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A Quantum Love Story: A Novel Kindle Edition


Make room in your beach bag for this great summer read

A cozy sci-fi novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood

The only thing harder than finding someone in a time loop is losing them.

Grieving her best friend's recent death, neuroscientist Mariana Pineda’s ready to give up everything to start anew. Even her career—
after one last week consulting at a top secret particle accelerator.

Except the strangest thing happens: a man stops her…and claims they've met before. Carter Cho knows who she is, why she's mourning, why she's there. And he needs Mariana to remember everything he’s saying.

Because time is about to loop.

In a flash of energy, it’s Monday morning. Again. Together, Mariana and Carter enter an inevitable life, four days at a time, over and over, without permanence except for what they share.

But just as they figure out this new life, everything changes. Because Carter's memories of the time loop are slowly disappearing. And their only chance at happiness is breaking out of the loop—forever.

“This unusual and satisfying near-future time-travel adventure fires on all cylinders.” —Publishers Weekly

Also by Mike Chen:


HERE AND NOW AND THEN
A BEGINNING AT THE END
WE COULD BE HEROES
LIGHT YEARS FROM HOME
VAMPIRE WEEKEND


From the Publisher

Amazon Editors' Pick, Book of the Month, Best Sci-fi & Fantasy, February 2024
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9780778308980 image 9780778388289 image 9780778311317 image 9780778386940 image 9780778386964 image 9780369747778 image
Here and Now and Then A Beginning at the End We Could Be Heroes Light Years from Home Vampire Weekend A Quantum Love Story
Customer Reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
1,788
3.9 out of 5 stars
355
3.9 out of 5 stars
434
3.9 out of 5 stars
298
4.3 out of 5 stars
86
4.2 out of 5 stars
210
Price $7.98 $16.00 $14.99 $17.26 $17.38 $12.90
Enter worlds of warped time and space with more sci-fi reads from Mike Chen He’ll go anywhere and any when to save his daughter Four survivors come together as the country rebuilds in the aftermath of a devastating pandemic. An extraordinary and emotional adventure about unlikely friends and the power of choosing who you want to be. Every family has issues. Most can’t blame them on extraterrestrials. Being a vampire is far from glamorous…but it can be pretty punk rock. The only thing harder than finding someone in a time loop is losing them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A Quantum Love Story is the definitive time-loop romance, and one for the ages. I quantum loved it… Mission: Impossible meets When Harry Met Sally...a masterpiece." —Fan Fi Addict

“Combining the sweet redemption and understated romance of
Groundhog Day with the multiple explosive resets of Edge of Tomorrow, this novel from Chen loops its way through a charming story about opposites attracting, the human ability to reset expectations and emotions against all the odds, and the power of one woman willing to make a big sacrifice for a small change that might just save the universe.” —Library Journal


“This unusual and satisfying near-future time-travel adventure fires on all cylinders.” —
Publishers Weekly

"A riveting climax. The novel’s easy but intricate world building and exciting twists make it one that fans of soft or character-based sf will really enjoy." —
Booklist


"A journey of scientific and self-discovery...a great mix of ideas." —
Kirkus


“A book that—as suggested by the title—blends science and romance together to tell a story that is every bit as twisty and surprising as the quantum physics and time loops that make up the plot
... A Quantum Love Story is one of those winding, engaging books that had me absolutely hooked from the start.” —The Geeky Waffle


“This emotional new novel from Mike Chen combines what is best about science fiction, mystery and romance… The result is a world rendered in Technicolor, every corner lit, every scene set so that the reader can walk right in. Chen's charming characterizations are at their best.” —
Scientific American


“What makes a reader want to follow a protagonist into hell? We adore a capable protagonist who manages tough situations with ease...The heart of
A Quantum Love Story is troubleshooting. Mariana and Carter invent brilliant plans to escape their ourobourous… Good thing they’ve got plenty of time on their hands.” —The Washington Post


“Another well-written, fun novel, with two characters you root for, a cute cat named Maggie, lots of food that will make you hungry, and time travel. Fans of Mike Chen will enjoy this one.” —
Red Carpet Crash


“Mike Chen strikes an effortless balance between science fiction, action, and heart. This book kept me turning pages late into the night with its propulsive plot and irresistible characters.
A Quantum Love Story is a love letter to second chances and beyond.” —Natalka Burian, author of The Night Shift

"I'm a sucker for a time loop, so my expectations were high and
A Quantum Love Story did not disappoint. A delightful twist on the time loop story—warm, fun, pacy, unexpected, and satisfying." —Catriona Silvey, author of Meet Me In Another Life


"Time isn't a flat circle; it's a donut. Love isn't mystery; it's a miracle. This book beats like a patient heart that can't stop reliving the moments when it last loved you." —Meg Elison, author of
Number One Fan


"Sweeping, heartfelt, and harrowing. As always, Chen enthralls by combining pulse-racing stakes with charming characters." —Noelle Salazar, internationally bestselling author of
The Flight Girls and Angels of the Resistance


"Mike Chen's
A Quantum Love Story is a delight of a novel. Mariana and Carter join his pantheon of richly drawn characters in a story that offers freshness and surprises throughout a time loop. Also, there's a really good dog. I enjoyed it immensely." —Kat Howard, author of the Unseen World duology


“Mike Chen’s latest novel
A Quantum Love Story is a delightful romp through a time loop….quite an enjoyable page turner.” —8Asians


“Chen manages to bypass some of the usual time loop tropes and make it fresh, and it’s a good mix of the sci-fi and the love story.” —Geekdad

About the Author

Mike Chen is a lifelong writer, from crafting fan fiction as a child to somehow getting paid for words as an adult. He has contributed to major geek-culture websites (the Mary Sue, the Portalist), covered the NHL for mainstream media outlets, and ghostwritten corporate articles appearing in Forbes, BuzzFeed, Enterpreneur, and more. A member of the Codex Writers' Group, Mike calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, where he can often be found playing video games and watching Doctor Who with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals. Visit him online at www.MikeChenBooks.com.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C4FKZ8QN
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MIRA (January 30, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 30, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1010 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 364 pages
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Mike Chen
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Mike Chen is a critically acclaimed science fiction author based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. His debut novel HERE AND NOW AND THEN was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice, CALIBA Golden Poppy, and Compton Crook awards. His other novels include A BEGINNING AT THE END, WE COULD BE HEROES, LIGHT YEARS FROM HOME, and STAR WARS: BROTHERHOOD. He has also contributed to the STAR WARS: FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW anthology and covers geek culture for sites like Nerdist, StarTrek.com, and The Mary Sue. In previous lives, Mike worked as a sports journalist covering the NHL, DJ, musician, and aerospace engineer. He lives with his wife, daughter, and many rescue animals. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @mikechenwriter

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
210 global ratings
Cozy scifi with a hint of romance
4 Stars
Cozy scifi with a hint of romance
𝘊𝘰𝘻𝘺 𝘚𝘤𝘪-𝘍𝘪 • 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘱 • 𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘔 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 • 𝘈𝘐𝘕𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 • 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 • 𝘎𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: 30 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 2024I think of this as cozy sci-fi more than romance as the love story was secondary to the time loop plot. “Cozy sci-fi” applies because of the budding romance/sparks, personal introspection, endearing pets, and food/cooking elements. I loved when Carter and Mariana were working together, splurging on new cuisines, jetting cross continents, and plotting new paths forward, and I would have loved to see more of that storyline develop in a future Epilogue or bonus chapter(s).Synopsis:Mariana is a neuroscientist working at a startup that has discovered a way to relive the past by imprinting vivid memories into the brain’s permanent record. Carter is a foodie with Michelin chef aspirations and a photographic memory. His day job: lab tech at a particle accelerator, where an inevitable accident is about to occur.When Carter and then Mariana get stuck in the cross-hairs, they find themselves stuck in an infinite time loop, cursed to repeat the 4 days leading up to the explosion that renders the entire facility a pile of rubble. As they try to figure out what went wrong and how to correct it, they will learn more about themselves and each other.Small gripe: the science aspects were confusing as can be the case with paradox of time loops. I found that if I thought too hard I had questions I couldn’t resolve re: how it all worked.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024
"A Quantum Love Story" is the first novel I've read by Mike Chen, and I found the book to be fascinating (time loop and time travel things? Count me in). I never expected to cry like a baby towards the end of the book (won't spoil anything, I just have a trigger and Mike Chen triggered it).

I recommend this book if you, like me, enjoy time loops, fabulous characters, adorable pets, and a great story. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading Chen's other books.
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
This is the 2nd Mike Chen book I’ve read, and I’ve liked them both. If you enjoyed Here and Now and Then, then I recommend this one. The entire read was fun—never super exciting, but that’s okay. He did a great job with a big plot twist and gave just the right amount of information through the end. I’ll probably read more by this author.
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
I loved the time loop story, and once I got about 100 pages in and the stakes got higher, I felt pulled along to see how this would turn out. I also appreciated the overall optimism of the story. A lot of time is spent in the first part of the book developing a romance between Carter and Mariana, but while I enjoyed seeing their friendship grow, I didn't find the love story all that believable, which was disappointing. Mariana's story does get very interesting with some fun AI help from David Bowie and potential paradox problems.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2024
I love this amazing combination of sci-fi and romance and just a genuinely wonderful human love story. The characters were so full and honest, and the really interesting premise along with his detailed writing brought together such a great story. It was so easy to immerse in the story because he captured all of the emotions and the characters' reactions so well. The ending was bittersweet but perfect and lovely. Highly recommend.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2024
This was a great sci fi, time loop story. And it may be love story but it’s not a romance (for those of you who know the difference.) So as long as you’re not looking for a romance and you love time loops (similar to Groundhog Day or that one hilarious episode of Dark Matter) then you’re going to love this book.
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2024
A Quantum Love Story is quantum physics meeting a Fifty First Dates sort of romance; though doesn’t meet the Romance Writers of America definition of a romance, it is a slow-burn romance that fizzles out before true completion. When a San Francisco particle accelerator blows up, Carter Cho and everyone in it is thrown into a four-day time loop that seems to repeat endlessly, though Carter was apparently the only one zapped by a mysterious green current.

Even Carter’s memory, bank account, and even his cholesterol levels reset every Monday morning.Though he failed his quantum physics major in college, he is enough of a scientist that, once he realizes he is looping, he determines to break out of it and does experiments to determine how. He writes notes to himself in note books so offset the memory loss. Mariana is a neuroscientist working with the ReLive project, a firm developing perfect memory recall. She visits the Hawke accelerator project one day and also becomes trapped in a time loop. Carter manages to get her to work with him to solve the problem. They are just beginning to feel something for each other when Carter starts losing his memory.

The first part of the book deals with Carter trying to solve the loop problem and getting Marina to help him. In the second part of the book, Mariana takes the lead and makes a huge sacrifice to save the world from the loop.

Chen avoids much of the repetitiveness inherent in a time loop story by showing the progression of Carter and Mariana’s efforts to defeat the loop. The story never bogs down in too much hard science, yet I was able to suspend disbelief.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024
Carter has been stuck in a time loop that ends with an explosion, literally. He’s gone through it six times and knows exactly what will happen each time. This time, Carter decides to deviate, which causes him to accidentally bump into a gal called Mariana. And he realizes where she’s going is near where the explosion will happen and he wonders if there’s a connection.
Mariana has been going through the motions ever since her stepsister Shay went missing(presumed dead) 3 months ago and is ready to resign from her job. She decided to give it four more days, especially when her group of scientists are invited to go see The Hawke Accelerator, the place where Shay wanted to work. Where she meets Carter who seems to know her and is trying to convince her she’s in a time loop by putting her in the exact spot he was to help her remember. She remembers and now they have to work together to figure out how to get out of this time loop.

That was a very long summary 😂 I love books that deal with time, and add romance to it, even better!

I really enjoyed this book! It did have a little bit too much scientific jargon for me, but I really enjoyed the story and these two people just trying soooo hard to get out of this time loop. And then the adventures they go on just to take a break and live! The relationship they build over time and the romance is so sweet and also bittersweet. The way the story progresses, you’re basically stuck in this time loop too just wondering if we will ever get out, and you think they got it, when suddenly the time loop starts over and there’s just so many layers to get to the point that would solve it that I understand how Carter would feel down sometimes and want to give up.

Carter Cho made me think of Remy from Ratatouille 😂 His love for food and how he’s so offended by Mariana’s reaction to food and how he teaches her to savor the moment, and enjoy it, sustenance versus like a shake, what flavors do you taste or smell, etc. He is seriously just so adorkable and endearing and I just loved Carter so so much!

Mariana was more of the type A personality, but she also was going through grief after losing her closest friend and sister three months ago. She changed so much through this story. She allowed herself to live, to actually look at Carter differently especially after Shay always gave her a hard time of not giving guys a chance and being too picky for her own good, she started to savor moments like Carter, and I loved just seeing how her relationship with Carter changed.

And that ending! I love bittersweet endings and this one was just perfect for me 👌🏻 Heartbreaking and yet a happy ending!

If you enjoy books that involve time, and romance, then check this one out!
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2024
An excellent read

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