Hearing wedding bells chime can usher a sentimental feeling of love, optimism of a blossoming future, and the promise of a union that reminds us all of the shiny, happy aspects of devotion to another. An intertwining fate that is forever sealed (allegedly) on this most special day. Release the doves, throw the rice, check any doubts at the door. There is a singularity to matrimony that seems to eclipse so much. This is it. This is the day. But what if that day repeated? And the promises made to yourself, not to others, took center-stage? What if death, rather than a new life, was waiting at the end of that long aisle? And what if there was seemingly no way out?
A wedding-horror story, a time-loop novel, and dare I say, a punchy study in philosophy and self-regard, Rachel Harrison’s Kiss Slay Replay contains multitudes, wrapped very neatly in a something-blue bow. Willa has ended her engagement to her long-term fiance, Ravi, a choice that felt right in the moment, but has frequently reverberated with “what ifs.” While Willa tries to begin her new life while struggling with massive doubts, anxiety, and let’s label it, depression, time marches on meaning that her attendance at her college friends’ wedding arrives with loads of dread rather than hope. The company of her friends certainly makes things (somewhat) palletable, but Willa cannot outrun herself. The emotions she experiences come in tidal waves after seeing Ravi again and contemplating her identity in this reality. But something strange happens, beyond the questioning Willa experiences. A strange figure lurks in the woods. A day that should have ended in only dead flowers results in dead people. But Willa wakes up. It’s wedding day, again. What a weird, horrifying dream. Or was it? The day begins, again. And again. And again. Is there a way out, or is this Willa’s fate, looped forever?
Multiple layers of brilliance cohabitate within Kiss Slay Replay from nuanced explorations of adored time-related conflicts, thematic examinations of weddings, and chiefly, character studies that contemplate what the hell we’re doing here on this big rock floating through space. Zoomed out, we see a wedding day that seemingly exists in a vacuum; but, so aptly, Harrison flips such an idea on its head to become a day that never truly ends with unfathomable ramifications. This is what makes time loops fascinating lenses to study why we must endure, what lesson we’re supposed to learn, or what wrong we are supposed to right. A loop strategically placed on a wedding day loaded with so many implications, societal expectations, and raw feelings harvests a landscape rife for introspection through Willa, a woman whose timeline is less than certain. And what has this world taught us about uncertainty? To fear it.
What Kiss Slay Replay does best is that it throws all the fear in the world at us (in so many creative ways), hurtling through time and space to bring us to the instances that we often question: words said in a different tone, an event that should have taken place a day later, picking a different person, or thoughts that should have remained unspoken. Rachel Harrison brings an enigmatic concept that has long preferred to thrive in the dark, doubt, and hoists it onto a platform. Doubt, especially in the context of weddings, anxiety, and depression, is something that is condemned; why do anything if you aren’t sure?
And where does this fear and doubt land us: paralysis. Is that really the answer? Hell no, as Harrison screams through her deeply moving prose.
Willa’s journey through this repeated day, the cycles she endures, are met with death (again, so creatively) time after time. Yet, she is able to change, to examine, to wrestle, to give up, to try again, and to fight for a return to the timeline she belongs. Harrison proves that doubt doesn’t go away with a simple attitude change, a checked “no” instead of “yes.” Doubt is a constant despite how little or how often we repeat ourselves; it is a companion we can learn to shake hands with, to maybe figure out how to make peace with, to live with. And what is living? Trying. Doing. Loving (ourselves, most importantly), in spite of it all.
The only way out may be through, and the through is hard. It’s messy, it’s complicated. It will kick your teeth in, never apologize. But the out always exists, ready for us to find it. We will screw up. We will say the wrong things, spend time with the wrong people, and place goals on undeserving pedestals. Time, despite our unwieldy protestations, marches on anyway. And in an act of defiance to time’s inevitability, maybe we should kiss the wrong person, take a wrong turn, or be vulnerable anyway. Maybe we should make mistakes more than once, try new things, change ourselves, lose ourselves, and find ourselves all over again. Maybe we should live.
Written with her signature wit, charm, and brilliant horrific nuance, Rachel Harrison’s Kiss Slay Replay transcends any genre of fiction to remind us all that life is bigger than the singularities we are conditioned to mentally frequent. As we hold Willa’s hand through every different, hellish iteration of a day expected to sing a singular note of very specific joy, reminders of a life worth living are brought to the forefront, messiness and all. Willa’s story, entwined with death and hurt and joy, is one that instills hope amidst a backdrop of increased stakes, intense suspense, and lightning-fast pacing. This hope is not the kind of hope that calls for a miraculous “happy” outcome, but the kind that gives us the resolve to dig down, to find the grit, and to see another tomorrow. Resilience in written form, Kiss Slay Replay is a gift, and Rachel Harrison’s unique, essential voice has never been more timely.
Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison releases on September 8, 2026 from Berkley Publishing. The audiobook is available for preorder via Libro.fm!
