"Maybe Once, Maybe Twice" is a love story centered on a middle-aged single woman named Maggie. Despite never having good timing with a man she's infatuated with, Maggie still remembers the love she felt for someone in her childhood. Throughout the book, she encounters various people from her past, which often elicits both anger and love towards different characters. The story includes enough twists to keep the reader engaged, with shifts in time that are clearly indicated at the start of each chapter.

The character's story could benefit from a longer ending that goes beyond one chapter. A supplementary work could make the experience more immersive for readers.

A solid 4.5 stars. This book broke my heart, or maybe repaired it? Or maybe a little bit of both?

Once things started looking up for Maggie, I couldn’t read it fast enough. I was on the edge of my seat, fully expecting the other shoe to drop - and fully expecting to be heart devastatingly bad. I am so happy with her growth over the span of the book, and ecstatic with the ending - but I was fully expecting her to make worse decisions.

Ordinarily I hate time jumps, but in this book where it slowly pulled back the curtain a bit at a time…fantastic. It never revealed too much at once, and the time jumps were not confusing at all.

At first I was counting how many times the main character referred to herself in the third person, but then I lost count. It was definitely cheesy, and started to drive me a little nuts. Other than that, the lyrics were beautifully complementary to the plot and the character’s feelings complex.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you Alison Rose Greenberg and St. Martin’s Press!

Wow I loved this so much! In the beginning I wasn't quite hooked, but by a third of the way in I was dying to see how it all played out. Maggi was so relatable, as a thirty something single gal myself, so I loved that aspect. And I could not decide who I wanted her to end up with, I was torn!! Which I think was the point. But OMG this tore my heart out by the end. Happy tears, sad tears, all of it. Asher and Garrett were both so equally sweet and played such a pivotal role in her life I could not decide who I liked more. There were some slower moments here and there, and it was definitely super far fetched, but I loved it beyond that. Will definitely be recommending this to all my fellow romance lovers.

NOTHER fave of the year! OMG this one needs to be talked about more and I am begging you all to add it to your EOY TBRs!

Maggie is an up and coming singer living in New York who somehow made a pact with two men that if they’re both single at 35 they’ll be together… only thing is they both show up.

This was such a cute, heartwarming, beautiful, intense story of self worth, love, and friendships. I couldn’t have loved it more if I tried. The ending was also PERFECT and something I will never get over. UGH I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK!

This story was very enjoyable. The main character, Maggie, has a lot of depth and vitality. She is flawed and fun and real. The two guys she made the "marry me at 35 if we aren't married to someone else" pact are very different from each other, which is nice. Garrett is a musician that feels like he has to follow in his father's footsteps and take over his business, which means giving up music and his creativity. Asher is her high school summer camp love that has become a famous actor and director. The story is told in a present and past method, with each chapter titled by the age Maggie is at the time. I thought this was very effective and thankfully not confusing. Highly recommend reading about Maggie's journey with these two men and where it ends up taking her.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

This book gave me all the feels- nostalgia, heartbreak, joy, anger, frustration. It is a beautiful story about love and finding yourself.

Maggie is a musician dreaming of making it big. She has had two great lives in her lifetime, and made marriage pacts with both of them. With her 35th birthday approaching and the pacts coming due, both of the men play significant roles in her life and her future.

The timeline spans multiple years, showing us exactly how Maggie fell for her first love, Asher, at summer camp. We also watch her meet Garrett in her 20s, flirting with him and side stepping an actual relationship for years and years. Being able to envision the entire story of both relationships felt incredibly revealing, giving the reader a perfect view of each pairing. There were times I was Team Garrett and times where I was Team Asher, and that confusion mimicked how Maggie felt struggling with her feelings for each man.

The focus on song writing was so well done. So many songs were mentioned that gave me flashbacks to my own teens and twenties, leading to even more nostalgia. Maggie is a songwriter in the Taylor Swift mode- her songs are super personal, and the lyrics that the author came up with are incredible! Can we get an album to go along with this book?

Another piece of the story I loved was Maggie’s friendship with her best friend, Summer. She uses an expression that one friend is the rock and the other is the kite, and I adored that thought and the way the girls truly were each other’s rocks through everything.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I loved this one and will be highly recommending it!

Maggie Vine made the age old saying "if we are still single when we're 35, we should get married" with not one, but two men at two very different stages of her life. The kicker, they both showed up. At 35 Maggie is pursuing both her dreams - to become a singer and a mother. Asher, her first boyfriend turned actor, has lived a successful and private life to date. Garrett, hedge fund manager and one of Maggie's best friends, comes to her 35th birthday party and kisses Maggie senseless. Unfortunately, Garrett is engaged to another woman. With everything coming to a head, Maggie is forced to figure out which opportunity best fits her dreams.

MAYBE ONCE, MAYBE TWICE was one of my most anticipated romances to publish this autumn; unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The story is told in Maggie's perspective with shifting timelines spanning over two decades. I would normally love this type of storytelling but it ended up feeling disjointed, not allowing me the chance to fully love and/or root for Maggie nor her two male leads. It felt chaotic and gave me whiplash trying to piece together the story with each love interest from one chapter to the next.

Alison does a great job at writing relationships, particularly friendships in her novels. Summer and Maggie's friendship is one that all of us need, a friend who is there for you when you need them and loves you unconditionally.

I absolutely adored the musical subplot, it was a nice touch to the story, adding depth and growth to Maggie. I appreciated seeing Maggie find her joy through both her professional and personal life. There were a couple scenes that had me laughing out loud, particularly the barn scene (IYKYK).

There's plenty of triggers contained within this novel, so do look those up before picking this up. I liked how the author navigated the themes of grief, trauma, and loss amongst each of the three main characters; highlighting the importance of taking care of our mental health in a positive manner.

Although MAYBE ONCE, MAYBE TWICE missed the mark for me, I am sure that others will love it!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.</i>

This book was honestly not my favorite. It took a bit for me to get into the story (figuring out the characters and time periods because the chapters go back and forth between past and present, which threw me off a bit at first). The ending seemed a little rushed to me, after getting through the book. I think the premise is a really good story and interesting concepts with two marriage pacts with two very different and significant men, but I don't think this was the book for me.

“You’re a little marriage pact whore”

I don’t even know where to start with this book. It’s was honestly amazing, from start to finish. I was sucked in from the first line and there were multiple moments where I had to put the book down and scream into a pillow (in a good way of course).

The marriage pact trope is something I haven’t actually read a lot about, but this was a really interesting read. I loved Maggie, I loved both men, and I really loved Summer. It took me until the end of the book to decide which guy I wanted her to end up with because I did like them both so much.

Would highly recommend this book to anyone who would listen to me yell about it.

This book was everything. I loved it! Not your average second chance story. Add this to your fall TBR it’s a must read!

I really loved this book and it was one of those that had me smiling while reading it. If you love the second chances trope this one is for you! I think more than being a love story this was a story about self discovery for Maggie who thought she knew how her life was supposed to be, but of course things never turn out the way you think. With the love story part its a classic "if we're both single at 35 then we'll get married" but saying this to 2 guys can get a little confusing. The way both men are weaved throughout Maggie's lives and how the trajectory of her future is going is done seamlessly and I couldn't wait to keep reading. The ending was delivered with a pretty bow on top and done perfectly.

**thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book to read and give my honest opinions!

Great read. I found myself not knowing which guy to cheer for. Easy read. Will be adding this author to my TBR list.

I usually don’t mind time jumps, but it was excessive in this one. Maggie was also super frustrating and indecisive and felt really immature for 35. It didn’t feel like there was any character growth within the time jumps.

And I can’t believe I’m saying this because I am a huge Taylor Swift fan, but there were too many Taylor references.

But I did like both love triangle options, which is rare! They’re both cute.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an emotional rollercoaster for me. I’m not sure exactly what I felt, but I felt a lot. Part of me disliked several aspects of this one, yet it made me feel so much it’s hard not to enjoy it.

🎸🎤Maybe Once, Maybe Twice🎤🎸

⭐️ 5/5
🔥: 1/5
Author: Alison Rose Greenberg

Where do I even begin? I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down, and I mean that because I read it in a single day.

Maggie Vine is a 35-year-old singer-songwriter still waiting on her big break when she hears the news that her ex-boyfriend from high school bought the rights to her favorite book to adapt to film. Asher Reyes is an Oscar-winning actor with a directing credit and now a writer who made a promise with Maggie when they were 17 that she wouldn’t be alone on her 35th birthday, which is precisely why this news was released on the evening of her 35th birthday. She had to find him immediately and demand a chance to write the music for the movie. It was her favorite book! She introduced him to it! How could she let him get away with not giving her that chance?

Oddly, this isn’t the only man she made a promise to about her 35th birthday. On her 30th birthday, Maggie and Garrett, her best friend and unrequited(ish) love of 12 years, made a pact that they would get married if they were still single by her 35th birthday. They were both in love with each other, but the timing was never right for them. Unfortunately, when Garrett showed up to her party this year, the timing was all wrong for them again.

Alison did an incredible job of bringing these two love stories to life in this book. It was heartbreaking and beautiful. Sometimes, we get two great loves, and sometimes, you must choose between them. Timing is everything.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Alison Rose Greenberg for this ARC!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

This started off a little too Hallmark for me, but tied up nicely. A quick, sweet read.

Rating: 4.5 stars

TW: depression, suicide (mention/not on page), sexual assault, death, and grief

This story follows the main character, Maggie, as she turns 35. She has two men who she made marriage pacts with for when she turned 35.

The first: Garrett. A part time musician who gave it up to work for his dad’s company. They had a relationship that was always the wrong timing.

The second: Asher, a summer camp love who turned into a movie star. Their story is one of a first love who ended due to circumstances, but the love never ended.

It did take me a good 30-50 pages to get into this book. I knew it was a love triangle type book (not that I would classify it as that after reading) and Asher comes in later. However, once he did, I was HOOKED.

I enjoyed the way the story was set up: told mostly in present day with every other chapter or so a flashback to a previous year and an instance she had with Asher/Garrett.

This book was surprisingly heavy, it dealt with quite a lot of issues, but everything was done with care.

I loved the cast of characters (except maaaaaybe Garrett.) Asher was so sweet, so understanding. Summer was a solid best friend who was dealing with her own issues. Maggie was relatable and I was rooting for her every step of the way.

My favorite scene was the engagement party horse scene….. Dolly is my favorite character 😂 also the sex scene in the next chapter I was waiting for the man in the scene (no spoilers!) to see her bruised up girlie from the horse ride 😂)

Thank you to Alison, Netgalley and St Martins for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

What an emotional rollercoaster! I saw a lot of talk about how people had all the feelings through this one, and boy were they right.

What if you made a marriage pact with your first boyfriend? And then made another with your best friend? And then they both show up to collect on it? Welcome to Maggie’s dilemma.

I loved that while romance was a big aspect of this book, it had a lot of other aspects to the plot. It also has friendship, growing up and chasing your dreams, all rolled into one sweet and angsty story.

Told through dual timelines, you watch her grow up with each of these men and get to the current point of time. There’s emotional turmoil, romantic moments and hilarious scenes (hello mini horse scene). The characters are so good and developed, and you root for Maggie to find the right path for her life!

Whether you like cutesy or angsty romance stories, you’re bound to find something you love about this book. Don’t miss it when it comes out October 3!

I loved this one so so so much! Cannot say enough good things about it. I would love to see a branch-off with Summer as I absolutely adored her.

This book is for the music lover readers. If you've replayed a song over and over just so it could gut you fully OR you have all your favorite lyrics saved in your notes app, you'll enjoy Maybe One, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg.

From the epigraph that quotes the incomparable Stevie Nicks to the full lyrics of each original song on the last pages, the reader follows songwriter Maggie on her journey through love, loss, lust and longing. With not one but two marriage pacts coming due on her thirty-fifth birthday, this second-chance romance centers on this pivotal year as well as flashbacks to all the years that shaped who she is.

While there is a lot of timeline jumping and some repetition throughout, nothing bothered me too much as a reader. I actually found myself highlighting a ton of passages that I wanted to quote and stopped a few times to play the songs that contribute to key moments in the story, like Maggie May and Everlong (yes, there is a Spotify playlist as well for people just like me!)

Overall, I just really enjoyed this one and look forward to more books from Alison Rose Greenberg!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.