A big thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for the opportunity to read this e-ARC. I absolutely loved the premise of the book! The time loop was intriguing at first, but it did start to drag a bit, and I found myself ready for the characters to return to real life. The way they ultimately broke free felt a bit far-fetched, and I would have loved a deeper explanation of what could have truly gotten them out. There were definitely some fun 50 First Dates vibes. The book’s themes about taking risks and learning to live fully again were refreshing and made for a heartwarming read. Overall, it was a cute story, but I was left craving a bit more depth and resolution.

Time Loops and Meet Cutes
By: Jackie Lau

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for free book #attria All opinions are my own.

“How can I miss someone without knowing who she is?”

If you are a fan of magical realism then I have the sweetest story for you to check out. It’s called Time Loops and Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau and it is just so much fun!

One night after a particularly stressful day, Noelle stops at the night market on the way home where she spies a handsome man and finds herself drawn to the most delicious dumplings. The woman who sells them to her cryptically says that they will give her what she needs the most and now she keeps reliving the same Friday over and over again.

I do love a charming meet cute, even if it’s one that keeps repeating itself. The first half of this book had me completely hooked. Cam is such a perfect MMC and it is so sweet that he picks up on the vibes between him and Noelle each day despite not being able to remember her name. My only criticism is that the story felt a little repetitive at times (duh, it’s a time loop) but I kept wishing for things to move forward and then when they finally did, the ending felt just a tiny bit rushed. With that said, I would still very much recommend this one especially if you are a fan of magical realism!

Read if you like:

Slow burn
Magical Realism
Insta-love
Personal Growth
Some Spice

I always pick up time loop stories even though I'm usually disappointed by them. This one had some great moments despite the repetition of the time loop, and if you appreciate feel-good, surface-level fluffy rom coms this might be more to your taste than mine. The romance just lacked the spark for me.

First off, I loved Noelle. I love seeing Asian-American couples represented in romance. At first she seems like a coldhearted, self-involved workaholic, but I related to her. She was the type who was in a gifted and talented program, always overachieving, and her social awkwardness and aversion to risk meant she had socially isolated herself over the years, even being judgmental toward her struggling sister.

I thought she was a great character and I enjoyed seeing her coming out of her shell during the various time loops. If you're not a people-pleasing introvert geek yourself, you'd probably find her unlikable. I did not. My only issue with her was that she was 32 going on 23, and she was a little dramatic about her first relationship ending and swearing off love as too much work for too little reward.

Noelle is a workaholic mechanical engineer who is underappreciated at her soul-sucking job. One day she goes to a night market after work and tries some dumplings, which turn out to have magic properties and force her to relive June 20 over and over. The elderly dumpling seller tells her it is to get what she wants most in this world. But kissing cute guys, mending fences with her sister and quitting her job don't seem to break the curse. She meets a cute guy, Cam, a bartender, who doesn't remember her each time they meet. The lack of consequences forces her to get out of her shell and figure out what she really wants.

I just felt underwhelmed by their romance. This was a dual POV romance but Cam's chapters were very short and I felt like I never really knew how he felt about the whole thing, he just seemed stunned into acceptance. And I felt like I didn't get to know him well enough to fall in love with him as a character. I felt like Noelle and her time loop friend had more chemistry. I did enjoy her awkward attempts at flirting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was cute! I was more interested in Avery and Noelle’s friendship than I was the romance. I wished we spent more time talking about the darker side of things. Overall, I had a good time!

Noelle eats a dumpling on her way home from work and gets trapped in a time loop living June 20th over and over again. There are only two things that change: Avery, the woman who's also trapped in the time loop, and Cam, the guy Noelle keeps meeting who seems to almost remember her, but a time loop is no place to build a relationship, and Noelle can't seem to find a way out.

I really enjoyed the time loop aspect of this book and thought it was really interesting and fun.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau is an absolute delight. It’s clever, heartfelt, and charming in every possible way. I loved this book. I mean, I really LOVED this book! The magical ambiguity of the time loop inducing dumplings? Brilliant. Lau smartly resists the urge to over-explain the mechanics, and the story is all the better for it. Sometimes, a little mystery makes the magic hit even harder.

The romance is swoon worthy in the most grounded, relatable way. I adored that the main characters are closer to middle age, being more mature, emotionally layered, and still so full of warmth and playfulness. Their chemistry is natural and endearing, and the character development was perfection. Add in the sweet, supportive friendships that grow alongside the romance, and you’ve got a full heart by the end.

My only (very tiny) gripe? With all the perfectly placed pop culture nods, how was Groundhog Day not mentioned?! It felt like the one obvious wink that somehow got missed.

Still, this book is a joy from start to finish. Cozy, romantic, and just the right amount of quirky. Jackie Lau has created something truly special.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Jackie Lau, and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest reviews.

This was cute! I was really excited for the idea of this novel, and although the plot and pacing left a little to be desired, overall I still thought it was a lot of fun. I think the biggest problem for me was the pacing, it felt like they had already done a lot of loops for being less than halfway through the novel. I really enjoyed the twist halfway through, and was satisfied with the conclusion. I thought the romance aspect of the story was well done, and I was really rooting for the characters in the end! Overall, fast paced, unique, and fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Emily Bestler Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I don’t know why but I just could not get into this book. Which is crazy because I love romance and I love time loop books. I may try again in the future, but sadly it is a DNF for now

Jackie Lau's "Time Loops and Meet Cutes" is a charming love story about Noelle Tom, an engineer stuck reliving the same Friday after eating mysterious dumplings. Each day starts the same, and her work is erased by morning. Noelle meets Cam, a brewery owner who might be the key to escaping the loop. While their romance is endearing, the novel spends too much time on the time loop mechanics, and the escape feels vague. Side plots involving Noelle clutter the story. Overall, it's a cute read with heartwarming moments, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars.

4.25 stars

I enjoyed this and had a good time reading it. I generally like time loop stories if they're done right, and this was a good one. I liked the way Noelle orchestrated her various meet cutes, and I really loved the friendship that developed with Avery. There was a bit with Avery's storyline that felt unresolved to me (SPOILER: Why was Avery's time loop reduced to furthering Noelle's story instead of complementing it?)

And that cover? Looking back at it now, after reading it, and it is so well done! There is a little spice sprinkled in, which was fine. There are so many descriptions of food and now I want dumplings. But maybe not at the risk of a time loop.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I've enjoyed Jackie Lau's books in the past but this one with it's slightly magical feel is the best I've read of hers! So much to feel and think about. Noelle is definitely in need of a shake up in her life and Cam is so perfect for her. Just a wonderful story.

This was a fun, heartfelt novel with a clever take on the time loop trope. It packed in humor, warmth, sweet chemistry between the main characters. While it's a quick read, it still manages to pack in good emotional depth and self discovery.

Noelle Tom, a workaholic engineer, wakes up one day to discover she’s living in a time loop. At first, it’s all fun and games but then she meets Cam, a handsome brewery owner. He never remembers her the next day…

ARC Review- The concept is really cool and what initially drew me into the book. The moment I started with the book, I instantly giggled. I love the Asian rep. Another thing is that I completely understood the fight between her and her sister. It hit a little close to home and I just wanted to be there for moral support and hug the girls. However, Noelle was an annoying character for me. I don’t think the choices she made were always right. Her character is a little uptight and a perfectionist, but even when she found out she was stuck in the time loop, she still picked safe options. Like I understand it’s scary, but the whole point of this was to learn to live a little, and that’s what we’re NOT doing. And when she gets out of the time loop, she still acts the exact same way like did NOTHING happen to you? It was just frustrating. I would like to thank Atria books and Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Like all good stories, this one starts with dumplings and since dumplings are my favorite food group (sue me) I knew I was already in love with this book from page one. And I honestly adored this book! Noelle is so authentic and relatable, even though she’s stuck in a time loop, and Cam is perfection. Fans of the movie Groundhog Day will love the time loop part of the story and the love story will appeal to those of us who love romance books. This is definitely worth the read!

A cutie little rom com, a treat for fans of Fifty First Dates and other 90s/00s rom coms.

I had a great time with Noelle and Cam’s story, but perhaps an even better one with the friendships developed in the book. Solid female friendship is often underrepresented in media.

The only mild criticism I would give is that the pacing did seem a little off at times, and reference to Fifty First Dates or Groundhog Day, Everything Everywhere All At Once, or even Freaky Friday would’ve been appreciated. As she realized what was happening, connecting it to familiar stories. Noelle clearly appreciated media and cinema, but no quips to related films were found which seemed a little out of character.

Being stuck living the same day repeatedly isn’t what anyone wants to do - let alone be the only one doing it. That is until she finds one other person that shares her experience. Will they find a way out and a way to get those they want to remember then to do so.

Noelle goes through the motions of her mundane life - overworking herself, taking things too seriously, and not investing time in her interpersonal relationships. On June 20th, after leaving work well past dinner time, she finds herself wandering around a market. An older woman selling dumplings catches her eye, so she stops there. They’re delicious, and the woman tells her they will bring her just what she needs. The next morning, Noelle discovers it is June 20th again. And again, and again - for days on end. Unsure what caused the loop or how to get out of it, Noelle searches for answers, others like her, and for ways to escape. One thing on her mind to escape? Kissing the cute guy she keeps running into.

Y’all. Not to be dramatic, but this book was so cute it made me want to cry. I loved this so much! I love a time loop book, and am fascinated that authors can continue to write unique ways of cause, entering, and escaping. With this one, I could not predict how Noelle was going to get out of this loop. There was only one twist I could predict and even with that, I wasn’t sure what caused things. I am obsessed with the main characters - I resonate with Noelle because she’s bad at flirting, and I resonate with Cam because he gets anxious and worried about losing a good thing, wanting to make it work. I loved all of the attempts and suggestions of escaping the loop. Avery was a great side character as well. Loved the family stressors and just found this really well put together.

This was a fun read! Time Loops & Meet Cutes would be a great read for those who like Ashley Poston. I thought the romance between Noelle and Cam was really cute and I was engaged in each loop that Noelle experienced. The reliving of June 20th over and over again forces Noelle to examine her life - job, relationships, and goals and make changes to find true happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy. Time Loops & Meet Cutes hits shelves on May 6, 2025.

What a new, refreshing twist on contemporary romance!

Noelle has a tough day at work and decides to treat herself to dumplings at the night market. She then finds herself stuck in a time loop - for seven months! On the way she meets Avery who is also stuck in the same loop (it's her birthday and her boyfriend forgot AND she's on her period!) and Cam, whom she thinks might be the key for breaking the loop. She winds up falling in love with Cam, who doesn't remember her every single day (how "50 First Dates!") but remembers subtle things like her beer order.

When the loop finally breaks, it's January and neither Noelle nor Avery have any memory of what happened to them outside of the loop in the past seven months. They have to learn to live with choices they've made while also living with the lessons they learned while in the loop.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eArc.

** Disclaimer: I would like to thank Atria Books/Simon and Schuster for providing me with a free ARC of this book. My opinion is, of course, my own. **

What could make a fun, flirty contemporary rom-com even more fun? Why, time travel, of course! Or at least, that seems to be the intention behind Jackie Lau’s newest book, "Time Loops and Meet Cutes". "Time Loops and Meet Cutes" finds our hapless heroine Noelle forced to repeat June 20th over and over again as she keeps encountering a handsome and charming man named Cam—who can never quite remember who she is. Can Noelle find a way out, or will she be forced to repeat June 20th forever?

In a genre currently over-saturated with a handful of tropes, "Time Loops and Meet Cutes" stands out as a rom-com that feels fresh, emotional, and above all, intriguing. I tend to find rom-coms easy to put down, but with this particular rom-com, I found myself invested in Noelle’s plight: the experiments she conducts to understand the rules that govern her time loop, her (many, many, many) attempts to break out of the time loop, and the emotional journey she goes on as she finds herself repeating the same day over, and over, and over again. The time loop gives her the chance to let go and take risks—but it also leads to heartbreak, because her relationship with Cam can never progress beyond a first date.

Like any book, "Time Loops and Meet Cutes" does have its weaknesses, the most prominent of which (at least for me) was the characterization. None of the characters in this book surprised me at any point, and Noelle and Cam in particular weren’t specific enough to feel like real people. Imagine two cookie-cutter rom-com leads, and you already know what Cam and Noelle are like: Noelle is sensible, smart, capable, and slightly uptight (she just needs to learn to let go and live a little!), and Cam is laid-back and charming and sensitive and has never had an interesting thought in his entire life (at one point he also feeds her cinnamon rolls… which feels a little on the nose).

But (again, at least for me) the book’s weakness were ultimately counterbalanced by its strengths; I was especially impressed by how well "Time Loop and Meet Cutes" managed to balance all of its different story elements—the time loop, the romance, Noelle’s emotional growth—to create a book that's well-paced, well-plotted, and consistently entertaining. If you want to pick up a beach-read-worthy rom-com that will keep you reading, make you laugh, and maybe even tear up a bit, you really can’t go wrong with "Time Loop and Meet Cutes".