I’m a sucker for magical realism (time travel, specifically) romances, and this one scratches that itch. Sweet story, and I was rooting for the main characters throughout.

This was such a cute story of self-rediscovery, brought to you by a little old woman selling dumplings at a night market stand! Time loops and meet-cutes indeed!

Thank you @atriabooks for the free book!

📖 Time Loops & Meet Cutes
✍ Jackie Lau
📦 Pub Date: Out now!

⭐️ 3/5
🌶️ 3/5

I think inherently time loop storylines can be a bit repetitive, but this author illustrated this plot point wonderfully! After some magical dumplings, Noelle finds herself reliving June 20th over and over again. After accepting that you don’t know how to escape, what else is there to do but try new things!

I really enjoyed the room for growth that the time loop gave Noelle, allowing her to use the time to make mistakes without lasting consequences. Thanks to the time loop, Noelle was able to branch out from her norm, having the chance to escape her by-the-book way of life.

Enter Cam, a cute guy who keeps popping up in different places each day. There’s something about him that Noelle can’t resist and maybe he is the key to breaking this loop?

When it came to the romance in this story, I was not attached. I love a meet-cute, and we got them, but for me, I didn’t feel the chemistry! The spice felt forced and overall completely unnecessary. Like, there was no tension, and all of a sudden they were naked. It made no sense to me.

I really enjoyed seeing Noelle repair the relationships in her life and find what truly makes her happy. I think that was the best part of the story for me. I also thought the twist at the end was cute, and honestly, I did not see it coming!

Thank you again to Atria Books for the early copy!

I love a good time loop romance, however I felt like the pacing of this one was a bit off. Also, the secondary characters presence was never explained.

This was the longest book ever. It was not a quick, fun, cute read like I was expecting. I liked it. But it was two books in one. I was having a hard time caring by the last 3/4 of it.

A different take on Groundhog Day. Noelle Tom eats some dumplings at the night market and keeps living the same Friday in June over and over. While in her time loop she meets Avery who is looping as well. Together and apart they try various things to wake up on a Saturday. Noelle tries to be more adventurous and also looks at her work and family to see if there are things there that need to change in those areas. The biggest draw to her is Cam, a handsome brewery owner. She gets to know him better evening after evening. In a switch up, a good part of the story takes place after they get out of their time loops, as there are still things to be done.

I enjoyed the story. Sometimes going through the same day several times can be overdone. But I thought there was enough variety in what they did that it moves the story along. I did like how it all ties together in the end as well. (3.5 Stars)

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Spoilers below!

This was a very cute story with a few magical elements. I love a time loop book and was very happy that this one had a few elements different from the others I have read (a friend also stuck in the loop, the love interest experiencing deja vu, coming back months later). There were a few spicy scenes which I was not expecting, but did not distract from the story. I was upset at the resolution towards the end but then was surprised by that twist which I very much enjoyed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC.

This was just so cute and cozy and I absolutely devoured it in one day. This was such a fun and unique twist on the time loop trope & exceeded my expectations!

This is about a woman who eats magical dumplings one night & is told that they’ll “give her what she needs most”. What these dumplings actually do is make her relive that same day in June over, and over, and over AND OVER again. She has the most unique experiences during this time loop and, inconveniently, falls in love. 🥹

I found the FMC really relatable because of her relationship with money, even though I spend much more freely than she does I am definitely more conscious about spending because, just like the FMC, I also watched my parents mishandle money often as a kid. Whether it was for their own desires or to help others in the family, I can relate to her anxiety over spending.

I can also relate to her lack of confidence & feeling like she doesn’t have any friends anymore, too. This time loop gave her the chance to actually take risks & I loved her growth throughout this novel. She was adorable & the banter/dialogue between her and the MMC had me smiling like an idiot. This was so wholesome but also had a bit of unexpected spice, which I was thrilled about!😆 I’m also a foodie so all the delicious sounding food had me 🤤🤤🤤

Equal parts adorable and scandalous, this story captivated me from chapter 1 and I had the most difficult time putting it down. Simply put, I adored it. My only issue is that I hated the way one character was treated throughout this story. She felt like she was a means to an end and I would have liked a happier ending for her as well. 🥺♥️

Thank you NetGalley & Atria for this ARC!

Eating a dumpling could change your life, and that's what happens to Noelle. She has the opportunity to relive this day over and over until well she learns the lesson. And I think that's how to be her true self, which includes being a better daughter, sister, and friend. But she also has to confront her relationship with money and how to advocate for herself at work. Oh, and btw there's this cutie who in this time loop keeps trying to remember her, even though in this time loop no one does. She gets to try on different versions of herself, but in the end, it's the version she's most comfortable in her skin that he remembers. Queue the tears.

This was really cute!! I am a huge fan of the time loop/magical realism romance sub-genre, so I knew I'd enjoy this! It definitely started off a little slow but by the 50% mark I was invested! I related to Noelle a lot (we love a woman in STEM), and Cam was a great book boyfriend. The whole book was super sweet, and I would definitely read one another one of her books! This book is perfect if you're a fan of magical realism!

What a great story with a twist. I loved Noelle and Avery. Going through the time loop making great friends. But having them not stick had to be so frustrating! Cam was such a likable character, I loved him and was rooting for him.

This was a great story and I am so glad I got to read it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Atra Books for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest opinion.

I just wasn’t clicking with the story. I thought the concept was great and was super interested in it. However, I just couldn’t get into it. The writing wasn’t grabbing my attention and kinda moving fast that I just want grasping how many time loops she been through. Just lost the interest and didn’t finish

A workaholic gets trapped in a time loop and learns how to take time for herself, and live a little, while trying to get out of it. That is a story I want to read.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes* was a fun read, and it was exactly what I needed after a rough world month and some heavier books 🙂

*This novel made me seriously hungry. Like, really *seriously*.
*Despite being in a time loop, Noelle is extremely relatable and likeable. I really enjoyed reading her character evolution over the course of the plot.
*I would love to see more of Avery’s story as well.
*Cam was a great book boyfriend.


I have enjoyed the author’s books and absolutely look forward to reading what she writes next.



Thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the DRC

4 stars - Time Loops & Meet Cutes is like if Groundhog Day (a movie I haven't seen) and the Freaky Friday 2003 movie score had a book baby. I think fans of Ashley Poston's magical realism will enjoy this book and truly I've thought about this book everyday since I finished it. *light spoilers ahead* Noelle eats one magical dumpling and finds herself stuck in a time loop. I found the time loop portion of the book to be so so so good. I loved that Noelle found the one other person stuck in the loop with her and it was a new friend and not the love interest. Reading about Noelle falling for Cam in new fun ways is so fun and light until she realizes she is in love and he doesn't know her when the day restarts. I was as confused as Noelle when the time loop ended but she didn't know why or how. I kind of wish that there had been a definitive way for her to break the loop on her own rather it having a set end date that it was always going to be. Noelle finding her way back to Cam was very sweet but this portion of the book moved a little slower for me after the fast pace of the time loop. I guess the plot twist, but it was still a very satisfying read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Jackie Lau for the Arc ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and it's story! I loved that it included an aspect of food and a great twist on the Groundhog day story! The journey that Noelle finds herself on, was enjoyable, and I was so glad that she not only found love in the end, but also found a friend! That was probably my favorite part, that she had someone who was also experiencing the repetitive day to relate and troubleshoot with! And I found myself absolutely gasping out loud when I learn of the connection between his Grandma and the DUMPLINGS! It was a wonderful way to tie everything together!

A cute, fast read! 50 First Dates meets Groundhog Day in this light, fun book that follows Noelle in her experience reliving the same day over and over. It’s more than a romance book but instead a journey of self-reflection and friendship. It puts things into perspective that we sometimes forget about our own needs in lieu of others.

Noelle is an engineer who always seems to play it safe, until she eats magical dumplings at a night market and gets stuck in a time loop. As she live June 20th over and over again, she learns to take risks - with her style, her job, and with her love life. She somehow keeps running into Cam, who owns a brewery, and she has a new "meet-cute" each time she meets him. She also finds a new friend who's stuck in the same loop, and together they try to unravel the mystery. I really enjoyed the "what if" aspect of this story, and all the different ways she tries to change her life in the one day she's given. Her relationship with her friends and family (and Cam, of course) were all heartwarming, especially how she works to mend her relationship with her sister. We get answers to everything in the last, like 10% of the book, and it tied everything up even if it wasn't the MOST satisfying. I've enjoyed the other books from Jackie Lau, and would definitely read more of her work in the future!

A delightful blend of charm, chemistry, and full of heart.
Jackie Lau delivers at creating a balance between humor and heart, making the book a fun and engaging read from start to finish.
The book is full of humor, heart, and just the right amount of sweetness, all while exploring themes of personal growth, love, and taking risks.

This book started out really strong for me, but it became too repetitive. I know, it's a time loop book. Repetitiveness is the whole point. It just had a middle that lagged.

Noelle eats some dumplings at the Asian night market and ends up stuck repeating June 20th again and again. She finds a friend, Avery, who is also stuck in the loop but they can't figure out how to get out of the loop. On several iterations, Noelle meets Cam and is immediately attracted to him, but he never remembers their interactions. Can she figure out how to escape and maybe find love that can last?

This was a fun book with a classic premise. I enjoyed all of Noelle and Cam's meet cutes, and I thought the friendship with Avery was a strong storyline. I did find the book lagged a bit in the middle especially after we had the twist. It just felt like we were floating along not solving any of the issues. I wanted to see more progress on the lessons she learned while in the loop. I also felt like the romance became a little insta-love after the time loop. I wish more time would have been spent with them together on page. Overall it was a cute book, but I wish it would have had a bit more depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I am a Jackie Lau fan! I know that I will get a complex story with fully fleshed out characters and a whole story. She writes with passion and it feels like she cares about us as readers and the characters she writes. Time Loops and Meet Cutes is no different. It's a fun ride with real themes underneath. The amount of time loop days was starting to make me lose interest (a me thing, not a book thing), but things started moving forward and hooked me back in.

ARC Review: 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕃𝕠𝕠𝕡𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕄𝕖𝕖𝕥 ℂ𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕤 - 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐮
⭐⭐⭐⭐️
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻- This rom-com was super cute—perfect for readers who enjoy a dash of magical realism and genuinely likable characters who experience significant growth.
The story started off a little slow for me, but just as I was getting frustrated with the time loop element…it resolved! (Impeccable timing.)
The romance is soft and sweet—the spice level leans more wholesome than steamy. The resolution took a bit longer than I expected, but overall this was a warm, satisfying read.