This is my first @heyashposton novel and I absolutely loved it! It was so heartfelt and genuine. It was also set in NYC and even in one of my favorite neighborhoods.

Clementine is mourning the death of her favorite aunt: the one who encouraged her to dream big and follow her heart. She also leaves Clementine her magical one bedroom apartment in the Upper East Side. I say magical because when she moves in, so does Iwan, a son of her aunt’s friend… but he’s from 7 years in the past. They make quick friends and he helps Clementine get past her grief. It grows romantic despite not knowing where this relationship could lead. They both just enjoy it for what it is.

Clementine is a publicist at a publishing company and together with her friend and work colleague, they try to sign and up and coming chef to a new cookbook. But he seems familiar… where has she met him before? I loved the back and forth of this novel. It’s fun to see how both Clementine and Iwan grow up and change into more established adults.

I personally enjoyed the time loop! I know this isn’t for everyone, but I thought it really worked well here. I loved Clementine’s friends and that they all worked together. The cookbook side of the publishing industry isn’t one I’ve seen much of and I loved that the author tied it together with the opening of Iwan’s restaurant. Very NYC, very well done. Clementine’s relationship with her Aunt Analeigh was also so beautiful. I loved that they traveled together every year. I’m trying to cultivate a relationship like this with my twin nieces. I’ve not yet read the Dead Romantics, but I will be asap!

Thank you to @berkleypub and Ashley for my gifted ebook. The Seven Year Slip is out June 27!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston is a unique standalone novel. We meet Clementine, our heroine, who is still grieving her aunt’s death, as she was extremely close to her aunt, who travelled a lot, and took Clementine on many trips. She spent a lot of times at her aunt’s apartment, which Clementine learned that the stories her aunt told her were magical, but as she grew up, Clementine stopped believing the stories. Now with her aunt’s passing, Clementine inherited the apartment, and after she moved into the apartment, she wakes up with a handsome stranger in her kitchen. Clementine remembers the stories that her aunt told her about the apartment moving in time on occasion, either seven years ahead or backwards.
Iwan, our hero, was the stranger, who was told that he could stay at her apartment, and Clementine realizes that the time frame is now 7 years ago. Iwan was a great cook, and hoped to one day be a chef. In a short time, they both enjoyed each-others company, as Iwan was sweet, caring, understanding and great to be around; and Clementine knew she was falling in love with him. When Clementine went to work, she was in her own time, being a successful publicist, who was on track to replace the publisher for Strauss & Adder Publishers; she is good at her job, and has some good friends who work there. She looks forward to going home and to see Iwan, as he cooks her fajitas, lemon cake, dances with her, gives her a kiss, and then one day when she rushes home, he is no longer there.
With her working hard at her job in the present time (only in the apartment magic did she see Iwan seven years previous); to her surprise, she discovers that her publishing house in trying to bid for the famous new chef’s book, which happens to be Iwan (now seven years later in the present time). To say too much more would spoil the book, and I suggest you read this from start to finish, in order to understand the story line.

The Seven Year Slip was an interesting and different story, with a bit of paranormal, as well as complex. The Seven Year Slip was very well written by Ashley Poston. It was very heartwarming, witty second chance romance. I suggest you read this book.

I loved every single thing about this book! Beautifully written and very likely to be my favorite read of 2023!

This book explores grief and first love and finding the courage to chase after your happy. Full of great friends, a magic time loop apartment, NYC in the summer, mouth-watering food, pigeons, a swoony lead and fun insights into the publishing industry.

Ashley Poston has hit it out of the park with her latest and it was just as special on audio read by my very fav narrator, Brittney Pressley. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

CW: death of a loved one by suicide

The Dead Romantics was one of my favorite reads last year, and this book is also a dreamy and magical love story while dealing with a serious issue like grief. There’s something very tender and lyrical about Poston’s writing that just sweeps you away. My only complaint is I wanted more scenes between Iwan and Clementine; it felt like they fell in love too quickly in the past.

I absolutely adored the authors last book, The Dead Romantics so I was thrilled to be able to read this one early. The authors brand of romance is such a delightful mixture of tender and quirky and it just works so well together. This is a gentle romance, everything is handled in such a soft and sensitive manner and it gives the whole thing a deeply romantic feeling. The addition of a time slip just adds a magical quality to everything and the balance between that uniqueness and Clementine working through her grief just worked out so beautifully in the end. There’s something special about this authors books, this one shouldn’t be missed.

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley, and Ashley Poston for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! I’m a big fan of this author and was so excited to read this one and it exceeded my expectations. It’s emotional, real, and whimsy.

The romance is super cute, but where this book really shines is with Clementine, the main character, and her relationship with her aunt. They would go on trips together and she remembers her aunt as being spontaneous and fun. While reading I felt like I knew these characters and wanted to go on one of their trips with them.

The premise is super interesting too. It features a magical apartment that can go back and forth in time seven years. It truly shows how much people and places can change in this somewhat small amount of time. I cried more than I have for a book in a long time at the end and I’m already pre-ordering a physical copy because I loved it so much. Please, pick this one up!

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘵? 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱 -- 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳.”

It's been described as "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦" and that is spot on. Iwan and Clementine will make you believe in magic and love.

In words:

Fresh.
Other-Worldly.
Unrivaled.
Hopeful.
Lovely.
Sad but never cruel.
Big Hearted.
Unique.
Sweet.
Tender grief.
Emotional.
Hopelessly romantic.
Sparkling.
Door-ajar.

FWIW- I enjoyed Poston's adult debut 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 but enjoyed this one even more!
CW- Suicide

This was a cute and sweet new time slip romance. Both main characters were sweet and likeable. I also liked that the miscommunication wasn't the main conflict and that the time slip element wasn't too complicated or over-explained. I did have a little trouble getting into this one at first, but once it grabbed me, it was a one-sitting read. Overall a nice, sweet, quick read.

Sadly, this was a miss for me.

I absolutely loved The Dead Romantics (5 stars and in my top reads of 2022). The Seven Year Slip felt like a bland and cheap knockoff of the previous novel. I didn’t feel like the story was complete once I finished. The romance was half-baked (hello, instalove!), the rules of the magical apartment were confusing, and some of the connections were left unconnected.

I am just very disappointed. Part of that may be because my expectations were so high. I just felt like this was a watered down version of The Dead Romantics.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Ashley Poston for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book! I really enjoyed it.

First off, do not expect this book to be a pure romance. Similar to The Dead Romantics, The Seven Year Slip is really more of a women's fiction book that centers around the main character Clementine. The story focuses on her romantic relationship, yes, but there is also a heavy focus on her relationship with her aunt, her changing life plans, her career, etc. There's a lot going on for Clementine! She's a likable character, and I enjoyed her journey so much!

Second, I was hanging on for all the adorable moments between Clementine and Ewan. I thought the apartment magical realism concept was adorable, and I knew I was alternately signing up for both heartache and romance as I continued to read. My biggest complaint is I wanted more romance!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advanced copy of The Seven Year Slip.

Rating: 4⭐️

“That was love, wasn’t it? It wasn’t just a quick drop — it was falling, over and over again, for your person.”

😭😭😭

I absolutely loved The Dead Romantics and somehow, this book topped it. If you want Emily Henry with a fun paranormal aspect, you need to be reading Ashley Poston.

I loved this story so much, it was about more than just falling in love at the wrong time, it was about discovering who you are and how to deal with grief.

Please read this.

🐦THE•SEVEN•YEAR•SLIP🐦
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The Dead Romantics was a big hit for me last year, so reading Ashley Poston’s newest book was a treat!
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Clementine inherits her Aunt’s apartment, an apartment she’s heard about all her life. The apartment is magical. It has a tendency to send you 7 years into the future with no rhyme or reason. Just as Clementine is trying to deal with grief and loneliness, the apartment sends her Iwan.

Read this book of you like:
🐦time travel
🐦magical realism
🐦yummy food references
🐦swoony romance
🐦strong female friendships
🐦all the feels
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I loved this book. I think it will be a popular read this summer!
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Thank you netgalley and Berkeley Publishing for the opportunity to read this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley, for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I don't know why I was so hesitant to start this book because it was PHENOMENAL! I guess I was nervous because I enjoyed The Dead Romantics so much and I didn't know whether Poston could make this book's premise work, too, but she DID! Poston is 2/2 for unique, paranormal adult romances!

Synopsis: After inheriting her aunt's apartment -- which she was always told was "magical" -- Clementine comes to realize she is not the place's only inhabitant. Iwan, an aspiring chef, is staying in the apartment for the summer, and he charms Clementine from the get-go. The catch? Iwan -- and the apartment -- are seven years in the past. Clementine must come to grips with this fact while also navigating work, friends, family, and new love while also trying to find Iwan in the present day. (If I'm not explaining this well, it's because the plot is a bit hard to wrap your head around, but trust me: it works!)

Of course, the best part of The Seven Year Slip is the romance! Iwan is charming and charismatic and swoonworthy. Any scene he was in was automatically 100x better. I loved his interactions with Clementine. They had great discussions about food and art and life. The spice was minimal but still good; the lead-up to it was excellent. If you're looking for a sexy, caring love interest, this book has it!

The premise, as I mentioned, fell short a few times, especially since Clementine only met young Iwan like, four times? However, I liked how the seven-year difference presented a nice juxtaposition between young Iwan and the older Iwan. Poston stressed how people change and that is okay, and I thought that was a beautiful theme <3

Another thing that fell short was Clementine's friendships. Her relationships with Drew and Fiona felt a bit forced, like they were just there to be there. I think they added a lot of support and humor to the story, though, so they were a bit important to the plot.

Content warning: this book discusses the death of a loved one (as caused by suicide) extensively. Please use care when reading this book. I thought Poston handled these topics beautifully, though.

Clementine was a good main character. She was dealing with grief and questioning her work passion through most of the book, so she was often in her head, which could be hard to get through. I thought her friends and Iwan brought out the best of her, however, so that was fun to read.

Overall, this was just a really good book, and I want to reread it immediately! Also, you should be excited for the cameos of characters from The Dead Romantics ;)

Author Ashley Poston has written an impressive story that intricately weaves magical realism, drama, rollicking comedy, and of course heartfelt romance. The depictions of grief, death, suicide and pregnancy are all portrayed in a relatable way, that will keep the reader thinking about the ending for a long time to come.

For anyone looking for a well-rounded story with tug-at-your-heartstrings contemporary romance, you will LOVE The Seven Year Slip. Five of five strong stars to Poston for a gorgeously written love story, making her one of my favorite authors to date! Proud to have recommended this to LibraryReads for tackling strong themes and mixing these themes with relativity in a way that will resonate with all readers!!

DROP EVERYTHING AND ADD TO CART. I absolutely loved this one! This was super cute and a quick read. At first, I had to learn about the different “time-travel” zones, but once I understood it, it was amazing! I can’t wait to read more of her books. Thank you for the ARC! :)

💛THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP by Ashley Poston💛

📆Pub date: June 20th, 2023
➡️Swipe for synopsis
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: E-book
Read if you like:
💛Adorable love stories
🪄Magical Realism
📖Books set in book publishing

Say hello to my favorite book of the year so far🙌 It’s honestly hard to find words how cute, funny, and emotional this book is. I adored everything about it, from the setting in the book publishing world to the magical apartment that sometimes sends you 7 years in the past. Obviously you need to suspend disbelief for this, as with any magical realism book. The Seven Year Slip combines Emily Henry’s signature wit with a beautiful magical element that makes my perfect book.

Clementine’s aunt leaves her her NYC apartment upon her death, an apartment that has a tendency to send you 7 years in the past. When Clementine moves in and meets a man who was subletting from his aunt 7 years ago, she falls in love. Will she be able to find him in the present time? You’ll have to read to find out😉. While this book is light and cute, there are very emotional aspects that had me tearing up. There is a good amount of talk about suicide, so please keep that in mind if that’s something you’re not comfortable reading about.

Endless thanks to berkley romance for the advanced copy of The Seven Year Slip!

"The Seven Year Slip" by Ashley Poston is a Blend of Contemporary Romance and Magical Realism!

"This apartment is magical"...

This is what twenty-nine-year-old Clementine was told by her Aunt Analea when she was eight years old.

Of course Clementine believes the apartment is magical, it's in a one-hundred-year-old building on the Upper East Side of New York City. It has windows that let in bright reflective light, a study that's overflowing with books, and a claw foot tub in the bathroom where she loves to paint with her watercolors. She has seen rainbows on the walls of that bathroom for heaven's sake.

Clementine believes it's her Aunt who makes all things magical...

Then Aunt Analea leans closer to her niece, smiles, and tells her Darling Clementine a secret...

"The Seven Year Slip" IS magical! With short chapters I love and a Time Slip story that offers two irresistible main characters, Clementine and Iwan, who are both vulnerable and determined to live their lives according to their individual plans. Their dreams about their future matter to them.

To be honest, I wasn't sure I wanted to read "The Seven Year Slip" as many Contemporary Romance novels aren't for me. This is a story that's fun and romantic, happy and sad, and the characters are written with care and intention. Best of all, the bedroom door is only slightly ajar and tastefully handled. I'm glad I read this book and just so you know: You.Will.Ugly.Cry!

I believe I've read enough books to know when authors love their characters, their stories, and how they're written. It's obvious great care went into this story and the author shares this with the reader so be sure to read her notes within the Readers Guide at the end. As a reader, I appreciate this kind of openness, vulnerability, and authenticity from an author.

I plan to double back and listen to her Adult debut novel "The Dead Romantics" soon. I love "The Seven Year Slip" and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy Contemporary Romance so artfully blended with Magical Realism!

4.25⭐ Magical Stars!

Thank you to Berkley for an ARC of this book through NetGalley. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

I devoured this book. Which is funny since one of the characters is a chef. I love this author. I will read anything she puts into book form. This is not my normal genre but I don't even care. A grieving woman inherits an apartment in Manhattan that takes you back in time to the thing it thinks you need. She slips back seven years and meets someone staying in her aunt's apartment. And there's romance and drama. I loved it.

The nitty-gritty: A feel-good romance with substance and just a touch of the speculative, The Seven Year Slip was a delight from start to finish.

Color me surprised. This horror, sci-fi lovin’ girl just fell for a contemporary romance, and I’m totally OK with that! I’ve enjoyed Ashley Poston’s YA series Once Upon a Con, so when I heard about The Seven Year Slip, I decided to request it. Sometimes a book hits you just right and all the elements work perfectly, and this is one of those happy instances. Romance fans are going to want to grab this, and even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, Poston’s story has a lot more than just romance to offer readers.

The story takes place in New York City and revolves around a senior publicist named Clementine. Clementine’s beloved Aunt Analea died six months ago, and she’s still mourning her loss. She’s inherited her aunt’s old apartment on the Upper East Side and is still trying to make it her own. Memories of her aunt are everywhere, including two important rules she instilled in her niece years ago: always take your shoes off by the door, and never fall in love. Clementine is too busy with her job at Strauss & Adder to worry about that second rule anyway. She’s next in line for a big promotion, and she pours her heart and soul into the authors and books she works with.

But one day she comes home after work, only to discover a strange man in the apartment. He claims his mother knows Aunt Analea, who offered to sublet him the apartment for the summer. Wait, what? The man—a young, aspiring chef named Iwan—acts as if Aunt Analea is still alive. As it turns out, she is, since Clementine has just stepped back in time. Her aunt told Clementine that the apartment was magical, but back then she didn’t understand. Now it hits her: the apartment appears to be a time portal of sorts that randomly takes you back seven years into the past. 

As Clementine and Iwan get to know each other, she begins to realize Iwan is exactly the type of man she could fall for. And when an up-and-coming chef approaches Strauss & Adder with a book proposal, she knows she’s in trouble. The chef, James Ashton, just happens to be Iwan—seven years older than when she met him in the apartment. And now her company is bidding on his memoir/cook book, and Clementine doesn’t know what to do. James (middle name Iwan!) is colder and more business-like than the Iwan she fell for, and she’s having trouble reconciling the two different men.

As the bidding process for his book heats up, Clementine and James realize they still have a lot of chemistry. If only the past weren’t trying to come between them.

This story is actually very hard to sum up, and a lot more happens than what I’ve described above. The time travel/time slip storyline is pretty cool, and there’s just enough of it to make things interesting without turning it into hard-core speculative fiction. I loved the idea of an apartment that can take the person who lives there back in time seven years. But it’s a random event, so Clementine never knows when she opens the front door whether Iwan will be there or not. It’s a fun concept that keeps the romance fresh and unpredictable.

Aside from that element, there is so much about this story that I loved. Clementine is surrounded by wonderful friends, each one with a fully developed personality. Drew is the rock star editor at Strauss & Adder, and Fiona works in the design department. The three friends are extremely close and do everything together. It reminded me a bit of the friendship between Carrie and her friends in Sex in the City. We get to know Aunt Analea through flashbacks and see glimpses of her and Clementine and their summer trips together. There's also a love story between Analea and a woman named Vera, and even though it didn't end well, Clementine wants nothing more than to experience the kind of love Analea and Vera had. 

Then of course, there is Iwan/James, the man who upends Clementine's carefully controlled world. When Clementine meets him for the first time, he’s about to interview for a dishwasher position at a trendy restaurant, hoping to get his foot in the door and then move up the ranks. I loved his earnest personality and the way he calls Clementine “Lemon.” The dialog between the two is both sweet and hysterically funny. Ashley Poston is simply a genius when it comes to dialog! Of course there are lots of stumbling blocks along the way with their relationship, and Poston comes up with some great scenarios surrounding the seven year time jumps.

There’s also a lot of heart in this story. James introduces Clementine to the best fajitas in New York, courtesy of two culinary school friends who own a successful food truck. The relationship between Clementine and Analea was wonderful, and I loved the way Analea loved to travel the world with her niece. The publishing company, Strauss & Adder, specializes in travel guides, and I thought that was a nice touch, as it creates a connection to Clementine’s past exploits with her aunt. Poston adds some thoughtful moments to the story by exploring the idea of creating a life that you love, and learning how to recognize when you’ve strayed off that path. Both Clementine and Iwan do a lot of soul searching about their jobs during the story, and this more serious element was a nice contrast to the lighter moments.

If you’re a fan of movies like When Harry Met Sally or You’ve Got Mail—both set in New York, by the way—I think you’ll absolutely love The Seven Year Slip. I swear, if someone doesn’t make this into a movie, I’ll be very surprised, it practically screams “film adaptation”! I’m so glad I picked up this book, and now I need to go back and read Poston’s The Dead Romantics, which I hear is great. Highly recommended!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved The Dead Romantics, but I think I loved this book more! The chemistry between Clementine and Iwan was perfectly written, their love story unfolding in two timelines. I loved the plot, I loved the romance, and I loved the little crossover with Benji and Florence.

If you loved this authors debut, you’ll adore her newest book. They both have the same spooky/sci-fi factor, while still being an ooey gooey romance that has you giggling and kicking your feet in the air! I highly recommend this book.