The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

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.

Paperback, 352 pages

Published June 27, 2023 

by Berkley

4.5/5 stars

Ashley Poston is a recently discovered author, Among the Beast & Briars along with The Dead Romantics are my previous reads which I enjoyed very much.  Released back in June The Seven Year Slip did not disappoint.

Told from the POV of Clementine, a bookish/traveling publicist, she gets more than she bargained for when she inherits her aunt's apartment.  It's through this magical apartment that her friendship with Iwan begins. Iwan is the younger handsome dishwasher with his love for cooking, he has sights on becoming a chef.

I'm a hard sell when it comes to time travel stories, with some intricate plotting and attention to detail the author has crafted a wonderful story with many relatable themes - grief, friendship, food and more.  Clementine's job makes this a fit for those that love bookish books and chef Iwan...well...what can I say?

A unique plot, fun banter, authentic life problems along with a well written story made this an entertaining read and one I highly recommended.

This book was part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge (#63).