When I read The Dead Romantics last fall, I was awestruck enough to declare Ashely Poston a favorite author, despite not reading any of her other books. I preordered The Seven Year Slip as soon as it was announced and finally got around to reading it a little over a month after its release.

Externally, we’re following a story about a woman and her aunt’s magical apartment. After suffering the loss of her aunt, Clementine inherits her beloved apartment. Shortly after moving in, she discovers that the stories her aunt told her in childhood were true: this apartment slips seven years into the past (hence the name of the book).

This is a romance book with a supernatural spin and it’s wonderful. I’m not usually a fan of time travel books, but I absolutely adored this one. It’s the perfect summer read if you’re looking for a romance book with loads of food references and some deeper messages.

“The art stays the same, but you change, and as you change, so does what the art means to you—even as it allows you a window into who you once were and the people you once loved, and still love.” This is a quote from the author’s note, and it perfectly describes the depth of this novel. It’s a romance book, but it’s so much more than that.

There are some heavy topics of grief, suicide, change, and having the ability to embrace that change.

She mentions in the author’s note that if we were to come back to this book, we’re not going to be the same people we were the first time reading it… that books are like time capsules. I’ve never thought of my hobby that way before and it made me cry. Yes, I cried at the author’s note.

Spoiler

I cried when she was able to see her aunt again thanks to the slip in the apartment. I kind of wish we had a longer scene there, but I think it added to the magic that we didn't see it.

I thought back to my favorite book that I revisit often and realized she was right. I’m never the same person during a reread. Looking for Alaska offers something new each time I read it. Maybe I’ll write a blog post specifically around the time travel of rereading, but I really appreciate the thought that went into this book and the messages Poston wove into the prose.