The cutest book!

Time loops aren’t always my favorite trope but I couldn’t help obsess over Gemma and Jack’s relationship. I rooted for them through every chapter and kept on hoping Gemma would remember all the times she spent with Jack. The plot came together perfectly for me.

thank you to the author and publishers for so generously providing me with an advanced reader copy!

this book was exciting. i know that seems like an incredibly plain way to describe it, but while reading i felt myself grow eager and excited on behalf of both of the main characters. i found myself hoping that they would fall into place together. that’s not often something i feel while reading books. i found myself most excited to see what happened next, to see what gemma was feeling. i’ve never wholeheartedly rooted for two characters this way.

holly james did an amazing job, i would read time loops everyday if they were all written like this.

I really enjoyed this one! I swooned so hard so many times. I loved jack. Gemma was kinda annoying in the beginning but she got better as the book went on.

Is it insta love if one of the people has really been seeing the other for about five months, even though it is like day one for the other? Gemma is content with her low key life, but things take an about turn when she meets someone at her best friend, Lila's, birthday party. The next day, when she crashes into a handsome man at the coffee shop, an energy courses through her along with a memory of kiss from the night before. Does she know this guy? This guy, turns out to be Jack, a guy who is supposedly trapped in a time loop. He believes that Gemma is the key to getting out. Trying to convince her makes for a long day, one that is filled with both Gemma and Jack making decisions and seeing resolution in their lives in a variety of ways.
This is a cute book, and I love both of the main characters. Jack is sweet and patient as he tries to get Gemma to piece together all of the days he has spent knowing her. I want Lila, Gemma's BFF, to be mine! She lives a fun life and always has Gemma's back. The whole possibility of time loops is a little hard to wrap my head around, but if you take this book for what it is, a sweet, fun romance, you will not be disappointed!

Thank you Netgalley for an Arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Time loops are a hit or miss for me, so I walked into this book carefully. I didn't have to worry though. I loved how the time loop was handled in this book.
Gemma doesn't know she's in a time loop. She wakes up like any other day, and even though a few things make her feel a sense of deja vu, she doesn't really think anything of it, until she ends up in a latte bath after bumping into someone at the coffee shop. He seems so familiar, and he's looking at her like she should know him.
Jack might be a little crazy, she can't be sure, but somehow he seems to know things and he seems to think the answer to their problem is for her to fall in love with him. In one day.

I loved that we are following Gemma through the story during a 24 hour period rather than re-living days, but I would have liked a few pov moments from Jack to show his memories more and his connection to Gemma through the loops. just to get more of a glimpse of that side of the story. (I'm also a sucker for a dual POV so that might just be me.)

This book was also so much more than trying to find love in a day. A lot of other things were pulled in for them to overcome, and I liked the deeper aspect of the story. This was a fun, clean romance complete with a wonderful best friend and drama coming at them in the form of exes and family,

Release date is 8/1/23

I really enjoyed this book overall. Fast and cute read. I really enjoyed the Big Bang reference in the book. The cheesiness was just right in this book!

I did at times find the book a bit predictable and the pacing was a little off for me. That is why I am giving this 3.25 stars out of 5 stars. ⭐️ Thank you so much to Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for this arc.

Jack is stuck in a 147 day loop, reliving the same day over and over again. He soon realizes the key to breaking this glitch is a girl named Gemma. The catch? Gemma has 24 hours to fall in love with him!

Oh my god, this book is so precious. Nothing like a good time loop story ahhhh!

Gemma and Jack have been in this time loop for many days. Expect the only one who knows about the time loop is Jack. When they meet at Gemma's friend's birthday party, Jack tries something different than he did before in the hopes that she will remember him.

When the next day comes, everything is normal for Gemma until the news comes on with a story she thinks she's heard before but can't find any information on it ever happening before that day. Then she runs, literally, into Jack after getting coffee. She slowly learns about the time loop and starts to believe he is telling her the truth.

With the time ticking, they try to help each other get out of this time loop, but they aren't sure what to do.

I don't read very many Groundhog-day, time loop-driven books, but this one was undoubtedly the most unique of the handful I've read before.

It started off immediately different - it's set in the pov of the other person who is stuck in the loop. Gemma isn't aware of the loop until she bumps into Jack and remembers him the next day. Usually, we'd get the perspective of Jack, stuck in the loop and trying to find his way out of it while falling for Gemma. But because it was from Gemma's viewpoint, I had no idea what would come next. The sky was the limit for this book, and Holly James took immediate advantage of that.

However, the only concern was that it dragged slightly in the middle. All the events of the book occurred in one day, and not just the looped day, but one literal day. Gemma woke up, things happened, and she finally gets to sleep at the end. So an entire day's worth of events occurs in, what, 300 pages? It was a little lengthy, and it was only obvious in the middle when it moved slower than before.

thank you, NetGalley for a free copy

I had mixed feelings about this book. I really really wanted to like it but struggled getting through it.

The things that I enjoyed
-The story had a great concept I thought the idea of people being stuck in a loop and the only way out was love was a super cute idea! I loved how Gemma’s character changed overtime and she finally found happiness and realized what was holding her down for years. I love even more that Jack was able to help her find that. Jack was so sweet as well the fact that he spent so many days over and over again trying to win her love.

Things I struggled with while reading
-The chapters are lonnnggg (I am a 8-12 minute chapters girl) these chapters were 30 minutes sometimes close to 40 minutes. I think the point could have got put across a lot faster and I felt things kept repeating themselves like what was happening would just get explained in different ways. The story felt super one sided so I was kind of confused most of the time and would have loved to see Jacks side of things. Towards the end I just started skimming so I could figure out what was happening without all the fluff in between 😅
It was a really cute concept but just not for me sadly.

This was cute and was an interesting twist on the time loop, where the guy was the only one who realized he was in it and he was trying to convince the MC that she was as well. It's always fun to read a book based in LA and I think the author did a great job at actually drawing out the love story between the couple (despite it only being a day for Gemma).

3 stars because Gemma was quite annoying with how much she whined and truly did not seem mature at all. Ugh time loop tropes can be a hit or a miss because they get so repetitive. I think this would be a good one to pick up if you're just getting started in the tropes and haven't read many!

4 Stars

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC!

This was so charming! I’ve never read a time loop story before and I liked this so much more than I thought I would. I quickly felt invested in the characters and couldn’t put the book down until I figured out how it all played out.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect. All I knew is that a time loop was involved, which actually this is the first book I have read with a time loop, I honestly haven’t seen a movie with it either. I got to say I was not disappointed, I expected repetition, considering the setting, but that did not happen at all. I think that’s what made it exciting to read.
It’s interesting that we follow the story mostly from Gemma’s perspective, considering she has been mostly unaware of the time-loop, while Jack has been reliving it for almost five months. All of that changes, when Jack tests out his theory, by kissing her, in hopes it will trigger something. The next morning (or same morning) Gemma wakes up with a sense of familiarity, she ends up at a coffee shop where she bumps into Jack, whom she has never met, but looks strangely familiar. This is where their story begins. Jack’s theory? They must fall in love in one day in order to break the time loop!
Even though to Gemma, Jack is supposed to be a stranger, it was nice seeing them confide in each other, to the point where Jack was encouraging her. He also never really pushed Gemma, he would just say kind things or make gestures to show Gemma that she can trust him.
I also loved the fact that aside from the romance of it all, Gemma seemed to figure out what was keeping her stuck, from her past relationship that left her heart broken and betrayed, her relationship with her dad, and her career too, managing to resolve or move past it. It was nice seeing her grow in a way. It also sorta puts things into perspective, because a lot of us have fear of taking that big step towards a career goal or falling in love, which keeps us stuck or in a cycle. But we shouldn’t be ruled by fear and sometimes take that courageous step instead.
Overall, the book was funny, cute, and exciting. Special shout-out to Gemma’s best friend, Lila, I loved her character and thought she was funny.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the eARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for allowing me to read this book!

Summary: This story follows Gemma who meets Jack at her best friend's (Lila) birthday party. Gemma feels that he seems very familiar, but cannot figure out why. After hitting it off and ending the night, Jack asks Gemma if he can try something and kisses her. The next day everything seems like Deja Vu to Gemma as if she has experienced it before. She then runs into Jack again (literally); he tries to explain that he has been trying to "wake her up" because they've been living the same day repeatedly. They're stuck in a time loop and only love can break it.

What I liked: It's an entertaining and intriguing premise. I enjoyed Lila's character (Gemma's best friend and social media influencer) and Lila's Aunt Clara (palm reader). I felt like they were the most colorful.

What I disliked: Parts of the story were a bit redundant. Something would happen and I felt like they would talk about it or re-explain it over and over again. I wish it was a little more exciting and comedic. Also, it felt one-sided and a bit boring. Wondering if either two POVs (one Gemma and one Jack) would have been better. Lastly, I felt that if the story was a little bit longer, it could have had better moments of Jack and Gemma hanging out where you could feel the chemistry build between them instead of us just reading about it. I didn't feel much tension; we just had to believe that Gemma felt the same way in the end. Gemma's character seemed very negative; granted she had relationship issues with an ex and with family, which explained the trust issues. It just seemed like she barely gave anyone a chance and immediately thought the worst without listening.

Overall: I give this story 2.5 stars. It was a little hard to get through.

Author: Holly James
Pub Date: August 2023
Rating: 3.75/5
Spice: 1/5

What a fun read! This is my first Holly James book that I've read, and I loved this sweet story.

Gemma Peters is stuck in a time-loop where she keeps repeating the same day, and she can’t remember it! Although, Jack does remember every day of the loop - and he has a theory on how to end it….. Gemma needs to fall in love with him, in a single day.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the best friend dynamic between Gemma & Lila. I would have read the whole book just to listen to their banter & stories! I felt like I could relate to having strong friendships within my own life, and how good it is to laugh with your girls. Another great aspect of this book is the way the author ties in Gemma’s family drama as she is trying to figure out if she should open her heart back up. Lastly, I can't leave out how dreamy Jack is in the romantics department! He set the standards high with gestures that were exhilarating to read.

Personally, I would recommend this to someone who loves a romance with time-loop tropes & some rock n’ roll to it!

Thank you to Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for sharing this reviewer's copy with me, all opinions are my own!

4.8⭐️ Ahhhhhh. Love love love. What a great concept. The whole book takes place in one day, which is my only complaint. It just seemed unbelievable for all it to take place in the span of one day.

Anyways, I loved how head over heels Jack was. It added an extra touch to romance since it was there in the very beginning. We really saw a lot of Gemma’s personality and her character growth. There was great establishment of who she was and her past.

THE ENDING WAS 🥳✨💞🍾⚡️🌞👑💅. A great rom com!!

I loved this unique take on a time loop story. I am not sure why, but I've never really thought about all those other people reliving the same the day over and over again - who don't realize what is happening. And what would happen if you met someone that day - and then just happened to fall in love with them while you were trying to get out of that loop? That is exactly what is going on with Jack.

Gemma wakes up one morning and everything starts to seem a little bit familiar. When she stops for coffee and bumps into a man - ruining her favorite shirt in the process - everything changes. Even though she's never met Jack before - he seems strangely familiar. This sets Gemma and Jack on a path that will change everything for both of them.

This book is entirely from Gemma's perspective - which is a fascinating choice considering she wasn't aware she was reliving the same day over and over again until Jack finds a way to start triggering her memories. I was amazed at the amount of character development that happened over the course of the day we see in the pages of the book. A LOT changes in a very short period of time. I particularly liked that there were quite a few times I felt Gemma was acting in a way that was kind of self-centered or selfish - and ultimately - she realizes it too. That is almost radical in fiction!

Overall - I really enjoyed the take on a situational trope that was very unique. I also loved the character development for both Jack and Gemma. I have no problem seeing them with the full on happily ever after - even after just the one, very very long day.

I received this via NetGalley as an ARC, but these opinions are all my own.

Thank you for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I found the interaction between the two main characters to be awkward, in my opinion. Therefore, I quickly lost interest in this book. I was disappointed, as the cover and the title appealed to me so much.

bye this book was absolutely perfect. I haven't read many time loop books but this one is by far my favorite. it had so much heart to it. I love that it didn't go in circles constantly. the romance felt believable and earned in the end, it played out like a beautiful romcom. Jack is so romantic and his speeches always made me want to cry. I loved how gemma healed her relationship with her father in the end and I loved all the side characters. this was so great. thank you to netgalley for the arc.

I had such a great time reading this book. I’m a sucker for time loops that are well written and not repetitive. The main character had great development. The friends are just as great. Loved loved loved.