Synopsis: On June 20th, Noelle upends her mundane routine and heads to a night market where she purchases dumplings from an old woman who claims they will “give her what she needs most.” The next morning, Noelle is shocked to find it is June 20th again. And again. And again. While trying to escape the time loop, she meets the perfect man, but how can she get to know him when he forgets they ever met every day?

Thoughts: This was such a fun and unique take on the time loop trope! I loved how Noelle was stuck in the time loop but Cam was not and we got to see both of their perspectives. Their romance was very sweet and fun, but the highlight for me was Noelle’s resilience and optimism about her situation. It was also great to have a side character in the loop with Noelle to share her experiences, and I loved watching their friendship develop almost as much as the romance aspect.

Read this if you like:
⏰ Groundhog Day
⏰ time loops
⏰ romance
⏰ dual pov
⏰ friendship

When Noelle stops at an open air market on the way home from work one night, she has no idea that the plate of dumplings she eats will change her life. She finds herself stuck in a time loop, reliving June 20 over and over again. And then she meets Avery, another young woman also stuck in the time loop, and Cam, the handsome man who might be the key to getting her out, if he can just remember who she is tomorrow.

the premise of this story (a time loop that resets every day) is very interesting, and it reminded me a little bit of The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, as we get to see the FMC exploring life and taking risks without fearing the consequences. however, the resolution behind the time loop was a bit dissatisfying, because it was passive, and not something the FMC made happen.

the romance is very 50 First Dates coded, and i was here for it!

This is a solid time slip/time loop romance from Jackie Lau. I had a very flimsy theory as to why Noelle, the Female Main Character, was caught in the loop and I was on the right track but not quite right. For those that need an explanation, the author does provide a good reason so that was especially satisfying. Cam, our oblivious hero, gets the award for the fiction's most unflappable hero. He takes so many things in stride, including meeting the love of his life 100+ times. Be cautioned that the time loop goes on for far longer than Noelle and the reader expect but all in all a cute romance with a smattering of magical realism. 3.5 stars.

I love a good time loop story and I love a good romance so I obviously love them together. I thought the pacing was slow at first, and sometimes I felt like Noelle really just only cared about a boy (I wish we would’ve seen more of her family! But I think she realized that too). I would read an Avery spinoff.

Groundhog's Day (Romance Version)

There's been a handful of great time travel/time loop/time slip books published over the past few years: This Time Tomorrow, The Good Part, and The Seven Year Slip to name a few and Time Loops & Meet Cutes is a near-perfect addition. Despite not being a big fan of magical realism, there's something about this plotline that clicks with me.

In Lau's book, magic dumplings kick off more than 100 repeats of June 20th with the vague note that the dumplings were supposed to bring her what Noelle, a mechanical engineer, most needs. Noelle is stuck in her job and life. She befriends another time loop victim and engages in a series of meet cutes with Cam, a brewery owner. Is it love that will kick her out of the time loop? A new job? Travel? Death?

While we don't ever get a full answer, the time does give Noelle the space to take small and big risks that she carries into her life once the time loop ends. While we don't really know what ultimately worked, the second half of the book has both Avery (the friend) and Noelle making changes based on their time in the loop. She's also able to reconnect with Cam, who doesn't remember their dozens of meetings and first dates, though he senses they're meant to fit together.

The book doesn't quite click until about 25% or so in, as the first iterations of June 20th feel rushed. However, once it starts rolling, it is a definite page turner, as you want Noelle to make it out and to make her relationship with Cam work. Without spoilers, the final twist was pretty predictable, which makes parts of the final few chapters a bit blah, but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book or the emotional conclusion of the story.

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

Now this is a contemporary romance with speculative elements that I devoured in two sittings! It's about Noelle, workaholic engineer, who inexplicably begins living the same day over and over again. She thinks it's because she ate some magic dumplings, but she doesn't know how to stop the time loop or why she and her new friend Avery are the only two people who experience it.

While she does different things each day, she keeps running into a cute guy named Cam. Since she has unlimited free tries, she decides to go on innumerable first dates with him. But are they really "in a relationship" if Cam has no memory of their connection?

I've been reading a few time loops lately, and have more on my TBR, from litfic to specfic, but I can say that this one was probably the most fun! Jackie Lau adheres to the internal time loop logic and finds lots of fun solutions to things we take for granted (when was the last time you had to memorize a phone number instead of entering it into your contacts??). The book also gave me a really satisfying soul mate connection. Often I get frustrated in a fated mates sitch because they're meant to be, so who cares about their differences and refusal to be together? But here, the conflict is that they're soul mates but one of them literally cannot recognize the other from day to day. Both fun and poignant!

There are also themes for Noelle of seizing the day and becoming less rigid in her interpersonal relationships, but at its heart, this is a sexy romance. It's a great read.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

If you give me a book w/ a time loop, I’m going to pick it up for sure. I’m a huge Jackie Lau fan & her books never disappoint, but this might be my favorite of hers so far because I feel like it has a little bit of everything.

The romance storyline is balanced so well with the rest of the plot, and the main focus is still on the main character as a person and not just as a love interest.

The aspects of family relationships and making new lasting friendships as an adult while juggling busy schedules was so relatable & genuine. I dont cry much when reading but this book had me seriously teary eyed when Noelle was talking with her sister & navigating their relationship as adults.

This was the perfect blend of heart, depth & giggle inducing romance. Perfect for fans of Ashley Poston & Emily Henry.

Jackie Lau's Time Loops & Meet Cutes is Groundhog Day but with the most inventive love story ever. While I'd probably go insane if I ever got stuck repeating the same day over and over again, I loved being a part of Noelle's journey.

Noelle Tom swore off love after last breakup and instead, puts all of her time and effort into her engineering job where she has to deal with nepotism and a bit of sexism as a female engineer. After a particularly long day at work, Noelle stops by a night market and comes across an old lady selling dumplings at a fantastic price. The old lady assures her that the dumplings will give Noelle what she needs most. In the moment, Noelle just wanted to satisfy her hunger. The dumplings did just that and more--they allowed Noelle to repeat the same Friday over and over again. Noelle begins to realize that there are no consequences and starts by calling in sick to work and eventually moves on to more extravagant things, such as trips to New York with Avery, another person stuck in the same time loop. During one of the many Fridays Noelle experiences, Noelle meets Cam, who seems to remember her in the abstract. Noelle begins to think Cam is the answer to breaking out of the time loop and the most unique love story I've ever read is set into motion.

I love a romance with a bit of magic and this book executed it perfectly. I loved watching Cam and Noelle fall in love and how Cam never questioned the oddities that came with the relationship. If you love time-travel and love stories, this is the book for you.

Thank you to Atria Books for the e-ARC!

DNF. I started this book a while ago, but have not been drawn to it to read more of it. While it seems like an interesting premise, it isn't for me right now.
What I do remember from reading was that there was really no introduction to the story, you are just thrown right into the plot, which is actually something I enjoyed with this story. I feel like it was a strong part of the story, but because of it it is hard to come back to. This is definitely a one-sitting read

4.25/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!
Time Loops & Meet Cutes is a romance where a woman gets stuck in a time loop and uses it to practice falling in love with a hot guy.
This book is absolutely hilarious. I love sarcastic/offhand humor, and this book is chock-full of it. I highlighted so many lines that I thought were funny.
The romance was a bit lacking, especially in the second half, but the main couple was still very cute and I liked seeing them end up together.
The time loop element was very confusing, especially in the conclusion, but I loved how it was used. The main character had so much self-reflection and I loved seeing her change. And the second part of the book raised such an interesting perspective on the effects of living in a time loop (sorry for the vague statement; trying not to spoil anything).

CW: sexual content; parent death & grief; suicidal thoughts; toxic relationship

Noelle Tom is in a rut. She’s taken for granted at work and doesn’t have any close friends. She swore off romantic relationships after a bad breakup. How is she going to get out of it? By reliving the same day over and over and over again. Welcome to Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau.

At first, I was dubious about someone in their 30s swearing off attachments and being this socially awkward. Then I look online and see women talking about the Hell that is dating, how so many adults are lonely, and remember my days socializing with nerds and geeks. Atypical but not implausible.

A lot of time-loop romcoms focus on getting out of the loop. This deals with both the loop and the aftermath. The movement of time in and out of the loop and how Noelle and Avery are changed from it is a refreshing take. The emotions are more complicated and nuanced than I expected from this premise. It’s not too heavy or too light.

The epilogue is a little overwritten. I wonder if the author is trying to balance not giving us all the answers about time manipulation with a tidy bow on the ending.

Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it. If you’re looking to support Canadian authors, this is very much set in Toronto. 4/5

This is an absolutely delightful time loop rom-com. Our heroine Noelle is a workaholic with very little else in her life, that is until she eats some magical dumplings, and gets stuck in a time loop. She finds a woman, Avery who also ate the dumplings. Together they have to figure out what they need in life to get out of the time loop, and does it have anything to with that cute guy Noelle bumps into every day.

This is a fun fast read. It's filled with Jackie Lau's famous food descriptions, you will be hungry reading this. The characters are all great, and you are really cheering for them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy. I highly recommend this book. It has fun vibes and is the perfect beach read.

This is the second book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed her romance books. They have cute situations and I love all of the AAPI inclusion. In this book the main character is stuck in a time loop (sort of like Groundhog Day). But things slightly change here and there. I loved that she stopped going to her job. That cracked me up. And I loved the inclusion of the friend and the man she meets. And I loved the connection that lead them together. Such a cute book!

Thank you to Atria books for a gifted copy!

A time loop romance. Noelle meets Cam when she is stuck in a time loop, experiencing the same day over and over again. As she changes her routine she bumps in to him at different places but he never remembers her. Will she manage to break free. Some unexpected twists and I liked how it was told from both points of view.

This was a solid 3.5 star read for me. I love a good time loop/time travel story. What I loved about this story is that the FMC realized very early on that she was in a loop and set out to figure out how to get out. I realize that Noelle had a bunch of stuff that needed to be reconciled in order to finally find her way out (Think Groundhog Day lol). The loop, however, took forever (like 1/2) the book and even I got so bored living that day over and over with her that I kept putting the book aside. Eventually though, the story started moving in the right direction and I devoured the ending. I thought it was a pretty decent Meet Cute.

I was a little skeptical of the concept when I picked this book up, but I’ve really enjoyed other books from Lau and decided to give this one a chance. I’m so glad I did! Noelle had a lot to learn and I found the structure really interesting. It did frustrate me a bit at the beginning, but it all came together eventually.

This was absolutely adorable! A unique twist to the time loop trope and it was so fun to read! A romcom that had me LOLing at work and thinking about my own life. The risks I’ve taken in the past that have worked out for me and a great reminder to continue taking risks and being vulnerable. I also want to try every single food dish mentioned in this book, absolutely had me drooling! I need this to be the premise for an NBC comedy tv show or something.

Overall, this book was really cute. The romantic aspect was there (though, if you're looking for a big spice fest this won't be for you - while there are a few open door scenes, they aren't more than a couple of pages, which worked for this book, but I know some folks like full chapters/multiple chapters of spicier content), and I REALLY enjoyed the blossoming friendship between Noelle and Avery. It was refreshing to see that their friendship was as important to the plot as was the relationship between Noelle and Cam.

The chapters are fairly short, making it easy to fly through, though I will say there were a few points where I felt myself forcefully reading. It was mostly the repetitive nature of the time loop (which, I get, I DO) - there were so many repeating points that I was like "okay, I would literally want to jump off a bridge at this point), but I know they had to fit.

There were quite a few funny moments where the conversations and banter flowed really well. I also really loved the Asian culture spread throughout. From the food and the night market to how the MCs families interacted. Part One had me on the edge of my seat in some parts, and Part Two was like finally taking that breath you've held in.

All-in-all, it was a great and quick read.

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

Based on other reviews, I’m glad some people like/love this book. For me, it was rough. I normally dislike time loop stories, but I have read some done well. This was not it.

I can’t get too specific without revealing spoilers, but some things that didn’t work for me:

-the absolutely flattest characters ever
-Cam’s POV felt useless
-time loop where literally nothing happens. I felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over again
-Avery’s purpose in the novel felt forced
-explanation for the time loop was way too convenient
-elementary writing style
-juvenile plot but weirdly spicy
-soooo much telling not showing
-did not believe Noelle’s growth

It’s a fun premise, and I love the inclusion of culture and all the delicious food, but this is a pass for me.