Member Reviews
Anyone who enjoys summers on Fire Island or the Hamptons will love this story. It’s a great story of summer, and it made me want to quit my job, blow up my life, and move to the beach.
I flipped between the ebook and audiobook versions of this novel and it was a good, quick read! The second chance love and friends-to-lovers tropes were well utilized and I was definitely rooting for these two to find their way. The setting was great for this novel and it makes for a perfect summer beach read. The dual timelines were nice, but I did find myself a bit more interested in the past versus the wedding planning and focus in the future. However, the way the story came together and the ending overall were great. The author really has a way with writing characters who have such strong chemistry and are drawn to each other in an undeniable way. It pulls you in as a reader and I love that about her writing!
The audio version was great and I enjoyed the narrator. Thank you to Putnam for the arc and PRHAudio for access to the audiobook version!
I read Annabel Monaghan’s novel “Nora Goes off Script” last summer and loved it, so I was really excited to get a copy of “Same Time Next Summer” from Netgalley. And it did not disappoint. Monaghan did a great job of creating atmosphere and capturing the feelings of first love. As for the setting, this is the epitome of a beach read. Not only because it is light and entertaining, but also because all of the descriptions of life at the beach will make you really wish you were on vacation! As for the story, the romance is sweet and the character development is good. The plot switches back and forth between the past and present day so that you really get to see the history of Sam and Wyatt’s relationship. Also, in addition to the two main characters, there are other quirky characters that add interest to the story. Ultimately, I am not sure that I liked Same Time Next Summer quite as much as Nora Goes off Script, but it was a solid romance that kept me entertained and that I will be recommending to others.
Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Same Time Next Summer follows two childhood friends turned lovers turned strangers in this sweet, summery rollercoaster romance.
This was my first book by Annabel Monaghan, and I was drawn instantly to her writing style. This story was a quick and easy read, and I was able to finish it in two sittings. I want to check out her other stories, and would recommend this one to anyone looking for a fast-paced beach read!
Things I liked:
- Sam and Wyatt's friendship during their younger days. So sweet and genuine.
- Dual timelines/multiple POVs. I LOVE when we can get inside more than one character's mind. As a writer, I personally find that this can be difficult, so for those authors who can pull it off so effortlessly, bravo.
- The descriptions of a nostalgic summer. Loved everything about the summer house on Long Island, the surfing weather, time spent in the water, and soft music drifting in from the treehouse. It gave me such warm feelings.
Things I disliked:
- I had a difficult time believing Sam ever truly loved her fiance. It was obvious she was still irrevocably in love with Wyatt, so her relationship with Jack seemed so fake.
- Speaking of Jack, he definitely was not my favorite. He was a fine guy, but it was obvious he and Sam were not a perfect match.
- I am a sucker for both the second chance romance + best friends to lovers tropes, and I have read so many stellar books with both of those tropes so beautifully and effortlessly intertwined. I felt like both tropes fell a little bit flat for me in this story.
Nonetheless, this was a cute summer read and I'd recommend it if you want a sweet vacation or beach read!
While I loved Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script, I was less pleased with Same Time, Next Summer. It felt as though a familiar story was being retold without many changes. I enjoy her writing style immensely, so I will still give this a midline rating, but overall, would have liked a more original story.
This novel reminded me of the Taylor Swift song Speak Now in book form, and will be perfect for fans of Annabel Monoghan's prior novel Nora Goes Off Script or Every Summer After fans.
With its nostalgic and summery atmosphere, this book is a perfect choice for a beach read or for anyone seeking a heartwarming and thought-provoking story. The plot centers around Sam, who returns to a beach house from her childhood, now as an engaged woman searching for a wedding venue. Unexpectedly, she encounters her childhood sweetheart, Wyatt, which triggers a flood of conflicting emotions and unresolved issues.
Same Time Next Summer captures the essence of young love and explores how our first heartbreaks can shape our future relationships. The author's writing style is mature and filled with small details that immerse readers in the experience of growing up during those summer beach visits. It is seriously a quick read- I knocked it out in almost one sitting, and was pleased that it felt less predictable than many novels in the genre.
Annabel Monaghan does it again! LOVED this and read it in a weekend. This is the perfect romantic beach read for summer!
Second chance romance is so hard to execute correctly, especially when the initial breakup happens while they’re teenagers. The whole premise of going through your twenties thinking about the one that got away & still thinking about that person while you’re planning your wedding is done time & time again in romcom movies & books. Monaghan did a great job of showing what Sam was running from when she created her safety net of a new life. It helped progress the story out of the overdone trope status and into something fresh. That freshness ends though with Sam being hung up on a musician writing songs about her. It was as if she’d regressed back into her teenage self instead of coming back to her roots. It really hurt her character arc until she acknowledged Wyatt was an addiction and she needed to keep her head down and work on herself for a bit. But then sure enough, we take one step forward & then one step back when that time only lasted two or so months. I didn’t feel like Wyatt & Sam were soul mates with strings of fate pulling them together, it felt like two people that easily could have gotten over each other & gone on to live successful lives with healthy relationships had they just gone to therapy. The saving grace of this was that they didn’t get married at the end of the book. But, overall, this was a quick fun read that I did in one sitting. I have already recommended it to my friends that are into second chance romance & they’ve loved it.
I had to read Same Time Next Summer since last summer I enjoyed binging the author’s Nora Goes Off Script.
I highly recommend Same Time Next Summer for summer reading for those who enjoy contemporary romance.
We have another east coast summer setting. For the first time in a long time, Sam returns to her family’s summer home on the beach on Long Island. Sam is with her fiancé, but her neighbor, her teenage first love, is back on the scene. The story takes us back to fill the reader in on Sam and Wyatt’s past friendship, love, and break up. I love the way Sam is hesitant to give up the joys of summer when other kids morph into new people as teenagers with new interests. She is wise not to want to rush into adulthood and give up her adventures on the water and carefree summers.
The sea, family, reminiscing, and romance all make for a fun summer read.
I keep getting the titles Same Time Next Summer and Every Summer After mixed up in my head, but I liked this one more!
Special thanks to Penguin Putnam, Netgalley, and Goodreads for the advanced copies!
Same Time Next Summer is a warm and wonderful second chance romance, all playing out at the wonderful beach. I loved Wyatt, a main character who loves Sam so much, but lost her for perfectly good reasons that took time to resolve. Sam, on the other hand, is frustrating; a woman who is clearly playing to whatever type of boring woman her current fiance wants. I loved how alive Sam and Wyatt were together, how they complimented each other and supported each other as kids and adults. I really wonder how Sam's family let her life get as far as it did with Jack without some sort of conversation about how stifling and boring he is.
Monaghan's books go down easy. They are fun to read and I appreciate that the third act breakup is so often in the female main character's favor. Monaghan writes the perfect comfort read.
A second chance for teenage loves Sam and Wyatt is the theme of this story. They would meet up every summer because their family had beach houses next to each other in Long Island. Sam is now engaged to be married but Wyatt showing up next door now is not what she planned. Long past history is resolved and things work out as they should, I guess. It all just kind of fell flat for me. I wanted to love it all and wanted to be invested in this reuniting but just didn't. I am sure lots of readers will fall in love with them but it wasn't for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam for a copy for review.
A perfect summer beach read, set on Long Island. Sam is engaged to Jack, a doctor who is a perfect match on paper. When Sam was younger, her heart was broken by Wyatt, which caused her to shut down to spontaneity and creativity, and live a by the book life. When Wyatt reappears next door to the family beach house, Sam must decide where her future lies. I liked the characters, setting and story line. Recommended as a good beach read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Disclaimer: I received a gifted copy of this book via netgalley and in exchange I'm leaving an honest review. All opinions my own.
I think it speaks volumes that I read 63% of this book yesterday. This was recommended to me by @honeydukesbooks on Instagram, and I am so glad I got approved for this immediately (netgalley doesn't like me and often denies me lol). This is the perfect summer read. I loved the then and now chapters, and the alternating point of views.
Sam & Jack are set to get married in the fall, and they visit Sam's family so they can be involved in the planning of the wedding.
Jack is a boring white bread doctor, and I pretty much hated him from the jump. He's nothing like Sam, shuts down her creative ideas for the wedding in favor of "tradition" and dismisses her feelings a lot. She's a creative artist and she's unhappy in her job, and he just expects her to suck it up?? Hes actually the worst. Wyatt is a musician and he and Sam grew up together. Seeing him back in town when she's visiting brings back a lot of memories that she tried so desperately to bury. Will she get the closure she so desperately needed? Or will her feelings come to surface, just as they did that summer 13 years ago?
Thank you to netgalley for this book!
book featured here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CstobQpLW6p/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book! It’s a beautiful and heart wrenching story about first love, heartbreak, and seeking out the life you want instead of what’s easy. I enjoyed how it appropriately highlighted teenagers make dumb decisions and those decisions often don't change if you're stubborn enough. I liked the way it was written, the flashbacks were purposeful and added to the story.
YES, Same Time Next Summer, YES! I said it in my stories but you better believe I'm going to say it again- This is what I wanted Every Summer After to be! I wanted to set foot in the real, lived-in beach house full of family, quirky grandparents and all. I felt as though I swam along the beach with Sam and then swam the laps in the pool with her in her heavy heartbreak. The heartbreak is big for several of the characters in this story. ❗Trigger warning for infidelity! Which I hate to read about, but this case didn't bother me as much as Every Summer After or other plots with infidelity. I think because Annabel Monaghan treated it with raw emotion and showed the traumatic aftermath that infidelity can leave behind. But I adored the setting in a small beach town on Long Island, I adored Sam's mom, I adored the way the summer romance felt true to life. I really loved my reading experience of this one! Already waiting for @annabelmonaghan's next book!!!! 🙌
SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER is out now and I think you should read it!!! Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books for my e-arc!
I loved this second chance romance! I think this will be THE book of the summer, and the setting almost feels like an extra character. Annabel Monaghan is a new must-read author for me!
Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan!
I was excited to read this book, but sorely disappointed by the writing.
Second chance romance is one of my favourite tropes, and I find it hard to believe that it went so wrong!
The story works on a dual POV and a dual timeline, a combination which wasn't carried out well at all as I couldn't really differentiate between the switches and point them out.
The characters too didn't work out for me with their chemistry not feeling real. I think they completely lacked personalities for there to be attraction and a real insighting incident.
I still find the plot simple and I think the story could have been much better with different characters and a more fleshed out storyline.
I thoroughly enjoyed with book, but after her first novel, my expectations were almost unrealistically high. This book was a fun, easy romance but it didn’t stand out for me. Norah Goes Off Script continues to be one of my favorite books of all time. I still can’t wait for what Annabel Monaghan does next. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.