A Quantum Love Story came out yesterday, just a few days before what is probably the most iconic of all time loop stories settings, Groundhog’s Day. In A Quantum Love Story, Mariana Pineda is grieving the loss of her step sister/best friend, which has nudged her into making changes in her life like finding a new job to replace her current role helping to develop memory targeting drugs. She can’t resist though holding on one last week so she can be involved with a project with a top secret particle accelerator, a project that would have been her bff’s dream job. What was supposed to be a new start, becomes a constant loop though as Mariana is one of only two people who realize they are in a time loop when something with the generator goes horribly wrong. 

As Carter, with his eidetic memory, and Mariana, whose memory has been pharmaceutically enhanced, try to break the cycle, they discover love under the most unusual circumstances. The characters of Carter and Mariana are well developed and their romance is sweet. The second half of the novel took it in a direction I wasn’t expecting and although romance is is in the title, this novel has much more to say about life and relationships.

First you see what the characters do when there are no consequences and then what must be done if even the smallest thing could end the world. The novel is set in the near future and has very positive view of AI as having potential for not only research assistance, but also companionship. If you love Groundhog’s Day, this is definitely one to checkout.

I’m not sure if I read a Mike Chen’s book I didn’t like and this one is in a very good one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I always appreciate how the author can write about different side of the sci-fi/fantasy universe and deliver a story that is poignant and entertaining at the same time and always present you some new that will keep you reading.
The time loop trope is not unheard of but I was fascinated by how the author used it and how the story mixes emotions, high tech, and physics.
Entertaining and gripping, this is a story I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to MIRA for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

This was an interesting time loop story, the idea of it really enjoyed. I struggled with the romance though, not feeling as if the characters had enough depth to produce a really good romance in the midst of what they were trying to accomplish… the characters just fell flat to me and it seemed they were very “tunneled” there was only a couple aspects of them we were told about and that was it.

While it had entertaining aspects, I was disappointed with the overall delivery. I do love a good time loop/travel story though and that was really fun!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I am honestly very surprised at how much I ended up enjoying this book. The title turned me off a bit but I found myself intrigued by the description so I decided to give it a go and I can say that I was a huge fan and if anyone is thinking the title makes it able to shove off maybe give it a go anyway.

We meet Carter first, as he leads us through the first iteration of our time loop. But soon after, we also meet Mariana. And within a few loops, Carter has arranged things so that Mariana now remembers previous loops, too. It’s better to tackle this mystery with an ally, right?

Over many loops, their partnership turns into friendship… but just as it’s about to turn into more, there’s an important shift. While Carter was the only one to originally remember that they were in a loop, now he starts forgetting. Around the same time, Mariana thinks she’s finally found the cause of the loop… but how will she figure out what to do about it if she doesn’t have Carter to bounce ideas off of?

Needless to say, the whole trajectory of this story starts to shift, around halfway through the book. Now we’re only following Mariana, as she has to take some drastic steps to set things right. Even though we don’t meet them until the second half of the book, she does have an AI assistant and eventually a dog to keep her company. (Content warning: I cried when she inevitably had to say goodbye to both of these characters! At least it wasn’t both at the same time?)

I don’t want to give away too much about this second half, but I will say this: she is no longer stuck in the loop in this portion of the story.

Also, her AI is modeled after David Bowie. So, obviously that’s rad.

If you are at all into sci-fi – but specifically, stories involving time loops or time travel – rush to pick this one up!

I was drawn to this title by its gorgeous cover and intrigued as soon as I started reading, even though I am not a big reader of time slip/SF-ish books.

Readers will care about Mariana and Carter, and their story. Here is an immersive and enjoyable novel. It is worth making time for. This one may change how a reader thinks about time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

A Quantum Love Story-a standalone

By: Mike Chen-1st time read author

Publication: 1-30-24, Read 1-30-24

Page count: 384 PDF

Rating: 4/5 ✨

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC💙 ! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Quick Summary: Carter is a technician at a particle accelerator when an accident sends him back four days in time. Mariana Pineda is a neuroscientist who Carter has to convince they know each other and take her with him. They must figure out how to break the loop, but get to know each other, talking about grief, jobs, and family.


🤔My Thoughts: This felt like Groundhog Day's time loop with a light sci-fi romance developed between Carter, a self proclaimed foodie with an eidetic memory, and Mariana, a focused and calculated neuroscientist. I wished Carter had his own POV with more background about his family and his complicated relationship with them. This ended a little ambiguous but with time being so fluid, I'll forgive it.

Carter Cho is a technician at a particle accelerator when it explodes, striking him with a green energy and sending him back four days in time. Stuck in an endless loop with no consequences, he eventually manages to bring Mariana Pineda in with him. Together they must figure out how to break the loop. As they spend time together, they eat the best food that San Francisco has to offer and work through grief, unfulfilling jobs, family, and confronting difficult pasts. They grow close, but breaking the loop might mean giving up the connection between them.

Mike Chen has written other novels that take a sci-fi concept to the world of romance novels and interpersonal dynamics. This time, it's the Groundhog Day time loop that gets played with. Carter isn't the brains behind the accelerator, but several loops have him learning different skills that were never part of his original job description. Mariana works in neuroscience, not quantum physics, but is willing to help him however she can. She's dealing with grief from a missing best friend who turned into her stepsister, overwork, and burnout. The connection with Carter might start with a donut, but he really points out the everyday joys that we all take for granted. Even meals are something that he can encourage her to take her time with.

The plot didn't go the way I thought. Once Carter and Mariana had their kiss, Carter's eidetic memory began to fail with each cycle. Mariana began to work on solving the mystery behind the explosion to reverse it. As much as she cared about Carter, it became working in isolation so that she didn't cause him undue distress. It was incredibly emotional, a bittersweet kind of ending with hope as everything pulled together at the very end. Time travel stories and time loop stories sometimes involve paradoxes, but this one worked incredibly hard to avoid them. I appreciated all of the effort put into making it pull together so that even nitpicking the time element made sense. I devoured the book and enjoyed every page.

A Quantum Love Story is very much a rollercoaster of a book; complete with a slow build, an anxiety inducing drop, and plenty of loop-the-loops. If you're looking for a romantic love story this isn't it. If you're looking for a science fiction novel this isn't it either. Rather this book sits in a liminal space full of possibilities, second chances, grief, sacrifice, friendship, and something akin to love, both platonic and romantic. The ending left me wanting and maybe thats for the best after all.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Mira, and Mike Chen for allowing me to review this fun book. I really enjoy time travel and time loop books with a touch of romance and this book hit all of those targets for me and more. It was a fun read and very enjoyable. It is a lighter book that anyone can enjoy. You do not need to be a scientist to understand the book which I also appreciated. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fun sci-fi mixed with a bit of romance.

"A Quantum Love Story" was a thoroughly enjoyable time travel/time loop sci fi story with light romance elements. If you're someone who enjoys this brand of story then I think you'll really enjoy this book. While a lot of the book does focus on getting out of the time loop and the moments of both levity and desperation that come with it, I don't think "Quantum Love Story" got as dark as some books in this genre sometimes do, which I appreciated.

I do think that the title of the novel may lend to some people thinking this is a romance with sci fi elements, which would be incorrect. This is a sci fi, with very minor romance elements. The story arc does not follow that of a romance of those going in expecting it to may be disappointed.

My one criticism of the book (if you can even call it that) would be that I didn't feel like it brought anything new to the genre. The plot was slightly predictable, the exploration of the characters was somewhat cursory, and the romance wasn't the central focus. However, I'm not sure if every book needs to be revolutionary. This was an enjoyable and easy read. I'd definitely recommend it to people.

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I will not be finishing this book for reasons that are not the authors fault.
After receiving this book I realized I’m not the intended audience for this book. I couldn’t understand a lot of what was going on in the book because the vocabulary and subjects were just over my head.
Thank you for allowing me to read this for free in exchange for my honest review.

A Quantum Love Story is a cute, light sci-fi romance that still tugs on your heartstrings. This is not a typical romance at all, but still very much a love story, and I loved Mike Chen’s approach to it. The relationship that develops between Carter, our foodie with the eidetic memory, and Mariana, a neuroscientist who could care less about food, felt very real and grounded, despite it happening in the middle of a four-day cycle time loop. As a foodie myself, I appreciate Carter’s love of food and how he used it to show how he cared about Mariana.

The mystery of the time loop is intriguing but not too complex. It’s not necessary to be a sci-fi reader to enjoy this book. Some parts of the plot seemed a bit too convenient, and the end felt both open-ended and tied up too neatly with a bow. I also really liked Carter, but felt like we didn’t get enough in his POV. It is a fun read, though, and I would recommend it to someone looking for a light sci-fi that is still very human.

A moving, cleverly written time loop love story between an tech guy and a neuroscientist who find themselves stuck in a four day time loop that ends with the world exploding. Full of humor and heart, this was my first book by Mike Chen and I really, really enjoyed it! Recommended for fans of romance stories with a sci-fi twist, books about living life to the fullest and fighting for what matters and authors like Roselle Lim. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @Librofm for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: kissing only

Let me tell you a little story about this book. I could have finished in December, right at the end. But I waited, until January first, so that I could start the year off with a winner. This, my friends, is a winner. It's no secret that I'd purchase Mike Chen's grocery list without hesitation, but this one was fabulous. In it, Mariana and Carter are facing endless time loops of the same four days, unless they figure out a way to get out of it. I think I shall just tell you why I loved it, then!

►Time loops! These are always fun, right? I cannot help but wonder what I would do in such a situation, and I loved how Carter and Mariana handle their loops in so many different ways. Obviously, they go through phases of hope, denial, acceptance, etc., and back around again. It makes it feel more realistic, because I imagine that most of us would do the same.

►The characters! Mariana and Carter were just such different people, which ended up working really well. She was calculated and focused, whereas he was more willing to take risks and think outside the box. Ultimately, they just worked so well together, and I enjoyed them both as characters in their own right, too.

►The emotions! I had many, reader. We learn quite a bit about the characters' lives before the loops, and of course, we carry on with them for quite some time during the loops. Without giving away too much, there are plenty of moments that made me laugh, smile, and yes, cry.

►I was able to moderately understand the science. I mean look, I am no scientist, but I at least had a basic grasp of what was happening. Sometimes, it gets too convoluted when I read a book like this, but I assure you, this is not the case here! The author does a great job of writing it in a way that the reader understands, and I think it helps that while Mariana is a scientist, this isn't exactly her purview, and Carter is a layperson like most of us reading the book.

►It is just very heartfelt. I felt like I truly knew the characters by the end, especially Mariana, and I could not help but root for her with a desperation as though she was a friend. That, for me, is just the mark of good storytelling.

All of this said, I did want a little more from the ending. Just a little, and I considered knocking a half a star off, but I really loved it too much to do that. But also, if Mike Chen ever wants to throw an epilogue my way, this would absolutely shoot onto my favorites list. Just saying.

Bottom Line: Wonderfully written with tons of heart and emotion and time loop shenanigans, I fell quite in love with A Quantum Love Story.

I really enjoyed this science fiction, time loop love story. I say love story as the title does because I would definitely not market this as romance. While there is a central relationship and the characters are slowly falling toward each other in love and in their shared mission to break out of a 4-day Groundhog Day-esque time loop, their romantic feelings are not the primary focus of the book.

This book was quirky and fun. I really enjoyed the setting of San Francisco circa the 2090s. I thought the technology portrayed throughout was just advanced enough while remaining believable for 70 years in the future. The time loops and time travel also were well done. While my head was spinning a little in a few moments with technical language and science, my brain did not hurt trying to figure out the logistics of the time travel; I’m no expert, but the logic seemed solid and lacked the problematic inconsistencies I’ve found with so many books of this type.

I also really liked the slow-burn development of feelings between Carter and Mariana, two people who weren’t really looking for each other at all.

I few items I struggled with:

I wanted more background and emotion felt about Carter’s family and his complicated relationship with them.

I also wanted to feel the emotions of our characters a bit more. They seemed distant at times. The one time I got a little misty-eyed was when Mariana said goodbye to her AI.

There was a moment about half way through the book when I felt like the pace was dragging a lot, only to turn to the next chapter and have the plot move rapidly to the finish line.

Finally, I have mixed feelings about the ending, but I won’t spoil it for anyone. I will say it was slightly ambiguous. I’m undecided on whether I appreciate that, the way I appreciate indie movies, or if I wish there were a longer epilogue.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, but wonder if I might have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been expecting it to deliver more romance. My interest in this author has been piqued though, and I may be looking into his other works in the future.

— NOTES —
Genres: science fiction, time loops & travel, love story
POV: third-person
Content: grief, animal death (natural)
Romance: kisses

— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)

Pace: 3.5
Enjoyment: 4.5
Craft: 4
My Gut Feeling: 4
Total Stars: 4

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book!

What a ride. Part sci-fi time travel adventure, part mystery, part psychological experiment, part romance - this book has a lot going on. And I ate it up.

There are a lot of things I would love to say about what happens in this book, but I don't want to spoil anything. What I will say is that this is one of those rare instances where I really dislike what actually happens in the book - where it makes me feel lots of negative emotions that I normally avoid when reading, because I tend to read for pure escapism - and yet I gave it a full 5 stars. If you know me well, maybe that gives you a clue as to some aspect of the plot. Maybe not.

At its core, this is a time loop story. Two people find themselves stuck in a time loop where they repeat the same three and a half days over and over again, and they're trying to figure out how to get out of the loop. As is probably obvious by the name of the book, the two people end up developing feelings for each other. I've read several time loop romances at this point, and this one was wholly unique - mostly because the time loop itself wasn't just a tropey gimmick that was abandoned 1/3-1/2 of the way through the book. It had a purpose, and it provided a really interesting context to the growing feelings between the main characters.

This certainly isn't a simple, feel-good romance, but if you're a fan of both science fiction and romance, I definitely recommend it. It has compelling characters, relationship and plot development, unpredictable twists, and an interesting ending. This was my first Mike Chen read, but I will be certain to add his other books to my list!

𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌

𝘼 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙢 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮
by Mike Chen
January 30, 2024
368 pages
@_mira_books_ Thank you for allowing me to read in exchange for my honest review.

Read this if:

- you enjoy sci fi with lots of brainy science facts (I kind of started enjoying this after The Martian & this had that vibe even though it is not a space novel).
- You like a sweet new romance of just kisses and longing.
-Time travel or looping is interesting reading. Quantum leaps indeed.

-You liked the movie Groundhog Day and want to know more about how that could happen.
- enjoy a story that has some lessons about savoring life's little moments even though major changes are happening.
- like relatable characters.
- wonder how science might handle memory and time

Carter Cho and Mariana Pineda end up in a time loop together, but then something happens, and one of them must make a life altering decision. I do not want to spoil a moment of this book. Think Groundhog Day in a top secret science facility with time travel and all of its possible paradoxical problems.

Will they end up together?
Can science and artificial intelligence save the day?

I really liked this read, and my only complaint is that I would have liked a few more chapters to see what happened to these characters next. Maybe the author might consider a bonus short story, please.

If you are looking for a sci fi with light romance, deep thoughts on living, and that makes you think about the physics of time loops and time travel, make this your next read. It's quirky, and good.
I really want to tell you about the AI character based on a famous rock star, but do not want to spoil the surprise.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

#bookreview #sciencefiction #timetravelbooks #timeloops #quantumphysicsfiction #aquantumlovestory

This was a fun and somewhat quirky story. The characters are stuck in a four-day time loop that they are trying to break out of. It is also a story about love, friendship, and human connection.

This was a fascinating book! I did find the science/physics/time aspect to be quite challenging to understand at times. I would like to go back and review the last third of the book. The book had great pace and urgency. It was not a traditional romance; definitely more of a sci-fi novel than romance.