Time Loops and Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau

e-Audio, 09:15:21
Narrated by: Cindy Kay and Raymond J. Lee
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Published by: Books on Tape (Atria/Emily Bestler Books)
Read from: May 19-20, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: Libro FM (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher and Libro FM. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Alcohol, Toxic Relationship, Sexual Content, Death, Suicidal Thoughts, Grief, Mental Illness, Pregnancy
For Readers Interested In: Romance, Time Travel, Magical Realism, Contemporary, Adult

      The “masterful, inspiring, and full of heart” (Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author) Jackie Lau returns with a thoroughly unique love story about a woman reliving the same Friday over and over again—and the intriguing man who can’t quite remember her.
     Noelle Tom really shouldn’t have eaten those dumplings at the night market. But the old lady at the stall said they’d give her what she needed most, and what Noelle desperately needed after another long workweek was food.
     Except now she’s reliving the same Friday over and over. Every morning her alarm goes off at 6:45 no matter what, the Wordle answer is always “happy,” and she watches a silly squirrel video go viral day after day. And no matter how much she works on the same proposal, it’s always erased when she wakes up. It seems Monday will never come in this workaholic’s worst nightmare.
     Noelle has no idea how being trapped in a time loop is the “thing she needed most,” especially now that everything seems meaningless. Sure, three fancy meals in a row is a fun treat, but it’s getting repetitive. Noelle’s not sure what lesson the old lady was trying to impart. Even a trip to the dumpling stall doesn’t help…because there’s no sign of it.
     But then she meets a young woman who also ate the dumplings, and good-looking Cam, who appears in multiple places on her Friday. While he seems to have no memory of their encounters, there are signs he might be the key to getting un-stuck. But Noelle will have to put work aside and live a little in order to make him notice her. As their flirtation progresses, Noelle begins to worry that if she ever gets to turn the calendar page, Cam won’t know who she is and her life may never return to what it was before that fateful Friday…

*MY THOUGHTS*

I thought this was going to confuse me since I was reading a different time travel book at the same time. However, it didn’t because I just ended up reading this whole book in two sittings lol It was so much more than I thought it was going to be.

Ok so the characters were what I liked most. I’m not sure what I was thinking she was going to be like, but Noelle was hilarious. She defiinitely was like me. Take no ish and if I have to, then do it begrudgingly but with dignity lmao She was so funny, I couldn’t stop laughing. But I also felt bad for her. She was had to go through so much in that short amount of time. I am glad that she had someone with her tho. I can’t imagine trying to figure out what’s happening on their own.

The plot of this was good too. I truly thought Noelle would like being able to meet Cam all those times over and over because of all the times she embarrassed herself or did something weird instead. But I guess I never realized how things would be for her when she wasn’t embarrassed. All the those times when she started getting good at what she was doing and I felt so bad for her. Then there was the fact that he kept remembering just a tiny bit about her, but it was barely even that. Idk, it just felt so sad. I kept thinking what if that was me? I do wish they had got more of the woman and what actually happened. They only had a little information and while it was ok, I just wanted more.

The romance itself was cute! And I thought it was thought provoking too. Definitely made me think about things I hadn’t before. Like would I actually go though with trying to make him remember me or if I would even keep doing the day over and wouldn’t just give up lol I loved that she was still interested because let me tell you, I wasn’t lol

I usually have trouble with Groundhog Day stories because they just keep repeating over and over, but this one was fun. There was a weird ass reason for them to keep repeating, it was hilarious, I laughed every time she met him in a weird ass way and everything. I really enjoyed this. I hope y’all pick this up and love it too!

Overall, I give this