A review by randeh
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Absolutely loved The Seven Year Slip! I recently read Ashley Poston's novella "With Any Luck" and it wasn't my cup of tea, I felt the book idea was cute but wasn't suited for 43 pages. Because of this I wanted to give another one of her books a try so when a friend suggested this one I jumped on it. Thank frikken gosh I did because it is perfection.

Some may be wondering "5 stars?" and yes, 5 stars. This book had the perfect story for a rom-com with a little tiny magic thrown in. It has wit and quirkiness and characters you fall in love with. But what makes it 5 stars? Emotion. I felt all the things reading this. I wanted to date my husband again for the first time just for those feels. This novel makes reference so much to how people were in the beginning and that's a feeling we can all appreciate. Change and growth is good but those beginning days...chefs kiss.

The additional "side story" of the aunt and her lover...brilliance. I LOVED the time slip in the apartment.
Now the big reason I gave this a 5 star. When Clementine is explaining how her aunt passed away I immediately started to cry. Her description of how she didn't see the signs, had no idea etc. My brother-in-law ended his life just over a year ago and it was earth shattering for our family. Exactly like described in the book, he was so full of life and none of us had any idea. Could we spot the signs if we knew what to look for? Would it have made a difference? I cried so hard at this part and felt all the feels for Clementine.

Then, fast forward to the big reveal about how Iwan is connected to her aunts lover...mind blown. I didn't see it coming. I loved that so much. With the two of them (Iwan & Clementine) getting together, her aunt is in the family once again. I just love it so much.


This book had all the right elements for a good romance story and Ashley Poston threw in a little whimsical feel and brought in a heavy subject. I think together it's brilliant.

Some of my favourite quotes:

💬 "There was something just so reassuring about books. They had beginnings and middles and ends, and if you didn't like a part, you could skip to the next chapter. If someone died, you could stop on the last page before, and they'd live on forever. Happy endings were definite, evils defeated, and the good lasted forever."

💬 "Sometimes the people you loved left you halfway through a story. Sometimes they left you without a goodbye. And, sometimes, they stayed around in little ways. In the memory of a musical. In the smell of their perfume. In the sound of the rain, and the itch for adventure, and the yearning for that liminal space between one airport terminal and the next. I hated her for leaving, and I loved her for staying as long as she could. And I would never wish this pain on anyone."