Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

Time travel + magical elements + bookish theme + swoon worthy characters = perfect romance!        
       
Thanks NetGalley and HQ for the ARC!

Synopsis -

Clementine is a book publicist and her work is her life. As her aunt always said, she must always chase the moon and so she does. But when she finds an unknown man, in the kitchen of her aunt’s apartment, where she now lives, she is hit with love at first sight. But the only problem is that, this man only exists 7 years in the past, while she is 7 years in his future.        

Review -
       
Time travel based books are not my favourites, but boy this had me at its mercy! Going in blind, the premise felt so far from reality but yet firmly rooted in it - so genuine and mesmerisingly realistic
       
The combination of the gorgeous, charming chef - Iwan and a bookish, relatable MC – Clementine worked wonders. The author uses Clementine’s aunt’s apartment as the ‘magic carpet’ quite literally, to teleport us 7 years into the past and future- weaving the most heartwarming, tender and adorable love story around it.        
       
There is a lot of focus on Clementine’s relationship with her aunt Annalea - a woman full of life, zeal and spirit. Her passion and positive attitude rubs off on Clementine, as she follows her aunt’s every word to the T, traveling the world, shaping her core being as a go-getter reaching for the moon.        
       
Poston so cleverly plays with the concept of time – making us feel as though it is a non-entity, seamlessly blending the past and the future, as though in a space continuum like trance.        
       
The romance itself is fun, sweet, sparked over some delicious food, filled with humor as well as moments of poignancy. It explores how love can evolve, how life morphs our personalities and mindsets over time and how these can have cascading effects on our future – raising the question – “Is finding true love a function of time or just the right timing?”       
       
So here I am - swooning and over the moon with this thought provoking rom-com with a 'timing' twist. 😍

😘Chef's kiss it is!

I was completely enchanted by The Dead Romantics last year and was so excited to get to dive into The Seven Year Slip this summer. It is a beautiful book - lightly magical and full of heart. Clementine and Iwan will melt your heart, but like The Dead Romantics, this book is about so much more than a romance. It deals with friends and grief and figuring yourself out and the reward is all the sweeter for having these big emotions swirled into the story. I loved how the magical elements never felt forced or out of place and I was fully a puddle by the end. Even the dedication spoke to me. Read this and fall in love with it too!

I’ve agonised over this one – after all, I really hate it when I read a major Spoiler in a book review and I’m aware that the blurb and most reviews are careful not to mention this aspect. But in all conscience, I don’t think I can proceed without giving a major trigger warning, as the book deals with the aftermath of a suicide. If you’ve had to grapple with this heartbreaking event, you may wish to give this one a miss. However, I would also say that Poston deals with the subject with sensitivity and perception and writes movingly about her own experience involving the suicide of a close relative at the end of the book.

I found this to be an interesting read. Initially, the book is rather low-key as Clementine is clearly pole-axed with grief. And as the book is written in first-person viewpoint, the fact that she is clearly massively struggling meant that while I sympathised, for the first section of the book, I found her somewhat closed off. The writing is very sensual – unsurprisingly, given that food is featured so heavily. But we also are aware of smells and lighting – and when Clementine blushes. It is a testament to Poston’s skill that this depth of description didn’t hold up the pace in any way.

Though I would mention that if you’re looking for foot-to-the-floor action, then this one isn’t for you. Plenty happens and the overall pace steadily picks up as the book progresses and Clementine begins to recover from her paralysing grief that has stopped her in her tracks. A large part of that is down to the romantic relationship with someone seven years in her past – but for me, while that relationship is both complicated and beautiful, it isn’t the narrative engine that powers this book. The relationship at the heart of this one is between Clementine and her dead aunt, who was a huge influence on her life when alive and now has left her bereft. Her recollections of their time together is moving and heartfelt and never, not once, did it tip into sentimentality.

In fact, Clementine’s clear-eyed take on the relationships in her life is frankly a tad unnerving. I can understand how she has made her way in a fast-paced, highly competitive field, like publishing. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of watching Clementine thawing out from the terrible grief that has held her frozen, which is powerful and accomplished. It brought to mind Susan Hill’s amazing book In the Springtime of the Year. Oddly enough, I found the timeslip aspect of the book – which was the reason that I actually wanted to read so badly – a tad annoying. I wasn’t convinced that throughout those long seven years, Iwan wouldn’t have made a concerted effort to track down Clementine. Other than that, I thought the romance was beautifully evoked and loved the ending, which I found very moving. Highly recommended for fans of books about the nature of life and living, including the shock of losing someone much beloved – including the giddying sensation of falling in love when you’re not expecting it. While I obtained an arc of The Seven Year Slip from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

I loved this read from Poston. It was an engaging romance story that is perfect for the summer.

The concept of this book is fun: Clementine appears to live in a “magic” apartment. She has inherited it from her late aunt, who explained that this apartment moves backwards in time by seven years. No more, no less and not something you can control. When Clementine heard this story when she was younger, she scoffed at her aunt’s stories, delighted however, that this was such a make-believe world. Yet, learning about her aunt’s lost love, Clementine notes the importance of one of her aunt’s rules – never fall in love.

Because this is what happens to Clementine, at a time when her life seems to be falling apart around her. Walking in to her apartment after one of those days at work, she encounters Iwan, who was staying there seven years previous when Clementine and her aunt were on holiday. Iwan is a charming young man who wants to make it big in the cooking industry, accepting that to start anywhere, it begins with being a pot-washer.

Trying to resist her feelings, Clementine grows closer to Iwan – until the apartment decides to move her back into the present – and with no Iwan. Yet, the fates intend for their paths to cross again, starting an unpredictable and non-linear relationship between the two. I loved how you could not foresee when the apartment would jump back into the past and when Clementine and Iwan re-discover themselves in the present, I was fascinated to see how this relationship would develop.

I loved all the bookish references in this novel, especially as Clementine works for a publishing house. It adds an extra dimension to the story and I felt a bit envious about all the access has to new and exciting books! She loves to paint, admittedly hasn’t done as much recently, and paints inside travel guides to reflect the adventures she took with her aunt. When Clementine takes up this hobby again, you know that she is starting to move forwards with her grief at last.

This was a great story. With a bit of magic thrown in there with the apartment, it is an innocent love-story about taking advantage of all opportunities as, if you live in an apartment like Clementine’s, who knows when they will present themselves again?

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“You need at least one big dream to keep going….and remember to chase the moon” wise words from a beloved aunt. Clementine isn’t looking for love but love does find her even though it might be a bit unconventional and not on time. This story was really sweet even though a bit predictable. Thank you Netgalley, HQ and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is recently published and available for purchase now

I really enjoyed this one.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Pub for my advanced copy of The Seven Year Slip!

What I Enjoyed-

✨ The Setting- NYC 🤩.
✨ The Magical Realism
✨ The Dual Timeline- Time Travel
✨ The Writing

Why This Wasn't a 5 ✨ For Me- I wasn't as invested in the romance as I wanted to be. I enjoyed Ashley Poston's previous book The Dead Romantics a little more.

Overall - Highly Recommend. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

The Seven Year Slip was such an enjoyable book to read, containing elements of fantasy (with a time travel concept at its heart) and romance but also a dreamy Manhattan atmosphere and an exploration of the worlds of publishing and of high-end restaurants.

It's the same universe, in fact, as in Poston's The Dead Romantics (the covers are nicely designed to compliment one another) with one or two characters appearing in passing, but the focus is very squarely on newcomer Clementine West. She's going through a difficult time after the death of her beloved aunt and her breakup with Nate.

Clementine is a publicist at Strauss & Adder, and her response to heartbreak - and other adverse life events - has been to throw herself into work, emulating super publisher Rhonda. This always worked before, any threat to Clementine's work-life balance being redressed by spontaneous globe-trotting summer holidays with Aunt Analea. With Analea dead (and we will discover the particular sad circumstances of that in due course) Clementine cancels this year's booking to Iceland, but as somebody recently said, proximity to death does bring a certain clarity and Clementine is still left pondering where she wants to be in her life.

Fortunately - perhaps - she's provided with a distraction when a handsome young man appears in her apartment (which was her aunt's apartment), looking for somewhere to stay while he follows his heart's desire to become a chef. What could seem rather creepy actually turns out quite fascinating as Iwan comes and goes and shares his lifestory, his ambitions, and his fears. Over the following months his life and Clementine's entwine and they share some happy times and intimate moments - but it's the wrong time for either to commit to the other.

There's a fair bit I'm, annoyingly, not telling you here because the way that Poston lays out her story is rather special not only in terms of the facts of what's going on but also in terms of Clementine's development as a person overall and her growth in self-knowledge in particular. And in fact in terms of of Iwan's too. Poston is absolutely masterful in tracking the developing relationship, a sort of running commentary being provided by Clementine's workmates with whom she is engaged in a contest to snag a new celebrity author and save the company. That quest in itself produces some hilarious moments - this book is often very funny and it can move from moments of great emotion to plain funny in a trice.

How things are tied up is completely brilliant both in terms of the sequence of events and also of emotional development. It would have been easy for the latter to be overshadowed by the clever central concept here, but Poston is just too good a writer to let this happen and instead she gives Clementine's situation added resonance - there is a magic in life which she expected but which is lacking and the loss of her Aunt seems like the universe's ultimate betrayal, so why not shut down and lose herself in work?

The answer to that question is what the story turns on. It is a funny, heartfelt, sharply observed and really just very clever book - it is sure to be a hit I think and it was just a joy to read.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Clementine works in publishing and is grieving her aunt’s passing. Living in the apartment her aunt left her, she returns home one night to find she isn’t alone. A man claims he’s living there for the summer. Only that summer is seven years ago.

I read and enjoyed Poston’s last book, The Dead Romantics, so I was sure that I would enjoy this, but assumed it would be a once-read-and-forgotten book. I was very much mistaken.

Merging romance with time-travel sounds like it might be a little.. cliché. And while some of the reveals through this feel like they’re expected, this book is genuinely excellent.

The way grief is talked about, specifically, the way it changed the world around us and how we experience things. That was really emotive and it’s these moments that the book really hits its stride.

The romance is nice, the characters are actually decently formed and they have good chemistry. The friends are nice characters, although perhaps a little less rounded-out. The aunt is such a force that despite her absence, she’s very much present throughout.

I think there are a few questions I’d like to have answers, some interactions that maybe should’ve led somewhere else. But genuinely, overall, that doesn’t matter, it was such a wonderful reading experience, far more emotional than expected.

Having now read two of Poston’s books, in which small fantasy elements prop up a central romance, I kind of hope she sticks to this niche as it’s working!

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP by
📝 @heyashposton
🗣 @hqstories

PUB DATE (Paperback) - JULY 6TH

#DropTheSynop 👇

Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.

Six months ago, Clementine West had the worst day of her life. So, she came up with a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, take no risks. And it’s been working.

That is until one day she finds a strange man standing in her kitchen. A man with kind eyes, a crooked smile, and a recipe for the perfect lemon meringue pie. The kind of man that, before everything, she could have fallen for . . .

He’s perfect but for one thing: he lives in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact.

This should be impossible, but Clementine used to love impossible things. And maybe, just maybe, she will again. After all, love is never a matter of time – but a matter of timing.

📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚

Kinda gotten a bit bored of romance novels of late and their samey story. However, this story was unique, quite like it's predecessor 'The Dead Romantics' which I enjoyed last year, this one had loads more of the same originality at it's premise.

Ever wanted to do a bit of time travelling yourself? Well, in 'The Seven Year Slip' you get a really good insight. Author Ashley Poston is a master at making whimsical storylines soooo believable I was almost turning to Google to find out how much a time travelling machine would set me back and whether or not I should get one.

Obvs I didn't find one but isn't it OK to succumb to a bit of fantasia now and again?! Of course it is!

Loved all the food references aswell, actually made my mouth water in some parts (not the vagina shaped ravioli though I must say!😂) but yeah I loved it when Iwan got his red hot saucepan out and started whipping up a souffle and the like 🤤

Can't not mention the cute lil' nickname Iwan had for Clementine. Lemon. 🥹🥰 Feel like I wana go out and buy a hamster or something just to name it Lemon but I shall refrain.

THE SEVEN YEAR SLIP ✨️ - OUT TOMORROW IN PAPERBACK - Perfect if you love a romance with a unique plot.

Thank you #HQStories ♥️

- Leanne 😊

#TheSevenYearSlip

Thank you, NetGalley and HQ, for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this contemporary romance with a dash of the Paranormal. I've actually still got dead romantics on my TBR, so I will definitely be bumping that up.

In this book, we meet book publicist Clementine and chef Iwan. Clementine inherits her aunts old apartment when she tragicly dies, and we follow Clementines grief as she had a very close bond with her aunt, not only did she spend alot of time in her apartment but they would travel alot and go on lots of adventures.

One day, Clementine wakes up in her aunts apartment, and she's 7 years in the past with a man who her aunt has let stay in the apartment while she & Clementine are off travelling for the summer. The apartment decides as and when it wants to be in the past or the present as it is meant to happen when it's needed. Clementine and Iwan do meet in the present, and that leads to a lot of complications.

The relationship between Clementine & Iwan was honestly just so beautiful and heart-wrenching. The way these characters are written was just so beautiful that I needed to find out it ended.

I also really loved the relationship between Clementine & her aunt its almost as if half the book is their relationship and half is with Iwan, which really gave us such a good backstory for not only the plot but for Clementine as a character.

It isn’t often I find a book that makes me stop and really look at my life in a new perspective. It’s even less often that the same story makes me ache, laugh and believe in the magic of love all in one. This book did that.

The Seven Year Slip has magic in the pages. The synopsis will tell you of a aunt + niece travel duo where the aunt dies, the niece has to move on and her apartment is a place of time travel but that only brushes at the magic and depth of this story.

I truly believe there is someone for everyone here. A hope the moment you read it, it gives you want you need.

I read this in less than 24 hours and really enjoyed it. I have a few minor quibbles – putting them in the least spoiler-y way possible it basically boils down to: I’m not sure that Clementine and Iwan actually spent enough time together across the course of the book. If it’s a romance I needed more of them together, and if it’s more woman’s fiction I needed a better resolution to Clementine’s own life dilemma/crossroads. BUT this only started to bother me once the book was over and I started thinking about it to review it.While I was actually reading it I was completely swept along by it. So on that basis it’s a really enjoyable read – and makes sort-of-time-travel really work for me. I would happily have read another 100 pages if it meant my issues above got more closure. And I liked the little glimpses of some old friends from Dead Romantics too. Another one that is great for the beach/sun lounger.

Such a good one. It is pure magic. I love Postons' writing style .

When I read synopsis I new this one would be a good one

5 stars for me.

I immediately knew if this was anything close to the dead romantics I would enjoy it. Ashley Poston has such a way with writing that yes, the topic is sad, but it’s done in such a wholesome, tender way. I love the cute vibes of this and how it’s not all romance, there’s family involvement too and friendships. A very wholesome and fuzzy read. I love when authors bring characters from other books in in such a subtle way and I loved the little surprises sprinkled throughout about everyone’s connections. Loved this and it’s solidified that this author is now on my instant buy list! Great read and would highly recommend.

I just adore Ashley's books.. last year I read the dead romantics and it became my favourite book of all time!! I just loved this book so much!!! It was amazing. It lived up to the hype and i just kept thinking about Clementine (Lemon) and Iwan!! I love them. I loved every aspect of this book. It made me want to just read it forever 🤣
I loved how Clementine spoke about her aunt and their relationship was just so beautiful! Her aunt's outlook on life had me wanting to just live in the moment💜
As for Clementine & Iwan, all I'll say I'd I just love them, what an amazing pair!! Thank You so much for this amazing chance to read the ARC I can't wait to buy a copy for my shelf.
I cannot wait to see what other books Ashley brings out because she is now my new favourite author 🙌

Even better than the dead romantics and believe me I loved that one. The seven year slip is just magic. If you love that warm fuzzy magical feeling while emersed in a different world that you almost forget you are reading. Then do not miss the latest by Ashley Poston. Excellent

3.5 stars - I was really looking forward to this book because I thought The Dead Romantics was great. This is similar in some ways - a romance with supernatural elements - but this one was definitely more serious. For some reason this book took me a while to get into, at least 25%, but that might have been more my problem than because of anything wrong with the book. I liked both the main character and her love interest, but I would have loved more of the book with them spending time together, more slowly falling in love. This wasn’t exactly an insta-love situation, but too close to it for me. I feel like this book had the potential to be even better than it was, but I’m not sure exactly what I would change about it. I appreciated the author’s real life connection to the aunt’s story and found that very moving, especially after reading the afterward where she talks about her grandfather. I also appreciated the theme of people changing as time passes and appreciating those changes in yourself and others. That was really lovely.
Overall, I’m really glad I read this book and will absolutely check out more by this author as she continues to write.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I was so excited to get an ARC of this book and it didn’t disappoint!!

Clementines aunt always said there was something special about her apartment. She never quite understood until her aunt has passed away and she’s suddenly thrust 7 years in the past and meets Iwan.

Can they make it work? Her aunt had warned her never to fall in love with anyone in the apartment but will she listen?

This is a time traveling, magical romance and it was amazing.

5/5 stars and I will be buying a physical copy for my shelf!

Thankyou to NetGalley and HQ for a free E-arc in exchange of an honest review.

WOW! I feel so emotional after reading this book! It has absolutely blown me away and i devoured it in no time at all! After feeling just as strongly to Ashley's first book Dead Romantics, i had such high expectation- its now safe to say that Ashley has cemented herself as in instant buy and is potentially a new favourite author!

There's nothing i would change about this book- and i really hope people would read the authors note at the end also!

Easiest 5 stars of the year for me!

After reading the Once Upon a Con series, I knew that Ashley Poston would be an author whose other books I'd surely love, especially if they have a dash of magic in them.

This one did have magic AND TIME TRAVEL!!! I am a huuuuge lover of time travel in romance books, so naturally this had to be a win for me. And it was, although not quite as much as the previously mentioned series.

I think Poston shines more as a YA author, or that might just be a personal preference since she hit all my buttons just right with those books.

But anyway, The Seven Year Slip was such a cute read that had me smiling throughout. I really liked Clementine and Iwan together, even more so when some bits and pieces of his past were revealed.

I wish we saw more of them falling in love though, because it felt like it happened really fast after they were only thrown together a couple of times in the past and then finally found each other again in the present.

And it was kind of funny that she broke one of her aunt's rules not to fall in love instantly. But it's okay, it made for a fun book and they had a lot of chemistry.

I also have to mention that her nickname, Lemon, was super adorable, and this is coming from someone who doesn't even like lemons. But it fit her, not just because of her name, but because of the expression she makes. You'll know which one when you read the book.

With that said, this book had its sad parts as well. Grief is a big theme in the story, with Clementine grieving her whimsical aunt who died six months ago, just as the apartment decides she needs to travel 7 years into the past.

The grief was handled well, so well that it made me tear up at one particular scene. It was so touching. I don't mind it (grief, not the scene) being included in the story because it gives it a lot more depth.

Clementine is also struggling with her career choices and who she really is, what makes her happy etc. As the book goes on she learns that it's okay to chase the moon.

All in all, I had a good time reading this and will definitely read even more Ashley Poston books in the future.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*