Thank you to Atria for providing me with an advanced copy on this book..

I absolutely adore Time Loops and Meet Cutes! I've read a few times loop books before but this is my favorite one yet. It's an open door, dual POV, contemporary romance with elements of magic.

It was an emotional rollercoaster watching Noelle fall for Cam while in her time loop, knowing he wouldn't remember her the next day. I loved that while the story is a romance, it also spent time on Noelle's growth as a person, including a focus on relationships with friends and family..

I recommend this to any contemporary romance reader who is looking for something just a little bit out of the ordinary.

After eating a “magic” dumpling at a food market, Noelle is forced to re-live the same day over and over again. She meets Cam and they have an instant connection; one that seems like will never advance past the first date.

This was such a charming time-loop story! It has a bit of mystery mixed in which kept me turning the pages late in to the night. I’ve never craved dumplings and bubble tea more … the food descriptions in this book were on point. 🥟 🍵 🥢🧁

Thank you to Atria Books for inviting me to read this and to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Will post my review closer to the publication date.

Time Loops and Meet Cutes is such a great book. I rated it 4.25⭐️. It’s about Noelle. One night she goes to a night market and eats dumplings from a stand offering them for $5. The next day, she wakes up and it’s the same day June 20th. She’s very confused. The next day is the same-June 20th. She returns to the night market to find the dumpling stand to get some answers but it is gone. She meets another women who is also trapped in this same time loop. They become quick friends and try everything they can to break the time loop-to no success. During all this, Noelle meets Cam. She keeps seeing him different places around town. They form a relationship, but the problem? Cam never remembers her the next day because everything gets erased and reset each night. I loved Cam and Noelle’s relationship. The description of food is amazing. I loved the concept of time travel with a little magic thrown in. It’s truly a story of being brave enough to take risks, ask for what you really want in life, and to not be caught in some of the things that don’t matter in life.

This was just my kind of book! As a big fan of time loops/alternate realities in stories, I was very excited to find that in a romance! Time Loops & Meet Cutes is full of sweet, engaging, and enjoyable moments. At first it felt rushed with the passing of time sometimes being squished into a few sentences, but as I continued with the story I could tell that there was so much more to Noelle's (and Cam's) story than just the repeats of June 20th.

This dual POV works so well! I found Noelle to be very likeable, even though she is initially described as being a workaholic and rigid in her activities. She is truly full of heart, kindness, and good intentions. I also really loved reading Cam's internal thoughts, and enjoyed that he was so intentional about his interactions with Noelle.

All of the references to different foods and beverages were a lot of fun! I love watching cooking shows and trying new restaurants, so this was a fun element of the story for me. I also happen to love dumplings, and bubble tea!

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is a feel-good romance with wonderful characters that bring out the best in each other. Truly something magical to read about; an escape from the day-to-day.

*I was given this ARC by Atria Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own!

This book was okay? I felt like the idea was so good (I’ve enjoyed stories before with the time loop concept) but I feel like there were so many more interesting directions it could’ve gone.

I found myself pretty bored for most of the book. Obviously there’s bound to be a little repetition in a time loop, but reading the same day over and over for over half the book got really boring. I felt like the plot didn’t budge until around 70%. Even the romance was hard bc he literally forgot who she was every night.

I also felt the romance was pretty cheesy and honestly a little awkward? I think maybe it’s just the writing style but I didn’t connect with either mcs.

And then after all of that there really isn’t ever a real explanation for why she got stuck in the time loop and how she got out. I think there was so much potential and the story just fell really flat for me unfortunately.

Thank you to Atria for a free eARC through netgalley!

This is a story about predictable and rigid Noelle, who finds herself stuck in a time loop and needs to figure out what it is she needs to change in her life to get out of it. It was a cute rom-com that kept me pretty engaged the whole time with good characters and pacing. There were things about the time loop and the reason it created that I found really far-fetched, but overall it was an enjoyable and fairly quick read. Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an early copyt of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Noelle Tom is stuck in every workaholic’s worst nightmare—a time loop. After a late-night trip to the night market, a plate of suspiciously delicious dumplings, and an old woman’s cryptic words, Noelle wakes up to the same Friday. Again. And again. And again. No matter what she does, Monday never comes.
At first, she tries everything—eating the best food in Toronto, working on the same proposal (pointless), and testing out all the usual “break the loop” tricks. But nothing changes. Then she meets Avery, another time loop victim, and Cam, a guy who keeps showing up in different places on her repeating Friday. Noelle isn’t sure why she’s drawn to him, but their encounters keep pulling her in, even if he never remembers her the next day.
What makes this story shine is how Noelle’s journey isn’t just about romance but also about self-discovery. She’s so caught up in work and expectations that she never stops to ask herself what she actually wants. Her growing connection with Cam is sweet, swoony, and layered with tension—what happens if she breaks the loop and he doesn’t even know who she is? Meanwhile, her friendship with Avery adds heart, humor, and a reminder that we all need people who see us, even in the messiest moments.
With Toronto as a vibrant backdrop, plenty of delicious food, and a fresh twist on the time loop trope, this book delivers on romance, friendship, and finding joy in the unexpected. Fans of Groundhog Day and In a Holidaze will love this one!

4.5 stars. This was such a fun and interesting take on the time loop trope! Cam and Noelle had such great chemistry. The book handled the realities of the time loop really well. Trying not to give too much away in terms of plot, but this is a fresh take on time loops (for me at least). If you like the trope, if you like food, and if you like romances, read it!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau is a first person dual-POV speculative romance. Noelle is an engineer who’s whole world is her job after her last break-up a few years ago. During a visit to the Toronto Night Market, she eats dumplings from a mysterious cart and starts to repeat June 20th over and over. When she meets Cam at a boba tea shop, she convinces herself that the way out of the loop is to kiss him but the more time she spends with him, the more real it starts to feel.

This was so cute. I knew I had to read it the second I saw the cover (one of the best modern romance covers I’ve seen) and I loved every last word. The emotional arcs of Noelle, Cam, and Noelle’s new friend Avery all felt believable as did Noelle’s progression from a stereotypical engineer who is too afraid to take risks in her personal life to someone who takes some small risks and trusts people more. It was very obvious to me that this is not Jackie Lau’s first book because she has so much command over what is happening on the page and I’m definitely going to have to go through her backlog and keep an eye out for future books.

Noelle’s workaholic nature comes up several times, especially in the beginning and the end. She’s willing to stay late and work on projects to correct other people’s mistakes and her own sister is shocked that she took the day off. I’ve known multiple engineers and almost every single one I know would die at their desk if you let them, so I fully believed this aspect of Noelle’s character. I also bought her just quitting going to work when she figured out that she was going to keep repeating the same day over and over only for her to sit at home and watch TV or crochet on some days because she doesn’t really have a life outside of her career.

Cam is the relaxed partner that Noelle needs while she’s the more stable, honest partner that he needs. We don’t get much insight into Cam’s inner wounds but we see how much he is not only missing a partner but how much he’s missing Noelle despite forgetting all the time they spent together. Every time he remembered something about her, I cheered. He’s a romantic and I could feel his genuine feelings for Noelle.

Content warning for mentions of suicidal ideation and death

I would recommend this to fans of romance with a single speculative element and readers of contemporary romance looking for a female lead in STEM and a male lead who is working in the food industry

I like the concept of this book but it was very slow. And I couldn’t really stay engaged in it. It took me many sittings it read it

This was a fun variation of the reliving the same day premise. I really enjoyed the first half of the book when the main character was dealing with the time loop and trying to get out of it. The second part was a little less exciting and fell a little flat but the ending was a great wrap up.

DNF at 28%. I love a well-done time-loop book, and have read great ones. And I love Jackie Lau, although her books have not been clicking for me this year. This was just so repetitive, and in some ways, that’s part of the charm, but I literally saw the chapter heading “June 20, Version 52-ish” and wanted to yeet myself from existence.

The description of the book sounded like so much fun, but it just never hooked me.

There are so many terrific reviews; it might just be a matter of timing. When I started this book, I was coming off of a read I didn't enjoy and felt like a slog, and I needed something to pull me in immediately. This just wasn't it.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Noelle Tom lives for her work- even if it means she is underappreciated, underpaid, and stuck cleaning up everyone else's laziness. When she stops at a night market and eats some dumplings, she doesn't think anything about it when the woman at the stall says they will give her what she needs.

When she wakes up the next morning to her 6:45 am alarm, it is Friday again and the Wordle answer is still happy- ironic given the situation. She cannot understand what is going on. She heads back to the market and cannot find the stall but ends up meeting Cam.

Every day she wakes up and it is Friday and she keeps meeting Cam. What does this all mean and can she get out of this time loop?

Why Jackie loves it

This is such a delightful romance that shows us sometimes we need a little push to get our lives right. In this case, Noelle had a lot of practice

4 stars

This is a great, creative romance that delivers on genre-specific expectations and brings a little more to the table, too.

Noelle eats some dumplings, and the next thing she knows, she's in a time loop, reliving June 20th without explanation. We've all had some delicious food that we've regretted and/or questioned later, but this is on another level. Noelle knows that the dumplings have come with a wild caveat: that she'll get what she most needs. The question is what is THAT? What will ultimately break this cycle, and how does this guy, Cam, fit into her bizarre new life?

I liked so much about this. The pacing is great (not always easy in a time loop!), the romance is intriguing, and the friendships and family relationships are more layered than expected. This is my second book by this author, and while I've enjoyed both, this one delivers something extra special.

This is a solid approach to romance, particularly for those who are not in it for the overly sappy moments.

I received an advanced copy of this book for review. This is my own opinion. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

CW: mention of suicide

Two things I love in books: food bringing people together and time loops. And this book combines them!

Noelle and Cam’s relationship isn’t insta-love, it grows over months of repeated days. We see her job, her friends, her family, and the comfort of learning everything there is to know about someone but the discomfort of them forgetting you every day.

I read all but one chapter of this book in a day. It’s sweet and fast and easy to read. I love the setting and the night market especially. I think the ending realistically wrapped up an extremely unrealistic event in a satisfying way.

I’d definitely recommend this for fans of contemporary romance, like Rachel Lynn Solomon or Sarah Adams.

3.5
This was such a fun time loop book! I enjoyed how Noelle tried to change up her “Groundhog Day” and figure out how to get to June 21st. It took a while for the plot to progress past the time loop but once we moved into the meet cute plot, it picked up a lot for me.
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC of Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book had a really cute premise, but I struggled to maintain interest. The time loop concept maybe should have been a giveaway for me that I might struggle as books that are repetitive are not my jam. I will give the author kudos for mixing it up and really drawing the intrigue of how Noelle and Avery were getting out of the time loop. The gist is that Noelle finds herself in a time loop and quickly learns she is not alone when she meets Avery. Together they try to figure out how to get out of it. For Noelle, she thinks that the book she meets at the night market Cam may be the clue. Especially as he continues to be a common thread across her continually looping day. The end does give a nice surprise at just how connected they were, a spin I didn’t see coming. If you enjoy time loop books this one is for you.

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)