before her father passed away. He moved to the tiny town about a year ago, leaving her in Burbank to toil away on her screenplay while only speaking to him here and there via phone. But then Carly received the devastating news and made her way to his new home. And each day since she somehow finds herself at her father’s funeral when an unexplainable time loop “resets” each morning. One of the worst parts? She has to hear the funeral director, Adam Rhodes, and his now ex-wife breaking up in the next room. Every. Damn. Day. Adam seems grumpy and antisocial. So, he and Carly, an outgoing observer of people, don’t really mesh well. Until they start working together to end the time loop. Then she realizes they have off the charts chemistry–and that Adam isn’t rude or standoffish. There are very good reasons for his demeanor. And she wants to be the one to help him achieve his goals, while they love and support each other along the way.

‘Being stuck in a time loop had not been on her bingo card, and if she’d known such a thing was even possible, she’d have opted for a more comfortable bra.’

Waking up each morning in his office at the funeral home having his wife–well, now ex-wife–confess to cheating on him is getting very, *very* old for Adam. As much as he would love to move on, this time loop pushes them together over and over. And then there’s his client, Carly. If she’s not crying, then she’s bugging him with questions he can’t answer. He doesn’t want to seem rude, but he has no emotional bandwidth left to deal with everything currently happening in his life. Then Adam and Carly strike a deal. They will combine efforts to pinpoint why the time loop is happening, why he thinks it’s tied to a full solar eclipse that took place, and how to finally stop the cycle so everyone can go back to normal. Okay, normal-ish. But Adam has to admit that once he gets to know more about Carly, she’s a really great person. And he can picture himself creating a future with her–if they can get things in this timeline finally straightened out.

“So, we have a deal?” she pressed again. “We’ll work together so we can both stop the loop and never have to see each other again.”
Adam swallowed, then extended his hand to hers and said, “To never seeing each other again.”

NOT YOU AGAIN was a slow burn romance that sparks the imagination, will keep you guessing about a crazy time loop, and have you experiencing every emotion under the sun.

‘What if the loop ended, and their world did, too?’

CW: View Spoiler »Grief, parental loss, cheating, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, drug use « Hide Spoiler

The magical realism in NOT YOU AGAIN was on point from page one. With a time loop that even flabbergasted a renowned scientist, the people in the tiny town of Julian, California, were stuck reliving the same day over and over again with no idea why–or how to make it stop. Author Erin La Rosa took this premise and layered in several different situations and issues not only for the main characters, Carly and Adam, but for the other townspeople as well. It was a veritable roller coaster ride of feelings and emotions. And I was there for every single one.

The banter between all the characters, but particularly with Adam and Carly, was ridiculously fun. It made each scene unique as well as entertaining. As did the quirky locals who came up with some truly creative ways to spend their days in the time loop. But it was Carly and Adam who stole the show. They were quite different in personality. And they most definitely got off on the wrong foot at the start of the loop. However, as the days wore on, they realized that their animosity toward each other was mostly misguided tension and grief–Carly having just lost her father and Adam watching the end of his marriage. And as they worked through all the stages, they built a strong relationship with mutual trust and support. And with an abundance of passion.

I did want to briefly mention that La Rosa included diversity with neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ characters who were (mostly) welcomed into town with open arms. To me, it seemed like the sense of community and inclusion grew over time with each loop and I loved seeing people working together for a common cause as well as watching out for each other. There were even some nostalgic, sentimental moments that I think will touch readers with their poignancy.

QOTD: If you were stuck in a time loop day after day, what are some things you would spend your time doing? (Aside from reading, of course!)

Book Info:

Publication: Published: November 11th, 2025 | Canary Street Press |

They have nothing but time…to hate each other.

In Julian, California, every day is April 23rd—and in a time loop, there are no rules. Eating endless slices of fresh apple pie? Yes. Partner swapping? Why not. Being trapped inside the plot of a sci-fi film would almost be inspiring for LA screenwriter Carly Hart…if she wasn’t waking up at her dad’s funeral every single day. Carly wants out.

Funeral director Adam Rhodes is equally frustrated. Every loop, Adam regenerates in the middle of a fight with his ex-wife. Her infidelity wrecked their perfect life together, and now Adam must relive her confession over and over again.

There’s only one solution to ending the misery: breaking the time loop. Easier said than done. And there’s another hurdle to overcome: Carly and Adam can’t stand each other.

Though strangers at best, Carly and Adam know they must work together to solve this cosmic mystery. But where Carly offers magical theories, Adam relies on facts and figures. When Carly wants to involve the local conspiracy theorist, Adam would rather work alone. The sooner they find a solution, the sooner they’ll never have to see each other again, yet somehow the tension between the two is hotter than a solar flare and as rare as the daily total solar eclipse. Maybe Carly and Adam are destined to be in each other’s orbit after all…