Remember One Last Stop?

This is similar but better.

I can't help but love Tressa Fay and her found family of friends. At the beginning of the book, she's on her way to making her life better, happier, with the help of her besties. "It had taken her such a long time to figure out that the best way to give other people what they wanted was to make sure she had everything she needed."

And then, she gets a random text from Meryl. Chaos ensues.

"I don't think any of us are supposed to love each other like we'll be here forever. The point is to love each other like we don't have time."

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ — *Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon* by Annie Mare is a quirky, genre-blending ride full of heart, humor, and interdimensional chaos. The concept—a cosmic hair salon that alters reality—is wildly original, with vibrant world-building and a charming celebration of queerness and identity. While the story occasionally stumbles with pacing and plot, it’s a fun, heartfelt read for anyone who likes their romance a little weird and wonderfully surreal.

I was so intrigued to read this book - multiple universes? Romance? Hair salons that may be the conduit? Please.

But this? Please, no. I love love books that stretch thinking about time and space but this was not it. I slogged through it, and it was just not even worth it for me. Let me break it down a bit:

1. Tressa Fay has a very long name to always be referred to as Tressa. We could have done a nickname real easy - T, T Fay, Tress, Tressa…I get it that shes a hairdresser. Tressa. I get it.

2. None of these characters are original. none. Not one. They all have the same exact dialogue, mannerisms, talking patterns, etc. Nothing sets them apart. You know those Taylor Swift challenges that are like is it the Bible or is it a song lyric? You couldn’t do this with the characters here. Tressa Fay sounds like Guy who sounds like Linda who sounds like Meryl blah blah blah

3. The cat. The cats name. Really? I nicknamed the thing EpiPen in my brain and it still works

4. I’m mad about this book because I waited forever, loved the premise, and LOVE the representation for the LGBTQ+ community. but this? This was so overdone I’m just sad I wasted my time.

Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare is a beautifully unique romance with a touch of sci-fi and a whole lot of heart. This queer love story between two women completely swept me away—it’s emotional, tender, and brimming with cosmic connection that transcends time and space.

At its core, this is a story about love, yes—but also about the ripple effects of our choices, the beauty of found family, and the deep bonds that form when souls truly recognize each other. The friendships are everything, the philosophical undercurrent is thought-provoking, and the romance? Utterly unforgettable.

I felt so many things while reading this book. If you’re looking for a romance that’s heartfelt, original, and makes you think, this one’s a must-read.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the gifted ARC!

This was such a quirky, heart-filled ride! I loved the blend of sci-fi, romance, and found family—it felt fresh and full of emotion. Tressa Fay is bold, funny, and endearing, and her chemistry with Meryl had me rooting for them across timelines. The whole multiverse/time paradox twist was wild but super well done, and I adored the group of friends that added warmth and humor to the chaos. Definitely a unique love story that stands out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

This was a really cute idea for a book. Though some of the back and forth glimpses at other timelines of various characters (not the main ones) was a bit confusing to follow at first, but when are mutiverses ever a simple concept? Still it was an enjoyable love story!

I love a time travel-type trope! This was so cute and fun with good banter and romantic connection. The way it slowly reveals itself worked very well to keep you hooked in the story.

Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon” by Annie Mare is a whimsical and imaginative journey that blends romance, sci-fi, and self-discovery. Set in a salon that stretches across dimensions, the book explores themes of love, fate, and alternate realities with a refreshing and quirky twist. Mare’s writing is playful yet poignant, capturing the complexity of relationships while offering an enchanting narrative. Fans of inventive romance will find this book both charming and thought-provoking, offering a unique take on the multiverse concept. A delightful, otherworldly read with heart.

Queer romance with a dash of sci-fi. This book gives me all the emotions. It’s like if the invisible life of Addie larue, the seven year slip , and the movie “the lake house” had a baby. I loved the story and characters. It was such a thought provoking story. Loved loved loved!!!

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Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon by Annie Mare. Fancy a sapphic time-travel romance? The threads of this one got too complicated for me & I eventually stopped trying to understand all of the time travel intricacies (probably a me problem!). But the romance is compelling & the sensuality between the leads is nice. 3.5 ⭐️ ️, out 06/03. (Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

Realm of Thieves by Karina Halle. A resourceful, strong dragon thief falls in love with her kidnapper & vice versa, as they work to pull off a heist & research the fearsome beasts. This one has steam, a fighting heroine (one of my weaknesses!), a declaration of love, endo rep, & secrets—in short, so much of what I love in a fantasy—but the plot felt loosely held together. 3.5 ⭐️ ️, out 06/10. (Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J Penner. This is a cozy fantasy with a soft romance between an elf & a nonmagical human. The heroine develops confidence in herself, forms friendships with contestants, & challenges herself in a baking competition, all the while surrounded by a beta hero elf & a host of intriguing secondary characters. 4 ⭐️ ️, out now. (Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

Are any of these on your TBR or have you read any of these already?

I debated on what to rate this - I settled on 3.5/almost 4 because I feel torn about it. I'll try not to be spoiler-y.

PROS
- I really like the concept of the story - love found & lost in the multiverse...can it be found again? Or was it always there, regardless? Can timelines be changed by our actions? It's definitely a book that makes you think.
- It's wonderful to see stories written from unique and interesting perspectives, especially love stories! I loved the wide variety of different types of characters and not just your typical "boy meets girl." Lots of different types of relationships and LGBTQ+ representation
- It has some spice (not a crazy amount) and I feel like it's well-written & dropped into the story in a coherent way. (Not just randomly or just because like in some books I've read.)
- My mom was a hairdresser for years and years so I liked all the cosmetology details. It was definitely either written by someone who has done hair or who did their research on that very well.
- I liked the ending! I won't spoil it but it's the way I was hoping it would happen.

CONS
- This book makes you think but also kind of weighs you down in parts. There's some big info-dumps that I think could have been broken up a bit more or maybe explained differently. It was just a LOT to take in at once.
- I liked that the characters are unique but it also kind of felt like "HEY LOOK AT HOW UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL THIS ONE IS! HERE IS THIS DETAIL! HERE IS THAT DETAIL!" Like stuff about their personality that was just spelled out plainly instead of revealed as we got to know their character. Maybe that's just a personal thing of mine but I felt like it was a lot of telling and not as much showing.
- I felt like the book started to drag after a bit and I really just wanted to find out what happened! But as another commenter said in another review, maybe that's just more of a slow burn type of thing.

Overall, a good read - a few things I didn't care for but I appreciate it's uniqueness!

I absolutely adored this book! Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon is a fun, sweet, and irresistibly sexy time warp of a read. Annie Mare crafts a vibrant, wildly imaginative world filled with heart and humor, where love transcends timelines and great hair is basically cosmic destiny. It was exactly what I needed to carry me through the last gray stretches of winter—warm, sparkly, and full of charm. If you’re looking for a queer romantic escape with sci-fi twists and swoony vibes, this one’s a total gem.

WOW did I hate this book. Annie Mare please don't look at this, you seem like such a cool person. But my God. Horrible. I had to write a note to myself at like 6% that I would not DNF until at least 15%. By the time I got there, I was like eh maybe I am just being weird. Might as well finish.

Folks, if you are not enjoying a book, it is not a failure to stop reading. Life is too short. Read something good.

Let's get into it.

SUMMARY:
Y'all what happened in this book. I guess I will just be short. Hairstylist named Tressa Fay is sitting in Tressa Fay's house with Tressa Fay's cat eating Tressa Fay's soup when Tressa Fay gets a message on Tressa Fay's phone from someone. Turns out that someone is six months in the past. Timey Wimey hijinks ensue, true love prevails, The End.

MY THOUGHTS:
I hate it here.

Why do they say everyone's name constantly? Why does the main character's name have to be Tressa Fay??

I hate the way this is written with 2016 millennial humor. Everything is so snappy and quippy and ugh. It is giving improv I am sorry.

Also, all the character's dialogue sounds the same??? Which is weird because the author goes into a lot of detail about how these characters are unique and have different personalities, but then they all feel identical. I could not care less about any of them.

Tressa Fay's dad was chill.

You can tell the author read several articles on physics and water. She then proceeds to throw this information at you in easily skippable chunks of dialogue. Like goodness the Linds' infodump at the beginning. What in the world.

The cat's name is Epinephrine. The nonbinary person is named Guy. What are these tryhard quirky names.

Another shoutout to Tressa Fay's dad. He was just Phil.

The book definitely wants to give you the experience of oooooh I don't know when things are happening everything is dreamy and whimsical. But it fails. It is just a jumbled mess.

I thought from the description Tressa Fay and Meryl (yes, the love interest's name is Meryl) were going to have to work together to solve Meryl's disappearance before it happened so that they could be together. But no, Meryl just needed to believe that friendship is magic or whatever.

Your mom is not dead dude chill. She is just in an interdimensional box where she is both alive and dead.

FINAL OPINION:
Man just like. Watch Star Trek. That will tell you the tale of two gay people finding their way to each other waaaaay better than this will. "At his side like you always have been and always will be" or whatever. I think I am so upset because of how excited I was to read this. Then it was just a slog. I am glad people seem to be enjoying it. I am glad there are books out there telling queer stories. I just wish this book had worked better for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

A wild, beautiful, steamy Love Story, full of all kinds of love but especially the best, unconditional kind, summed up by Tressa Fay- "Give yourself what you need so you can have what you want." This one will break your brain in the best way.

This was a generally fun and heartwarming read about a romance written in the stars, as it were. The love story was nice and I really liked Tressa-Faye and Meryl together. The time switch multiverse thing was interesting, but I'm not sure it entirely sorts itself out. At some point I just sort of gave up making sense of it and read for the romantic ride. I do think it could've shaved off some pages. The long long explanatory pieces about time travel and about secondary character's love lives really felt extraneous and didn't add anything to my overall enjoyment of the story (I'd say they actually took away from it a bit). I think more focus on Tressa-Faye and Meryl as characters would have been a better choice, overall. That being said, still very fun and a different kind of love story.

The notion of this novel is incredibly enjoyable and unique. It contains a lot of depth and emotion, despite the lighthearted sentiments it conveys. In addition to being crammed inside a fantasy/sci-fi box, it challenges your preconceived notions. I will state that you cannot read this book on autopilot. As you read, it forces you to consider the underlying messages as well as the plot. The idea is intriguing. This novel was quite different from what I had!

This book was cute and quirky, but a little light on some things, like development of some of the characters and any sort of rational plot. Science fiction should at least have some sort of semi-plausible pseudo-science in there, rather than just handwaving it all away.

This was such an excellent book! I loved the characters so much and watching Meryl and Tressa Fay fall for each other through space and time was so so enjoyable. Mare did such an expert job of handling all the time shenangans. They were explained well and I always knew which timeline I was in even though I'm so bad for not looking at the dates at the beginning of the chapters. I also really loved how this book had a wider community of characters who became more tangled with each other as our two main characters grew closer. This was everything I hoped it would be!

I was originally drawn in by the gorgeous cover, unique title, and the promise of romance with a twist, and Annie Mare delivered. Tressa Fay is delightful main character with a healthy dose of confidence and self-love, and the romantic twist - love interests communicating across timelines, and possibly realities - provided more than enough mystery to keep me hooked throughout the slow burn. At times, the book is bogged down by lengthy attempts to explain time travel and the multiverse, but Tressa Fay's friends are always ready to bring us back to the comparatively grounded romance plot. Overall, this book is a fun, hopeful rom-com with more than a little bit of sci-fi to set it apart from the rest.

This was a super fun book! I enjoyed it! I wish the pacing was a little quicker and maybe a little wittier. But definitely worth the read!