I've read a handful of 'groundhog day' type books and I quite enjoyed this one! Instead of the day playing over and over again, we're basically in the last version of the repeated day. We hear about the previous attempts Jack made to get out of the loop and why Gemma may be the key to breaking the loop. It does seem like quite a long day and so much is packed in it but it was enjoyable. Gemma and Jack have good chemistry. I think I would have enjoyed it more if there was more dual POV besides the very end.

The plot of this book was on point. It was a great concept. It just ended up feeling too insta-love. Yea there is a time loop, but there wasn’t much of a connection between the two MCs at all. There was no real build up of the romance which made it harder to feel there was any chemistry between to the two MCs.

The Deja Glitch is an adorable, funny, sensitive story with lots of charm and romance. Its unique plot is what I found the book to be engaging!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books for an advanced copy of this book.

I love love loved this book! It hooked me in from the first chapter and I did not want to put it down. I genuinely was unsure of the premise and didn’t know if I would be able to get into the plot but it was such a refreshing and new plot that kept me invested! I wish I could read this book again for the first time

I thought this was going to be like groundhogs day (we keep reading the almost same day over and over), but it wasn‘t and the format was soooo much better!

The Deja Glitch is a fast paced and delightful whirlwind. Yes the romance is instalove-ish, but Jack has been working on this romance for 5 months, without Gemma knowing of course. They really do make a cute couple and you can see the chemistry between them, even though they have a ton of first encounters. Holly James did such a wonderful job weaving them together (and tugging at my heartstrings!).

Jack and Gemma were such a delight. The concept was unique and I hope we get to read about Lila's happily ever after soon

Jack needs Gemma to fall in love with him to get out of a crazy time loop that has him reliving the same day over and over again. The only problem is that Gemma doesn't remember him from one day to the next. What will make this time different and will it make Gemma remember? Only time will tell. This was a fun take on Groundhog Day in the romance world. 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

Sandy M’s review of The Deja Glitch by Holly James
Contemporary Paranormal Romance published by Dutton 01 Aug 23

This is my first Holly James book, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this “Groundhog Day“ storyline.

Gemma literally runs into Jack again and again, and while they have a bit of chemistry together, as soon as their interaction is over, Gemma goes on with her days, leaving him behind with only a vague sense of maybe she should know more about Jack than she actually does.

It’s Jack who remembers everything about his time with Gemma, as he relives their days and desperately trying to get her to recall what they have together. Jack is convinced the only way to stop their glitch is to get Gemma to fall in love with him in just a day, but having to start over every day, that task seems quite daunting.

I enjoyed the back-and-forth between Gemma and Jack, him trying to get her to remember their times together and Gemma trying to figure out why Jack seems so familiar. There’s plenty of fun to be had and these characters are charming and intriguing. Gemma’s slow but sure recall of Jack eventually becomes clear and vivid as their “meetings” become more frequent – could love truly be in their future when that future doesn’t seem to be guaranteed at all?

This hopefully won’t be my last Holly James book, because I really enjoyed this one.

Grade: B

Gemma Peters is a radio producer making a name for herself in the music industry—without the help of her rock-star father. Things are going well, until Gemma crashes into Jack one Thursday morning—the ultimate meet-cute. Or is it? How does he know her, and why is he saying that not only do they know each other, but they’ve lived this day over and over for months. And Jack has figured it out—he has to get Gemma to fall in love with him. In one day.

This book was fine—the Groundhog Day premise still has legs—and the characters were cute and funny. But it wasn’t really engaging and Jack is hardly believable as a love-struck time-looper. I liked this well enough--as a vacation/beach read, it did the job.

As far as time loop storyline goes, this one is cute one. Although Gemma is cautious in love, she was a difficult character to root for. She cames across as unlikeable, pessimistic and completely cynical in most of her interactions with Jack. But it's obvious she can be the exact opposite when she is with those she trusts. I guess she is like most modern strong-minded, independent females.
I appreciated that the story allowed for the chance to do-over. Knowing that most of the sadness she experienced was of her own doing and allowed her the chance to make the necessary changes to be happy. Maybe I should learn a lesson here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of The Deja Glitch by Holly James.

The cover was cute and the description was what drew me in. I’ve never heard of the author before, but after reading this book I’ll check out her other book! 4⭐️ for The Deja Glitch.

I loved how she described all the moments that Gemma was feeling like she was having deja vu, but kept writing it off. Let’s be honest, who hasn’t felt that before, that’s what drew me in. Then the meet cute with Jack and trying to figure out how to get out of the glitch they were in. It was a wholesome rom-com with no spicy which feels hard to come by these days. If that is what you are looking for you will in enjoy this one!

I loved this book! The story was so consuming. The way it was written made me feel like their were multiple plots going on at the same time. And all of them were racing the clock. Will Jack's theory work? Is Gemma going to remember/belive him? Will they be able to pull it off? Will Gemma ever let Jack in? It was just so good. I wish I could read it for the first time again.

✨Book Review✨
The Déjà Glitch by Holly James
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
.
A high three or low four. This book was definitely entertaining, but it was SO cheesy and definitely leaned too hard into the "true love is going to make you happy" troupe. I loved the magical realism, because let's be honest, that's one of my favorite genres, but if you do choose to pick this book up, you've been warned about the cheesiness. I don't think I would really recommend it, as I didn't feel like there were any important messages or any deeper topics discussed in any important ways. But if you like to read for pure entertainment and don't need anything deeper, this book was cute.

This book was really sweet and fun! I had read Holly James last book and enjoyed it, but I do think that this one is a bit better than that book. The concept of the time loop was done in a very good way that actually didn't bother me which is rare for books that mess with time like this one.

I really appreciated that the plot was not aggressively repetitive and the connection (while it seemed a bit like insta love) actually felt super genuine and real.

This is the type of romance that you could read in one sitting and be kicking your feet and giggling!

Definitely recommend

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed descriptions of Gemma’s memory—gluey, murky, hazy—when it came to remembering Jack from previous interactions. They were always just at the fringes of her consciousness, this constant sense of feeling like she already knew him or had already experienced this with him.

It seemed like Jack’s eyes were often shining and the reader is led to believe that he does an inordinate amount of communicating with his eyes. Whether he’s beseeching her to believe him or just conveying the depth of emotion he feels for her, at times it became too much for me. It was much better when he was using his words, which he was quite good at, being a writer and all.

There were some fun supporting characters in the book—Lila, Gemma’s best friend and Instagram star; Jack’s eccentric professor/scientist friend; Nigel, Gemma’s ex-boyfriend; Angelica, Jack’s ex-girlfriend; and Nigel Black, rock star and surprise friend.

The plot is unique, compared to a fairytale by Lila, making me see the concept in a new way. The universe conspired to bring these two soulmates together. Unlike Groundhog Day, which I think is everyone’s first thought when a plot like this one comes up, this one does not feature a cynical, ne’er-do-well determined to deceive the innocent woman he wants to sleep with, only to discover he actually cares for her over the course of the movie—and it isn’t until he changes that the repetition of the day stops. This one is much more romantic from the start.

Although Jack is the one conscious of the repeating day, the story is never told from his POV (until the very end). Instead, we are told the story from Gemma’s POV (third person past tense) as Jack tries to convince her that there’s something special between the two of them. He’s actually in love with her and strives to convince her to fall in love with him, believing that will break the spell.

A groundhog Day romance
Jack and Gemma are stuck in a loop...for over 100 days!
They must figure out what needs to change to break out

If you're a fan of the movie Groundhog Day, or just an average person who's made mistakes and had the thought that it would be nice to get a second chance at important moments in life, then you will enjoy The Déja Glitch.

The name sort of gives the plot away, so I don't think I'm spoiling anything by telling you that this is a story in which two people find themselves reliving a single day in their lives, over and over. However the thing which makes this book different from the many other stories of its ilk is that our narrator, Gemma Peters, isn't aware she's in a time loop as the book opens. She has been blithely going along with her routine for the past five months, but is increasingly feeling a sense of déja-vu as she repeats certain key moments. And all of this déja-vu seems to circle around one man: Jack Lincoln.

Jack, we come to learn, has been aware of the time loop since it began and noticed long ago that Gemma is the only person whose behavior seems to change, even if she's not fully aware of their circumstances. In the time since the loop started, he's gone from vaguely attracted to her when they originally met at a bar, to deeply interested once he sees she's changing despite the loop, to head over heels in love as he comes to know her. But despite all his efforts, Gemma seems to forget him with every ‘new’ day… until he kisses her one night. And then the fun starts.

The story begins the day after their first kiss, and it's clear that something about that moment altered their reality. Gemma's sense of déja-vu upon meeting Jack again is strong enough that he notices, and probes her about it, and starts to feel hope that they will get out of this mess. The only problem is that Gemma is far from on the same page with him. She is by turns entranced with the handsome man who anticipates her so well, and skeptical of the lunatic who insists they're in a time warp and even goes so far as to bring her to a theoretical physicist to back up his story. There is a real see-saw of emotions which keeps the story moving at a good pace without ever being too overwhelming.

I won't spoil the surprise about what finally gets Jack and Gemma out of their loop, but I will say that they both make good use of their time there. While it's painful, in some ways, not to be able to move forward in their lives, Jack and Gemma both use this unexpected pause to work through issues facing them. We're able to directly observe these changes in Gemma, as she reaches out to estranged relatives and pursues career ambitions she was previously shy about, but Jack too has his own growth arc. I'm not sure if men mature more slowly than women or if it's Jack who matures more slowly than Gemma - but it seems he truly needed his months stuck in the loop alone to work through most of his own career and life issues in order to wrap them up so neatly at the same time as Gemma.

The Déja Glitch sets a light-hearted and fun tone with characters who have good chemistry amidst very unique circumstances. But one of the things that hit the best for me was the way that Gemma and Jack put their extra time to good use. It's a thoroughly satisfying story, and a great debut for Holly James.

This was a fun, interesting twist on the time loop story. Gemma is the one who doesn't know she's in a time loop--and reading from her perspective was a nice change from the normal storyline. The story moved well, and the other characters were also engaging, and I finished this in a day!

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton for the ARC!

When I was notified that I was preapproved for an ARC of The Déjà Glitch, I was intrigued. Sure, there are no lack of time loop stories. But there is something about the that grabs your attention. Maybe it’s natural to wonder what you would do if you had a do over?

Anyway, although the basic premise (two people stuck in a time loop until they fall in love) is not original, I did like that the story was told from the perspective of the person not initially aware that the loop existed. Gemma thinks she is just having the most intense déjà vu ever. And yes, that could have gotten old quick. But the characters and events kept me interested. Sure, the story is full of tropes but intentionally so. It fills that longing for classic RomComs. Plus Gemma and Jack had enough complexity to their lives to keep things from being too fluffy. Overall, The Déjà Glitch

The Deja Glitch is a really cute time loop romcom. Gemma doesn’t know that something isn’t right until out of nowhere, Jack, seemingly a stranger, kisses her at her best friend Lila’s party. Gemma feels something like recognition but doesn’t understand it. The next morning, she meets Jack again - after he runs into her and spills her coffee. She realizes that she knows him from somewhere and Jack tries to explain that they’ve had this day 146 times already and he needed to do something different so he kissed her to nudge her.

I really liked how the story centered on the character that has not been experiencing the time loop. That Gemma is realizing everything that has happened along with the reader. I love Jack and how he feels for Gemma. I love Lila and the friendship that she and Gemma has. And I loved Gemma’s growth throughout the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for this eARC. The Deja Glitch is out now.