I have a high bar for books about time travel or time loops. This one was a slow burn but the ending had a good payoff. The romance felt forced and there was little chemistry (at least I could read) with the characters.

In this novel set a few decades in the future, technician Carter, who works at the Hawk particle accelerator, and scientist Mariana, whose company ReLive is visiting Hawk, get stuck in a 4 day time loop when something goes wrong with the accelerator.

I usually love a good time loop/time travel story, but this one was just ok for me - entertaining enough but also repeating so many times I started to feel like I was the one stuck in the time loop. Also, as the title indicates, this book tries to be both a science fiction novel and a love story, but I felt like sometimes it couldn’t really decide which one it wouldn’t to be. There was a section of the book which basically was all relationship focus, but then somehow that all got abandoned. And the characters just didn’t feel very fleshed out - and it was confusing how the first chapter was from Carter’s perspective but then the entire rest of the book was Mariana - either alternate between both or just stick to one. I loved Mike Chen’s first two books but then the next three including this one have all been kind of mediocre for me, so maybe it’s time for me to stop reading his books.

REVIEW: A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen

Mike Chen's A Quantum Love Story is a refreshing and inventive take on the classic love story. It combines elements of science fiction with deep emotional resonance. The novel explores the intersection of love and quantum physics, following the lives of two characters whose fates are intertwined across parallel universes.

Chen's writing shines as he skillfully balances complex scientific concepts with the heartwarming and often heartbreaking moments that define the characters' relationships. The protagonists are compelling and relatable, and their emotional journeys feel genuine and deeply human. Chen's use of parallel universes to explore "what could have been" adds a unique layer of depth to the narrative, making the reader ponder the possibilities of love beyond time and space constraints.

While the story's scientific aspects might occasionally feel a bit dense for those not well-versed in quantum theory, Chen does an admirable job focusing on the emotional core. The pacing is generally strong, though there are moments where the narrative could have moved a bit quicker.
Overall, A Quantum Love Story is an engaging and thought-provoking read that successfully merges the speculative with the romantic. It will appeal to science fiction enthusiasts and those who enjoy a well-crafted love story with a twist. It is highly recommended for readers looking for something different yet profoundly affecting.

Thank you, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

I came to this book hoping to get a similar vibe to The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, and I did! The characters are fun (and made me permanently crave pastries), and the story kept me engaged to the end. I loved the "quantum" more than the "love story"- definitely an enjoyable read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

The synopsis seemed extremely interesting but the execution fell short for me. You have Connor and Mariana who are stuck together in a time loop. They have to work together to figure out how it fix it. Halfway through the book Connor is no longer part of it. Mariana is on her own to figure it out. He comes back into the plot in the last chapter. This could have been a better love story. I don’t think they had enough time to “fall in love” as we were intended to believe.

It wasn’t a bad story just could have been better. I do think there will be plenty who love A Quantum Love Story as it is.

This story is both entertaining, uplifting, and at times heart-breaking. Mike Chen is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Mariana and Carter are such fun, engaging characters. I felt such a connection to both of them at different times in the story as they worked to solve the problem that has set them on a repeating time loop.

Memory plays a huge role in the story, both Carter’s eidetic memory and Mariana’s enhanced memory allow them to build on their work each loop. And allows them to take some adventures along the way they would never have taken without the loop (and resetting bank balances and cholesterol levels). It also allows them to grow closer. But memory is not perfect, and sometimes it can slip.

The story is told from Mariana’s point of view, so we do get a deeper look into her life and losses. But Carter shares much of himself with her, so I feel like we get a fairly deep look into his motivations as well.

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but once the anomalies started appearing, my heart broke for them both, but especially Mariana. The story took a turn I didn’t expect, but completely welcomed. And the ending was intense. It left a lot of unanswered questions (which normally drives me crazy, but didn’t in this case), but was also very satisfying at the same time.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC through Harlequin Trade Paperback Tours and Net Galley. As a tour participant, I posted an excerpt at the time of publication. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Quantum Love Story started off really strong for me. It is, as a book, quite charming and clever. Although the time loop concept was fun, I did feel that the book didn't quite nail the concept's execution. The latter half of the book really started to drag for me, and, in particular, it felt just very repetitive. I had lost quite a bit of interest toward the end, before the rules all switched up in a fun little twist, but the change-up was not ultimately enough to pull me back in. I did like, thought, that the author left the ending a bit open-ended. I thought that was a bold choice that paid off.

I will say, and I am nearly certain that this was a me-thing and not an research/author thing, but the science wasn't always sciencing for me. This book *I think* is primarily a romance, so the science wouldn't normally matter to me, but you couldn't just speed past the science stuffs/data extrapolation/AI because of how present it was. My biggest gripe with some of the quantum mechanics is that much of it seemed unnecessary? And including so much of it opened the door for inconsistencies in the "rules" from chapter to chapter, even if overall it all tracked. It is almost as if the novel wasn't sure if it wanted to be a work of science fiction with a romantic element, or sci-fi romance, and ultimately straddled the two genres in a way that didn't best serve its characters and their stories.

Ultimately, I liked the novel and I enjoyed reading it. I think it had significant potential to be one of those books that lingers within you, but it just didn't quite make it there for me. I didn't think this book was quite as charming as Palm Springs the movie (which is difficult to do bc that movie is charming af); but if you enjoyed Palm Springs, then you would likely also find this to be a worthwhile read.

Thanks so much to the publisher for sending me a physical copy of this book and giving me auto-access to it on netgalley via the Hive influencer program.

DNF @ 8% - honestly I couldve slogged through it because I enjoy a good time-loop/Ground Hog Day scenario, but I'm just not in the mood and it felt drab to me.

I know I barely made it 3 chapters in, but I wanted to quit in chapter 1. the science and setting just was NOT for me.

Ahhhh i loved this!! I’ve been in such a YA mood lately and this was just *chefs kiss*. I loved it so much. I love a good romance meets sci-fi story. Add in a time loop and you have got me hooked! Also enjoyed the characters and their dynamic buildup.

You know how some days, you try half a dozen books and nothing clicks, and then you will finally find a book that clicks with you and you can read it in one sitting? That was how it was with Mike Chen's A Quantum Love Story. This book had initially caught my attention with the STEM aspect though I may not be that way orientated, I do find STEM novels great and enjoyable. The other thing that surprised me was that it was written by a male author as normally I have found the men tend to stick with writing adventure or thriller novels. A Quantum Love Story had a Groundhog Day mixed with a Back to the Future sort of vibe going on. We first meet Carter who works in the mechanical side of the particle accelerator - Big Bang Theory Vibes right as I could imagine this like the Hadron Collider. Carter knows that the Particle Accelerator is going to blow up at lunchtime every day and has relived this death multiple times. One day he changes his routine and meets Mariana, she is a neuroscientist working on the genetic project Relive and is currently touring the facility. There is something about her and she ends up getting stuck along with Carter in the time loop. Can these two discover how to stop the loop before something terrible happens and they are stuck this way forever? If you love STEM Novels, Geek Chic Lit, and want a book written from a male perspective, then check out Mike Chen's A Quantum Love Story which contains romance, time-traveling and suspense.

Fun, fast-paced, and captivating! Carter & Mariana were great characters and I cannot imagine being stuck in a time loop, but if I were...I'd want it to be JUST LIKE THEIRS.

I'm a sucker for YA time loop stories especially ones with romance in them. While living in a loop four days at a time it manages to keep your interest and I was fully invested in Carter and Mariana's story. I was here for their explorations and ALL the food ! I was also obviously completely on board with the slow burn friends to lovers in a forced proximity setting . Overall a very successful YA sci Fi contemporary romance.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for a review from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Ah, time loops. An old sci-fi trope, but a good one – you relive the same short period of time, over and over, until you can find some way out of it. Such a loop forms the backdrop of “A Quantum Love Story” by Mike Chen, a clever and warmhearted little sci-fi tale with an oddball romance blooming at its heart, and a message about the importance of really living life instead of just existing.

Tennis-player-turned-scientist Mariana Pineda is grieving over the loss of her best friend/stepsister, and decides to quit her job at a facility with a revolutionary particle accelerator. But on that fateful day, she has a weird encounter with a technician named Carter Cho, gets hit with a beam of green energy… and awakens on the previous Monday morning. She’s now in a four-day time loop alongside Carter, who has already relived the same few days several times.

The two of them put their heads together to try to figure out a way to break the loop and return to regular life… even though Mariana discovers that there’s a kind of freedom and joy to spending time with Carter, free from worries about money, personal problems or cholesterol. The two of them begin to fall in love as Carter teaches Mariana about how to really live her life… but when his memory starts to disappear, their only chance for happiness is to break free once and for all.

There’s a kind of warm, quirky, friendly, comfortable quality to “Quantum Love Story,” despite the well-worn sci-fi premise. Mike Chen takes his time not only handling the scientific aspects of the story (Mariana provides a lot of the technobabble and theoretical substance) and the mystery of how the time loop occurred, but the slowly blooming relationship between the two lead characters as they get to know each other.

And the titular quantum love story is pretty charming, although not overwhelming or mushy – honestly, the story would work just as well if the characters were just friends. Chen depicts the relationship between Carter and Mariana as one that enriches both their lives, especially since Mariana has lived a rather sterile, staid, lonely life. Her blossoming connection with Carter is about teaching her how to live – mostly through his lusciously sensual love of food, which he has a natural gift for.

Since the story revolves around the lead characters almost exclusively, Chen has to make them very likable, or the titular love story would be torture. And fortunately, they ARE likable. Mariana starts as a tightly-closed bud of a person who has encountered happy free-spirited people, but never been one herself; it’s only with Carter’s influence and the freedom afforded by the loop that she starts to unfold. Carter is her opposite – a man who, despite the disappointment of his parents, seizes every opportunity to be happy and enjoy life. And food. So much food. Food food food.

“A Quantum Love Story” is a charming intersection between a light romance and a sci-fi mystery – a story about not only breaking out of time loops, but out of the ruts where people live their lives. Thoroughly enjoyable in every dimension.

I generally like time travel and time loop stories. I’m not sure why this one failed to capture my attention but I had to reread several parts of the book due to my mind just wandering.

A Quantum Love Story wll entrap you in its time loop race to right the world.

I love groundhog/ time loop stories, and when they are done well, I’m always in awe of the plotting that must occur to write them. A Quantum Love Story is a shining example of this genre. It mixes questions about science, humanity and what we’ll sacrifice for life.

This is a beautiful book by a strong writer. I don’t want to share too much of the plot because it would be way to easy to spoil this book. Instead, I want to talk about Carter and Mariana. They are two strong characters whom we get to know over the back. Because of the time loop aspect of the book, we really learn from the showing of the character’s actions over and over again. It became a fun game for me to watch what changes, and how it alters the loops during each regeneration. Do the small details matter? Carter and Mariana ask themselves that and you’ll be asking yourself that as well.

Carter and Mariana both start off as pretty closed books and strangers. Through the story we learn about their desires and goals and why they are at the particle accelerator, and what is happening there. The research there is really about looking at life at a microscopic level. Carter and Mariana both also begin to look at life in detail. When you live the same few days over and over again, it helps. They learn ways to be able to have themselves remember the situation and each other through the loops, and through that, learn to care for each other. This is a really slow burn story. Although the title has the words love story in it, I would say the romance is more of a complement to the main plot rather than being the plot. The ending is quiet and suits the story.

The book deals with some fun science and tech but is really about life, friendship and grief. This is a beautiful and poignant story that stuck with me long after I finished it.

ARC provided by Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley!

I'm rather late in submitting this feedback, but I wanted to put out there how charming of a book this is!

A Quantum Love Story is a pretty typical Groundhog Day time loop novel. Neuroscientist Mariana is grieving the loss of her sister while consulting at a top secret particle accelerator. She meets a mechanic- Carter- who knows everything about her and informs her that they are stuck in a time loop. Carter and Mariana soon join forces to attempt to fix the loop and restore the space-time continuum.

Overall, this story is charming- definitely the only "cozy sci-fi" I've read at this point. Though the lack of "hard" sci-fi details initially bothered me, I was eventually taken in by the cozy story Mike Chen weaves. I wouldn't recommend this to the hardcore science fiction fan, but for a romance reader that's looking to dabble a bit I think this would be perfect.

3.5/5…This book is 2/3s of a classic time loop, with a twist. Plotted out neatly enough, but the protagonists just didn’t click with me.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to this ARC!

Set in San Francisco, A Quantum Love Story follows two strangers whose lives intersect as they get trapped in a 4-day time loop together involving a quantum lab catastrophe and work to find a way out. This is my second book this year by Mike Chen and I’m really loving his smart, quiet, hopeful writing style. He gives as much space for character development as he does for plot, an interesting and heart-warming choice for science fiction. This story is no different, with a slow burn that feels equal parts Gabrielle Zevin and Blake Crouch.

If you want thoughtful, emotional, slower-paced sci-fi, pick up A Quantum Love Story.

A Quantum Love Story released January 30th, 2024.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

I loved this cute and cozy scifi romance. I am a sucker for any book involving time travel or time loops. They are my all time favorite type of book and this one didn’t disappoint.