Noelle Tom is a workaholic engineer, she is married to her job and every other aspect of her life has fallen to the wayside, her love life, her family life, her friendships and more. Then one day after a late night at work she passes by a food night market, and eats a portion of the best dumplings she's ever had. The next morning she wakes up to realize she is reliving the same day as yesterday.

She learns she is stuck in a time loop and she works to figure out out to get out of it, she tries so many different things, and over time she keeps running into the same cute man Cam, and is certain he is the key to getting out it. She gets to know him over time but he unfortunately forgets her everytime the day restarts.

The concept of this book was so much fun, I love a groundhog situation and this one was a fun time. I loved how much food played a part in this story, I also loved it taking place in my city of Toronto. I just felt the time loop went on for a bit too long and I got bored at point. It stopped feeling romantic and fun and got very depressy so it lost me a bit at that point. It was still a lovely read over all.

This book had such a strong start that I was hooked. The first 40% was clever, exciting, and full of promise. I was fully invested in Noelle’s daily adventures, and it had me seriously thinking: What would I do in a time loop with zero consequences? The premise was so fun and had the kind of “what if?” energy that made it shine.

But around the halfway mark, things started to lose momentum. The middle dragged with repetitive attempts to break the loop, and when the story finally moved forward again… it felt like all that build-up fizzled. The ending, unfortunately, didn’t deliver the satisfying punch I hoped for. It felt slightly rushed and underdeveloped, and some major reveals were met with oddly flat reactions from the characters.

I wanted to love this one, and I did love the premise. But in the end, it just didn’t quite stick the landing for me personally.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC!

This is a story about a woman who gets stuck reliving June 20 over and over. And over. And over.

Noelle is kind of stuck. Stuck in a job she is giving too much time to. Stuck in a rut of avoiding romance after a bad breakup. Stuck in a pattern of avoiding people. And then she decides to go to a market and buys some dumplings that change everything.

Cam is the MMC of this story. He is sweet, dorky and adorable. And he has no idea who Noelle is from looped day to looped day outside of a vague feeling of have we met before.

The emotions that the characters go through in this book are big and intense. And the hopelessness they feel at times will break your heart.

This is a well written story. The characters are likeable and I love that it is set in Toronto. If you enjoy stories with a bit of mystery (exactly how do dumplings affect time??), a slow pace and some romance, this is the story for you!

CW - There is talk of self harm and suicidal ideation.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is a fun read with a take on the romance genre. It’s not often that you find romance with time travel at the core of it. But is it really time travel when the character is stuck living the same day over and over? I guess I’m trying to say this is very much like the Billy Murray movie Groundhog Day and Lynn Painter’s The Do-Over. The biggest difference is that Noelle finds she’s not the only person stuck in the time loop.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes is a quick read, with relatable characters. Most people can relate to Noelle, who doesn’t feel overworked and underappreciated at their job. Cam is kind of the opposite of that. While stressed about work, he still tries to find the fun in things. For both, family is important, even if they don’t understand everything about their families’ pasts.

There are some spicy bits in the book. However, Lau is good at not extending the scenes more than necessary. Sure, you know what’s happening, as it does not fade to black, but it’s not written excessively.

My two issues with the book are Noelle’s occasional whining and the resolution of the time loops. What triggers them to stop? Does she do something in particular to end them? There is an explanation later in the book, but it doesn’t feel satisfactory.

Overall, if you enjoy reading romance with meet-cutes, this is a great book. There are over twenty meet-cutes. If you want character growth, you should read Time Loops & Meet Cutes.

I knew based on the title that I was going to enjoy this one - and then I discovered it takes place in Toronto 😍

I see a lot of myself in Noelle - I don’t like change and don’t really take risks - so to see her experience the time loop and the subtle changes she goes through to get out of it was wonderful.

I love her relationship with Cam and her friendship with Avery and how determined Noelle was to get things right with both of them.

This was cute. I love reading books set in Canada, but I’m also biased. 🤭

The plot was fun and intriguing. I am always drawn to magical realism books, and anything with romance and time travel just hooks me right in!

This book had a lot of potential, but it felt like it was lacking depth in some aspects. The repeated “groundhog day” began to tire even myself, so I felt exactly what the character was feeling at certain points. That felt really genuine, but the characters’ voices all felt similar and the deeper topics were brought to light and then dropped quickly off. I kept waiting for a big Ah-ha moment in the book.

If you enjoyed This Spells Love or The Midnight Library, this one might be for you!

This novel comes out on May 6th! Thanks to NetGalley, Jackie, and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good time loop story so I was hopeful about this ARC, and I really enjoyed it! 

It has all the classic time loop aspects you want:
•figuring out how you got in the loop and trying to find the person again (to no avail);
•trying different things to break the loop (kisses, staying up late, quitting your terrible job, repairing or ending strained relationships, etc.); and
•being different levels of wreckless once you know you're stuck and don't have consequences (multiple haircuts, trips from Toronto to New York and Vancouver, manufacturing a way to meet the cute guy you've run into more than once to initiative a meet cute and hopefully get a kiss to see if that breaks the loop and then doing that multiple times since he won't remember you embarassing yourself, etc.).

It was very well done, and I especially liked that she found someone else stuck in the loop and they had each other to lean on, especially in the moments it felt hopeless. The romance itself was very sweet (sometimes bittersweet) but also fun. I appreciated that Noelle was very cognizant of consent and fairness when it came to her budding relationship with Cam since he wouldn't remember her each new June 20th, even though he had some odd deja vu moments where he'd remember little things about her without realizing. There is some spice but it's only when he's fully aware of what's going on and after she's out of the loop.

Which brings me to another thing I enjoyed: the balance between time spent in the loop and after. Many time loop stories end once the person escapes the loop, but we get to see how she and her friend deal with what they come back to and how it affects them.  

I am definitely glad I randomly requested this ARC, so thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria for approving it. And bonus: it's set in Canada (Toronto) and by a Canadian author! I don't believe I've read anything by her before but will definitely look for her in future.

Amazing book full of hopes and second chance type of romance. A must for May!!

Thanks S&S for the amazing opportunity.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the eARC.

On a random Friday after work, Noelle finally decides to do something different from her usual routine. She goes to a Toronto night market where she buys some dumplings. The elderly woman tells her the dumplings will "give her what she needs." Stumped by this, Noelle eats them, goes about her night and walks up the next morning to find that she's repeating the day before again.

Noelle starts a quest to figure out how to stop the time loop and finds another woman at the market, Avery, who also had the dumplings and is stuck in the time loop. While she's trying to figure out how to escape, she keeps bumping into Cam. Noelle is sure that he could be the key to getting out of it, but every day she meets him again, he doesn't remember her.

This was an enjoyable book! Noelle goes through so much growth and life changes despite being stuck in a time loop. Honestly, I almost loved her new friendship with Avery more than her relationship with Cam.

The ending of this book is incredibly clever and I'm looking forward to reading more from the author's backlist.

The thing that I will say about this book, and it's due to the nature of the time loop situation, is that the first 50% felt slow to me. There was (obviously) a lot of Noelle reliving the same day, but I found her inner monologue to be the same at times. That said, I didn't mind the pacing by the end and enjoyed that I took my time reading this.

Fans of Ashley Posten, Rebecca Serle or Sarah Ready will enjoy this one!

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At first, Time Loops & Meet Cutes caught my attention with it's super cute cover and the blurb. I wanted to love it, but it wasn't quite the right fit for me.
In the first half, I found the story to be extremely slow and repetitive, which made it really difficult for me to connect with it. The writing almost felt a little juvenile at times as well.
I enjoyed the second half of the story more as we moved forward and got more dual POVs, which I always enjoy. I liked finding out how relationships changed and characters grew.
While I may not be a big fan of time loop tropes, I believe that Time Loops and Meet Cutes could be very enjoyable for the right reader (as other reviews show!).
I'll be giving it 2.5/5, rounded to 3 stars.

I really enjoyed this book! Noelle gets some dumplings at a night market, where the woman running the stall said they’d give her “what she needed most”. She wakes up the next day to find that it’s June 20th once again and that she’s stuck in a time loop.

As Noelle continues to experience the same day repeatedly, she meets someone special, establishes a new friendship, reconsiders her job, and examines some of the important relationships in her life. Living in a time loop makes her bolder and more carefree - but going through a Groundhog Day type experience also has its downsides.

I enjoyed how Noelle grew through the time loop, and the friend she found in Avery. I’m a sucker for a book set in Toronto! The familiar locations brought me joy. I can see the versions of her meet cute play out like a movie - even the awkward ones. I liked that we got snippets of Cam’s experience through the dual POV. This was a really sweet story that I flew through.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau is a charming, feel-good romance with a clever time loop twist. It’s sweet, funny, and full of heart — the kind of book that makes you believe in fate, second chances, and the magic of a really good meet cute. The characters are instantly lovable, their chemistry is effortless, and the story manages to be both thoughtful and lighthearted.

Jackie Lau balances sci-fi elements with emotional depth and cozy vibes, all set against a vividly Toronto backdrop (with plenty of mouthwatering food mentions, of course). If you're into soft romances with a nerdy twist, this one’s a must-read. It's the book equivalent of a warm hug on a weird day.

I just wanted to start with the fact that Time Loops & Meet Cutes was my first book by Jackie Lau. I requested it off a seasonal mailing list because it looked interesting—I don’t read a lot of contemporary rom-coms, save for a few repeat authors, but I do love all things sci-fi adjacent.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes doesn’t spend long in the exposition. We’re launched into the plot very quickly. This isn’t necessarily something I’m opposed to, but given that it’s written in first person present tense, I was a little jarred. Lau’s writing is a bit blunt, which also jilted me initially. This wasn’t a problem overall, just something that I want to note for others in case this deters you from continuing. The style makes sense for our FMC, Noelle Tom, who is a 32 year-old very “get sh!t done” type of woman. Except she’s also a bit of a pushover.

The flaws are the point. I promise you. While Time Loops & Meet Cutes had a rom-com element, I greatly appreciated that this book was actually about Noelle getting the opportunity to learn about her flaws and improve. This was a vastly better direction in my opinion, because it’s more interesting. I might not have enjoyed the book as much if this hadn’t been the case, because this made me care more about Noelle. It made her realer.

Of course, you have to suspend your disbelief for everything to make sense, but in the end, it does, so the ending was satisfying.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Atria for the eARC of Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau.

Huge thank you S&S for the advanced copy!


I’m not sure where to begin with this one. It was such a good read! Different from what I’ve been reading and it was kind of a breath of fresh air??

The whole concept of the magical dumplings causing a time loop to help Noelle “find what she needs most” was so fun and hooked me right away.

I loved also getting POV chapters from Cam (MMC)

Overall, I really enjoyed this story! It was sweet and funny and also had some heavy moments but it was just a really great read and I hope you take the time to read it!

This was a cute and quick read. I enjoyed the main characters, however, wasn't overly invested in the story. I obviously expected it to be repetitive with the time loop but it felt like the character just did the exact same thing every time or made very minute changes?

Part two once out of the time loop went by quicker and was more engaging. But overall it was just okay.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance copy!

3.5 stars

I love time loop stories so much!

The story is cute - it follows Noelle, a thirty-something Asian Canadian woman (love the Toronto setting) who's kind of meandering through life. She's got her job (overworked, underpaid), her apartment, and her financial stability. But... that's it. She keeps herself isolated from friends and family. And then one day, boom - thanks to some magical dumplings, she gets stuck in a time loop, re-living June 20th again and again. But she keeps bumping into this cute guy.....

This was another solid entry in the 'time loops' category. Jackie Lau's writing is excellent - it immediately drew me into the story, and kept me hooked. I enjoyed Noelle's journey to figuring out what matters to her, her appreciation of her life as it it, and the grief she feels for missed moments. I also like that she admits her flaws to herself, and that she found a new understanding and empathy towards people struggling with mental health issues. And I liked Cam a lot! His worries about disappointing his family, and his love for his brewery made him loveable and relatable.

As for what I didn't love - the resolution of the time loop. It felt like there was no solid answer to why they got out of it, which makes it all seem like it was a bit haphazard and pointless? And I would have loved to see them meet Cam's grandma and have a chat with her.

All told, this was a fun, cute story with a lovely romance, and solid self-discovery.

Read if you like:
-magical dumplings (the food all sounded so good, I was starving the entire time I read this)
-Asian rep (she is Chinese/Canadian, he is Taiwanese)
-she's falling in love while he forgets her after every June 20... or does he?

I loveeee dumplings but after reading this book, I’m going to think twice about where I’m getting them from 😅

Noelle Tom visits the night market and she is starving ready to eat some dumplings. But the old lady at the stall said they would give her what she needed most, which Noelle was thinking was food. But when Noelle wakes up and realizes it’s the same day over and over, she realizes she’s in a time loop and has no idea how to get out of it. Then she meets good-looking Cam. Noelle is worried she will never escape the loop and Cam will never remember who she is.

I’m all for a good time travel/time loop book. I love that the author is Canadian, and the book takes place in Toronto. This is a cute read but it is very repetitive. I found the spicy scenes a bit random. Overall, I don’t think this one was for me.

Read this if you like time travel, meet cutes, and want something quick and fun.


Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for a DRC. Time Loops & Meet Cutes is available May 6.

This may be my favourite time-loop read ever.

Noelle is an engineer, so surely she can think her way out of a time-loop that some dumplings got her stuck in. Right? Right???

I loved Noelle's methodological thinking as she tries to get herself out of reliving June 20th over and over and over again. From attempting to eat all sorts of other dumplings to going to acupuncture to drinking kopi staying up late, Noelle does everything she can (short of dying) to get herself out of this Groundhog day. Try as she may though, she stays stuck.

As a result, Noelle starts taking chances - asking for a raise, flirting with the cute guy she keeps running into, taking trips knowing that the charges will disappear from her card the next day. I liked seeing her come out of her shell and seeing how certain actions made waves in her life, even during the 24 hours she has.

I found the end interesting, too - I don't think we got the full resolution we deserved, thus four instead of five stars, but I did like how everything shakes out and the impact the loop had on her relationship with her friends, family, and the love interest.

A unique take on an age old idea, and I enjoyed it immensely. Super readable, with likeable characters, Time Loops and Meet Cutes was such a great read!

TW: suicidal ideation, alcohol consumption, burnout, grief, sexual content; mentions toxic relationship

Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Atria/Emily Bestler Books via Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a lovely book. I’m borderline speechless. Jackie Lau’s Time Loops and Meet Cutes follows Noelle, a young Toronto woman and engineer who decides one night to treat herself after work with food from a night market nearby. She sees this small vendor selling dumplings and decides to give them a try, only she finds out they were not any ordinary dumplings, but dumplings that caused her to get stuck in a time loop. In this time loop she meets Cam, a young easy going guy, who can’t seem remember any of their interactions in the time loop, besides sometimes the sense of deja vu, and she thinks he might be the key to getting out of the time loop. This story was told beautifully and I felt invested the whole time. It’s a beautiful story of friendship, and love. I loved the magical realism in this story and I felt like I was watching a movie. Additionally, the ending had me in tears. It tied a beautiful bow around Noelle and Cams experience throughout the book. Noelle and Cam are for sure meant for each other. As a Vietnamese woman who grew up with my grandma, whose love language is food, this felt like a big hug. I love great Asian representation and it was overall just the perfect book if you’re looking for a light hearted, feel-good story with a little bit of magic! I will definitely be getting all of my book friends to read it. Thank you to Jackie Lau and team, Simon and Schuster Canada, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book comes out May 6th so get excited!

Who doesn’t love a good time loop?

Time Loops and Meet Cutes is a story about taking control of your life and connecting to the people closest to you. I thought the characters were all cute and the story was fast paced and easy to read.

I just thought there was nothing that really gripped me or made me want to keep reading, the repeated days got a little tedious because for a while there was no attempt to fix it or figure out what was going on. That, and the humour was a little awkward and didn’t hit home.