Reviewed for NetGalley:

After eating some dumplings at the Toronto Night Market, Noelle begins an a Groundhog's Day adventure. Restarting every single day over and over and over.....

In the midst of her repeat daily routine, Noelle finds a friend in the same predicament. Both women try to find a way out of their repeat lives, with Noelle running into the same man, Cam, and wonders if he is the answer to break free from her pattern.

Sweet, quick read,

I really enjoyed this book! It reminded me a lot of some of Ashley Poston's books, so if she's your vibe, pick this one up. I thought the characters were well-developed, the romance was sweet (and didn't have any unnecessary miscommunication), the relationships outside of the romance weren't sad secondary plot lines, and the sci-fi element of it all was interesting. I did kind of see the twist at the end coming, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this book. It was very cute and I will be keeping an eye out for this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🥟

This was my first Jackie Lau book and I really enjoyed this take on magical realism! Noelle is a mechanical engineer who is swamped with work, under-appreciated at her job and has sworn off romance after her last boyfriend. Cam is a brewery owner who feels like he is missing someone, but does not know who that can be.

After Noelle has dumplings at a night market, she relives June 20th over 100 times. She and Cam meet multiple time and her feelings for him grow and her stance on romantic relationships change. She is trying to find a way out of the time loop so that she can have longer than one day with Cam!

One of my favorite things about this book was how unique Noelle was as an FMC. I loved that Cam loved her for who she was and that she wasn't a typical FMC, but more understated and private!

If you love magical realism in romance I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars
3.5 out of 5 spice level

I'm a sucker for any story that plays with or explores time, so I was very excited to see this diverse speculative romance. Unfortunately, this one fell a bit flat for me.

Noelle gets stuck reliving the same day over and over after eating some delicious dumplings one night. Determined to figure out why and find her way out of the loop, she spends day after day trying to escape her own personal Groundhog Day. Along the way, she bumps into sweet brewery owner, Cam, a lot. Is it a sign? Can she have a relationship with someone who doesn't remember her each morning? What happens if she finally escapes?

This story was a really cute and clever idea. I particularly liked all the delicious food descriptions and Lau's exploration of what happens after the time loop ends, which I don't think I've ever read before. However, living the same day with Noelle dragged on too long and the inconsistent dual POV bothered me. Though the spice was spicy, it also felt like an afterthought, like the author wanted to write a sweet rom-com but someone told her she had to include a couple of sex scenes. The ending was clever but a little too late to punch up this "just okay" romance for me.

Time Loops & Meet Cutes releases March 11, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the advanced reader copy.

“Time Loops and Meet Cutes” is a rom-com Jackie Lau. I must admit straight away that I am NOT a fan of the “Groundhog Day” trope - but Ms. Lau did such a fantastic job with the repeated day that I found myself rather enjoying it. Yes, it got a bit repetitive, but that’s to be expected. I did like when Noelle (the main female character) met up with Avery - who was also stuck in the loop. What I also really liked was how while they were stuck, the rest of the world went on - which was a nice little touch. And can I just say - what a cute cover? This book was a quick and enjoyable read … and I liked the unexpected twist near the ending.

Welcome back early emily henry x Ashley poston magical realism romance!!!!!!!
Everyone clapped.

I had A. BLAST. reading this fabulous romance novel!!! (probably because it wasn't strictly romance)

I love when a romance novel has a sub plot that isn’t just two people falling in love. Yes, that can be beautiful, but girl I’m bored!!!!!!! Now magical realism………you’re never bored. Always something entertaining throwing you off and making you excited to see what’s next.
Also WELL 👏🏻 DEVELOPED 👏🏻 SIDE 👏🏻 CHARACTERS 👏🏻 we all clapped for that one. I’m sick of reading one dimensional side characters in romance novels that are only there to set up a second book!!!! Let’s have some fun and make interesting characters that have emotions other than Lust people!!!!! I’m begging!!!! Thank goodness this had that!! Some fun revelations about sisterhood and female friendship and all that jazz.

I think the ending felt a little anti climactic but maybe it was just that I felt I knew it was coming??? And the scenes where they freaked it were really boring and I skimmed through them (sorry! If I’m gonna read smut scenes they have to be good!)

As someone who can feel like a really really big hater when reading romance (SOMETIMES. HEART OF ICE SOMETIMES.....but sometimes just a big Feelings Feeler), this one was very warm and fuzzy and i craved dumplings the entire time (trust me you will too).

Such a fantastic novel! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

Time Loops & Meet Cutes tells a story about Noelle who one night purchased and ate a dumpling from a stall at a night market. Noelle wakes up and it is once again June 20th. And again and again. Is she the only one in a time loop or are there others? As Noelle attempts to figure out how to leave this time loop, she meets Cam. He doesn't understand why he feels like he knows Noelle.

I thought that this is a cute take of the time loop story. I found Noelle and Avery to be completely relatable. They are just two women trying to figure out adulthood. I also enjoyed the relationship between Noelle and Cam. I thought that their banter was really good. My only complaint is the pacing. I found the beginning of the story to be slow, and it took me quite some time to feel connected to the character and the story. However, it is an overall a very entertaining story.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely time loop read! Avery is my favorite character, and I love that Noelle and Cam are meant to be…in any reality!

3.5 stars

This was really cute! I haven’t read many books involving time loops so the concept was interesting to me. It’s fun to think about what you would do if there were no consequences and you could repeat something until you got it just right, and I enjoyed following along with Noelle as she tried to do that.

Noelle’s relationship with Cam was really cute and actually a little spicier than I was expecting! I enjoyed all of their “meet cutes” but I will say one of the continually repeated jokes did start to annoy me a bit. There were also some nice themes about switching things up and making the most of your life, as well as a lot of delicious food descriptions. Overall a really quick & fun read!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

3.5 stars

Halo halo, calamansi iced tea, ube halaya pandesal, leche flan, and other delicious Filipino staples are featured in Time Loops and Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau.

This novel is filled with so much delicious Asian food - this book made me hungry!!!!

Imagine reliving the same day over and over and over and over again. Noelle & Avery are stuck in a time loop after eating some magical dumplings… at least they have each other. The two of them work on doing whatever it takes to get out of the time loop — as Noelle finds herself falling in love with a man named Cam who owns a brewery, but of course every day he forgets who she is….

This book is a bit of a trippy mind fuck, but it was fast paced and fun for the most part. The romance is pretty satisfying & I was pleasantly surprised by the spice! There was quality character development & I enjoyed the dual POV of Noelle and Cam.

I would recommend this book to romance lovers intrigued by the time loop trope & lovers of Asian cuisine ;P

That’s so much to NetGalley & Atria/Emily Bestler books for pre-approval for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! I’d love to read more from the author.

This was a fun time loop book. I did wish at parts that the pacing would quicken because I did enjoy the ending and you have a good idea of what will happen. Overall, a fun and easy enjoyable read.

3.5 stars ✨
This story was fun blend of cute, entertaining, and a bit ridiculous. I don’t really think anyone responded correctly to finding out about the time loop BUT it was very sweet and wholesome and i enjoyed myself.

3.5 / 5 Stars

I liked this cozy book that had a big dash of magic! In “Time Loops and Meet Cutes,” Noelle visits a dumpling stand where the owner promises that the dumplings she eats will help her get what she needs most. And that turns out to be a repeat of the same day over and over and over. What does one do with this repeating Groundhog’s Day? Cut your hair. Quit your job. Reconnect with her family. And run into Cam, a very attractive brewery owner, at multiple times throughout her repeating day. Cam feels like he knows her even if he can’t remember her and he seems to be the key to getting out of her time loop. How will that happen? And what will Noelle’s life look like if she does get out?

This was such a fun concept for a book. I felt like I asked myself what I would do if I was stuck in this type of time loop (probably freak out way more than Noelle did and then try to learn the physics of time loops? Or maybe just eat at every amazing restaurant?). It took me a bit to get into the book but once I did (when Cam and Noelle started interacting more regularly), I quickly devoured this book. I also loved all of the references to food – I felt like I was exploring and getting to know other food cultures throughout the book. I wish that the time loop explanation was a bit more satisfying but maybe that is part of the magic of not knowing.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.

This wasn't a good fit for me. I felt like the storylines were too scattered and I didn't find them compelling.

This was a cute story, but it fell short for me in a few ways. The biggest was the pacing. The first ~60% of the book was June 20th, and while I enjoy a good time loop, this one felt redundant. There’s a sweet spot between too few iterations and too many iterations that this book didn’t hit. I genuinely think this would’ve worked better as a novella. The writing style was also quite choppy and took some getting use to; it read like a translated novel, though I don’t believe it was. I also didn’t connect with the characters and didn’t feel their chemistry, which made it harder to stay engaged with the story. I did, however, like that we saw glimpses of Cam’s timeline throughout; that mystery kept me interested. And I appreciate that there was an explanation for the time loop starting and ending—many time loop stories fall short here! While I reasonably enjoyed the book (and am really craving dumplings now), I think it took itself a bit too seriously for a book about magic dumplings.

Thanks to Netgalley & Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the arc! Very cute! Liked the characters & the magical realism throughout. Will read more from this author.

Thank you so much Atria Books, and Simon & Schuster, Publishing & Marketing, for the beautiful opportunity for inviting me to read an ARC of Author Jackie Lau’s new upcoming Foodie Rom-Com Novel♥️🥢🥟✨
“TIME LOOPS & MEET CUTES”
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Read!! I am utterly obsessed over this gorgeous book!! I completely devoured and tore this entire book up from page-to-page-cover-to-cover!! I was instantly hooked and impressed just a few chapters in✨
The author's skills shines consistently, with expertly detailed crafted prose each page that engages & engrosses you deeply each time🤩Making you wish this book never ended! Which also shows a beautiful testament to Jackie Lau’s profound work as an author and her ability to beautifully write amazing characters who will always capture your heart & attention from the start!! Truly making it an amazing cinematic experience as we go through a journey of laughter and heart warming charms as the main characters navigate their delightful meet cutes with playful banters that sparks love and joy endlessly and new beginnings of adventure and friendship! That you will even find yourself giggling, & feet kicking back in forth in excitement as their captivating connections unfold and each phase reveals heartfelt growth🥹🤍✨

“TIME LOOPS & MEET CUTES,” Stars two main characters-
(♥️✨Noelle Tom And Cam Huang✨♥️
Jackie Lau, begins their journey when-
Endless Fridays constantly await for Noelle. Each reset brings a chance to relive moments, explore dreams, and rediscover joy, and with her life as an engineer vanishes, leaving room for adventure, that’s when the lovely Author introduces to my absolute favorite-
Cam, the charming brewery owner, who happens to also appear every Friday in Noelle’s time loop, with the cutest comedic Humor and a soft connection. Though he doesn’t recall their past meetings, each encounter brims with tenderness and joy🥹Noelle starts to sense he might hold the key to her whole escape. But as she navigates their growing feelings, she wonders if their love can blossom into something spontaneously beautiful or seek a way out? And the only way to find out how this beauty unfolds it’s by reading it ASAP!! But not only the author delivers us a great plot but she does for her main characters🤩

Noelle, my girlie🩷✨AKA my favorite!! embodies her character with sincerity and empathy, with a loving heart and smile that fully weaves hard emotional depth into her heartfelt character. She harbors such a compelling personality and a deep loving persona that always showers 24/7 when she’s with her lover boy or her dearest best friend who happens to also a deep favorite of mine!!🥹
Noelle makes you love her characteristics profoundly and even more!! with the touching love she carries for her-Cam🥹♥️It will forever be a treasured memory in my heart! Her experience of loving Cam, serves as a powerful reminder of the enchantments that can unfold when we fearlessly navigate life's challenges and stumble upon happiness in unforeseen places🥹✨

Cam, AKA my new everything & book boyfriend💋✨I loved and adored his character so much! He was crafted with such an unmistakable presence that's both cinnamon roll sweet and entertaining. His character enhances the story/ narrative alongside from his lover girl! Cam, sparks enthusiasm, brilliance, and with a smoldering hot tension! that will have you on edge craving more of the two of them!
Cam resonates powerfully with every chapter, particularly with his clever wit and charming, comedic humor that bonds with you at every step!!! And his soft spoken words will always be a favorite of mine!🥹♥️
I am so grateful to have read this amazing tale I’m so excited to read what the author has next to share🤩


Pre-Order
“TIME LOOPS & MEET CUTES”
Releasing May 6th 2025!!🥟🥢💋✨
ASAP for a foodie Rom-Com you will love and enjoy from the very beginning:) And you can do just that by visiting the author’s social media @jackielaubooks On IG and also get the chance to check out some of her previous work🤩

Very good book! This was my first book by the author. I’ll definitely read more from them! It was a good and also quick read

I received a free digital ARC copy of the book through NetGalley. All opinions are completely my own.

*4.5 stars*
I’ve been reading a lot of romance lately, so the time loop in this story made it refreshingly different. It’s definitely one of my favorite romance reads so far this year. We follow Noelle, whose life has pretty much been revolving around work, with no close friends or romantic relationships for a while. When she finds herself in a time loop, it gives Noelle an opportunity to leave her comfort zone without the fear of consequences, since everything will just reset at the end of the day anyway. It’s an interesting way to watch a character grow, build relationships, and try new experiences. It’s not surprising that at times things get a little repetitive since we are repeating the same day, but it makes the story feel authentic and relatable. The concept definitely kept me curious about what could have caused this phenomenon and how it might eventually end. I wasn’t expecting how much the story was able to surprise me at times. As for the romance, I thought it was very sweet (while still offering some spice). I could really feel how the time loop could make it freeing yet also frustrating. Bonus points for the friendship that Noelle finds along the way – I think I may have enjoyed that relationship as much as the romance! A big indication of how much I liked the book: when I finished it, I found myself wanting to read parts of the beginning again, just to see it from the new perspective of knowing how it ends.