Maggie is a 35 year old struggling indie musician who is still looking for her big break and just found out that it will be difficult for her to get pregnant. She has been pining for her friend Garrett since she was 23, but their timing has not worked out. On the flip side, she has not seen her first love Asher since they were 17. The storyline was interesting, but bounced around too much for me between the years from early teens to age 35. As more of her back story was learned, it was easier to keep up with the story. I liked the later part of the book better and would give it 3.5 stars.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice took me by surprise in the best ways!

Maggie is a 35 year old woman still chasing the same dream she's had since she was 14. But, over the course of her life, Maggie made marriage pacts with 2 separate men. If they were still single when she turned 35, they'd get married. So, what happens when both men show up on her 35th birthday?

This book is (in my opinion) the perfect mix of fun and serious. I read it in a day because I did not want to put it down. I loved mostly all of the characters - but I think the one that wasn't my favorite is written that way on purpose. If you like romance, I definitely recommend this one!

Read if you like:
-friends to lovers
-second chance romance
-high school sweethearts
-female empowerment

This started off so good, even epic, that I thought it would go into my favorite books list. I loved the musical references and how the story was told in birthdays. Unfortunately, the last third of the book just really went downhill for me. While I knew what I wanted to happen and it kind of got there, there was some unnecessary drama and it dragged on so much. Also, the heroine described herself as willowy one too many times. However, I would still recommend this book because it has some truly great moments and just for those, you won't be disappointed!

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice comes out next week on October 3, 2023 and you can purchase HERE.

For the first time in so long, the what is was better than the what if.

[3.5 Stars] There are so many things to love about Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg! Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was my first book by the author, and I loved her writing style, sense of humor, and angsty, bittersweet tension. Since I'm around the same age as Maggie, I also loved all of the music references because that felt like the soundtrack to my adolescent and early adult years.

However, where it came unraveled for me was the romantic interests. While I LOVED Garrett's golden retriever personality and Asher's gravity and earnestness, I thought Maggie deserved better. I eventually grew frustrated with the whole "a lot of love, but lack of communication and honesty" dynamic because it began to skew as cowardly to me. But, despite the not-quite love triangle scenario in this book, I was SO glad she steadfastly pursued her dream despite other aspects of her life not working out, and I felt like that could have been a really great ending for her. BUT, because I'm a romantic, ultimately, I was happy with how Alison Rose Greenberg chose to end Maybe Once, Maybe Twice.

I think Maybe Once, Maybe Twice had a great premise, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a gloriously messy romance with a lot of yearning, tension, and angst. I will definitely read more by Alison Rose Greenberg in the future!

Maggie Vine is floating through life not really crushing it in terms of her career and love life. At the age of 35, she wants to start a family only to be told it’s nearly impossible. Just when things are looking bleak, two men from her past renter her life- turning up to possibly collect on vows she made to both of them long ago- to marry each other if they were both single at the age of 35. Now Maggie has a lot of choices to make as her past meets her present.
——————————
I really wanted to love this book. While I did loved the plot idea of making a “marriage pact” at a certain age with two separate men who both turn up at the same time, I just didn’t connect with this story. Having a then and now plot is usually a fun way to read a backstory between characters, but having to do it for two different men was a lot to have to follow. Maggie’s life described as extra-medium was just that. She was neither a particularly compelling or memorable character and though I absolutely loved her relationship with her college roommate turned best friend, everyone else she interacted with fell flat. Truly though- I highlighted so many conversations between her and Summer because they were emotional and hilarious. I wish her character sizzled like that with the two men in her life.

There was just one too many plot twists here (and don’t even get me started on the scene involving a runaway miniature horse🙄) for it be an engaging story for me. And the ending?! You get them together, break them up, time jump us, and then she finally gets her happily ever after (with the wrong guy *cough cough*), all in a few pages.
SIDE NOTE- apparently 35 is ancient. Who knew?

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I can admit Maybe Once, Maybe Twice WON'T be for everyone, I enjoyed this crazy ride.

3.5 ★

Not only was their obvious chemistry between Maggie and her two men, her two "backups" that both came calling on her thirty-fifth birthday, their was also a lovely friendship that shined throughout. Different versions of how love manifests itself was on display in this story. And since I'd never read any of Alison Rose Greenberg's work before, I was impressed by the writing. It was both witty and poignant.

Having said that, there was a lot going on. At times, it did feel like certain elements could have been omitted for the better, such as a third act conflict that I could've done without. Due to that inclusion, the ending did feel rushed. Since so much of the plot centered around Maggie choosing between Asher and Garrett, it was disappointing to see that hardly any time was allotted to showing the final couple being together.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Alison Rose Greenberg for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A cute story, and I liked how the chapters alternated between Maggie in her 20's and Maggie in her 30's. This did not have the ending I was expecting. It felt like she walked away and came back multiple times with the two guys even though she said it wasn't meant to be. I was thrown off by that.

For the very first time in my life, I didn't have a love interest preference when or came to a love triangle situation. I just went with the flow. And guess what, that turned out pretty good.

Just like Alison's first book, this too has a strong, brave, messy heroine. Maggie was a complex character that you can and can not relate to at some point. I appreciated her journey throughout the book.

Coming to the love interests, with one of them, I didn't know what was happening or what went wrong until the very end. Eventually, things made so much sense.
With the other one, I got friendship vibes for a long time, but hopefully, that didn't remain the case.

Overall, I really enjoyed the love triangle aspect teamed with dual timelines and a hell lot of character development.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

It has been such a long time since I have been unable to tear myself away from characters when I am not reading about them. The cover of Maybe Once Maybe Twice looked more like a light hearted rom-com to me but this story is anything but. This story and these characters will live in your heart long after you finish this book.

"You know the moment you realize the person across from you could be the person who fills the blank inside your soul?"

From the very first page of this story, Maggie had my heart. She has synesthesia and can see music in color and taste specific words. She is thoughtful, brave, vulnerable, and a character you really can relate to perfectly. I love her nerd music heart. I love that she is 35 years old and loves writing music and is still on the road to figuring herself out. I love all the lyrics of her songs and wish there was a spotify playlist I could have listened to while reading this book! I love that she doesn't have it all figured out and that's okay. I also love her love for Garrett and Asher.

Garrett, or more specifically Grocery Garrett, is also in love with music. Like Maggie, he is also trying to figure himself out and wants to always do the right thing by the people he loves and cares about. He would rather others be happy than himself. Asher is the kindest human. There is so much grace in his character, so much heart. Both men are the perfect book boyfriends. The way they both care for Maggie and the way she cares for them in return is such a gripping plotline. They both offer Maggie different and unique things and the "will they won't they" had me guessing and riveted the entire story. I truly did not know what I wanted Maggie to do and that is the best kind of read!

I also loved Maggie's best friend Summer. She is direct and the best friend you want in your corner. I love Maggie and Summer's dynamic so much and their friendship reminded me a lot of my best friend. Summer is loyal and will show up for you at 3am if you need her. I love the way Summer and Maggie challenge each other and show one another so much understanding and tenderness, never judgement. Also, they are both going through different parts of the fertility process and I really love the way that Greenberg explores this topic.

So many women are going through different parts of the fertility process. Whether it is struggles to have a baby, or fears about having a baby, or questioning whether they want to have a baby. The process of Motherhood is unique for everyone. I think so many feel alone during this process for fear of expressing their situation and feeling judged. I love that this story brings that process more out in the open and the way Maggie and Summer talk about it and support one another is so important. I think we need more of that. I also think we need more women loving themselves!

I loved the way Maggie works on her relationship with herself. She has been through some things and the way she processes that trauma and accepts who she is without apology is something I want to strive for. Maggie's character is so inspiring! I loved that Maggie realizes what she deserves and goes after it with her heart open. Maggie is definitely one of my all time favorite characters and I would love to read a sequel of this story to see where she ends up some time from now. I miss her and am still thinking about her and will for some time.

This is my first read by Alison Rose Greenberg and I cannot wait to read more from her! Her writing is poetic, heartfelt, and the vulnerability and development in her characters is my favorite. The way emotions are described paints a picture in your mind that is impactful. I also loved the funny lighter side of her writing too.

If you love a strong yet vulnerable female protagonist, friends that are your family, and women supporting women. definitely get your hands on this book!

4.5 stars

I thought the premise and the promise of this book were lovely and it was really fun to try to chase both love stories through to the end, but overall, a lot of this was a miss for me. The constant jumping in time felt a little chaotic and unstructured as things were unfolding, although the past scenes definitely heightened the connection and stakes of the scenes in the present timeline. It also felt like there were a few too many complications at any given point in the novel - I wanted a break from the angst by the time I was midway through. That said, I thought the writing in this book was beautiful and I think many people will connect with Maggie at the various points on her journey as she figures out how to have the life she wants and the love she deserves!

This was a cute and frustrating read. I'm not one who likes going back and forth in time, but Alison did it very well. We needed to know what happened in the past to be able to move forward in the present. I'm such a sucker for a good love triangle (don't know why lol). The one thing that really started to bother me was that this story dragged on and on. The middle part seemed to just be a lot of filler. I wanted more action and drama. The characters were all very relatable and frustrating. Sometimes I just wanted to shake them and tell them to just talk to each other. If an author can pull that kind of emotion out of me then I was really invested in their characters.

It’s not impossible for me to enjoy a romance that is either a second chance romance, or features a love triangle, but it has to be pretty much perfectly executed. So I knew [b:Maybe Once, Maybe Twice|65212083] by [a:Alison Rose Greenberg|21373435] was starting off needing to climb a steep hill. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite make it over the top for me.

In particular, it’s bad news if I think the MC ends up with the wrong person, and while I’m not 100% against the choice Maggie makes (in fact, it probably was the right choice), I wasn’t sold. For one, it’s not clear until almost the very end who Maggie will choose, between her first teenage love, Asher, now an Oscar-winning actor, and the Garrett, the guy she’s been pining for (who has also been pining for her) for the last 12 years.

Part of my struggle, I think, is that I have a hard time adjusting when the MC switches from one love interest to another, and I’m not convinced by the ostensible reasons they choose one over the other. I never stopped seeing a path for Maggie to decide in favor of the man she ultimately didn’t choose. We’re just told she picked one over the other, but it’s sudden and not shown with genuine development on the page. After months of going back and forth between the two men, the suddenness with which she chose felt unearned, and even more so with the sudden (and equally quickly resolved) final twist.

The stakes also just felt lower to me with <spoiler>Asher, who re-emerges in her life after more than 15 years. Things are just easy for them. And that’s great! (It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s wildly rich and has the power to open doors for Maggie’s career and is so successful that he never really needs to compromise on what he wants, as opposed to Garrett who feels forced into a box following his dad into finance, because he hasn’t made it big as a singer.) But it’s not like she and Garrett made a go of it and it didn’t work out – they were never both single at the same time! Like, it would have been fine for her to decide Garrett was just too much drama. But BFF Summer was right – a lot of the drama and bad timing was on her. What if she and Garrett actually took the chance?</spoiler> And so it felt like a missed opportunity that she decided to give up on him the minute they might have finally been able to see if what they had was for real.

I wanted to like this so much more. I really enjoyed how important Maggie’s music was to her. There were some pretty weighty issues, and they managed to feel organic to the story rather than tossed in for extra drama. I especially loved the weekly not-dates at Trader Joe’s and one rather wild mini-pony chase. So while I think Maggie picked the wrong guy, ultimately, this book’s biggest sin was that it failed to convince me of her choice.

CW: Attempted rape (described, in flashback); parental death (off page, in the past).

2.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Some words and expressions were used too much. Example : pound or pounding (chest)

Pacing of the story is strange. Meeting Asher about halfway? Weird. Timeline between 35-39 was way too short. This could have been fleshed out.

The back and forth of time made sense some of the time. Kinda drove me nuts.

In the space room : Asher told her to bring her lyrics notebook but she types in her Notes app?

I did enjoy the characters. They were flawed and real and human.
I wish had a bit more of Summer. And Asher’s parents’ reaction to a mental health article.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is the story of a musician, Maggie, whose life keeps intertwining with certain loves during a two decade period and she needs to figure how where her heart lies. I loved this book so much. The timeline jumped all over the place, spanning 20 years, from a first love at sleepaway camp to present day. It was the story of second chances, true love, chasing your dreams and growing into yourself. It was so relatable in its heartache and raw emotions of second guessing yourself and just such realistic characters. I mean, one entire chapter is dedicated to weekly meet ups at Trader Joe’s. Need I say more? It was witty and clever and I loved watching Maggie grow up and mature. And I loved the song lyrics peppered throughout.

Maggie made a marriage pact with two dudes, and both showed up on her 35th birthday. Her childhood lover or the guy she has been pining for for 12 years...
If you love Emily Henry's Happy Place, you will love this book. My heart was in pain for Maggie while reading this book. You're going to be in pain, but you're going to enjoy it.
4 stars!

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice
By Alison Rose Greenberg
Format: eARC
Pub. date: October 3/23
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I loved everything about this book! We have all read stories about the Marry Me pacts; when we are both 35 and not married, then let’s marry each other. But have you read one where someone makes two such pacts? Me neither.

Maggie Vine, a struggling musician, has been unlucky in love. From the first moment she heard his voice she has been in love with Garrett. He too has loved her but they have never managed to be available to the other at the same time. Still, at her 30th birthday, she asked if Garrett would marry her when she turned 35.

However, there is another man in Maggie’s past. Asher Rayes, her teenage love, also has a marriage pact with Maggie and he plans on following through. What follows are many ups and downs and difficult decisions for Maggie.

Filled with love, humour, and ups and downs, Once, Maybe Twice had me rooting for love. For a bit it reminded me of Rory Gilmore’s Dean vs Jess dilemma. At times I rooted for Garrett then changes to wishing for Asher. This book kept me reading, laughing, crying, and feeling hopeful love would happen for Maggie. Such a good story I didn’t want it to end. Available soon, go read it!

I am so thankful to @NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC for my honest review.

I mostly really loved this book. I could not put it down. It was a one session read for me, until 3am. Warning, DO NOT start this book late at night, not if sleep is important to you.

This is the story of Maggie, a 35 year old singer/songwriter who has just learned that having a baby may not be as easy as she thinks it should be. This almost stopped me from reading any more. Some days my fertility journey is in the past, the long ago past, and some days it's bubbling to the surface, ready to boil over.

I'm glad I continued because the baby making process is hardly the point of this book, at all. This is the story of Maggie, who has been pining for her best friend, Garrett, for 12 years. They just can not get their timing to work with each other, ever, and how can she get off this merry-go-round?

This is the story of Maggie, who lost her father during her freshman year of college, which helped her forge a lifelong friendship with Summer, her horrible, cold roommate. They are best friends forever, ride or dies, call me in the middle of the night and I'll help you bury the body kind of friends.

This is the story of Maggie and Asher, her first boyfriend, her overnight art camp boyfriend, her boyfriend summer after summer, until college. Her first love. Her first everything.

Anyway, read this book. It's got tension, friendship, music, and New York City as a backdrop. You won't be disappointed.

Read if you like:
♥️ Soulmates
💋 Friends to Lovers
🔺 Love Triangles
🥈Second Chance Romances
1️⃣ Single POV

Read this book if you like messy! This one has all the messiness from our MC making two pacts for marriage at 35 with two different men at two different points in her life; one with her teenage first love and first everything, and the other with another musician that the timing just never seemed to work out.

When our FMC is feeling her biological clock start to tic, it truly makes all the messiness amp up. The past and present timelines really added to this story.

Which man will she pick? The one that was her first love as a teenager or the man that they have so much in common and has always been the one that timing never was working out.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC of this one!

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was such a cute second chance romance. That being said, I hated the frequent time jumps and repetitiveness of it all. It got a little confusing because of that, but otherwise really enjoyed Maggie and Asher's story!

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for the copy of this book!

Maggie Vine watched her mother go through life avoiding a lasting love, so she did her best to make sure it wouldn't happen to her by making the "if we're 35 and still not married, we'll get married" pact with two men, Garrett and Asher. Now she's 35 and they're both back in her life, so she's left with some choices to make.

Alison Rose Greenberg is so good at writing books that are really addictive and hard to put down. Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was a fun read wondering who Maggie would end up with and definitely going on a team for one of the guys over the other. But - Alison also explores some more emotional themes that are very real for women today, like not wanting kids when your partner does, sexual assault, and the reality of having kids when you're over 35. I loved the dual timeline aspect of this to really add into the "both guys could work" concept. While I liked the ending, it was a little rough... but I expected it to not be a straightforward HEA after reading Alison's first book, Bad Luck Bridesmaid.

Read this if you:
- enjoy celebrity romance
- think someone can love two people
- have had a conversation about having kids with a partner
- are 35 years old
- like plot and lots of emotions with your romances