I will say I was slightly hesitant to read this because while I enjoyed many things about Nora Goes Off Script, I still overall didn't connect with the romance section of that book. While this book wasn't 100% perfect, I can say I enjoyed this book much much more.

Sam is very buttoned up, lives a more controlled life, but her family is anything but that. When she takes her fiancé Jack for a summer vacation to her family's summer home she is very nervous. Jack has met her parents before, but never seen them in their true carefree state that they adopt over the summer. What she doesn't expect is the guy who broke her heart at 16 to make an appearance after not seeing him for 14 years. So enter Wyatt, the one who got away, the guitar player, the first love, the first everything.

Now the only thing I truly worried about was cheating. It definitely leads you to believe that might happen. Thankfully while some very minor thoughts go on her in head, I don't truly believe any cheating occurred. Her conversations with Wyatt do trigger some decisions, but I fully believe Sam did everything for her and not for him.

I love how Sam realized the life she had wasn't what she wanted, I love how she took time to figure it out, and I love how Wyatt helped her along the way. I loved the dual timeline and POVs. The past really gave some insight on what was going on in teenage Wyatt and Sam's head. When that story catches up to the present we do start to get some of Wyatt's POV in that timeline as well.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The conclusion did come a little quickly, but also alluded to a lot of time going on during the epilogue which helped some with things not feeling rushed.

It is hard to follow up such a great debut novel in Nora Goes Off Script, but I think this is another really strong offering by Annabel Monaghan.

This story follows MC Sam as she visits her family’s summer home on Long Island with her fiancé. Of course she runs into her childhood love Wyatt while there and navigates a lot of old feelings surrounding their break up. It also has themes of self-discovery and I like that Sam often breaks the mold to be her truest self.

The downside: While second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes, it makes it super hard not to compare books in this genre to other books in this genre. Having just read Every Summer after not too long ago, I found myself remembering how much I enjoyed the “past” character development in that book and how that made the “now” relationship one you were rooting for that much stronger. This book gave me just a bit of a lack-luster connection between Sam and Wyatt.

Overall great read in spite of these things. Will absolutely immerse you into that summer mood.

Special thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP
Putnam/ G. P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

THIS BOOK. This is the absolute perfect summer book. I’m glad I went into it not expecting another Nora - because I absolutely adored Nora and truly if Monaghan had just tried to write Nora 2.0 I would’ve been so bummed - but this book can stand on its own two legs. Expertly done multiple timelines, and the setting just oozes warm, sandy, sunburnt days by the lake. I will be eagerly adding this author to my yearly summer roster and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

This book felt very much like the adult version of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Same Time Next Summer is a fun, summery read. It made me very excited about my beach vacation this year. I think it would have been perfect to read this book by the water.

The premise was very intriguing to me. An engaged woman comes face to face with her childhood love after a dramatic ending to their relationship set against the backdrop of Long Island. The setting was so dreamy and nostalgic just like the blurb said.

In the end, I think this was a fine book. It wasn't anything mind-blowing, but it was entertaining and kept me engaged. I really loved Annabel Monaghan's other book, Nora Goes Off Script. If you liked that book, I think you'll like this one, but not as much as her other one. It continues with Annabel's very unique writing style, I just don't think the book is as captivating as Nora.

When I say "her unique writing style" I am referring to the fact that I feel like her books read a bit like self-insert. But not in a bad way, it is enjoyable, it is just that all of the characters feel a little flat. Like you are supposed to be imagining someone else.

Anyways, I think Same Time Next Summer is a good beach read. Light, fluffy, and engaging - just don't expect anything else.

It's almost summer, so here's a review of a nostalgia beach read to get you in the summertime mood. Sam (FMC) is an engaged woman who hasn't seen her first love Wyatt (MMC) in fourteen years after he broke her heart. They were inseparable during their summer vacations between the ages of five and seventeen. Sam isn't the same young woman who lost a part of herself when Wyatt broke up with her, but she is looking to find some closure with him. With the fresh air and beach vibes reminding Sam of her more carefree life, she is faced to consider if the life she made post-Wyatt is the life she wants to live.

I like that there is a dual POV throughout the book with the past and present being mixed in. I think the pacing was good for the story, but you won't find out what happened to Sam and Wyatt until halfway through the book. I think there was plenty of plot occurring, so the readers aren't entirely focused on what went down between them. I would recommend to any reader that likes beach vibes rom-coms with dual POV and closed door policy.

Thank you to NetGalley for offering me a complimentary copy of the book for an honest review.

4.25 stars

Our main character Sam (female) is engaged to Jack and goes for a short vacation to her family's second home on Long Island. There she finds her first love Wyatt at his family's home next door. As Sam spends time with her family and fiance, she reminisces about her and Wyatt's summers together as kids and teens. And she comes to realize the life she really wants.

I think this one is very comparable in topic and scope as Emily Henry's Happy Place. I liked this one better than that one, so if you're debating between the two, I'd support picking this one.

I feel like the author excelled at the nostalgia of the teen romance here. You could feel the characters so well, all in the beach-y, summer-y setting. This is the perfect light beach book of the summer.

I was let down a bit by present day Sam's life. I feel the author could have done more to make her current New York life more interesting. I completely understand that this is the romance, and it's NOT a romance between Sam and Jack. But Jack is purposely the dullest person in the world; he has a rigid gym schedule, he believes everything should be monochrome, and he flips his lid if anything isn't as it should be (he's a doctor; shouldn't he be slightly more flexible?). He comes across as having no redeeming qualities other than bringing in a good income and being predictable. Also, Sam's career at Human Corps (aka corpse aka "We take the human out of human resources") is a little far-fetched that she would get in trouble for showing an iota of creativity. I mean, it all does work with the plot, but it's all a bit too convenient and perhaps I was looking for more nuance.

3.5 Annabel Monaghan's Nora Off Script was one of my favorites last year so I was delighted to received an advance e-copy of her upcoming release. The long lost love trope is no newbie of course but I was cheering for Wyatt before I really even knew the whole story. Sam and her now fiancé Jack return to the beach to check out a possible wedding venue and Sam is confronted with her past. There is so much unresolved between Sam and Wyatt and you can definitely feel it. It is a dual timeline story that jumps back to their childhood and then teens, of summers at the beach as compared to now, at 30. I definitely enjoyed the book and suspect it will be a big beach read hit this summer. The middle of everything being unresolved felt a bit long and tedious and then the ending was so fast. Monaghan excels at real, messy characters, especially the supporting cast. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review. Same Time Next Summer will be available on 6/6/2023.

Actual rating: 3.5/5

I was really intrigued by the summary of this book and thought it would be fitting for a summer read. I liked how the novel switched between "then" and "now," allowing the full story to unfurl. I do wish a little more time had been spent on the "then" aspect - I felt like I was meant to assume that the main characters had been in love, without being shown much more. The pacing felt a bit off at times - I felt like end of the book progressed too quickly and would have liked to have seen the main character take more time to herself. Overall, the romance was cute and the book was a light, easy read.

Same Time Next Summer follows Sam as she goes back to her family's vacation home on Long Island with her fiance, and runs into her great love of her teenage years. She has to come to terms with her lingering feelings for him while trying to plan her wedding to a perfectly nice, buttoned up fiance. This is a second chance romance set at the beach, so it really could've been over shadowed by another famous second chance romance at the beach, however I tore through this and found it really wonderful! It is truly a book made to be read at the beach - I was reading it wishing I was a little sunburnt with sand all over everything. Highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Adored Monaghan's first novel, and this was such a great sophomore book. Summery and gauzy, just like a beach vacation, I loved this second chance romance.

I loved this one. I think Annabel Monaghan is officially an auto-buy author for me. I loved Nora Goes Off Script and this book is every bit as good as her debut. Same Time Next Summer is a perfect summery beach read! I totally blew through this one. I never finish a book in just two days!! This has Sweet Home Alabama vibes and is perfect for fans of Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After, which has a very similar premise. I loved both! The character development is so strong that you feel like you actually know and love these people. The mental imagery is powerful and now I’m dying for a beach vacation!

Things I loved:
🌊 Beach setting
🌊 Being true to yourself
🌊 Second chance romance
🌊 Childhood sweethearts
🌊 Sexy musician

Read this book if you liked:
☀️ Every Summer After
☀️ Sweet Home Alabama
☀️ Love and Other Words

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnum Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will buy this one to add to my shelves. Love the cover and the story within!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy to review!

I had mixed feelings about this book. I felt that at the beginning, the characters weren't developed enough to draw me in and make me care about them. It seemed a little unrealistic for both Wyatt and Sam to feel that deeply about each other over a decade later when they were only really together for one summer. I get that they had known each other almost all of their lives, but it still seemed improbable that they would still harbor feelings that strongly after only dating for like 3 months.

Around the halfway point of the novel, I did start to get into the story (ignoring my feelings about their past relationship) and did enjoy it. Unfortunately, I read Emily Henry's Happy Place right before this book and found a lot of similarities between the two. I just preferred Henry's writing (though not necessarily the novel--I had mixed feelings about that one, too) to this one. Same Time Next Summer was enjoyable, but maybe just not for me.

4 Stars

Same Time Next Summer was a perfect beach read for when you don’t want something overly heavy but are craving a romance with depth! I thoroughly enjoyed it and am excited to read Nora Goes Off Script by this author which I have heard nothing but glowing reviews about.

This story isn’t really unique if you’re a frequent romance reader, but I still found myself invested and had a hard time putting it down until I was finished. It also doesn’t have any overly spicy scenes on the page & was very fade to black for those who care about that.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam & Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Same Time Next Summer☀️
Annabel Monaghan
Pub Date: June 6, 2023

There’s no doubt in my mind that this will be one of the most popular books of the summer! I went into this book blind - I didn’t read the description. I just knew it was written by the same author as Nora Goes Off Script, which I just adored. This book was absolutely phenomenal and I will now be buying all of Annabel Monaghan’s future books!

Sam returns to her childhood beach home with her fiancé, Jack, to check out a wedding venue. Upon returning, she is reunited with Wyatt, her first love and next door neighbor at the beach home. Being near Wyatt brings back many emotions and feelings for Sam and she starts to question everything about her current life. I loved all of the main and supporting characters, and felt like the character development was just perfect!

Read if you like:
☀️Second Chance Romance
☀️Dual POV
☀️Then and Now
☀️Friends to Lovers
☀️Forced Proximity
☀️First Love
☀️Small Town Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Favorite Quotes:
“Sometimes you have to walk away from all the things you don’t want to make room for the future. Blank canvas.”

“You’re the most important person that’s ever been in my life, and you’re not even the most important person in your own.”

Thank you Annabel Monaghan, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and NetGalley for providing me with a gifted copy of Same Time Next Summer.

Posted on Instagram on May 13, 2023 (Currently Reading): http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
Posted on Goodreads on May 16, 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram (full review) on June 6, 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Instagram (mini review) late May 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on June 6, 2023
**-will post on designated date

4.5 stars

This will make for such a great summer beach read. It has young summer romance nostalgia coupled with second chance romance. Sam thinks she has found the perfect fiance, Jack. He is organized, predictable, and successful. What more could she ask for? As they go out east to Long Island to plan their wedding, she bumps into her childhood love, Wyatt, and suddenly she is flooded with doubts. Sam's character is relatable to anyone who has ever questioned the path not taken or had a summer love. Told through "then" and "now" timelines, I found myself a bit more intrigued by the "then" timeline, but ultimately enjoyed both in the end. I particularly appreciated how Monaghan wrote about Wyatt and Sam's budding romance, and how it crashed and burned. There were strong themes of personal growth and understanding one's worth that were relatable and important.

Sam and Wyatt met as kids on Long Island while spending summers in their parents’ beach houses. They fell in love over the years, but when Sam found herself heartbroken, she had no choice but to move on. Fourteen years later, Sam and her now fiancé, Jack, head to her parents’ beach house to make wedding plans, but she doesn’t expect to run into Wyatt. Was it all just young love? Or is there still something there after so many years apart?

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. The characters were relatable and the backdrop of the story setting was dreamy-right in my own backyard here on Long Island!
It was witty, happy, sad, frustrating at times, emotional, and just an all around great read. It was everything I hope for in a summer romance!


💬Memorable quotes:
“There are no straight lines, just connections, hinges, where we reach for each other and pull each other up.”

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for a gifted ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Who doesn't love a second chance romance?

Sam and Wyatt spent summers together for years. Living next door to each other, their families were close and they built a friendship that became a first love for both of them...flash  forward to 14 years later where they don't speak anymore and Sam is marrying someone else. 

This was a cute story of how first love lingers. Sam is living the life that she thinks she wants but getting back in touch with Wyatt makes her question everything. As Sam plans her wedding to Jack, she starts to think about the past and how everything crumbled between her and Wyatt years ago. 

Although this did not have quite the charm that Monaghan's debut novel had, I still really enjoyed this sweet story. I was rooting for Sam through the novel. This is really a perfect summer read.

Read if you loved Every Summer After or Love and Other Words

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan is a women's fiction romance book that will give you all the nostalgic summer feels! It is a past and present timeline that follows Sam and Wyatt growing up together at their neighboring beach houses and where they are after not talking for 12 years. Sam is afraid to go back to the beach house because it brings up too many memories of who she used to be. She is engaged to Jack is exactly who Sam thinks she needs to marry to put her past self behind. Sam may not know it yet but she's not happy with anything to do with her life and going back to the beach will show her that she wants more out of her life. I will say that this is more of a women's fiction book than romance because while you do see a second chance romance with Wyatt, the focus is on Sam's journey. This book also has perfect summer vibes. There is surfing, bonfires, and the feeling of putting on a bathing suit in the morning knowing you will spend the whole day on the water. I really loved seeing Sam and Wyatt reconnect and what exactly broke them up. That can be a sore subjects in books similar to these but this one was realistic. One issue I had was that the past chapters were written in third person and the present chapters were written in first person. I'm sure the author had a reason for this but it prevented the story from flowing well. I also feel like there was a lot of telling instead of showing with how Sam and Wyatts relationship devloped in the past chapters. Other than that, I loved this book and even cried at the very end.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the review!

This is a great summer beach read. Sam has a perfect life and a perfect fiancée, Jack. She has learned to get past her first love Wyatt, the boy whose family rented the summer house next door. She is happy with Jack; he is perfect for her. However, when Sam and Jack go to the summer house to check out a wedding venue on Long Island, she doesn't expect Wyatt to be staying next door. All the old feelings come back and the deep sadness of missing her once upon a time best friend.

I loved all the characters in this book - Sam, Wyatt, Sam's family, and even Jack. The story is told from the POV of both Sam and Wyatt. The writing style was perfect and I was so engaged I finished it in one day. I loved the story and the journey the characters took to discover love and friendship.

After years of dealing with a tumultuous event that threw her life into a spiral at the age of 17, Sam, now 30, has her life exactly how she wants it—safe and comfortable. What’s not either of these two things is finding out that the boy who absolutely shattered her heart is staying next door to her family’s beach house while she’s in town for the weekend with her fiancé. She’s supposed to be touring a wedding venue and picking out table linens, not thinking about all her summers spent down at the beach with Wyatt.

Holy shit, y’all. This broke my heart and then put it right back together again. This is hands down going to be in my top 5 of 2023, I’m calling it now because it was that good. I think if you enjoyed Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren (which I freakin’ loved) you will probably like this one too!! That’s really all I have to say.

Thank you to the author & publisher for providing a NetGalley ARC in exchange for my honest review!