This was a sweet second-chance romance~ I adore Monaghan's writing and she does the nostalgia of a first love justice here. I preferred the "now" timeline more than the "then" which felt a little YA since the characters were teenagers, and I wish Sam had resolved her current relationship sooner - it was a little off-putting that she was planning her wedding while pining for her ex. That being said, I really enjoyed this book, and Sam and Wyatt's story makes for a perfect beach read.

Thanks to Putnam for the copy to review.

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan is the best summer/vacation novel I’ve read this year. I adored this author’s last novel and couldn’t wait to read this one. I admit to being scared that this novel couldn’t live up to the quality of the last one. While this book couldn’t be more different, I loved this book just as much if not more than the last one. Readers of romantic women’s fiction will absolutely love this book, as I did. I cannot recommend it enough. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Sam's life is moving in the right direction. She's getting married to a hot doctor and loves her job. However, her life is extremely structured. She follows all the rules and sticks to her fiance's routines. Once upon a time she was a carefree summer girl on Long Island who followed no rules and fell in love with the boy next door. She's going back to the beach for a week to merge her strict life with her beach life. She hasn't spent a lot of time there since her previous summer life fell apart. Visiting the beach this time will throw her life for a loop again.

This might be the perfect summer rom-com. My only critique is that it wasn't long enough. I wanted more of this complicated, fun, romantic, funny book. Great quick summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of Same Time Next Summer.

While I very much enjoyed the characters and their characterization in this novel, I feel like the story was not for me. The behavior of the main character was very much cheating adjacent, and that is not a plot that I enjoy reading about, and because of that I found myself struggling to finish this novel. I really wish that this was not the case because i enjoy this author's writing so much. Due to this, I cannot recommend this novel, but I would recommend other novels by this author and I would be willing to read another novel written by them.

I enjoyed this book! I didn’t love it as much as Nora Goes Off Script but I loved the nostalgia feel of this book and the second chance of finding yourself and your first love. I think every person can pinpoint that critical moment in their life when something happened that had such a profound impact on it.

For Sam, it’s the summer she and Wyatt finally voiced their love for each other only to have it shatter beyond their control. Sam spent a lot of time rebuilding herself only to find out that life isn’t fulfilling her anymore. Her engagement to Jack was carefully crafted and while Jack wasn’t ever a bad guy, he just didn’t know the Sam she thought she buried deep down long ago. What Wyatt went through was hard and he took it out on the person who was supposed to be his safe space but he failed to let her in and it cost them both so much.

I would love to see an epilogue for Sam and Wyatt. I want to see more of them in the future living the lives they always imagined as kids. Their friendship and the honesty we see them share as adults gives you that feeling that you know they survive together long after the story ends.


Thank you @annabelmonaghan @putnambooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I loved the premise of this book. The idea of facing your big love as a teenager is both interesting and challenging.

I instantly took to Sam as a fellow HR gal. I didn’t fully understand the flash mob situation or motivation behind it. I would have loved to have understood this part of her unraveling as it seemed to be the beginning of the end. I appreciated the arc and where she landed at the library. Overall felt like this storyline was a little half baked.

The reason behind Sam and Wyatt’s falling out surprised me. The scandal seemed random, and the ensuing plot line of having a new little sibling was an odd choice. These situations are real, though I can understand being more upset with your parents than taking it out on your partner.

I have come to realize that second chance romance is not my favorite trope, and I should have known that would be a challenge entering into this story. While that trope doesn’t usually work for me, I really appreciated how Sam’s revelations about herself lead to the changes she made rather than being driven by Wyatt as the end game. She had to figure out that she wasn’t where she wanted to be in order to fall into the right place long term.

The ending felt haphazard and cutoff to me. I would have loved to have seen an epilogue or further closure. After the last page, I fully expected another chapter and was left wanting for more.

Many thanks to Annabel Monighan, NetGalley, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this work with me and hearing my thoughts!

I loved Annabel Monaghan’s book last summer, Nora Goes Off Script and was so excited for this one to come out and it did no disappoint. The sense of place was perfect and reading it took me right to the beach. A perfect summer read.

This is a second chance romance that started with a teenage romance that spilled over into adulthood. I loved Sam's journey back to her true self. We often lose our true selves to become what we think is expected of us. The vivid story telling made me feel like I was there on that beach feeling the water and the sand. Definitely a beach read. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this read! It's a perfect vacation or summer weekend read--it has great characters, a beautiful beach setting (you'll wish you were there) and a sweet romance story. Though a bit predictable, that's part of what I liked about it--I wanted a perfect beach read type book and that's what I got.

Sam and Wyatt have been best friends since they were 5 until they were 19 when Wyatt just disappeared. Now Sam is getting married to Jack, and goes back to her family house on Long Island and see Wyatt staying next door and she starts to second guess everything she has become and maybe there is a second chance at true love after all and everything isn’t as black and white as it seems.


I loved this book I would so recommend to anyone!

Annabel Monaghan, author of the award-winning novel, "Nora Goes Off Script", has written a new novel called, "Same Time Next Summer." This book centers around Sam, a businesswoman who seems to have it all: a doctor fiance and a corporate job in New York City. When she brings Jack (her fiance) to her family's Long Island beach house, she begins to see that there are some pretty big differences between the two of them. While Jack is happiest in the big city and has rigid, traditional plans for their wedding and their future, Sam wants to live a more laidback, creative life. And when Sam runs into her childhood love, the actual boy-next-door Wyatt, she begins to realize that chapter of her life might not be as closed as she originally thought.

This was a quick read, and I enjoyed the sweet chemistry between Sam and Wyatt. I also loved the peripheral family characters and their genuine love for each other. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this book, but it was not for me. This book is like if you combine Every Summer After with Sweet Home Alabama, which sounds amazing! I’ll explain why it didn’t work for me below, but to do that I’ll have to include some spoilers.

This rom-com felt like it was too close to cheating for me to want to root for anybody. Sam’s first love Wyatt broke her heart at 17 (I mean he just ghosted her, which doesn’t look good for you Wyatt), and this girl went on a whole 12 step program to get over him and is STILL pining for him at the age of 30 while she’s engaged to another man. I just find this unbelievable, and I say this as someone who married my first love and high school sweetheart (and I am still obsessed with him at the age of 32 🥰).

In all this time she’s clearly not over him, she never googled him? Never looks him up? Never runs into any of their old acquaintances who mention what he’s been up to?

And does Sam even like her fiancé?? Her inner monologue does not seem that way. She’s disparaging that he gets his haircut consistently and has a strict workout schedule - okay, maybe that’s not for you, but are those horrible faults? He wants the two of them to read the same book at the same time, which I find very sweet! But Sam hates it because she doesn’t like the same books he likes. But does she tell him? No, she just moans about it internally and silently hopes he notices. And yes, maybe he should have noticed that. Or noticed she doesn’t like tennis like he does. But I think the book paints him as a villain for liking monochrome colors and straight lines because deep down our main character is an ~artist who likes bright colors~ and he’s that straight-laced doctor who just doesn't get her. But she made no effort to speak up for herself, and I just have a hard time rooting for that type of character. Granted, her fiancé DOES have some moments where he’s a major jerk. But I feel like Sam never has an agency or took responsibility for her own happiness.

Even though this book was not for me, I think a lot of people will enjoy it as a cute summer read. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

Annabel Monaghan has definitely become an auto-buy author for me! I found this second chance romance to be utterly charming. I was happy to see the character growth from Sam as she came to realize her relationship with her fiance was not healthy. And Wyatt was absolutely swoon worthy!

Such a fun summer read. Great storyline that flowed nicely without the excess fluff. Loved the characters and the second chance romance.
Although it was a bit predictable I don’t think it took away from the story. I like knowing the book I’m reading is going to end in a HEA.
Definitely suggest adding this book to your tbr.

Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary ebook to read and review.

Very sweet, beachy read about a 30 year old woman who never got over her first love. This romance is more about family dynamics and character development than lust and open doors. I was rooting for the main characters and only wish there was a little more page time with them together.

I loved Nora off script and I enjoyed this as well. The first fifty pages was a little hard to get into, but after that it was a fast read. The pacing of the flashbacks was a little too slow. This is a perfect book you can bring at the beach or lay by the pool.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for the honest review.

I first fell in love with Annabel Monaghan last summer when I read Nora Goes Off Script and recommended it to literally ANYONE who would listen to me. I bought it as gifts and just randomly sent my copy to anyone who I thought might like it (which is to say literally anyone). As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy romance, I found this one to be my ideal romance. I read it so quickly and simply couldn't put it down. It wasn't as strong as Nora but I will still be recommending this one to anyone who read and enjoyed Nora.

My one criticism in this book is the infidelity storyline. I cannot abide by any sort of glamorizing of unfaithfulness as I truly value security and loyalty in relationships and I don't feel like adding infidelity to the story adds anything - in fact, I think it might take away from it! It didn't wholly distract me from my enjoyment of the book but I do think we could've done without it and could've been a bit more creative in how the two main characters came together.

I had a strange feeling Annabel Monaghan was going to become a must-buy author for me after reading Nora Goes Off Script. Same Time Next Summer has proven that feeling correct.

This is the story of Sam and her upcoming marriage to Jack. It’s also the story of Sam and Wyatt, first loves, in the past, learning what love is. The characters in this book are full of depth. I want to know them all. Reading this, you feel completely immersed in the atmosphere of the house, the ocean, the beach, the families. It’s beautiful and romantic. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for the ARC of "Same Time Next Summer". I loved" Nora Goes Off Script" and was ecstatic to get this book. The book centers around Wyatt and Sam, childhood friends who spend their summers as next door neighbors at their families beach houses. Sam comes back as an engaged adult, and is shocked to learn that her old flame is still living next door. While I did enjoy this book and it was a very easy read , it felt really predictable to me. That being said, I still enjoyed the story and wanted to see if first loves conquer all.

What happens when you run into you teenage summer love when you’re an adult? And what happens when you’re back at that place where fell in love? And what does your successful fiancé think about it all?

All of these questions and more are answered in Same Time Next Summer. It’s the perfect engrossing beach read, with just enough depth to make it stand out from the pack.