Not You Again by Erin La Rosa

Not You Again by Erin La Rosa

Published by Canary Street Press ISBN 9781335916372

Trade paperback, $18.99, 320 pages

From the publisher:

Two 30-something singles stuck in a time loop are forced to relive the worst days of their lives, so they team up to find a way to break the cycle. For fans of Palm Springs and Oona Out of Order, NOT YOU AGAIN offers a fresh new take on the Groundhog Day story.

In Julian, California, every day is April 22. Most people have accepted the loop—after all, reliving the same day every day, there’s nothing to lose. Day drinking until you pass out? Yes. Partner swapping? Why not.

But Carly has woken up at her dad’s funeral exactly 238 times, and she wants out. She doesn’t want to waste her life away reliving the worst day ever in the small town she always hated visiting. Carly wants to go back to writing film scripts in LA; she’s determined to find a way to break the cycle.

She discovers an unexpected kindred spirit in Adam, the mortician she met at her dad’s funeral. April 22 was also one of the worst days of his life: his fiancée admitted to cheating on him with his best friend. Every day Adam wakes up on April 22 to his ex-fiancée's admission, starting each day with a breakup. April 22 was supposed to be his last day working for his parents at the funeral home, and the start of his new life as an astronomer. Adam is a man of science, and like Carly, he believes there must be a way out of the time loop.

Together, Carly and Adam team up to find out what’s causing the time loop. And in trying to find a way out, they also find their way to each other.

My Thoughts:

Palm Springs is an underrated movie starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti that dealt with two people traveling to a wedding who get stuck in a time loop. It's a great movie, and when I read Not You Again, it immediately put me in mind of this movie. (I was happy to see in the Acknowledgements section that it inspired author Erin La Rosa as well.)

While it took me awhile to get into this story, I'm glad I went along for the journey. Who would want to relive one of the worst days of their lives over and over again? Carly is dealing with the loss of her father, the man who raised her and gave her a love of movies. She's also dealing with her guilt over not visiting her father when he moved from Los Angeles to the small town of Julian to open a movie theater of his own.

Adam has family issues as well. Along with discovering his wife is having an affair with his best friend, he can't bring himself to tell his parents he doesn't want to run the family funeral home business anymore. He wants to be an astronomer, but he never could bring himself to take a chance and make that leap.

 And as Carly and Adam go from two people who meet on the worst day of their lives and don't like each other to banding together to try and discover a way out of the time loop, they realize maybe there are sparks there. The sparks turn into flames as La Rosa gives the reader some very steamy sex scenes.

I liked the family angle to the story, it gave it an added dimension to the characters for me. And if you love science and astonomy, this story will give you an extra bonus. I recommend Not You Again as a romance with an intriguing concept.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2025 Blog Tours.

Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery

Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778387268

Hardcover, $30, 368 pages

From the publisher:

When Shannon gets engaged, her beloved mom, Cindy, is the first person she wants to tell—and the last. Cindy’s engaged, too, and has already hinted at a double wedding. The image of a synchronized bouquet toss with her mom fills Shannon with horror. She’ll keep her engagement a secret until Cindy’s I-dos are done.

Victoria has never been proper enough for her mother, Ava, so she stopped trying. She lives on her own terms and amuses herself by pushing Ava’s buttons. Ava loves but doesn’t understand her stuntwoman daughter. When a movie-set mishap brings Victoria home, Ava longs to finally connect.

Chance brings the four women together at a wedding venue, where a shocking secret comes tumbling out. Twenty-four years ago, desperate teenager Cindy chose wealthy Ava to adopt her baby—then changed her mind at the very last second. The loss rocked Ava’s world, leaving her unable to open her heart to the daughter she did adopt, Victoria. As Shannon and Victoria deal with the fallout from the decisions their mothers made, they wrestle with whether who they are is different than who they might have become.

My thoughts:

The premise of this novel is intriguing and unique. Victoria has always known she was adopted, but when she discovers that she was not the baby her parents thought they were getting, it knocks her for a loop. It also causes more friction between her and her mother.

Shannon discovers that her mother, who raised her as a single mom, almost gave her up for adoption. She loves her mother even as she feels her mother is a bit too close to her. She works for her mom and is engaged to a great guy, but she feels something is missing in her life.

Victoria now thinks she understands why she and her mother never had a close relationship; she was second choice. It should have been Shannon that her parents raised. 

Running into Cindy after twenty-four years has brought back so many feelings that Ava had buried. She felt that Cindy was like a sister to her, they took her into their home and lives, and then she just disappeared with the baby that thought would be theirs.

There is a lot here for great book club discussions especially about mother-daughter relationships and how fraught they can be. People will see themselves in these characters and wonder if they would react the same way. I know I did. 

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2025 Blog Tours.

National Geographic's The Traveler's Atlas of the World

 The Traveler's Atlas of the World

Published by National Geographic Partners ISBN 9781426223549

Hardcover, $65, 559 pages

Halloween has come and gone and now people will turn their sights to holiday gift shopping. Every year National Geographic publishes a few new titles of coffee table books perfect for gift-giving to your favorite people.

One of the new titles this year is The Traveler's Atlas of the World. It's a beautiful book that combines stunning photos with full color maps that feature drawings of animals, food, and other things found in that country.

The book is divided into six sections- North America & the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, Antartica & the Pacific. 

Each country has an information page featuring a quick overview of the country and a side bar of Fun Facts that give the reader the lowdown on Best Known For, When to Visit, Climate/Weather, Plan Ahead, Best-Kept Secret, and Good To Know. At the top of each page is the capital, area in mileage, official language, and currency.

You will also find full two-page spreads on Cultural Treasures (like Stockholm's Old Town  in Sweden), Must-Do guides (the wine country in Douro Valley in Portugal)  and Top Ten lists (Singapore's Can't Miss Experiences). 

If you are a world traveler (or know someone who is), this is a wonderful book filled with information that will make your trips more enjoyable. It's also fun for armchair travelers or anyone who wants to audition for Jeopardy!

Thanks to TLC Tours for putting me on this tour.