Time of My Life

Frame (Ridorkulous) puts self-doubting, socially awkward heroine Jane Stewart through a never-ending time loop in this refreshing rom-com. Jane is having the worst Monday of her life: it begins with her waking up late and ends with her boss firing her and the creep she was kind of seeing dumping her. The next day, it happens all over again. No matter what she does, she continues waking up in the same place, reliving the same dreadful 24 hours. The only silver lining is Jane discovering that co-worker and crush, Alex, has feelings for her as well—but until she can break free of the time loop, there’s no way to act on their feelings. Jane slowly realizes that venturing outside of her comfort zone is not quite as frightening as she believes. To reach her happily ever after, she must learn to assert herself and, though Jane doesn’t “turn into some kind of super calm yogi overnight,” it’s gratifying to see her learning to manage her anxiety. It’s both a layered story of learning to love and accept oneself despite social and familial expectations and a lovely ode to the shy and anxious. Rom-com fans will find plenty to enjoy. (Self-published)