emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75 stars

This book was so sweet. It's my first by Alison Rose Greenberg and because of her writing style, I'm interested in her backlog!

I started reading it blind, so honestly the two love interests caught me a little bit off guard — but I LOVED the way the story developed. I do think the skipping around was a little too much, but I liked how it helped to tell the story. The baby plot was kind of off-putting for me personally, but I can see how it made sense for our character's journey. That said, I hated the break up with Asher (not Garrett's, that one was really sweet)and didn't think it was necessary. Especially since they got together in the end anyways! This read more like women's fiction to me, especially since so much of the story focuses on our main gal's growth. I think this is a great read for women in their late 20's/early 30's — the issues the characters were dealing with felt relatable and age appropriate.

*Content warning for sexual assault and off-screen mention off suicide*

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my review!

Gosh I adored this book!!! I loved the shift between past and present, times perfectly with little glimpses into the relationship development with each MMC.
This author captured the emotions so well that I could really feel it throughout every moment, especially the moments of impact.
Sometimes it’s hard to keep me invested in a love triangle, but Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was written so well.
Can’t wait to read more books by this author!

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley/St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honesty review.

This novel had a lot of potential. The one thing that overshadowed the book as a whole was the insane amount of time hopping. It was a lot to keep up with and felt unnecessary at times. I liked the description of the book, but it just wasn't executed well in my opinion.

Most of the characters weren't loveable whatsoever. I feel like the description of Maggie and Garret's relationship did not warrant all of the back and forth she was doing over him in comparison to the description of her love for Asher. I would have been more satisfied if the book was just about her and Asher's relationship. The Garret storyline didn't mean anything in the end. In the grand scheme of things, I feel like we as readers got more insight into Maggie's relationship with Garret and it wasn't needed.

Overall, the story felt all over the place to me and it was difficult to connect to the characters.

I have mixed feelings on this one. I liked the idea of there being two different guys that she made this "if we're not married by 35" pact with, but I liked one of guys and found the other one kinda annoying, so that made it harder to enjoy half of the book. I liked the multiple timelines and the flashbacks from both of the relationships throughout her life. After enjoying the author's previous book, I wanted to love this book more than I ultimately did.

Did you ever make a pact or hear of someone making a pact with a friend. Something like “If we're not married by a certain age, then we'll marry each other.” I did, so I thought it was really funny to read what would happen if those two people remembered and then brought it up to each other.  Maggie made this pact with not one but TWO different men. She turns 35 and has to deal with the fallout. I loved this book! For the most part, it was funny and made me laugh out loud so many times. Some of the topics were a bit heavier. Send me a DM if you want to chat about it before you buy/borrow it. Or see if there are TW listed somewhere.  

There were times when my heart ached for Maggie when she was dealing with some of her emotions and processing some events that occurred during her lifetime. There were times I felt like she was mourning the life she might have had if events were different. I could feel her raw emotions. Loved it!

There was a love triangle, but it was pretty closed door. I felt connected to Maggie and adored both MMCs. This was such a pleasure to read.

There were multiple timelines, which you know is my jam. There is a lot of back and forth in time, so I think for a lot of people, the physical or e-book copy will be the best version. However, I listened and read this book and said both versions were great. The narrator, Katherine Littrell, did a great job! Hats off to her!

Thank you to @alison.greenberg , @netgalley & @stmartinspress for a gifted copy of this ebook!! 

Read this Book If:

You want to laugh

You want to read about the relationships Maggie has with two very different men who were very important in her life.

You want a fairly closed door love triangle

3.5 stars

I really loved the premise of Maybe Once, Maybe Twice. The story was a fun read and the characters for the most part were very likable. I also liked the past and present views to help us understand each characters past with each other.

***SPOILER***
The part that kept me from giving this book a higher star rating was the fact that Maggie just jumped into a relationship with Asher while she was still so in love with Garrett.. I just felt that the timing was off and her actions didn’t really mesh well with her feelings. Other than that I really enjoyed this book.

***Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy in return for an honest review***

Audiobook Rating: 5/5 🌟

It really pains me to write a mediocre review for Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg and I want to immediately preface this review by saying if you think it sounds good you should DEF read it! I am in a bit of the minority here and I would never want to stop someone from reading something just because it wasn't personally for me. I read and REALLY enjoyed Bad Luck Bridesmaid when it came out, and I couldn't wait to see what Greenberg had in store for me with this one. I loved the little love triangle, and I found it rather funny that Maggie made a marriage pact with 2 different guys. I loved when her bestie called her out for it, because how does this happen?! It was humorous but also (maybe?) understandable.

I loved the audiobook accompaniment for the book, and I thought Katherine Littrell did a really great job as the narrator. She was the perfect person to embody the voice of our Maggie, and she is definitely what kept me listening even when I thought I might set it aside. My biggest issues with this book are as follows. For one, there are a lot of time jumps as we follow along with Maggie's story, and I don't think the storyline needed them all. In fact, sometimes they downright confused me, and I didn't love that they weren't chronological. Second, I could not understand why Maggie thought it was okay to fool around with Garrett even when he was engaged. Literally, no remorse about this or any of her other trysts with him while he had girlfriends. Those kinds of characters really don't sit well with me and made her a quite unlikable character in my mind. Despite these things, I will definitely read this author again, and if you are looking for a laugh-out-loud but also deep romance, you will find it in Maybe Once, Maybe Twice!

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I am an absolute sucker for cute rom-com covers like this! The cover made me want to pick up the book, and the beautiful writing made me never want to put it down! The idea that the marriage pact you made with not one, but two different people may actually come true is wild. I, like Maggie, made one when I was younger (except my friend and I are both in very happy in separate committed relationships now). I enjoyed the story and I hope you do as well!

This book does have timeline jumps, which I know is not for everyone. If you're looking for a cute rom-com with a fun take on a marriage pack, I would recommend giving it a try!

The synopsis of this book pulled me in right away and I was not disappointed! As someone in their early 30’s, I definitely loved the mid-30’s main character and want to seek more of those out. I will say that I did NOT expect Maggie to choose the guy she ended up with, but I get it! Overall, I loved the pacing of the story, the tension, and the romance!

I enjoyed this second chance romance with an order heroine. Because let’s face it we didn’t get enough of that in the romance genre.

This was a pretty good read. Sizzling steamy romance. Love triangle. This was a good read but I didn't love the story as much as I expected. Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this look at dating in your 30s and figuring out your life! I really liked the main characters and I thought this was a fun twist on the rom com.

I really enjoyed this unique romance novel. I would definitely classify this as a romance rather than a rom-com. It has much more depth than a typical predictable rom-com. The complexities of the love triangle between Maggie, Garrett, and Asher are well-written and intricately plotted. I loved how the different flashbacks slowly revealed more about the history of both relationships. At first, it seemed a bit confusing with the various flashback timelines, but as the story played out, it became clear why the author had structured the reveals of the story in that way. Unlike with your typical rom-com or romance, it was unclear until the very end how the story was going to turn out, and this uncertainty kept me intrigued and turning the pages. This novel is very open door and spicy, so be aware of that before diving in.

In this second chance romance, Maggie makes a pact with her camp boyfriend, Asher. When they inevitably grow apart, Maggie forgets the pact and continues on with her life. Garrett also makes a pact with Maggie but when it comes time to deliver, Garrett is already engaged and Asher walks right back into Maggie's life. It's a moving second chance romance about discovering your true self and learning to put yourself first.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Maggie and Asher. They have known each others for all their lives. Maggie is a singer and songwriter. Asher is an actor. They made a pact when they were teenagers that f they were not married by the age of thirty five, they would find each other and get married. Asher went looking for Maggie when she turned thirty five. They started dating. They did a movie together. They fell in love.

The book Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Alison Rose Greenberg. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was a pretty typical contemporary romance. Maggie, an aspiring singer, celebrates her 35th birthday. 35, the year she'd said that if she wasn't married, she'd marry Garrett Scholl... or Asher Reyes. The problem is she made that promise to both Garrett AND Asher leading up to 35.

Throughout the book, we flash back to many of Maggie's birthdays to uncover her friendship with Garrett which at times, seemed like it could be more, and to her first-ever relationship with Asher back at summer camp. In the present, both Garrett (who's engaged) and Asher (who's famous) show up at Maggie's 35 birthday. Which one will keep their promise?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was published on October 3, 2023 (Oops!) :)

This was cute! I enjoyed the dual timelines and I thought that following MC's that were singers was really fun. There were definitely times when I didn't know who she was going to end up with, which made the romance feel a lot more interesting, as well. I personally love following famous people, so that added a fun element. Although I loved the multiple timelines and felt it helped us learn more about the characters and their past relationships, it did sometimes get a little confusing to keep up with where we were in the story.

Ultimately this wasn't a new all time favorite, but still a sweet read!

I may have found the genre of book that I never want to not read and want to shout from the mountains about. This was very real, and the first time I understood why the FMC was actually not telling her love interest an important thing. I loved this story and the boys (Garrett and Asher) and felt so much empathy for Maggie Vine. Also, I love a supportive and non-toxic best friend, so thank you for writing Summer so perfectly. I would read this again and again, and would recommend to everyone.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly was unable to finish bc it was removed from my library before I could finish it. Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read the start of this book and I hope to finish read it in the future and give a full and proper review .