Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

Hello friends! How is your fall going so far? I hope you had the happiest of Halloweens, and even if you didn’t celebrate, I hope you had a great weekend. I got my hands on Erin La Rosa’s latest novel, Not You Again, on audiobook from NetGalley and Harlequin Audio, and wanted to share my thoughts with you as we dive into November.

This story centers on Carly, who finds herself as the only mourner at her dad’s funeral. She’s grieving, upset, and stuck in the small town her dad moved to after leaving LA to open a movie theater. She’s also a screenwriter waiting for her next big project to come through. The funeral director, Adam, tries to help, but he’s also having a tough day, as it turns out, his wife left him for his best friend, and they were arguing about it that very morning. Just when they think the day can’t get worse, it does: the clock resets, and suddenly it’s April 23rd all over again. Everyone remembers what happened during that first day, but now they’re trapped reliving it, Carly at the funeral and Adam fighting with his soon-to-be ex-wife, if they get past April 23rd that is.

Now for what kept this one at 3 stars for me: There’s a big time jump after the initial chaos of the time loop, skipping ahead over 200 days. I wish the early days of the loop where everyone is freaking out with the confusion and the frustration of starting the day over and over had more space in the story. Then jumping ahead a few weeks, and then a month or two. Instead, we land way down the line just about when Adam and Carly are about to team up. Carly and Adam then attempt to break the loop with science and random schemes, and a lot of trial and error. During this time, another reason for my 3-star rating occurs; there are mentions of one character’s ADHD and a mention of bisexuality from another character. These details felt like they were included for a diversity checklist rather than fully integrated into the story. I definitely came away wanting a deeper dive into both the characters and the premise.

What kept me listening was Mela Lee’s narration. She did a great job bringing Carly, Adam, and the small town’s characters to life. Her voices suited every moment and made the book better, I just wish there was a bit more for her to work with.

So who is this book for? If you enjoy a fast-paced, character-driven story with solid narration, you may want to check this one out. If not, you might want to skip it and find something else as the weather cools down this November.

Happy Reading, friends!