I love time-travel, alternate universe with its alternate possibilities, and, of course a good love story. This novel has it all. I have not read any of Catrina Silvey’s other books, but I will definitely check them out now.

3.5 stars, rounded up. This is a book that got stronger as it went on. New adult is not my favorite age group for romance, but Silvey does a good job with her college-age protagonists and produces a fun time-travel plot. Joe is a struggling poet at Cambridge when he accidentally discovers, via a time-traveling tourist, that he is rockstar poet in the future on a par with Shakespeare (suspend disbelief for that aspect, as I just don't see that happening for any poet in this day and age). Not only that, but his muse and love of his life is a famous actress, Diana, who happens to be attending Cambridge at the same time as him. Esi, the time traveler, is hiding out in the past with a mission of her own, but she is drawn into helping Joe woo Diana because of various things that happen/have happened. This is a fun romp that I might have DNF'd if it had been an ARC, so if you like the sound of the plot, be patient with some of the hijinks in the beginning and trust that the characters will grow. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for a digital review copy.

Love the time travelling aspect. Really liked the main character and the present day side characters, wasn't as into the time traveling character

ok so I thought time travel would work for me, but this one is just too much. I know that this is a me thing. Its a preference on how stories play out for me and totally not the book. thanks for letting me try

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Love and Other Paradoxes by Catriona Silvey is a third person-POV speculative romance. Aspiring poet Joe Greene is studying at Cambridge but is spending more time dreaming about being a poet than actively chasing his future. When he meets Esi and finds out she’s a time traveller, he also learns that he is destined to be the greatest poet of his time and all his poems are based on the love of his life, Diana. Only, he hasn’t met Diana yet and maybe, just maybe, Diana isn’t the one for him.

As a long time romance genre reader, I will admit that I’m very rarely a fan of narratives where the characters try to have a relationship with someone else after they catch feelings. Here, I actually really enjoyed how it was handled. In many ways, Joe is going through the motions, trying to force himself to feel that everlasting passionate love that he’s supposed to have with Diana even after he realizes he loves Esi. Both he and Esi believe they don’t have a future due to their different times and the fact that they could change the future, but the pull is way too strong for either of them to ignore forever. It’s done in a way that feels like Joe is truly trying to be respectful to Diana and also doing what Esi wants from him even if it could lead to all three of them being hurt.

Esi’s arc is directly tied to Joe in multiple ways, one of which being that the last day of her tour is the same date that her mother received an award, an award that led to her mother’s death when she drove to an anniversary event. Joe is linked to a tragedy in her life, but not in a way that is his fault nor does Esi blame him. It’s just how things turned out. She never blames him for it, with most of her animosity towards him in the beginning more related to her resentment to having to read his poems in school and finding him mediocre at best. Esi keeps Joe humble and he sees passion and drive in her.

One of the things that really got my attention was that the entire book was from Joe’s POV. It’s very unusual to have a romance novel or a book so romance-driven written entirely from the male lead’s POV unless it’s a Queer romance. I would honestly love for there to be more romance novels in men’s POVs, to have a variety of interpretations of the romance genre that still adheres to the audience’s expectations.

I would recommend this to fans of romances with light speculative romances, readers who love a bit of poetry and exploration of what it means to be an artist in their romance, and those looking for a romance novel in a male POV

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5) – Love and Other Paradoxes by Catriona Silvey is a beautifully mind-bending romance that plays with time in a way that feels fresh and emotional. Joe and Esi’s connection is full of wit and longing, and the book balances humor with deep philosophical questions about fate and choice. While some moments slow down the pacing, the emotional payoff is absolutely worth it—perfect for fans of romance with a speculative twist!

This was a time travel romance in which Joe exist in 2005 and Esi is from the future on a time travel tour in order to witness first hand historical events not fall in love. At first it was little weird and took a little getting use to but once I did I did enjoy the story.

It’s interesting to read a romance in which the male main character for a heterosexual story is the only point of view. This story follows Joseph Greene, an unmotivated poet and student. Strange things—flowers, notes, etc—appear in his mailbox and he feels like people are following him. When he runs into Esi, their encounter (through a series of mishaps) leaves him with a famous book of poems. Oddly, the book is written by him in the future, all about his wife—Diana. Upon discovering he’ll succeed as a poet, he sets about trying to not derail the future and assuming certain things will come to pass. He meets Diana and tries to fall in love with her, but he cannot stop thinking about Esi, the time traveler hoping to stop her mom’s untimely death.

Books about time travel hurt my brain a little, so I tried not to overthink the physics. Overall, fun read and Joseph was easy to root for.

This was a cute time travel romance. It didn’t pack the emotional punch that Silvey’s previous novel, Meet Me in Another Life, did. However, It was still a fun, fast-paced read.

We follow Joe as he realizes that there are time travelers spying on him. This leads him to figure out his future, which then impacts his present. Along the way, he begins to get close to one of the time travelers.

I’m a sucker for time travel stories, so this book was perfect for me. There were a few reveals toward the end that I guessed early on, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes a sweet romance with time travel.

Love and Other Paradoxes is a fast paced, entertaining romance with a sci-fi twist that you won’t be able to put down. As my second five-star read of 2025, I ate this up in one sitting.
The characters are well developed and I loved how much growth both Joe and Esi went through on a journey that would potentially change the future. This was so much more than I had expected.
Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC. My review is honest and these thoughts are my own.

Oh wow, I loved this so much. After a few rough subject books, I needed something joyful to break me out of a funk and this sure did it. I usually like to start my reviews with a little overview, but I don't want to give a single thing away. As the title says, there's love and there's time travel, that's about all you need to know.

I was so insanely into Love and Other Paradoxes, I actually snuck off to the bathroom at work to try to read a few more pages. I couldn't put it down. Highly highly recommend for anyone that likes rom-coms, time travel, or just a really sweet story.

A time travel and love triangle romance for fans of Ashley Poston and Christina Lauren, with two 21 year old students in Cambridge, England — one from 2044 and the other from 2005.

I love anything time travel related, this was a fun read. Low spice, super plot heavy also my kind of reading.

"Love and Other Paradoxes" takes place in 2004. We follow Cambridge student, Joseph (Joe) Greene. Joe has been dealing with an insane amount of writer's block and does not know if he's going to be able to graduate let alone become a successful poet. Going into a coffee shop, Joe ends up meeting a young woman named Esi. He doesn't know why he follows her and wants to know more about her, but then he ends up picking up a book that could not possibly have been written since it shows it was published by him in the year 2044. Joe is shocked that Esi is a time traveler who is hell-bent on stopping something that Joe is going to be part of. It ends up causing a lot of butterfly effects (yeah, I said it).

Not too much to say about this one except it wasn't very well thought out or developed IMHO. I thought we would get something akin to what the summary said, "About Time" which I honestly did love as a romance movie. I don't know what I would liken this to since it just didn't work for me at all in several different ways.

Joe was not someone I rooted for at all. Probably because he was falling in and out of love with people every five seconds. Don't try to sell me on some epic romance and it seems whatever way the wind blows is his philosophy. I wanted something deeper there for the character. Something that was going to show some type of sacrifice. "About Time" blows you away when the hero realizes that he can't go back beyond a certain point in time and he will not be able to see someone he loves anymore. Grief hits them hard and I know I cried like a baby during one of those scenes. There's not none of that. And no offense, based on the poetry that Silvey shows us that Joe writes, I got to wonder why anyone in the future was obsessed with visiting his basic ass.

Esi. UGHHHH. Look, same issue with Joe but also I am a little more aggravated with her. There's a whole freaking reason that Esi comes back. And honestly it was some of the most hodge podge mess. And I don't want to do spoilers for the review, only thing I could say was that some type of therapy needed to occur and maybe that does not exist in the future. Also, I never got some big overwhelming grief from her at all about anything. Once again, it's a lot of lip service that didn't ring true.

The other characters we get to know, Diana, Ray, etc. were just kind of there. Honestly, the only character that Silvey gave any spark to, and that was towards the end, was Diana. I was hoping for a different ending than what we got, because at least that would have been interesting and not so blah.

The setting of Cambridge in 2004 was a choice. I maybe judged the crap out of Esi because of all the crap going on now and this is what the most important thing to her was to do with the whole go back to time and change things. Bahhhhh.

The flow was bad. I don't know what else to say. It just never hung together well and the whole book was a chore.

The ending made me laugh (not in a good way). Things get explained by, I guess this doesn't matter even though the whole book said it did and I just gave up.

Love and Other Paradoxes is just another run-of-the-mill woman-comes-from-the-future-to-change-the-past-and-boy-gets-caught-up-in-the-crossfire situation.

Joseph Greene wants to be the next great poet, so much so that he's had poet's-block (like writer's-block for poets, get it?) since he started at Cambridge. Now in his third year, it's time to shit-or-get-off-the-pot, poetically. Suddenly he starts noticing people looking at him strangely in the streets, and a chance encounter with a girl who claims she's from the future changes everything he thought he knew and the course of his future at the same time.

It's a book about time travel, the choices we make, questioning the things we thought were important, and second chances. It's an interesting concept, but for me, this book really struggled to accomplish its goals.

I'm not an expert on time travel, but these characters are the opposite of experts on time travel when they really should know something about it since the entire plot hinges on the facts. The whole concept is a little messy...as in I had a lot of questions as I read, and not the good kind. The kind that should have been answered far earlier than they were. I didn't feel grounded enough. I realize it kind of had to be that way for the plot, but that fatal flaw is why I've only rated this book two stars.

Note:: I received an early copy of the book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Love and Other Paradoxes was an amazing and unique read! I’m a huge fan of stories that feel real but with a touch of magic, and this book absolutely delivered with its time travel and love triangle tropes.

Cambridge, 2006: Joe is an average student who wants to be a poet but cannot seem to find inspiration. One day, he meets Esi, a time traveler who has come to change the outcome of her mother’s future. Running into each other sparks a journey where they work together to try and get their perfect outcomes in life.

Without giving too much of the story away, I really enjoyed the dichotomy between Joe and Esi’s take on fate and whether or not we have the power to change it. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun romance!

Thank you, Catriona Silvey, William Morrow, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it! Beautifully written, brimming with witty banter and sharp sarcasm that keeps the pages turning. While the time travel element adds a layer of intrigue, the heart of the story lies in the exploration of angst and self-discovery. Joe and Esi's journey is filled with unexpected twists and turns, ultimately delivering a feel-good novel that leaves a lasting impression.
I certainly recommend this one to anyone who wants a romance with a twist of time hopping.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

What a cute romcom! I really enjoyed this book and had such a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the writing style. The characters worked so well together and the plot was great.

It’s so refreshing to read a book when I genuinely don’t know how it’s going to end. Catriona Silvey writes such cute characters and blends them so beautifully with a truly interesting plot. This was my first Silvey book and I am so glad I picked it up! The entire concept was so original and now I want to play Assassins!

What I loved most was the way the novel explored the idea of how our choices shape not only our futures but also the lives of those around us. The time-travel elements were cleverly handled, adding layers of intrigue without becoming overly complicated..

Overall, Love and Other Paradoxes is an enchanting read with the perfect mix of magic, humor, and heart. If you enjoy books like The Midnight Library or About Time, this one is sure to leave you smiling—and thinking—long after the final page.

I absolutely loved Love and Other Paradoxes! This charming rom-com tells the story of a hopeful poet whose life takes an unexpected turn when a time traveler shows up. It’s reminiscent of The Time Traveler’s Wife, but with a much more lighthearted and cutesy vibe, without any uncomfortable undertones, just pure fun.

The story blends humor, romance, and thought-provoking questions about fate, free will, and what you'd do if you had a glimpse of your own future. Catriona Silvery’s writing is delightful and keeps you turning pages, making it both an entertaining and reflective read.

I’m definitely adding this author’s other book to my TBR. Silvery is an instant favorite!

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own. If you’re a fan of quirky, heartfelt rom-coms, this one’s a must-read!