Early Reader Review: Out of the Loop by Katie Siegel

Source: From the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Out of the Loop by Katie Siegel 

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date:  February 10, 2026

 

Format: Ebook


Rating:


Goodreads Synopsis: 

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.

Review: 

Out of the Loop follows Amie, who has been stuck in a time loop reliving the same day on repeat for almost two years. She isn't sure why she is in a loop or how she is now out, but it might have to do with the murder of a woman from her building.

The story takes the reader back and forth in Amie's POV both in the loop and now her experiences out of the loop. We aren't ever really told why there was a loop and the in-loop chapters were pretty short or brought in to show some details that are necessary to solve the murder. The plot isn't about the time loop though. We follow Amie as she is trying to help solve the murder of Savannah. With the knowledge she has gained both in and out of the loop, her ex-girlfriend, and her odd neighbor, she works to piece all the details together.

At its core this was a murder mystery - the time loop and the romance/ relationship parts played second-fiddle to the mystery. When we leave the time loop the book moved very slowly and I found it hard to pick up since it was so slow to progress. The first few chapters in the loop were super compelling and the flow was good,  then we are out of the loop pretty quickly. As a reader you have to pay close attention to the chapter headings so that you know if you are in loop or out of it, it was kind of annoying honestly and often took me out of the groove of my read. All that said, the murder mystery pieces came together well and it was a very cool whodunit.

Amie is a fine main character but she is pretty bland.  She didn't take too many chances in the time loop and it seems like before it she was pretty stuck as well. Her ex, Ziya, is more of a non-ex and together they are an odd pair. Both seem stuck in their ways and I wasn't really rooting for them to get back together...it was also odd that a murder was what was bringing them back together. The best character was David - the quirky neighbor that builds Rube Goldberg machines in his retirement. He was interesting and didn't seem as flat as the others. He brought the vibe I wanted for this read. 

Overall, I thought this was an ok read. It was a bit on the slower side for my liking, but I think that some readers will really enjoy the mystery and all of the details coming together like puzzle pieces. Some will even like the relationship between Amie and Ziya. If you are looking for a lighter murder mystery vibe, this one is likely for you.