This was another hit from Annabel Monaghan and another 5 star read! After reading and loving Nora Goes Off Script I was excited and nervous to read her second book, but this book proves that Monaghan is not a one hit wonder. The story begins with Sam returning to her childhood beach home, engaged and successful, only to find out her teenage summer love Wyatt is once again living next door. The book tells the story of past and present, as we slowly find out what happened to end Sam and Wyatt's relationship 12 years prior, while watching them try to find resolution as adults. Once the story got going I could not wait to keep reading!

If you wanted to read a (slightly less angsty) third iteration of Love and Other Words/Every Summer After, this is that.

This follows Sam and Wyatt who grew up spending summers together at their families' vacation homes on Long Island. This is told in dual timelines, so in the "Then" timeline we're seeing Sam and Wyatt become each other's first loves, and ultimately first heartbreak. In the "Now" timeline, Sam is engaged to another man and returning to the summer house on Long Island to look at wedding venues. She's not expecting to see Wyatt, whom she hasn't spoken to in 12 years, and she definitely wasn't expecting to have to deal with their unresolved feelings for him.

Listen, I think most people who pick this one up kind of know the drill with this formula, so I actually want to talk about what makes this one different from the other two, and why I still think it's worth picking up. First, this one is actually dual POV. So we get insight into how both love interests are thinking and feeling. Wyatt only gets one present-day POV chapter (because we gotta maintain some element of mystery here), but all of the flashback chapters are split pretty evenly, and it's fun to see them both realize their feelings for each other over time.

Second, these two have an actual breakup in the past. There's not really the "one party is completely abandoned never really understanding what happened" element, which I appreciate. The original relationship ends for reasons that I think feel very solid and challenging for teenagers, and while one person is at fault, it just kind of feels understandable.

Finally, because of the above, this is overall less angsty and devastating than the other two books that I guess I'm just going to keep referencing. I do think there are times where it feels like the author is just skimming the surface in this one a bit, like we could have dug a in a little deeper on some of the emotions, but I think if you felt a bit wrung out by those other books, this one is going to give you Emotional Turmoil Lite.

Despite the fact that this is nothing new, I did still have a nice time and do still recommend this as a quick summer romance read.

**eARC provided by Netgalley and Putnam

This book was a breath of salty, beach air and has you longing for the beach🏖️
🌊 Dual perspective between Sam and Wyatt
🌊 Then and Now
🌊 Young love
🌊 Art themes by way of painting, music, drawing and more
🌊 Constant visuals of the beach

Do yourself a favor and grab yourself a copy of this easy, beach read in your summer preparations.

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan is a beautiful, nostalgic, and romantic read that is perfect for the summer. The story follows the journey of Sam, a woman who comes face to face with her first love, Wyatt, after fourteen years. They spent every summer together from age five to seventeen until he broke her heart, and now she is engaged to a perfect doctor, Jack. The novel explores the questions that arise when Sam is back at her family's Long Island beach house, hearing notes from Wyatt's guitar floating across the night air, and the memories of their past come flooding back.

The characters in this book are well-developed and relatable, and the author does an excellent job of capturing the essence of a summer romance. The writing is vivid and descriptive, making it easy for readers to visualize the beach setting and the emotions of the characters. The pacing of the story is perfect, with just the right amount of tension and romance to keep the reader engaged.

What I appreciated most about Same Time Next Summer is the way it explores the themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. The story is not just about Sam and Wyatt's relationship; it's also about Sam's journey of self-discovery and her realization that she needs to make a choice. The book is a reminder that sometimes, we have to confront our past to move forward in the present and the future.

Overall, Same Time Next Summer is a delightful and heartwarming read that will make readers laugh, cry, and swoon. The author has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of a summer romance and the emotions that come with it. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, enjoyable read that will leave them feeling nostalgic and hopeful. This book deserves a solid 4.5/5 stars.

Dare I say it? Annabel Monaghan is the queen of the second-chance romance! This made me want to swim and surf and grill and be on the beach. Mainly, I wish it would stop raining in Boston! I am often frustrated by the 'your childhood boyfriend is the love of your life trope' and don't get me wrong -- it's annoying here too -- but I think it's handled deftly and given some good consideration here. The swapping of POV is never my favorite and was made slightly more annoying here by the utter imbalance. It just feels like we spend so much more time with Sam. Regardless, I finished with a full heart and misty eyes. Loved it a lot & can't wait to see what Monaghan does next. I can't wait to swim in the ocean.

I absolutely loved Nora Goes Off Script and was so excited to see a new release coming out from Annabel Monaghan. This book was an absolute delight. I loved how the story unfolded, although I was also incredibly impatient to get to the next layer. The characters were so enjoyable and the landscape was described in a way, I felt like I was on the beach. Of course I loved the ending and felt an overwhelming urge to hug my kindle after finishing it. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read this truly delightful story.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It is the ultimate beach/summer read!

If you enjoy a lighthearted summer Rom-Com, self-discovery book this is the one for you. We follow Sam as she visits her family's summer beach house with Mr. Perfect, her fiancé. The story unfolds as we dive further into her childhood crush turned boyfriend and now ex, Wyatt. The dual timelines of the past and present help to reveal a lost love and possible second chances.

I enjoyed that this book not only follows a romance but also Sam discovering herself and what is most important in her life and that maybe being picture perfect does not always lead to happiness!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Do you ever find yourself holding your breath as you read a book, knowing you’re reading something really important or profound, or just because the characters feel so real, that YOU feel what they’re feeling? That is the best possible feeling I can get when reading a book, where I’m literally standing on the precipice with the characters and am ready to tip over with them. This is the entire vibe of Same Time Next Summer. Sam has returned to her family’s beach house with her fiancé to check out wedding venues, but she doesn’t plan on running into her first love, Wyatt, the boy next door, who broke her heart years ago. Plot wise it’s unnecessary to know more because this book is all about feeling.
Feeling what it was like for your crush to touch you for the first time.
Feeling the change in yourself over time and not recognizing your life anymore.
Feeling the weight of the ocean as you swim for half a mile.
Feeling what it’s like to have your world fall apart your junior year of high school.
Memories from growing up and visiting a summer beach house are a big part of this book and two timelines play out, with “Then” featuring dual POVs from Sam and Wyatt, and the “Now” timeline being only Sam’s perspective. Annabel Monaghan captures the essence of what it feels like to fall in love obsessively in youth and explore how that can change as we age. Is it possible to go back to those feelings and is life worth upending to try again? This is the perfect second-chance romance of summer, and anyone who has ever fallen head first in love will be able to relate to Sam and Wyatt’s story. I could not put this book down and know that I will want to revisit it when I’m sitting beachside myself. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Summer at its best! A book that resonates with familiar locale. You can enjoy this debut under a beach umbrella with a cool drink in-hand.

This book is everything a summer read should be! I was a big fan of Nora Goes Off Script and loved this next novel by Annabel Monaghan. I enjoyed reading about Sam's growth and the love story between Sam and Wyatt transported me back to those intense feelings of young teenage love. I'm a fan of both dual timelines and multiple narrators and this book delivered. I loved it and would recommend to anyone wanting to read about a second chance romance set in an idyllic setting!

This was a fun, summery and nostalgic read about second chance romance. My only slight issue was I found the characters a bit hard to connect with - Jack especially felt pretty one-dimensional, and Sam and Wyatt just never quite developed enough for me to really invest in. Overall though I really enjoyed reading this one and would highly recommend it as a light summer beach read!

Took me a while to get into it. I find the airy, dreamy, writing style hard to connect with at first, but once I did I quite enjoyed the book.

You know what’s the worst? Finishing an ARC of Annabel Monaghan’s newest book, Same Time Next Summer, and realizing you won’t be reading a new book by her for several more months. I fell in love with her writing style when I read Nora goes off script and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one.

I loved it. It felt like the perfect beach read. It made me want to have a summer home on the coast summer and have carefree summers full of family and friends. This book embraces relationships. Those with family, friends, and the local community. I want that. If I could choose a book to take with me on a summer vacation, this would be it. And if you’re looking for something to welcome summer this year, I think you should grab this one.

Honestly, it felt like an adult Sarah Dessen novel. If fed the little YA part of my heart with all the flashbacks between our MCs as they grew up running along the beach.


Possible trigger/content warnings:
Some language, 3-4 fade to black scenes (can be skipped; between teenage couples and adult couples), abandonment, and infidelity between minor characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC, these thoughts are definitely my own ❤️

Nora Goes Off Script has become one of my go-to rereads, so I was very excited to read Same Time Next Summer.

This story gave off big nostalgic, beach vibes. I was immediately engaged and enjoyed the writing throughout. There are then-and-now storylines, which take readers back to Sam and Wyatt's childhood/teen years, and to the event that exploded their relationship. I understood Sam's, often irritating, behavior and choices as an adult, even though it was always very clear Jack was not the relationship for her - even setting aside her feelings for Wyatt.

A slow-burn, second chance romance filled with longing and ache.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

I have been waiting for a book to make me feel this way since Beach Read and Every Summer After. Gosh, I loved every second of this book. I felt like I was at the beach experiencing all the senses that Sam was describing. Ugh, so good.

I received a copy of Same Time Next Summer from NetGalley and Penguin in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to them both for this opportunity.

This book follows Samantha (Sam) as she attempts to navigate planning a wedding to her fiancé Jack while at her parents beach house. Sam and Jack live a modern romance standard life of semi affluence and yuppie style in NYC. Sam has never recovered fully from a harsh breakup with her first love, Wyatt. While she believes she has everything she wants in life of course she doesn’t until she runs into Wyatt again at the beach and he makes her realize maybe her life isn’t quite what she wants it to be.
I was apprehensive about this book as I personally cannot stand the cheating trope, which is very will they won’t they even in the description of this book. But I enjoyed the authors first book Nora Goes Off Script so much that I knew I needed to try this one.
Luckily this book really addresses themes of forgiveness, acceptance and letting go of the past more than a standard im cheating on my partner style romance.
Unfortunately the three main characters were so bland that it was hard to form any kind of connection or root for any of them. I can only rate this book three stars as an I liked it but didn’t love it. I probably wouldn’t reread this book in the future or purchase it, but I will still continue to look for future books by this author.

Nora Goes off Script is the book that I have most recommended to friends over the past year. So naturally the chance to read Annabel Monaghan's latest novel was a true thrill.

Listen - for many practical reasons, I should not have enjoyed this novel as much as I did. Sam was a little juvenile, and a little selfish, and blurred a few lines in the decisions she made. But who among us is not sometimes juvenile and sometimes selfish? The dialogue in this book is so authentic and honest and real that I forgive all the missteps the characters take - because so do we all.

If you have ever been in love as a teenager, you will love this book. If you have ever wondered "what if" at a crucial intersection in your life, you will love this book. If you have ever wanted to quit your job in HR and become an art teacher, you will love this book. And above all else, you will love Wyatt Pope, who is messy and kind and a confused teenager who turns into a good man trying to make everything right again.

Four stars for the perfect beach read. Even if the book is not perfect, the read is, and I'll be thinking about Sam and Wyatt every time I hit the beach this summer. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for the ARC!

This book is the cutest. It’s the perfect summer read. There is a beach, friends to lovers, second chance romance, city girl back to the small town, and the slow easiness of the summer season. I flew through this one because I HAD to find out Sam’s decision. Annabel does a fantastic job at writing romance while keeping it clean. I was expecting something very similar to Nora Goes Off Script, but this was so different!

Loved the lesson of BEING YOURSELF and to keep being yourself around other people. There is no point in putting on a face or a show to portray a certain image. What a waste of time and energy.

There were a few times I wanted to shake Jack, Sam and Wyatt for different reasons.


Overall, I recommend this if you’re looking for a light, cutesy romance to read this summer. It is swoony.

I was VERY worried about a trope I hate being included. If you can guess what trope it is and want to know if it happens, message me. I don’t want to give away any spoilers here.

This was truly a beautiful love story. Young love and a devastating set of broken hearts that find each other again on the eve of one them getting married. Well written and a really good story.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sam has it all—a good job, a fiancé, she’s settled—but a visit to her family’s beach house changes everything when she runs into the man broke her heart and she starts to question her perfectly curated life in Same Time Next Summer. I have some mixed feelings for this. Everything felt like it moved really quick, and while I loved the authenticity in the flashbacks, I felt there could’ve been a better balance in past and present. But the depiction of teen angst was really good. I do wish she was still talking to her therapist she kept mentioning because I don’t necessarily love how the mental health portion of this ended up being depicted. And while I loved Sam and Wyatt, I wanted more moments of them to fall back together because it relied heavily on their history instead of them now to show their love story. There was just a lot of telling instead of showing. But I loved Wyatt—he had a quiet confidence and was willing to call Sam out for not being true to herself. And Sam goes through a lot of growth and development I really appreciated. There is a lot of heart in these characters and I loved Sam’s family. They were eccentric and kind and loving. The characters are all super easy to root for and it was a quick read that has all the beach vibes too.