I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Clementine works in publishing and is grieving her aunt’s passing. Living in the apartment her aunt left her, she returns home one night to find she isn’t alone. A man claims he’s living there for the summer. Only that summer is seven years ago.

I read and enjoyed Poston’s last book, The Dead Romantics, so I was sure that I would enjoy this, but assumed it would be a once-read-and-forgotten book. I was very much mistaken.

Merging romance with time-travel sounds like it might be a little.. cliché. And while some of the reveals through this feel like they’re expected, this book is genuinely excellent.

The way grief is talked about, specifically, the way it changed the world around us and how we experience things. That was really emotive and it’s these moments that the book really hits its stride.

The romance is nice, the characters are actually decently formed and they have good chemistry. The friends are nice characters, although perhaps a little less rounded-out. The aunt is such a force that despite her absence, she’s very much present throughout.

I think there are a few questions I’d like to have answers, some interactions that maybe should’ve led somewhere else. But genuinely, overall, that doesn’t matter, it was such a wonderful reading experience, far more emotional than expected.

Having now read two of Poston’s books, in which small fantasy elements prop up a central romance, I kind of hope she sticks to this niche as it’s working!

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP by
📝 @heyashposton
🗣 @hqstories

PUB DATE (Paperback) - JULY 6TH

#DropTheSynop 👇

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks. And it’s been working.

That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie. The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for . . .

He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact.

This should be impossible, but Clementine used to love impossible things. And maybe, just maybe, she will again. After all, love is never a matter of time – but a matter of timing.

📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

Kinda gotten a bit bored of romance novels of late and their samey story. However, this story was unique, quite like it's predecessor 'The Dead Romantics' which I enjoyed last year, this one had loads more of the same originality at it's premise.

Ever wanted to do a bit of time travelling yourself? Well, in 'The Seven Year Slip' you get a really good insight. Author Ashley Poston is a master at making whimsical storylines soooo believable I was almost turning to Google to find out how much a time travelling machine would set me back and whether or not I should get one.

Obvs I didn't find one but isn't it OK to succumb to a bit of fantasia now and again?! Of course it is!

Loved all the food references aswell, actually made my mouth water in some parts (not the vagina shaped ravioli though I must say!😂) but yeah I loved it when Iwan got his red hot saucepan out and started whipping up a souffle and the like 🤤

Can't not mention the cute lil' nickname Iwan had for Clementine. Lemon. 🥹🥰 Feel like I wana go out and buy a hamster or something just to name it Lemon but I shall refrain.

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP ✨️ - OUT TOMORROW IN PAPERBACK - Perfect if you love a romance with a unique plot.

Thank you #HQStories ♥️

- Leanne 😊

#TheSevenYearSlip

Thank you, NetGalley and HQ, for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this contemporary romance with a dash of the Paranormal. I've actually still got dead romantics on my TBR, so I will definitely be bumping that up.

In this book, we meet book publicist Clementine and chef Iwan. Clementine inherits her aunts old apartment when she tragicly dies, and we follow Clementines grief as she had a very close bond with her aunt, not only did she spend alot of time in her apartment but they would travel alot and go on lots of adventures.

One day, Clementine wakes up in her aunts apartment, and she's 7 years in the past with a man who her aunt has let stay in the apartment while she & Clementine are off travelling for the summer. The apartment decides as and when it wants to be in the past or the present as it is meant to happen when it's needed. Clementine and Iwan do meet in the present, and that leads to a lot of complications.

The relationship between Clementine & Iwan was honestly just so beautiful and heart-wrenching. The way these characters are written was just so beautiful that I needed to find out it ended.

I also really loved the relationship between Clementine & her aunt its almost as if half the book is their relationship and half is with Iwan, which really gave us such a good backstory for not only the plot but for Clementine as a character.

It isn’t often I find a book that makes me stop and really look at my life in a new perspective. It’s even less often that the same story makes me ache, laugh and believe in the magic of love all in one. This book did that.

The Seven Year Slip has magic in the pages. The synopsis will tell you of a aunt + niece travel duo where the aunt dies, the niece has to move on and her apartment is a place of time travel but that only brushes at the magic and depth of this story.

I truly believe there is someone for everyone here. A hope the moment you read it, it gives you want you need.

I read this in less than 24 hours and really enjoyed it. I have a few minor quibbles – putting them in the least spoiler-y way possible it basically boils down to: I’m not sure that Clementine and Iwan actually spent enough time together across the course of the book. If it’s a romance I needed more of them together, and if it’s more woman’s fiction I needed a better resolution to Clementine’s own life dilemma/crossroads. BUT this only started to bother me once the book was over and I started thinking about it to review it.While I was actually reading it I was completely swept along by it. So on that basis it’s a really enjoyable read – and makes sort-of-time-travel really work for me. I would happily have read another 100 pages if it meant my issues above got more closure. And I liked the little glimpses of some old friends from Dead Romantics too. Another one that is great for the beach/sun lounger.

Such a good one. It is pure magic. I love Postons' writing style .

When I read synopsis I new this one would be a good one

5 stars for me.

I immediately knew if this was anything close to the dead romantics I would enjoy it. Ashley Poston has such a way with writing that yes, the topic is sad, but it’s done in such a wholesome, tender way. I love the cute vibes of this and how it’s not all romance, there’s family involvement too and friendships. A very wholesome and fuzzy read. I love when authors bring characters from other books in in such a subtle way and I loved the little surprises sprinkled throughout about everyone’s connections. Loved this and it’s solidified that this author is now on my instant buy list! Great read and would highly recommend.

I just adore Ashley's books.. last year I read the dead romantics and it became my favourite book of all time!! I just loved this book so much!!! It was amazing. It lived up to the hype and i just kept thinking about Clementine (Lemon) and Iwan!! I love them. I loved every aspect of this book. It made me want to just read it forever 🤣
I loved how Clementine spoke about her aunt and their relationship was just so beautiful! Her aunt's outlook on life had me wanting to just live in the moment💜
As for Clementine & Iwan, all I'll say I'd I just love them, what an amazing pair!! Thank You so much for this amazing chance to read the ARC I can't wait to buy a copy for my shelf.
I cannot wait to see what other books Ashley brings out because she is now my new favourite author 🙌

Even better than the dead romantics and believe me I loved that one. The seven year slip is just magic. If you love that warm fuzzy magical feeling while emersed in a different world that you almost forget you are reading. Then do not miss the latest by Ashley Poston. Excellent

3.5 stars - I was really looking forward to this book because I thought The Dead Romantics was great. This is similar in some ways - a romance with supernatural elements - but this one was definitely more serious. For some reason this book took me a while to get into, at least 25%, but that might have been more my problem than because of anything wrong with the book. I liked both the main character and her love interest, but I would have loved more of the book with them spending time together, more slowly falling in love. This wasn’t exactly an insta-love situation, but too close to it for me. I feel like this book had the potential to be even better than it was, but I’m not sure exactly what I would change about it. I appreciated the author’s real life connection to the aunt’s story and found that very moving, especially after reading the afterward where she talks about her grandfather. I also appreciated the theme of people changing as time passes and appreciating those changes in yourself and others. That was really lovely.
Overall, I’m really glad I read this book and will absolutely check out more by this author as she continues to write.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was so excited to get an ARC of this book and it didn’t disappoint!!

Clementines aunt always said there was something special about her apartment. She never quite understood until her aunt has passed away and she’s suddenly thrust 7 years in the past and meets Iwan.

Can they make it work? Her aunt had warned her never to fall in love with anyone in the apartment but will she listen?

This is a time traveling, magical romance and it was amazing.

5/5 stars and I will be buying a physical copy for my shelf!

Thankyou to NetGalley and HQ for a free E-arc in exchange of an honest review.

WOW! I feel so emotional after reading this book! It has absolutely blown me away and i devoured it in no time at all! After feeling just as strongly to Ashley's first book Dead Romantics, i had such high expectation- its now safe to say that Ashley has cemented herself as in instant buy and is potentially a new favourite author!

There's nothing i would change about this book- and i really hope people would read the authors note at the end also!

Easiest 5 stars of the year for me!

After reading the Once Upon a Con series, I knew that Ashley Poston would be an author whose other books I'd surely love, especially if they have a dash of magic in them.

This one did have magic AND TIME TRAVEL!!! I am a huuuuge lover of time travel in romance books, so naturally this had to be a win for me. And it was, although not quite as much as the previously mentioned series.

I think Poston shines more as a YA author, or that might just be a personal preference since she hit all my buttons just right with those books.

But anyway, The Seven Year Slip was such a cute read that had me smiling throughout. I really liked Clementine and Iwan together, even more so when some bits and pieces of his past were revealed.

I wish we saw more of them falling in love though, because it felt like it happened really fast after they were only thrown together a couple of times in the past and then finally found each other again in the present.

And it was kind of funny that she broke one of her aunt's rules not to fall in love instantly. But it's okay, it made for a fun book and they had a lot of chemistry.

I also have to mention that her nickname, Lemon, was super adorable, and this is coming from someone who doesn't even like lemons. But it fit her, not just because of her name, but because of the expression she makes. You'll know which one when you read the book.

With that said, this book had its sad parts as well. Grief is a big theme in the story, with Clementine grieving her whimsical aunt who died six months ago, just as the apartment decides she needs to travel 7 years into the past.

The grief was handled well, so well that it made me tear up at one particular scene. It was so touching. I don't mind it (grief, not the scene) being included in the story because it gives it a lot more depth.

Clementine is also struggling with her career choices and who she really is, what makes her happy etc. As the book goes on she learns that it's okay to chase the moon.

All in all, I had a good time reading this and will definitely read even more Ashley Poston books in the future.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Reading ‘The Dead Romantics’ last summer was a highlight of my failed attempt to read 30 books in 30 days last summer and it’s stuck with me so firmly that I pre-ordered the paperback and snagged a NetGalley proof of Ashley Poston’s new magical realism romance, ‘The Seven Year Slip’, as soon as I physically could.

Just like ‘The Dead Romantics’, it was a swoon-worthy treat.

Here’s the deal:

An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks. And it’s been working.

That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie. The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for . . .

He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact.

This should be impossible, but Clementine used to love impossible things. And maybe, just maybe, she will again. After all, love is never a matter of time – but a matter of timing.

Ashley Poston does the most wonderful job of blending genres and striking the right balance between magical realism and romance to not only tell the best story possible, but also to make sure fans of either genre can meet in the middle with this book.

I was a little worried at first that it wasn’t quite going to work for me because of the mixing of the ways those things were melded and I think I struggled with projecting how this love story in a time slip could work without the characters getting too sad or too tangled (trauma response to reading ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’ too young, anybody?), but then I looked up, realised I’d already devoured 20% of the book and it was nearly 1am on a work night… Safe to say, it wasn’t an issue in Poston’s capable hands…pen? typing?

Just like in ‘The Dead Romantics’, ‘The Seven Year Slip’ really explored grief and loss with Clementine having lost her beloved aunt six months before we meet her. The apartment she is left has a little bit of magic in it, spontaneously transporting it’s residents to seven years in the past whenever it fancies. Since her aunt died, Clementine has just…stopped. She no longer feels the urge to create or to travel or to advance her career, she’s stuck in a whirl of grief. That time jump aspect really highlights the non-linear aspect of grief - you never know where and when it’s going to hit you over the head with too many feelings. There’s a moment towards the end where the “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff” made me cry and I wasn’t expecting that to happen at all. It was a moment that I only wish everyone who has lost someone could experience in the real world. Anyway. Before I start crying again…

I really don’t want to say much more about Clementine’s relationship with her aunt, the apartment and the man she meets there as it’s so special to experience it for yourself, but I hope that taunted you into picking it up.

Something else that’s starting to become a pattern in Poston’s novels is books and publishing and I am here. for it. Especially if it means we get a surprise cameo from the one and only Benji Condor like we did here. Most book people love it when books are in books and I’m no exception to that. Clementine lives in NYC and works at a small non-fiction publisher with her two best friends, one of which is vying for a book from an upcoming chef who’s opening a restaurant of his own - but what does that have to do with Clemntine’s love story? Well….

‘The Seven Year Slip’ is a funny, romantic, and touching look at love, loss and trusting in yourself to go after what you want. I already can’t wait for another novel from Ashley Poston.

‘The Seven year Slip’ is release in paperback in the UK today, 7 July 2023, by HQ.

If you want to grab a copy for yourself, using our bookshop.org affiliate link below will help us out and support independent bookshops, without costing you anything extra.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the review copy.

Written by Sophie

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston was one of my favorite reads of last year, so I was ecstatic when I got approved for this ARC. And this book did not disappoint! As usual, her books are never what I expect. So I loved the magical aspect of this book.

I don't want to spoil anything with this book but Clementine and Iwan were the best couple - absolutely adorable and I just loved how this book was presented!

Can't wait to read more by Ashley Poston in the future.

After absolutely loving The Dead Romantics I had high hopes for this and it didn't disappoint! Such a clever concept and great love story, and one that I couldn't put down!

Fantastic fun summer read with romance, baking and everything sweet in between. Lovely love story reminiscent of The Lake House. Would recommend.

I truly do not know where to begin with how much I LOVED this book, and how deeply it impacted me.

I don't think I've ever quite encountered this cross between Magical Realism and Contemporary Romance, but I think I have. anew favorite combo of genres. I feel so deeply in love with these characters, from our main character Clementine (lovingly dubbed as Lemon), to our LI Iwan (who is a complete dream boat, but I'll get back to that), all the way to the complicated and vibrant Aunt Analea. These characters are so real, I felt like I had met them in real life. And the premise of a magical apartment that jumps 7 years into the past or future when you most need it to is SO charming and bittersweet at times, it felt like it was a character all on its own.

And good lord, Iwan. This man had me swooning from his first moment on the page. He is an excitable, kind and curious sunshine boy when we first meet him. He makes poetry out of talking about the things he loves, and he falls so hard for Clementine, SO fast. He falls first is one of my absolute favorite tropes and this was executed so beautifully here. These two had chemistry that was off the charts, I loved every second of it.

Jumping back to the present within the story was a uniquely emotional, bittersweet experience. I felt distress when Clementine did, fear of falling too hard when she did, conflict about how to do the right thing when she did. I found myself on the verge of happy tears at many moments, and brought to overwhelmed grieving tears in a big way come the end. And don't worry: this DOES have a happy ending. It just also examines complicated topics related to grief, suicide, the way time changes people and circumstances. And sometimes, how time can bring people back together, even when so much has changed.

I am so glad I already have The Dead Romantics sitting on my shelf, ready to be devoured. I can see Ashley Poston being an auto-buy for me in the future. I cannot wait to see what magical, romantic story she brings us next. Thank you so much to HQ and NetGalley for the eArc of this title!

This quietly whimsical novel had an intriguing premise but I couldn’t help but feel like it didn’t entirely live up to it. All of its intended surprises were easily predictable. This meant that turning the page was less of a matter of “what’s going to happen next” and more of a “when is it going to happen”. Due to this, the story wasn’t as compelling as I wanted it to be.

I appreciated how both Clementine and Iwan grew over the course of the novel, highlighting how change isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, their romantic relationship wasn’t afforded the same kind of development. Their first weekend together, while admittedly containing some cute moments, was way too insta-lovey for my liking. Even though this was all too sudden, I did like how their relationship was built on talking and sharing the truest parts of themselves.

There was a warmth and sensitivity to the novel, in large part due to Clementine and her endearing set of friends. This meant that when it handled Clementine’s grief over the loss of her Aunt Analea, it didn’t dwell on the end of her life, rather the emboldening effect she had on her niece.

Overall, this whimsical novel focused on the personal development of its main characters, partially sidelining the sweet romantic storyline, yet I appreciated its message of embracing change.

Clementine West is mourning her beloved Aunt, and already going through a terrible time when she is forced to make some decisions about her career earlier than she ideally would have liked. She knows that this is what she has been working for, and doesn't understand her own hesitance, putting it down to nerves and wanting to (always) do the right thing.

When she moves in to her Aunt's apartment for good, she is stunned to find a man there, but even more surprised that he is mentioning her Aunt in the present tense, saying that she has allowed him to stay there. It's only then that Clementine realises that the apartment has sent her seven years back in time... into the arms of a handsome stranger.

Clementine's aunt had always told her the apartment was magic, but clementine had always believed that was just her aunt's way of saying it was special, because she lived in it and loved it so much. Now that she realises that everything she told her was true.

Then she remembers the two rules her aunt had for the apartment:
1. Always take your shoes off at the door
2. Never fall in love in the apartment

Clementine's pretty sure that she's broken rule 1 at least once, so what's the harm in breaking rule 2.?

I don't want to say too much more, as you really need to discover this novel for yourself. One message that the novel carries that will stick with me for a long time is: Love is never a matter of time, but a matter of timing.

It's something that I am holding on to, as this novel encourages us to do what is right for us, follow our dreams, and not give up.

I adored everything about this book, and can't wait to read more from this author.