Out of the Loop

by Katie Siegel

She spent two years in a time loop. Now she’s ready to solve a murder. And maybe grab a bagel.

The Seven-Year Slip meets Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers in this wholly original time loop mystery.

For the past two years, Amie Teller has been stuck in a time loop. Each day, she wakes up and it’s September 17th. Same day, same weather, same people, same conversations. Until, one day, it’s September 18th, and Amie is free.

Before she can celebrate, Amie learns her neighbor was murdered the day before—the day Amie has lived hundreds of times. Amie knows she has to help; nobody knows yesterday like she does. But acclimating to her new non-repeating life proves to be more difficult than expected. How does one resume their life after a time loop, anyway?

Assisted by an ex-girlfriend who wants to make their friendship work, and a grumpy neighbor who spends his days building Rube Goldberg machines, Amie sets out to track down who killed (and killed and killed and killed) Savannah Harlow.

Readers who love time loop novels, amateur sleuth mysteries, and original takes on classic tropes will love Out of the Loop.

Genres: Mystery, Time Travel, Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Adult

336 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 10, 2026

About the author

Katie Siegel (she/they) is a former wannabe kid detective who eventually realized that writing mysteries was more fun than trying (and failing) to solve them. When she's not writing books, she’s either reading, listening to comedy podcasts, or playing TTRPGs with her friends. Online she’s at katiefliesaway.com, and offline she's in central New Jersey, which is real and exists.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I've learned about myself is that I love mysteries that include time loops. I'm not sure why, but I can think of several time loop mysteries that I've rated four or five stars, so evidently, this is a trope that works for me, and Out of the Loop is no exception.

Amie has been stuck living the same day for two years: visiting the same coffee shop that's out of her beloved blueberry bagels, witnessing the same fight between her friend David and their difficult neighbor Savannah, and attending the same "friend date" with her ex-girlfriend Riya, who she maybe wishes wasn't her ex-girlfriend. When Amie finally gets out of the loop, she's excited to return to her life, but surprise! Savannah's been murdered! On the exact day Amie has lived hundreds of times. Amie takes this as her sign that she needs to solve Savannah's murder using the unique perspective only she can have.

This was a really cute, fun mystery. I loved the relationships between the three main characters. David, in particular, was my favorite and made me chuckle a few times. I would recommend for fans of Only Murders in the Building or Catherine Mack.

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for time loop stories. I was obsessed with Groundhog Day as a child, so I’m always excited to see fresh takes on the trope. After recently reading Time and Time Again, I was so excited to find another sapphic time loop story, Out of the Loop, and of course the added murder mystery element made it even more appealing to me.

Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable read, with relatable characters and several moments that genuinely made me laugh. The concept of being stuck reliving the same day for two years, only to escape and immediately confronted with a murder that occurred on that same day, was really compelling and kept me engaged throughout.

One of the standout elements for me was David, Amie’s neighbour. He was such a fun and memorable character, and his friendship with Amie ended up being one of my favourite parts of the book. Their dynamic added warmth and humour, and I found myself looking forward to their scenes together.

That said, there were a few aspects that didn’t quite land for me. The ending felt a little rushed after such a long and detailed build-up, which was a bit disappointing. I also would have loved more exploration or explanation around the time loop itself, particularly the cause or mechanics behind it, as its absence felt noticeable. Additionally, while I appreciated the inclusion of a romance, something about it just didn’t fully click for me emotionally. But despite that, Out of the Loop was still an entertaining read, especially for fans of time loop stories and cosy sapphic mystery vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Neely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I love time loop and time travel-related stories, and it started out strong. The concept pulled me in right away, and I was excited to see where it was going. But then, the time loop ended super quickly and was more in flashbacks, and I started to get a little confused. I had moments where I had to stop and figure out where I was in the timeline.

I also kept wanting more information about the time loop itself. Amie speculaetes about why it started but I don't feel like it was really explored enough and I personally wanted more time loop in the story instead of back and forth.

One thing I really enjoyed was David. He was easily my favorite character. His friendship with Amie added some humor and lightness, and those scenes were the most fun for me to read.

The book leaned more into relationship dynamics than I expected. There is a mystery, but it unfolds fairly slowly, and when things finally start coming together, it feels a bit rushed. I also went in expecting the time loop to be a bigger part of the story, but it stayed more in the background than I hoped.

Overall, I think this book will work well for readers who enjoy character-driven stories with a little romantic tension and a lighter take on time loop elements. It reminded me a bit of Only Murders in the Building in tone. While I liked the idea behind it, it just wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

There were things I loved about this and things that just didn’t work for me.

I loved having a story set AFTER being stuck in a time loop and all the small ways that’s overwhelming. It felt so realistic that, after such a long time of experiencing the same day, experiencing things you could no longer anticipate would be incredibly anxiety inducing. I thought this was explored so well.

I also thought the mystery and the way Amie’s changes in the time loop could have changed the outcome for certain suspects really interesting.

It was the characters and the romantic relationship that didn’t work for me. I really liked David, the friend and neighbour, but Amie was a very frustrating MC and her sort of, sort of not ex girlfriend was even worse. They were awful together. Every other character felt like caricatures. I honestly forgot the actual murderer was even a character when they weren’t actively on page.

[Beckie Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Out of the Loop" by Katie Siegel is a new take a time loop trope. Amie has been stuck in a time loop for over 2 years, what happens the next day? And more importantly, can she use her knowledge of the previous day to solve a murder? It was a fun cozy mystery with fun relatable characters, my favorite being her neighbor, David, who spends his days building Rube Goldberg machines.

I do wish it was a bit more; I wanted more information about the time loop, more examples of what happened on the different instances of that day. But all in all a fun read!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book to review!

[Brooke Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book... the time loop. I just wish there was more information on how it happened. Amie speculates, but unsure if that's what really happened. I liked her neighbor, David. It felt like it took forever to figure out who did it, and then it was all thrown together. And I couldn't stand her ex, Ziya. I was looking forward to this book, but it just didn't meet my expectations.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

#OutoftheLoop #NetGalley

[Tiffany (areyoutellingstories) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Groundhog Day meets Only Murders in the Building! This was a cute cozy mystery with a unique spin. The three main characters were delightful and hilarious. I found myself chuckling regulary at the warm relationship between Amie and David. I loved that they appreciated each other's quirks and made the best of them. And Amie and Ziya, enough with the pining already!