time loops & meet cutes was a sweet and enjoyable read! i enjoyed my time with these characters and i really appreciated the inclusion of a fantasy/magic element in a romance story.

as i began the book, it did take me a little bit of time to get in tune with the writing style, but once i was in it i was in it! as this book is about a time loop, there was a bit of repetition going on. i could feel the palpable frustration of our main character noelle, as i too was hoping for her to find a way to end this loop.

my favorite things about this story:

- the themes of overcoming your fears and embracing life. i loved watching noelle grow over the course of her loop
- the familial relationships, particularly the relationship between noelle and her sister madison. in fact, i wish we had a bit more time with these two. as a sister, i really loved reading about it
- the bond between noelle and her friend avery. i always love and appreciate a strong friendship between two female characters
- the love interest cam was a certified good guy. very sweet and understanding. i enjoyed their various meet cutes throughout the book

overall i really enjoyed this one!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a fair review. This did not do it for me. The best thing was the part two twist, it definitely changed the typical time travel story… but the rest was rough. Too fast paced, everything just moved along and was surface level, no real character development. Good concept, execution needs a little work.

After eating some magic dumplings Noelle begins to live the same day over and over. Trying to figure out why it’s happening she learns she isn’t the only one, teaming up they try to figure out how to get out of the loop. Cam, the love interest, not being apart of the time loop but having a sense of a lost memory towards a woman he meets; never quite understands who she is other than how familiar everything feels with her.

This was such a clever way to write a time loop, I loved this book so much. The characters were so cute, the development and self discovery felt so comforting to read. Noelle trying new things she would never normally do was so sweet. Cam was so adorable as well. Poor Avery though, having to relive her boyfriend forgetting her birthday everyday and also getting stuck in a time loop while on her period, she definitely deserved that happy ending and all the good fanfics sent her way.

This book had the vibes of the movie Freaky Friday but instead of a body switch it’s a time loop, two strangers living the same day over and becoming friends (with the point of view of the love interest for the main character).

Plot: 10/10
Pace: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Enjoyability: 9/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Noelle

Favorite Quote: ❝"Sometimes, when I'm with you," I say, "I have the feeling that I've done this before, in a previous life or something."❞

This was so different cute, fun, and kept me on my toes!
Groundhogs day vibes but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The timeline and loop was pulled off and written SO WELL. The author truly knew what they were doing and really put their heart into this plot and development and it shows!
This was the first book I've read by Jackie Lau and I am sure this will not be the last either.
THe blend of humor and romance was wonderful and created such an enjoyable book.

Absolutely adored watching these two fall for eachother literally over and over again. It was such a emotional ride between the heartache of starting over and the giggling watching them fall again.

4.25 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jackie Lau for the opportunity to read this delightful ARC!

I want to start off by saying that the main character’s name is also Noelle, which was super fun! Her sister’s name is even Madison (my middle name). There were so many other similarities, it was crazy!

This book is written from the POV of Noelle and Cam. Noelle gets stuck in a time loop, reliving April 20th, after eating some magical dumplings at a night market. Noelle ends up meeting Avery, a woman who is stuck in the same loop. They work together trying different theories to become “unstuck”. During it all, Noelle keeps running into Cam. Each day Cam forgets about her, but Noelle never forgets him. They go on first date after first date, all the while Noelle is developing feelings and Cam is left with first impressions and déjà vu. Will Noelle and Avery ever be able to escape the time loop? And what will happen if they’re able to get out?

This book was absolutely adorable! Besides sharing names, I really did connect with Noelle’s character. It was really interesting to read how she handled being in a time loop, and how that was different from Avery’s experience. The book is not only about romance, but also friendship. I did really like Noelle and Cam together though. Their chemistry was amazing. 🔥 It was exactly what I needed! The twist at the end was also perfect. I definitely wasn’t expecting it, but it added so much to the story. I totally recommend checking this book out when it’s released on May 6th!

3 ⭐️

I am such a sucker for books with time loops/time related related plots. Noelle is stuck in a time loop after eating dumplings at a night market and can’t escape June 20th. She later meets Avery, who is also stuck in the loop. I enjoyed their friendship and growth as individuals realizing what they need to change in their lives for the better.

While I loved Noelle and Cam and their chemistry, I didn’t particularly enjoy the random inserted Cam POVs. This was mostly from Noelle’s POV, which I understand there was more of a concentration on her story and growth as a character but I wish we had more from Cam. I kind of wish HE was the one stuck in a time loop with Noelle but regardless, it was a cute read and I loved the mentions of good food and the fact that Cam owned a brewery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC approval!

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc. It was a really fun and funny read. I loved the characters and enjoyed the plot.

I might be the outlier here.

It took such a long time to finish the book for me. I am not sure why as I was so excited to give it a read. I was so interested on how the time loop was going to go, it is what caught my attention but I got bored afterwards and stopped around the 80% mark as I was pushing myself to continue.

Thankfully I did finish but it was such a hard read for me even though it’s a short book. I didn’t fancy the main characters as much as I wanted to and the romance felt a little weird in the beginning. In the end, I did love them together. The time loop was a fun little gimmick but got repetitive in the end.

Thank you Atria Books for the ARC of Time Loops & Meet Cutes!

I had no idea this would be set in Toronto, and it was such a pleasant surprise! All of the little Toronto tidbits felt a little bit like a love letter to the city, and I adored it.

Noelle finds herself stuck in a time loop after eating delicious dumplings from a booth at a local night market, and is forced to relive the 20th of June. During her quest to find out how it happened and how to get out, she meets Cam, a local brewery owner, and has an immediate connection with him. She wonders if maybe he's the key to getting out.

This was a delightful, charming and lovely read. I don't think I've read a book centered around a time loop before, and I really enjoyed it. It didn't seem that far fetched to me, and I found myself wondering how I would spend my time if I was forced to relive the same day over and over for months. I liked the way Part One was set up, and the way it was written - very clever! I also loved the reveal in Part Two! Some parts had me really feeling for Noelle, and I thought she was so very relatable. I wish we had gotten more from Cam's POV, but I thought he was great and I kept picturing 'Leaside Brewery' as the Amsterdam Brewery in Leaside, lol.

I'm not sure if Jackie's other books are set in Toronto, but I'm going to take a dive into her works and probably read more of her books.

Thank you again Atria for the ARC!

Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau follows Noelle, a workaholic engineer who suddenly finds herself stuck reliving the same Friday over and over again. The one constant? Cam—a charming brewery owner who has no idea they’ve met before. As Noelle navigates the time loop, she starts to realize that maybe life (and love) isn’t about having all the answers, but about taking risks and embracing the unknown.

This book had such a fun and unique premise, and yes, it was a little repetitive—but that’s kind of the point, right? It totally gave me 50 First Dates vibes, and even though I saw the twist coming, it was still such a cute and heartwarming read. I loved how it explored change, vulnerability, and stepping outside your comfort zone.

This was a sweet take on time loops. I liked the different versions and them trying to figure out what was needed. It really makes you think about what you need in your life. I do think that part 1 could’ve been a tad shorter as it started to feel a bit redundant (as i’m sure is what they were feeling) but overall was a cute story.

Thank you Atria books, NetGalley, and Jackie Lau for a copy of this ARC.

I'm not a huge romance reader, but I do love a time loop! Everything in this story worked so well. The characters are so relatable and so likeable. I loved the way they bantered with one another, and found myself snorting out loud while reading. With most time loop stories, the main character desperately needs to change their lives, and the loop forces them to take a closer look at everything. I thought that you could really see Noelle develop as she navigates living the same day over and over again. Lastly, I loved that this book has a very cute romance, but it also is a story about friendship!

I can't wait to recommend this to romance readers!

I guess I like books about time loops now. I cannot stand a time travel story, but after loving The Midnight Library, The Husbands, and now this - I’m officially a fan of this specific form of altering time I guess.

Lau’s writing is unapologetically cool. Every scenario, every character just works and feels breezy.

We meet Noelle whose life is stuck in a rut until she eats some magical dumplings and boom she’s in a time loop and is able to live without consequences. She encounters some challenging scenarios, but overall it’s a very fun (and at times sexy) ride. Well done and I loved the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute read! I’m haven’t always been a. fan of time loops or repetitive days, but this was well done. I enjoyed Noelle’s character and could definitely relate to someone who is risk averse and usually sticks to routines. So when she gets the chance to do things over with no consequences, I felt like I could live a little vicariously through her!
I loved the connection between Noelle and Cam, the sense that something was right, that always had them coming back together.
Looking forward to reading more from this author!

This book was SO CUTE!! The story and the writing were so nostalgic and comforting, I felt like this wrapped me up in a warm hug. Noelle gets stuck in a time warp after eating some magical dumplings, in order to "get what she needs most." She meets Cam, and they bond (repeatedly) over the time loop, and their romance is super cute. I also loved the other themes across the book, including family, friendship, and work. The lessons that Noelle learns during her time in the loop are meaningful and definitely important, and I just loved how everything came together in the end.

I would definitely recommend this to my besties looking for a cute romcom and a comfort read!!

"After loving In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren and The Do-Over by Lynn Painter, I’ve realized that the time loop trope is absolutely my thing—and this book offered such a fresh take on it!

While there’s romance, the heart of the story is really the FMC’s journey of self-discovery and personal growth. Because of the story’s structure, I felt that Noelle and Cam’s relationship didn’t develop much beyond a surface level, which left me wanting more depth between them.

That said, the setting was absolutely immersive. The book transported me straight to a bustling Asian food market in Toronto on a warm summer night✨"

Posted to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7408255168?book_show_action=false

I really enjoyed this book! It is excellent for anyone who is a fan of novels that delve deep into the psyche of one character- I feel like I truly got to know Noelle, and the mystery of what was going on was excellent to keep my interest. I know some people could find the story a bit simple, but I really feel as though the story helped me to understand the individual people, rather than a haphazard plot taking over development. Lau's imagery will likely blow you away, and I really think the way she included chinese culture should be applauded. The romance included in the plot is also rather sweet, fantastic for anyone who has read The Seven Year Slip, too. I hope you all enjoy this, reading this book felt like a nice warm pot of my grandmother's tea!

Time Loops & Meet Cutes draws you in as a cute rom-com take on being stuck in a time loop. I've not read many time-loop themed novels, so this was a new area for me. I absolutely loved it. I think Noelle's character journey is phenomenal, and enjoyed reading about her learning to live life and not obsess over the what-ifs. The first part, where Noelle is stuck in the June 20th time loop did feel repetitive, but I don't think that's avoidable when the main character is repeating the same day for months. I did start to get frustrated, because it felt like Noelle and Avery (another woman she discovers is in the time loop with her) were never going to get out of the loop. I think it was more of a shared frustration with the characters. I felt their despondence with them, and it drove me to continue reading to learn the why and how.

I am slightly disappointed that there was no clear answer as to what or why Noelle and Avery were put into the time loop and put into it together. However, that made this slightly fantastical idea of magic dumplings feel more realistic.

Did I want Noelle's life to magically be better once they got out of the time loop? Yes. Did I expect her to find Cam and immediately tell him what happened so they could have their HEA? Also yes. Definitely not what happens, and honestly, returning to real time was handled perfectly.

Overall, I loved this book. This is the first novel I've read by Jackie Lau, and I plan on seeking out her other novels to add to my TBR.

In Time Loops & Meet Cutes (& magical dumplings) Noelle ends up in a time loop after a late night dinner of night market dumplings. As an engineer, she takes a scientific approach to break her time loop and joins forces with Avery, a woman changed from her previous observations of the same market. Realizing they’re experiencing the same June 20th together, they come to rely on each other. After dozens of one sided dates, Noelle starts falling for Cam. While Avery is stuck breaking up with her inattentive boyfriend. Eating their way through every dumpling in the Toronto area, maybe there’s a larger mystery at play.

This was so fun and I loved the unique take on the time loop theme. The long journey of growth for Noelle after every failed attempt to break the loop was interesting and captivating. I enjoyed her interactions with Cam and the way he knew her subconsciously, their connection and chemistry was unmistakable and always gave me butterflies.

This is a story about taking risks and connecting with the people you care about, but I also loved the friendship Noelle and Avery created after such a traumatic experience. It wasn’t all fun but the knowledge of a reset had both ladies taking a gamble at what could happen if they went out of their comfort zone.

I ate up this story - pun very much intended. 4.5⭐️

Thank you to Atria Books for the free review copy.

This book was so unique and interesting! I did not know what to expect but I was so pleasantly suprised