Loved everything about this book. The romance, the friendship, and the plot. Noelle had immense character growth in her time loop. I fell in love with Cam everyday. Avery is such a great friend who I wanted to hug so bad! Devoured this book!

This book was so cute! I loved all the meet cutes between Noelle and Cam. It was really lovely to see how the time loop worked to bring Noelle out of her shell and to find her truest self. This book will resonate with so many of us who feel like every day is a never ending repeat of the day before, never changing for the better. But for Noelle, it does change. And I loved that so much.

One of my favorite parts of this story was the friendship that developed between Noelle and Avery. It was so clear how they both needed each other to get through the tough times, as well as how beneficial a true friend is. Though their lives are truly so different, the connection they form is one that I’m confident will remain long after the conclusion of this story.

I don’t read a lot of time-travel romance, but this one was a fantastic read! It kept me going and I became more and more invested in Noelle herself as the story went on. I’m so happy for her happy ending but I’m also so happy for her self discovery and the relationships she’s able to build and grow in her life!

Thank you to Atria Books and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read and review this book! I received a free advance copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 🌟

Romance is not my regular genre, but I do like branching out now and again. I thought this was a really fun book with a cute romance and a bit of mysticism. The time loop was really interesting, but ALMOST dragged on too long - thankfully there is a bit of a switch up that made things more interesting again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book is like the perfect Friday night takeout—tasty, comforting, but you can’t have it every day without getting a little tired of it. Noelle’s time loop adventure is quirky and entertaining, and I couldn’t help but root for her as she navigates her way through endless Fridays. The romance is cute, and the whole “living in the moment” message comes across well. While the repetition of it all starts to feel like the same day over and over (literally), it’s a light, fun read with some laughs along the way. A solid choice for a feel-good, no-pressure kind of book!

How many ways can I express how much I adored this story? I love a good time loop story, especially a romance. How are they going to connect over and over again, and how are they going to get out of it? Jackie Lau's take on the time loop romance is something special. The characters all made me feel deeply, and I was rooting for the main couple to get together the entire time. She created and solved so many unique problems within the story, and the resolution felt well earned.

This was the first book by her that I've read, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books. She's got a great voice.


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start by saying I really like Jackie Lau's books, so I was pre-disposed to like 'Time Loops & Meet Cutes' - and I did!

Lau write real characters that are often more fully fleshed out than I find in many novels - they have flaws, they aren't always conventionally attractive (not the "not like other girls" kind, but more ordinary, real people), and they struggle with the same things that many of us struggle with. And she's good at acknowledging those struggles without making something for a character to overcome or the whole basis for a character. For example, the main character, Noelle, is introverted, a little shy, and very risk-averse. This is just who she is, and while in the repetition of the time loop, she does experiment with speaking up for herself, it's not something that she's "cured" of by the end of the book. She DOES evolve, as would any of us (hopefully) after many months in a time loop!

This book has really stayed with me in a way I didn't expect. What would I do, should this happen to me? While the premise of the book is fun to start with, there are some real psychological ramifications of having the same day over and over again, and as the character's explore that experience, you can feel the raw, visceral hurt of falling in love with someone, then having them not remember you the following day. To trying a lot of different experiments to try to change the outcome, and having <b>none</b> of them bear fruit.

I appreciated the exploration of Noelle and Cam meeting once the time loop was broken - he felt like he knew her, but didn't know how. And of course, she knew him well! I appreciated that Noelle felt that she had to be honest to continue to be in a relationship with Cam, and that he was willing to take what she said seriously. The one thing I wished for was more time with the characters after they got together. I would have liked to spend more time with them as they learned how to be a couple, now that days aren't re-setting.

Last note - in characteristic Lau fashion, the amazing food of Toronto is highly featured, and I enjoyed it thoroughly! I looked up many of the dishes I was unfamiliar with, and find myself dreaming of a trip to Toronto to eat my way around the city ...

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance - what a treat, especially for one of my favorite authors!

This was cute, but it didn’t totally win me over—solid 3 stars. I loved the concept (magic dumplings! endless Fridays!), and Noelle and Cam had sweet moments, but the time loop dragged on way too long. After 180+ days, she still doesn’t figure out Cam’s grandmother caused it? I would've loved for her to actually meet his grandma and realize the true reason for the loop—that moment could’ve added so much heart and clarity. It had charm and laughs, but the plot just didn’t stick the landing for me.

I thought this was cute! It seemed to drag a bit in the middle, which I think is just a con to writing a book like this since you need that repetitive aspect of the book for it to make sense. I thought the characters were charming and I found myself really liking them by the end! I love a good groundhog’s day storyline, especially when romance is involved!
3/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️

Tropes:
- magical realism
- time loop
- meet cute
- strangers to lovers
- dual POV

After finishing her workday late, as usual, Noelle decides to stop by the night market for dinner. She has no idea that magical dumplings will pull her into a time loop, forcing her to relive the same day over and over with no way out.

The book explores themes of friendship, family, and the fear of taking the first step.

The story is filled with funny moments that made me recall similar situations from my own life—some of which I wouldn’t mind “rewriting” by reliving the day again. 🤣

This book made me wonder what I would do if I had to live the same day on repeat… One of those things would definitely be reading books. Sounds like a true paradise for a book lover, doesn’t it?

‼️WARNING: This book might make you raid your fridge in the middle of the night—there are plenty of mouthwatering food descriptions! 😁

I enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to fans of 2000s rom-coms (if the leads were Asian 😄) and to anyone who loves Groundhog Day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m always a sucker for a time loop story, so I knew I needed to pick this one up. After eating dodgy-but delicious- dumplings at a night market, Noelle finds herself reliving the same annoying Friday again and again. This book quickly sucks you in as Noelle tries figure out why she’s stuck in a time loop, how to break free, and deal with a growing crush on a man who doesn’t remember all the times they’ve met before. A fun romcom, with an interesting take on time loops- perfect to get me through the end of an annoying week!

Ground hog day meets 50 First Dates. Read if you like time loops and good food. I enjoyed all of the food references and felt like I ate my way through a delectable Asian food market. I enjoyed the romance intertwined with some mystery. A solid 5 star romance novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to read this book, it just sounded like a really good time. It was basically like a Groundhog's Day rom-com, where after eating some dumplings at a night marketing, our main character Noelle finds herself reliving the same day over and over. She meets Cam almost every day when she restarts the same day, so she is convinced that he is the key for her to get out of her time loop. She also meets Avery who is stuck in exactly the same time loop as her, so a lot of the story is them working together to try to get out of the loop.

Honestly the friendship between Noelle and Avery was my favorite part of the book, and I do wish there was more time spent here, especially because Avery's day that she was forced to relive over and over was not great. They touched upon mental health issues, but it just felt like it was there for a couple of pages, and gone the next. The first part of the book is understandably repetitive and I did get bored, but once it hit the second half it went a lot quicker. Also for me, there was just way too much description of food. I would have preferred more character growth than another meal of what they were eating. The ending was also a little lackluster for me, it felt way too convenient, and we never got answers to multiple questions that I had throughout the story.

Overall it was an ok read, and I would recommend for a quick in between book. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for character development and angst? This is your book!!

I don't think I could effectively take a sick day for four months in a row and remember the password to my work computer, much less how to actually do my job. Noelle, however, is a workaholic that experiences very little joy or deviation in her daily life until she unexpectedly wakes up in a time loop. She was a bit robotic at the start, and I worried that I was signing myself up to read a romance about a FMC possessing a personality with the flavor of keto bread. Seriously, what is that stuff? Chewy cardboard? Anyway, Noelle goes through a lot and comes out the other side a changed woman that has tried at least 3 different hairstyles. Stick with it!

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect with this book. The concept sounded really cool, but also like it would be very hard to execute well. Luckily, Jackie Lau managed to create a believable romance between two people wherein only one could remember their previous interactions. Lau also left me wondering how much longer I could last in the time loop. She took me just past the point of frustration + 3ish chapters. I may have considered tossing my kindle, but ultimately needed to know what would finally break the spell.

Noelle's reactions to Cam not remembering her were very realistic and actually hurt my feelings a little bit. She woke up every day with the knowledge the person she'd been seeing almost daily for 3+ months would not remember her name, and yet she was so drawn to him that she willingly spent time with Cam even while it was simultaneously breaking her heart.

I would have liked a bit more from Cam. Sure, he was basically restarting each and every day, and he gets a pass for being stuck in the time loop through Part 1. He was just so easygoing and eager. He was the opposite of Noelle in so many ways, but just a little bit one-dimensional, even in the second half.

Overall, 4.25 ⭐️
Would recommend

This book was so cute (as the title suggests). I read it much faster than expected and thought it had great pacing. Noelle, Cam, Avery were lovable characters and there was some family drama and self worth building that added extra depth. There were parts of the ending that felt a little too picture-perfect, but I found there was enough that was left that it didn't feel too unbelievable.

I think Lau did a great job avoiding many of the pitfalls time loops can fall into, but sometimes I did read a page and wondered if I was rereading or if this was the same conversation happening again, but some of that is on me and others might be a part of the charm.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is my first read by Jackie Lau and also my first foray into the time loop trope. On the summer solstice, Noelle eats magical dumplings that set her into a time loop where she relives the solstice over and over... TL&MC is a great read because the reader faces the same degree of uncertainty that Noelle does - how and when will she get out of the time loop? Noelle falls in love with her dream man during the time loop, but he forgets her every time the day restarts. Will she be able to continue a relationship with him after the time loop eventually ends? The reader is kept in suspense until the very last page. I look forward to reading more from Jackie Lau as she creates tension in a lighthearted book so well.

This book felt like the perfect mix of "Groundhog Day" and "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once." It was an enjoyable take on the classic time-loop story. I loved the additions of someone else being stuck in the time loop as well, that was new to all the other versions. I loved the interconnectedness of the characters, it was actually the most enjoyable part of the plot. I also really liked the descriptions of food and the overall connections that established. The tying off the loops at the end was so good too, it was all kind of worth it. I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to seeing other people read it too!

On June 20th, Noelle visits the night market and eats magic dumplings. When she wakes up the next morning, it’s once again June 20th. She’s confused (obviously), and day after day, she wakes up to the same day. However, being stuck in a time loop gives her the opportunity to live outside the lines of her predictable life. While she’s trying to find a way out of the time loop, each iteration of the day helps her be someone she was perhaps afraid to be.

Cam’s story is juxtaposed with Noelle’s, and she enjoys the time they spend together, even if she has to reintroduce herself each encounter. Noelle and Cam have many first dates, trying new things around the city. When Noelle finally moves past June 20th, she and Cam have a chance to develop a real relationship.

I liked the storyline between Noelle and Cam, and Jackie Lau always does a great job creating characters. The time loop was a bit confusing and brought back memories of watching Groundhog Day many years ago. While not my favorite of Lau’s books, I enjoyed reading Time Loops & Meet Cutes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Time Loops & Meet Cutes, Noelle finds herself repeating the same summer day after a visit to a local night market. Determined to get herself out of the loop, she hopes a kiss from a handsome stranger will break the spell.
This was a cute, quirky romance. I really liked both Noelle and Cam. Noelle was very stuck in her ways, and the time loop helped her to take more risks. Sometimes the writing felt a little stilted; Conversations between characters didn't flow smoothly, they sometimes felt too proper for friendly banter. The book also felt a little repetitive, more so than just for the time loop plot. Overall, though, I did enjoy this book, the characters were well written with strong development, and the plot was fun and interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Time Loops & Meet Cutes in exchange for my honest review.

Noelle is an introverted workaholic eldest daughter who carries a lot of unnecessary weight on her shoulders until she works too late one day and meets a mysterious older woman who sells her dumplings that "will be exactly what she needs" and she ends up in a time loop.

Noelle proceeds to learn a lot about herself , her city, and relationships while living multiple versions of June 20th. She spends some days focusing on herself, some on her acquaintance of circumstance turned friend who's stuck in the time loop with her, and some on Cam- a man she runs into coincidentally multiple times.

I really liked this one, I think there was just enough silliness and seriousness, how fun to be able to test out a risky haircut consequence free, or practice the best way to ask for a raise at work. The characters kept me hooked and Cam's POVs made for an interesting dual timeline ...ish. Would definitely recommend this one to lovers of rom coms

Thank you to Netgalley and atria for the arc! ❤️ I gotta go get some dumplings now 🥟

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is a really thoughtful and sweet take on the repeating day story. Noelle is a very relatable character and her journey is as well. Although the bulk of the story is spent on the love interest story line, I do love that we see Noelle evaluating and deepening her family ties and friendships as well. I think this will be a fun beach read for a lot of people this summer!