10/10!! This book is going to make you HUNGRY!! Hungry for love, hungry for tasty Asian treats, hungry to explore Toronto and hungry to find a friend who gets you inside and out. I love a good time loop story and Jackie Lau was able to pen one with a fresh and unique spin. I really enjoyed that the first half has our main character, Noelle trying to find a way out of her never ending days of June 20th only for her to want to learn what happened in the second half when she does eventually get out. Definitely one of my new favorites by Lau and if you like time loop stories, books set in Toronto and hot Asian brewery owners, then you DO NOT want to skip this one!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and physical copy in exchange for my honest review!! Perfect for fans of authors like Farah Heron or Jacyi Lee.

thank you atria and netgalley for the arc <3 !! rtc in morning HAHA

4/10: i liked this book ! as someone who’s a big fan of the groundhog day / time loop trope (happy death day franchise ily) the synopsis of this book had me excited !!

i think the reason i gave this book 3 stars tho is because the first half of the book is the main character noelle going through these time loops living the same day over and over (and quite literally over) again

that at a certain point it felt almost repetitive in the way that i wasn’t sure we were going anywhere

but simultaneously what was interesting was the dual pov where while noelle was living the same day over and over, cam the mmc was moving forward in time but talking to his grandma

in part two to avoid too many spoilers in this review, it takes a turn on the time loop trope and honestly it was interesting to see

while i still have some unanswered questions, i think this book for what it is, was a very fun and cute read

it had the friendship, the self growth, and a romance that proved to stand the test of time (literally)

3 stars for the fun read !! would definitely tune in to more books from jackie lau !!

- amnesia
- deja vu
- wildest dreams
- washing machine heart
- the night we met
- risk
- tough love (avery)

You know what? I'm a big fan of time loops. I really am. And I LOVED Jackie Lau's take on one. I haven't read a physical book this fast in a long time. And I haven't stayed up till one a.m. reading a book in a long time. I was so happy while reading this and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I lived for the next time Noelle would see Cam! I kept coming up with theories of how the time loop would end and how her and Cam were connected. I kept singing "Invisible String" in my head while reading! All three (Avery must be included!) of the main characters were so loveable and easy to root for. I wish we got a little more in the end, but I get that it's not all supposed to be explained.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one and recommend it! There was light spice only in chapters 23 and 36, so my mom can skip those and still enjoy this one ;)

I don't know what Jackie Lau's plans are but I'd love to hear Avery's story after the time loop! *nudge nudge*

Thank you Atria for inviting me to read Time Loops & Meet Cutes!

Thank you Atria books for this incredible eARC! When I tell you I was so fully fascinated by this book my whole way through. The idea of the time loop was interesting as hell then when the book introduced Cams’s POV from OUTSIDE THE LOOP??? Oh I was HOOKED. I loved her growth as a friend with Avery and her stretches to take risks with Cam and her job. Just such a refreshing take on the time loop idea I never would have considered!

I love a time loop story and Jackie Lau writes such cute romances, so I knew this book was going to be a winner. Noelle's journey from a workaholic who always plays it safe to someone willing to take risks and appreciates more of life felt very realistic. The loop itself had enough variation to never feel repetitive, and although I was initially confused by Cam's chapters and how those fit into the story, it made for a nice twist at the end. Noelle and Cam had great chemistry, and overall this was a fun and fast read.

As they saying goes, its just like it says on the tin. 'Time Loops & Meet Cutes' is about not one, but two young women caught in a time loop that is centered very much on the theme of 'relationship improvement'. Fun update on the Groundhog Day trope.

Ugh. I love this book. It gives what I love best. The red string theory/ souls destined to be together. Like that's what I love in a book 10/10

4/5 Stars - Once I started reading this book I was immediately hooked and couldn't stop, I devoured it in one day! I was desperate to know how Noelle and Avery would escape the time loop and to see if Cam would ever remember her and their time together. It was clear there were several parts of Noelle's life that she clearly needed to work on, and it was fun to be along for the ride and to see her try all the various ways to break the cycle. I also thought it was a nice touch that she did a few irresponsible and expensive things throughout her time stuck in the loop, because wouldn't we all if we knew there would be no consequences? Avery felt almost like a prop at places, she served a purpose but lacked a lot of depth. I was glad that Noelle had someone in the loop with her, but I do wish she felt more three dimensional. I did predict the connection between our characters, but it was still cute enough that I didn't mind it being predictable! After all, I was reading for the whimsy and romance, not the science!

Thank you Atria books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What would you do if you woke up on Friday everyday for the foreseeable future? What if it also happened to be the same day over and over again? This is exactly what happens to Noelle, yet she can't figure out what thing she needs most to break this cycle. Is it friendship? Love? A night of romance or perhaps rekindling with her sister? Noelle isn't sure but she is about to find out.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Like I want to drop my tbr and read it all over again! Seriously so cute and so many things to talk about - I don't even know where to begin. The love interest, the friend with romantic troubles, plus getting to change hair everyday or eat around an entire food fair before it leaves (okay that part might be personal dreams but still). Would definitely recommend to literally anyone, I'm sure there's a loop in there for everyone.

Jackie Lau, I was not familiar with your game! (And I will be correcting that ASAP and reading everything else you've written.) While some readers might sniff at a seemingly been-there-done-that plot -- time loops?? in this economy?? -- I'm always eager to see a tried-and-true set-up taken into new directions. That's exactly what Lau does with this thoroughly original charmer.

It all starts with great writing and even better character development. I'm willing to follow any character anywhere as long as they are written in a way that feels true, and Noelle feels true. Even more than the promised time loops and meet cutes, I enjoyed getting to know Noelle and seeing her tackle both the mundane (her job is annoying!) and the fantastical (again, time loops!). She's a wonderful, rich heroine, and one befitting this story.

Small complaints? The looping (sorry) nature of the narrative is a bit confusing at times -- I love reading from Cam's perspective, but it takes awhile to settle into his sections and their place in the story -- though it pays off in the end. And here's something I never complain about: the spice level! Lau is wonderful at writing sexy, steamy love scenes, but due to the nature of Noelle and Cam's romance, we go a very long time before we get them, and then they seem to come a bit out of nowhere and at odds with the rest of the book's tone.

Still! What a delight, and what a fun book to recommend this summer!

I'm a big fan of Jackie Lau's books already, so it was no surprise that I loved this book. In this story, our main character gets stuck living the same day over and over after eating some dumplings from a dumpling stand that never shows up in the same spot for all of the time loops she lives through.

Through the time loops she learns a lot about how her life is not working for her like she thought it was but she also gets close with a man she keeps just running into. Thinking he might be the key to getting out of the loop, she keeps getting closer and closer to him (even though he keeps thinking they're first dates) but if she can't get out of the time loop will they ever be able to spend another day together?

This book surprised me because it definitely went to some darker places than I expected. The main character really has to take inventory of how she'd change her life if she could just stop waking up on the same June day over and over. I really enjoyed reading through the journey and wish I could read it for the first time again.

“Time Loops & Meet Cutes” by Jackie Lau follows Noelle Tom after she eats a magic dumpling that forces her to repeat the same day over and over again. As Noelle brainstorms how to break the loop, she meets Cam. Over and over again. Is he the key to breaking the loop?
This book was absolute fun. I loved Noelle, I loved the plot, honestly, I loved everything about this one. It wasn’t a new idea, but something about it felt fresh and made it more fun to read.
Noelle and Cam’s love story is so so good. Every time they meet you almost want to scream because Cam won’t remember and tomorrow they’ll start fresh, but of course you keep reading because every encounter is fun. The banter alone made this book great.
In the end, I gave this book 4 stars. I loved it, but the ending and explanation actually made me laugh out loud. It felt so unlikely. But at the same time, I enjoyed this book so much.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eARC! This book publishes May 6th!

This was a cute one!! I really enjoyed the time loop story line, along with the overall pacing of the storyline. I think it's easy for a story like this to feel redundant or repetitive but I think Lau navigates the story well to avoid this. I do feel that the story overall stayed a bit surface level when there were opportunities to dive deeper into certain things, especially the family and interpersonal dynamics. I think this could have added a bit more depth to the story overall. I really enjoyed the conclusion of the story, but again wish that there was more depth to the explanation of things. All in all, I did enjoy this book and story, I just wish that there was a bit more depth to it overall.

This was so fun! I've never read a rom-com quite like this. It's been a long time since I've read any magical realism or contemporary with fantastical elements and I had such a good time! Such a fun way to look at how all our choices effect everything that happened to us and all of the choices we don't make as well. I'll definitely be picking up more books from Jackie in the future

When Noelle eats magic dumplings at the night market, she finds herself stuck in a time loop of relieving the same day over and over again. As she sets out to break the loop, she finders herself growing more and more interested in a cute bartender. Convinced that he is somehow connected to her way out of the time loop, she sets out to woo him. This romance includes a bit of spice.

This book will appeal to those who enjoy Gorundhog's Day time loops stories. The story is a cute romcom that explores a workaholic opening back up to romance and love. I'll admit I found the way she escaped the time loop unsatisfying, but otherwise it's a cute romcom. I appreciated that the book also focused on fixing family relationships and not just the romantic ones with some exploration of how tough mental health can be to deal with.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC of Time Loops and Meet Cutes! Wow I freaking loved this book! It was so different from anything I have read before and I was hooked from the very first chapter! I literally finished it in 24 hours, that’s how good it was! Jackie Lau did an amazing job with combing elements of Groundhog Day/ Freaky Friday vibes! I adored all of the characters and couldn’t get enough of Cam & Noelle! I can’t wait to read more of her work!

This book was very cute! Time loops are very intriguing, and I found myself relating to a lot of the things that Noelle did during her time loop experience. I liked that the characters' ethnicities are East Asian because, as someone of East Asian descent myself, it was really fun to recognize the various references to food, vocabulary, and culture. I loved reading each of Noelle's and Cam's June 20ths together because even though it was the same day, they did so many different things. The story covered a lot of time, so it felt really fast paced and a bit surface-level at times, but I still enjoyed the book!

3.5 stars

Super cute and I did enjoy it. It’s just that the middle lagged and something about the prose itself annoyed me. I would still recommend it if you want a romcom version of Groundhog Day!

Thanks to Atria through NetGalley for the ARC!

This book is cute and has a unique concept. Noelle is leading an unfulfilled life. She doesn’t like her job, her family relationships are stilted, and she has been unlucky in love. At a night market, she eats dumplings made by a mysterious woman who says they will give her what she needs. The next morning, she wakes up and the day repeats. She’s stuck in a time loop and hilarity and life lessons ensue. I wanted to love this book, but it falters about 60% of the way through. The time loop and love plot lines resolve more vaguely than I would like, and the ending drags on a bit. It’s good, and I would recommend as a cute romcom with some heft to it.

4.5 ⭐️
ARC // Releases May 6, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance copy.

———— All thoughts are my own.

Before reading, make sure you get your snacks ready because this Groundhog’s Day romance is going to make you hungry with all it's delicious food descriptions.

After another long work day, Noelle finds herself at a bustling night market where she will later find out that the magical dumplings she ate will make her relive the same day over and over again. You can feel Noelle’s wonder and then frustration of reliving the same day. But don’t worry, Noelle is not alone in this wacky adventure; she meets Avery, who also ate the magical dumplings, and I hope we can get a story about her and what after the loop looks like for her. Noelle also happens to run into the same man, Cam, throughout this relived day, who helps her bring the romance back to her life.

I thought this was such a good read. It was cozy with a little spice. I wish we would have gotten more answers from who was behind the magical dumplings, because I feel like that would have been a more satisfying conclusion. But that's just me, you guys read it and see if you feel the same.

Just a heads up, there are some sensitive topics mentioned, so be sure to check your trigger warnings.