This book was really great for me - it was one of those that kept me up until midnight reading. I find Annabel Monaghan's writing very engaging. She does a lovely job at setting the scene, and really bringing you into the moment. I almost had a "Parenthood" vibe at times, with the family all out back and the candles and lovely atmosphere. I think she really transports you into the story. So I found the book very engaging and enjoyable, and couldn't stop reading. I also think Monaghan does a wonderful job of the tension between a couple, the glances, the looks, the subtle touching. It helps build that chemistry and tension, and it was mostly done in a quite sweet way here. I wanted to love the overall story, but I'm never happy when the main character is with someone else while pining over another. I wish Sam's relationship didn't go on for as long as it did. I also wish it wasn't her wedding planning that made her question her life choices, as it felt so unfair to Jack. I don't like when a book has a character I'm just not supposed to like - for me here, its clear the author doesn't want us to like Jack and doesn't want us feeling bad for him. I just don't enjoy when a character isn't a fully fleshed out person, and is instead sort of a stepping stone for the lead. But overall for me I found the book immensely enjoyable and these issues will likely not bother anyone else. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review!

Thank you for this ARC! I loved Nora Goes Off Script by this same author and couldn't wait to read her latest. At first I was hesitant because I don't love the childhood summer romance trope, but just like with Nora, I was quickly captivated by the characters. I ended up enjoying the book, the story had some unpredictable moments and the characters were endearing. Overall, it did feel like a first draft with some aspects of the plot coming about and wrapping up too quickly to be believable. If you enjoy romance and are looking for a summer read, I do recommend this book!

Very cute second chance romance. The two story lines are well placed and easy to follow. Characters are well developed and likable. The dialogue is funny, well paced conversations between characters. Would definitely recommend to a friend.

One of the best beach read / summer romances I’ve read! I am obsessed with the writing of all characters, namely Sam and her family. While the plot may seem familiar, the story has plenty of fresh new pieces of love, joy, truth, and strength. I felt the ending was a smidge rushed but loved it all the same.

Nice summer read since most of the book takes place at the beach. It was kind of predictable, but I like the characters so it was worth it. Overall a nice light read, only a little steam.

4.75⭐️

I loved Nora Goes Off Script so I had high expectations for this one and it did not disappoint!

I had such a great time reading Same Time Next Summer and can't wait to do a reread this summer! I loved second chance romance stories between childhood friends to lovers that had a falling out so this was perfect for me. I didn't Sam to still be with her fiance for so much of the story but I think it made a lot of sense with the way the story progressed and it definitely felt like it bordered the line between women's fiction and romance. The summery beach vibes fit both Sam and Wyatt's personalities so well and I love the way the different parts of the beach, town and house were used in telling Sam's story from seeing Wyatt again, to realizing what she wants to do with her future and even how she feels about it when she goes back to the city.

The alternating POVs (1st in present and 3rd in the past) of the story and the structure differ from a classic second chance romance and it was really refreshing to learn why Sam and Wyatt broke around the halfway point through the flashbacks instead of at the end because the second half of the story could be dedicated to seeing how they get back together without distraction.

Can't wait to talk about this more closer to the release date and to convince all of my friends to read this on the beach this summer! Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the early copy!

Annabel Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script was one of my favorite reads of 2022, so to say I was excited for this book would be an understatement.

Same Time Next Summer is a second chance romance that captures the magic of first love and the feeling of being in your late 20s/early 30s and trying to find yourself again.

Personally, I did prefer Monaghan’s first book; I had a hard time rooting for Sam and Wyatt because honestly there was nothing wrong with Jack.

But that said, I could not put the book down and highly recommend for those looking for a summer romance. Monaghan has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

Sam and Wyatt have been summer bff's since they were 5 and 6 years old. We get a glimpse of their summer friendship which eventually turns to love. And then, of course, something happens... because that's life and when does something not happen in a romance book about young love.
Present timeline has Sam about to get married to a very nice, very scheduled Jack who seems to check all of Sam's safe boxes. Well, that's no fun!
I thought this was a bit slow in the flashbacks but overall I had a good time. It was sweet with some real life sh*t and that's what I love in romance books.
I say read this!

I really enjoyed this summer read by Annabel Monaghan.

Told in two timelines, the past and current, Samantha and Wyatt were each other's first loves until one summer ripped them apart. Now on the verge of getting married, Sam returns to her family's summer home and finds Wyatt.

This was a fun book and went a little deeper with the mental health troubles one may encounter after a breakup at such a young age.

I enjoyed the writing style and found the story compelling.

Really loved this one. Reminiscent of Love & Other Words and Meet Me At The Lake, but I don’t mind because I loved those as well. I think the characters could’ve been fleshed out a bit more, and it was a little crazy how long it took Sam to break up with Jack when they had no chemistry and be sucked so much. But alls well that ends well, because it all capped off quite nicely. I’m a sucker for a great setting so that helped too. Would’ve liked some spice, but overall a fun romantic read.

Okay, so this doesn't have the next-level WOW factor of Nora Goes Off Script. But I still raced through it and enjoyed every page in this second-chance love story.

I had high hopes for same time next summer (I loved Annabel Monaghan’s book last summer!) but Sam made it so hard to pull for her. I immediately felt bad for her fiancé from the first chapter as Sam is clearly still obsessed with her ex boyfriend and her family even knows it and instigates her. This was predictable and a miss for me.

Annabel Monahan created another captivating and honest story of second chances in this story. This story is about Sam and Wyatt, childhood loves who let life’s misfortunes and heartaches get in between their own love. Sam and Wyatt grew up going to their beach houses in the summertime. They were neighbors who lived for surfing and playing in the sand. As they grew so did their relationship until their last summer together when their loved blossomed. Summer ended abruptly after Wyatt saw something that broke his trust in relationships and allowed that mistrust to break his relationship with Sam. Sam, a once carefree and hopeful girl, let her heartbreak redefine her and she created a new persona. She created a life that was predictable. After years apart Sam and Wyatt found their way back to each other, although its not an easy road to get there. This story is about the ups and downs of love and loss but also the difficulty of trying to find one’s place in a world that easily becomes too predictable and regimented. It was a beautiful read and one that I know I will come back to summer after summer. It reminds me what it was like to be young and carefree.

I really loved this author's previous book, [book:Nora Goes Off Script|58988426], so I immediately requested this when I saw it on NetGalley. And, while I still enjoyed this one, I think <i>Nora</i> was better.

I guess this second chance romance, childhood-friends-to-lovers-in-a-vacation-town trope is really having a moment because this is the third one I've read in the last couple months. This didn't feel like it really did anything original with the trope, but it wasn't unenjoyable either. I mean, I read the entire book in two sittings.

It's a quick, beachy read and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, but I also think I'd recommend <i>Nora</i> first.

Nora Goes Off Script was my surprise of 2022 and Annabel Monaghan does it again! Same Time Next Summer is the perfect summer book. I loved it so much! Sam and Wyatt belong together. Their love story is told in alternating times but it’s obvious from the beginning that they being together. Monaghan is excellent at setting the scene. She perfectly captured upstate New York in her last book and The Long Island summer vibes of this book are perfection! I finished this book in one sitting and immediately told everyone I know to preorder it.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★★

I DEVOURED this book. It doesn’t seem like it, because the dates say it took me three days, which is actually slow for me, but 75% of that was in the last 3 hours. This book was even better than Nora Goes Off Script.

The love between Wyatt and Sam was consuming. I loved Gracie and the entire Holloway clan. Perfections.

I’m so happy I was able to read this ARC from Net Galley.

Oh! My! Heart! I didn't think Annabel Monaghan could I'll do herself after Nora goes off script. But wow! This might be one of my new favorite novels ever. I hope everyone puts this on their radar as a hot upcoming release!

I couldn't put this down. The characters and setting were so well done, and I was so invested in the story and in how Sam would end up in the end. I think it was a deep and poignant look at choices and how we sometimes become stifled by what we think we want for ourselves or what someone else's perceptions of that might be.

Thanks to the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy. This one was at the top of my list to read because I adored Nora Goes Off Script from this author last year. I didn't love this one quite as much but it definitely put me in that rom-com summer reading mood. Once again there is a fantastic setting, this time it's a Long Island beach house and this also had the humor/banter that I loved in Nora (Sam's conversations with her grandparents had me laughing out loud). I think what didn't work is it's a story about your first love and the impact it has even later in life and that's just not really my favorite romance genre.

“If you’ve loved someone your whole life, it kind of makes sense that you’d love them forever.”

“Same Time Next Summer” captures the feeling of carefree summer days and the intensity of young love so perfectly. It was a tender, sweet, and heartbreaking story that I couldn’t put down. I really appreciated the complexity of Sam and Wyatt’s relationship. Their love was intense, but it also felt real — this wasn’t a cloying, over-the-top romance. Instead, it felt honest, flawed, and truly beautiful. They are two young people deeply in love at an uncertain, complicated, and tumultuous time.

I loved seeing their friendship and young love grow while simultaneously seeing them forced back into the same proximity so many years later — navigating who they have become and the unspoken hurt of their past.

Along with the heaviness of the story, there were also some really funny moments and great side characters — particularly Granny and Gramps, who are constantly calling everyone, especially Sam, out on their BS.

My only two critiques were that having Sam’s father cheat after his love for her mom was reiterated again and again felt a little out of pocket. I would have also liked to see more time on the page with Sam and Wyatt reconnecting, falling in love all over again, and getting their happily ever after.

This book is perfect for fans of thoughtful, introspective romance, childhood friends to lovers/second chance romance. I think fans of Christina Lauren and Emily Henry will love Annabel Monaghan’s writing style and storytelling. This was truly a perfect summertime read. I would definitely love to go back and read Monaghna’s first novel.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC of “Same Time Next Summer.”