I loved this book! Ashley Poston is a new to me author and now I want to go back and read her debut. I'm not normally a magical realism person but I LOVED the magical aspect of this book - she wrote it so well. I loved trying to figure things out and I loved how perfectly it all weaved together. I don't want to give too much away because I went into this book blind and I was pleasantly surprised by how it all went down.

Without giving too much away, the story starts with Clementine's aunt passing away and leaving her her apartment. When she shows up to move in, she realizes someone else is already there!

This was the perfect romance mixed with magical realism. I loved all the characters. My only criticism is that I wish we knew more about her aunt. Otherwise, this was a perfect romance and made me feel things - I cried. This was definitely a great book to get me out of my book rut.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. I highly recommend this one!

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston 🍋

Clementine has decided to keep her heart safe she will stay busy, work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. Which her late aunt always told her to do. Things had been going relatively smoothly other than finding someone to love since she isn't sure her heart can take getting close to someone again. One day she finds a man - Iwan - standing in the kitchen of her late aunt's apartment. One with kind eyes, a southern drawl, and taste for lemon pies. Someone she could see herself falling head over heels for, the only problem is that is he is from seven years in the past. Her aunt always told her the apartment was magical and now she's worried if she lets herself fall, she'll be doomed. Until she might have found Iwan in her present time...

I loved The Dead Romantics and was very excited to read this one, it did not disappoint! Ashley has this magical way of writing that gives me constant butterflies and feels like a big hug. There's romance in this book (albeit light) but there's also so much more with Clementine figuring out what makes her happy after her aunt had passed away and learning to open herself up to people. This is a book that you'll pick up and not be able to put down because you get sucked in wanting to know what happens next.

I loved the romance between Clementine and Iwan. His nickname for her of Lemon was so cute and he always said or did the right thing for her. I was swooning hard for him in both the past and the present. It was so interesting to see Clementine interacting with these two version of him and I love how the magical realism of it was done. Their relationship is so real and emotional. You can tell they understand each other in such a special way and compliment each other so well. There even was a micro-trope towards the end that I LOVE and made me squeal.

I recommend checking the full list of content warnings as this book deals somewhat heavily with grief.

Tropes:
✨ strangers to lovers
⏱️ magical timeline
💕 second chance romance
🥰 no third act break up

single POV
5/5 stars ⭐️
0.5/5 spice level 🌶️

Clementine has a hard time getting over the loss of her beloved aunt six months ago. Swearing off love and throwing herself into work hasn’t helped much, but the big promotion on the horizon just might be the push she needs.

In the interim, she takes over her aunt’s apartment which proves to be equal parts therapeutic and heartbreaking. Her aunt always told her how special her place was, the magical quality enchanting a young Clementine. But when an adult Clementine begins to experience the magic firsthand herself, she sees her aunt’s insights in a whole new light.

Upon awaking after moving in she is startled to find an attractive young man named Iwan living there as well. His explanation, he’s a friend of her aunt’s friend, would make perfect sense. Only her aunt is no longer alive, and this man keeps talking about her actions in the present tense. Soon Clementine pieces together the impossible- she’s somehow journeyed seven years into the past, but only within the confines of those four walls.

Despite her best intentions, Clementine can’t help but to be impressed with Iwan, an affable guy with sincere intentions to work his way up the ranks in the food industry. Iwan becomes equally enthralled with Clementine, or as he affectionately dubs her, Lemon. But when present day Clementine seems out present day Iwan she sees how time has changed things, reminding her the right time and place really do mean everything.

The Dead Romantics was my favorite read of last year, and now that I’ve devoured The Seven Year Slip I can confidently say @heyashpostonhas has become an auto buy author. There’s a common theme of dealing with death and loss in both books, both also managing to do so in the perfect blend of seriousness and satire. In addition to exploring love and loss, there’s also self discovery interwoven throughout the novel.
If I had one complaint is that I didn’t want it to end!

Needless to say, The Seven Year Slip is a delightful romance readers should not let slip through their fingers this summer!

Do you ever just close a book and sigh, because it was exactly what you needed? That was this book!

It dealt with grief, which can be a heavy topic, but it was done so beautifully. I enjoy some magical realism and time travel, and loved the way this was done!

I found myself just wanting to hug Clementine (Lemon!). Her relationship with her aunt seemed so special and I found myself missing her aunt myself when she talked about her.

And that Iwan! A chef. Southern accent. Tattoos. In present time he seemed a bit of a grump, but we knew what was truly underneath.

I enjoyed The Dead Romantics, and I feel this one came in even stronger. Definitely recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Romance and Let’s Talk Books Promo for a #gifted ARC and allowing me to take part in this Berkley Buddy Read!

📖 would you rather go temporarily 7 years into your past or future? That’s a tough one but maybe my future. That scares me though 😆.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Approximately 30 seconds into The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston & I had immediate feelings. I just knew it was going to be one of those books & it was, it was.

Poston offers a book that had me on a knife’s edge between sadness & the lovely certainty that a HEA was coming. A HEA that *has* to happen despite the fact that our leads meet in a magical apartment but outside of that apartment, they’re living seven years out of time from each other.

Grief is a part of this book, as well as career aspirations & personal happiness & how people change. Is it possible to love someone as they change / after they’ve changed, the book explores, & the answer is of course a resounding yes.

While this book is a rich & decadent consideration of feelings & of life in general, & while the characters are adorable, I wanted more from their current, present-day relationship.

And overall, the book has a definite HEA & and ends wonderfully on all fronts, but it remained a bit too sad for me. I closed the pages feeling happy but also with a lingering feeling of wistfulness & contemplation.

Not a bad thing, but maybe not quite the light feeling I was hoping for.

Still, this is a lovely book & I’m entranced by Poston’s writing.

4.5 ⭐️. Out 06/27.

CWs: grief, suicide.

[ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of a peacock mural painted on a slate colored wall. The peacock’s feathers are blue, orange, red, yellow, & green.]

Over the last few years, I've noticed feeling a growing cynicism when it comes to reading. I can count on one hand the amount of five star books I've found over the last three years. I've read all of the common tropes in my favorite genres so many times that it's harder and harder to find a book that hits me perfectly in the feels. I can honestly say that I have read a lot of good books. A lot of great books too. But for me, a five star read has a completely different feeling than all the others. That warm glow-euphoric, dreamy...otherwise known as The Book Hangover™. You've been reading with razor sharp focus on those characters, staying up until the early hours of the morning with them as they try to overcome their conflicts, and cry when the ending hits you squarely in your cynical heart. (Okay, the cynical part is all me, but you get the picture.) I am now in the phase where I worry that the next books that follow will fall flat because my head is still stuck in Ashley Poston's fictional world.

I've got to be honest. In the beginning, Clementine didn't make a good first impression on me and I was fully expecting for that to affect my overall enjoyment. She comes off as a very closed-off individual, hyper focused on her career, and somewhat cold. That wall that she has up was off-putting at first, but the author does a wonderful job humanizing her flaws and quickly helping you understand them. Clementine had a very special bond with her aunt Analea, and losing her has had a profound effect on her life. Before losing her, she had a passion for life, chasing adventure across the globe with her aunt, and her future was filled with hope and endless possibilities. After...she used her job as a shield in her romantic relationships, and has forgotten what it feels like to be passionate about anything or anyone. Once you start to understand what's hiding underneath the surface with her, it's very easy to feel empathy for this broken woman. On the outside, she has a lot going for her: two best friends who she gets to work with, a job that she excels at with a possible promotion in the near future, and loving parents who support her. Inside, she feels shattered with grief because she lives in a world where her aunt Analea no longer exists.

Analea was the type of person that lived every day like it was her last. She appreciated each moment for the simple joy it could bring, and was the master at "fake it until you make it." She taught Clementine to seek adventure around every corner and if you didn't feel like you belonged somewhere, it was only a matter of convincing others until you convince yourself. Her aunt was quirky, yes, but also inspiring. If she thought that her apartment was magical, the elevator had a mirror that shows you your past self, and that immortal pigeons nested right outside her window, who was she to judge? It was all part of her distinctive charm.

Clementine no longer entertained the harmless "fantasies" that her aunt spun to her growing up. Her wondrous stories about the magical apartment that transports you seven years into the past is simply entertainment for a child. She is now living a cruel reality filled with loneliness and heartache-as harsh as it is, it leaves no room for risk or disappointment anymore. Everyone deals with grief in their own personal way, but Clementine is simply numbing herself rather than working through it. Now, faced with moving into the apartment that holds so many painful memories, she knows she's not going to have anywhere to hide anymore.

I was eagerly anticipating the first time "slip" which would introduce Clem's love interest, Iwan. I loved the movie The Lake House that had a time slip connected to a home, and I was hoping for the feel-good angst of that story. The Seven Year Slip delivered on that. While this was actually time travel happening rather than communicating through time, that was actually a good thing. Clementine and Iwan's story is entirely theirs, and filled with their own brand of heart-wrenching moments. Past and present versions of Clem and Iwan meet and intersect and multiple points, but it's never quite the right moment for them to be able to be together. Even though Iwan has the ability to meet the Clementine of his time, she wouldn't know who he was for another seven years, and she would be a completely different person in that stage of her life. We are always changing and growing throughout life-they have a profound effect on each other when they first meet because those versions of each other connect perfectly. In the present time, things have changed between them. Things that haven't happened in the past yet (for her) have already been experienced by him. So they have a bit of a waiting game for her to travel back however many times she needs to in order to catch up to him. It's very easy to have plot holes with time travel books, and as much as I picked it apart in my mind the plot seemed airtight. It really made their romance come to life off the pages that much more.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention some issues I found. Yes, I loved the book to pieces, but it wasn't flawless by any means. Clementine mentions that her aunt told her about a book that writes itself, and an alleyway that leads to the other side of the world in addition to the mysteriously immortal pigeons and the time portal apartment. Those things never came up again in the story, which I found to be odd. In fact, the pigeons were never really explained. They were just there and seemingly always watching the habitants of the apartment through the window. It would have been helpful to get some backstory with them, but it didn't affect my feelings for the romance in the story. Also, at the end of the book, one thing that occurred was considerably frustrating regarding her last interaction with somebody in the past.

Even though there were things that could have been clarified better for my own satisfaction, I fell head over heels for this emotional love story and couldn't give it anything less than a full five stars. For me, the experience was just as magical as that century old apartment on the Upper East Side that brings these soulmates together through time. Even when they had "bad" timing, it was still right. Their brief interactions set one another on a path that would eventually lead them back together where they were supposed to be. It isn't often that a book can make me cry anymore...not just watery eyes, but tears falling-tight chest-heart clenching crying. That's what this book did to me, and that is why it deserves all the stars in the world. I can't recommend this one enough! Read it!

Apparently, I'm a time travel girlie because they just manage to get me every time and god did this book get me.

Imma be honest. I saw the pretty meh reviews and got worried. As you might know, I absolutely adore The Dead Romantics and I was hearing some scary reviews. But turns out you're all wrong and not to be trusted. Ha I'm kidding. Maybe. Scorpio energy coming out for Iwan. Lmao. Anyways, all this is to say is that this was absolutely everything I ever wanted and if not equally as excellent, but maybe better than TDR. Oh yeah, I said it.

Where we do even start? Honestly, my brain is still a puddle on the floor.

Dang it Ashley Poston you writer genius that I will love for eternity!!!!

Okay, let's attempt coherent thoughts. Probably not going to happen.

Let's start with the premise because that's maybe the most fascinating part about this book. You would it'd be confusing, but time travel is actually not that difficult to understand and Ms Poston can not only make you believe in ghost talking but also time travel and I love that for us. I literally am ready to time travel myself. Basically, the premise is as amazing as it sounds and I just love thinking about all of these things, which is why I'm a time travel girlie now. I'll talk more about the philosophical (?) elements in a bit but the plot was just SO well executed. It made you question how these two people are able to speak to each other but I was also never confused if that makes sense. Ms Poston was just so good at making this complex plotline easily understandable but not intellectually flat.

As I mentioned earlier, the discussions this kind of premise brings honestly spoke to me on a level I never thought I would think about it. I mean yes time travel is cool but I don't believe it. Or maybe I do? Who knows? Not me. Sorry, I'm going off track. It's so fascinating but what I loved most about this book was how it could really engage with a set of questions that can speak to you in world where you're not speaking to someone in the past. Agh this is so hard to put into words. Ashely Poston did it though. As I said, writer genius. Back to my haphazard explanation on why I'm enthralled by this plot line, which is that it asks you about your past yes, but most of it all how you can make your present more worth it? I don't want to sound like a pinterest quote and this book says it better than me, but the way it made me think about all these things blew my mind and only a good book gets me like this.

I'm convincing you to read it right? I'm a brilliant recommender of books. Strauss and Adder should hire me honestly.

Speaking of the publisher, I just love books about books and writers and she delivered in this one. Especially in this one where we're talking about food. I wanted to eat this freaking lemon pie gosh dang it!!!! Ms Poston can literally write a cookbook and it'll be magical WE NEED THIS *insert heart eyes*

I've kind of touched on writing in this book, but she needs her own moment to shine because wowza!!!! I was laughing out loud and then being punched in the gut so basically this writing is like whiplash. It's so good and I aspire to write like this. We also appreciate the twists in this book. I shan't spoil because you need to experience for yourself but they cannot go underappreciated.

Realising I have not talked about characters really yet but you should have picked up that I loved all of them. I'll talk about the two main characters in a second, but another moment of appreciation for the stunning side characters. Especially Clementine's spectacular friends Drew and Fiona who were the bestest people and I want a spin-off on them. And Iwan's friends. And Earl. They were all so endearing and lovely but also protective and fleshed out in a small amount of page space. Ugh love them *sighs*

Also ouch with the grief. My heart HURTS. Clementine and Analea's relationship was simultaneously absolutely stunning to read about but man she punched hard. They are just so special and Ashley Poston treated their relationship with tenderness and vulnerability that had me weeping and ugh I'm hiding in a hole now.

Leaving the best till last because I still have butterflies and I would lay my life down for Clementine and Iwan. They,,, are perfect and I am going to hide in my hole again. Because I want to move to this apartment and find a cutie seven years in the past. Iwan was,,, I mean I absolutely love how we got to know him in two timelines, which is another thing I loved about the time travel aspect of this book. It was absolutely fascinating looking at a person at two different stages in their life and ugh I loved him SO SO SO MUCH. GIMME THE LEMON PIE!!! Don't even get me started on the nickname. But he was both a stunning love interest but so layered and it was magic learning more and more about him.

And Clementine,,,, darling baby Lemon. Punch me in the gut why don't you Ashley. Don't expose my FEARS like that. God she was relatable and I was head over heels in love. I would and have screamed into the void like she has and we are one and the same person. Which is why I need to move to an NYC apartment and meet someone. I'm serious. Stop laughing at me,,,,

So their chemistry was electric. I mentioned that right? Oops, almost didn't tell you the best part about HOW WELL THEY FIT TOGETHER OOF PERFECTION!!!!! What in the hell god I love them. THE BANTER!!! Don't even get me started on the present time but be ready!!! Lemon and James can step on me and I'm letting them. With pleasure. I'm a simp what can I say? *sighs*

WHEN IS IT MY TIME?!?!?!

Gotta love the pun though right?

So uh. Yeah. Ummmmm. I don't know how else to shove this masterpiece down your throats but you 100% need to read it and you WILL love it. Or else. I'm telling your past, present and future about this equally mind-blowing, gut-punching and heart-warming adult romance with a hefty pinch of time travel, a sprinkle of grief and a dash of glorious romance that'll slip its way into your cold dead hearts!!!!!!!!!!!!! Trust me for once, I promise I'm right xoxoxo

It isn’t just the magical apartment that makes this story so wonderful, it’s also that she took the time to fully develop our main characters and gave the reader insight into their feelings both happy and sad. Clementine, when she meets Iwan is pulled into this magical moment in part because she is feeling lost and needs this magical moment to help balance those emotions after losing her aunt. Iwan is also one charming young man, and almost in spite of herself, Clementine needs his warmth to bring her out of her darkness. Unlike Iwan, the reader is aware that these moments are a slip in time but it’s so easy to get lost in their developing love. You almost forget that there is going to have to be conflict and that that seven year difference will need to take place before our characters can have their hea.

If I had read this novel before reading The Dead Romantics I would have absolutely loved it. My enjoyment was slightly dimmed because my expectations were set kind of high. However, putting my love for that previous novel aside, I can say that this story is just as good, just in a slightly different way. The element of surprise was lacking a bit because the reader was on the journey with our main characters in real time, but at the same time I loved how we saw that contrast between Iwan of seven years ago and the man he became. It helped give a contrast to Clementine’s character and who she needed to become in order to find happiness. I thought that growth was so well done and the story very satisfying.

If you love a little magic in your romance then you need to pick up this novel! I promise, you will love this novel. These characters are so special.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

There is something special about this author's writing. I felt it reading The Dead Romantics and I felt it in this book too. It was witty and heartwarming with such a unique premise. A magical apartment that slips back and forth between the present day for Clementine and seven years prior. She meets Iwan, who becomes her roommate yet their lives collide in another way as well.

I loved the scenes between Clementine and Iwan. Our charming hero was a chef and I thought it was so clever how that aspect of his life connected him to Clementine. The mixed timelines, the details and the chemistry between this couple is what made the book shine for me.

Beyond the romance, the focus was also on Clementine's career, friendships, and grieving over the loss of her aunt. Some parts were a little slow for me. The first quarter didn't hold my attention as much as I would have liked.

"I loved how a book, a story, a set of words in a sentence organized in the exact right order made you miss places you've never visited, and people you've never met."

Ashley Poston did it again! I'm so thankful to have received an e-arc copy of The Seven Year Slip. This book was a journey through grief, love, time, and self. I related so much to the main character Clementine. From the walls she had built to the anxieties she held. Yet, she experienced many things I have not as well. This story had me mourning characters I've never known and crying over grief that was not my own. It left me laughing over witty comebacks, smiling at heart-felt conversations, and yearning for a meal I can't even smell. This unique, time-defying, lemon-flavored love story between two people drawn together by a magical apartment warmed my heart and soul.

This book releases tomorrow and y'all do not want to miss this one! Go chase the moon, everyone.

"Love was an invitation into the wild unknown, one step at a time together."

If Ashley Poston writes it, I’m going to read it. I cannot get over the scenarios she manages to create and the characters and connections she writes that feel so relatable even when there are other-worldly elements involved.

I loved Clementine and Iwan together – they brought out the best in each other … at least they did in the past. Honestly, I think Iwan was my favorite character. But the fact that this apartment can cause people to pass through time to seven years in the past?? Ashley Poston, how do you even think of these ideas‽

Whenever they’re at a crossroads, they get sent back through time. And in all honesty, I think it’s exactly what they need in those moments. Clementine needed to reconnect with herself, and even if she wasn’t able to do that until present-day caught up with her, it would never have happened without the past entering her present.

I loved the raw nature of this book. I loved how these characters were filled with flaws and loss and while they often kept things close to their chest, they were also willing to share their pain with each other if it meant being able to relate to another person.

I loved how all of the memories and shared moments pieced together to bring their relationship full circle. The planning that must have gone into this book is phenomenal and I cannot wait for the next masterpiece she creates.

Tropes:
- Second Chance Romance
- It's Always Been You
- Time Travel
- Age gap (but not really)
- Workplace romance
- Unconventional meet cute

Thank you @berkleyromance for my e-ARC and @prhaudio for my ALC!

I absolutely adored this!! I was rooting for Clementine the whole time, and honestly so wondering just how this would turn out. Ashley Poston is a genius and I am in awe! Will absolutely highly recommend!!

I loved The Dead Romantics Last year and this one was just as good!

It was a unique romance with a magical apartment and a slip in time. The story is both heartwarming and dreamy, and the characters are so dynamic. You instantly fall in love with Clementine and Iwan and their relationship in the present and past. It was such a beautiful story not only about love but grief, timing and finding your passion.

I love Ashley Postons writing! I didn’t quite fall in love with this as much as I did with Dead Romantics but it was also really good! I’ll definitely pick up a copy once it comes out. Probably will re-read on audio as well. Absolutely a fan of this author and will hands down read her future releases!

I received an Advanced Reader copy from Netgalley. I was unfamiliar with the author and enjoyed her writing style. The premise of a seven year slip between lives when in the apartment is an interesting concept. I had to let go of preconceived ideas. Clementine and Iwan go back and forth between present day and seven years ago. The relationships with Aunt Analea, Vera, and Iwan’s granddad intertwine. Is it by chance, fate, or the magic apartment? Intriguing storyline that kept me reading.

The Dead Romantics was one of my favorite books last year, and this one will also be making this year's best of list! I LOVED this book! It made me laugh, swoon, cry, and also a bit hungry! The premise of the magical apartment that can take you seven years into the past was, well, magical. I adored Clementine and Iwan's story both in the past and present, and even when the book was over, I wanted to spend more time with them.

Also, the audiobook was superbly read by Brittany Pressley!

This book absolutely stole my heart right from the beginning. It was stunningly beautiful with a hint of magic. I couldn't put the book down. This is my favorite romance of the year thus far. Ashley's previous novel The Dead Romantics was good, but The Seven Year Slip is something so special. You have to experience it for yourself!

▪️REVIEW▪️

The Seven Year Slip ~ Ashley Poston

▪️QUICK TAKE:
* Genre: romance
* Pages: 348
* Pub Date: June 27, 2023
* Gist: a lesson in timing in a time traveling apartment

•Clementine’s aunt always said her eclectic apartment was a pinch in time. So when Clementine arrives home one day and finds a strange man standing in the apartment, she doesn’t know what to make of it. He’s charming and handsome and cooks - and Clementine starts to think that her life might be taking a turn for the better.

But she remembers what her aunt said and realizes that in that apartment she is living 7 years in the past. Clementine must find a way to blend past and present to finally have a chance at the love she has always wanted.•

The Dead Romantics was a favorite of mine last year so this was a no-brainer for me - and dare I say, I think I loved it even more. Charming and full of so much heart - Poston is a really smart yet playful writer, creating characters that jump off the page with realism but always placed in a situation that plays with time bending and a bit of magic. This was an amazing escape and I really just didn’t want it to end.

If you are someone who loves a little romance without the cheesy sappy mess - Check out this out please! I have yet another must-buy author on my hands now.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley, and Ashley Poston for the advanced copy of The Seven Year Slip in exchange for my honest review.

I was so, so excited to have the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Poston's newest release after *loving* The Dead Romantics last year. I don't know how it's possible but I managed to love The Seven Year Slip even more!

I absolutely adored Clementine and Iwan's dynamic, and I loved them both individually as well. There are definite elements of grief on display and I felt Poston did an incredible job really letting those moments sit with the reader (the author's note at the end will shed some light on this - and if you're like me, make you cry)

I would like to blame the pregnancy hormones for how much I cried through this one, but realistically I probably would've been a puddle either way. And that's not a knock on the story in any way. If anything, it's even more of a testament to Poston's writing because I felt so deeply connected to these characters and their stories.

Truly cannot recommend this one enough!

Ashley Poston is slowly turning into one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. Or should I say romantasy? Her ability to write these stories that use magical realism as a major plot device without feeling far fetched is impressive.

As someone who has experienced profound loss, it means the world to me when authors have a gift of expressing the complexities of grief. I was brought to tears, both happy and sad, continually throughout the story. Saying this, it didn’t read heavy or depressing, it felt authentic and relatable.

Foodies rejoice- you will love the subplot of Iwan making his way through the restaurant world. The meals he prepares for Clementine, the evolution of his cuisine is such a fun journey. However, its his best friends who own a food truck who were the true culinary standouts!

My one gripe- I wanted more from present day Clementine and Iwan. I know sometimes we have to wait for our happily ever afters but their connection was so vibrant that I greedily wanted more!

This story was pure magic in every sense of the word. I can not resend The Seven Year Slip highly enough!