I adored this book. I have a soft spot for books told in multiple timelines and books where the MC pines after a best friend or keeps running into an old lover. Maybe Once Maybe Twice had all of that and it was written flawlessly. Fans of Same Time Next Summer, One Day in December, Every Summer After, Or Forever is the Worst Long Time will enjoy this.

Maggie is relatable. Asher and Garrett are dreamy in their own ways and I found myself rooting for both at times. The ending was unexpected but wonderful.

*Thank you to Alison Rose Greenberg, St. Martin’s Griffin, & NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The overall concept of this book hooked me immediately. Choosing between two incredible men our FMC made marriage pacts with at different points in her life sounded like something right up my alley. However, the execution was lacking for me. The timeline got a little tiring and I could never quite get into the flow of the story with how quickly it changed. Plus, the infidelity right off the bat really soured it for me. It CAN be done in a way that doesn’t make me hate it but when it’s based on neither person just owning their own thoughts and feelings, I couldn’t justify it. I also may have not picked up this book just based on some of the trigger warnings I wasn’t aware of going in (suicide, sexual assault, child death) so it’s possible this book just isn’t for me.

However, I loved Summer and her entire character was a huge bright spot for me. I would take an entire book just about Summer. The writing was wonderful, the concept superb, but the execution fell short for me personally.

I’d recommend the book on writing style alone if you don’t mind infidelity or the content warnings and if you like love triangles and staggered timelines. I think my issues with those things are what did this story in for me and I recognize that has a lot more to do with me and my preferences than the writer. She handled all the content warning stuff beautifully and I think it’s important to have stories that include real issues, I just am not in a mental place to handle them right now.

CW: child loss, suicide, sexual assault/harassment, infertility, infidelity

[3.5 stars]

Finding your “person” only happens once, right? For Maggie Vine, she has found her person twice - with two different people. For years, Maggie has loved her best friend Garrett Scholl but the timing has never been right. At the same time, she can’t stop thinking about her high school love, Asher Reyes. When Maggie finds out Asher is adapting their favorite book into a movie, she knows she has to find him to not only reconnect, but also write the music for the movie. Maggie’s feelings for Asher come rushing back and she must make a tough decision. Should she rekindle her relationship with Asher despite the possibility it could ruin her blossoming music career? Or will the stars finally align for Garrett and Maggie?

I was immediately drawn into the story and couldn’t put it down. Many elements of the plot mirrored my own life and made me feel better about the chaos of my early 20s. However, as the story progressed, I started to feel disconnected and confused. I enjoyed the non-linear storyline but at times it felt clunky. The relationship between Maggie and her two “loves” kept me hooked though. I didn’t know who she would end up with, if anyone, and how it would shape her career. Overall, the story was heartwarming and makes you believe in the power of love. This easily could have been a 4.5 star book if I didn’t feel disconnected multiple times.

I absolutely loved this book! This is my first book by the author, and I was more than pleased with the ARC. The angst throughout the book made my chest hurt. This book jumps time frames for the main character with the two love interests in her lifetime, it is a messy love story. I did not expect the ending!

📸SNAPSHOT:
Maggie is a musician who is trying to make it as a singer/songwriter in NYC. She made a pact with Garrett, her best friend/crush, when she was 30 that they would get married if they were unattached at 35. However, she also made a similar pact with Asher, her teenage first love, who is now a reclusive A list actor. This book follows Maggie’s past/current love stories with each man while we get to see Maggie’s growth/changes as a woman and as a musician.

💭 MY THOUGHTS:
I absolutely loved Maybe Once, Maybe Twice! I read it all in one sitting because I couldn’t make myself put the book down. I even silenced by phone because I didn’t want to leave the book even for a few minutes. I will 100% be buying a copy for myself when it is published.

As an avid romance reader, I can admit that most romances are somewhat formulaic, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I love romance tropes and knowing that there’s going to be a happy ending. However, it’s always a bit magical when you find a romance novel that truly surprises you. I can honestly say that I have never read a book or have seen a movie quite like Maybe Once, Maybe Twice. It of course used tropes, but it was executed in such a unique manner. Kudos to the author!

I will admit that I wasn’t sure if I would love this book based on the blurb. I am not always a fan of love triangles because of the angst and because of there is usually a clear front-runner for the end. Maggie’s relationships with Garrett and Asher didn’t even feel like a love triangle. She had feelings for both of them, but there wasn’t the competition and back-and-forth usually associated with love triangles. Her love for both of them was authentic, so I had trouble deciding who I wanted her to end up with at first. I eventually figured out who was the right person for Maggie as she figured it out for herself.

💞Read this if you enjoy:
-Song writing
-Time hops
-NYC setting
-3 dimensional main/side characters

📚 Tropes: marriage pact, love triangle, friends to lovers, second chance romance/first love

🚨 CW: sexual assault

⭐ Overall Rating: 5 / 5 stars | 🌶️ Spicy Rating: 1 / 5

Recommended: eh sure if..
you like music as a theme in a romance, you like a choosing-between-two-loves kind of story, you can handle an extremely nonlinear timeline

Thoughts:
This is a book that I guess I generally did enjoy, yeah. But most of my thoughts about it after a week or so of finishing it is about all the little things that annoyed me about it and kept it from being a five-star read for me. So even though that's a lot of what I'm going to focus on in here, it is still a decent book. It's fine. But there were just some things I had to deal with to get to that, and if they're things that -you- can't deal with, then you might be better of passing on this one.

In a somewhat chronological order, one of the first things that killed me was that the main character apparently has synesthesia, where one sense merges with another in an uncommon way. For her, she can taste music. However... this was barely addressed? Except to make some really over the top imagery descriptions? I feel like this could really fuck a person up and would interact in their life a lot more than was given in here. For example hearing music in the grocery store, wouldn't that be super annoying if the songs they played tasted terrible and you were just bombarded with it everywhere? It felt cheap to give the main character a condition and then only use it as a lazy plot point, sometimes. Just don't bother. It didn't add anything and it kind of pissed me off right from the start and then was solidified as it continued to have not mattered to the story.

The story is also -- what's the opposite of linear? Scattered? It was that. The "main" current story is her at age 35, but every other chapter or two you jump to a different age and what was going on then. It's usually an age that was referenced in the age-35 chapter, but BOY did it get kind of tiring. I felt like I had a hard time getting invested in the story because the story kept changing.

Maggie's whole thing through this book is how strongly she feels everything. She and Asher connected as kids because they both felt everything so strongly, and continue to as adults. This is reflected in the writing and the way Maggie describes this. On the one hand, kudos for really sticking to that character element. On the other hand, I hated having to read things like "the moment I saw you in fell into stars" because that to me is just mega stupid. If someone said that to me I'd probably leave soon after. SO the writing can be very... flowery and over the top (to me) in places.

Alright, now for the actual plot and not just the feel of it. The crux of a lot of these issues was just the tired old issue of them not talking, or not talking honestly / fully. Like instead of saying "no I can't" maybe elaborate or at least add the word YET? There was meant to be this push-and-pull timing of tension but it just annoyed me because they were both idiots about it. Our other romance interest -- well it was a good thing that they had history because otherwise I would have felt that it was a bit of the Harlequin style where he's a rich and famous guy with the power to make your dreams come true and take you places on a private jet and rent out a whole fancy club just for you. That's a fine story angle, but it wouldn't/didn't fit the vibe that this story had. So I was side-eyeing some of that path, too.

Ugh.

Anyway, like I said -- this book really is fine. It's not TERRIBLE by any stretch. But it was kind of tiring, and I needed to take breaks from it. So if you're fine with the stuff I mentioned above and still interested then go for it! But if any of those sound like they would also tire you, just... be aware of what this is before deciding.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review.

This moves back in forth in time to tell the story of Maggie's love life with Garrett and Asher, two fairly different men who have meant a lot to her over time. At 35, she's a singer songwriter bumping up against her desire to have children and a career that's never quite taken off. She's known Garrett since she was 21 but Asher for since they were kids. One thing she's been lucky with is her BFF, Summer, who she met in college and who is behind her all the way (honestly, I almost liked her more than Maggie). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This sags a bit in the middle and fans of the genre might be able to guess what happens but it's a good read for a rainy day.

3.75 stars.

I liked this read about a 30-something year old woman, Maggie, and her relationships with two different men - Asher, her childhood sweetheart, and Garrett, a man she meets in her twenties. The writing of the relationships was very believable and the chemistry between the characters - in particular Maggie and Asher - just oozed off the page. The author really knows how to tug on the heartstrings and make you care about the characters and their relationships. The female friendship between Maggie and Summer was also very believable and Summer was a great secondary character.

I would say though that I think there was too much going on in the story - misogyny, fertility, infidelity, difficult parent-child relationships, grief and trauma - making the novel feel longer than it should have been. I also found the going back and forth in several timelines took me out of the story at times. That being said, this was an emotionally satisfying read that kept me involved in the story and I am glad I read it. I will for sure be waiting for this author’s next novel.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. It was too much and yet not enough all at the same time. The premise is great, the writing is good quality. But I do desperately wish this was two separate books. I think each story would have much more weight and the time they deserve if each love interest was its own thing. Also speaking of love interests, this doesn’t just have the two in the blurb, there’s another one that felt prominent and confusing, with on page intimacy as well which I am all for spice but it really didn’t serve a purpose or show anything about their dynamic.

I felt so frustrated with this main character. She’s a bit of a catch all, she acts different at different times without ever calling herself out for acting like that so I don’t think it was purposeful. She is a confident singer yet stays silent through so many of her earlier miscommunications (not talking about the TW of this book, actual SA trauma that is on page). This is big on the miscommunication trope with one of the love interests. With the other he’s just a perfect caricature with no flaws so I didn’t really buy the hesitation.

The prose jumps around in timeline a lot which I found very fun. But it also used flashbacks. If you already have an established narrative that can jump why are there pages on pages of a detailed flashback when you could just do a short chapter of that age? Really ruined the purpose of jumping timelines.

Overall, this left me feeling confused and dissatisfied. And don’t get me started on the ending, there is a very weird 3rd act breakup that I also just simply don’t get. There’s also a certain overarching topic that impacted her best friend’s relationship so I don’t see why she wouldn’t also bring that up early on in her relationship since it was so important to her (and conversely her friend). This book was unfortunately not for me.

Some things I liked: the main character’s relationship with her steadfast best friend Summer. I loved the camaraderie of women in this story. I also felt like the chapters when she’s a teenager really had that teen voice and they did act their age. I also liked a lot of the plot points and topics that were tackled I just wish they had more room to breathe and process.

Thank you to NetGalley and st martins press for this ARC.

Wow what a journey this book took me on. We follow our heroine Maggie from when she is a teenager to when she is in her thirties. Each chapter bounces back and forth between different stages in her life. On her pathway to becoming a singer songwriter, she falls in love with two different men.

The love triangle created so much angst. I was totally here for it! I couldn't decide who I wanted Maggie to end up with. Both relationships felt so right to me. I could feel the chemistry and pining. I'd read one chapter and say "choose Garrett." Then I'd read the next chapter and say "choose Asher."

This book consumed me while I was reading it. The author was such an incredible storyteller. I absolutely loved the musical aspect. I felt so many different emotions throughout. As the ending drew near I was nervous as to what would happen. I cried at one point too. I have to mention Maggie's best friend Summer because she was a standout side character and the book would have been missing something without her.

I wanted a little bit more from the ending. But beyond that this book is one that I still can't stop thinking about even though I read it a couple weeks ago. It's one that will stay with me for a while.

Maggie made a pact with 2 different men that she will marry them if she is still single by 35 yrs old. Will she end up with Asher - her first bf from camp and now actor or will she be with Garrett, hedge fund manager/aspiring rock singer?

I love the romance in this book. The humour is terrific too. Love the friendship part especially. The music part is great. Really enjoy it. Love how Maggie grows into herself. A wonderful book!

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

The format of this book was very different in terms of chapters in the past and present and it took me a while to get used to it but I found myself so drawn into the love triangle! The pop culture references seem to come straight of my brain - I loved them! I was also so impressed with the song lyrics and the way the author was able to add so much depth without losing any of the humor and romance.

THIS PREMISE!!! I've never read a book like that that had TWO "if we aren't married" pacts that intersect.

I absolutely adored Greenberg's writing and cannot wait for more from her.

I found the story to be wonderful, challenging and oh so well written!

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is such a lovely and refreshing story. I really adored the premise of Maggie, who finds herself making a marriage pact with her two great loves in her life; her first love and her best friend. This story is so multilayered between the romance, growing up and showing it's never too late to pursue your dreams, family drama, and even tackles #MeToo topics.

Sometimes, when stories bounce from one era to another in a non-linear fashion, I find myself getting a bit confused and having to look back, but Greenberg did a wonderful job of keeping the story straight while jumping back and forth in the plot to really set up a strong story. I loved Maggie's character and witnessing her growth. There were plenty of times when I laughed out loud.

Honestly, this is a fabulous read and I highly recommend checking it out.
Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!
4.5/5 stars

Taking a line straight from Gypsy... Maybe Once, Maybe Twice FEELS like a Fleetwood Mac song. I was immediately hooked at the first chapter, and completely obsessed with it about 15% of the way through. I have no many words to describe this book, but most of them non-coherent. Devastating. Heartbreaking. Gut-wrenching. It's a very messy love story about a love triangle - Maggie Vine is turning 35 and after making two "if we're not married by the time we're 35, let's get married" pacts with two different men at two very different times in her life, she's caught between her feelings for two completely different people who show up for her. As we jump around year by year in her life, going all the way back to her teen years when she met Asher at summer camp - her first true love - and through her twenties when she met Garrett, the man she thought was her soulmate, we follow Maggie through her years of yearning and angst (so much yearning and soooo much angst) not just for love but also for her passion of songwriting and singing. We see the summers spent with Asher at camp and how the way she sees her parents has shaped her outlook on life and love, and how their young love felt so big and all-consuming, and yet failed to survive outside the bubble of camp. We come to understand her messy, complicated relationship (or non-relationship) to Garrett, the man who embodies "love at first sight" and "right person, wrong time" and yet they can't break their ties to one another for the next 12 years. While it all sounds a bit chaotic, it's all so well-written that it didn't matter to me if the details got a little fuzzy, because it was like reliving all of Maggie's flashbacks and memories along with her, including all her feelings. It was about the big picture - reflecting on paths not taken, regrets, being true to yourself and your passion, living you authentic life and not giving up on your dreams. And also fierce female friendships, because Summer might be just be the hero in all of this. In the end, it didn't matter which man she picked, or for what reasons either of them showed up for her - obligation or love or desire - it was about not giving up on yourself and settling, and realizing your dreams for fame, fortune, family, or love.

This book might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you're like me and have a soft spot for messy love stories with simmering tension, heart-wrenching moments, and a healthy dose of angst, then this one's a real gem! Right from the get-go, it had me utterly engrossed, and I absolutely relished following Maggie's journey as she chased her musical dreams, navigated complex relationships, and held onto her aspirations of motherhood.

Maggie Vine finds herself in a rather unique predicament, striking marriage pacts with two different men at vastly different stages of her life. Now, at the ripe age of 35, both Garrett and Asher resurface in her world simultaneously, throwing her—and us—into a whirlwind of uncertainty. The narrative masterfully intertwines multiple timelines and clever flashbacks, keeping us guessing right up until the very, very end.

I'll confess, my preferred guy didn't end up with Maggie, but you know me, I'm a sucker for a well-executed love triangle in the romance genre, and this one absolutely delivered. It's an emotional rollercoaster, drenched in heartache and trauma, yet punctuated with moments of laughter and hopefulness that had me thoroughly hooked.

“Men under fifty stroll through dark parking garages the same way they approach 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.”

Maggie’s life is ok. She is 35, happy playing the local gigs, and has great friends. Unfortunately her doctor just told her she basically has little to no eggs left. she is madly in love with her best friend, but their timing always seems off, which should be fixed by their “if not married by 35” pact, but when he shows to her birthday engaged, that plan falls flat. Lucky for her…she also made that pact with her very first boyfriend Asher, who has suddenly reappeared in her life…

OK so while I really loved this book, I found myself getting a little annoyed with Maggie at times. I totally understood her reasoning for pushing Garrett away, but dang girl, you have two men falling head over heels for you and you still can’t figure it out? Again, her past was horrible and I can totally see how it made an impact on how she lives her life, but every once in a while I just wanted to scream KISS HIM! Overall I really loved both of her suitors, and wanted Maggie to succeed in life and in love throughout the book!

DNF at 65%

I so badly wanted to like this one more - I'm all about a dual timeline second chance situation, but the jumping around between different ages wasn't very linear, and it couldn't keep my attention. This book is about so much more than her romantic life, it dives into some pretty serious conversations too.

Alison Rose Greenberg is an EXCELLENT writer, don't get me wrong, this book is filled with tension and witty lines. The writing is great, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. It just wasn't for me. Maybe it's a title I'll consider coming back to another time, but for now I'm skipping this one.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg

If we are still single when we are 35, we should get married. X2. Maggie makes this pact with 2 different men at two very different points in her life, and they both show up.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book, I loved the characters and really related to Maggie. I liked how she really dug deep into how different points of her life shaped her as a person, and how different people fit in your life over the years. I specifically loved her best friend Summer. Maggie is a singer and I loved the addition of her song lyrics throughout the book.

My complaint with this one was the setup. It felt really jumbled and jumped around between stories so much that I often got confused about which guy she was talking about and what age she was. Almost like it was two different disjointed books. So I would definitely recommend the physical rather than the audio.

Still, since I loved Bad Luck Bridesmaid, and the storyline of this one, I definitely think this author is an auto buy from now on. Her writing is unexpected and heartfelt and incredibly witty.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @dreamscape_media for my copies! This is out on October 3rd.

#netgalley #stmartinspress #dreamscapemedia #audiobookreview #ebook #bookreview #bookrecommendations #booksbooksbooks #bookworm #books #reading #lovetoread #canadianbookstagrammer #booksta

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this arc in exchange for an honest review! I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. There were some aspects I really liked and them some I'm just not sure about. First off, the timeline had me confused af. It wasn't just past and present; it was Maggie at all ages of life in varying order, which made it hard for me to remember what was going on when. It also felt like a lot was going on, and I think this played into the whole timeline aspect but it had me putting in effort to remember what was happening when. One thing I looooved about the book was Asher! What a gem. Overall I think this book had a cute premise and covered good topics! Not one of my favorites but still a cute read!