Maggie Vine is 35 and her life is not going how she thought it would. Her music career has yet to take off. She's very single. And she just found out her chances of having a baby are slim to none.

When the two lives of her life, whom she separatley made marriage pacts with, both show up in her life, Maggie is faced with big decisions that will impact her entire future.

I went into this book thinking it would be a cute and romantic read. What it actually ended up being was an incredibly empowering story about Maggie finally taking her life into her own hands to get the life she wants and deserves.

The story was beautifully written between the present day and the past. I like that the flashback chapters were not chronological, but more like breadcrumbs to help you learn about pivotal moments in her life that become significant later on in the present.

I appreciate that Maggie is written as a character with her own flaws and does not have an easy life. She experiences so many moments that are romantic, hopeful, fun, tragic, heartbreaking, and even traumatic. Her experiences truly help shape who she is and help her come into her own.

While Maggie finds love with more than one person, I feel like this really ended up being a love story with herself. She goes through a major self discovery journey and finally, after years of therapy, heartbreak, and second guessing herself, forges her own path in life to get what she wants in her career and her personal life, for herself and herself alone. She is strong, brave, and inspiring.

In the end, I think she ends up with the right person. Its a long road to get there, but absolutely worth it. This novel has all the angst, romance, a nd empowerment you could want, and is beautifully written! I definitely recommend everyone read it!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

Tags: second chance, friends to lovers, found family, multiple timelines, marriage pacts

Spice: 1/5

First person
Single POV
Multiple timelines

This book lands firmly middle of the road for me.

Maggie Vine made a pact to get married if they’re both still single at 35 with two significant men in her life and they both show up. One of them from the beginning was the clear choice to me but the story jumps around constantly to different timelines of their interactions to give you background on their relationship.

While all this is going on Maggie is working endlessly to get her music career to take off and is faced with some challenging personal traumas. There are lyrics and different songs of Maggie’s sprinkled throughout the book
And the full lyrics to all her songs are included at the end. I also always appreciate a good Taylor Swift reference, which is particularly fitting for a songwriter.

I felt conflicted at the end with where Maggie’s path ultimately took her but I do believe many people will quite enjoy this story and where it ends up.

3 stars
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe it’s on my for not checking the trigger warnings but SA and r*pe were thrown into this book pretty carelessly to make a plot point work.

This is my first story by this author, and I would happily read more from her. I expected angst, based on the blurb, but this story ended up being so much more than that. A love triangle is one of my favorite tropes (even if not all the characters know they are in one orbit isn't a triangle in the traditional sense). This one was more because it wasn't just surface stuff. There were some deep-seated issues that needed to be confronted-daddy issues, past traumas, compromise, and SA as well. These are the things that formed our main characters and made this a kaleidoscope of color for my reading pleasure. I cried and laughed along with Maggie and felt my heart break with other characters.

Interesting romance about choices. We get the delicious backstory and we can't help but feel we know what choice the main character should make I can't say I was thrilled about the choices made, given the options. I think that's the sign of a good book. You get involved. You want the character to think the way you do. You feel invested. So, the author did her job. I hope you get invested, too.


Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Alison Rose Greenberg has solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me. She is writing complex stories that don’t oversimplify life or love in any way. Her characters are a bit messy, but that’s life. I appreciate that her books end happily but not in a perfect or cheesy fairy-tale way.

It’s definitely worth mentioning how well ARG handles trauma - TWs for mentions of suicide and sexual assault. I haven’t seen the ripple effect that a traumatic event can have specifically called out in a book before which was really interesting.

I don’t gravitate toward love triangle stories (they stress me out!!) but this one really sucked me in. On one hand, we had a second chance summer camp romance (!!!) and on the other, a right person wrong time friends to lovers romance (!!!). Parts of the story were heartbreaking, but I felt completely satisfied by where everything ended.

I really just loved this book you guys. I know Alison is a Swiftie and this book FELT like a fountain pen song in the best way and iykyk.

This was a case of wanting to love it more than I did. The start was strong and the writing and lyrics were so powerful. I was highlighting line after line in my kindle. However, as the plot meandered, I found myself very frustrated with Maggie and her two maybe suitors. I didn't understand why we had to wait until 35. Why did we not talk since we were 17? Why could no one commit? Two right loves at the wrong time... it got to be a little frustrating for me as a reader. I did wanted to shake everyone. The Garrett story line was extremely frustrating by the end.
The writing was fabulous, but the story just wasn't for me. I did love the lyrics and the emotion, but I just couldn't support the MC's choices (or lack of choices). I'm usually a love triangle fan, but neither of these men (boys truly) did it for me.

This was unfortunately not what I expected. My expectations of a story about a woman dating in her thirties were very different from what I got.

At times I had to remind myself that she wasn’t much younger. I also found the timeline all over the place and difficult to follow. At times it seemed to switch back to an earlier year mid paragraph.

I think this will be a book that some people will really love, for me it just did not hit the spot.

Rating:4

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was quite a unique read. With changing timelines, you get to know Maggie Vine and the two greatest loves of her life. While throughout the book I found myself wondering who she was going to choose, it wasn’t until the very end when I realized there book was written with one clear winner, and luckily it was the one I would have chose.

There are a lot of layers to this story, which I think also made it unique. I would highly recommend reading this. I did a combination of reading and listening and with the time jumps it made it really hard to follow along. The narrator did great, but it’s not the easiest to follow on audio.

DNF @ 20%

This unfortunately wasn’t for me. It was already a little too messy, and the dual timeline was throwing me off, but when Garrett shows up, kisses her senseless, then announces he’s engaged that was too far for me. I like a bit of mess, but I can’t do cheating (physical or emotional). It’s a DNF for me.

*I received a free arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I would give this second chance/pinning/love triangle TEN STARS. I wasn’t expecting the book to be emotional but it was and I loved it!

Singer songwriter Maggie Vine is a woman who is still looking for her big break and at the same time trying to figure out her future in terms of love and more. Her 35th birthday is where the two great loves of her life show up because of a marriage pact that Maggie has made with them at two very different times. Now she has a lot of things to figure out.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is such an empowering story of love and loss. It’s filled with relationships, friendships, and along the way some heartbreaking disappointments. It’s a story about taking chances, not giving up on yourself, and not settling for less or what makes sense to others.

This is my first Alison Rose Greenberg book and it will not be my last. I loved everything about her writing in this book. All of the past and present brought together created a story that really made you wonder who she would end up with in the end.

Asher: childhood sweetheart and first love from summer camp

Garrett: the boy with unquestionable chemistry and love but with the worst timing ever

Also, let’s not forget about Summer, Maggie’s best friend. I loved everything about her and would want her as my best friend in real life!

You need to check out Maybe Once, Maybe Twice or add it to your TBR list! 🩷

This one is a goodie! We watch Maggie grow up and fall in love. And yet, she's not where she expects to be at 35.

It's a love triangle, so it's messy and sometimes sad, but such a great story and I highly recommend it. This one is pretty special and will stay with me for a while.

“‘Find one person in the audience who loves you no matter what. No matter if you’re great or good or just okay.’ He pointed to himself. ‘Sing to the person that feels like home. Everyone else will disappear.’” 🥹

“The only promise is that nothing is promised to us.”

Filled with the romance and angst that defines the years you come to know yourself, Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is a novel of second chances and finding your own way.

I feel seen. I am Summer. Summer is me. It’s a crazy feeling to read a story and find a character so very like yourself…it’s like watching yourself through someone else’s eyes. So thank you, Alison, for making me feel ok to be unapologetically myself despite my often perceived prickly demeanor. But I digress.

When I started this book I thought it was going to be a funny and lighthearted read. And while it was funny, it actually had quite a bit of depth for a second chance romance. I got very invested in the characters and I loved how there were multiple timelines based on Maggie’s age, allowing the reader to see her at many different stages of her life.

I just loved these characters! Strong female friendships are a theme throughout and I found them refreshingly honest and real. I loved the open communication between Maggie and her love interests and I loved how well these characters did the hard things. Because sometimes, you have to break your own heart to make someone else happy.

The audiobook was great! With so much heart and emotion in her narration, @littrelly.speaking made it that much easier to fall in love with these characters. A fabulous read! Add this to your tbr today.

Thank you to @mbc_books, @stmartinspress, @smpromance, and @alison.greenberg for the #gifted copy, and also @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the ALC.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC!

If you like an angsty, complicated, emotional and layered romance, then this is for you! This dual timeline love story explores what happens when you make a “if we’re not married by 35 then let’s marry each other” pact with two guys. You will find yourself rooting for a guy and be on the edge of your seat to see if he’s the choice by the end.

There are some heavy topics discussed in this book so if you have sensitive issues you stay away from, I’d suggest looking at TWs.

This is not your usual romance book. I typically don't read romances with a true love triangle but this one carried it through to the end. It was a very angst filled book, but I really enjoyed it.

Maggie makes a marriage pact with two different guys at two different points in her life. If she's not married by 35, they would find each other again. Garrett has been her closest friend for years, but their timing was never right to take the relationship to the next level. Asher was her teenage love who hasn't been in her life for years after parting ways during college. When her music career also takes off, Maggie is left with a lot of choices to make.

This book really was beautiful. I had to open my mind to letting the story take me wherever it was supposed to go, and it worked out. The author made you feel Maggie's heartache and angst as she is dealing with circumstances surrounding both of these guys and her career. I liked the unique premise of this book, although I'm not going to be signing up to read love triangles frequently. They stress me out! Finally, I loved the inclusion of music and lyrics to heighten the scenes.

Read this if you are in the mood for a heart-wrenching, yet hopeful love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

5/5 - I could not put this book down! It gave me so many big feels - I was excited, anxious, devastated, enthralled, empowered and joyful - I laughed, I cried. What. a. ride.

Maggie Vine is 35, living in NYC and pursuing her dreams of becoming a singer and a mother. Unfortunately, neither dream is happening as she hoped. But Maggie made marriage pacts with her two big loves at two very different times in her life and whaddya know, both guys show up. Sort of.

I can’t describe any more of the plot because you simply have to go on this journey yourself. The story is told from Maggie’s perspective but in alternating timelines, and paints such an incredibly thorough picture and history. You get to grow up with her and experience so many pivotal coming of age moments right by her side. The camp scenes (I was a camp kid), and city scenes (love an NYC story!) were beautifully, dreamily nostalgic. Greenberg is an outstanding writer - her language is full of heart, passion, angst, vulnerability and joy. The song lyrics throughout the story were such a unique twist, too!

This story is hopeful but man, it is devastating. One big love is one thing, but two? My heart almost couldn’t take it. And while I loved Garret and Asher, I was ultimately rooting for Maggie. At its core, this story is about finding yourself, loving yourself, and CHOOSING yourself.

Maggie’s motherhood journey especially hit home for me - the fertility component was so thoughtfully explored, and the way Maggie doggedly pursues her future both broke and bandaged my heart. It is so important to me to see fertility journeys represented holistically, sensitively, and realistically. So thank you, Alison, for that.

My only struggle with this story was that the ending felt abrupt. THAT BEING SAID, I didn’t guess the twist (twists!?) and just desperately and selfishly wanted more time with the characters I grew to love so much!

This book is out today and you seriously need to snag it ASAP! In the meantime I’ll be over here waiting for Greenberg’s next masterpiece! Thank you to Alison, Griffin and @netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was super cute. It was my first ARC/book by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more by her. I’ve always thought the pact of marrying someone you care about in the future is such a cute idea and I think everyone loves hen you hope she “picks” a certain person is always a fun aspect. Definitely a fun read, highly recommend.

Maggie Vines is thirty-five single, childless and still a struggling musician. On the bright side, she made two separate packs with former love interests that if they were both 35 and single at the same time, they would get married. Both men show up for her thirty-fifth birthday in unexpected ways.

I believe that everyone can have more than one great love during their lifetimes. Even if they aren’t the “great” ones, every relationship shapes you in some way. With the structure of this novel, being that we follow Maggie as young as 16 to her present, and then stop all over the place in between it’s really hard to see the difference between how these relationships impacted her. It all felt very repetitive and similar, which may be the case in real life, people have a type and that’s great. If I had been watching Maggie’s life unfold over 35 years perhaps I wouldn’t have minded as much but over the course of 300 pages it didn’t really work for me. She makes the same mistakes and ones that are understandable yet infuriating.

The story veers more towards women’s fiction exploring self-discovery and growth as opposed to romance. There are some lovely romantic moments and banter but it’s not really what the story is about.

Greenberg creates extremely loveable and strong female characters. I thought the author was going to give us an unconventional happy ending and instead it veered back to the expected, which made what happened in the end feel disingenuous.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Short synopsis: Maggie has worked her whole life to make it big in music, at the age of 35 she starts to worry about her biological clock and having babies. When she runs into two previous boyfriends, she remembers a pact she made to each to get married at 35.

My thoughts: This is a second chance romance with some teenage love and a love triangle. Each of the love stories between Maggie and Garrett and Asher were unique and special. I had a fun time picking who I thought she should end up with. I liked how she worked hard for her dreams even when life got in the way.

There is also some heavy topics including infertility, sexual abuse, death if family members, and trauma. I really liked how therapy was a big part of the healing journey Maggie went through, very positively done.

The ending did feel a little bit forced, but overall I loved how the author wrote the prospect of finding the best solution for yourself.

Read if you love:
- Second chance romance
- Celebrity romance
- Following your dreams
- Love triangle
- Mental health and therapy
- Emotional reads
- 35 or older
- Alternating timelines

Thank you to St Martins for an early copy of this book and audio book. I’d recommend the physical over the audio of this, solely due to the fact that it’s somewhat difficult to follow the timeline through audio. That being said the narrator did a fabulous job.