"Romance with a little bit of magic" is a new favorite subgenre for me. This was a cool spin on the Groundhog Day trope. I especially appreciated that there were at least two time travelers, so they could check in with each other and we could get a couple different perspectives on this experience. Recommended for fans of Ashley Poston.

4.25 rounded down to a 4 ⭐️

I really am in my 'Groundhog Day', Time loop era. I am really enjoying watching MCs grow through the plot of a time loop. This one in particular was more magical than most, and I adored that. Our FMC eating some magical dumplings that make her relive June 20th over and over again. I think this was the longest time loop that I've ever read. HUNDREDS of reruns of June 20th. It felt torturous for even, me, as the reader.

The writing in this is very repetitive, but to an extent it needed to be because it was a time loop. I really loved the friendship that developed between Noelle and Avery. Noelle went from living her live to work and doing that alone to realizing work isn't everything and you need the people who love you surrounding you.

The character growth in Noelle had so much depth and I liked her character from the beginning, but by the end she was extremely likable.

Cam was a nice MMC. The way the book is written, we don't really get much of him until the last 30-40% of the book, but he is still sprinkled in throughout here and there. I liked him, but I also don't feel like I had enough to go on in order to really feel connected to him as a character.

My biggest issue with this book was that it felt slow. I almost wish we got less of the time loop. We never really understand why this happened to Avery and Noelle because the grandmother had passed away by the time they were able to find the dumpling stand again. I felt like as a reader I was left with a lot of unanswered questions by the end. We got the granddaughters 'kind of' understanding on how it might have happened, but I wanted more from that.

The narration was well done. I enjoyed it. I was glad I added it when I did, but it doesn't take away or add to the from the story as a whole.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a personal growth, time loop story that has romance as more of a backseat storyline.

The Vibes:
-Magical Realism
-Time Loop
-TONS of Meet Cutes
-Brewery Owner x Engineer
-Night Market

If groundhog day were a rom com. I liked the personal and friendship redemption parts as well.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review

The concept of this romantic story was so fun! Time travel and dumplings! I highly enjoyed this one! I enjoyed the slow pace and the short chapters!

I love a good meet-cute, and this was much meet, very cute. I felt like the time loop was very well done, as were the aftereffects - which I feel like nobody ever addresses! I do wish Avery had been better developed and had a more meaningful journey, her story felt like an afterthought. And the explanation of the dumpling lady felt a little contrived, that was my least favorite part of the story. But I loved everything else, from Noelle’s anxiety to Cam’s golden retriever personality, her friendship with Avery, and all the delicious Asian food!

While well done, this felt a bit too long (as I imagine an almost never ending time loop would feel). I was hoping for a bit more growth from Noelle (it took farrrr too long for her to finally quit, in my opinion) and would have loved to see Cam actually speak to his dad. There were just some missed opportunities for depth that would have added to the story a bit. Also; while including Avery made sense to anchor Noelle but she felt too much like a throwaway character and needed more substance to really allow Noelle to have better practice being a friend.

This book started off promising but unfortunately fell flat for me. I really enjoyed exploring the culture of the setting and the different foods the characters ate throughout the book. However, I wasn’t completely sold on the concept of the romance between the FMC and MMC. Unfortunately, I also feel the main character was stuck in the time loop way too long which made the reader also feel stuck and hopeless in that moment. Overall, I thought it was a really unique and creative concept but just a little too long for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This took me a while to actually immerse myself in. I enjoyed the timeloop storyline, and the mc not being the only one stuck in it was refreshing! Also that the world didn't stop around them, so when it finally broke they had to figure out what happened while they were stuck; I love all multiverse with overlapping time lines!
I loved that the love interest remembered the mc, even bits and pieces, and took them seriously each encounter. It was heartwrenching and concluded neatly!

4-⭐

The concept of the book is what drew me to it. Normally when you think about reliving the same day over and over again, it's usually horror related or Groundhog day. But Jackie Lau did a great job of keeping this story refreshing and whimsical.
Having the opportunity to follow Noelle and Cam through Toronto. It was magical in of itself.
While the time loops do become very repetitive towards the end of the story, the twist at the end was super cute and adorable.

A big thank you Atria for the chance to read Time Loops & Meet Cutes in advance (and super sorry for the very late review)

I think for me the tip loop aspect of books just dont work for me. I think i need to learn this when reading books. They always add a bit of a repetative nature to the book for me. The writing and premise of the book is really fun and cute!

This one was so good! I loved how it was split during the time loop and then after. Noelle and Cam were so cute together. Every time they met during the loop I was hoping he would remember. I couldn't put this one down once I started.

The amount of times I had to convince myself to NOT DNF this are too many to count. It finally got interesting around the 40-50% mark which to me is way too far into a book for things to pick up. Before that, it just felt like reading the same thing over and over again which in a way makes sense because she was trapped in a time loop, but still should not have been the case for a book. Also, kind of annoying that we got like no real answers to anything by the end idk…

This was super cute! A bit of a different take on the whole Groundhog Day scenario, and I liked the different things she was able to experience. It felt like there was a lot of growth with Noelle, both within herself and with other characters. Overall a cute story that I’d recommend to others!

I’m always a little skeptical when reading groundhogs day esque stories this one was cute and unique. It started out well but the pacing is kind of slow. Cute overall story that just needed a little refinement.

Noelle Tom really shouldn’t have eaten those dumplings at the night market. But the old lady at the stall said they’d give her what she needed most, and what Noelle desperately needed after another long workweek was food.

Except now she’s reliving the same Friday over and over. Every morning her alarm goes off at 6:45 no matter what, the Wordle answer is always “happy,” and she watches a silly squirrel video go viral day after day. And no matter how much she works on the same proposal, it’s always erased when she wakes up. It seems Monday will never come in this workaholic’s worst nightmare.

Noelle has no idea how being trapped in a time loop is the “thing she needed most,” especially now that everything seems meaningless. Sure, three fancy meals in a row is a fun treat, but it’s getting repetitive. Noelle’s not sure what lesson the old lady was trying to impart. Even a trip to the dumpling stall doesn’t help…because there’s no sign of it.

But then she meets a young woman who also ate the dumplings, and good-looking Cam, who appears in multiple places on her Friday. While he seems to have no memory of their encounters, there are signs he might be the key to getting un-stuck. But Noelle will have to put work aside and live a little in order to make him notice her. As their flirtation progresses, Noelle begins to worry that if she ever gets to turn the calendar page, Cam won’t know who she is and her life may never return to what it was before that fateful Friday…

Loved it. I thought the plot was a fresh concept. Well written and easy to relate to characters. Will recommend to others.

Groundhog Day meets 50 First Dates! Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau combines my favorite genre - romance - with one of my favorite sub-genres: time travel/alternate universe/parallel universe. As with all of Jackie Lau's romances, this one is funny, features Asian main characters, and has great spicy scenes! I loved the sci-fi element of this romance, and especially the female friendship portrayed. I felt this book of Lau's had a bit more depth to it than many of her other books.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the chance to read and review an e-galley of this lovely book!

Noelle really shouldn't have eaten those delicious dumplings at the night market. No matter how absolutely delicious they were. The old lady selling them did say that they would give her what she needed most, so in hindsight she really shouldn't be surprised to be reliving the same Friday over and over... and over again. If there's anything a time loop story has thought her, it's that something will be the key to get her out of it. And when she keeps bumping into a cute guy named Cam at the same night market, and a boba shop, and at his brewery, she figures that he is the key to getting her unstuck. With the help of a woman who also ate the dumplings, Noelle has to learn how to put her type A tendencies to the side and live fully every day.

This is not my first time loop rodeo, and while they were many aspects of this sweet story that I loved, the middle of the book unfortunately dragged on too much for me. When I have to read about the same day for the hundredth time, maybe it's time to move on. But the way that the story is tied up at the end did leave me with a big smile.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is an absolute delight from start to finish—a perfect blend of whimsy and heart with a fresh take on the time loop story. Noelle’s journey is both relatable and captivating, balancing the frustration of her endless Friday with moments of genuine growth and unexpected joy. The chemistry with Cam adds just the right amount of sweetness without overpowering the plot, and the way the narrative weaves humour with deeper themes hits all the right notes. What stands out is how the story captures that tension between being stuck and the hope of moving forward, both in life and love. It’s a beautifully paced, thoughtful read that leaves you smiling and thinking long after the last page.

I love a good time travel/see how life choices affected you story. I can also relate to replaying conversations in your head over and over again. I liked the dual POV, it seems like I read fewer books with a dual POV than not so I appreciate finding one with it. Overall I enjoyed this one.

I enjoyed this cozy, emotional romance! It read very much like translated literary fiction, which could be at times stilted and other times insightful. It took some time to settle into the writing style, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I loved that it wasn't just a romance and encouraged bonding/repairing bonds with the many kinds of people in life. The flirting was equally adorable and cringe inducing in the way flirting can be. I did enjoy the novel overall, but it took me a very long time to settle into.