The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

e-Audio, 09:43:19
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
Release Date: June 27, 2023
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: June 25-27, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: PRH App
TW: Grief, Suicide, Death, Mental Illness, Pregnancy
For Readers Interested In: Romance, Time Travel, Adult, Magical Realism

    Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.
     So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.
     And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.
     Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.
     Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.
     After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.
     An overworked book publicist with a perfectly planned future hits a snag when she falls in love with her temporary roommate…only to discover he lives seven years in the past, in this witty and wise new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics.

*MY THOUGHTS*

While this was more or less a time travel book, I still enjoyed it. Time travel usually stresses me out trying to keep track of the time and the sciencey way they got there, but this was less sci fi and more magical realism. And it had more kissing than a lot of books I’ve read lately, so I’ll take it lol

Ok so first things first, the characters. Although this wasn’t Dead Romantics kind of good, I thought it was still good enough. All of them, including the side characters were interesting. Her editor bestie and her wife. Her aunt when she saw her. They all somehow had their own thing and the story wasn’t about them? Idk it was never boring because they were always there to help keep things going. As for Clementine I thought she was just like her name, fun and quirky and funny. And just like Poston’s other characters, she was also really good at hiding things. Because let me tell you, I knew there had to be something more, but I wasn’t expecting it to be THAT. Her aunt meant a lot to her and for her to have to live through that? As an adult who understood no doubt? I don’t know if I could cope with that.

The romance was really cute and I LOVED the love interest. And Pressley, as always, was perfect and gave him the most amazing accent. I liked how we learn about them falling for each other almost backwards. And seeing them fall for each other twice in this one novel was so sweet. When all the pieces started clicking together I was like gasping at every new thing that was revealed. But I can’t lie, I was a little disappointed in him when they meet in the present. I have to admit I was like Clementine and wanted him to be his optimistic self he once was. He seemed so jaded by the time they met in the present.

One reason I’m not usually a fan of time travel is the science that’s usually attached. There’s usually some weird explanation of why the physics malfunctioned or something and it loses me. But this time the time travel was more magical realism and it was always 7 years so it wasn’t confusing or anything that way. Since it was magical realism, the apartment just WAS, and there was no explanation needed. At the end I DO wish there was a little more explanation tho. I can admit I was wondering if there was a connection between her family and that other person’s family becauseeeeeee reasons. But we never find out. It really is like a blip in time. (And because the ending is actually kind of abrupt lol)

The narrator was the best as always. Brittany Pressely is one of my favorites and I vow to listen to anything and everything she’s done. That woman can make someone’s grocery list interesting lol And this one is no different. She had the different accents for everyone and those that didn’t have accents were still easy to differentiate. She’s one of the best in the biz and I can’t wait to listen to more books read by her.

This wasn’t my favorite by Poston, but in no way was my least favorite either. It’s just really hard when you’re going up against The Dead Romantics and the Geekerella series. But even still this review may be all over the place, but I really hope you pick up this book!

Overall, I give this