Seriously, this is probably the most delightful book I have read or will read this year! I loved Holly James’ writing style and found the story of Jack and Gemma’s journey out of a time loop to scratch every specific itch I have in a sweet magical realism romance! Gemma is very relatable and lovable. I deeply understood her family issues and the lack of confidence that would naturally accompany said issues. Jack is the perfect lovesick dream boy. They are both saving each other here and the desperate collision of hearts through time and space is palpable right off the page. The scientific explanation of what is going on within the “glitch” is nothing short of poetry. I highlighted the heck out of the professor’s explanation!
I mostly want to praise the pacing of this book. Just from the little I knew before starting it, I was worried about a painful repetition of days, but the author did a wonderful job of keeping it fresh every step of the way. I genuinely enjoyed reading every page and felt a bit bereft for it to end. I highly recommend this book to those in search of wonder, heart explosions and a chance at being rescued from the mundane linear timeline we could all use a break from!

A time loop rom com just in time for beach season! Gemma, a radio producer and daughter to a music mogul is just going through her life when things start to seem a little off. Jack, a screen writer for an Uber popular tv show, is madly in ,I’ve with Gemma and a will live the same day over and to convince her that they are destined to be together! Super cute and would make a wonderful Netflix movie! Don’t miss this delightful modern day groundhogs day!

Fun time loop story from the perspective of the person NOT trapped in the loop.

Time loops can be problematic in how much agency those not stuck in the time loop have. The time loopers have a lot of power to manipulate emotions and such but this was handled decently enough. Gemma was very skeptical of Jack, his claims, and his ability to influence her, and it also seemed like Jack was trying everything in his power to not keep secrets from Gemma and break out of the loop.

It was a bit instalovey, due to the nature of the time loop, but it was still a cute story nonetheless.

The weakest part of this was just the mechanics of why Jack got caught in the loop in the first place and why Gemma was the "glitch." Even something as simple as the looped day was supposed to be yesterday or that yesterday was never supposed to happen would have made things a little clearer.

This was my first book by Holly James, but I look forward to reading more! I found her writing style to be very readable!

3.5

—4.5/5 stars—
Thank you to NetGalley, Holly James, and the publisher for the ARC of this book!! What a delight!!
About the book
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Age: adult
Genres: romance, contemporary, general fiction
Writing: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
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My thoughts:
This was a fantastic read that grabbed me from the beginning. The characters were a fun set of California adults, including your typical LA influencer. Gemma, our FMC, was really sweet! If anything, I felt she was a hair subdued but she was written so well that I’ll let it go. Jack, our MMC, was also soooo sweet! Without giving too much away, I really just wanted more of his background. As part of the plot, a lot of facts about him were peppered in but a stronger backstory would have made him shine even more.
Their connection was really wonderful and I loved the build to the end.
Time loop love stories are always SO good but I can’t help but how this could have been made even more different? That’s truly the reason for my 4.5 instead of a 5. I wanted something to just be a little more different, more unique.
All in all this was a fantastic book and I will absolutely be recommending this to my friends and reading groups!

StoryGraph review in link. Thank you for the book.

I enjoyed reading this and I liked how the characters developed throughout the book.

The Deja Glitch offers readers a new take on a time loop romance. Gemma is a radio producer that can tell things are a little hazy, but can’t remember enough to keep her from reliving the same day. Meanwhile, Jack, a TV producer, is stuck remembering and reliving the same day. The only way to break the cycle is to make Gemma fall in love with him. Readers are taken on a trip through Gemma and Jack’s history, as they both navigate a past that leads them to each other. Admittedly, I struggle to stay engaged in time loop books (and movies!), but I felt like author Holly James’ offers a fresh perspective on a situation that has been written before. I genuinely enjoyed the characters! I think Gemma’s relationship with her best friend, Lila, is a delightful part of the storyline (and I think maybe she should get her own book next!). Overall, readers that enjoy romcom books with a time loop twist will be hooked on Gemma and Jack’s story! The Deja Glitch is perfect for late summer reading by the pool!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gemma is a radio producer in the LA music scene and she is recovering form her ex-boyfriend using her to get to her dad who is a famous record producer. Once he got a deal, he dumped her and Gemma has sworn off musicians which has really turned into no dating at all. Jack crashes into her in the coffee shop one morning and Gemma is really confused on how she remembers him and feels like she has known him for a long time. Jack gets through to her that they have been living this same day over and over for a few months. Jack is convinced that in order to get out of this loop that Gemma has to fall in love with him in one day.

I thought this story was really cute but it felt like the first half kept dragging on while the second half had so much going on. It was closed door but you could tell the chemistry was there between the two main characters by the second half of the day. It was hard to keep up with some of the days starting over at the beginning of the book. Overall, it was a really cute read for any romcom fan.

Thank you to Penguin and Net Galley for the arc of this book!!

It reminded me a lot of Palm Springs movie, which was a movie I very much did enjoy. I did not like the instant love trope or the way things sped up towards the middle/end of the novel but overall it was very enjoyable and fun to read rom com!!

Thank you for the arc! I enjoyed the first half of this book. It is a fresh take on the Groundhog Day trope. The second half felt like we had too much going on. The events moved quickly and the couple parted and came back together too much.

I think the closed door element will be great for some but I would have preferred more detail.

Again, thank you for allowing me to read early!

Gemma runs into Jack, literally, I’m a coffee shop. She doesn’t know why he seems familiar, or why he knows her name. But when he tells her a story that he’s been stuck in a time loop reliving this day over and over again, she thinks he must be crazy. But when little things start to happen that give her a sense of deja vu, she can’t help but think he might be actually telling the truth. And according to him, all she has to do is fall in love with him in order to end the cycle.

I’ll be honest, I don’t always love time loop stories. Sometimes they just seem to go on for too long, and it gets a bit boring. But this book was a totally different side of things. Since the book is told in Gemma’s POV, we’re taking Jack’s word that he’s living this time loop. We haven’t actually loved it with him for all those days, so that set an entirely new twist for me to the typical time loop tale. In fact, the book takes place really over one day, bringing Gemma and Jack together in various ways to try to break the cycle.

This different perspective made all the difference for me! I loved Gemma and Jack’s story. All of their encounters felt really warm and special. The side characters all added plot pieces along the way that helped move the story in a complete way. I loved the growth that Gemma went through from start to finish, with her confidence, and her relationships, and mostly with Jack.

Overall this book was super cute! I definitely recommend it for any rom-com fan!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced copy of this book!

The Déjà Glitch is an engaging romance that takes place over the course of one day but has actually been repeating that one particular day over the “past” 147 days due to a time glitch. Jack knows that he’s been stuck on that one day; Gemma has no idea that she has met Jack “before.” We learn about some of those 147 days and why, much to Jack’s frustration, Gemma does not remember him when that day repeats and repeats and repeats itself.

Ultimately, Jack is convinced that the only way to break the time glitch is to get Gemma to fall in love with him. However, it seems that every time things seem to be going well for their relationship, some problem pops up, such as issues with previous lovers, family, and/or difficulties at work. There is a constant seesaw effect as their relationship goes up and down. Major complications arise that make it look like the day will draw to a close without Gemma falling in love with Jack. Will she remember him “tomorrow” if the time glitch doesn’t resolve?

There are funny moments and serious moments and frustrating moments and significant moments. At times it seems rather unrealistic that Jack keeps reappearing in Gemma’s life. But, all-in-all, it’s a very enjoyable and different kind of romantic comedy.

Seemed like a cute idea but ended up just being a cheap rip off of Groundhog Day with a cheesy and cliche romance twist. Now Im usually ok with cliche rom com books when they’re done well, but sadly this was not and the writing was shallow and too much of “this happened and then this and then this”. Also would have been nice to include a timeloop reset counter at the start of relevant chapters for clarity. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

I haven't read anything by Holly James before, but I will definitely be reading future novels and looking into her backlist because this book and these characters were so addictive. And so precious!

Yes, I could've done without chapter 16 and I do wish Gemma had more of a background with Nigel (like her father produced his music so he was around in his childhood quite a bit) to warrant his paternal instincts towards Jack, but I had a hard time putting this book down. Gemma and Jack felt like such realistic characters to me -- especially Gemma's family issues -- and Gemma's friendship with Lila was just the best. Even though this film does run through some rom-com cliches -- down to the mad dash through the airport -- I had so much reading it.

I really like how James uses their writing to be exhilarating and thought-provoking within the science-fiction thriller genre that seamlessly blends the boundaries of time, memory, and reality. With its gripping plot, complex characters, and mind-bending concepts, this novel takes readers on a thrilling ride through a world where the past, present, and future converge.
The author's ability to craft a compelling and suspenseful narrative while at the same time creating a plot that keeps readers guessing and engaged throughout is phenomenal.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
#TheDéjàGlitch #NetGalley

Jack and Gemma were likable. Overall, I enjoyed the plot.

This was the first time I’ve ever gotten to 92% of a book and considered DNF’ing. From the 90% to the 95% mark, Jack and Gemma rehashed through written dialogue every single event of their time loop day. Then the epilogue was another half rehash half awkward mess. It was like, really? I read the book, and I knew what happened in the story… There was a lot of exposition throughout that just had me skim reading for pages on my kindle. I also noticed we were in limited third person POV focused on Gemma, but we were gifted random one-sentence omniscient POVs throughout (I really hope the line editors help fix before printing). I felt like so much of this book was padding for word count. I finished reading in three and a half hours, so probably. :-( (I’m a fast reader, but normally romcoms take me 4.5-5ish hours…)

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gemma Peters is a radio producer who has greater ambitions but feels stuck–literally. Her ex-boyfriend using her to get close to her rock legend dad has caused her to shut relationships from her life and she’s keen on making a name for herself in the industry without associating with her father. Jack, a scriptwriter, on the other hand, finds himself asking for a change, and his wish gets answered in a most unexpected way. She’s living her life with her best friend Lila and her Labrador Rex until one day she notices a familiar feeling about the events of her day. When Gemma crashes into Jack at her favorite coffee place, she can’t explain the sense of déjà vu she experiences–but he can. They have been experiencing the same Thursday for over five months and while Jack is bound to remember, Gemma is only able to remember fragments. How are they stuck and how can they break the loop?

When I first saw what this book was about I immediately wanted to read it and I was absolutely not disappointed. This book is a romcom and time loop lover’s dream. It went beyond my expectations which were already high in the first place. I loved reading about Gemma and I’m pretty sure I also fell in love with Jack in one day. Even though it was a quick read I felt like the pace of the relationship was perfect. Most of the book takes place on the same day and it felt like one day was longer than 24 hours. I loved how even most of the book is about Gemma’s struggles, it gave space for Jack to figure out and solve his own problems. Besides the romance part of the story, the magical realism (or science-fiction) part was really interesting too. I appreciated how a time loop was actually kind of justified instead of just getting brushed under magic.

Lila. I need a best friend like Lila in my life. Lila was probably the character I related to the most because I too would drag my best friend to a psychic if she told me a handsome stranger told her that they were stuck in a time loop. Also, she was such a hopeless romantic and a very supportive best friend. Her being an influencer worked out in Gemma’s favor quite a lot and I’m not just talking about all the free items she gets thanks to Lila. I also adored how it was Lila’s birthday but she still was with Gemma whenever Gemma needed her. I loved how she stood up for her at the birthday dinner, and at the airport too. The side characters were so well-developed.

Gemma’s relationship with her brother giving her complicated relationship with her dad was also handled very delicately. I loved how close they were, and it was heart-warming to read about how things worked out in the end for them as a family. Also, I loved Nigel as a character and how he was a father figure to Gemma. Both the podcast and the concert scenes were magical. I loved the lengths Jack went to for Gemma and how Nigel happily played along.

Gemma and Jack. I have so much to say about them, I absolutely adored their relationship, and I still can’t stop thinking about Jack’s speech (the one Lila recorded). That is quite literally the most romantic thing ever. I loved how Jack never gave up even after 5 months. He was so sure Gemma was the answer he needed, and it turned out he was exactly what Gemma needed as well. I loved how he memorized practically everything about Gemma, yet still wanted to learn more. I loved how each of them was convinced that the other one was the key. Because that was what the story was about. Both of them found each other at a time they needed each other the most. Because of the events of the day, Gemma had to face the two challenges she was running away from, just like how Jack realized the change he needed was Gemma and how he knew this in his heart for all 5 months. This was such a unique twist on time loops, I loved reading this book so much.

If you’re looking for a fun, heart-warming, and creative romcom and you enjoy time loops, this is your book. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

I am not a typical romantic comedy reader but it is nice to take a break from thrillers so I was happy to get the opportunity to read " The Deja Glitch".
Overall I would say that this is a cute, pretty clean, fairly predictable read. The pacing was fairly slow in certain chapters causing me to skim to dialogue between the characters.
My favorite part was a funny scene at the conclusion of the book when the reader gets a glimpse at how well the love intrests have come to know one another.

A light read that readers who enjoy the insta-love / rom-com genre will enjoy,

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the eARC of The Deja Glitch in exchange for my honest review.

I think this one had a lot of potential, I love a Groundhogs Day-esque romance because they typically are a lot of fun and time loops can bring some interesting consequences to the characters. However, the characters in this felt extremely shallow which tanked my excitement. I felt pretty meh about the whole thing.

This was the first time I have read a book about being stuck in a time loop and it was SO GOOD!!!! I highly recommend this book. I loved the relationship between the two main characters and all the family connections that were made in this story.

This was a total must-read. it had a lot working for it. I really enjoyed the story and all that it was about. Good story and will read more from this author.