… what was the point of the time loop?

When it was happening, I thought it was going to move Noelle’s character forward, but most of what happened in the first 2/3 of the book ended up not mattering, and the last 1/3ish was spent having conversations that summarized the time loop with MULTIPLE OTHER PEOPLE and… why? I was so frustrated and I ended up skimming the last few chapters because there were so few stakes and basically no consequences for anything that had happened earlier.

The structure also means that there was no opportunity for the main relationship to develop past a certain point. Because of how it’s set up, Cam felt very flat, and there was no room for him to develop.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This one didn’t work for me, but I see that other people had a better time than I did. The time loop parts were fun, I just wish they’d led to something more than what we got here.

[Note for NetGalley: I posted my review to GoodReads and the StoryGraph, but due to technical issues on my end I can’t include the links at this time.]

Well…it’s a romance book with a time loop. The synopsis sounded so good but…

I felt like I was in a time loop with this book. It just kept going and going and repeating the same day over and over…at 51% the FMC is on day 135 (let me say it again…day 135 of the same day) of her time loop. Oh dear! I thought it would never end. It was just too repetitive.

I love a romance and I like spice but the slow pace got the best of me and by the end I was just pushing through so that could get it over with. There are some cute parts and I’m sure many will love this but sadly it was not the book for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

3.5 stars

I always love and enjoy a magical realism book! Especially when it’s done well and this one as done very well.

Seeing Noelle become more comfortable in her own skin while she was stuck in her loop was a great story. And it shows the reader how to just keep on trying and stepping out and you are never stuck in just one version for the rest of your life. I was surprised with how long she was stuck in the loop though! Plus getting out of it was anti climatic I was really hoping for a big moment. But knowing the dates and relevance after they got out of the loop, it does make total sense.

I loved the concept of Cam having this sense of “someone else should be here” or just this strong sense of “I remember you” but not being able to figure out why. And he was just a fun loving green flag! I really enjoyed his character. Just kinda the averageness (in a good way) about him.

As someone who doesn't usually read books about time travel or time loops, this was definitely a different concept for me. What really drew me to this book was that it takes place in Toronto. So knowing the setting I was intriuged by the story.

Noelle relives the same day in June over and over again after she eats some magical dumplings at a market. Along the way, she keeps on meeting Cam each day, even though he doesn’t remember her but has a feeling he does.

Since it's a time loop story, the first half of the book was slow paced. I enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more. More than the romance, I enjoyed that the focus of this book was how Noelle evolved as a person at the end. I guess re-living the same day over and over again, it really makes you reexamine your life.

Thank you Atria Books for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Noelle, an unsatisfied, lonely, workaholic, eats magic dumplings and gets stuck in a time loop. She keeps running into Cam, a partial owner of a local microbrewery. At first she thinks she should fall for Cam in order to stop the time loop and then, even though it doesn’t work, she starts to fall for him for real. She also starts to allow herself to live, make mistakes, and come into her own. This book is great for fans of Suzanne Park; this book is like if One Last Word met The Do-Over. They both write books about overachievers who learn how to connect with themselves and their feelings. I really enjoyed this book and was pulling for Cam and Noelle. The twist was just twisty enough. The magical elements are just the right amount of believable. This was a fun read! 3.75 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved the tittle and the cover of the book. Time loops- was a concept I was intrigued by when I read the blurb for the book. It became a bit repetitive at times. However that’s most likely part of the point of the trope and plot. It was an overall cute read and can see many readers enjoying the story that has more themes than just romance and is a cute take on the Groundhog Day theme. I enjoyed Noelle and Cam’s story and more so the story from Noelle’s point of view even though some of Cam’s were included. Thank you so much for the chance to read this book, it was a pleasure.

✨ Book Review ✨

Time Loops and Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Noelle is stuck in a rut (whether she believes it or not) and one day decides to do something spontaneous, she stops by the night food market for some dumplings. Little did she know, these dumplings would be life changing….

This one was so cute y’all! I really loved the premise of the these time stopping dumplings and how Noelle lives when she time doesn’t change. The lessons she learned along the way about family, friends, love and life got me all in my feels 🥹

Highly recommend if you are in the mood for a cutesy romance with a nice side of life lessons and a dash of female friendship!

This review will be posted on my instagram on pub day 5/06

This book was such a fun and emotional read! Noelle wakes up stuck in a time loop, living the same day over and over—until she meets Avery, who’s also trapped. Together, they try everything to escape, from quitting jobs to breaking up relationships. Along the way, Noelle keeps meeting Cam, slowly falling for him even though he forgets her each day.

Just when they think there’s no way out, everything changes—they’re thrust seven months into the future, forced to pick up their lives like nothing happened. But Noelle refuses to give up on Cam. Though he doesn’t remember their shared past, he feels drawn to her.

This story was romantic, clever, and full of heart. It beautifully explored how love can grow even when the world resets, and how some connections are strong enough to break through time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this free advance copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for an e-ARC of "Time Loops & Meet Cutes" by Jackie Lau, which comes out May 6, 2025!

I am such a mood reader and this hit the spot! I devoured this book in one day! It was so cute- yes it was cheesy and predictable at times but I enjoyed it so much. I loved seeing the growth of the main character, Noelle throughout the story. The repeat of the same day reminded me so much of Groundhog day as well as a couple episodes of shows I have watched over the years that did stuff with time/time loops.

If you've enjoyed any of Jackie's previous books or if the synopsis sounds enticing to you at all, I definitely recommend reading it!

A cute kicking your feet giggling like a school girl romance! This was such a great read and nice break from all the dark that I read.

Could you imagine being stuck in a time loop, reliving the same day every day? At first you’d think sure this would be awesome! However, what happens when you start to fall in love with someone who doesn’t remember meeting you the next day?

Noelle goes through this and as it starts to wear on her she’s determined to find a way out of the loop. Will she keep her love too??

This was a great read and I loved Noelle. It was amazing to watch her character grow and change throughout the book. I loved her coming to terms with what mental health can look like, and it bringing her closer to her sister. Definitely worth picking up!

Noelle is over-worked and over-achieving, one evening after work she eats mystical dumplings from a night market that inexplicably send her into a Groundhog Day-time loop scenario. As she works to make sense of her new reality, she meets Cam who owns and runs a brewery. She finds that as June 20th repeats, she keeps running into him. Who is he and why is he important?

I have read this author before and enjoyed her work. This one was a solid read with a focus on learning how to live your best and most authentic life, even if you have to keep trying over and over again. I loved how Noelle systematically tries to make sense and order out of the sudden cosmic existential crisis that her life has become. She's a little emotionally stunted, which definitely factors into her life choices initially. This is simultaneously a mystery and an "are they destined to be together?" romance. Having Cam's POV was a nice touch and lent some needed variety to the narrative. But while I liked it, I didn't love it. I found that the pacing was uneven and I lost some reading momentum around 50% of the way through. (I mostly got distracted by pondering the mechanics of the time loop, which was a bit unsatisfying in its vagueness.) Things do start to pick up again closer towards the end. The story was also a bit more somber than I was expecting, as the story is an unusual mix of hopeful and gloomy. Thankfully, hope wins out.

If you enjoy open-door romances with a touch of mysticism and some deeper soul searching and personal growth, then this is the book for you! 3.5 stars. Publishes May 6, 2025. This review is based on a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

4.5 stars!

Time Loops & Meet Cutes exceeded all my expectations! I usually do not enjoy novels with time loop aspects, but this one is written so well. The rules of this time loop are different than ones I have previously read. I found that I enjoyed this take on time loops a lot more, especially what happens after the time loop ends.

Noelle is an excellent main character. Giving her all for work only to realize it was for nothing. Having a structured routine with no time for hobbies. With the time loop, Noelle is able to explore and relearn the things she enjoys doing. She has a series of meet cutes with Cam, who she thinks is the key to exiting the time loop. Usually, there is only one initial meet cute in a romance novel. This one has several, most of which are awkward and embarrassing. I enjoyed Noelle slowly getting to know Cam, even if he didn't remember her. Truly loved their relationship so much. I loved the friendship between Avery and Noelle.

Overall, I enjoyed this a lot more than I initially thought I would. It was quick, addictive, and fun. Any review I write will never fully capture how this book made me feel. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was super cute! I’ve never read anything with the Groundhog Day vibes so this was definitely a breath of fresh air. I also was obsessed with the couples but also the friendship that came about in this book too! It was also really cool to learn about a ton of different foods. And it was hard because every single thing sounded so good. It was fun to read and definitely recommend it. Can’t thank NetGalley enough for this adorable arc.

Thoughtful and heartwarming. This book has some pacing issues at first, but ends up a solid story about the importance of not being bogged down in choice and letting life pass you by.

Time Loops and Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau starts off as a typical time loop story, but Lau has plenty of tricks up her sleeve to add new twists to the time loop theme. For starters, the main character Noelle is stuck in the time loop on a random day with only one other person--and it's not the love interest, Cam. Instead, she interacts with Cam repeatedly and falls in love while he must learn her name again every time they meet.

This book is pretty slow-paced, and more space is dedicated to the time loop aspect than the romance. We follow Noelle as she struggles to figure out the parameters of the time loop and escape it. Thus, we get to learn a lot about her and her family. The actual amount of time she interacts with the male lead is rather small in comparison, which may or may not turn some readers off if they are reading this book primarily for the romance piece. Personally, I found the romantic dynamics between the two leads to be just okay. I wasn't put off by their dynamics, but their chemistry was fairly mediocre and relied a lot on incredibly cheesy jokes.

Overall, I think this book sold me mostly on its creative twist to the time loop. It could have been a lot shorter and spent more time building up the romantic tension, but I still enjoyed the read.

What if Noelle didn't eat those dumplings? This time loop rom com sees her repeat June 20 over and over again,thanks to dumplings she impulsively bought from an older woman at a street festival. It's disconcerting and frustrating to see your life reset every night (even hair cut during the day regrows). Luckily, she meets Avery, who also ate the dumplings and thus has an ally. And she meets Cam who isn't on her loop, which means she must reintroduce herself every day. She's intrigued by him but can they build a relationship in these circumstances? I liked Noelle (also that she's an engineer) and Cam is a treat so I rooted for them, as you will as well. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. No spoilers from me!

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This was a really cute romance. I think this book may well end up being one of my favorite romances of 2025! If you love movies like Back to the Future or 13 Going on 30, I definitely recommend this book. I can't wait to read Jackie Lau's next book! I definitely would not sit this book out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. This was (thankfully!) a quick read, but I couldn't wait for it to be over. I thought the premise was interesting, but the main character and the writing style were both incredibly juvenile, so I just could not get invested in the story. Also, I love some spice in my romance novels, but the sex scenes in this book were so jarring. Noelle seemed so infantile and there was zero actual chemistry between her and Cam, yet all of a sudden there would be a somewhat spicy sex scene?!?! It made me cringe several times. I also saw the "twist" coming a mile away. Rounding up to two stars because I loved the food descriptions.

The premise of this book was so fun! Like Groundhog Day, but magic dumplings helping you find what you need.

And what Noelle needs is Cam, Cam just doesn’t know it, since he isn’t living June 20th over and over again.

Sometimes the best part of a romance is that sometimes awkward or humorous first meeting, this book gives you multiple of those since they meet over and over and over again.

I loved watching their relationship grow even when it was one sided, Cam’s lingering sense of knowing her and what she liked was so sweet.

This book definitely gave me Ali Hazelwood vibes with a smart woman in STEM as the FMC. Noelle navigates being undervalued in the male dominated world of mechanical engineering.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.