Wow. Wow. Wow. This book. I think every woman at some point in her life has said “if we are still single when we’re X AGE, we should get married?” Maggie Vine is just like us and made that vow to get married at 35. the catch? She made it with two different people, at two very different stages of her life.

At 35 Maggie's life is not where she wanted it to be. She is an aspiring singer and wants to be a mother. Maggie is an incredible character. She feels so honest and real. She is talented, strong, and a good friend, but she is also beautifully flawed. This story has a prominent love triangle, but more than being about the two men Garrett & Asher, it was a triangle between Maggie and the future she wants and the future she envisioned.

The story follows Maggie's current timeline at age 35, but also flashes back to her first chances at love with Asher & Garrett. I loved watching everything unfold, watching Maggie grow, choose who is right for her, choose herself and stand up for herself. I don't want to spoil anything, but I do just need to praise the women in this book, who are all going through their own issues, but are a loving support system and encourage each other to champion their own conflicts.

The book I thought I was reading from the description & the book I read felt a little disconnected. This book was so much more. This was more than just what we have come to expect from romance (especially a love triangle) and I enjoyed every minute.

CW: Fertility treatments, SA

WHEW. I’m so angry I waited so long to pick this up. Maggie is the perfect kind of imperfect MC. I loved watching her develop as a human, her emotions always raw and never guarded. The two men in her life somehow are both kind, but one obviously is moreso. 😉 Summer is such a good best friend and the metaphor of kite/rock friendships is beautiful too. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

I was surprised by how much I liked this book. It was such a fun read. I loved the writing style and all the references throughout the story. Although the story deals with very serious situations (death and SA), I thought both were handled well. This is a book I will definitely pick up next chance I get. I loved the characters and how new and old loves were handled in the story. I liked that it wasn’t obvious from the start who she would end up with. I also liked how the MC examined her life and her actions. Side characters were also well fleshed out and gave the story even more depth and realism. I loved this book.

CW: death, SA, divorce

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

This is a second chance romance about a woman, Maggie, who made marriage pacts (if we’re both not married by 35, etc.) with 2 different men who both reappeared on her 35th birthday.

Garrett is a hedge fund manager and a singer who’s recently engaged, but he still has feelings for Maggie after they dated on and off for years.

Asher and Maggie met at summer camp as teenagers. They pledged their undying love but broke up when they were college students at different schools.
Since then, Asher has gone on to become one of the most famous movie stars in the world. Maggie is trying to become a singer and wants to be a mother. Even though it’s been years they’ve never forgotten each other.
They’ve always had intense chemistry, and the intervening years haven’t changed it at all. But life is much more complicated than it was when they were teenagers and there are hurdles to overcome.

I liked reading about Maggie’s choices and especially about her teenage years with Asher. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

i couldn't help but click on this one when i saw the cover, and then when i read the synopsis i was so intrigued! totally my catnip. i'm not normally a fan of love triangles but i just couldn't resist this one, and it was handled really well. would definitely read more from this author.

Maybe Onve, Maybe Twice has turned out to be one of my favorite romances of the year! It started off pretty slow for me, but picked up when Archer came into the story. I related to Maggie a lot as someone in her mid-thirties and currently being single, while still wanting kids and a fulfilling career. It was so refreshing to have a romance book not focused on people in their 20’s. I loved learning more about Maggie’s history with both guys and was so happy with how the book wrapped up. I’ll definitely be recommending it to people, and thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance audiobook copy of Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg in exchange of an honest review.

"I can't recommend 'Maybe Once, Maybe Twice' by Allison Rose Greenberg enough. This book had me hooked from the very first page. It seamlessly blends humor, romance, and profound emotional depth. The author's writing is simply beautiful, and she tackles important topics such as infertility, sexual assault, grief, and PTSD with grace and sensitivity. The characters are relatable and their relationships feel authentic. While the ending left me wanting a bit more closure, it also left room for imagination. I'm eagerly awaiting the author's next book. If you find yourself at a crossroads in life, I highly suggest picking up this gem.

I can't wait to read more my Alison Rose Greenberg! This is my first novel by her and I loved it. Talk about a hot book boyfriend!

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice
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You know that old saying “if we are still single when we are 35, we should get married?”
Well Maggie made that vow with two different people.
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I would like to start that I think this was a great idea for a book, a good plot, written well and would made an excellent emotional love story movie. I also think CoHo fans would love this book.

I just did not like it. 🙈

And I think it’s me because this book has made me realize that I HATE love triangles. They are the absolute worst, and this love triangle lasted till like 90%? And it just WOULD. NEVER. END.

Maggie was a frustrating character for me to read because, as the lead in the love triangle, she kept going back and forth between these two guys and I just wanted to bang my head against the wall.

I did enjoy when I FINALLY was made privy to the back story of what was up with Maggie, and it helped me understand things a lot more.
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I gave this 3⭐️⭐️⭐️ in Goodreads but honestly I would love to never read another love triangle ever again in my life. Thank you.

When she was younger, Maggie made a marriage pact to get married to a friend/longtime crush if they were both single at 35. However, she made two separate packs with two different men at different stages of her life. Now she’s 35, single, and both men have shown up in her life. Garrett, a hedge fund manager and aspiring rock star, comes to her birthday party ready to kiss her. He’s the one who got away and they could never get their timing right, however, he’s engaged to someone else. Then Asher shows up. He is her first boyfriend from summer camp who has grown up to be a famous actor. As both these men make a reappearance in her life, Maggie also gets a life changing opportunity in her career. With so many decisions to make, Maggie also finds it’s hard to separate her future from her past.

This book really hit me in all the feels and will stick with me for a while. I loved this twist on a second chance romance and seeing Maggie get that opportunity to reconnect with two men from her past. It was interesting to read because I found myself not being sure which man I was hoping she would end up with and my thoughts kept changing as I read. This story was messy, full of tension, heartbreaking at times, but most of all full of hope. There is some mention of sexual assault and other trauma, however, I felt those topics were handled with the care they deserve.

I switched between audiobook and ebook and really enjoyed the audio narration by Katherine Littrell.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice felt like going on a rollercoaster. As a reader, I sometimes hit the fast ups and downs of excitement/pacing. But, there were times (especially at the end of the novel) where everything felt like it was going in a slow circle. While I wanted to care about Alison Roe Grreenberg's characters and connect, I didn't see a point in where the story was going. I wish there was more clarity with the characters and less of a "will she or won't she" plot structure.

I hope to read another by Greenberg in the future however; this one wasn't a hit for me.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice will definitely make my top romances of the year! Maggie Vine was a fun character to root for and Garrett and Asher are two of the kindest, most generous male characters I’ve read about in a while. This book was full of angst and I couldn’t wait to find out who Maggie ended up with. I don’t often feel like I can’t put romances down, but in this case, I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the early copy to read and review!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Alison Rose Greenberg for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first book by this author but it absolutely won't be my last! I loved these characters and as a 90s baby, I loved all of the 90s music references! Cannot wait to dig into Greenberg's backlist!

Solid 4 star read for me!

This book was so emotional and heart-wrenching. The dual timelines between past and present were well-written and kept me hooked. I could not put it down until I finished it! My only problem that I had with the book was the ending. The entire book was such an emotional ride, building up to the last part... and then it fell flat. I loved the book up until that point, but it felt very rushed. Someone else might like the ending but it wasn't for me.

I didn’t know this was a love triangle, which I now realize is stupid of me because it kinda indicated it as such in the book cover. In my defense, I thought it was the same guy who just dyed his hair and grew a beard 😭. I don’t like live triangles, they’re annoying. I avoid them when I can. But I’ll read/watch them anyways. This annoyed me a little. Since because I didn’t know this was a love triangle, the first 50% of the book I was so confused on who really is the MMC. I didn’t know there was two of them! Also confused my feelings because I didn’t know who I want Maggie to end up with. Maggie and Garett were like Harry Burns and Sally Albright from “When Harry Met Sally.” And Maggie and Asher were like Alex Stewart and Rosie Dunne in “Love, Rosie.” Both great romcoms, both my favourites, so I kinda got the best of both worlds. But at what cost?! The emotional pain my god. To be honest, the ending felt rushed. I needed more from Asher than the “let’s get together again.” Did he get help??? Therapy??? My girl Maggie deserves better ok. I wouldn’t call this a romance novel, but a contemporary fiction. I’m so happy it all worked out for Maggie.

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

I think this is a case of it's not you, it's me.
I like the storyline, the characters, and all of the pop culture references...but I never felt a connection and it began to feel like a chore just to finish.

So many elements that I love...second chance romance, a love triangle, and past/present timelines. But again...I just felt like there were too many timelines going on. Teens, twenties, early thirties, mid thirties, flip flopping back and forth and all around.

Even though this one fell short of my expectations, I appreciate the fact that it felt different and wasn't predictable. I'll definitely give this author one more shot. 3.5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin & NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don't normally go for books that feature love triangles but something about the premise of this book just really drew me in.

When we meet the protagonist, 35 year old Maggie Vine, she is pursuing two of her biggest dreams, becoming a successful musician and becoming a mother. She unfortunately isn't having much luck with either though and feels like her life is passing her by. Maggie's life soon takes an unexpected turn when two men from her past re-emerge. What Asher, a childhood friend of Maggie's, and Garrett, a friend she has had feelings for for a few years now, have in common is that at different points in her life, Maggie made the same marriage pact with each of them: "If we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married."

Maggie is genuinely torn about which of these men, if either, would be the best choice for her at this point in her life. I love how the author has the story unfold, mostly through a series of flashbacks where Maggie reminisces about meeting Asher and Garrett for the first time and how their relationships developed over the years. It also offers Maggie the opportunity to explore many key moments, both good and bad, from her life that have shaped her into the person she is today. Through those flashbacks, we can also see that both Asher and Garrett are pretty great so it's easy to see why Maggie is so conflicted about who to choose.

I was very much invested in her romantic journey, but her personal journey of growth really appealed to me as well. Maggie learns so much about herself throughout the course of this story and I just really enjoyed watching her grow and learn to trust herself more.

This book is an emotional ride for sure, but I really enjoyed it.

"Men under fifty stroll through dark parking garages the same way they approach their birthdays: without a second thought. They don't lose sleep over their place in the world--not until they find themselves inside a midlife crisis. Women don't have midlife crises, because we've spent our lives constantly in crisis."

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is the story of musician Maggie Vine, told through her voice at different points in her life (ranging from 14 to 39 years old). This book tells not only her love story, but also the story of her career, her friendships, and her struggles. I approached this book thinking that it would be a typical romance novel (sunny, feel good, happiest of happy endings), but it was honestly so much more than that. This was a brilliant rumination on what it means to be a woman and how we fit ourselves, our wants, and our needs into the spaces that we're given.

This is in my top 5 books that I've read this year, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After reading Greenberg's last book, Bad Luck Bridesmaid, I knew to expect a complicated main character, a fantastic female friendship, and a complex personal journey all wrapped up in some sort of big message. But, wow! Greenberg sure took me on an emotional ride, and I was holding my breath until the very end to see if Maggie would get her HEA.

I had been drawn in by the premise of this book. Two marriage pacts, made many years apart but with the same end date. One man had been a constant in her life for over a decade while the other was a memory from her teen years. Who knew both would remember and want to fulfill the pact?

I must admit, I had complicated feelings when it came to Garrett. It seemed like the universe was always looking to keep him and Maggie apart, but it was also some of the decisions Garrett made that thwarted their romantic chances. I was all heart-eyes for Asher, though, because I met him when he was a lovestruck teen, and grown-up Asher made a very good impression on me, too. Not to worry, he did something that made me doubt him as well.

The romantic aspect of this book was definitely one that kept me on edge. I felt like I went back and forth between Garrett and Asher as many times as Maggie did. She eventually made a declaration - one man was her soulmate, while the other was the one that got away. I anxiously awaited the reveal, biting my nails to the quick, and I will say, I was very happy for Maggie in the end.

Figuring out which man was her forever was quite a journey for Maggie. The story flipped back and forth between past and present as she examined important moments in her life and events in her past relationships that shaped her. Like I said, she was a complicated woman, and Greenberg did a fantastic job illuminating those important moments in Maggie's life while also allowing me to see her grow.

So, what was the big message in this book? I think this story was about timing, and you can see that theme in multiple threads of the story. Timing when it came to Maggie's career, to her romantic life, and even to her quest for motherhood. And, it played a role in some of the other characters' lives too.

Overall, this was a bit angstier than normal for me, but I found myself so invested in Maggie's personal journey. I simply could not put this one down. It was such an emotional and entertaining journey which paid off big for me.

I loved the character of Maggie Vine. She is unapologetically herself, no matter what the situation. Her career journey in the music industry has had a lot of ups and downs throughout the years. Somehow, she has managed to agree to marry two different men if they aren’t married by the age of thirty-five. She has known Asher since she was a teenager, Garrett more recently. The book does jump back and forth with Maggie’s life at different ages and her relationships with both men. This made it a little bit more difficult to keep track of, but the book was well worth it! I found myself rooting for both men at different times. Maggie’s beautiful songwriting was an added bonus. I’m so glad I read this book!