ONCE IN A TIMELINE

Laia Grace Shirzan lives a perfect, happy life in beautiful New York City with a daily routine involving meditation and manifestations, makeup and skin care (whale semen for the faceful of multivitamins!), the most delicious lattes, Pilates (where she never sweats), and content creation for her moderately successful profile. Tonight there’s an important brand event where she hopes to secure a yearlong contract as an ambassador. When her predictable routine starts going awry, she tries to ignore it and maintain her positive outlook, but then she meets Noah Davis, a lawyer who looks like a lumberjack, who helps Laia realize that maybe her day, and her life, aren’t as impeccable as they seem. Noah explains that somehow, the two of them got stuck in her algorithm; now the unlikely pair are reliving the same day over and over—and developing feelings for each other in the process. The only way to break out is for Laia to change her content by facing the truth and embracing vulnerability and imperfection. Hariri-Kia lovingly pokes fun at the beauty industry and influencer lifestyle in a way that shows great respect for women and each individual’s complexities while also making a legit critique of the impossible standards society upholds. She deftly explores universal themes of connection, longing, and self-doubt through the culturally specific lens of an Iranian American woman. Laia is the star, but Noah has a moving plotline as well as he faces his grief and mental health struggles. It’s an ambitious story, but even if the logic is a bit messy at times, the emotions always feel authentic, and the humorous, heartfelt narrative flows effortlessly.