revri 's review for:

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

4.0

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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OVERALL RATING: 8/10 -> 4 stars on StoryGraph. 

  

Characters: 7 

I’m fine with the lovebirds; neither hate nor love. 

 

Clementine’s character as a workaholic, ambitious woman was beaten to death in romance by this point, but she’s charming enough that I still cared for her. 

 

I’m glad that we got a little from Iwan’s problems, unlike other romances that painted the male love interest as nothing short of a goddess whose entire character is thirsting for the female lead. I still wish there were more of a balance, though, because his problem of

“losing himself in the climb to success”

was tackled a little hastily. 

 

Setting/Theme: 9 

The portrayal of s*icide grief wasn’t groundbreaking or nuanced, but it felt so visceral and honest. I also loved the debate over “staying true to oneself” or “being more mature and abandoning naive ideals.” What I prefer less, though, is the “you should live as if it’s the last day of your life and always do what you love” 

 

Writing Style: 8 

The intimate moments could be a little cheesy at times, but it didn’t turn me off completely. Also, I would prefer a little less “frozen in a room everybody has left, still processing what just happened” as the chapter’s ending. 

 

Plot: 7 

First of all, a bonus point for a refreshing romance concept. 

 

However, I wish the book had executed the concept a little better and relied less on convenient coincidence. Like

Clementine’s imprint in the first round, with no good reason

, was such a blatant plot device that it brought nothing to me personally. The couple also should have more

moments together in the current time

, so the happy ending would be less abrupt.  

 

Logic: 8 

I would give this book some leeway for this criterion since the concept required some immersion breaking from the reader’s part. 

 

But it’s still hard to believe that

Iwan chastised his yearning for that long. Like, shouldn’t he speed up the process by, I don’t know, approaching her in the years between? And I really admired his self-control to not express his recognition of her in both the taxi and at the restaurant where she bumped into him

. 

 

Intrigue/Enjoyment: 9 

Honestly, I don’t have a good streak up to this point, so this is such a much-needed breath of fresh air. If I’m splitting hairs, I wish it would evoke a deeper emotional response.