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.

This book had it all - angst, pining, good pacing and a cool best friend. I liked it (even though it gave me anxiety) and I liked it until 20 pages before the end. I enjoyed it, but the momentum just died a sudden screeching death. I get it though, the MC needed to do her own thing, but I found the reasons behind that third act situation shallow and unbelievable.

This book all I can say is WOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!! I can so deeply compare to loving someone so long and it never happening and having to let go it is definitely a painful process and to see her end up with her high school sweetheart was so cute. when she was saying goodbye to Garrett, I cried I couldn't help myself. I laughed when she laughed this book as well really made me feel like I was the main character in the book. This is so well written, and I hope to see and second to this one so we can see what ends up happening more down the road. kind of sad I wasn't told what happen after Garret ended the engagement even though I definitely got scared she would run back like a butt head lol.

This book was freakin hilarious and so so sweet! I loved everything about this book and these characters so much.

“If we are still single when we’re 35, we’ll get married.” That’s the old saying and Maggie Vine made that vow with two different men at two different times in her life and they both showed up.

I loved the different POV’s throughout Maggie’s life. Getting the backstory with each of the men made me root for both of them! I loved and adored Asher. He was so freakin sweet and he absolutely loves Maggie and it shows. Garrett, bless his heart, he was so torn and just didn’t know what to do. I’m happy with how Maggie and his relationship turned out.

There were a lot of heavier topics throughout the story which I wasn’t expecting but honestly, I think it made me enjoy the story even more. I’m very excited to read more from this author in the future!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the e-arc! Pub date is October 3rd.

OMG, this book appealed to me on sooo many levels. The story line was amazing and had me guessing most of the way through about who Maggie, the main character, ends up with. AND I loved, loved, loved the music references through the book - brought me back to my teens and 20’s. I was really stoked to the author has a Spotify playlist to go with the book!

I wasn’t sure if I liked the jumping back and forth of Maggie’s ages at first. But as I read the book, I appreciated that style of writing for this story more and more. I loved all of the characters, Garret and Asher and her best friend too. It was nice to get to know them in this broken timeline.

If you’re a romcom fan, this boom is MUST! If you grew up in the late 90’s onward, you’ll appreciate the music references too. All in all I loved it!

We loved this romance and the emotional love triangle throughout this story. This book will take readers on a journey through the main character's life and will have you invested in what will happen from start to finish. We also loved all the musical themes and elements that the author added into this story.

3.5 stars ⭐️ [rounded up]

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the ARC!

Ths was the first book I've read by Alison Rose Greenberg and first and foremost, I really loved the writing in this book - I highlighted so many passages while reading. I will definitely be checking out her future releases!

I still feel a little torn on my rating but eventually I landed on 3.5 stars, primarily because I found myself really bothered by some of the characters actions and it took me out of the story a bit at times. I also felt the time jumps and different story lines could have been just a little bit smoother & easier to follow.

All that being said, the characters felt very raw and real and I appreciated how this story dealt with some difficult topics. I especially loved the dynamic between Maggie and her best friend, Summer. They have the type of friendship we all deserve: honest and unconditional. I also LOVED the inclusion and importance of music and lyrics throughout the story.

ARC Review
4.5
This book was so much more than a romance. It was beautifully written and honest, and it dealt with so many issues that women go through in their lives. Real problems, real mistakes, real mental illness... The romance made me giddy at times, and heartbroken at others, but Maggie’s growth was the real star of the book. It got to the point where I wasn’t on the same page as her in who I wanted her to “end up with”, but I found myself feeling content with it anyways because I just wanted whatever was going to make her happy. I went in for the love triangle and the unique plot line, but at the end I was just breathing a sigh of relief that the ending was happy for HER, regardless of the outcome. This book to me was very much between a women’s fiction and contemporary romance in the best ways. It was sexy and sad and reminiscent with the multiple timeline chapters exploring all of her past and present with both men, her best friend, and most importantly herself. I loved it!

What a lovely book! Loved the premise, setting, characters- all of it. You’ll laugh and cry. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is about Maggie Vine, who’s life is turning out to be generally less than she hoped for; she’s wished for more but on her 35th birthday, both men that she’s made a marriage pact with many years ago show up and all of a sudden, she’s got lots of choices to make and is forced to consider what she really wants from love and life.

This book was a cute romance and I was initially very intrigued by the concept. It started off strong and I thought it was set up well but, I ultimately struggled a lot to continue on with this book. I struggled with all of the musical references and lyrics interspersed throughout the book, it just felt forced and broke the rhythm for me. I also struggled with the pace of the story, as some of it felt long and I had a tough time staying interested. Ultimately, I finished this book because I really wanted to see what happened. I thought the ending was good and I enjoyed seeing the character make strong, difficult choices, in order to put herself first. But, at the same time, I thought the ending just wrapped up quickly.

I think this would be a good beach read and could definitely see romance readers enjoying this one! But, ultimately, it just wasn’t for me.

This started off SO STRONG and just fizzled out. I loved so many parts of this but by the time I finished it just felt jumbled and rushed - with weird pacing, abandonment of a character who felt really strong at the beginning, and a very weirdly placed, slapstick scene that was a complete departure from the overall tone of the book.

“Maybe Once, Maybe Twice" presents an intriguing concept with mixed execution. While the novel does have its moments of brilliance, it falls short in several key areas, leaving readers with a mixed bag of emotions.

The central premise of the story is undeniably interesting. Greenberg takes a bold step by refusing to provide a clear resolution to the romantic dilemma faced by Maggie. Throughout the narrative, readers are left guessing, uncertain about who the protagonist will ultimately choose. Both romantic options are well-developed, and this ambiguity adds an air of unpredictability to the story.

However, this intriguing concept is marred by execution issues. The story occasionally feels worn out, as if it's treading familiar ground without adding a fresh perspective. The emotional conflicts, while relatable, can become tiresome, especially when the same theme is repeated between different characters.

One of the highlights of the book is the character of Summer, the protagonist's best friend. Her personal conflict and struggles add depth and authenticity to the narrative. It's genuinely heartbreaking to witness the challenges she faces in her life, and the inability to find resolution for her character's storyline leaves a lingering sense of sadness. However, the decision to introduce a similar conflict with Maggie and Asher feels repetitive, diluting the impact of both narratives. The repeated theme of the conflict surrounding children, or the lack thereof, tends to overshadow the narrative. It can come across as an insurmountable obstacle, which, for some readers, might feel a bit too heavy-handed.

The pacing of "Maybe Once, Maybe Twice" is a significant issue. While the book feels overly long, with stretches of the narrative where not much happens. At times, it seems as if the story is dragging on, causing readers to lose engagement. Conversely, the ending appears rushed, leaving many loose ends and unanswered questions. This imbalance in pacing leaves readers feeling unsatisfied, as if they've invested too much time for too little payoff.

Lastly, the excessive use of Taylor Swift references may prove distracting for some readers. While one reference can be clever and relatable, multiple mentions start to feel forced and even annoying. It's a case of "less is more" that the author could have benefited from.

The emotional depth of certain characters, particularly Summer, is a redeeming feature, but the unresolved conflicts and hurried ending leave readers with a sense of disappointment. While the book has its moments, it may not fully satisfy readers seeking a more polished and balanced narrative.