Loop

Loop #1

by Karen Akins

At a school where Quantum Paradox 101 is a required course and history field trips are literal, sixteen year-old time traveler Bree Bennis excels…at screwing up.After Bree botches a solo midterm to the 21st century by accidentally taking a boy hostage (a teensy snafu), she stands to lose her scholarship. But when Bree sneaks back to talk the kid into keeping his yap shut, she doesn't go back far enough. The boy, Finn, now three years older and hot as a solar flare, is convinced he's in love with Bree, or rather, a future version of her that doesn't think he's a complete pain in the arse. To make matters worse, she inadvertently transports him back to the 23rd century with her.Once home, Bree discovers that a recent rash of accidents at her school are anything but accidental. Someone is attacking time travelers. As Bree and her temporal tagalong uncover seemingly unconnected clues—a broken bracelet, a missing data file, the art heist of the millennium—that lead to the person responsible, she alone has the knowledge to piece the puzzle together. Knowledge only one other person has. Her future self.But when those closest to her become the next victims, Bree realizes the attacker is willing to do anything to stop her. In the past, present, or future.

Genres: Time Travel, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery

336 pages, ebook

First published October 21, 2014

About the author

Karen Akins writes humorous, light sci-fi for young adults and the young in spirit. When not writing or reading, she loves lightsaber dueling with her two sons and forcing her husband to watch BBC shows with her.

Karen has been many things in her life: an archery instructor, drummer for the shortest-lived garage band in history, and a shockingly bad tic-tac-toe player.

**IMPORTANT: All review and publicity requests are handled by my publisher. Please do not message me on Goodreads regarding ARC, swag, or interviews, etc. You can find my contact info on my website for any other requests. Thanks so much! <3, Karen**

Reviews

[Dear Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time-traveling has never been as fun.

I've always loved time traveling, ever since I read a romance book that had it as a central theme many, many years ago. The possibilities are just endless, you know? Who wouldn't be fascinated with going back in time, and then possibly affecting the past that would eventually change the future? I mean, I myself would want to change a lot in my past... I'd kill to go back in time, shake my past self silly, and go, "Why didn't you study for that exam?! Why did you have to eat so many salty potato chips that your kidney had to be affected?!"

Oops, wait, that wasn't supposed to be disclosed...

In any case, I've always wanted to read a time travel book again, but since that book, I haven't really found anything that satisfied this craving of mine aside from Cristin Terrill's All Our Yesterdays, and that was a year ago (which in book blogging years sounds like... a lifetime ago. Seriously) . When I chanced upon Loop by Karen Akins, I could hear wedding bells ringing in my head. I mean, sure, I was a bit hesitant at first (crashed and burned too many times, baby. You become cautious after a while), but the other positive reviews just strengthened my resolve.

I've finally finished it this morning, and while I wasn't completely enamored, I certainly was entertained. Dude, I don't always laugh while reading books, but this one made me chuckle more than twice!

First, let's talk about the narration style. It's fun. It's told in the first person perspective of Bree Bennis, a Shifter from the future who can travel through time. She undergoes missions all the time from her school, but a recent accident involving her mother forced her to accept a shady mission from this dude called Leto (the name itself already gives me that "he-is-not-to-be-trusted" vibe). From then on, she commences a meaningful journey (and a mystery) that takes her across time and space (man, that sounds way cool).

The main reason this novel is fun is because the main character can be fun and it shows a lot through the narration. She's funny, reckless, can be self-deprecating in an honestly awesome way that you won't feel guilty laughing at her jokes, and she's even sarcastic to boot. You'll never get bored reading the book because she always has something to say that would make you snort (in good humor) and giggle. What's even better is that even though she is this way, she has her moments of weaknesses and self-doubt, too, making her a really relatable character. When she thinks of her mom, when she thinks of her friend, Mimi, when she thinks about all the web of lies she's in because of her predicament, when she ponders about the bad treatment she receives from other people due to what happened to her mother... these instances fleshes her character out and gives her a lot of depth.

Although I have to say, there were moments she annoyed me, too. Yeah, she's funny and adorable in her own way, but goddamn, when she's being secretive to Finn (the love interest) about certain things using lame excuses like, "I was trying to protect you!" I would feel my blood boil because not only is that cliché as fuck it's rather overused, too, and only leads me to feel the conflict is dragged and unnecessarily so. The icing on the cake was when other characters had important information for her and she refused to believe them on the basis that they were "impossible to happen", and I'm like, "WTF DUDE INSTEAD OF PUSHING THEM AWAY WHY DON'T YOU HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY?!"

Other than that, it's not really uncommon for me to love and hate a main character the same time... I'm just really nitpicky in general. *bows head in shame*

As for the science part and the explanations of how the world and system works... let's just say... they are pretty confusing. I'm not sure if I'm just slow in picking up the pieces or what, but I just couldn't 100% get it. There are some "We don't really understand how this works but it is what it is and we just accept it!" and there are some explanations that seem to go around in circles. Honestly, I think this aspect was the weakest (the world-building in general) because it just doesn't make it simple for the reader (especially with all the references to the Chicken-Egg thing) and it's simply just the most confusing thing ever. I shit you not that I can't count the number of times I scratched and tilted my head trying to understand what the hell did certain explanations mean. Sometimes, I look at them paragraphs and the words start swirling around. I am not kidding.

The same can be told about the mystery. It's easier to understand than the world-building, but since it also depended on the world-building and the explanations of how time-traveling and stuff worked, it was a bit muddled to me as well. And all the revelations were disclosed in one big reveal near the end, and were mixed with some of the heavier time-travel explanations, so it kinda resulted to one huge mindfuckery (in a really... confusing, confusing way). Hopefully, things will be clearer in the second book...

The romance is pretty good, though!  If you like the "hate-then-love" trope, you'll find yourself having a treat. I felt the development between the two lovebirds was realistic and sweet; you can really see and feel the moments that happened between them that would justify the eventual romantic feelings they'll have for each other. Their banter and interaction can be great and funny, and I found myself looking forward to scenes that have both of them in it. Plus, Finn is an awesome character! He's not there to just be the love interest; he has his own role in the grand scheme of things and provides great insight that would help the main character in her quest to find the truth.

All in all, it was a very decent first book to a promising time-travel series. The characters are awesome (oh, the best friend character was hilarious! She was a sweetie pie through and through), and the romance is a treat, but I was left not as satisfied when it came to the world-building and mystery. Despite the problems, however, I see a lot of potential in this series and I am definitely looking forward to book 2. (Plus, who wouldn't want to read more about the nerd who finally gets the girl?! Yee-haw!)

[Karen Akins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi! Karen here. I'm the author of LOOP, and I just wanted to say thank you for stopping by its Goodreads page. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. I'll use this space to update news on LOOP (10/21/14) and its sequel TWIST (3/31/15). You can also check out updates at my website www.karenakins.com. Feel free to ask me a question through the Author Ask feature. :)

[~Tina~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be perfectly honest, I almost gave up on this book within the first few chapters. For some reason I have the hardest time with time travel novels, I'm completely fascinated with them mind you, but the mind-spinning technology, time jumping from past, present and future and always feeling like I'm missing the bigger picture, makes me wonder if this particular genre is really for me. Loop was all of above, but still had me fascinatingly curious. So, I stuck it out. And you know what happened? It got interesting! So interesting that I couldn't put it down and before I knew it I was done and willing more pages to magically appear. Finally! I have a favourite time travel book and it's LOOP my friends! This is one helluva addicting ride!

There is so much I want to say about this riveting story and yet I don't think I can give it the justice it truly deserves. I can't believe this is Akins debut novel. The way she writes is absolutely outstanding. The time travel concept was so much more then just futuristic gadgets, lingo and terminology (which there was a lot of ) it was preciously detailed and mind-blowing to comprehend, but at the same time it was refreshing and blast to read. There were times I felt overwhelmed and even intimidated with just how big the story is since there was just so.much.happening. But it's such an unstoppable read that I needed the answers just as badly as the characters did. Which brings me to another factor. It's mysterious as hell. This is not one of those books that you can just skim through peeps, this is the kind of book that is so evasively written and enthusiastic with information overload without any real explanations as to the hows and whys, you literally are scrabbling for clues (past, present and future) to see if you can figure out the answers and who's behind everything. And once the revelation hit me, I was floored. It's thought provoking and frustrating and makes you crazy, but in the best way. I had so much fun trying to make rhyme or reason with any of it that I simple forgot to be unnerved. My experience was a dazed one, but in one of the most satisfying and entertaining ways possible.

With any kind of time travel novel, you have to take it with enough suspended belief for the book to seem somewhat plausible, but what I loved about this was as the book started to unfold, it almost felt entirely possible. And that had a lot to do with all these amazingly well developed character who bring this outrageous story to life.
Bree Bennis is a feisty firecracker of a character, she always seems to be on a mission and not just the time travelling kind. I really loved her voice and what she was initially fighting for, but there are times where I waned to just shake her straight. For an intelligent time travel student who's a stickler for believing in protocol she doesn't seem to mind bending The Rules when it's on her own terms and she's not a very open minded creature when it comes to Finn's speculations. She constantly doubts and rejects anything he's suspicious of and I couldn't help hate how bitter and snappy she was with him. Now mind you, our girl is under a huge amount of stress and pressure and eventually she calms down long enough to finally see who's on her side, and who isn't. She's got great snark and I love that no matter what she did wrong, she faces the consequences and stops at nothing to fix it.
I absolutely adore Finn Masterson! This guy is so freaken adorable I just want to hug him to death. His comedic timing with futuristic things was absolutely hilarious. I loved his reactions and his go with the flow attitude, his confidence, his protective nature and how passionate he is about Bree. He's my new favourite guy! The romance in this is super freaken sweet. These two bicker and banter pretty much the entire length of the novel, but even their fighting has a playful energy that is irresistible. Still, I thought it was perfectly paced, not rushed but gradually bubbling till that inevitable moment. Definitely gush-worthy stuff that made my heart happy.
There is a long list of secondary characters that I loved to pieces. They all brought in so much depth to this already complex story that I couldn't see any of this without them. But I will give a shout out to Mimi. She was so flippen cute!

Bottom line, I had such a blast reading this book. It's a futuristic time travel sci-fi adventure that will have your head spinning and heart pounding. It's sharp, smart and consuming from start to finish and it only left me begging for more. I can't wait to find out what happens next! Bring on Twist!

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the concept of time travel which ran throughout the entire novel, but minor editing details constantly pulled me from the story. For example, how did a glass shatter if the character was sitting on a bed? Episodes like that were not vital to a scene, but personally bothered me. Overall 3/5 stars; I will try the next book and hope the editing errors decrease as I enjoyed everything else about the YA adventure.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short Version: A book that is both fun and full of feels? Absolutely! And time travel with history stuff and a big old mystery? Sign me up! Then add some fantastic characters and time travel somehow feeling totally plausible, and I could not put this one down. Oh, and throw in an adorable romance, and please, I am hooked. Good thing I am currently reading Twist!

[Jana (Nikki) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, I think? A very positive 3.5 stars. Really liked it and can't wait to read the sequel! *eyes library copy which is still "on order" UGH*

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

To see full review with gifs click here

And now my average or above average streak has been ruined :(

But the good news, this did have some nice things about it.

So that’s a positive right?

Why I decided to read Loop: It seemed interesting. I like the whole time travel aspect and the summary made it sound sort of Meg Cabot-y.

The Result: Less Meg Cabot more like Alienated and through in some Dissonance in there for good matter. Man, that would be a very ugly or awkward looking book.

And this was that book. Though to be fair, it succeeded in entertaining me than either of its parents did.

I think the biggest problem with this one is it didn’t decide to get serious until the last third. Up until then I really wasn’t that interested in the plot or really could follow it. It was just sort of meh.

Did it pick up in the last third?

Yes. But it didn’t do a drastic turn around like Snow Like Ashes did. The pacing was just way off and the way things came together was just a little unbelievable and was full of plot holes. Then again, you can say that about any time traveling book.

The characters were also sort of flat. The book’s in first person, and honestly I just couldn’t like Bree even though she was the one telling me the story. She just seemed sort of distant and almost cold to a degree. But not in the BAMF way just in the lame YA heroine whose main purpose is to sit around be TSTL and makeout with the first hot guy she sees.

As for Finn (the hot boy)…um, no.

e wasn’t obnoxious in the traditional YA asshole type way. It was more that he was a cardboard character who had more personality when he didn’t look like a model.

And seriously, what was the point of that? Yes, I get that Zero to Hero makeovers happen a lot in these books (more to the girl than the guy), but there was no point of him suddenly getting hit by a hotness stick here. Other than to be well…mind candy. But it’s like while growing three years physically, he also matured like ten years. It just made no sense.

Whateves.

As I said the plot is very, very, flimsy at best. It tried to go the Alienated root on it. Make the most slapstick cringe worthy moments of the book before throwing in the plot twist to equal sequel, but it was slightly better than that. Because at least there were hints of a plot before the very end.

Sigh…

I think this is one of those books I would’ve enjoyed better had I been ten years younger. While it is definitely YA NOT middle grade, there’s something about the tone that just screams too young for me. I probably won’t be continuing this series and it’s not because it’s God awful. It’s bad. But I’ve read worse, much worse.

[nessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t even finish it, it was so slow. And boring. And predictable. Not worth your or my time.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars. I think the ending made up for some of my reservations in the middle. The world-building was confusing for me and I still feel like I don't understand exactly how things worked? It could be that I was reading in a very distracting environment all week and didn't fully get it, but who knows. I liked Bree and Finn enough but Bree suuuuuper annoyed me through much of the book. If someone knew the "future version" of myself and had messages/insight, I would not be like "okay bye leave me alone." Clearly they're hanging around for a reason. It was frustrating at times but the overall story, premise, and ending were cool. I'm eager to see where things go next in TWIST.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This was an enjoyable first book, although the plotline was extremely complicated and the pacing was iffy.

Opening Sentence: Hitting the ground is the hardest part.

The Review:

Bree is a shifter at a school for shifters, or time-travelers. In her midterm, she travels to put something on the grave of Muffy Van Sloot, but it goes horribly awry. When she travels back to try to right her wrongs, it gets even weirder — Finn, a boy she met three years ago, is acting like he knows her. Like they’re together. She’s met him once. So that means Future Bree has gotten to know them… But why? It gets even weirder when Finn, who isn’t even a shifter, manages to travel through time with her back to the future. A mystery blossoms with a mysterious phrase that people close to them seem to know, and enemies plague Bree’s every path. Who can she trust? Can she even trust herself, Future Bree, and the messages she’s been sending?

This was the first in the series, Loop. It was wrapped up in a way that could have been a standalone, but at the same time, there was some things that Future Bree needed to do so that Past Bree could do everything she did in Loop. Confused yet? It gets a whole lot weirder. I haven’t read a time-travel book in a while, so I had forgotten how potentially complicated they could be. Loop succeeded in complicated, I’ll tell you that. I don’t know how much interest I have in reading the sequel, but I didn’t dislike book one, so if I ever do get a week or so when my TBR isn’t a mile high, I’d like to pick it up.

The pacing in this novel was very skewed. For the first half, it was slow —- there weren’t many new clues, not a ton of action, and not much was happening. The last half was packed with action and answers. And the worst info-dumps I’ve ever experienced. There were pages of new information around 80% through. I managed to keep up, barely, but it made my head hurt. Time traveling is a tricky subject to understand and there was a nice background for the traveling in this book or shifting, but it was still confusing as heck. Especially when there was Bree and Future Bree and Finn and Past Finn… I’m very impressed with myself for following along as I did. Though, I’ll admit, I had to reread a couple of pages to understand anything.

The romance was a little weird, because I never felt like I could keep up with Bree’s thoughts towards Finn. Does she love him or hate him? Are they fighting or awkwardly flirting? Is she yelling at him for being annoying or is she kissing him? The possibilities were endless in their relationship. The chemistry wasn’t as palpable as it could have been, but there was a connection that was delved deeper into by the end of the story. Bree was also an interesting character. She used different curse words that I’m used to, like blark, which to me, felt like more of a joke than a curse. “Blark.” Isn’t the future supposed to be edgy and modern and science filled? Blark it. There was a lot of things that were explored in this book, many themes and lots of crossing of timelines. It seemed like a paradox just waiting to happen, but because of the Doctrine of Inevitability, it seems that everything was jolly good in shifting.

Anyway, despite my pacing problems and the massive info-dump chapters, I still found this an enjoyable start to a series that I think science fiction lovers will enjoy. Bree is a firecracker and Finn isn’t too shabby himself, and there were a few moments in the book that I did laugh out loud. (I’m resisting the urge to replace that with LOL.) The characters have their merits and they develop well, and the complicated book has zero plot holes that I could find. Quite a feat! This book is an enjoyable young adult time travel story and I’d encourage lovers of Doctor Who to try it out. Us Whovians are used to difficult plots and confusing episodes, after all — this is a perfect book for us.

Notable Scene:

Maybe I confided my plans to Finn for some . . . unfathomable . . . reason.

“I really can’t talk about it. And, frankly, you didn’t tell me much about the future. ” he said. “We, uhh, spent a lot of time not talking, if you are picking up what I’m throwing down.”

“Consider it picked up. Or better yet, why don’t we leave it where it is? On the ground.”

FTC Advisory: St. Martin’s Griffin provided me with a copy of Loop. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I always start off a time travel book review with 'Time Travel is an odd and complex genre to write in the world of YA...' or something along those lines. I always tend to make comparisons to Doctor Who, Back to the Future, and other previous books I've read of that genre. BUT this time, I will not mention anything of the sort, because this book is so refreshing and different in terms of the way it is structured that I'm starting fresh, I kid you not... Karen Akins is the definition of time travel novels.

It's the Twenty-Third Century....

Bree Bennis a sixteen year-old time traveler, known as a Shifter goes to a boarding school in the Twenty-Third Century. When she is put to an assignment to deliver a package and find a grave in the Twenty-First Century she didn't realise this would be the turning point in her life that will change her timeline and the space between past and future itself. Bree isn't your typical time traveler by far, she is your breaking-the-rules type of girl, she is curious, yet keeps to herself, she also like to tempt fate. I guess in times we do see two sides to her character and how she progresses throughout the novel to become the real Bree. This you can see through Finn, a boy, she never knew he could possibly be tagging along with her through time and space. Yet she doesn't know a lot of things that is to come, and more importantly that she will fall someone that could possibly break apart reality itself.

Back in time to the Twenty-First Century...

We first meet Finn in the Twenty-First Century, he is the occupier of the place assigned to young Bree to deliver the package. But he knows nothing of time travel or even the existence of Shifters, when his father is one and so will his sister in the not too distant future. But in that one moment of his his entire life changed because of one girl and her extraordinary abilities and crazy personality in his mind. However...Bree comes back, only for Finn a lot has happened in six months, including being romantically involved with the Future Bree. Let's say Bree 2.0 is trying to help present Bree from a dangerous future and one that involves the fate of her mother. Finn is such a likeable character, frustrating at times when he is put in the middle trying predicaments with two sides to Bree's character.

Battling to figure out each other and time itself, both character really progress throughout the novel. I think Finn really tries to see the Bree 2.0 in the present Bree but also he just loves her a little more when he gets to see and meet both Bree's of both timelines. Bree discovers a lot in herself too, in one way she wants be this Bree 2.0 so bad, to be want Finn knows and wants, to know all the answers but really what she wants is for Finn to know her and see that she can figure this out and progress to be this Future Bree, so she can fall for the boy that fell through time.

Page after page, time shifted, events changed, you really are kept on your toes. You transported to very depths of their character and the rush of adrenaline travelling through you as you go through this book. Combined with a female time traveler which was such a unique and welcome change to others I have read. With her written pros, style and structure Karen Akins has started a new paradox of a series and her sequel TWIST is coming in the very near future!

Rating - 5

This review can also be found on my blog

[Brittany S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initial Impressions 2/28/25: Oh that was SOOO much fun! Thanks to Andi for the push and letting me borrow!!! This was such a me book.
I love "sci-fi light", as apparently it's called these days. The humor in this book was delightful and really just made me fall in love with the characters that much more.
I loved how much of a firecracker Bree was and she was such a clever character. Absolutely LOVED Finn. Swoony swooooons.
Some really awesome twists in the end!! One I totally saw coming but so many more that I didn't and GAH. The way it ended! I can't wait to pick up book two now!!

Review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 6/17/15: "10 THINGS I FELT ABOUT THIS BOOK" | An informal review
•EXCITED. I love a good time travel book and this one somehow wasn’t even on my radar until Andi of Andi’s ABCs recommended it to me! I saw her pushing it and knew it was my kind of book.
•DELIGHTED. As soon as I started reading, I knew it was true. This was totally a “me” book! Time travel + a feisty main character? Yes, please!
•FRIENDLY. I loved the characters in this book and I felt like I got along really well with Bree and her friends! It’s always so great when I find characters that I instantly want to be friends with.
•CURIOUS. The wheels were turning! The scene was set where Bree first met Finn but I was so confused how this all played out since her first encounter was when he was a bit younger than her.
•IMPRESSED. I knew I should trust in Karen Akins and… she totally nailed it. The time travel story line always loops (Ha. Hahaha. Sorry. Bad pun.) and I LOVED how it folded on top of itself, looped back around, and always had more clues and insight coming!
•FEELSY. I absolutely, positively developed some serious Bree and Finn feels. I loved Bree’s attitude and I loved Finn’s reactions to her. They were seriously adorable together and gahhh even thinking about them while I’m writing up my thoughts is giving me all the butterflies again!
•NERVOUS. These kids also made me pretty nervous. I mean, of course you hope (and assume) that things will come together, but what if they don’t? What if they get themselves into or remain in serious trouble? It was a good kind of nervous that kept the plot going!
•HOOKED. I really didn’t want to put the book down. LOOP is what one might call “sci-fi lite”. I actually haven’t looked up the “technical” definition of sci-fi lite but to me it means that things don’t get insanely technical and the overall feel is a bit lighter in the sense that a wider audience can appreciate the book and not just hardcore sci-fi fans. This can also be a double meaning for LOOP because I loved the humor throughout the book as well!
•SLEUTHY. There were some mysteries in this book that NEEDED solving. One was actually kind of obvious for me (there were some fun clues along the way) and others totally surprised me but I was so anxious to solve them all!
•HAPPY. LOOP just really left me with an overall great feeling! It easily became a favorite and although I didn’t give it five full stars, the amazing feelings it left me with easily bumped it up to a favorite in my book!

[Andi (Andi's ABCs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind. Blown. Can that be my review for Loop? No seriously, can I just say ‘mind blown, read it’ and be done with it? Really that is all I want to say.

I wanted to tell people to read Loop when I was 4% done with the book. I wanted to tell people when I was 18% done. I just wanted to tell all the people to read it as soon as the possible can. Because Loop, is 100% fantastic!

Loop is a fantastic time travel story about Bree, a 16 year old girl, living in the 23rd century where Time Travel is a part of everyday life. To complete a midterm, Bree is sent to the 21st century and ends up on a path she never expected when she takes a teenage boy hostage (sort of by accident). On the verge of losing her scholarship at the Institute she has no choice but to sneak back to talk to the kid. The only problem is he is convinced he knows her and they are in love. Not knowing what to do and what is actually going on Bree returns home, but inadvertently ends up taking him with her. Now stuck in the 23rd century with a boy she doesn’t know that knows her and a pile of odd occurrences, Bree has to figure out just what is exactly happening and who it is she is supposed to trust.

There was a lot I loved about this book. I loved Bree’s voice, Finn’s adorableness, the humor, the writing. I even liked all of the side characters. But the one thing I loved the most (the humor and Finn are tied for a close second) was the mystery you read without knowing you are reading it. There is a very intricate story woven into the pages of Loop and as a reader you don’t really even know that’s what is happening. Every single thing that Akins’ wrote was written for the purpose of moving the story along. Time travel and parallel life stories are hard. There is a lot of planning and plotting involved to not confuse the reader and to make the plot flow seamlessly. And when all is said and done you can tell Akins put the time and energy in it for her readers. I wasn’t left feeling confused or like something was missing. I left Loop just wanting the story to go on forever.

I could go on and on, as I said there was so much I loved about this book, but I feel like I may have said too much already. I feel like the best thing I can do for you is to just tell you to read it and enjoy. To take it all in. To be left dying for more. To just read a great book with some great writing. If you love parallel life/time travel stories, then DO NOT MISS this book. It is a must.

Now give me the sequel Twist!!!

[Jessica (Goldenfurpro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

MY THOUGHTS
I love books with time travel and have a minor obsession with it! So, I had great expectations for this book and they were met!

Bree lives in the 23rd century and has the time travel gene. As part of an assignment, she has to go back to the 21st century and ends up running into a geeky kid named Finn. But when Bree sneaks back into the 21st century, she finds that she is 3 years off and Finn is, apparently in love with Bree. Not this Bree, but future Bree. And future Bree also told Finn that he needs to protect her. Bree has to figure out what exactly future Bree plans were and what happened to her mom (who is in a mysterious coma).

The whole idea behind this book was so well-crafted! The idea of time travel wasn't confusing at all and it made perfect sense! And the entire plot that this book revolves around is amazing! I love the idea of the time gene! I also really liked the idea of a future self affecting your present!

The characters were great, though I did have a few issues with Bree. Bree would constantly disregard any ideas or theories Finn had, saying that it wasn't possible, when they all made perfect sense. I can understand why Bree was like this, as Finn's theories went against everything Bree was told, but I really wish she could consider them. Honestly, this wasn't that big of a deal. Everything else about Bree was great. Finn was also great and, even though this isn't his Bree, he still cared about her. And Bree also has some great supporting friends!

Don't let the cover deceive you, this isn't a romance book. There is a teeny-tiny romance, but it's hardly there (may be in the next book). The amazing plot takes up a majority of the book!

My only issue with this book was how confusing it was. I mentioned earlier that "The idea of time travel wasn't confusing", which is true, the idea wasn't confusing! But there is a lot of past and future events that happen that just become really confusing! There are so many things that future Bree supposedly does to different time lines affecting the story that were hard to keep track of! If it wasn't for how confused I got (near the end), this would have gotten 5 stars.

IN CONCLUSION
This is a very interesting time travel book! It was confusing at times, but everything else was great! I do recommend this book and I am looking forward to the next book!

[Jessie Potts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why you should read it: This one took me by surprise because it was the gorgeous cover that made me want to read it (shallow, I know), but it turned out to be much more than skin (cover) deep. This was convoluted and crazy. I loved Bree as a time traveler and didn't trust the microchips that supposedly kept the travelers sane and safe from the buzzing. The detailing and whole thought of time traveling was well done, and I liked how twisted it became — having future Bree and present Bree was cool. The secondary characters were also well done, but I wanted more of them. I found myself wanting to know more of the tension between the techs and the travelers. I also wanted to know what ended up happening to the others who used the disrupter and other illegal tech. All in all, it was a breeze to read, it was fast paced, made me laugh and I want more! I've already put Twist (book two) on my to-read shelf.

Head over to the HEA Blog to see who Karen would 'accidentally' bring back :-)
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot! Confusing in its twisty-ness - my head is still spinning a bit. But a time travel story that kept me turning pages to find out what would happen next. Loved Finn so much, and though Bree could be frustrating in her stubbornness and inability to reveal information, I also enjoyed her voice. Their romance was fun to see develop, especially after their first encounter. Excited for the next one!

I kept expecting this book to loop back to when Future Bree meets Finn at 16, because I really wanted that side of the story. Especially Finn's development. Perhaps we'll see some of it in the sequel?

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. DON'T BE FOOLED BY THAT COVER. You think this is some cheap skate love story? NOPE. It's not. I don't have high expectations for this but I enjoyed reading this.

For the first time this year (in regards to new books from new authors), I actually LOVE the main character (Bree). She's no mary sue, in fact she makes mistakes and is annoying (at times), but still tries to do the right thing. She's a relatable character (I'm talking about her personality)! There were times when I wanted her to just shut up and there were moments when I just wanted to hug her because her life sucks. Even then, she's still a time-traveling (called a shifter) teenager trying to live a normal life. Okay, maybe not normal. Her father is actually from a different time but that's a different story to tell.

As much as I wanted to give this 5 stars, I'm gonna have to dock down a star. The reasons for this is because there were moments when I had to reread a sentence and make sure if I understand things correctly. I think I did, but did I really? The scientific explanations regarding time travel in this book were as vague as the Chicken and Egg analogy were all familiar with.

What I appreciate is that the author trying to explain the theories of time travel in the book her own way. There are other books out there (I've read this year) like Dreamology, that doesn't explain *scientific* things and we just have to accept it. Loop, however, tries its best to explain to the reader what the hell is going on even if it's still slightly vague. Then again, do we all even expect to understand the concept of time traveling? We all just want a plausible and exciting story to read. Am I right?

Now for my favorite part?

“But I haven’t done anything to protect Bree yet,”
“Why would Future Bree ask me to protect her if she knew I was going to go straight home?”
“Oh, why does Future Bree do anything?”

Oh, and by the way, there were moments in this book where I was bored. Then all of a sudden, I get surprised because something funny happens. The humor is more like: "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING" type of thing. I'm really bad at explaining, so you'll just have to take my word for it. I totally recommend this book.

[Anjali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I hear about a new book that has to do with time travel I get all excited and just have to get my hands on it even though only a few have truly impressed me and that I love beyond all measure I still gravitate towards books that have to do with the subject matter and Loop did not disappoint. Loop was actually very entertaining and I couldn't get enough of it.

Time travel in all the books I've read so far is always secretive stuff but in Loop Akins created a world in which everyone knows about it, people who have the gene are micro-chipped and everything is regulated. There were multiple timelines going on, past and future selves of characters showing up, and time jumps which I actually found fairly easy to keep up with.

As far as Bree goes the girl is awesome with an amazing voice. She is funny as can be, I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit being inside her head. Her mom is in a coma which she is highly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding that situation, her future self is doing things in the past which is frustrating her including being in a relationship with Finn which her present self is totally baffled by the idea of that. What I loved the most was that the book really did focus mostly on the plot and the romance was there but the characters kept their priorities straight.

Speaking of Finn, I loved him just as much as Bree. Finn already knows Bree, the future Bree in an intimate level but the present Bree we know has no clue about any of it, the only memory she has of Finn is the scrawny kid she took hostage during her brief trip to the 21st century while on a class assignment while screwing up a side job that she was hired to take on by a gangster who uses shifters for his own personal gains in the 23rd Century. Anyways Finn is a sweetheart he will do whatever it takes to protect Bree and cares for her deeply, unfortunately present Bree can't stand him at times since her future self has him holding onto secrets that he wont tell her.

I know all this can sound confusing but trust me when you start reading the book it's not. Akins did a great job making sure everything makes sense and it is all very easy to follow. Loop was incredibly fast paced with tons of action and never a dull moment.

There are also a ton of secondary characters who play key roles in driving the plot. I really thought I knew who the bad guy was marking that aspect of it predictable until the bad guy was revealed and I was just sitting there dumbfounded I did not see that coming at all.

Overall even though there were quite a bit of seriousness to the book it felt like a fun lighthearted time travel book and it is a great addition to the Sci-Fi genre.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads .

This is one of those books that I nearly didn't read because it got stuck in my ARC backlog. I've been picking up fewer and fewer young adult titles, but I remember I loved the idea of it when I first requested it. I just wasn't sure I was still all that interested. Before I decided not to read it, I checked out Goodreads and saw some incredible reviews from bloggers whose opinions I trust, so I decided to read it. And boy am I glad I did! It was a fantastic read – one of my favorite YA titles in 2015 so far.

Loop caught my attention right from the get-go. I loved the concept and the world-building was excellent. But more that that? The characters? LOVED. Bree was funny and awkward and super likable. Finn was super swoony and I loved him and Bree together. Even the secondary characters were wonderful. I loved the underlying mystery and just how easy the concept of time travel was to grasp in this book. It's not always. More often that not while reading time travel books, I find myself scratching my head and wondering "huh?" than enjoying the story. That definitely wasn't the case here. 

Oh, and future DC? It's awesome. I particularly love the idea of The Pentagon as an amusement park. It was the little details like this that made this book so fantastic to me. That's about all I'm going to tell you about this one. You really need to just read it and enjoy it for yourself. It's the perfect book to get lost in. I'm incredibly excited to read the sequel soon! 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley.)

This story wasn’t for me; I didn’t like the main character, and I got tired of the story.

Bree just annoyed me. She just seemed to have her own agenda, and did whatever it was that she felt was important, even if it meant that she didn’t complete her mission as expected. She told us about rules to do with time travel, and then when it was convenient to her, they all went out the window. Unfortunately, I just did not like Bree.

The storyline in this just wasn’t for me, even if it wasn’t for Bree, I don’t think I would have liked this. The writing style just didn’t suck me in, I didn’t find the story interesting, and I found it really hard to keep reading. I have to say that I’m hard to please with Time-Travel books, and this one just didn’t do it for me. The whole time-travel thing was a bit blurry in terms of explanation, and I found the info-dumps about it less than informative, and unfortunately not very interesting.
There was some romance, but again, it didn’t interest me, although this may have been because I didn’t like Bree.

The ending was a bit of a cliff-hanger, but I don’t think I’d want to read another book in this series.
Overall; not for me,
4 out of 10.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually am not a huge fan of time travel novels (especially ones that involve a love story) but I really enjoyed this one. The plot is fast paced and extremely engaging, and I got really engrossed in the story- really, I read 90% of the book in one sitting. It is simply a fun read, and Atkins did some great worldbuilding to back up the exciting plot. The only thing about the book that I didn't enjoy was the use of the futuristic word "blark," but obviously it was a small thing that was easy to overlook. The main character could also be a little frustrating at times, but I was so involved in the storyline that I didn't mind. I would recommend this novel to anyone that is looking for a unique time travel novel, and also to anyone that is looking for a purely fun and fast paced read that is incredibly hard to put down.

[Jenna D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun!

Although Bree's stubbornness grated on my nerves from time to time, she showed real growth.

The timey-wimey, loopidy-loopiness of the logistics was a hoot to attempt to follow, though ultimately it wasn't that hard! The banter, and the dialogue as a whole, was the true winner here.

I can't help it. I'm diving into Twist immediately.

[Helen Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. It has romance, a sense of humor, lots of mysteries and clever plotting that twists your mind into all sorts of time-bending shapes. The perfect blend of romance and time travel.

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

FIRST THOUGHTS: Took me some time to warm up to everything, but holy whoa, Loop threw me for a loop (hehe) with its awesome.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was fun!

I loved the "solution" to the time paradox problem that always plagues these kinds of books, and I just had a blast reading this. I figured some things out (the enigmatic smile, for instance) but a lot of the revelations at the end surprised me. I didn't realize this had a sequel, though, and I'm not really convinced it needed one. Still, I'll probably read it.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You can't change the past. One of those weird temporal loops that couldn't be explained."

Bree Bennis lives in the twenty-third century where, because of a special gene mutation, she can travel anywhere in time. It's been years since travelers had to hide their unique skills but Bree knows better than most that time travel is still greeted with suspicion and even disdain by those unable to travel.

Bree used to be at the top of all of her classes. Now her biggest talent seems to involve making a mess of things.

After her solo midterm to the twenty-first century goes spectacularly wrong, Bree knows she's in big trouble. Failing to complete her mission is one thing. Accidentally revealing herself to a boy and sort of taking him hostage? That could get Bree expelled. Or worse.

The only option is to try to sneak back and try to complete her midterm before anyone notices. The only problem is Bree ends up missing her target destination. She finds the boy--Finn who is now three years older and at least three times more attractive--but before she can fix anything Bree is pulled back to her own time. With Finn. Who claims that he and Bree's future self are . . . dating?

Bree has plenty to do between hiding Finn and not flunking out of school when she learns that a rash of accidents have been taking out time travelers around the school. Turns out the attacks are anything but accidental and with Finn's help Bree soon realizes she might be the only one able to find the person responsible and stop them before their timeline is irreparably damaged in Loop (2014) by Karen Akins.

Loop is Akins' first novel and the first half of a duology that completes with Twist.

Loop dives right into the action when Bree's life goes from bad to worse after everything goes wrong on her midterm. Bree manages to take everything in stride with only a few choice (and possibly made up) swear words to help. As Bree delves deeper into secrets about her own past (and future) she also realizes she might be at the tip of a very big problem--one her future self knew Bree would have to try to solve.

Akins skillfully combines science fiction adventure with a fascinating mystery to create a story that is as original as it is fun. Although some plot points--particularly clues left for Bree--are often obvious, Bree and Finn's journey as they try to understand what brought them together more than makes up for it.

Bree's world is filled with casual wonders ranging from automated travel pods to Pegamoos, all of which are brought to life in vivid prose. In a story that literally spans centuries, the world-building to top notch and gives Loop a strong sense of place no matter where or when Bree finds herself.

Bree's voice is distinct and snappy, making this book conversational and completely fascinating. While the romance in Loop is a big draw, Bree also has a great character arc as she tries to reconcile who she is in her present with who she seems to be in the future. With massive conspiracies, clues left across time, and a displaced romance that is often baffling to Bree, Loop is an action-packed story with humor and excitement.

Possible Pairings: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black, Chasing Power by Sarah Beth Durst, The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson, Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough, Hourglass by Myra McEntire, Soulprint by Megan Miranda, The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill, Pivot Point by Kasie West, Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOOP is a captivating, delightful and wildly entertaining read. Set primarily in the 23rd century, this futuristic story travels between the main character’s present and a two-century-old past. It offers readers action, mystery, suspense, romance, humor and enough time loops to blow the mind. And it delivers an ending that will leave readers anxiously awaiting the sequel.

When what should have been a routine mission goes horribly wrong, Bree Bennis must find a way to return to the past to fix her mistake before anyone realizes there was one. Because if she doesn’t, it could have serious repercussions for the timeline and even more dire consequences for herself and her mother.

But with every Shift requiring a transporter, she won’t be able sneak back on her own. And putting her friends at risk is not something she is willing to do. So when an opportunity arises to get back to the 21st century in the vicinity of where and when she needs to be, she takes it.

And it would have been perfect if only she hadn’t arrived three years later than she was supposed to. Or stayed longer than she should have, giving the Institute time to realize that she was missing and to pull her back. Or if she didn’t bring something back with her, something that was against the rules, something that shouldn’t have even survived the trip.

LOOP is not your typical time travel tale – there are no missions to save the world from annihilation, the future isn’t on the verge of collapse. But there are threats to past, present and future. There are trips through time that prove just how dangerous things can get. There are time loops and ontological paradoxes. And it does adhere to the theory of the predestination paradox, making for a fascinating and thrilling and thoroughly engaging read.

Author Karen Akins penned a fast-paced, fun and imaginative story with LOOP. Bree – at least the version of herself introduced in this story – is a likable heroine who finds herself in difficult situations more often than not, who is often responsible for getting into those situations in the first place, who is clever, who questions things, who isn’t too trusting, and who is protective and understanding and absolutely adorable.

The writing has an easy flow, which allows readers to connect to both the story and its characters and which makes those pages turn. The love story is sweet and romantic and provides the perfect distraction from the whirlwind of events happening in Bree’s life. The science is intriguing but not dense. The humor keeps things light, especially with the futuristic touches the author adds – every reader will want their very own pegamoo. And the ending, which hints at an even more action-packed story to come, ensures that readers will be back for more.

Original GR comment:
Review TK 10/22. But oh my gosh I loved this book. Time loops totally scramble my mind. This story was so much fun, with a mystery, a bit of romance, humor, great characters, and those fascinating loops which I love, love, loved.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

The style of writing immediately rubbed me the wrong way as did the over the top and forceful personality Bree had. The way she talked wasn’t likable, like “Valley Freakin’ Forge” and all this that just got on my nerves. She had an attitude which I also didn’t like. Also, there were to many “blarks” for my liking. I didn’t like her style of talking, basically. Then there were the weird lines that I didn’t understand at all, like asphalt being worse to land on than concrete. I was like what? As a person that’s fallen on both asphalt and concrete they seem about the same to me. Then there was some obscure line about easily being seen on asphalt but the chance of never being seen when you get into water, like drowning or something? Whatever, I didn’t even care but it was like what is she talking about?

I found the concepts in here to be really strange. Time travelers are called Shifters, which makes me think of werewolves, so that title was inappropriate and misleading. They use a QuantCom that has a geolocator. Then there was the Buzz, the scrambled thoughts and blotched vision, that were treated by Buzztabs. I think more time should’ve gone into naming these things. I couldn’t wait to meet Finn. The author is describing a scrawny redhead boy with a bookbag twice his size, with thick, conclave glasses who’s less than 15 years old, and is reading comic books and collection action figures. And it’s Finn. It’s like he was supposed to be as unattractive as possible. I can’t believe this is the love interest. She even refers to him as a nerd.

After her travel she goes into a decontamination chamber which spews out jets of hot air to remove the century from her. She goes to the food dispenser and puts a section of her hair into the scanner. Wtf is going on here? This is so stupid. That’s where I drew the line and me and this book parted company on page 35. I could stick it out for the other things but this hair in the scanner, X being displayed on the screen in regards to her ordering a pizza because she had had too many lone meals this month, no. Absolutely not. I don’t care about her comatose mother, her friend Mimi, or anything about this book. This book is too far out for me and I wish authors could come up with a good concept of time travel without all of these weird, alien rules and gadgets.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time travel is tricky for authors, mainly because we think of time in a linear fashion. When people hop all over a timeline it can get confusing - and that's what happened here. While the characters were endearing, the plot got kind of twisty and not in a good way.

This author had a habit of starting a section with the characters doing something we didn't know about. She'd explain it as she went - and that would have been fine if not for all the confusing time traveling. There were gadgets in the future, common terms they used, etc. So it was great because it gave the story a nice world - and the world building was well done in terms of description. It was easy to visualize. But there's just a lot of stuff packed into this novel and it got a little cluttered.

It is engaging, though, and a bit of a page turner. I don't know if I'll continue with the series, but this is pretty average YA sci-fi with likable characters.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful story. Full of twists and turns, easy banter and interesting travel. I loved Bree at first, then I was ready to shake her. She's grumpy most of the book, but at least you know why.

I will definitely be looking for book 2 when it comes out

I'm dying to know
Why she went back for Wyck. She can't stop him. And who could possibly have the ICEPick thing. And what happens to her mom. She gave her the shot, shouldn't she all better or was that the future mom?? OMG it's all so confusing!

oh and I loved Finn. I will read book 2 just for him :)