The Seven Year Slip

April 17, 2023
With this poignant, magic-infused contemporary romance, Poston (The Dead Romantics) explores love, grief, and the courage it takes to create one’s “own adventure.” As a publicist for a boutique Manhattan book publisher, Clementine lives for work, splitting her limited personal time between her parents and her coworkers, and grieving the recent death of her larger-than-life, Auntie Mame-esque aunt, Analea. Analea left Clementine her “century-old” Upper East Side apartment, which she often described as a place where “time pinched in on itself,” but she also warned Clementine not to fall in love within its walls. Clementine learns that her aunt’s kooky stories are true when she wakes up to find young chef hopeful, Iwan, also in residence—though he’s living seven years in the past. What follows is an easily flowing and often unpredictable romance. The magical element adds a cool twist on the gradually building central relationship and Poston’s depictions of grief ring especially true and are sure to tug at readers’ heartstrings. This is an emotional delight. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary

May 1, 2023

Clementine West was not expecting to wake up in the apartment she'd recently inherited from her aunt to find a surprise houseguest name Iwan, and she certainly was not anticipating that it would change her life. Her recently deceased aunt had always claimed that her apartment had contained a sort of magic, one that played with time itself. Iwan's presence in Clementine's life--and the fact that he is literally living seven years in her past while she's seven years in his future--is a complete surprise but might just be what she needs. Her grief over the loss of her aunt, her stress-filled job, and the lack of true joy in her life has been weighing on Clementine, but Iwan's arrival in her life provides a new perspective on her past and her future. Perhaps the art and magic that her aunt always sought out, along with the heart of a fascinating man can help Clementine discover just what she needs. VERDICT Poston's latest (after Dead Romantics) is a carefully crafted blend of second chances and risk-taking that takes readers on a magical ride through time. Suggest it to fans of the film The Lake House.--Jenna Harmison

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2023
Book publicist Clementine is surprised to find a stranger in the New York apartment she has recently inherited and moved into. Iwan claims that her late Aunt Analea sublet it to him for the summer. When Clementine realizes her aunt's favorite chair is back in place, and her own belongings are missing, she remembers the tale her aunt told her about a magical time slip. Sometimes a person in the apartment can interact with another person there seven years in the past or the future. Clementine and Iwan, who seem perfect for each other, can only be together in the apartment and only at certain times. When she returns home, she never knows if she will be in the present or with Iwan. Frustrated by these strange limitations, Clementine rethinks what she really wants in life. Happy-ever-afters are a challenge for time-slip romances, but Poston has nailed it with fully developed characters and realistic conflicts. This terrific story is elevated by small details and interesting side bits, including Aunt Analea's own time-slip romance and Clementine's watercolors.

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