Loop by Karen Akins

Things are not going well for Bree Bennis. Her mother has mysteriously gone into a comma. A known felon is hounding Bree to transport illegal items into different centuries. Bree’s time-traveling midterm into the twenty-first century is botched by an awkward preteen, Finn. When she returns to the twenty-first century to fix some of her mistakes, she meets the older, attractive Finn who verbally and physically states he is her boyfriend. According to Finn, Bree’s future-self asked him to protect her while they solved Bree’s current twenty-third-century dilemmas. Trusting in Finn, and breaking even more time-traveling rules, Bree accidentally takes Finn back to her time-period.

Loop is a treat from start to finish. Bree is immediately likeable from page one. Readers discover that Bree uses her humor and determination to both maintain her sanity and hide the pain caused by her problems. When she meets her “future” boyfriend, Finn, its almost a tipping point for her mentally. She can’t handle adding another relationship into her life. She resists trusting him until he reveals some poignant truths about herself. Going on pure faith and putting the humor aside, Bree introduces Finn into her real life. In response to this introduction, Finn becomes a calming voice and shows clear direction amidst her chaotic reality. A wildly imaginative and entertaining read, Akins proves you can make a sci-fi storyline feel as comfortable as sweatpants and as natural as PB&J. Near the end, there are times when the science and the story get muddled together, but Akins pulls it back up for a refreshing finish. Part of a duology, Akins final book is called Twist.