“I loved how a book, a story, a set of words in a sentence organized in the exact right order, made you miss places you’ve never visited, and people you’ve never met.”
Hello again dear reader or listener,what I have for you today is a deeply emotional and moving portrayal of grief, change, personal growth and love of different kinds, all presented in a mix of witty humor and banter, chuckle filled moments and millennial pop culture references that make you feel seen and understood.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston could be considered as a standalone sequel to her previous book The Dead Romantics, in that it exists in the same world and we get book one Easter eggs and cameos (I was so delighted !!) but with completely new characters and a brand new enchanting story. I adored TDR so I just ran SO fast to get this one because I’d somehow missed its release entirely.
Similarly to how the previous book was a call back to the Reese Witherspoon movie, Just Like Heaven, this book has some elements reminiscent of The Lake House with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves.
What a classic I might add – strong recommend but we digress.
I’m gonna be honest, I’m having trouble writing this review, dear reader, I don’t feel like I can do the nuances in the book justice.
I could just go technical and say Poston’s prose flows at a great pace, it can be fun and whimsical, as it can be more somber and attention grabbing, knowing how to weave the mystery of the magic apartment that doesn’t seem to obey any specific rules other than allowing two people to meet at different times in their respective lives – they are 7 years apart after all.
Poston also knows how to perfectly evoke the presence of a person without them even being in the scene, as Clementines’ aunt lives on in her memory and consequently we feel her bigger than life persona as well as her loss along with our protagonist.
The romance in this story is tender and soft – also a teeeny bit steamier than her previous one and we are *not* complaining one bit – with the sweetness that comes from tentative actions and trying to get out of your comfort zone for once. I loved the way Poston built up their relationship, in a way that was both healthy but also unexpected. The chemistry was off the charts making you root for them getting together while at the same time fearing they might never get the chance. The thing with this genre is you know the duo will end up together but you don’t always get treated to such a well written dynamic that you’re actively thinking how well suited these two people are for each other.
More than that, you’re always on the edge of your seat waiting to see how it’ll turn out due to the seven year separation, and what it may mean that they haven’t yet met or interacted in Clementine’s present.
Another thing Poston did really well before and did again now is revealing at the end how her protagonists are somehow bound through coincidences in a way reminiscent to how you’d imagine soulmates existing in the real world. It’s so hecking cute and romantic in the complete and utter opposite of cheesiness.
It is honestly quite beautiful.
This whole novel is frankly. You can tell how personal it was for the author, writing about feelings and emotions with a depth that brings tears to your eyes even if you’re as hard to move as I am. It is genuine and honest in a way I’ve rarely encountered and it somehow also helped heal some of my own internal turmoil regarding certain things in my life.
I don’t want to say more because it’ll be spoilery and I feel like this novel deserves to be read and felt as you go without knowing anything else other than the premise.
Except for the fact that there are two pigeons named Mother and Fucker. I couldn’t possibly leave that pearl out!!
Also if I’m being real, I would struggle to actually try and put to more words what this book meant to me. I expected something more frivolous and lighthearted going in but instead I got a shit load of feels, good laughs from found family antics, modern storytelling at its finest and a deeply emotional tale about navigating one’s grief. But also realizing the need to allow yourself to change and accept those changes, move forward and try things out until you find what makes you happy even if others don’t necessarily see it right away.
My hat off to you Ms Poston, you have a way with words and humor and emotion that I can’t even begin to comprehend, but it is beautiful and enchanting and so freeing that I can’t wait to read more from you.
Dear reader, or listener, get some tissues, and get reading, you won’t regret picking this book up.
Until next time,
Eleni A. E.
