A really cute book! At first, I was like oh my gosh this is going to be so boring and repetitive and no depth - but then slowly the book hooked me and I was invested in Noelle and how she would get out of this time loop. I enjoyed the lessons and moments each day inside and outside of the loop. Very realistic moments of what we wish we could do and say. The relationship with Cam is sweet and wholesome. The sex scenes are well earned and not spicy but two adults who’ve built the appropriate tension. Without giving any spoilers, the endings are wrapped up so nicely - you are quite happy with the weaving of the narrative and the book has paid off entirely. 4 Stars - light hearted - a sweet fictional couple - good supporting characters - and just enough depth to offer refreshing reflection on life and choices we make!

I’m a sucker for magical realism in contemporary romance, and Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau absolutely delivered! This isn’t my first book by her, but it’s my favorite and I am happy to say that her overall writing and character work have grown exponentially!

This story follows Noelle, an East Asian woman in her early thirties living in Toronto. The eldest daughter of her family, she is an independent, hardworking woman who’s sworn off love ever since her college boyfriend broke it off with her. After a particularly long day at work, she decides to visit the night market and, not wanting to splurge, she opts for a dumpling cart with a handwritten sign for dinner. They’re the best dumplings she’s ever had, with a flavor she can’t quite put her finger on. Noelle finishes her meal, heads home and goes to bed. But when she wakes up, it’s June 20th again.

And so begins the time loop that Noelle finds herself stuck in. I’ll admit, at first, her days are redundant and I was asking myself *why* the time loop was lasting so long. But it took time for Noelle to break out of her routine and start to place value on herself as a worker and an individual. One of the things that becomes a pattern in the time loop is Cam. Initially, Noelle thinks that kissing someone could be the key to breaking out of the time loop. But when that doesn’t work, she still finds herself drawn to him. At first, Noelle meets Cam at the night market after a particularly bad day. Then, at a boba tea shop near the salon where she gets a spontaneous haircut. And then again, when she does something very out of character and heads into a local brewery in the middle of the afternoon.

This was such a beautiful story, told in dual point of view, and there are so many details I left out so the reader can discover the magic for themselves! The themes of self-discovery, friendship, and love are important now more than ever. I’m already wishing I could read this again for the first time!

Thank you first and foremost to Atria for inviting me to read this! I was so happy to read it!


This story includes delicious food, relationships, heartbreak, and so much more. But, what I found to be most striking was the lesson of not taking your time with those who have value to you for granted. I absolutely adored our woman lead, and her character development from complacency to fierceness in risk taking. Cam? I liked him, but I feel his POV wasn’t for me personally. It felt, a bit off for me.

This book gave me plenty of “I wish I could have what they’re having” moments with food, and maybe the experiences too. This novel definitely gave me more reflections on my life & what I could do differently.


Overall, the story was great & I enjoyed myself! The reason it’s not 5 stars is the filling in the second half had me feeling stagnant plot wise. I’ll definitely recommend reading!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

The only negative thing to say about this book is the in the begging of the. Book there is the synopsis and hopefully that changes when released but honestly other than that ! This book brought me out of a slump . The writing the character development , the suspense with the repeating the day and when was it going to end ! I will be reading more from this author now