⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 stars, rounded up!

Annabel Monaghan’s “Same Time Next Summer” begins with Samantha “Sam” Holloway making the drive to her parents’ summer home on Long Island. As an adult, it’s become only a once-a-year, multi-day trip. But instead of feeling excited to see her family and vacation in a familiar place, she’s nervous and apprehensive. She’s not the creative, free-spirited Sam of her youth who spent her days unscheduled, unsupervised, and able to swim, surf, and hunt for pretty shells at her leisure. Now 30 years old, she’s an HR professional who spends most of her time in the city and who has put together a stable, secure, and sophisticated life with her dermatologist fiancé Jack. But seeing her former boyfriend Wyatt Pope—literally the boy next door—again awakens some doubt about how she’s lived and the choices she’s made since their break-up a dozen years ago.

“Same Time Next Summer” has many elements of an ideal beach read. There is a friends-to-lovers, childhood love, second chance romance story told from multiple points of view—primarily present-day Sam, teenaged Sam, and teenaged Wyatt. There are wonderful descriptions of the artsy Holloway beach house, happy family dinners, and lazy days with friends. Monaghan really does have a gift for creating an idyllic, almost rose-colored setting for her characters to inhabit. I really enjoyed reading the Then scenes and watching young Sam and Wyatt grow up together and fall in love.

The Now chapters, however, were a bit lacking to me. While I could understand the actions and motivations of young Sam and Wyatt, their adult counterparts left me somewhat unsatisfied. I can see how heartache and family drama can affect a person and shape their outlook, but I did feel like something was missing to sufficiently explain how they grew into their current successful yet unfulfilled selves who still long for each other and their past connection. For me, the story leaned too heavily on Then to make Now work.

Despite this, I would recommend “Same Time Next Summer” to a friend for their next summer read. It’s romantic and transporting—perfect to pack away in a beach bag.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. My review was posted online on January 6, 2023 to: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5109577185.

Just as charming as Nora! If Annabel Monaghan writes it I will read it! The pacing was good for the most part, and the characters were very likable. I was rooting for them the whole time!

Not to be dramatic but this book may have just changed my entire life. There’s now a clear line between my life before I read this book and after. I loved Nora Goes Off Script but Same Time Next Summer is phenomenal. Monaghan has a profound superpower of creating extremely relatable characters that you find yourself deeply attached to by the end. I loved Sam and her journey throughout this book. If you’re feeling lost, if you feel like you haven’t been yourself, if you feel like you need to remind yourself of who are, read this book.

Same Time Next Summer is without a doubt a romance book but not to the point where it outshined Sam and pulled away from her own story. Same Time Next Summer made me feel a way I haven’t in a long time and leaves me so hopeful for this new year where I can be whoever I want to be and be who I am. Sam, I am.

Nora Goes Off Script was one of my favorite books I read last year, so I was very excited to receive an advance copy of Same Time Next Summer! This book was cute, sweet, romantic, and fun. I loved the beach setting, and the family dynamics and side characters added an interesting dimension to the story. However, last year I also read Every Summer After and Love and Other Words, and so this book just didn't seem original or stand out. All three books are basically the same story, and childhood romance mixed with second chance romance is just not my favorite trope. I was hoping we'd get a twist at the end, and it wouldn't end the way I expected. But, no luck, it followed the same formula as every other novel. I'm still glad I read this book and I would recommend to my friends! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the fun read!

I adored this book and I think it will be the perfect beach read. Sam lives in NYC and has the perfect apartment, fiance and what seems to be like a perfect life. When she goes back to Long Island to plan her wedding, she runs into her first love- Wyatt. I fell in love with the characters and settings- the only reason for the 4 stars was how predictable it was. I cannot wait to read more by Annabel.

The newest rom-com by Annabel Monaghan was a fun book to read. I anticipate it will be in lots of pool and beach bags this summer. Samantha (Sam), a NYC HR consultant takes her seemingly perfect dermatologist fiancé Jack back to her childhood summer home on Long Island to look at wedding venues. While there Sam runs into Wyatt, the boy next door who broke her heart when she was 18. The book started off slow for me but the second half of the book which focuses less on the past and more on Sam's current life was truly enjoyable. We learn of a family secret and watch Sam make the decisions she needs to about her fiancé Jack, old love Wyatt and her life in NYC. . Sam knows what she should do but will she? I found Monaghan’s previous novel, Nora Goes Off Script, a much better story for me but I enjoyed this book too and look forward to her next book.

I was so excited for this ARC and it did not disappoint. I love this author’s writing style and pace, and adored the idyllic setting she painted at this beach house and world of creative expression. Wyatt and Sam’s love story was beyond sweet, with doses of the real world that made it feel authentic and real. I truly found myself swooning as they came together, and that’s coming from a reader who doesn’t typically love a second chance romance. This author is an insta-buy for me now! Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out in June!

The sweetest second chance romance! I was iffy at first because I do not enjoy any trope/romance that includes cheating and I was worried this was headed down that road... but (no spoilers!) Sam and Wyatt have a tumultuous history filled with the highest highs and the lowest lows. I loved Nora Goes Off Script from Annabel Monaghan and Same Time Next Summer was just as lovely. Filled with emotions and dynamic relationships and so many truth bombs- it was a book I couldn't put down! Mostly closed door (but plenty of angst). This one felt a bit younger than "Nora" but still equally as enjoyable. Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a sweet story of personal growth and teenage love required. I loved the sweet family relationships and the personal growth of the main character, Sam. While her old boyfriend Wyatt was a little *too* perfect, they did have such a sweet relationship, and the book was well balanced between the past and present timelines. This would be a perfect beach read, as the setting is so evocative that I could almost feel the wind from the dunes. I will read anything Annabel Monaghan writes!

Friends to lovers and second chance romance?! I loved it all. I still love NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT more, but this is an excellent follow up. I cannot wait for Annabel's next book!

4.5 stars. Really enjoyed this book! The sweetness of young, sweet love combined with a second chance romance.

Same Time Next Summer was delightful! Sam has worked incredibly hard to fulfill all her dreams and next on her list is planning the wedding to her successful fiancee Jack. Together, they return to her family’s Long Island beach house to finalize their plans. Sam wasn’t planning on her childhood first love, Wyatt being back next door. Suddenly, the life that Sam has worked so hard to create starts to show cracks and breaks. I loved that author Annabel Monoghan tells the story in alternating timelines. Sam and Wyatt share a true summer romance, but Sam’s worked hard to move on. Monaghan explores what it means to really know yourself and someone else’s heart. With a slew of fun and interesting characters, Same Time Next Summer should be at the top of your summer TBR pile!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me an advance copy of Annabel Monaghan’s sophomore standalone novel, Same Time Next Summer, in exchange for an honest review.

#SameTimeNextSummer is a breezy beach read that is primarily set on Long Island in the #summertime and involves a love triangle. The story is told from alternating perspectives, switching between the past and the present, with at least two-thirds taking place during two of the characters’ adolescent years.

Jack is a strait-laced, meticulous doctor and is the protagonist Sam’s fiancé. The two live in #NYC and are in the process of planning their wedding. Wyatt is a guitar-playing surfer and Sam’s first love. The three lives collide while Jack and Sam are checking out wedding venues in Long Island at the insistence of Sam’s parents.

I adored the author’s first novel, #NoraGoesOffScript, but this novel did not hold the same magic for me. While I enjoyed the descriptions of the beach and many readers will be able to relate to first love syndrome, the characters needed to be further fleshed out and I felt as if the big reveal was lacking.

Regardless, it is still a fun #beachread that I would add to your list if you’re looking for your next towel read while catching some rays next summer.

I genuinely enjoyed Same Time Next Summer. This friends-to-lovers second chance romance was the perfect read. The last line of the book really stuck with me and is all I can think about. Although I wish there had been more of an epilogue or more chapters once Sam and Wyatt were back together. Overall really enjoyed this romance.

I wanted to love this one so much, but I couldn't get into it. I Loved "every summer after" and figured this was a similar story, but I got halfway and just put it down. I loved Nora Goes off Script so I think I want to give this one another shot, but for right now, it's staying halfway read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for a review. All thoughts are my own. I have found a new go to favorite author. This is a second chance story of Sam and Wyatt. Sam returns to her childhood family beach house with her fiancé Jack. It's funny how the family places Jack above the garage to sleep. Wyatt is back in his family home which happens to be next door and spends a lot of time in the treehouse with his guitar. The book goes back and forth to past and present and has this reader hooked. "I've loved you my whole life". Swoon.

Started this on 12/31/22 and finished it on 1/1/23! Couldn’t put it down and want a part 2! Loved it so much and wish there was more to keep reading!

The author's second adult rom-com focuses on Sam(antha), an HR consultant who is planning her wedding to dermatologist Jack. They're visiting the Long Island beachside community where Sam's family spent their summers to check out a possible wedding venue, and Sam never expects to run into Wyatt, who broke her heart when she was 18. Their paths haven't crossed much in the intervening 14 years. Sam has finished college and established a professional career, while Wyatt skipped post-high school education, working at a gas station and writing songs. Jack is a handsome, financially secure doctor who believes in playing by the rules, while Wyatt is a free spirit. Surely Jack is the right choice for Sam's future. Well . . .

The second half of the book, which spends more time on Sam's current life and less on flashbacks to her teenage romance with Wyatt, is where the story took off for me. A family secret is revealed, with devastating effects. I enjoyed getting to know Wyatt a lot better, and I loved the character of Gracie, Sam's much younger sister. Sam knows what she should do about both her relationships and her career, but takes a frustratingly long time to get there (not unusual for a romance). The conclusion, however, is ultimately satisfying. I found Monaghan's previous novel, Nora Goes Off Script, much more imaginative and fun, but I will continue to seek out her rom-coms.

My thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN Group Putnam for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Loved this book. I think this is one of my favorite tropes: young love lost and found later in life ❤️

When Sam and Jack decide to return to the beach where she grew up, to consider a location for their wedding, Sam is forced to confront her past.

Wyatt was the young love of her life, the person she needed to breathe, the guy she thought she’d live forever with, and the boy who ripped her heart out long ago.

Bringing him back into her life, means forcing herself to examine who she really is and what she wants in life.

The book had such good messaging around what it means to be yourself, and find happiness in the absence of order in your life.

Super cute, now I want to read Annabel Monaghan’s other books! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan was a great follow-up to her 2022 hit, Nora Goes Off Script. 30-year-old Sam Holloway has returned to the beach house on Long Island where she spent every summer growing up, but she’s barely been back since her first love, Wyatt Pope, broke her heart thirteen years prior. Sam is with her successful dermatologist fiancée, Jack, checking out a wedding venue near the beach house. When she spots Wyatt again for the first time since they broke up, it feels like time has stopped and her heart has cracked open again, since she never got over her heartbreak. Sam still feels a connection to Wyatt and begins to question if she’s really living her life authentically.

The story has an alternating timeline and alternating POVs, showing Sam’s and Wyatt’s perspectives in both the present and the past. It reminded me a lot of Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After, but without so much of the teen angst. This felt like a good beach read; it was simple, sweet, and easy to breeze through in one sitting. Overall, I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what Monaghan writes next!