The old woman at the night market told Noelle Tom that eating particular dumplings would give her what she needed. She thought it was just food at the time, but now she's reliving the same Friday. The only thing different is that the food truck is gone. When she meets brewery owner Cam, he seems to be the key to escaping her time loop. He never remembers her, but she gradually becomes more and more attached to him. Can they ever break the time loop and have a future together?

Noelle was stuck in an isolated rut at the start of the time loop, quietly hanging onto lingering resentments and judging others. She isn't the only one caught in the loop, so the two join forces to figure it out. Variations in activities, dealing with romantic concerns, and family expectations all take place during the time loops. While there are no plans past breaking the loops, the bigger issues come in the fallout of the loops for the second half of the book. Noelle has to take a chance, not just for live, but for her jobs and friendships. Her new friend Avery from the loops helps her realize how isolated she is and how lonely it can truly be. By the end of the boo,k we have an explanation as well as a happily ever after. It's an interesting premise, and I was hooked right away. It's a fun romance with some serious emotions and concerns woven into the story. I really enjoyed the book and think you will, too.

Noelle wakes up to find herself stuck in a time loop with no idea why, or what she needs to do to break it. Thinking it might be broken with a kiss, she works toward a meet cute with the guy she’s run across more than once…and enlists the help of Avery, a stranger stuck in the same loop. But when a kiss doesn’t work, and nothing else they try does neither, they really start to evaluate their lives and what they would do if life starts moving forward again…and when it does, they find whole new issues to contend with.

I honestly didn’t want to put this book down. The interactions between Noelle and Can were so cute and fun, and her friendship with Avery is definitely one that will stand the test of time (I mean, it already kinda does right?) what happens when they’re out of the loop was so unique and honestly I just enjoyed it. Noelle learns a lot of lessons when her day is repeating, it’s not focused on just one thing. She’s able to learn things about herself, her family relationships, her job…and come out a whole new person. And the icing on the cake? The food. Talk about a book that will make you hungry. But I really loved how food tied to the memories! I would definitely recommend this and may actually revisit it myself sometime.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for a copy of the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Expect 👉🏼 Magical Realism, Meet Cutes, Repetition, Asian Characters

Noelle meant to go home after a long work week. Instead, she found herself at the night market, buying delicious dumplings from a sweet old lady who told her the dumplings would give her what she needed. Little did Noelle know, that those dumplings would have her reliving June 20th over and over and over again. No matter what she does, the day restarts at night and she’s back on June 20th.

Noelle went through so many different phases, emotions and reactions. I’m sure I would have done something similar. I would have enjoyed some of it and hated others parts of it. I enjoyed her interactions a with Cam, and that Noelle learned so much from being stuck. The power of close friendships, to have grace with people, to enjoy life, eat the cupcake and leave work at a reasonable hour. Her growth was staggering.

I was slightly unsatisfied with the lack of answers at the end of the book, but I think I’m supposed to feel that way 😆🫣

Reading about Toronto is always a fun one for me, since I grew up in the next city over.

Narrated by Cindy Kay and Raymond J Lee.

Thank you atria for the gifted arc

A Fun and Flirty Time Loop Rom-Com

Jackie Lau's "Time Loops & Meet Cutes" offers a fresh and delightful take on the time loop trope, blending it seamlessly with a charming romantic comedy. The story centers around Noelle, who finds herself reliving the same Friday over and over again after eating some mysterious dumplings.

Jackie Lau crafts a light-hearted and engaging narrative that explores the frustrations and opportunities of being stuck in a time loop. Noelle's journey of self-discovery is both entertaining and relatable, as she navigates the looping day and tries to figure out how to break free. The time loop scenario allows for plenty of humor and creative situations, and Lau makes the most of it.

The romance aspect of the story is equally well-done. Noelle's repeated encounters with Cam, a handsome brewery owner, are filled with meet-cute moments and genuine chemistry. The development of their relationship is both sweet and satisfying, even with the added complication of the time loop.

While the premise may sound similar to other time loop stories, Lau brings her own unique voice and cultural perspective to the genre, with plenty of mouthwatering descriptions of food and a focus on self discovery and family relationships.

"Time Loops & Meet Cutes" is a fun, feel-good romance that will leave you with a smile on your face. It's a perfect read for fans of romance with a touch of magic and whimsy.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

After eating some delicious dumplings at the night market, Noelle finds herself waking up to her alarm on June 20th, day after day. There is only one other person, Avery, who also ate the dumplings from the mysterious vendor, who recalls each version of June 20th when everyone else thinks it’s just June 20th. Think Bill Murray in 1993’s Groundhog Day. And after running into the same cute man, Cam, in multiple places in her versions of June 20th, Noelle wonders if he is the clue to her escape.

Time Loops and Meet Cutes is a darling contemporary romance with a bit of magic realism/science fiction. It’s about learning how to open up to another and how to be vulnerable despite the risks. It’s about allowing people into your life after being hurt. Putting two people in the loop together makes sure that the characters aren’t alone and can work together to find a way out, but it doesn’t mean they still can’t feel lonely.

I love that being stuck in the time loop doesn’t alter who Noelle is at her core; she remains cautious and observant. She doesn’t go dark or evil, doesn’t try anything too extravagant - she didn’t even fly first class to Vancouver. She does learn to take risks, but nothing drastic. She learns to value life and how to open up to another. And when she gets free of the loop, she’s still the same person, but she recognizes she has the ability to make changes, understands the value of friendship, and knows that it’s okay to splurge once and awhile.

Lau does a great job portraying the fear, excitement, and ultimately the frustration of living the same day over and over. Noelle hasn't dated in years due to a bad breakup. She find Cam charming and handsome, and dating him is risk-free, or so Noelle thinks. The author also does a great job with Noelle once she escapes the time loop, portraying the uncertainty of life. Noelle is scared because everything is real now and she doesn’t want to mess it up. I also love that we finally we get Cam’s POV and reactions to Noelle.

Overall, Time Loops and Meet Cutes is an entertaining and engrossing story. I loved meeting Noelle, Avery, and Cam, while watching each figure out how to live their best lives.

My Rating: A-/B+

Time Loops & Meet Cutes:⁣
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Thank you @atriabooks for my gifted copy! #AtriaPartner ⁣
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I’m a sucker for a time loop and I’m a sucker for a playlist. Need I say more? ⁣
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Honestly I loved the time loop portion. I actually really enjoyed the “this is monotonous. I am exhausted I want this to end” and it was real. Because if I were in a time loop, day 171, I know I’d go into a sad state. Avery was a real one. ⁣
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The twist was fun and predictable, but honestly I zoomed through this one! I really liked all the characters and was hopping for all the HEAs. ⁣
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Out now, this was such an enjoyable read and honestly made me want to go find a brewery and dumplings ASAP!⁣
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QOTD: What’s for dinner?

Heat Factor: It’s hard to get it on when your love interest has no memory of you

Character Chemistry: There’s a hint of fate in their repeated instant connection

Plot: Noelle gets stuck in a time loop, which leads her to reevaluate her life

Overall: Interesting premise, solid execution

You guys know the movie Groundhog Day, right? Bill Murray gets stuck in a time loop and has to relive February 2nd over and over and over again. Eventually, out of boredom, he becomes a better person, and also woos Andie MacDowell. Of course he’s creepy about it. On February 3rd, when he’s finally out of his loop, they decide to get married and live in central Pennsylvania. (Maybe that last line is tongue in cheek, but it never sat well with me.)

Here, we have Jackie Lau’s take on that idea, just with some self-awareness and without the creep factor.

Anyways, Noelle works too hard at a job where she’s not appreciated and lives alone and has basically no friends. One night, she goes to a night market for dinner, and eats some magic dumplings. Time loop, unlocked. We’ve got the requisite flailing about, and then two things happen: she meets Cam, and she meets Avery.

Avery is not in the blurb, but she’s important to the story, so I’m going to talk about her first. Avery is also stuck in the dumpling time loop. (Poor Avery. It’s her birthday, her boyfriend doesn’t remember it’s her birthday, and she’s on her period.) So she and Noelle memorize each others’ phone numbers and start daily check-ins and brainstorm ideas about getting out of the time loop (and also changing their lives). In terms of character development, Avery means that Noelle learns how to have and be a friend; in terms of writing structure, it gives Lau some options for Noelle to process her predicament that’s not all internal monologuing.

Cam is Noelle’s love interest, and he is not in the time loop. But as Noelle relives her day, she runs into him in several different places: at a boba shop in the morning, at a brewpub in the afternoon, at the night market with the dumplings. (Yes, there is a lot of food in this book, why do you ask?) The even weirder part? Even though Cam is not in the loop, he seems to vaguely remember Noelle each time they meet (even though each time is the first time for him). At first, Noelle takes the opportunity to practice flirting in a low-stakes environment; if she messes up, she can just try the conversation in a new way the next (same) day. However, as time passes (or rather, doesn’t pass), Noelle starts to develop feelings…and eventually starts getting depressed about the whole situation. Sure, Cam vaguely remembers her, but he doesn’t actually remember her remember her, you know?

The book shifts around the midpoint, when Noelle is abruptly thrown out of the time loop…except she doesn’t wake up the next day, like Bill Murray does. Instead, the same amount of time has passed—about six months—for every day she stayed stuck. There are two unfortunate parts to this: first, Noelle has no memory of anything that happened in her life outside the time loop, and second, her life continued on the trajectory she was on before she got stuck. It’s not like she moved forward where her day one was the time loop day where she quit her job. This also means that, in this timeline, she and Cam never met. (Avery gets unstuck at the same time and is still with her terrible boyfriend despite dumping him in almost every iteration of her time loop day. Poor Avery.)

The second half of the book is more of a traditional, dual-narration romance novel, where Noelle and Cam meet cute and start dating, except Noelle has a big ole secret. I thought the second half of the book was fresh and interesting, as Lau really dug into how a person would grapple with having an ethical relationship with someone under these completely fantastical circumstances. This part of book also allowed Noelle and Cam to develop an actual relationship (even if Noelle was angsting the whole time)—which, now that I think about it, fits in with Lau’s overall writing style of set up with ridiculous trope → midbook switch to now we’re normal people who are working through a healthy relationship for us.

Overall, I liked this one. There weren’t a lot of big feelings, but it was nice and thoughtful and engaging to read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also availble at The Smut Report.

3.5⭐️ Noelle Tom can’t seem to stop reliving the same Friday over and over again following a clandestine meeting with an old woman selling dumplings. Claiming the dumplings would give Noelle just what she needed most, they seem to do the opposite. But as Noelle struggles to survive the time loop she is in (including her ever-changing/never-changing hair), she is also trying to hold on to the one aspect of her forever Friday she loves most - a mystery man named Cam who never seems to remember her name.

I am such a sucker for a time loop romance, so of course I was all in on this one. There were so many aspects of this story I loved. The characters are all utterly charming and lifelike. Their struggles were very relatable; their stories easy to connect with. I enjoyed the author’s exploration of grief, as well as the journeys of self-discovery each of the main characters is on. However, I must admit the time loop aspect became very repetitive and monotonous at a point, at which time I could feel myself starting to lose interest. While I enjoyed the fun twist at the end, involving the identity of the old woman at the market, I had disengaged quite a bit by then and so wasn’t able to appreciate it as much as I would have liked.

All that said, this is still a super cute, very open door romance, that is easy to binge and I would recommend it to those who enjoy the included tropes, or are looking for something light and easy to mix up heavier, denser reads.

Read if you like:
▪️women’s fiction
▪️magical realism
▪️insta connection
▪️time travel
▪️steamy romance
▪️dual POV

Thank you Atria Books for the gifted copies.

I thought this book was so fun and cute! It is a very slow burn and the romance didn’t take off until almost 50% into it…but once it did it was full throttle, haha.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book because it’s not something you see often, especially in romances. So, it was cute and fun! Definitely a book everyone should read.

Cute book albeit a bit tedious and repetitive for way too long. Ended well.

Noelle goes to a night market and eats some dumplings, this throws her into a time loop where she is living the same June 20 over and over again. Along the way, she meets Cam, and although she has to introduce herself to him over and over, she finds herself falling for him (and he falling for her). She also meets another person, Avery, who is also stuck in the time loop, and the two try everything they can to figure out how to get out.

Overall I liked this romance story, but like I said, after the 20th, 50th, etc. iteration of their lives it just got really old and tedious. Occasionally there is a chapter from Cam's POV, but I thought those were totally unnecessary. The ending was great, I loved the little twist thrown in and it made me smile.

At its core, this is a romance novel, and it is completely open door so quite spicy once those scenes occur. If you like open door romance and can stand a bit of repetition, this is a really fun book

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the free earc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I don't normally love groundhog day style books but I love the Toronto setting I love the chemistry. With all jackie Lau books I loveeee how she writes steam its just so dang good.

Absolutely pick this up.

5/5☆

Synopsis: An order of night market dumplings lands Noelle in a time loop, forcing her to relive the same day again and again. With each reset, she crosses paths with Cam and the sparks between them only intensify with every repeated meeting.

Thoughts: This was a really fun read. I loved the magical realism element and the groundhog day storyline.

-Magical Realism✨
-Soulmates
-Dumplings 🥟
-Boba 🧋
-An Asian Match Box Twenty Cover Band 🎤
-🌶️🥵 (With Spice)

I haven't read much magical realism but this time loop romance is very special. I felt for Noelle and her struggles in her time loop and I loved her meet cutes with Cam. I loved Noelle's relationship and bond with Avery. I rooted for Noelle and Cam and their eventual HEA. I also loved all of the details about the food they were eating and enjoying together. Thank you to Jackie Lau and Atria for the opportunity to read this early.

Thank you NetGalley & Atria for the ARC of Time Loops & Meet Cues! I loved this book! It was a quick and cozy read. It had a lot of good reminders about life. My biggest takeaway was to not get so preoccupied with work that you forget to nurture your relationships with friends and family. I fell in love with Cam, how earnest & easy going he is. The ending of the book was tied up beautifully. Immediately adding all of Jackie Lau’s other books to my wishlist! 😊

I will say I really enjoyed this book! I am a fan of the time loop trope and this read executed that wonderfully! The story was fun and captivating from the start. I am very happy that I was able to read this early!

Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau is charming and fun. Her writing always has a pleasing conversational flow, and her sense of humor just works for me. I loved the banter between the characters, and if you’ve enjoyed her previous books, I think you'll find a lot to like about this one. The central time loop concept felt like it had a lot of potential, but the constant repeating slowed the momentum so much that I never really engaged with the love story. I was hoping for more variation or deeper exploration in each loop, but it stayed on the surface a bit too much for my taste. I’m always happy to pick up something new from Jackie Lau even though this one didn't fully work for me, and I know many rom-com readers will appreciate the cozy vibes and unique premise.

I really really loved this book! it was really sweet and usually I am not the biggest fan of the time loop trope but it was cute. I liked the characters and I liked learning about the different cultures within the book! I had a fun time reading this one and I am really really hoping for a sequel it was set up so nicely

Huge shoutout to Atria Books and Jackie Lau for letting me sneak a peek at this one early!

Time Loops and Meet Cutes is the rom-com fever dream I didn’t know I needed. Think Groundhog Day but make it Asian, make it modern, toss in some steamy moments, and serve it all with a billion dumplings. Yes please.

The time loop was written so smartly and had me hooked from the jump. Cam’s POV? Whew. That man had me side-eyeing every moment like, what’s going on here? I knew something was up but couldn't quite crack it. When that twist hit? Chef’s kiss.

This book brings the vibes:
🥟 Time Travel
🥟 Dumplings
🥟 Dual POV
🥟 Meet Cutes (duh)
🥟 Déjà Vu magic

Basically, it's charming, clever, and full of heart. Add it to your TBR if you like your love stories with a little timey-wimey chaos and a whole lot of flavor.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was very cute and a quick, palate cleanser kind of book. Noelle is a very serious, mechanical engineer who finds herself in a time loop where she is living June 20th over and over and over again. While in the time loop she meets a cute guy, Cam, who she has undeniable chemistry and affection for. But every day, Cam forgets who Noelle is.

I liked that about 60% of the book is in the time loop and then about 40% is after she gets out of the time loop. I also really like that even though there is a romance, Noelle learns a lot about herself, being a best friend (yay for Avery), and being a good sister/daughter as well. If you like time loop books, definitely don't snooze on this one. And if they aren't your thing, I still think this was fun.

Also there is so much reference to delicious sounding Asian food. Yum Yum Yum!!!

If you’re a fan of Erin Sterling but looking for less of a “Halloween/October” vibe this is for you! It’s a beautiful overarching story of magic giving you second and third chances to figuring out who you really are in life.

Big shoutout to Netgalley, Jackie Lau + Minotaur Books for the eARC! I really enjoyed it!

What to Expect:
⭐ A little magic and mystery
⭐ Frozen in time - Time Travel
⭐ Strangers to lovers
⭐ Learning to live every day full of love and color!
⭐ Being given a chance to relive a day to figure out who you really are and who you want to be.

My Thoughts:
I really truly wasn’t at all sure how I was going to feel about this story as magical realism isn’t usually my cup of tea. HOWEVER the storyline is adorable, hilarious and has some beautiful moments. I will say I love we get to see a lot of their cultural backgrounds shared in the story. I love that they are connected in multiple ways to each other, both the main characters and the sub characters. How family is a key to it all and a key to the answer of the time loop. The premise as a whole was well developed and written. All the characters (except Joe) were lovely. Each bringing depth and moments to the overarching story that really added to the plot rather than just filler.

All that to say I am so glad I gave this a chance because I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it. HOWEVER 140+ days in the loop was exhausting. My only wish is that it had moved through it quicker or we would have seen a bit more pace for that part of the story. You start to feel disheartened for the main characters. You start to wonder if they will ever get out.

Synopsis:
Noelle Tom really shouldn’t have eaten those dumplings at the night market. But the old lady at the stall said they’d give her what she needed most, and what Noelle desperately needed after another long workweek was food.

Except now she’s reliving the same Friday over and over. Every morning her alarm goes off at 6:45 no matter what, the Wordle answer is always “happy,” and she watches a silly squirrel video go viral day after day. And no matter how much she works on the same proposal, it’s always erased when she wakes up. It seems Monday will never come in this workaholic’s worst nightmare.

Noelle has no idea how being trapped in a time loop is the “thing she needed most,” especially now that everything seems meaningless. Sure, three fancy meals in a row is a fun treat, but it’s getting repetitive. Noelle’s not sure what lesson the old lady was trying to impart. Even a trip to the dumpling stall doesn’t help…because there’s no sign of it.

But then she meets a young woman who also ate the dumplings, and good-looking Cam, who appears in multiple places on her Friday. While he seems to have no memory of their encounters, there are signs he might be the key to getting un-stuck. But Noelle will have to put work aside and live a little in order to make him notice her. As their flirtation progresses, Noelle begins to worry that if she ever gets to turn the calendar page, Cam won’t know who she is and her life may never return to what it was before that fateful Friday…