Truly an incredible read I love romance books with a touch of magical realism. But this book also gave so much more than the romance the time loop forced this character to grow so much as a human and develop areally beautiful friendship with somebody she wouldn’t have otherwise. Then when we start getting into the romance, it was wonderful and also heartbreaking to watch her fall so in love with somebody who couldn’t remember her and then when they finally got their happy ending, it was so worth all the time we waited for it. A great story overall!

Dissatisfied workaholic and mechanical engineer Noelle Tom is not in a relationship, spends much of her time alone, and one Friday evening (June 20) eats some fantastic dumplings at the night market at the behest of the elderly stall owner. The woman convinced Noelle to have the dumplings, saying they would give her what she needed most.

The next day, Noelle wakes up on June 20. Noelle goes through the same day again, and again, and again, but begins making small changes each day in the hope of breaking out of the loop: She gets a different haircut, eats at different places, and begins flirting with a cute guy, Cam, whom she sees repeatedly through the day.

Cam never seems to remember her, but he does acknowledge, each time they meet, that she looks familiar. Noelle also begins a friendship with another young woman, also dissatisfied with her life and also someone who ate the dumplings at the night market stall, and who also is trapped in the same day's loop.

Together, Noelle and Avery try to find some way out of their predicament, doing anything they can think of, with each getting out of their comfort zones. This is particularly hard for Noelle, who likes order and predictability.

Noelle does get a little worn down by the repetitions, and wonders if she'll ever find a way out, much less get Cam to remember her.

This was delightful. I totally enjoyed Noelle's careful and eventually more daring forays into unusual activities, for her, and working on her relationships and herself as she's forced to confront things she has done in the past, or that make her unhappy.

I love the leads; both are people I liked, and though most of the book is in Noelle's point of view, I liked the occasional insight into Cam's life and emotions. We eventually get an explanation for the time loop, which was something I kinds of surmised early on, but this didn't diminish my enjoyment of this fun story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my review.

3 stars: ★★★
Huge thanks to Atria Books, for inviting me to read this ARC via NetGalley 💌

“Time Loops & Meet Cutes” by Jackie Lau had so much potential… a super fun premise, an adorable cover, and the kind of title that screams feel-good romance with a twist. And at first, it delivered—quirky, fast-paced, and unexpectedly deep in moments. But somewhere along the way, the magic started to slip. Here's what went down:

Let’s start strong: the beginning? SO FUN.
Time loop stories always grab me. The idea of Noelle reliving the same Friday again and again after eating magical dumplings? Iconic. The Wordle answer is always “happy” (cute touch) and her job resets daily? Brilliant setup. I genuinely liked Noelle at first—her voice was clever and sarcastic, her situation relatable, her internal monologue sometimes painfully real. Short chapters = major win too. I flew through them without trying.

But…

By the time she was living through June 20th for the 136th time, I was kinda done.
Like, I get the repetition was the point. I really do. But as a reader, reading the same vibes over and over again got old—fast. I started zoning out during sections and honestly, I was craving something more. Not every time loop needs 100+ days to make a point.

The romance was... hmm.
Cam was sweet. He owns a brewery and their moments together had some ✨ spark ✨ but—he wasn’t in the time loop. So every day, Noelle had to basically speed-run their relationship. Which is a cool idea in theory… but in practice? His feelings felt rushed and kind of undercooked, since he was always meeting her for the “first” time. Like bro, how are you falling this fast when she’s just a stranger to you?? 🥴

Still, some scenes between them made me smile—especially the slower, more vulnerable ones. And I did like how Jackie Lau explored themes of burnout, loneliness, and emotional growth underneath the chaos.

But the standout? Noelle and Avery’s friendship.
Another woman stuck in the loop = unexpected bestie energy. Their connection was warm, funny, and honestly felt more developed than the romance at times. Give me more magical best friend duos, please.

Now for the ending…
I’m still confused lol. The resolution didn’t hit as hard as I hoped. The why behind the time loop felt underwhelming and slightly messy. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t leave me with that “omg that was clever” kind of feeling either.

So, final thoughts?
✨ Fun idea, sweet concept, solid writing—but it lacked emotional depth and overstayed its welcome. I enjoyed it, I just didn’t feel it, you know? Like, I’ll probably forget most of this in a month, but I don’t regret reading it either.

Read this if you’re into:
💫 Time loops
🧋 Magical dumplings at a night market
💻 Burned-out engineers trying to find meaning
📆 Rewriting the same day 150+ times
🍻 A soft guy with a brewery and a kind heart
🧡 Bestie bonding that lowkey outshines the romance

Would I recommend it?
Yeah, if you're in the mood for something light, different, and fast-paced. Just don’t expect it to change your life. It’s cute, clever at times, and might surprise you if you’re not too deep in your reading slump.

🌀 But also: looping through the same day 150 times sounds like a personal hell and I’m never eating dumplings from a mysterious food stall again. Ever.

There were parts of this I really enjoyed- the night market and brewery settings, all of the food descriptions, the relationship between Avery and Noelle, and both of their personal growth. The inner dialogue of the characters and the romance both often seemed out of place and awkward. Overall it was a fun romance, especially to read around the summer solstice!

This was a cute read, but honestly, it dragged for way too long. Super repetitive—it felt like I was stuck in the time loop right along with the characters. The ending, though? Totally worth it. Loved the twist and it left me smiling.

The story follows Noelle, who visits a night market, eats some dumplings, and suddenly finds herself reliving the same day—June 20—over and over again. As she tries to figure out what’s going on, she keeps bumping into Cam. Even though she has to reintroduce herself every single day, their connection starts to grow, and the chemistry builds. She also meets Avery, another person caught in the loop, and the two team up to find a way out.

I enjoyed the romance overall, but the constant repetition made the middle feel like a slog. We get a few chapters from Cam’s perspective, but to be honest, they didn’t add much for me. The final few chapters picked up the pace and ended the story on a high note.

Heads-up: this is definitely an open-door romance—there’s heat, so if that’s your thing, you’ll enjoy it. If you’re cool with a bit (ok, a lot) of repetition, this is a fun, feel-good read with a clever concept and a satisfying payoff.

This is a fun book and the subject is very obviously time loops. The trick with time loop/groundhog day storylines is they can get a bit repetitive. This book did NOT fall into that trap, but I found myself dreading repeating the same day again after an extended period. I liked the resolution and thought it was handled well and I wasn’t left with plot holes like can often happen with these types of books.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a fun romance with a magical realism twist. It was more focused on the time loop than I initially thought it would be, but the romance was still present and the scenes with the MCs were always great. I liked how everything unfolded. Noelle and Cam were both great characters and had natural chemistry.

This was more of a romance with Asian cuisine than it was with the MMC - but it was totally justified. The writing style was easily digestible, and all the talk about dumplings made me force my husband to go out for some mid read 😂

Thank you to Atria Books for the ARC

I loved this story. It was perfectly written with very relatable characters. Noelle getting caught in the loop and allowing herself to take risks, knowing there probably would not be any consequences, was fun. I enjoyed it when she met up with Avery, who was also stuck. Their growing friendship was awesome. And then there is Cam. He is such a good guy, I love that they hooked up. The dumpling lady mystery had a satisfying conclusion. All in all, this was fabulous and I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Grabbed this one after some friends recommended it on bookstagram and so glad i did. THis was such a cute read and kept my interest the whole time. Thanks so much for the gifted copy!

Thank you to Atria for the gifted eARC. My opinions are my own.

Synopsis: thoroughly unique love story about a woman reliving the same Friday over and over again—and the intriguing man who can’t quite remember her.

Read for:
- time loops
- LOTS of meet cutes
- lots of food
- FMC stuck in a rut
- making friends
- Asian main characters
- fixing families
- multi POV’s
- MMC who knows a lot about beer

My thoughts: this is a cute and enjoyable story. I loved Noelle and her approach to figuring out what she’s meant to do while being stuck on the longest day of the year. Cam is funny and almost seems that he sorta remembers her every time they meet on the longest day. I enjoyed the dual perspectives and the resolution to the time loop as well as the development of the actual relationship outside of a time loop.

Recommend for readers searching for a cute romance read with Asian main characters set in Toronto. If you enjoyed: That Prince Is Mine by Jayci Lee or Red String Theory by Lauren King Jessen, then consider giving this a try.

This book was so different from books I normally gravitate to, and I loved the ride! Noelle, a rigid workaholic somehow finds herself repeating the same day, over and over again. Of course, there is cause of repetition throughout the book, especially during the more boring days, but I enjoyed Noelle and her journey and the magic of living life completely outside of her comfort zone.

I didn’t know what to expect with this one at first because the time jumping had me a little confused. After finishing if, I can confirm that this book was SO GOOD. It’s really hard to do a time loop book without it feeling played out or recycled from things past but this one felt refreshing to read. I loved the dynamic between all of the characters and especially loved the found friendship/family through between Avery and Noelle. Cam felt like a breath of fresh air in the realm of MMCs - nothing hidden behind his personality - just a nice guy trying to figure things out. Loved loved loved this one.

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

This was cute and mystical romcom that was a fun read. I liked Noelle’s and Cam’s constant meet cutes and getting to see them fall in love over and over, even for a day. But more than that I loved seeing Noelle’s growth through the book to putting herself out there to fall in love, start and maintain a new friendship while reconnecting with older ones, rekindling her relationship with her sister, and knowing her worth. There are so many more relationships beyond the obvious romantic one, which I loved and thought was cute and kinda fated in a way with the time loops, but Noelle’s other relationships and their development are just as important.

<b>4.5 stars</b>
Thank you to Netgalley, Jackie Lau and Atria Books for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Noelle Tom feels like she's in a rut. She's underappreciated at work, she doesn't have much of a social life to speak of, and she's pretty much given up on love and dating. Having worked late yet another Friday evening, Noelle goes to the night market and buys some dumplings from a mysterious old woman who claims they will "give her what she needed most".

Unfortunately, eating the dumplings causes Noelle to be trapped in a time loop. Every morning, no matter what she tries or does, she wakes up on Friday the 20th of June. All of her work is reset, any conversations she has are forgotten the next day. She can cut and/or dye her hair, and it's back to her usual length the next morning when she wakes up. Any money she spends, no matter how big a sum, is back in her bank account as well. When she tries to return to the night market, the old woman's food stall is nowhere to be found, even if everything else plays out the same for her, every day. Only Noelle remembers all the things she has tried and experienced. She needs to figure out what will break her out of the time loop.

After some time, reliving the same day on repeat, Noelle locates another woman, Avery, who also ate the mystery dumplings and is stuck in the same time loop, if possible in an even worse situation than Noelle (she has her period and has discovered that she wants to break up with her boyfriend - and every morning she wakes up in bed with him again). Avery and Noelle bond over their unusual situation, and while everything else resets each morning, they remember the conversations and experiences they have have together, allowing them to slowly develop a firm and supportive friendship.

Noelle keeps running into Cam, a friendly and handsome brewery owner. Every time he sees Noelle, he seems to almost remember her, prompting Noelle to believe he might be able to help her get out of her predicament. She orchestrates a long series of different meet-cutes, and as she gets to know him in a series of dates, she falls in love with him, while he has to be reminded of who she is with each new reset.

I've been reading Jackie Lau's novels for a few years now, and she keeps getting stronger and more sophisticated as a writer. Normally, her novels are straight contemporary romances, set in Canada. Here she introduces an element of magical realism with the time loop, and in the first half of the novel, especially, the focus of the story isn't so much on the romance between Noelle and Cam, but the friendship between Noelle and Avery, who both very much need someone else to listen to and support them in their lives. While Noelle is trapped in the time loop, as she gets to know Cam a bit more with each new encounter, he keeps forgetting her, and it's not possible for their relationship to really progress.

In the second half of the novel, Noelle and Avery are faced with a new challenge, as they are unexpectedly freed from the time loop, but instead of waking up on June 21st, it's January 24th. More than seven months have passed, and some version of them seems to have lived through these months, without either of them having any memory of the passing time. Avery seems to actually be engaged to her boyfriend and will need to deal with that. Meanwhile, Noelle needs to figure out why her sister doesn't seem to want to see or speak to her anymore, but also has a real chance to build a proper relationship with Cam.

Because of the time loop element, this novel is a rather unusual romance. If the friendship developing between Avery and Noelle doesn't work for you, this book might seem slow and frustrating, since most of the actual romance stuff comes in the second half. I really liked it, though, and recommend it to fans of Lau's previous novels.

<b>Judging a book by its cover: </b>I think the cover is cute, and the dark blue background with what looks like little golden dots gives it a more magical, whimsical feel. I like how we get three versions of Noelle and Cam, growing increasingly closer to one another as the story progresses.

Thank you to @jackielaubooks for an early copy of her new book Time Loops and Meet Cutes!! I had such a fun time reading this!

After eating some dumplings at a night market, Noelle gets stuck in a time loop. She has no idea what to make of the situation and while trying to navigate living the same day over and over again, she meets Avery, who is also stuck, and Cam who is ever so cute but because of the time loop, he never remembers her name. Except he remembers HER. He doesn't know why he knows her or where he knows her from but he remembers her face (swoon).

Over the course of the story, Noelle and Avery try to figure out how to get out of the loop while simultaneously actually living their lives. I also enjoyed the budding romance between Cam and Noelle. It was fascinating to see all the ways Cam remembered Noelle even if he wasn't sure why. I found the story fun and sweet and had a blast reading it.

As with any Jackie Lau story, do not read it hungry. Ever. Just don't. But do read it and all of her books. Thank you again to Jackie for having me on her ARC team!

Time Loops and Meet Cutes comes out May 6 and is available for pre-order now!

This book was quirky and fun and sweet. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. The character growth and development was amazing.

10/10—this book is a total treat! Jackie Lau delivers a fresh, fun take on the time loop trope. Noelle is stuck reliving June 20th, and while the first half focuses on her trying to escape, the second half dives into discovering why it happened. It’s funny, heartfelt, and will make you hungry—for food, love, and connection. Set in Toronto and featuring a swoony Asian brewery owner, this is a must-read. One of my new Lau favorites!

Noelle Tom is stuck in a time loop and is forced to keep repeating June 20th over and over after eating some magical dumplings at a night market. She meets Avery who is also stuck in the time loop and the two women develop a friendship and attempt to help each other get out of the loop. Even though Noelle becomes frustrated with trying to escape the loop, she does have one positive thing going for her. She has met a wonderful man named Cam who she can't seem to stop running into every time she experiences June 20th. Every time they meet, he asks if they've met before because she seems so familiar to him. She keeps trying to figure out what she needs most since that is what the woman who sold her the dumplings said they would give to her.

I really enjoyed the twist on the classic time loop trope. I loved that we got to experience Cam's perspective since he was not in the loop but kept experiencing deja vu with Noelle and seemed to feel like something (or someone) was missing from his life. I liked that Noelle used her time in the loop to make some positive changes in her life by mending some of her strained relationships with her friends and family. She also made changes when she realized how unhappy she was in her job. This story had a wonderful message about how we should not be afraid to take risks and appreciate all the little things in life and try not to take things for granted.

Read if you enjoy:
Magical Realism
Insta connection
Time Travel
Steamy, Slow Burn Romance
Friendships
Dual POV

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.