The Seven Year Slip Book Review
My heart is full. The Seven Year Slip is the second book I’ve read by Ashley Poston, the first being The Dead Romantics. I thoroughly enjoyed The Dead Romantics—it reminded me of one of my favorite early 2000s rom-coms, Just Like Heaven, starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. Even though I loved both the book and the movie, it hadn’t quite clicked for me yet that this type of story—romance with a magical twist—is the kind that always captures my attention and quickly becomes a favorite.
Now, I can confidently say that my favorite genre is romance blended with magical realism, followed closely by fantasy and fantasy romance. Before reading The Seven Year Slip, I used to say my favorite genre was just fantasy. But some fantasy books take a while to draw me in—or sometimes never fully hook me at all. Magical realism, on the other hand, reels me in almost immediately.
But enough about my genre crisis—let’s get to the star of the show: The Seven Year Slip.
If you follow my reviews on social media, you’ll notice most are short, precise, spoiler-free, and straight to the point. That’s nearly impossible to do with this book—but I’ll try to avoid spoilers as best I can (can’t promise the same about keeping it short). I was completely enamored with this story and its main characters, Iwan and Clementine. This forty-year-old millennial was blushing and giggling like a teenager the entire time. Most of my highlighted quotes came from Iwan, who always knew exactly what to say to make you fall in love with just one line—especially when he ended it with his nickname for Clementine. Swoon.
The story follows Clementine, a book publicist at a small publishing house in New York City. Her life has been marked by grief after the passing of her beloved aunt Analea, who left her the apartment she now lives in. Since then, Clementine has buried herself in work, pushing aside romance—and even the space to properly grieve. When she was younger, her aunt would tell her whimsical stories about the apartment and the magic it held. Clementine always dismissed them as fairytales—until one day, she comes home to find a stranger inside. That stranger turns out to be a man from the past—seven years in the past, to be exact.
As Clementine and Iwan’s lives begin to intertwine across time, they’re forced to confront not just the possibilities of love, but questions about who they were, who they are now, and whether those two people can truly belong together.
Ashley Poston, in my eyes, is the queen of magical realism. This story is a tender, enchanting journey filled with grief, second chances, self-discovery, and learning to let go. It’s the kind of book that stays with you. Honestly, it’ll be a tough act to follow—I just hope I don’t fall into a major book slump.
There are still about two months left of summer as I write this, and I’ve got more than ten books left on my summer TBR. I know I won’t get through them all, but the real question is: will any of them top The Seven Year Slip? One of the first books I read this summer is definitely up there too—but I’ll save that love story for another time.
Have you read The Seven Year Slip? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
If this book stole your heart too, let's talk about it on Instagram @moodvibesbooks.
Next Up: the other book that captured my heart this summer. Spoiler: it involves time travel and a lot of emotional damage.
“Nothing lasts forever. Not the good things, not the bad. So just find what makes you happy, and do it for as long as you can.”
― The Seven Year Slip
Checkout my Spotify playlist for The Seven Year Slip here
Thanks for reading, happy summer reading!
Until the next book travel, M.
More titles by Ashley Poston:
Sounds Like Love - Latest Release
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