Not You Again

La Rosa (The Backtrack) again leverages time travel to bring two people together in this endearing Groundhog Day–style rom-com. Carly Hart heads to Julian, Calif., for her somewhat estranged father’s funeral only for the entire town to wind up trapped in a one-day time loop, doomed to endlessly relive April 22, the day of the memorial service. The only person Carly knows in the small, quirky town is funeral director Adam, who’s also having a bad day repeatedly. On the first day of the loop, his wife revealed that she cheated on him with his best friend, and now, no matter what he does, they’re forced to start each day together. As the town devolves into humorous hedonistic anarchy, Adam busies himself with studying the solar eclipse that happens every afternoon, hoping to determine whether it might be the cause of the time loop, and Carly offers to help. Together, they test escape theories, growing closer all the while, especially as they bond about what they want out of life after the loop ends. La Rosa hand-waves the mechanics behind the time loop, instead focusing on the wacky antics of the supporting cast and the significant chemistry between her leads. Readers who like their romances to come with a bit of magic will be pleased. (Nov.)