Title: The Seven Year Slip
Author: Ashley Poston
Release Date: June 2th, 2023
Standalone/Series: Standalone
Genre: Adult Fiction – Cozy Fantasy Romance
My rating in stars:
My rating in words:
LOVED IT!
WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
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 (spoiler-free):
“Love was an invitation into the wild unknown, one step at a time together.”
The Seven Year Slip was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and now that I’ve read it, it’s safe to say it’ll also be one of my top favorite reads of the year. I loved Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics and I was thrilled to hear her newest release would be a return to a seemingly ordinary yet also magical world. And The Seven Year Slip was just the cozy fantasy romance I was craving – it was a whimsical adventure that tugged at my heartstrings and made me swoon and was just amazing from start to finish.
Clementine is a book publicist at a crossroads in her life. Her life and career are perfectly planned, but she is still reeling from the death of her beloved aunt and unsure where to go from here. She has moved into her aunt’s apartment and while her aunt has always told her the apartment’s magical, Clementine is still shocked when one day she finds a man standing in her living room. His name is Iwan and he’s subletting the apartment… from her aunt… seven years ago! Turns out, the apartment is like a little bubble in time that sometimes transports you seven years into the past. Cue The Lake House vibes, BUT BETTER!
While I would classify this story as a romance, it’s not just a romance. There is a high focus on Clementine’s journey of self-discovery as well as her dealing with her loss and grief. Clementine’s relationship with her aunt was so strong and definitely also a big part of this story. It added many complex layers to the story and definitely tugged at the heartstrings.
Iwan is one of my new favorite book boyfriends. He’s a tattooed chef with a Southern drawl, kind eyes and a passion for food. So yes, basically my kryptonite. But while we don’t have his POV in the story, he still also has his own character journey and it is just as meaningful as Clementine’s.
The time travel aspect with the magical apartment felt so whimsical and perfect to me. It felt like the apartment had its own personality, like it was another character in the book and the magical aspect also never overpowered the story. There was such a nice balance between the ordinary and the whimsical and that is something I’ve come to love in Ashley Poston’s books (I definitely hope she continues in this trend). I loved every single moment that Clementine found herself in the past with Iwan.
The romance between these two characters definitely stole my heart. Though I wish we had a bit more time with the two of them together throughout the book (the only, only reason this is a 4,5-star instead of a 5-star read), I still sincerely believed in their connection from the start. Their dinner dates, adorable banter, and the way they just seemed to get each other were all just swoony perfection. Dancing in the kitchen and bonding over food and memories is just more of my kryptonite. And the nickname! Be still my beating heart.
Overall, this is just one of those stories that warms the heart and makes you wonder at the magic in the ordinary moments of life. It’s a read like a comforting hug, like a warm blanket on a cold day and like that perfect meal that you still remember years later. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a whimsical and cozy fantasy romance!
FAVORITE QUOTES:
“My aunt used to say, if you don’t fit in, fool everyone until you do. She also said to keep your passport renewed, to pair red wines with meat and whites with everything else, to find work that is fulfilling to your heart as well as your head, to never forget to fall in love whenever you can find it because love is nothing if not a matter of timing, and to chase the moon. Always, always chase the moon.”
“I didn’t need to be fixed. I just needed…to be reminded that I was human.”
“I think,” he finally said, choosing his words carefully, “that nothing lasts forever. Not the good things, not the bad. So just find what makes you happy, and do it for as long as you can.”
“I loved how a book, a story, a set of words in a sentence organized in the exact right order, made you miss places you’ve never visited, and people you’ve never met.”
“That was love, wasn’t it? It wasn’t just a quick drop — it was falling, over and over again, for your person. It was falling as they became new people. It was learning how to exist with every new breath. It was uncertain and it was undeniably hard, and it wasn’t something you could plan for.”
“Your life changed because of some French fries?”
“The things you least expect usually do.”
Tell Me:
Have you read The Seven Year Slip? What did you think about it?
It sounds like Poston is doing a great mixing whimsy with romance and tougher topics!
She really is, I hope she’ll write more books like this!
I felt the same. I wish there had been more time between them. I still loved this one too, though. Great review!
Yes so true! I would not replace any of the other scenes in there, because I loved them too, but just a longer book with more Lemon and Iwan would have been nice 😀
I’ve already heard great things about this book and your review just confirms that I wanna read it as well. I love me some time travel books! 😀
I hope you’ll love it too, Stephanie!
Great review, Lindsey! I have this one on my TBR and just picked up a copy. Now I’m even more excited for it!
Thanks so much! I hope you’ll love it too!
I LOVE Ashley Poston but I’ve yet to read her contemporary books. I’m super excited to read this one! Glad you loved it 🙂
I’ve been really loving her contemporary books, so I hope you’ll love them too!
I keep seeing amazing reviews for that one! I need to read it!
I thought it was amazing for sure! Hope you’ll love it too!
I keep seeing this book everywhere.. I am not a big fan of the time travel troupe but might check it out. Thanks for sharing.
I hope you’ll love it, despite the travel trope! I think this is a ‘light’ version of the trope, if it helps 🙂