I really wanted to love this one since I enjoyed Nora Goes Off Script, but it fell a little flat for me. I felt as though the main characters, Sam and Wyatt, acted immature at times. I really enjoyed the then and now plotlines, as well as the dual POV - those are just essential to a second chance romance for me! The romance was just a little hard to feel between Sam and Wyatt because Sam was engaged to another man for the majority of the book. I wish, since there wasn't a clear connection between her and Jack (her fiancé), that there would have been something to happen earlier on in the book that cause them to split & then we could've gotten more of the romance build up between Sam and Wyatt.

When you pick this up - go in with the mindset that the focus isn't totally on the romance and you'll probably enjoy it more. The summer vibes are ABSOLUTELY there though, so I encourage you to pick this up between June and August!

Allow me to introduce you to the perfect book to kick off your summer reading: Same Time Next Summer. This book is toes in warm sand, waves crashing nearby, a cold bevvie at your elbow, peak summer reading perfection!

Sam's life is tidy, organized, on track, and very much lived according to plan. At thirty she returns to her family's beach house on Long Island amidst wedding planning with her perfect doctor fiance only to have her strategically uncomplicated life quickly complicated by the presence of her first love, Wyatt, who she hasn't seen in 13 years, not since he broke her heart in a messy falling out.

Same Time Next Summer is about the nostalgia and intensity of young love, the magic of endless summer days and nights, and the freedom in correcting course to live authentically before life passes you by.

I loved getting lost in this story for a day!

Title: Same Time Next Summer
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Same Time Next Summer" by Annabel Monaghan

My Sentiment:

The young love these two had while young [Samantha & Wyatt] grew up and spending time on the beach was sweet, but something drastically altered their life as they grew older. All of this happens for these two in this second chance romance, especially after years pass, Sam meets Jack, and they become engaged. Be prepared for many flashbacks that make the story enjoyable. I will stop here and say, pick up 'Same Time Next Summer' to see how the story will all come out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the digital ARC!

I LOVED Nora Goes Off Script so I was so excited to get the opportunity to read the latest work by Annabel Monaghan. Same Time Next Summer was sweet and fun and I really enjoyed it.

Sam has returned back to the beach for the summer, which is where as a teen, she fell in love with Wyatt. However, years after she an Wyatt broke up leaving her heart broken, Sam has not returned ready to marry another man. Of course, she can't help by run into Wyatt who is also in town. As Wyatt and Sam continue to reenter each other's lives old feelings and hurts start to resurface.

This book had all the things I love -- childhood friends to lovers, he falls first, then and now story telling, and second chance romance. Sam and Wyatt are such compelling characters and the journey the author takes you on in learning how they have gotten to where they are is so fun. I could not put this book down. I was captivated by the story and the then and now story telling kept me turning page after page.

You know the characters are beautifully written when your heart breaks along with them and I certainly felt the pull on my heart strings during parts of this story.

Despite how much I love these characters I did feel like the bulk of the book was focused on what happened in the past and there wasn't enough attention given to the present relationship and moving forward.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, the story and these great characters.

Thank you to the publisher and PRH Audio for advanced copies of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Same Time Next Summer has such a strong sense of place, family, and summer nostalgia, that I can easily see this becoming one of the breakout novels of the summer. Perfect to throw in your beach or pool bag and get lost in, I will be recommending this one to many. I understand why it has appeared on so many summer reading guides.

Wyatt and Sam are childhood best friends, who's families have summer beach houses on Long Island next door to each other. This friendship evolves into a teenage romance and the reader is drawn through their saga in present day when Sam returns with her perfect doctor fiancee (not Wyatt) to plan her wedding. Wyatt however shows up and throws a wrench in Sam's perfectly constructed life and the reader learns about what happened between the two of them.

The strong sense of place in this novel really pulled me in. You feel like you're right at the beach with Wyatt and Sam and can feel the heat, smell the salty air, and feel the angst. I really enjoyed this and it was just so realistically written and portrayed. I really really enjoyed it. This also portrays how real and messy family can be and just felt relatable in a way a lot of books are unable to portray. As far as the romance component, this reads more like women's fiction and there is no open door steam.

Definitely recommend.

What a great summer read! I love the setting of Long Island and the beach house. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and the back and forth helped understand the background of Sam and Wyatt’s teenage love story. This was a slow burn, but the second half flew by, and I was sad to have it end.

I wasn't sure how I felt about this book after the first 20%. I didn't know if I liked the back and forth between "Then" and "Now" and I wasn't sure if I should be bored or not. But having finished this book I can say that going back and forth was the best way to tell Sam & Wyatt's story. We needed to see the friendship start, grow and turn to love. We needed to feel all the emotions with our characters.

And I'm not sure where Sam got the idea that people don't Google other people because that is 100% a thing. Anytime I watch something new I google the entire cast and find out everything I can about their lives (especially the attractive guys). I love being in the know. So yes, I would've googled Wyatt every chance I got if I had been in Sam's shoes. No shame.

Now onto Jack. What is there to say about Jack other than the fact he is a dull stick in the mud? He is so cookie cutter about his life that he is probably one of the most boring characters I have ever read. Like no one wants gray everything in their apartment. We need a little color & chaos. And all the working out? Puh-lease. Working out is not a personality trait.

Loved loved loved the ending just wish we could've had an epilogue of their beach wedding!!

All in all a very fast read. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC of this book. One of my favorites of the year so far!

I loved Nora Goes Off Script, so Same Time Next Summer was a must-read, despite the premise not drawing me in. I'm sorry to say it just wasn't for me.

I can see the attachment to one's first love, and the hotness of a guy with a guitar, but the love story overall was difficult for me to buy into. This is one of those like, "I'm happy for you, but... You sure?" type situations. Admittedly, second chance is not one of my favorite tropes; it's usually hard for me to see past the reasons the couple broke up (and stayed apart!) in the first place.

I also had issues with the themes being heavy-handed. After awhile, each added reference to them just took me out of the story and made me annoyed that the author didn't trust readers to get the point, without it being made so many times. (I was surprised by this, given that I called out the writing as something I enjoyed in the author's last book.)

The beach vibes were good, and I liked the narration by Brittany Pressley and Dan Bittner. Ultimately I'd recommend this one to readers of Every Summer After and those looking for a shorter second-chance romance.

What a pleasant surprise! I adored this book!

Fans of Love and Other Words and Every Summer After are sure to love it! A second chance, childhood friends to lovers story told in duel timelines that will be sure to rip your heart out and put it back together.

The author did a fabulous job allowing the reader to connect to Sam, our FMC, how intoxicating her first love was and how painful that loss was. And the unexpected twist around Wyatt, the MMC was a fun surprise and really brought the whole story together!

Amazing Book. I was hooked START to finish. This was giving me all the summer vibes and I LOVED it. I loved the back and fourth. I loved the characters and the story line was so good. Will definitely be Recommending to everybody this summer!

Another sweet summer read. At first, I thought I had everything figured out and it was just going to be a quick fun read. However, there were secrets and I just love a good secret. Some of what I thought might happen did, some didn't and yes, there were other surprises. I enjoyed the location and all of the different familial and friend dynamics. It was a nice easy read. Sometimes, the road forward is a journey into the past and sometimes that past journey helps you find your future.

What a delicious summer read☀️

Nora Goes Off Script, by @annabelmonaghan was one of my favorite books of last year. I squealed when I got an ARC for her latest - thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks!! And it was a goddamn delight ☀️

I have been on a big nostalgia reading kick and I am loving it! Same Time Next Summer is the story of S has a carefully put together life: career in HR and engaged to doctor Jack. Everything is in order by design, and certainly not messy. She and Jack are headed to her parents summer house on Long Island to wedding plan and she’s not looking forward to it. At the beach she can’t escape the memories of her first love, Wyatt. And on this trip she is thrown for even more of a loop because he’s there… for the first time in over a decade☀️

Second chance romances are HARD, but I really fell for both of our leads here. It was a slow burn but then I could not put this one down and was sad when it ended because I wanted more of these characters. The development was both thoughtful and so well executed☀️

@annabelmonaghan, you did it again!! This one is out on TUESDAY!! ☀️

#scottonreads #goodreads #bookstagram #books #booksbooksbooks #bookstagrammer #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreviewer #netgalleyreview #putnambooks #annabellmonaghan

I will post this review on Goodreads, my bookstagram @scottonreads and retailer sites

Sam left her summers in Long Island broken hearted. Twelve years later, she's picked up the pieces and moved on, enjoys her job and life with her fiancé in New York. At the urging of Jack and her parents, they go to their summer house for a short stay to iron out wedding details. Sam's carefully curated life is mildly threatened by her artistically messy parents and the sudden reappearance of Wyatt, the boy-next-door.
I really love the way Annabel writes and I will definitely continue to pick up her books. My struggle with this one is how long the love triangle drags out when there's a clear choice. For this trope to work for me, I want - as the reader - to be torn between the two love interests. I unquestionably had a favorite within the first handful of chapters and it never changed.
The Now and Then scenes were so well done. I felt the teenage angst and voice in the Then and the character's increase in maturity and responsibility in the Now. The tone change was distinct while also maintaining the character's personality in a clear way. I also loved the development of other characters through Sam's POV. The entire cast and setting was well thought out and I simply wanted to drive out to Long Island and hang out for the summer.
Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I absolutely LOVE @annabelmonaghan books! Nora Goes off Script was one of my favorites last year and Same Time Next Summer was just as fantastic!

I was lucky enough to have an advanced physical copy AND listening copy and I really enjoyed Dan Bittner and Brittany Pressley’s narration. Monaghan really knows how to immediately pull you in and I had to know what happened to Sam and Wyatt. There were definitely some hilarious side characters and I got some Love and Other Words vibes, which is another favorite read. I always love a dual POV story and love following along on Sam’s transformation! If you love small beach town summer vibes and second chance romance, get this one immediately!

4.75 stars!

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for the arc and @prhaudio for the advance listening copy!

Wyatt and Samantha spent every summer together from ages 5-17, with neighbouring houses on Long Island. They were the best of themselves during those summers, and the best of friends.
But when something happens to tear them, and their families apart, how do you trust relationships again? How do you give yourself so completely knowing what it feels like to have it ripped from you?

I consider this novel more women's fiction than traditional romance. Sam has to take a hard look at which parts of herself she's buttoned up, and why. As she takes a hard look at her job, her family, and her fiance she has to decide if it's truly worth hiding the things you love and pretending "you aren't you" anymore and call it "being a grown-up."

This book feels like a hybrid between adult and YA fiction. When you're with 17 year old Sam and Wyatt, you can feel the innocence in the prose, the simplicity. Part Two brings adult Wyatt and Sam to the forefront and man, does Annabel Monaghan pull out the emotions. You can feel every one of Sam and Wyatt's complicated, heartfelt, lonely feelings. Just like Nora Goes Off Script, you want Sam to get everything she deserves, even if it's as simple as chocolate cake with chocolate chip buttercream frosting.

Friends don’t let summer pass you by without reading this one! I absolutely loved this perfect summer read and was pulled into the story immediately! It made me crave the beach, sounds of the ocean and summer evenings on the patio with friends. The descriptions made me feel like I was right their living with them and taking in the story firsthand.

Overall this was a sweet romance, but at the same time, had enough anticipation to keep me turning the pages. While the romance was cute - a fun way to revisit high school and second chance loves, I really appreciated the growth and change of both Sam and Wyatt. It is so hard to look at your life and realize the “perfect” life you are leading is not the one that makes you genuinely happy.

Funny, emotional and romantic, put this on your summer reading list today!

Sincere thank you to Net Galley and Putnam for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

✩ 3.5

✦What to Expect✦ 
• Second chance romance
• Childhood friends to lovers
• Dual timelines

✦Thoughts ✦ 
I was really excited about this one, because Nora Goes Off Script was one of my favs last year. I am also a huge sucker for second chance romances with childhood friends to lovers mixed in. While I did enjoy this one, I sort of wish there was more. I wish we had more current day moments between Wyatt & Sam. Because I loved the past moments between them, but during the current day ones Wyatt annoyed me. I wasn’t crazy about Sam either with the whole Jack situation. Suffice to say, I wasn’t in love with either of these characters. I loved the premise and think it had a lot of potential to be really good, but unfortunately the characters were not my favorite.

This is the first book that I have read by Annabel Monaghan. I really enjoyed her writing. It had great flow and kept the reader very engaged. Just when I thought I could take a break, something happened and I couldn’t put it down.

Things I really enjoyed:
- The back and forth between then and now. I loved seeing Wyatt and Sam’s love grow. That being said I would have taken even more of the “then” times to really show how they loved each other through all stages of their time together.
- The twist that tore them apart. I think that it was believable and heartbreaking to see how one act to tear so much apart.
- I loved how Sam found herself and love. Often times it’s one or the other in romance novels and it was nice to see her find them both.

Things I wish were explored more:
- Wyatt. He wasn’t developed enough as a character. I wanted to see more of his struggle and how he overcame that.
- I felt like the therapist downplaying Sam loving Wyatt really upset me. I felt like it was unprofessional to say because she was young it was never love. That set her on the course to avoid and be scared and that is the exact opposite of what therapy should do for you.
- I felt like I missed how Wyatt and Sam’s family got back to better terms as they were not the last time Sam saw him.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Love is not all perfect and it felt very real. I really liked this book and would love to read more by the author in the future.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁠
Spice Level: 💋⁠💋
Genre: Contemporary Romance⁠
Tropes: Friends to lovers, Second chance romance, First love, Small town vibes, Summer beach house
Publication Date: June 6, 2023⁠
Goodreads Rating: 4.12 ⭐️⁠
Amazon Rating: TBD
Available Format: 📖📱⁠🎧
KU Option: NO

* I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was straight to my heart. I felt exactly like the main character. In a relationship because it looks good on paper. From the becoming I wanted her to fall back in love with Wyatt and leave stuck up Jack. Summer books at the beach or water are becoming my most favorite. I love the dual timelines and how you can track her broken heart. It was so relatable. Coming from a broken heart and trying to protect yourself. Loved it

Thank you to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the advanced readers copy.

I loved Nora Goes Off Script, so when I saw she had another book coming up, I knew I had to read it!

This book is so good and so good on audio! The perfect summer read.

Sam returns to her family's beach home with her fiancé in search of the perfect wedding venue. She is shocked when her first love, Wyatt, also returns. It brings back a lot of memories for her and their time together, making her question herself, her relationship and if she is really happy.

This is told in dual POV with present and some past, showcasing Wyatt and Sam's time together. I didn't feel like there was too much past chapters. Too much usually bothers me, but this was just right.

I binged listen to this story in one day. I was immersed and didn't want to stop. I really felt like Sam figured herself out and what she wanted in life and was happy with it.