Time Loop Books For Readers Who Love Loops

If you have been craving a cozy rom-com like Love Actually for your book stack, this is the new time loop story for you. 

The novel opens in a bar with Gemma's favorite song playing and a guy ordering a distinctly Gemma drink for her.

It's strangely familiar, and at the end of that first night together, Jack simply pleads, "Please remember me, Gemma."

The reader discovers that Jack has been trapped in a 24-hour time loop that only seems to progress when Gemma begins to fall in love with him.

The problem is that she has no recollection of the encounter each time they wake up.

And so you, as the reader, will hope that 147-time loops will undoubtedly have been enough to finally get to that happily ever after for Jack and Gemma.

I loved every moment of this journey, especially the nods to films like When Harry Met Sally and Love Actually, which are embedded in this book.

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This story offers a dual point of view in an imagined future in 2090. 

Carter Cho, a technician at a scientific lab, and Neuroscientist Mariana Pineda find themselves trapped in a never-ending time loop.

The initiation of this incident occurs when Mariana, newly grieving the loss of someone in her life,  finds herself on an unexpected tour of Carter's secretive facility, where he's tinkering with the Hawke Particle Accelerator. 

But their excursion takes a dramatic turn when the reactor unexpectedly detonates, hurling them into a bewildering time loop that spans four days.

As they are the only ones retaining memories from each cycle, they embark on a journey to unravel the mystery behind the loops while discovering some unexpected feelings for each other. 

This book is for readers who like thorough explanations of the reason behind the why of the time loop rather than for readers who crave light time travel descriptions.

This novel has great crossover appeal for teen readers who love science fiction. 

In this time loop thriller,  Jen anxiously waits for her son Todd on a chilling Halloween night, where she witnesses him committing a horrifying act of violence. 

But when she wakes up the following day, she's back in time with the opportunity to prevent the murder from happening. 

With each new day, Jen finds herself further back in the past, determined to unravel the events leading up to the crime to save her son from a devastating fate.

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This backlist book from 1986 is a favorite among many readers and some of their earliest memories of a time loop book. 

Jeff Winston mysteriously dies at 43, only to wake up in his 18-year-old body with all his memories intact. 

Forced to relive his life again and again, he struggles with the consequences of his choices and uncovers a captivating world of second chances.

On the first Monday of our story, Emma is wrapping up another harried day of obligations and comes home to an angry husband.

Dan has lovingly prepared an anniversary dinner and wrote the annual letter they will give each other on this special day.

The problem is that Emma has entirely forgotten the day's celebration along with this symbolic letter of their year together.

After this fight, Dan takes the dog for a walk and gets hit by a car.

When Emma goes to bed, Dan is dead and gone.

But when she wakes up, he is alive.

This cycle repeats as Emma tries to keep Dan alive or tune into what the Universe is trying to tell her on this never-ending Monday.

This book's ending offers a savvy plot twist that made me audibly gasp out loud—it is so, so good!

Take advantage of my Cesca Major interview on the Book Gang podcast, discussing the challenges of writing a great time travel story.

Following our conversation, this novel was selected as a Reese's Book Club book and a Maybe Next Time movie adaptation was announced.

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Agatha Christie mystery fans will adore this fun debut.

One of our book club members shared that this is the first book like Agatha Christi that delivered on these rich comparisons.

There are three rules of Blackheath House:

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.

There are eight days and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

We will only let you escape once you tell us the killer's name.

Readers know that Evelyn Hardcastle will die.

She will die daily until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle.

Aiden wakes up in a different body and repeats the day, armed with new information each time he awakens.

Some of his hosts help him, while others make his job very hard.

Leaving clues for himself to find, he must win the game to leave the property, but it won't be easy.

Turton crafts some unlikeable characters and creates beautiful tension when Aiden has to fight the impulses of the body he inhabits.

Keep in mind his confusion is the reader's confusion, too, so the story keeps the reader on their toes. We recommend reading this as a paper copy to ensure you can access the map and cast of characters to help you solve the case.

If you choose to do the audiobook or a digital copy, take a screenshot of the sample pages for these crucial details that you’ll need to help you solve the crime.

In this Groundhog Day story, Dom's day is going wrong, and there is no escaping it.

After bumping into his ex-fiancée, Mia, whom he hasn't seen in years, he believes they have been given a second chance and asks her out.

Unfortunately, tragedy strikes on their date, and Mia dies.

In a desperate move, Dom makes a wish to save her life, and to his surprise, wakes up the following day to find her alive.

However, no matter how much he changes their time together, Mia still meets a tragic end every day.

Dom frantically searches for answers to save Mia and rekindle their love, but the more he digs, the more obsessed he becomes.

As he confronts the truth about himself and those closest to him, he realizes that slowing down time may be the only way to see things.

This novel is a great romance with a touch of magic.

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are a wonderful writing duo that I have come to appreciate over the years.

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This novel is currently FREE with Prime. Be sure to check out our Best Prime Reading Guide to check out up to TEN books as a Prime benefit.

This Women's Fiction selection centers on a physical therapist who is reliving the same day - December 4 - over and over again.

On this day, her fiancée, Linus, was seriously injured in an accident, and every day she desperately tries to prevent the accident from occurring.

As Linus is eager to set a date for their wedding, the reader discovers why Diana is reluctant to take their relationship to the next level.

And as she confronts her past she begins to discover the true power in vulnerability.

In this Christmas romance from the writing duo Christina Lauren, Mae spends Christmas every year in a beloved Utah cabin with her family and close friends. 

But this year, everything feels off: Mae's life is in turmoil, and the cabin is about to be sold. 

After a car crash, she repeatedly relives the holiday week, determined to break out of the time loop and find true happiness.

This novel is among the first I’ve seen with the new Reese’s Writer Fellowship LitUp Exists sticker. The writer’s fellowship is offered to unpublished, diverse women and nonbinary individuals.

This young adult story is a celebration of two queer, disabled, Jewish teens who find themselves ensnared in an endless time loop--and unexpectedly falling in love.

For Phoebe Mendel, each day is the same, trapped in an endless time loop cycle.
However, Phoebe's routine is shattered when her childhood crush, Jess, becomes entangled in the loop after a car crash.

With Jess by her side, they embrace self-discovery and adventure through these consequence-free days.

But as their bond deepens, Phoebe begins to worry about their future beyond this loop.

This novel is recommended for readers ages 13 and older.

Release Date- 23 July 2024

Barrett Bloom is living a nightmare. Her time loop is forces her to relive her disastrous first day of college.

As she grapples with her nemesis-turned-roommate and a series of humiliating mishaps, she discovers she's not alone in this time loop.

Miles, the very person she can't stand, is also trapped there.

Together, they try to break free from the loop as they navigate growing feelings for each other.

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This young adult time travel escape is one of my favorite Lynn Painter books.

This time loop story follows a teenage girl having the worst Valentine’s Day imaginable.

Emilie is a straight-A student and a meticulous planner.

She has carefully chosen her boyfriend, Josh, because he ticks all the right boxes.

But on Valentine's Day, Emilie's carefully constructed life faces as serious of disheartening turns.

Seeking a break, Emilie escapes to her grandmother's house, hoping this dreadful day will end soon.

However, she soon realizes she is trapped in a never-ending time loop, repeatedly reliving this horrible holiday over and over again.

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My co-host, Jessica Bearak, shared that this novel is perfect for readers who struggle with time loop stories.

We are pulled into the story 310 days after Clark's first time loop experience.

Clark has been reliving the same mundane day repeatedly, becoming increasingly frustrated with the experience.

When he meets the carefree Beau, his world is turned upside down as the two embark on a whirlwind adventure through Chicago.

As Clark works through assignments from his therapist to help him feel less lonely, he finds Beau might be the perfect connection to help him mentally move forward.

This is more than a YA romance and proves why Robbie Couch is a favorite on our show.

I became a fan of Pessl's writing after reading Night Film and recommend this selection for fans of We Were Liars.

Beatrice and her group of friends all have been devastated by the death of Beatrice's boyfriend, Jim.

She has been estranged from her friends but is invited to celebrate a birthday celebration with the old gang.

After a strained night and a near-miss car crash, they receive a visitor who calls himself "The Keeper."

He says they are now stuck between the worlds of life and death. For them to move on, they must all vote and unanimously choose one of themselves to save.

Given the dynamics of these strained relationships, the reader knows they will be in for a long and bumpy ride.

Stuck in time, they live the same day over and over again until they can come to a decision.

As more secrets come to light surrounding Jim's death, choosing who should be saved becomes a complex plot point.