Time Loops and Meet Cutes is my first experience with Jackie Lau, and I really enjoyed it! This story has such a unique and fun premise - eating magic dumplings that throw you into a time loop with your best friend, causing you to experience the same day over and over again! At its heart, this is a story of friendship, self-discovery, and love. The time loops got a little repetitive, and the pacing felt a little slow to me at times, but overall this was an entertaining read with relatable characters and a very intriguing premise!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Such a great time loop story. Some stories drag but this one was so cute. I loved the main characters and the side characters.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun, cozy, and emotional read. Jackie Lau did such a great job blending the time loop element with a sweet romance and meaningful character growth. Watching the characters relive the same day while slowly building their connection felt so natural and charming. The chemistry was there right from the start, but I loved how the repetition allowed them to open up, become vulnerable, and really see each other in a way that felt earned and authentic.

The book also touched on grief and family in such a heartfelt way. The way food tied into memories and love really hit me, I could feel how much certain dishes brought comfort, nostalgia, and even healing. It actually made me think of my own family and how food carries so many special memories.

The twist toward the end was unexpected but added so much to the story. And honestly, it made me think: if I had to live the same day on repeat, reading books would definitely be one of my daily choices, sounds like a book lover’s dream, honestly.

If you’re looking for a romance that’s a little magical, full of heart, and leaves you smiling (and maybe a little teary), I highly recommend this one.

Thank you Atria Books for the eARC via Netgalley.

After eating a dumpling from a mysterious vendor at a night market, Noelle finds herself stuck in a time loop repeating June 20 over and over. In part one, Noelle is trying to figure out the why of the time loop and how to get out of it. During this time, she meets Cam in different situations, and she thinks he may be the key to getting out of her time loop. The relationship they develop is cute, regardless of their having to start over every day. Also, during part one, Noelle meets Avery, who is also stuck in the time loop. They develop a genuine friendship that is endearing.

In part two, Noelle and Avery are out of the time loop and discover that life has moved on without them. They have no memory of anything that happened while they were stuck in June 20. They use the lessons they've learned and how they've changed in the loop to progress their current lives.

I loved the premise of this novel and the characters. The part inside the time loops seemed to drag a little, even though the chapters were short and the story moved along. I think it had to do with the same setting/day for more than half the book. There are only so many things that can happen differently during one day. I was happy when they got out of the time loop just because it changed the timing and allowed the relationships outside of Noelle's and Avery's to move forward. I think this was a fun read that was unique.

As romance grows more popular among my library patrons, I’ve been reading more in the genre, which led me to Jackie Lau’s Time Loops and Meet Cutes. With its short chapters and accessible writing style, it’s well-suited for high school readers, and the Groundhog Day/time loop premise includes some clever, thoughtful twists. That said, the repeated day structure starts to feel a bit overdone, and I worry some younger readers might lose interest before finishing. The central relationship didn’t fully click for me—possibly influenced by a review I read beforehand that questioned how Cam could fall so hard for Noelle when she’s meeting him for the “first time” every day. That critique stuck with me, and I ended up finding their romance a little flat. While it has merit and certainly a place in a collection, it’s not a title I’d personally rush to recommend.

I guess it's a bit hard to write a book about a time loop without a bunch of repetition but part way through I got a bit bored. The way it ended was cute, I guess, but I wish we had gotten a little more info on the grandma and the time loop. I overall enjoyed this one and enjoyed the romance. I would say that no on in the history of ever uses the term "alas" as much as these two main character.

This is the kind of book I scour fanfiction sites for.

The romance? To die for. The tropes? Sublime. The chapters were easy and breezy too, which kept me coming back for more.

My only real critique is the pacing. Despite the chapter length, at times it felt a little slow and like I wanted things to speed up. Things just got a little repetitive, but overall I very much enjoyed!

Thank you Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC!

A cute read up until the ending with someone dropping the dreaded “sweetheart” which seemed entirely out of character. This always unnerves me because up until then the character will be behaving in a totally different fashion then bam all of a sudden calling someone sweetheart as if they were an elderly man trying to hit on a young woman. It just never fits.

The rest of the story was fine if not a bit messy at times. Did not care for how the plot was wrapped up in the end.

This was such a fun, feel-good read. I enjoyed the mix of romance and sci-fi - it added rarity without too much complexity. The time loop concept was handled in a way that felt *chefs kiss* but still easy to follow.

The main couple had great chemistry, and their conversations felt real and funny. I liked how the story balanced sweet moments with just enough emotional depth to make me care (not that it’s hard to do that!).

Overall, it was cute, clever, and left me kicking my feet and giggling. Definitely a great pick if you’re looking for something light but a little different.

After eating some mysterious dumplings at the night market, Noelle finds herself living through June 20th on repeat. As she navigates this new reality, Noelle meets a new friend, Avery, who is also stuck in the same loop and Cam, someone she can practice some meet cutes on and possibly her way out of this loop??

This book was so fun! I’m a sucker for time loops and I loved the time mechanics and situations Noelle found herself in. Noelle and Cam have such an ease with their relationship and a growing romance -- though some of the earlier meet cute attempts were pretty rough, especially with the second hand embarrassment (like purposely spilling boba on him lol). It was fun seeing them chat at Cam’s bar, eat around the night market, and go on new dates despite having to re-meet each other every time.

Friendship wise, I loved Noelle’s and Avery’s dynamics. Seeing the two treat themselves, travel, test out various theories to get unstuck, and even looking like questionable conspiracy theorists with their cardboard signs at the subway station had me cheering them on. They both had relatable struggles and I liked seeing them open up (though honestly poor Avery -- she had her period on REPEAT and was stuck in a dead end relationship).

The repetition does drag at points and you can see the inevitable spiralling, though I was very invested in their escape plan. I enjoyed the moments of growth, life lessons, Toronto backdrop, and Cam’s pov sprinkled throughout. Overall, this was a fun time loop read mixed with friendship, romance, and magical realism / mystery!

Thanks NetGalley and Simon & Schuster CA for the arc!

I was excited by this cover and synopsis but ultimately was unable to connect with the characters. Thanks for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for this advance copy!

This was a fun romance, focused on a woman who eats some dumplings and winds up in a time loop, destined to live June 20th over and over. I loved how Noelle approached the time loop and how she used it to take risks and become better and better at flirting with Cam, who keeps mentioning deja vu, but forgets Noelle as each day repeats. Noelle and Cam are adorable together as they keep going on first dates. Lau does a great job of having the characters grow and evolve while not having them completely do it together because of the timeloop. And timeloops can be so messy! Lau does a great job of creating rules that are flexible, giving Noelle more and more ways to stretch her legs with the loop.

In the end, the loop ends and they come together, and it's great and sweet. Maybe I could have used more chapters from Cam's point of view, but this was fun.

Time loops? Groundhogs day? Sign me up. I love books with these plot lines. And what's not to like about romance thrown in? Rhetorical question.

Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advanced copy!

This was my first time reading a story involving a time-loop, but it definitely won’t be my last. Such a fun concept!

Our FMC, Noelle, eats some magical dumplings at a night market and ends up reliving the same day over and over again. She keeps seeing the same guy, Cam, and figures he must be her way out of the loop. It’s hard to execute a romance where one of the two forgets everything when the day restarts, but I loved the chemistry between Cam and Noelle and could’t put this book down! I really feel for Noelle after she came out of the loop and found out everything had changed. Can you imagine your sibling having a child and you missed everything?! I’m still a little confused by how/why Noelle ended up in the time-loop but this was a fun read and I enjoyed it a lot.

All in all, I would recommend this one!

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is your quintessential rom-com with a Groundhog Day twist. It follows Noelle, who's sworn off dating after a failed relationship, in the aftermath of her eating dumplings from a mysterious (probably unregulated) food stand and finding herself seemingly doomed to relive June 20th over and over again. Since Noelle finally feels spontaneous since her actions don't really have consequences anymore, she decides to pursue Cam, who she keeps meeting. While impulsivity was the name of the game here (Noelle spends a lot of money and drastically changes her appearance many times) it worked so well.

Lau takes a creative approach to the time loop, with Cam not remembering any of his interactions with Noelle, but with her using what she's learned about him over the various June 20ths to win him over. I kept rooting for Cam and Noelle's paths to cross in each of the iterations of the day. I also liked how some of the chapters were told from Cam's perspective so we were able to see Noelle through his eyes, as well as learn about his brewery and his family life. Beyond just the romance, though, this book at its heart is about a woman realizing that she is lonely and finally taking steps to combat it. Noelle befriends Avery, a woman who is also stuck in the time loop, and they encourage each other to take risks. She also comes to realize how important her family and siblings are to her as she reconciles with the idea that she may never see them progress through life.

Overall, this was an absolute delight.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is a clever, charming romp through romance and second chances. Jackie Lau’s witty writing and playful time-twist keep you smiling and swooning, making this a perfect feel-good read for fans of quirky love stories.

I thought this was going to confuse me since I was reading a different time travel book at the same time. However, it didn’t because I just ended up reading this whole book in two sittings lol It was so much more than I thought it was going to be.

Ok so the characters were what I liked most. I’m not sure what I was thinking she was going to be like, but Noelle was hilarious. She defiinitely was like me. Take no ish and if I have to, then do it begrudgingly but with dignity lmao She was so funny, I couldn’t stop laughing. But I also felt bad for her. She was had to go through so much in that short amount of time. I am glad that she had someone with her tho. I can’t imagine trying to figure out what’s happening on their own.

The plot of this was good too. I truly thought Noelle would like being able to meet Cam all those times over and over because of all the times she embarrassed herself or did something weird instead. But I guess I never realized how things would be for her when she wasn’t embarrassed. All the those times when she started getting good at what she was doing and I felt so bad for her. Then there was the fact that he kept remembering just a tiny bit about her, but it was barely even that. Idk, it just felt so sad. I kept thinking what if that was me? I do wish they had got more of the woman and what actually happened. They only had a little information and while it was ok, I just wanted more.

The romance itself was cute! And I thought it was thought provoking too. Definitely made me think about things I hadn’t before. Like would I actually go though with trying to make him remember me or if I would even keep doing the day over and wouldn’t just give up lol I loved that she was still interested because let me tell you, I wasn’t lol

I usually have trouble with Groundhog Day stories because they just keep repeating over and over, but this one was fun. There was a weird ass reason for them to keep repeating, it was hilarious, I laughed every time she met him in a weird ass way and everything. I really enjoyed this. I hope y’all pick this up and love it too!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Time Loops and Meet Cutes!

Ahh!! This was so cute! I loved every part of this story!! the characters were really well written, and the entire story kept me wanting to keep reading! I loved the timeloops, and the overall concept.

I felt the pacing was a little off, but still overall enjoued the book!

Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I like science fiction and time loop stories so this was a fun one for me. What I was so happy to see is that Noelle was not alone in the tome loop! So many times, it is either just the main love interests who are stuck or just one person and that gets boring. This was fun to have another character with her own story also work through the loop. The bits with Cam in the present was also intriguing for how the story resolves and does not make it just a lesson learned and nothing else. This felt like a new type of time loop romance and I hope others find it and enjoy it as much as I did. 4 stars.

3.75!

The whole concept for this book was amazing, eating magical dumplings that throw you into a time loop where you and your best friend relive June 20th again and again?!? Honestly, at times just thinking about it felt torturous, but it was so easy to read. The way it was written was so enjoyable, it was easy to follow and lovely to read. It was my first book by this author, and I was hooked. The premise was so intriguing, and the execution lived up to it as well. The story was divided into two parts: Part One, where the main characters were stuck in a loop and were figuring out a way to get out of it, and Part Two, where they were out of the time loop only to discover everything had changed, with short chapters that keep you hooked. I read it in the most difficult month; I had so much going on, but this ate!! It made me want to get back home, curl up in my comforter, and read this book.

Noelle is our main character, whose POV we're following, and we see the story through her eyes as she's stuck in a time loop where that day keeps repeating, with the same thing happening over and over again. She tries desperately to get out of it or to find answers as to why this has happened. But she is not alone in this. Avery is another woman stuck in the time loop, and her situation is worse because she has to wake up every day next to her condescending boyfriend and break up with him. Also, her friendship with Noelle was the highlight of this book—the way they went through everything together and were the only two people who understood what the other was going through. The way Jackie portrayed the feeling of exhaustion, tiredness, and burnout was very well done. It felt very realistic and relatable, yet also true to the story.

The romance was very cute, the whole idea of Noelle trying to pursue Cam every day, but each day he would forget and only get déjà vu when she appeared in front of him. Their moments were very cutesy-ones that would have you smiling. And while I was in love with how their relationship was in the time loop and wanted to see it explored more, AND while I enjoyed their relationship outside the time loop as well, I just felt like there were so many other things in the book that were far more enticing and gripping, so I would gloss over the romance for that content. The timeline within the time loop was more enjoyable for me, regardless of its repetitive nature, but I did enjoy the aftermath and the consequences of being stuck in a time loop and the feeling of being lost.

One major problem for me was the pacing. Despite the short chapters, I felt that it was very slow? It could be my slump, but when a book takes this long for me to finish, every day my enjoyment for it decreases, and soon it feels like something I just HAVE to finish instead of enjoying it and reading it at peace.

Overall, I would recommend it!