The Seven Year Slip – Ashley Poston

Is there anything more exciting than an author you love releasing a new book? The Dead Romantics was one of my favourite reads of 2022, and already, Ashley Poston has come out with another: The Seven Year Slip. My friends at Harlequin AUS were kind enough to send me a copy for review, and I happy-danced all the way home from the post box.

Here’s the conceit: Clementine, a book publicist, moves into the Manhattan apartment she recently inherited from her larger-than-life aunt. She’s grieving, she’s a bit lost, and as if that’s not enough to contend with, there’s the fact that her new digs are… well, magical.

“Magical” in the sense that the apartment travels through time. Sometimes, she comes home and open the door to find that it’s seven years in the past, and whomever was occupying the apartment at that time is in situ. It’s always seven years, but other than that, the mechanics of the time travelling apartment are a mystery to all involved.

So, The Seven Year Slip isn’t one for the world-building purists, but that’s okay. The “magic” isn’t the focus, it’s the romance blooming between Clementine and the man her apartment took her seven years back in time to meet, Iwan. He’s a time travelling manic pixie dream boy who says stuff like “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” (page 79) and calls her ‘Lemon’.

The romance in The Seven Year Slip is fairly predictable, every “twist” you can see coming a mile off, but there’s also some darker sub-plots that root this read in reality. (Trigger warnings for suicide and grief.) Poston nails the balance, just as she did in her previous novel. Also, just so you know, there’s not much steam in this romance, but there are fantastic friendships (and a hilariously accurate depiction of group texts that could’ve been plucked from my very own phone).

The Seven Year Slip is a whimsical delight, for readers who want a fun and uplifting read without asking too many questions.

Buy The Seven Year Slip on Booktopia here. (affiliate link)