Magical realism at its best! Swoony characters, funny side stories (the pigeons?!), and a love story 7 years in the making. Gah- I loved everything about this!

Stunning. Ashley Poston does it again. She’s unmatched in her ability to weave romance and grief together in a way that’s both beautiful and gripping. The circular storytelling in this book, the plot lines that never really come to an end but meet up with one another later (or earlier) in the story is so so good. The characters, the apartment as a character! I immersed myself in this story armed with my green highlighter and come out the other side with a new addition to my favorite books list. ‘The Seven Year Slip’, much like Poston’s previous book ‘The Dead Romantics’, is unmissable.

I will give a trigger warning for suicide and the grief associated with the aftermath of suicide. I wasn’t aware of it and it hit me a little hard, please take care of yourselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm now convinced Ashley Poston should only write adult romance from now on. Her books are beautiful, somewhat melancholy and just weird enough to keep my attention. The title of this one says it all: the FMC inherits her aunt's magic apartment and follows the same path as her aunt, slipping back in time seven years and falling in love with someone who lives there. I really wondered how Poston would handle the timeline and how she could possibly pull off an HEA, but she did both very well. I can't say too much more about the plot without spoiling things, but the FMC works in publishing and the MMC is a chef. They meet because he's renting the apartment from the FMC's aunt while she and her aunt are on one of their many lengthy international trips.

Overall a slightly magical read with big feelings that will work well for fans of The Lake House. (Without prompting, I pictured Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, though they don't fit the character descriptions. No regrets.)

Why do I consider this a second chance romance? Because of the time slip, it's a second chance for the MMC, even if it's not for the FMC. In the present narrative he's been waiting for her for seven years. The ways in which he's changed in the meanwhile and his expectations/hopes for their future feel a lot to me like those we find in more traditional second-chance romances.

After the death of her beloved aunt, Clementine moves into her aunt’s magical apartment. The apartment is seven year time machine, and it has a way matchmaking residents when they need it most. Her aunt always told her to never fall in love in the apartment, but when she walks into to find Iwan, Clementine may not be able to help herself.

I LOVED THIS! It was so unpredictable and so special and so quirky - and it just worked. I stayed up way too late finishing this. It’s definitely one of my favorite books of the year.

I loved this book and predict it will be one of my favorites of the year. Now I'm eagerly awaiting whatever the author writes next.

What I loved was the ethereal feel of the book. Nostalgia, regret, hope, possibility, opportunity, connection, love, reflection, risk, family, friends, magic, grief, comfort, acceptance, authentic, grounded. A journey back to oneself and then forward as oneself. I loved Clementine and all the other characters. The dialogue and connections were wonderful. This book will stay with me like a warm, thoughtful,supportive hug of unconditional love.

I will definitely be sharing this with friends.

The narrator did an excellent job of capturing the characters and general feel of the book.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy. I'm so glad I picked up a physical copy for my shelf. All opinions are my own.

When I read that this book involved a time slip, I couldn't resist!

Clementine is an overworked book publicist whose beloved Aunt Analea has recently passed away. Analea was spontaneous, exuberant and always ready for the next adventure, all the things that Clementine is most definitely not. Her aunt always had wise words of advice for Clementine, including, "𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘧 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯."

As fate would have it, Clementine inherits her aunt's fabulous Upper East Side apartment which also happens to contain a very big secret. There are seven-year time jumps that occur within its walls! Clemetine had heard hints about this from her aunt but never truly believed it until one day when she finds adorable aspiring chef named Iwan in the apartment, who claims to have received permission to stay there for the summer while job-hunting in New York. Except that it is seven years in the past.

Iwan endearingly nicknames Clementine "Lemon" and there is fantastic chemistry between the two. They begin a wonderful romance, but Clementine soon learns that sometimes when she leaves the apartment, time reverts to the present and Iwan won't always be there when she returns.
There is a lot to process but Clementine goes with the flow and falls in love. Until one day, Iwan disappears for good.

This is a delicious plot with a slow-build romance and a sparkling cast of supporting characters. I love books set in the New York City and you can feel the magic of the city through the pages. Clementine is reunited with Iwan but in the most unexpected of ways. Will this current version of Iwan remember the sweet love affair from seven years ago?

The Seven Year Slip is a lovely summer read and I couldn't help but envision this is as a movie. The seven-year time jumps are explained perfectly, and I loved the contrast between the Iwan of the past and the man he is in the present day. This is a sweet book filled with love, romance, nostalgia, food, friends and family, and I can't think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon.

(𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.)

A nice light summer read - a little time travel, happy ending- so sweet and fun! Clementine's beloved aunt has died, and willed her apartment to Clementine. Clementine is in the publishing business, and trying to keep her life orderly and her love life "safe". Although her aunt warned her that the apartment was magical, Clementine did not believe until the day she walked in and found a handsome young man with a Southern drawl and penchant for lemon pies and great conversation. Only problem was - he was seven years in Clementine's past.

Ashley Poston is back!

And she’s a magical and whimsical as ever.

The Dead Romantics grabbed my heart last year and I shouldn’t be surprised that The Seven Year Slip did the same.

Poston’s writing feels like an old friend who spins an amazing story filled with hope, humor, and emotion. The characters are well-written. The plot is one that sounds like it shouldn’t work, but man it does. I cried and swooned.

Highly recommend!

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston was a strong follow-up to the last book I read by this author, The Dead Romantics. Both contain a dose magic, whimsy and romance.
 
Poston’s writing is sharp and her banter is funny and relatable. Using magical realism to create characters that meet seven years in the past and seven years into the future couldn’t have been easy. There’s a fine line to making that seem believable versus ridiculous. Fortunately, Poston employed the former.
 
I liked Clementine and the special relationship she had with her aunt however the musings of their travels often got to be too much for me. I loved the foodie aspect of the book, and the perfect pie stole my heart! Yum. I wished we had more time with Iwan. He was charming and good to the bones.
 
I’m certain that I’ll continue to read and/or listen to her adult novels. This was a sweet romance with a bit of time bending that allowed the reader to fully escape.

A truly magical book that tackles grief, fate, and love with heartfelt tenderness. The perfect kind of magical realism that makes you forget the impossible because it's grounded in such true emotion.

Absolutely adored The Seven Year Slip! The book had me in tears as I read and that is a rarity for me to be so moved. Highly recommend this five-star read.

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. I actually think I enjoyed it a bit more than her first adult novel which was still good. I appreciated that Iwan in the present knew about the power of the apartment and so there wasn't a miscommunication situation there. Clementine finally realizing what she wanted to do with her life was also refreshing in a way especially how it all played out. While there was more of a romance here, due to one of the characters not being a ghost, it was also a journey of self-discovery for them both, even if we only got the front seat to Clementine's POV.

I think Poston defeated the dreaded sophomore concern with this book because it shows that she can hold her own in adult romance and I would definitely read more from her.

I did not expect to love the book as much as I did. As the author said in her endnotes, it was like a warm hug, with moments of love, sorrow and warmth. Clementine inherits her aunt’s apartment after her death, not realizing she would also inherit the magic of going back in time seven years in her life. When Clementine meets Iwan, a young chef staying at her aunt’s apartment seven years in the past, Clementine begins to reevaluate her life choices. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

this was very predictable and cliche but fun! perfect for a beach read and a nice rom-com. I wish the female lead had a bit more of a backbone but overall enjoyed.

This book had me in its grip until about the 80% mark. I love Ashley Poston's writing, and I loved the banter our then-Iwan had with Clementine. I also thought this was so well-written in terms of the grief that Clementine was wrestling with. I think where this book lost me was present-Iwan. Their chemistry wasn't as apparent to me, and something about the timeline after their fajita truck dinner just... didn't sit right with me. Throw in the couple twists that I knew were twists the moment they were first introduced, and I count this as a good, not great, time.

P.S. Don't forget to check the content warnings

the dead romantics was one of my favorite books of last year and honestly one of my favorite rom com books ever so i and really high expectations and this did not disappoint! ashley’s writinf is so engaging and her main characters are so loveable

Clementine’s late aunt always told her moments in her apartment blended together like the colors in a painting. When Clementine discovers a strange man with a southern drawl standing in her aunt’s apartment, she feels as if he could be someone she could fall head over heels for. Except, he exists in the past. Seven years to be exact. Will their paths find one another again in the future?

THIS. BOOK. Was absolutely incredible! 😭 And hands down one of the easiest five stars I’ve given this year! Ever since I read In Five Years, I’ve been obsessed with magical realism. It just adds a little something extra! The chemistry between Clementine and Iwan in both timelines was perfection. I swooned, cried, all the above! Ashley explored the concept of grief so beautifully and even had me wishing for more time with Clementine’s aunt. And someone please let me know that I wasn’t the only one who pictured Clementine’s apartment as the apartment from Friends! 😅 This book is a must-read and I hope you love it as much as I did! Thank you so much to Berkley, Ashley Poston, and NetGalley for my gifted copy!

Ooof, Ashley Poston knows how to hit me right in my heartstrings. I wasn't sure how I felt about time travel, but I also wasn't sure about the Dead Romantics premise and loved it so I knew I would love this one too. An apartment that is magical and can transport you back in time 7 years? What is not to love?
Clemintine meets Jack (of 7 years ago) in the apartment and doesn't realize at first what is happening. Her aunt warned her about falling in love in this apartment, but it is so hard to resist. When she meets Jack in the present, she is trying to get him to sign with her publishing house for a book deal. He seems so different, yet just the same.
He fell in love with a girl seven years ago that he hasn't been able to forget, and even his friends know about her, but will he feel the same when he meets Clem in this stage of her life? They have both changed, but will they be able to find the magic from before?
I loved the way that Ashley deals with grief. Her aunt reminds me so much of my beloved aunt I lost last year and this just made me feel all the feels. I have so many great memories and this book brought all of them to the forefront for me. It was a beautiful love story between Clem and herself, her family, friends and Jack (past and present).
Thank you to Ashley Poston, Berkley and Netgalley for an early copy.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance review copy; though the author and I share both a literary agency and publisher, all opinions are my own and unbiased!

After thoroughly enjoying THE DEAD ROMANTICS, I was very excited to have the chance to read Poston's second adult romance, THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP. I appreciate how the author navigates a women's fic/romance hybrid and takes fun risks with magical realism, as in the case of THE DEAD ROMANTICS, the paranormal/supernatural, and with THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP, time travel. Clementine and her growth journey were easy to root for, and I found Iwan an easy to like love interest, too. Their story, even though it navigated difficult topics of grief and suicide, felt gentle and sweet. Fans of THE DEAD ROMANTICS will definitely be happy with this one.

"That was love, wasn’t it? It wasn’t just a quick drop—it was falling, over and over again, for your person. It was falling as they became new people. It was learning how to exist with every new breath. It was uncertain and it was undeniably hard, and it wasn’t something you could plan for. Love was an invitation into the wild unknown, one step at a time together."

There are a few books that someone will read in their lives that will stick with them forever and this is one of them. Well done. Easy easy 5 stars