It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been a year since we first launched Cosmo Reads and it all started with the one and only Iman Hariri-Kia. Her first novel with the imprint, Female Fantasy, took over the book world and our timelines by storm as she got real about fandom and love in a stunning shift for the author. And now she’s back with a brand new story that certainly solidifies her as an important and fun new voice in romance that has plenty of unique stories to tell. Oh, and you’re absolutely going to fall in love with this new tale.
Once in a Timeline, which will be released on October 13, 2026, follows Laia Grace Shirzan who is determined to become the next internet it-girl with her lifestyle videos. Only thing is that she’s just starting out and it’s not coming together like she initially expected. Still, she definitely could not have anticipated what happened next! She’s suddenly stuck reliving the same day over and over again. Luckily, she’s not alone as a mysterious stranger reveals that he’s also stuck in the same time loop as her. Now together, the two try to find a way to free themselves from this endless cycle while navigating their unexpected connection with each other.
Here’s your official first look at Once in a Timeline, including a cover reveal and exclusive excerpt.
For fans of The Love of My Afterlife and Ashley Poston comes a clever and swoony novel following an aspiring New York lifestyle influencer who gets trapped in her own “day in the life” video and the mysterious stranger who must help break them both out before they're lost in the algorithm for good.
Laia Grace Shirzan is the New York City lifestyle influencer...or at least, she’s determined to be. She’s left everything behind to pursue her dream: family, friends, expectations, even her insecurities (or so she tells herself), which means failure isn’t an option. So every day she films the same pristine routine—the perfect light, the perfect latte, the perfect life. Until one morning, her feed starts to glitch. Her neighbors flicker. Her best friend loops. And Laiarealizes she’s no longer the influencer, she’s the content, trapped inside her last posted “day in the life” video.
That's when a brooding, unshaven, very unfiltered man crashes into her routine. Because Noah's been stuck in Laia's timeline too, and he’s desperate to break them both out. As Laia and Noah fight to outsmart the algorithm that’s captured them, the line between performance and personhood blurs. To escape, Laia will have to do what she’s never dared before: turn the filter off and finally face what’s real.
Ready to meet your new favorite duo? With a cover design by Erin Fitzsimmons and cover art by Stephanie Singleton, you can meet Laia and Noah bellow along with some stunning effects that makes you feel like you’re also in the timeline with them!
Ready to log in? Check out an exclusive excerpt of chapter one below! Just remember…in another timeline, this may not be how it actually happened…
Morning Routine
I start my day by rubbing whale semen into my pores. The key is to do it right when you wake up, which for me is 5:30 a.m. under the cover of darkness. Massage delicately, never rub or pat. Whale semen is full of multivitamins and proteins that will keep your skin hydrated all day long. Now. I know what you're going to say—"Laia, it's too expensive. Can you suggest a more accessible alternative?" I totally get where you're coming from. but to be honest with you guys, I prefer my semen sustainably and ethically sourced, from whales that aren't raised in captivity. That's just my preference. I feel like you can tell when the mammal in question consented. You know?
After doing my skin care. I meditate for 15 minutes while lying down with my legs extended vertically against a wall to increase blood circulation and boost brain activity. Once my synapses are firing on all cylinders, I light a candle, take out my daily affirmations journal. and write out my manifestations for the week. I only manifest using natural light because I read an article once that said that the energy of a living flame is supposed to bring you one step closer to the elemental wavelength of your wishes. You guys, I know I'm going to sound like a broken record. but it's crucial that you repeat your manifestations three times aloud, or they likely will not reach their intended energy source. Trust me: It's life changing. I have been able to manifest so many of the best, most beautiful parts of my little life, from my dream man to my cozy two-bedroom New York City apartment.
By now, the sun has risen, filling my newly renovated, rent-controlled third-story walk-up with the most stunning golden light. I put on a plush striped robe. slippers. and matching headband and wade over to my open-concept kitchen. If you haven't checked out my vlog on how I used stick-and-peel emerald tiles to DIY the hideous backsplash. definitely watch that after this video. I turn on my espresso machine to make my daily iced latte. You guys, this recipe... I'm obsessed. Two shots of fair trade, finely ground espresso beans. A splash of nondairy vanilla oat milk creamer. A sprinkle of cinnamon. A teaspoon of plant-based protein powder. And a handful of collagen peptides, which I swear you can barely taste beneath all the frothy goodness. I literally go to sleep dreaming about my morning coffee. It’s that delicious.
Once I'm finished in the kitchen, I make my bed, throw on a matching activewear set and Uggs, and sit down at my vanity. I have a busy day ahead of me-shooting content, lunch with a friend. and dropping off some returns. But first. I'm going to morning pilates. That means I need to apply glam that's both long-lasting and light enough to survive my class. nothing too heavy. Just a little bronzing primer, concealer, and liquid foundation. Then contour, cream blush, and a touch of highlight. And mascara. Also, a tiny bit of eye-brow gel. And freck – l'm obsessed with fake freckles lately. I just feel like they pull my entire look together, you know? I add a little setting spray, and I'm ready to start my day.
Chapter One
Laia Grace woke up smiling. Just like she always did, every morning. After peeling off her satin eucalyptus-scented eye mask and removing her mouth tape with a surgeon's precision, she peered at her alarm. Five-thirty in the morning, sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Not a cloud in sight. What a beautiful way to start her Wednesday. Or was it Friday?
Her bedroom was still cloaked in darkness, the sun not scheduled to rise for another twenty-five minutes. Still, as her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she could make out the iridescent glare of the vintage ceiling chandelier, the smooth slope of the elegant crown moldings framing her ceiling and bookshelves. The apartment was a rare gem in Manhattan: seven hundred square feet, flush with natural light, and only a whopping twenty-five hundred dollars a month. Absolutely absurd in any other part of the country—and practically unheard of in Laia's hometown of Lanniswood, Southern California. But in New York City? A Category 4 natural disaster couldn't get Laia to abandon that apartment. If you found lodging that didn't oscillate several hundred dollars a year in the Big Apple, you hunkered down for the long haul. Not that money was ever a problem, somehow. No matter what she bought, or the brand deals she brought in, the lights stayed on and the water kept running. She didn't dare question it. Why mess with a good thing?
Laia couldn't recall how she'd found the apartment or from whom she'd originally rented it, but she did remember the age she'd been when she first moved in: eighteen years old. Fresh off the plane, her roots still dark and hair unruly, pockets bleeding from the economy ticket she'd purchased with her babysitting money. Wide-eyed and bushy-browed and ready for her life to change. A girl with big dreams and bigger self-doubts and no clue how destiny would chew up her life and spit it back out into this perfect, pulsing, breathing entity. The years had flown by since. How many years, exactly? Hard to say. Laia stayed so busy that the days had started to blend together. But she preferred it that way.
She sat up and stretched her limbs, cracking her back and neck, before taking hold of the heatless satin curlers wrapped around her fried blond locks, easing out each strand one by one. A piece of hair caught in the left scrunchie, and she stuck her index finger into the knot and pulled. The thread broke free, but tragically, so did her nail. Frowning, she turned on her phone's flashlight and examined her manicure. Her nail beds were totally overgrown, and her acrylics were bordering on Wicked Witch of the West. No bother. She'd have to stop by and see Lucy, her nail tech, before tonight's event anyway.
The morning proceeded with a calm, familiar cadence. Using muscle memory, Laia reached into her bedside table and grabbed a jar of goo, caressing it into her cheeks with tender fingers. She inched out of bed to light a candle before going horizontal on the floor and lifting her feet above her head until her face turned purple. When she was meditating, her mind always went pleasantly numb. No external thoughts or worries or anxieties. What was there to be nervous about? Laia’s schedule was predictable and locked in, nothing to change or question. She inhaled for four and exhaled for eight. The scent of sandalwood filled her nostrils, a pleasant burning sensation. Everything would be all right. It always was.
Once she grew lightheaded from exertion, Laia grabbed her journal. Today, the daily affirmations flowed out of her like incantations.
I am worthy of love and respect.
I am worthy of love and respect.
I am worthy of love and respect.
I am capable of handling whatever the universe has in store for me.
I am capable of handling whatever the universe has in store for me.
I am capable of handling whatever the universe has in store for me.
I am grateful for life as it is.
I am grateful for life as it is.
I am grateful for life as it is.
And truly, how could she not be? When her robe and slippers never attracted mildew, even though she appeared to never wash them. When she could pour as much sugar into her coffee as suited her without ever getting a stomachache or face breaking out into hives. As a child, she had struggled with debilitating cystic acne, an angry, red scarring mess that never seemed to abandon her jawline no matter what medication she ingested or injected. For years, she had cut out food groups and sampled diets and health fads in order to clear her skin. In fact, Laia had fallen in love with makeup not as a potential career path but as a coping mechanism. Covering up her lesions became a survival skill. But one day, weeks—or was it months?—ago, she'd gotten the sudden urge to add vanilla to her espresso, a suppressed sweet tooth she could not help but satiate. As she sipped from her straw, a small moan escaping her lips, Laia mentally prepared for the aftermath: Bloating. Abdominal cramps. Rosacea and molehills buried into her skin. Bue when she woke up the next morning, her skin felt as smooth as always. Odd. She'd simply credited the skin care routine and moved on with her blessed day.
Laia loved sitting at her vanity and staring into her phone camera as she applied her primer. Looked forward to the peaceful period of golden-lit calm as she lifted her wand to her eyelid like a paintbrush to canvas. All controlled, razor-sharp movements. Here, Laia was all-powerful, reigning supreme. As long as her butt was planted firmly in that chair, no one and nothing could get in her way.
Excerpted from Once in a Timeline by Iman Hariri-Kia. Copyright © 2026 by Iman Hariri-Kia. Used with permission of the publisher, Cosmo Reads, an imprint of Sourcebooks, LLC.
Once in a Timeline, by Iman Hariri-Kia will be released on October 13, 2026 from Cosmo Reads. To preorder the book, click on the retailer of your choice:
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