I loved Nora Goes Off Script and Same Time Next Summer was a solid second book by Annabel Monaghan. Her writing is always captivating and the warm feel of summer and romance was a delightful escape in the dreary winter days. I think this will be a popular beach read this summer and I look forward to selling it.

I absolutely loved this book! Loved the characters and the setting. The storyline was so good. I definitely recommend. Thanks to Netgalley & Penguin Random House for the E-ARC!

I love a good second-chance romance! Overall this book was an enjoyable read! It was light and and heartwarming, perfect for a day on the beach or quiet night in on the couch. Is it predictable? Somewhat, but there were some twists to keep me reading. Kudos to Sam for staying true to herself and family and not conforming to the ideas that she thinks she needs to adopt.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC.

I LOVED Nora Goes Off script by Annabel Monaghan, so I was super excited that she had another book in the works!

Same Time Next Summer follows New Yorker native, but Long Island summer girl, Sam. She fell in love young with Wyatt. Heartbreak ensued, as most young love does. Time passes and Sam and Wyatt fall out of touch. Now, Sam has come back to Long Island, but this time with her monochrome fiancé, Jack. She has to learn to put past feelings aside in order to move on and plan her wedding. Sam has struggled, but so has Wyatt.

I became wrapped up in the bond between Sam and Wyatt and found myself hoping that there would be a second chance between the two of them. I wasn’t a fan of Jack. I felt like he was trying to suppress Sam, her creativity, and her family.

This was a great read and sure to be a hit this summer! I devoured this book in no time! Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this advanced copy!

This is the perfect summer read
I liked it how it goes from where Sam and Wyatt are in the present and then to the where they hung out during the summers. I liked watching the relationship build. Sam was a relatable character and I rooted for her the whole time.
I loved this book.

This is my idea of the perfect beach read. It has everything I want in a good summer romance: beach house setting, second chance romance, dreamy, guitar-playing next-door neighbor, and lots of swimming/surfing. This book is so fun and so sweet. I loved the characters, the setting, and the alternating timelines and points of view. One of my favorite aspects of this book was Sam’s character development. In fact, I think I was even more invested in it than in the romance aspect. I really liked the main characters together, but I didn't feel a ton of chemistry between them or super connected to them. But, I absolutely loved the ending and how it all wrapped up. I definitely recommend picking up this book this summer!

Overall: The butterflies this book gave me…my goodness. I loved it and got that happy high feeling I’m always chasing that looks like this when you finish the last page: 😌🥰

Gist: Sam and Wyatt fell in love as teenagers but went through a rough breakup due to things outside of their control. Years later, Sam is engaged and in town to scope out a local wedding venue with her fiancé. Wyatt also happens to be in town and we learn their story through flashbacks followed by present day moments.

Tropes: Second chance, childhood friends to teenage lovers, next door neighbors

Likes: As always, Annabel’s writing. She’s thoughtful, funny and can convey so much in such concise writing. Story wise, reading about how Sam and Wyatt fell in love as teenagers takes me back to my own relationship. Their treehouse chapter (Ch. 16) gave me such butterflies! And I love Sam’s character for also saying what she’s thinking and being honest.

Dislikes: My heart dropped when I realized the last page was it. My only dislike is there weren’t more pages with them finally happy together or an epilogue.

Spice: 🌶️ - two very short and sweet scenes but the tenderness and tension were palpable.

Voice: Flashbacks, FMC, MMC for one chapter

CW: Cheating (not between MMC/FMC, but it plays a role in the trajectory of their lives)

I loved Annabel Monaghan's first book, Nora Goes Off Script, so I was so excited to hear she had a new book coming out this summer. I loved Same Time Next Summer and was impressed that the author followed up a great debut novel with another great read! I think this book will be a huge hit and the perfect book to read over the summer. I loved that the characters had real depth and growth and felt like real people. You'll enjoy this if you like second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, a beach setting, alternate POVs, and split timelines.

I wanted to love this book so badly. It was well written but felt like similar books have been written before. Loved the characters and dual POV.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Sam and Wyatt. They have known each other all their lives. Their families were neighbors on Long Island. Their families would come and stay all summer. When they were teenagers they were in love. Until the summers Wyatt was eighteen his family shattered. He was very upset, Sam tried to talk to him about it, but he decided to leave for California. They broke up. Several years later they saw each other again, they each had problems but together they work them out and fall in love again.

This book is about Sam and Wyatt who grew up together and fell in love only to break up. I wanted to love this book, but I did not for several personal reasons. This book is broken up into two parts with the first part going back and forth between the past and the present and the second part being only the present. Sometimes my brain has trouble following a story when it goes back and forth between time periods. I did like that the reader got to read about Sam and Wyatt being friends and falling in love. Second-chance romances are not my favorite though this week I did read one that I loved which is probably why I did not like this one as much. I did not like that Sam was engaged to Jack the jerk for almost all of the present part of the book and thought that Wyatt and Sam should have reunited sooner. The whole time that Sam was planning her wedding and basing her choices on what Jack liked my brain was screaming omg he is a jerk leave him. I am sorry, but my fiancé is not going to tell me that I cannot have chocolate cake or colored wedding invitations because they are not classy. Which you do not have to have a vanilla wedding cake or all white everything else to have a classy wedding. In the end everything does turn out all right for Sam and Wyatt.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Annabel Monaghan, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. It comes out on June 6th, 2023.

Annabel Monaghan returns with a sweet summer novel that will make readers nostalgic for whimsical, warm days. Sam Holloway is a thirty year old woman with a bustling career and a perfect on paper fiancé. She seems to have left her carefree beach days with her artist parents and the heartbreakingly handsome guitar player next door behind her. When Sam returns to Long Island, a series of events leads her to question the safe, monochromatic life she has built.

I loved the voice in this novel, and Ms. Monaghan beautifully captures idyllic summer days spent on the beach. As it was in Nora Goes Off Script, I found the characters to be well-drawn, and the story to be enthralling. This is not a five star read for me (like Nora was), only because of what I consider to be a major implausibility woven into the plot of the novel. I think this book would have worked better if it was set in an earlier time period. Overall, I had fun reading Same Time Next Summer, and would recommend it to others. Thank you, NetGalley, and G.P. Putman’s Sons for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This was an excellent escape on this blustery March day!

Same Time Next Summer is a bookish hug. Sam returns to Long Island in an annual tradition, but this year is different. She's returning with her fiance to scout out wedding venues. Manhattan Sam is a Type A HR professional, but Long Island Sam loves the ocean, swimming, and rediscovering art. She's forced to confront a heartbreak from 13 years ago when her former love returns to his summer house next door. Same Time Next Summer is about lost love and rediscovering who you are. I love that Monaghan's female main characters are likeable and willing to grow. I lalso ove that Monaghan connects her plot points in fair ways (no miscommunication trope here-thank you!), and you find yourself cheering the main character on in her growth and happiness.

Thanks to the publisher (Putnam) for the opportunity to review this book.

The beginning of this was a bit rocky - the jumping from then to now could’ve been handled a bit more seamlessly, but I really enjoyed this cast of characters. This book felt like “Every Summer After,” but in my opinion, better and more real.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute, summery read. I read this over Spring Break and it was the perfect lighthearted romance to relax with—it gives you all the emotions and angst without completely ripping your heart to shreds. I love the flashback between Then and Now, and the development of the childhood friends to lovers and their reunion as adults. The cute nicknames, innocent teenage love, small town vibes, and quirky family gave this book such a Hallmark feel. I also loved Sam’s character development and realization of who she truly is, and the cute banter between her and Wyatt.

I’m not much of a beach person, but this book absolutely made me want to relax with the sea breeze and a beachy cocktail! I’ll definitely be reading whatever Annabel Monaghan writes next!

Summary: Sam has avoided going back to her family’s beach house on Long Island since she was a teenager. It holds the memory of the boy who broke her heart, Wyatt, and the summers they spent falling in love. She’s now engaged to a man that is absolutely perfect for her on paper. Her parents have convinced them to consider Long Island for the wedding. She sees Wyatt again and it has her questioning every part of the life she’s curated in the years since they were torn apart.

Thoughts: I barely even know my own name right now. I just finished this book but feel like I somehow transformed into the main character, Sam. I was completely trapped in this perfectly simple story about the one who got away.

The writing just swept me away. The story develops in such an effortless way. I wish there were more pages because I really escaped into the beach house on Long Island with this adorably flawed cast of characters.

I remember feeling this exact same way after Nora Goes Off Script. This author has such a unique way of taking an ordinary love story and making it feel like the epitome of romance. I have a feeling this will be THE beach read of the summer.

Sam is heading with her fiancé to see her family at the beach house where she spent every summer as a child. Her life feels off balance as she might be about to lose her job and her wedding is quickly approaching. This is not the time for an unexpected reunion with her first live, the one who broke her heart., but he is there next door again, the sounds of his guitar drifting over along with all the memories that are better left behind.

Second chance romances are so amazing if done well and so irritating when they aren’t. This book does a lovely job with the nostalgia of first love and the all encompassing feelings. I just wish more time had been spent on Sam and Wyatt together in the present. That didn’t stop my heart from getting fully invested.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Same Time Next Summer
By Annabel Monaghan

Pub Date June 6, 2023
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Imprint: GP Putnam Sons

⛱️2023 Beach Read⛱️

Sam has her life buttoned up. She is in a safe relationship and engaged to handsome doctor Jack. With him, Sam finds comfort, safe from broken promises. She replaced her childhood impulsiveness with deliberate decisions. Life is predictable.

Reluctantly, Sam agrees to bring her fiance to visit her family summer beach home to scout wedding venues. She knew she would have to explain her eclectic family beach cottage filled with her parents half-finished art projects, but she didn’t plan coming face to face with her first love. She is covered by a wave of memories - of summer days and nights filled with adventure, laughter and love - and must find her way to the surface.

“Creating art is about being vulnerable enough to invite people to spend time in your skin.”
In addition to the enviable beach scenery painted in this book, I absolutely LOVED the way Sam’s family and Wyatt used art as a form of therapy. I only wish Sam’s therapist used art to help her teenage heartache.

“There are no straight lines, just connections, hinges where we reach for each other and pull each other up”
Young love can be all consuming, obsessive and sometimes fleeting, but it IS love. The heartache of first love feels impossible. Can friendship and family survive mistakes and growing pains?
Is young love meant to last forever?

I can’t wait to re-read this magical book with my toes buried in the sand.

In Same Time, Next Summer we go back and forth over 25 years to when 2 kids met at ages 5 and 6 at the beach on vacation each summer. Sam and Wyatt are besties and fall madly in love at age 15 or so? Fast forward a few years after college and Sams falls in love with Jack. I loved all the characters and I think Wyatt was my favorite! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published June 2023.

I immediately seized the opportunity to grab <i>Same Time Next Summer,</i> because I loved <i>Nora Goes Off Script</i>.

"Same Time" did not disappoint.

As with "Nora", Annabel Monaghan's protagonist was relatable and likable. Sam felt like someone who would be your best friend... the level-headed, fun, kind friend who you go to for advice but who loves to have fun, too.

I don't normally love time-jump books or alternating character first-person, but it worked here. It was necessary because we needed to know Wyatt's thoughts and feelings. I liked that it wasn't swoony, sickening love, but real. Questioning, wondering, but not cloying.

I also appreciated the realness of there not being anything "wrong" with Jack. He wasn't a villain. There was no secret love child or horrible transgression--he just wasn't a good fit for Sam, and that was okay.

Was it predictable? Yes. Sure. But predictable isn't a bad thing. The "getting there" is the most delicious part. I was captivated and read the book in two days. I loved the characters, despite their flaws, and would absolutely seek out Monaghan's next work.

Thoroughly enjoyable!