It’s strange how two people can be so perfect for each other, but it just can’t work because the timing isn’t right. Think Jim and Pam from “The Office”: even though she was engaged, all the viewers were rooting for them.
Ashley Poston’s “The Seven Year Slip” tells the story of a couple who quite literally met at the wrong time — she’s in the future while he’s in the past.
Clementine “Lemon” West is a book publicist who pours herself into her work and is aiming for a huge promotion. She loves routine and hates new things. She has a whimsical aunt, Analea, with whom she’s traveled the world, the kind of woman who danced in the rain and quit the theater after her first show. Analea passed away six months ago and Clementine inherited her Upper East Side apartment.
Clementine’s aunt always told her the apartment was magical. She explained how the apartment could take you forward or backward in time by exactly seven years. No one can control when it happens, though the apartment always seems to know when the time is right. Clementine didn’t believe it.
Clementine paints in the bathtub and is a terrible cook. Thankfully, she meets James “Iwan” Marshall, a 25-year-old gray-eyed man aspiring to become a professional chef. She finds him in her own apartment and initially thinks he’s a criminal trying to kidnap or murder her. Slowly, she warms up to his tattooed arms and Southern accent. I know a meet-cute when I see one.
Clementine realizes there was truth in her aunt’s legends. She realizes that Iwan is genuinely staying in her apartment for the summer, except he’s staying there seven years in the past, when the apartment still belonged to her aunt, who was abroad at the time. She walks through the door and is transported to the past, before her aunt passed away, before she became a book publicist and before she forgot her love of painting.
For as long as Clementine can remember, her aunt has had two rules in her apartment: always take your shoes off and never fall in love. These rules ingrained a fear of love and commitment in Clementine. It was quite painful to watch her interrupt her romantic moments with thoughts about losing Iwan and how she could never let herself fall for him because it would only end poorly. I wanted to scream at her that that’s no way to live — just eat his delicious food and let the cute guy kiss you!
I enjoyed the romance between Iwan and Clementine. The two hit it off from the start — Clementine couldn’t ignore how attractive he was, even when she thought he was a burglar. Things between them only got more comfortable. Their banter was playful and cute, and it was fun to see Clementine try to deny her attraction to Iwan while also fantasizing about what colors she would use to paint his eyes and blush at the sound of his nickname for her.
After a dreamy weekend spent eating Iwan’s fajitas and lemon pie, Clementine has to leave her apartment and go back to her present real world. In this real world, Iwan is a 32-year-old famous chef opening a new restaurant and Clementine is in the running to work with him on his new book. He’s changed a lot — he’s no longer the wide-eyed boy he was. Clementine thinks he’s lost important parts of himself, but I think she just needed to realize nothing can stay the same forever.
A lot of things can change after seven years. I picked this book because I knew about the time travel aspect, and was looking for a rom-com with a unique twist. “The Seven Year Slip” definitely satisfied this criteria. I really liked the uniqueness of it, and enjoyed how lessons about grief and change were shown throughout the book. I got to watch Clementine learn that it’s okay for things to be ephemeral, for people to change. I especially enjoyed watching her realize that the career path she’s going down isn’t what she truly wants. It was reassuring seeing her quit to start anew, even after working there for seven years as an unsure college student who hates the question, “So what do you want to do?”
Some of me feels like the book could have used more conflict. Iwan and Clementine had one argument (if it can even be called that), but it felt like things were resolved too quickly and I was never too concerned about them not ending up happily together. As frustrated as I get, I think a good romcom should have me biting my tongue in stress until I’m sure everything will be okay for the protagonist.
But then again, maybe I’d complain if things were too complicated. I sure would be frustrated if I had to read this story from Iwan’s perspective. Clementine only had to wait months for this story to progress — Iwan waited seven years. Seven whole years. Maybe that’s the dream — to have someone love you so much they’ll wait seven years for you. Sure, he dated other women, but even after all that time, he remembered her yearly birthday traditions and exactly which flowers she liked.
From a form perspective, the book was incredibly well written. With romcoms, it is too easy to find books with only corny writing that makes reading an exercise in cringe endurance.
“While I enjoy a little bit of cliche, who doesn’t, it’s nice when it’s limited. And I’d say this book had a good ratio of cliche to serious to beautiful writing. ”
The book nicely touched on grief and loss through Clementine’s aunt. It was heartwarming to read about their relationship and how Analea influenced much of Clementine’s life. She is very lucky to have lived with someone so spontaneous and lively. It’s always nice to see when a rule-follower has a rule-breaker to balance them out. While reading about Analea, a part of me kept thinking to myself, “Wow, I should be more like her.” I found myself smiling, seeing Clementine learning life lessons from her even after she passed.
By the end, Clementine learns to accept 32-year-old Iwan for who he is, rather than noticing all the things he’s missing. I felt satisfied seeing her accept the changes in life while also developing so much of herself. This book was an uplifting reminder that we’re all constantly growing, and that may be scary but should also be exciting!
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a quick and easy read, and I liked the plot. I would recommend it! I feel that this is one of those books that will be even better the second time reading, because I’m sure there are so many little details and easter eggs to notice in both timelines.
The true magic lies in the lesson that a strong connection isn’t always enough — sometimes, two people have to grow into the best versions of themselves first. It’s a beautifully written reminder that it’s okay for life and people to change, and that you can’t let the fear of loss prevent you from choosing the right path. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone looking for a fun rom-com with a touch of wisdom.
Kassia Zabetakis PZ ’28 loves speeding through romance novels in only days, but usually ends up hating them after she’s done.
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