The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Pub Date: 6/27/2023

Thank you to Berkley for the free paperback copy and PRH Audio for the free audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

GoodReads Synopsis: 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: 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.

Review: The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston tells the story of Clementine, who, after a tragic event, strives to live a safe and predictable life in New York. However, when she encounters a man from seven years in the past, she faces a dilemma of falling in love with someone who exists in a different time, challenging her notions of love and timing. I absolutely loved The Dead Romantics so I was very excited to read The Seven Year Slip. From the moment I started reading The Seven Year Slip, it reminded me of two movies that involve time travel, The Lake House (featuring Sandra Bullock & Keanu Reeves) and Just Like Heaven (featuring Reese Weatherspoon and Mark Ruffalo). I adored Clementine and wanted to give her a big hug throughout the book. While the sweet connection between Clementine and Iwan developed beautifully, I craved more insight into the present day outcome. The storyline goes beyond light romance and dives into Clementine’s grieving for her late aunt along with her journey to figure out her career goals. Some may argue that the book leans more towards women’s fiction and magical realism than typical romance, but the way it’s written works for the narrative. I appreciated that the author was able to capture the struggle of figuring out one’s life path when feeling unhappy and in need of a change, the solace found in memories, and the importance of embracing new beginnings. While The Dead Romantics remains my personal favorite, I still found The Seven Year Slip to be an heartwarming read and would recommend to romance readers who are a fan of Ashley Poston’s work.