I LOVED Time Loops and Meet Cutes! Honestly I have kind of felt tired of the whole time loop trope in general but Jackie Lau made it fresh and entertaining. I loved the characters and the story and all the happenings on each version of the day. Absolutely would recommend!

After an extra stressful and long workweek, Noelle decides to go to the night food market and order some dumplings - the woman who sold them to her said they would give her exactly what she needs. Apparently what the woman felt Noelle needed was to repeat June 20th over and over again. During these loops Noelle meets Cam, and every day she continues to meet Cam because while she remembers him and all of their first dates, he only has a general sense that he has met her before. Noelle becomes increasingly frustrated that she has become so close to Cam (I mean they’ve been first dating for 6 or so months) and yet she has to introduce herself to him every time.

I did think this was a cute story but (and yes I know she has to keep repeating the same day over and over) the first part became a bit slow and repetitive (as do most time loop novels). But I really liked the concept and the characters (all of us type As could use a few no consequence days to get out of our minds). Noelle had a friend who was also experiencing the time loop with her and I thought their relationship was great. Personally I enjoyed the second half of the novel a bit more, but the first was fun most of the time. The audio was done very well and I listened to it coming home from a dinner all the way downtown.

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC to review

4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a cute fun read! 🩷
Will definitely be adding more of Jackie's books to my tbr!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I genuinely love movies and books that are set in a Groundhog Day scenario. Needless to say, this book interested me, not just by cover, but also by the synopsis. Once I began to read, it was immediate where you fall into the repetitive days with the lead character, Noelle. It's fun in the beginning when she figures out she's stuck in a time loop and starts to change up her days. However, unfortunately it starts to flatline sort of quickly for me. I think it would've been really interesting to have the male lead, Cam, also stuck in the same time loop. And the dual POVs in this book between Noelle and Cam didn't really fit the story. Just having it all from Noelle's point of view would've been more ideal.

It's a fun idea for a story and unique from most other books on the market. If you love a good time-loop plot with short chapters, this one might be for you!

You know what, despite expecting to like this I was a bit nervous about the time loop element of this book. I mean, having a romance where only 1 person remembers the days developing it could have definitely gone very badly. However, I'm glad to report that this book actually did a good job at that, in my opinion at least.
Noelle was a great main character to follow, and I loved her growth throughout this book. Being able to do a whole lot of things without consequences basically really helped her figure things out, and overall grow. I also really liked that she wasn't in the time loop on her own. Not only because I really liked Avery as a character, but also because I ADORED their friendship. It was just nice seeing something real develop within this time loop with two people who can actually remember everything. It also kept this book from feeling very solitary and repetetive. I also quite liked that the time loop never gets fully explained. I feel like often times stories like this get ruined for me because they overexplain, and it just doesn't work out. However, in this book we do get some answers, it isn't a full mystery, but there are some questions we'll never know the answer to, and I really liked that aspect to it as well. So yeah, I did think the time loop was very well executed.
The romance was really adorable as well. I loved seeing all their different first dates. We also got some chapters from Cam's POV, and I really liked that element as well. I also liked how the author managed to actually develop the romance more. I won't say more on that because it does contain spoilers, but if you read this book just know I loved the change made for part 2. Yeah, I think that is vague enough. Anyway, I also really enjoyed that we didn't really get a real 3rd act conflict. It just worked better for this couple. The way things went down in this book just felt the most natural progression for them.
I do have to say that I wanted a bit more chemistry and sparks from the romance, and some more developement for Cam for this to be a full 5 star. However, I did still really enjoy this, and after not liking my last couple of reads this just felt like a nice reprieve as well. I do highly recommend this one!

If time loops and meet-cutes were the only things that mattered, then we’d have a pretty solid romance in our hands.
But it’s not, and we don’t.

Focusing on the romance first, I have a problem with the so-called chemistry. As in, I couldn’t care less for Noelle and Cam. At all.
She thinks he could be her soulmate because she keeps bumping into him, but then he's cute enough and nice enough so she develops feelings, and when she gets out she freaks out because she doesn't wanna lose him… but why? Where's the connection? Where's the spark?
And maybe my problem with Cam is his flat personality and the fact that all of his chapters are about the search for his soul mate, if maybe he’s missed her, if he might won’t ever meet her, yada yada yada.

Secondly, the time-loops plot.
Just… why? Why couldn't we have a reasonable answer after all that?

But the reason why I’ll unlikely read another of Jackie Lau’s book is the stiff writing, which made sense at first — Noelle needs to be like that, especially to underline the arc she’ll go through —, but then it kept getting redundant and kinda annoying.
Have I also mentioned that, even if this is a dual pov narration, it just feels like a long book with the same character over and over? No distinction whatsoever between Noelle's and Cam’s POVs.

I can’t tell you if most of what I disliked was done on purpose by the author — for example, Noelle and Cam being basically the same person to show how much they fit together —, but it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

REVIEW: Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau

Noelle is a mechanical engineer and a workaholic who doesn't do much for herself. One evening, she visits the night market for food and discovers a small stand run by an older woman selling dumplings. The woman tells Noelle these dumplings will help her find what she needs most. Unbeknownst to Noelle, eating the dumplings traps her in a time loop, forcing her to relive June 20 repeatedly.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is a delightful rom-com-style magical realism book divided into two parts: before/during and after the time loop. In the book's first section, we primarily experience Noelle's point of view, but as the story progresses, we also gain insights from Cam. The time loop and other magical elements are utilized uniquely and entertainingly. Though Cam and Noelle's relationship and chemistry take some time to develop because she has to remeet him each day, a strong spark always exists between them. I appreciated all the relationships and connections throughout the story, especially between Cam and Noelle, which brought everything together.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes starts slowly, making it a little challenging to get into. I also wish we had received more chapters from Cam's perspective during the time loop, as I would have loved to learn more about him earlier in the book.

Overall, I enjoyed Time Loops & Meet Cutes for its charming story and unique magical realism.

Thank you, Netgalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

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This book hooked me from the first chapter! Its refreshing premise added a little “something special” to a classic time travel/time loop trope and I absolutely adored it. The pacing is fantastic, just when you think it’s starting to get repetitive (she is living the same day over and over again) it sends you in a loop! (Haha). The romance is great but the real star of the show in my opinion is Noelle’s relationship with the other woman stuck in a time loop, Avery. I couldn’t put this book down and I highly recommend it to anyone! It’s so good! Top 3 of the year for sure! (Warning: you WILL crave dumplings, even if you might be nervous to eat them after reading this)

I enjoyed this! I wasn’t always sure where it was going which kept me interested. I appreciated the different scenarios and thought the story was well developed. I also appreciated the ending a lot. A nice into to Jackie Lau!

The pacing of this book was confusing and strange. The premise was interesting, but the timing messed me up. There was no rhyme or reason to the time looping section, and right when I settled into the never ending days, we jumped 7 months in the future. The Cam perspective chapters also made things more confusing as the story progressed. I found myself frustrated with the way the story was laid out and by the pacing. I unfortunately wouldn’t recommend this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC!

I'm a big fan of all of Lau's works. This novel is a cute meet cute with a Groundhog Day like twist. A fast, sometimes steamy, read.

What a cute story. It was fun to watch Noele live her own version of a time loop. As she lives the same day over and over, she has the opportunity to reevaluate everything about herself. Like all good time loops. As she runs into Cam repeatedly, she wonders can she go for what she wants and is Cam perhaps the solution to get her out of the loop? She gets to try things out. What if I did it this way? Or that?

She finds the work she's spent too much of her life doing is not only not fulfilling but it doesn't take too many days until she quits going at all. Why bother? Especially when she's doing all kinds of extra work to cover for a underling who's not pulling his weight yet gets positive attention.,

To help a little with the loneliness, she meets another woman stuck on the same day. They work together to find the solution they need to move on with life and become great friends.

The story was fun and the characters easily likable. It was an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Jackie Lau for the digital ARC and the physical copy! I felt so lucky to get early access!!

As soon as I read the summary I thought of 50 First Dates and I was in.Everything starts with some mysterious dumplings and all of a sudden she's stuck reliving the same Friday over and over. I thought that the wordle thing was hilarious! And I can relate to the burn out of feeling like you are literally living the same day at work all the time haha

I lovedddd Cam! I loved the romance but also seeing her growth though the book. It have me major romcommy vibes (which I appreciate!) and it was so easy to read and have fun with the book! Thanks again for the opportunity of sharing my honest review!

This was my first book by Jackei Lau and it was awesome! I read this on vacation and it was a sweet and clever beach read. I loved how the main character Noelle grew and learned through each loop. Her interactions with Cam were different each time and the ending was well done and very much earned. Also Noelle's new best friend was a fun addition to what could have been a very lonely experience. I look forward to reading more from Jackie Lau.

When we meet Noelle Tom, she is an overworked, underpaid, chronically in her own head person who doesn’t have a strong support system and just wants something to eat. Unfortunately for her, the dumplings she buys at the night market cause her to get stuck in a time loop, reliving the same day. Initially I wasn’t sure if it was going to work for me since by necessity the time loop structure meant spending a lot of time going over very similar ground with Noelle as she comes to terms with being stuck reliving June 20th over and over again and seemingly being the only one who knows what is happening. Each night the day resets – all work undone, all money back in bank accounts, all other people having no recollection of the previous 24 hours that Noelle lived – and within those resets Noelle has to figure out what it is she needs to get out of this experience, both literally and figuratively.

But eventually it did work, and I was glad to have had the patience to see what Lau was creating. I could start to see the strings of the story coming together as Lau introduced Avery, someone else who was stuck in the loop with Noelle. While this is clearly a Romance book, it takes much of the usual structures of the genre and throws them out the window, because while the titular meet cutes are happening with Cam, the lovely brewery owner who Noelle keeps running into, the emotional heft of the first half of the book is in the friendship that Avery and Noelle form as they try to understand this experience together. This is an emotionally resonant book with characters who are going through it. Lau uses the time loop structure to broaden Noelle’s understanding of herself and others. By putting her in a position where she is at the mercy of so many things out of her control it gives Noelle the ability to relate to others in a new way, and it is incredibly poignant in her relationship with her sister. Honestly, the metaphor that Lau creates around mental health here is great stuff and an excellent reason to go over into the fantasy side of things a bit.

On the romance side of the equation this one reminds me of another Lau book, Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie in that the emotional beats of the story lean hard into the characters senses of self-worth and ways in which our assumptions about others are a form of self-sabotage. In the first half of the book as Noelle has her series of meet cutes and first dates with Cam she is able to get out of her own way a bit, but once she’s out of the loop she must trust herself, and him, as she approaches him for the first time with real consequences. But because Lau structured the previous interactions in a way that always had Cam responding positively, and having some vague memory of Noelle, that when things don’t go exactly as she hopes she has the knowledge and confidence to try more. Which eventually leads to them deciding if they have it in themselves to be open, to be known, and to be loved. It really is maybe the best thing Lau has written, but maybe not my favorite – not that I’m sure what my favorite is either. I’ve read a lot of Lau since 2019, and I hope more people will pick up this one and see what it has to offer.

It was a good idea but time loop stories I don’t think are my favorite. It becomes very repetitive and I start to lose interest the more it goes on.

I love the time loop trope, so I immediately wanted to pick this book up. The characters were relatable and the plot interesting, but one of my favorite parts was the vivid descriptions of food. Our main character gets thrown into a time loop after eating dumplings at a night market. She continues to attend the night market and then other restaurants in the area to try to find a way out of the loop.

I haven't read any other novels by Jackie Lau, but now I am going to add some to my TBR!

Again, like I do, I went into this book completely blind, and I was addicted from the start. Noelle is struggling in her life, and then ends up in a time loop and repeats June 20th over and over again, and meets Cam on most days when she isn't trying, but she also just lives life, I love how she spends her money, enjoys life, changes her hair, and just overall treats everyday like a fun time, and it's so fun seeing her find light and friendship again, and mend ties with her family, until she gets out and has to deal with her time in there, while only being able to discuss it with one person, so she starts to have to figure out more about what happened.

Noelle and Cam have a million first dates and fall in love every day, until Noelle gets out and Cam doesn't remember her, so she struggles to do it all over again with him, and can't prove she was in a timeloop like she could during. Noelle struggles to connect with Cam this time around and learns that she has to take risks in her real life too, and it's nice to see it all come together.

This review is a little vague because I don't want to spoil anything, but this book was so good and it's so fun to read!

Time Loops & Meet Cutes was an absolute delight of a rom-com that tugged at all the right heartstrings. Noelle Tom is stuck - she is single, works way too hard for little pay and is generally alone all until she eats dumplings from a strange stall at a local night market. Suddenly she is stuck in a new way, reliving June 20th over and over and over and over again. It gives her the opportunity to try new things and she finds a friend also stuck in the loop and then she meets Cam. And then has another meet-cute with Cam and another and she thinks he might be a way out. There are numerous first dates, tons of restaurants to try but being stuck gets very difficult.

I loved the story between the pair of them and how Cam wasn't stuck in the loop but we got chapters from him where he felt like something was wrong because he was experiencing all this time with Noelle.

Loved this! It was funny and chaotic. Beautiful love story!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!