Note to whoever reads this feedback: The publisher should consider including trigger or content warnings. Some readers may be uncomfortable reading books that mention suicide, death of a loved one, or sexual assault.
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Thank you to Netgalley, publisher St. Martin's Press, and author Alison Rose Greenberg for providing an ARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
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4.5 stars, rounded down.

I have been duped. I have been bait-and-switched. I have been played. I thought I was getting a contemporary romance with some love triangle-ish elements, I was ready for a little naivety, some foolishness, maybe I was even ready to be a little judgmental to the main character for making some dumb choices.

Boy was I freakin' wrong. Instead, what I got was an emotionally charged, vulnerable, raw, and insanely relatable heroine, who is painfully human, has baggage, and is trying to figure out her life, as so many 30somethings like myself are. This is less a story about a girl trying to choose between two men, and more about a girl trying to choose which life she wants to live, and figure out what her priorities are, and how different people come into our lives at different times, for different reasons. Sometimes those people serve a purpose, and exit stage left, and that's ok, and sometimes they never really leave and stay on the periphery, ready to jump in when needed, constantly in orbit but never colliding. Different friends and different lovers serve different needs, and serve different points in our lives. That is the real crux of what this story gets at.

Through that journey, the reader watches the main character, Maggie, through various timelines, and learns what her motivators are. In her teens, it's to be seen, loved, accepted, and supported. To find kinship with another creative type. In her twenties, it's to feel alive, to feel passion and adventure, to find meaning. In her 30s, it's a blend: to feel supported and seen, and to feel passion and find her purpose, and to work as hard as she can to realize her personal and professional dreams. And I think that's how the two men from different points at her life collide. Asher, from her youth, and Garrett, from her young adult years, both emotionally satisfy Maggie but in wildly different ways, so when they both show up in her life again in her 30s, how can she choose between Asher, who represents the calm and stable side of love, and Garrett, who represents the electrifying and passionate side of love?

I particularly enjoyed the representation in this book. There can always be more, but it was nice to see different races, nationalities, sexualities, financial brackets, abilities/disabilities, and religions included. (To that point, Maggie is Jewish, has PCOS, and goes to therapy for PTSD, depression, and anxiety, which is part of what makes her so relatable.)

Highlighting this book was satisfying, as there are a lot of little nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout, but also some lighter, humorous gems.
1. Women don't have midlife crises, because we've spent our lives constantly in crisis.
2. Success doesn't come easily for women who dare to be themselves.
3. I texted him back that it was fine, in lowercase, without an exclamation mark, which, if you're listening (men), means the opposite of fine.
4. We can't be bashed for growing up and changing...you love yourself enough to not sacrifice your future just to hold on to someone else. We see divorce as a failure, but sometimes it's not. Sometimes we have to wave a white flag in order to save ourselves, or be ourselves...you love yourself too much to fold into a life you don't want. (quote has been abbreviated to not include spoilers)

The book ends in a slightly predictable way, with Maggie finally figuring out what is most important to her, and making it happen, while juggling all the other complexities and left turns life likes to throw in ones face. The HAE is satisfying and we see incredible strength and force of will from Maggie to make the choices she makes, and accept the results of those choices.

Maggie is 35, single and an aspiring singer whose life has taken many twists and turns along the way. She just found out that having a child will be difficult and she desperately wants to be a mother. And to make life more complicated, 35 also happens to be the age that she made a marriage pact … with two different men from two very different times in her life. Who will she choose, and will she ever see her dreams realized?

Told in dueling timelines, we follow Maggie as she navigates the pivotal points in her life. Will she end up with her first love, movie star Asher Reyes, who is adapting her favorite book for the big screen, or will she finally sync up with Garrett who’s timing has been off for the past twelve years?

I could not read this book fast enough to see who Maggie chooses in the end. It was such a satisfying journey filled with heartbreak, hope and will-they-won’t-they goodness.

Thank you to Alison Rose Greenberg, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of the book. I can’t wait to go back and read the author’s first book.

In Maybe Once, Maybe Twice we meet the main character Maggie Vine on her 30th birthday making a pact with her best friend to get married if they are both single at 35. Fast forward to her 35th birthday and life has not gone to plan....yet. This book uses a shifting timeline for us to learn about Maggie and her motivators.

I am not typically a fan of shifting timeline books. I find it to be a cheap and easy plot gimmick. HOWEVER. It was done so excellently in this book. My perception of Maggie changed so many times across the course of this book and I absolutely loved it. Great plot. The characters Greenberg created contains one the most swoon worthy romantic leads I've ever read. Like, gasp out loud and clutch your heart swoon worthy. The other characters were well developed.

I legit cried laughing during one of the scenes and I legit sad cried at others. I'm fan of 90s music. All in all, I absolutely loved it. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book! I’ve willingly read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

A lot of people are going to take one look at the cover of MAYBE ONCE, MAYBE TWICE and immediately characterize it as a fluffy love-triangle romance, but it is so, SO, much more than that.

Maggie is an aspiring singer whose career and life have taken many twists and turns. At thirty-five, a doctor tells her that having a child is going to be difficult. Thirty-five also just happens to be the age she’d separately made pacts with the two loves of her life to get back together, should they both be single. The first is her first love, movie star Asher Reyes, who is involved in the adaptation of Maggie’s favorite book. The second is the man she’s been hung-up on for twelve years, Garrett.

Jumping around the pivotal points in her life, we get to see how Maggie fell in love with these two men and how she has navigated heartbreak, trauma, and hope while achieving dreams she’d held for decades and some only just realized.

I devoured MAYBE ONCE, MAYBE TWICE, desperate to find out who Maggie picks and if they eventually got there happily ever after. And though I do wish I got to see more interactions between Maggie and the man she couldn’t live without, (though, to be fair, I always want this with my favorite couples!) I was so pleased with the outcome, just as much as I was by the entirety of Maggie’s journey.

TW: death of parent, death of sibling, sexual assault

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was an INCREDIBLE read! It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me feel every emotion in between. It truly squeezed my heart with the utter soul captured in this book.
Maggie Vine was such a creative and relatable character- I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted so many quotes in my Kindle because her I could understand how Maggie was feeling throughout her story.

If you’re a fan of Emily Henry’s and Elissa Sussman’s writing, I know you’ll devour this book like I did- think if Once More With Feeling and People We Meet On Vacation had a baby…. it’s this book!!!

I knew halfway through this book it was going to be a great book and it didn’t disappoint!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Griffin for letting me ARC read this masterpiece!
Maybe Once, Maybe Twice will be released on October 3rd!!!

In its essence, this is a book about love. You have a main character that is hopelessly in love with two men from very different parts of her life, and at 35 they come together and she ultimately feels the need to choose between one of her great loves. A love triangle, if you will, except one man is engaged to be married and the other is so incredibly famous that the main character is reluctantly dragged into the limelight behind him.

The love triangle was okay, but I hated the pining for Garrett while he was engaged. Multiple times they ended up in hot makeout sessions - the type where clothes almost come off - before breaking off with the whole "we cannot do this" spiel afterward. I feel like Garrett was almost two dimensional in a way too, because he did not feel very fleshed out and it was more hormones than actual chemistry when the two characters were in the room. From the infidelity alone, I really hoped that these two would end up together.

Now Asher, he was definitely the better interest. But still, she loved him when she was seventeen, and at 35 that is a long time to be pining for the one that go away. I was worried about their work entanglement and how it might affect her rise to fame, but it is a romance so of course everything wraps up nicely in the end. There is a third act breakup here as well, which lasts two years before the story gets its happily ever after.

This book does deal with tough topics like infertility and going through divorce because of partners wanting different things, and it also deals with teenage suicide, losing parents, and feeling like your dreams are not valid. So this is definitely more than a fluffy romance, and all these aspects made the characters feel real, feel messy. I did appreciate that about the story, it felt like I was actually learning about these people and what makes them tick.

Overall, I did not really care for the love triangle and the endless pining did feel a bit over the top, but there is a happy ending and I enjoyed small moments throughout the story. This is not a fluffy romance though, it does deal with a lot of difficult topics that take place in real life, and I highly recommend looking at content warnings if you are worried about that. I am glad with who the main character chose in the end, but it was kind of apparent through the chemistry and character building throughout the story who she would end up with. An entertaining story if you need one, but I cannot see myself reading this again in the future.
Content warnings: loss of a parent, child death, suicide, depression, infertility, divorce, infidelity, sexual assault, sexual harassment, grief

This book puts a whole new spin on "second chance romance," following Maggie Vine, a singer-songwriter still waiting for her big hit and her run-ins with a few of her past loves. Jumping through alternative timelines, you really get a sense of what led Maggie to this point in her life. I absolutely loved this book- it had such fun little details that really jumped off the page.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is a charming story set in two timelines about falling in love and finding yourself at any age. Maggie's life isn't exactly going to plan, she's turning 35 and she's struggling to achieve her goals. When the past comes to visit it her at her 35th birthday party , shes reminded of the pact she made when she was younger. “If we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married?”Unfortunately for Maggie, she made that pact with two people. Garrett and Asher both show up and Maggie must decide who is right for her? I really enjoyed this story! It's funny, charming and sweet!

I really wanted to like this one. It started off really well but I feel like it lost its way part way through. There were plot points that could have been more thoroughly developed. And there is a sexual assault that seemingly came out of no where with no real warning. I finished it and I enjoyed the writer’s style but I think it needed some more editing.

I absolutely adored this book! From the Stevie Nicks dedication to the very last page I was hooked and read the whole thing in one sitting.

Maggie makes a pact to marry not one but two different men if neither of them are married by the time they are 35. She makes each one at two very different phases in her life but both men were perfect at the time she made the pact with them. Now it’s her 35th birthday and they have both shown up! Maggie has to figure out not only who she is but if either of these men will fit into her life and help her be the best version of herself.

Alison Rose Greenberg writes characters who are vivid and complicated and their depth makes you invested in their journey. All of the musical references along the way added a unique feel to the book and helped shape the moments the author was trying to create (and she made a Spotify playlist!).

I laughed, I cried and I already know I will be reading this again! Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

I absolutely adored this book! Right from the start I was seriously hooked and found myself sneaking off to read a a few chapters whenever I could.

I loved how the story unfolded, travelling through memories and back to the present showing how Maggie ended up where she was now and who she was as a person. I loved the idea of looking back and thinking what if and wondering what would have been while in the end realizing she needed to be fully in the moment and what is. I was really torn on which one I was hoping she would end up with in the end. Both had something that made you want to root for them but in the end I was happy with who she chose.

The music throughout was also amazing. As someone who knew all the songs and could sing along in my head, it helped to fully shape the moment the author was trying to create. I also love that I found a playlist on Spotify (that I think the author made) with all the songs in mostly the order they occur in the book. The music brought a real cinematic feel to the book that I loved and anyone that picks Fiona Apple to be in their playlist is all right in opinion.

All of the characters felt vivid and complicated just like they would be in real life. The chemistry she has with Garrett is electric and you can feel the tension between them in each almost moment. Asher and Maggie share something more tender and real but also very hot. Seeing love through teenage eyes and how they both came into each other’s lives exactly when they needed to was beautiful too.

In the end, I laughed, I cried and felt like I had been through the wringer with Maggie but I loved it and would definitely read it again and anything else this author writes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin Press for the advanced reader digital copy. I very easily can say I loved this book and will buy a copy for my bookshelf so I can go back and visit it again in the future.

4.5/5 - Maggie made a marriage pact with not one, but two different guys. If we aren't married by the time we are 35, we will get married. She made one when she was 17 and the other when she was 30. Both of those times, that guy was the perfect guy for her. Now, at 35, they have both showed up. Both are incredibly different, and have different things to offer her life. Now she must figure out who she is and if either of these men are who will make her the best she can be.

This book was heartbreaking, but beautiful. It is a reminder that even though things don't always happen how you think they should, not to give up and go for what you want. Both of the men in Maggie's life contribute to Maggie's journey and are there for her at different, pivotal moments throughout her life. Though this is dubbed as a romance, I will say that it is Maggie's relationship with herself and figuring herself out that left me turning pages. Alison Rose Greenberg wrote so many scenes perfectly, and I found myself, at points, with tears in my eyes.

I did find some of the book a bit confusion, as you bounce around in Maggie's life with current (35 years old) and the years between 14 and 35. I found myself having to remind myself at what point of Maggie's life we were in, as it was not presented in a linear manner. It is through these flashbacks (and even the bouncing) that who Maggie is and how she has been shaped becomes clearer to us.

Maggie refused to compromise and I finished this book with a tear stained face, both in joy and sorrow. If you want an emotional read, this book would be perfect for you. Please note there are some heavy topics discussed in this book. If you need, please check for content warnings. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

Alison Rose Greensburg tells a story of not losing yourself to other people’s expectations. Of staying true to yourself even when it means losing parts of you that you hoped would be forever. Of not settling for less than the life you’ve dreamed of.

It’s a great reminder to choose ourselves and everything that’s meant to be will fall into the right place. There will be grieving and loss, but also joy as we come into ourselves. All of these themes are weaves beautifully through the book. The romance however was not it for me. Maggie’s relationship with Garrett frustrated me, even with the flashbacks (which sometimes were a lot especially in the beginning of the book) I felt like if they had wanted to make it work sooner they could have? Or should have? (also he had so many red flags omg I was reading this like GIRL). Maggie and Asher’s flashbacks were much sweeter but even they seemed very surface level and I just wanted more from their story.

The ending wasn’t what I expected I spent most of the book thinking she’d end up with the wrong person. But I felt the 3rd act break up was unnecessary. Maggie was going through it to find her man for most of the book and they still couldn’t get it together once she got him (tragic).

Maggie’s friendship with Summer was my favorite part of the book. I loved their connection, the way they pushed each other towards a life they deserved and held onto each other when they had to make difficult decisions because life wasn’t reflecting what they wanted.

Overall there are a lot of great lessons in this book. Most importantly to stay true to yourself. The life you want, the life of your dreams will come just be patient and don’t hold yourself back from it. Also there will be drawbacks throughout it all, just keep getting back up and try again.

I received this ARC through netgalley. Thank you!

I’d recommend this book if you like: second chance romance, strong fmc, music, great friendship, right person wrong time.

And please there are some heavy topics in this book so check TW.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for the digital review copy!

What I Liked

I love the premise of this book, having people actually follow through on a marriage pact. What a fun setup for a love triangle situation.

On the sentence level, I love Greensburg's writing. This is one of those books where I just itched to highlight profund, well written lines.

We love a female protagonist in her 30s. I appreciated how this book navigated the feeling of growing older and wondering if you're missed out on the chance to achieve your dreams.

I always have to applaud a book that makes me cry in the last 10%. So, cheers to the fact that I did get emotionally invested right at the end.

What I Didn't Like

Back to that premise. I felt like it was a bit of a bait and switch, for reasons I won't dig too deeply into to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to say, it isn't quite what the synopsis makes it sound like.

The pacing in general was awkward for this one. The chapters skip around to different ages in Maggie's life, which is fine in theory, but it felt pretty random at times. We spend a great amount of the beginning of the book painting the picture of Maggie's relationship with one guy, and the other guy doesn't even come into the story until well into the book. Some chapters are long and felt gratuitous, not really developing the plot or the characters in a meaningful way. I think some of this was to get the spice in for those who like a spicy book, but personally, those scenes always read as awkward to me, and I wasn't here for it.

Ultimately it was hard for me to invest in the love triangle. It became pretty clear which way things were going early on, and then I got bored with the back and forth.

The "biological clock" aspect of the story felt forced. There are random points in the story where Maggie feels panicked about her aging ovaries and her desire to have a kid, but to me, this didn't really feel like it fit with the rest of the character. She's so devoted to her music career and making it happen that the trip to the gyno to learn about her eggs felt much more like "all women in their mid-30s must worry about babies" than something that felt true to the character. We don't even see her interact with kids, even though as a birthday party singer there should have been opportunities to make this happen and perhaps lend a bit more depth to her desire to be a mother.

In all, I think I'd have liked this book more if it was a good bit shorter. I strongly considered a DNF on this one because I had trouble feeling invested in the story and the characters, and the middle section really felt like it was dragged out more than it needed to be. I'm ultimately glad I finished it because the last 20% of the book or so really grabbed me and made me feel invested, but I wish we'd gotten there sooner.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC!
This book was such a fun read! I really enjoyed how we got a then/now timeline throughout the story. I found the main character relatable and really realistic with real life problems. Overall a fun read!

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is the story of the life of Maggie May from mainly teen years through age thirty-five. The story is full of emotions and life decisions that don’t always turn out to be for the best. Her best friend Summer is a solid rock for Maggie and helps her navigate through life’s trials.
I personally did not enjoy this book very much. The story goes back and forth between the past and present in a way I found distracting and at times past chapters seemed irrelevant. The ending is nice but very sudden and felt like a rush to meet deadline or something. I give this book 3 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book from the Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg

Second chance romance x two (there’s a lot going on in this story!). I was rooting for Maggie and Garrett AND Maggie and Asher 🫣

I enjoyed that the Maggie was still figuring her life out at 35. Relatable.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice will be released on October 3rd- Keep your eye out!

Favorite Quotes:

“I had been promising for over three decades - like a drug that could work, but lacked federal funding.”

“Find one person in the audience who loves you no matter what. No matter if you’re great or good or just okay.”

“It occurred to me that he had abandoned his entire day in favor of mine.”

“Most of us are born with an instinct to safeguard against failure and rejection- to put ourselves in positions that win.”

After finishing this read I had to take a couple of days to really think about it and I just loved it. It was so different than a lot of romance reads and you fully expect our FMC to choose the wrong man but she doesn't disappoint.

Outside of the love interests this story was woven together amazingly well, including past and present and showing that other relationships can be just as important as romantic love and to never be afraid to be on yourself.

10 out of 10

Main character, Maggie wanted two things: a successful music career and a baby. Throughout her journey of making a name for herself, she met a handful of men all playing different roles in her successes and failures.

Asher: high school sweetheart, mutual interest in music/fame, promised to find each other at 35, didn’t want kids
Garrett: real life bestie, made a pact to get married at 35, engaged to a different woman
Drew: boyfriend for the meantime, wanted more but Maggie was too head over heels for Garrett
Cole: Satin himself, criminal, career ruiner, disgusting man

When I say I was Team Garrett, I was 100% Team Garrett. When someone can be your best friend AND lover, what more do you need?? Unfortunately for Garrett and Maggie, they kept crossing paths at the wrong times. They were so madly in love by the age of 30 but because of past experiences, Maggie was too scared to move forward and when she was ready, Garrett already moved on without her. These two truly crushed me to my core.

I loved Asher and the idea of him and Maggie’s relationship. As teenage heartthrobs, they always connected right where they left off. Asher saw Maggie’s potential and always wanted what was best for her. Red flags came along though when he introduced her to her nemesis, a person who shall not be named….Cole. The epitome of *horse shit*. More red flags came when we found out he wasn’t keen on ever having kids.

There was a lot to unpack in this book but overall, it was a page turner! I would have loved to see a different outcome but I think it’s to each his/her own preference. I really enjoyed this book. Big thanks to @netgalley & @smpromance for this gifted ARC. Look for it October 3!

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice” by Alison Rose Greenberg is a captivating journey that blends romance and heartache over two decades in the life of Maggie Vine, a talented singer. The book beautifully explores the idea that timing is everything in love, keeping readers on their toes about Maggie’s choices.

The story switches between two timelines—’then’ and ‘now’—as Maggie’s romantic saga unfolds. Her first love, Asher Reyes, steals hearts during a summer camp, and their promise to marry if they’re both single at 35 adds an intriguing layer to the narrative.

As Maggie pursues her music career, she meets Garrett Scholl, another musician who ignites a passionate love story. However, life’s twists and turns put their love to the test, and those 35-year-old promises keep echoing.

When Asher and Garrett reenter Maggie’s life after her 35th birthday, the story takes a turn. Maggie’s facing crucial life decisions, having dealt with a traumatic past. Asher’s unexpected business proposal adds to the mix. Will Maggie find what she’s seeking to make her life whole again?

Alison Rose Greenberg crafts characters with depth, making you care deeply about their journey. The exploration of fame’s glitzy side enriches the narrative, creating a story that’s both immersive and thought-provoking.

Emotions run high in “Maybe Once, Maybe Twice,” making it a touching and memorable read. Each page is packed with feelings that tug at your heartstrings. I thoroughly enjoyed the rollercoaster of emotions, and I’m eagerly anticipating more from this talented author.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5).