Yikes. I'd leave it at that, but I'm not cruel enough to leave this review so bland. First, I did read and sort of liked Greenberg's prior novel Bad Luck Bridesmaid. It had promise. This story just left me struggling. I contemplated not finishing but with the holidays approaching, did I really want to end the year with a DNF? No, I'm a fighter.

What didn't work were the Heroine and at least 1 of her love interests. 1st love interest we're introduced to was a stereotypical beautiful man-child (the other is what I'll just refer to as cinnamon roll boy). I get that we're dazzled by his prettiness and studly swagger, but as he kind of stuck it through towards the end, we're cringing at the love affair and whether we want to root for this or not. Heroine flopped towards the end as she had to deal with past trauma. It was hard to not scream at her to rally and get it together. This part seemed like a convenient plot device. 1 - 1.5 stars.

I'm sad to not end the year on a high note with a good read and already searching for something that will save my year in books. As it was, I had to pick up other reads in-between chapters of this book to keep me entertained.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice has so much promise the the premise was intriguing but at the end of the day, the only story I cared about was Summer. I absolutely did not like the main character Maggie and her choices, although the trauma explains some of it but still it was so hard to get into this. The time back and forths make me absolutely crazy, I like a linear story and so it just didnt work for me but will work plenty for others. I loved and then hated both male leads as well. I just wanted something different than this ended up being, but I can see why others loved it. Read it and decide for yourself, but please check the trigger warnings first.

Maggie Vine made a marriage pact with two different men at very different points in her life. But at age 35, these previous suitors show up in her life again and she's torn about who to choose — her first love or a man she's pined for for 12 years.
"Maybe Once, Maybe Twice" is an empowering story of love, loss and living. It's a somewhat angsty slow burn that ultimately pays off. The characters are so well-rounded and you'll inevitably find yourself rooting for Maggie whomever she chooses.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advance copy!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me after trying to read it from the beginning on two different occasions, and not making it past the 20% mark.

Something about the writing style made it really hard to get into the story, and I found it difficult to relate to Maggie or particularly care about her troubles. I'm usually a big fan of stories with multiple timelines, but I think the many jumps between different ages threw me off and made it harder to follow or invest in the plot; I constantly forgot which age/year the chapter was focusing on.

I've mostly seen glowing reviews for this, so I'm clearly in the minority--maybe I'll attempt to pick this up for the third time in the future, but for now it's a pass.

thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. At first I was put off by the non linear timeline of this story, but once I got used to it, I fell in love with the characters and the story. It shows how love and relationships can be complicated and not everything is what it looks like. It's a lighthearted read and you'll fall in love with the characters (at least I did).

I love Alison Rose Greenburg so much and this second book I've read by her solidified her name on my fave authors list. I loved this story, although I didn't want to choose between the guys until I had to, lol. I can't wait for the next one!!

This book kept me guessing up until the very end, I wasnt sure who to root for - is it Asher or Garrett who is her one true love?!? Definitely a good light hearted read!

Maggie Vine makes a marriage pact with two different men at two very different points in her life. When they both show up on her 35th birthday, bearing promises underscored by the scars of lost love, Maggie must decide what path will make her heart whole.

No one delivers the perfect mixture of heartbreak and hope quite like Alison Rose Greenberg. Maggie’s analyzation of romance endeared me to her immediately. Throughout the novel, Maggie disentangles the difference between love forever and love for now. It’s a distinction that feels wholly relatable for anyone who has lost someone they thought could have been “the one.” Greenberg pours Maggie’s reflections and revelations into original songs with full lyrics included in the back of the book. The lyrics provide additional insight into how Maggie feels at certain moments and they are some of the most emotional lines of writing in the entire book.

Highlights:
-All the music references (Fleetwood Mac & Dave Matthews Band, to name a few)
-Maggie & Summer’s friendship
-Celebrity second chance romance
-Female characters unabashedly fighting for what they want
-A non-linear format, spanning decades

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t have the words right now to decide how this book made me feel. I FELT so much.

Maggie makes a pact with two past loves to get married at 35. Well, both end up showing up.

Maggie has to not only choose between her first love or best friend but also try to figure out who she is and what she wants.

The writing is spectacular. The journey was heartbreaking, the romance was top notched between both relationships, the characters had so much chemistry, and I just cried because I felt so many things.

One of my favorite books this year.

"Maybe Once, Maybe Twice" is a wild ride of romance and life's ups and downs, spanning two decades and diving into the messy world of second chances and self-discovery. Maggie Vine, 35, our main character has been hasing dreams of singing and motherhood. Chaos begin when two of her old vows resurface, bringing Garrett Scholl, a hedge fund manager by day and a secret rock star by night, and Asher Reyes, Maggie's first love turned heartthrob actor, into the picture.

The story unfolds with a mix of laughs, tears, and a whole lot of unexpected twists as Maggie figures out love, family, and making dreams come true. The shifting timeline adds a lot of charm to the story by keeping things interesting!

I am not really a fan of love triangles, but this book won my heart..AND MAGGIE ENDED UP WITH THE GUY I LIKED!

An emotional rollercoaster that my heart is still recovering from 🥰😭❤️

I loved everything about this book from start to finish! The dual timelines, the characters (especially Asher 😘), the humour, & the writing was so well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Dual timeline is a fav for me, & when done right it is brilliant! And this one was PERFECT 🤩 there was never a time when I was confused or had to figure out where I was, & for me that’s a big thing!! I loved getting to know Maggie’s character inside & out 💕 she is a fierce lady who I would love to be friends with! And don’t even get me started on Summer!! She needs her own book 😉❤️

I cannot recommend this enough 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

Read if you love:
✨EMOTION & tons of it!
✨dual timeline
✨swoony characters
✨second chance romance
✨right person wrong time
✨tension we all love!
✨music industry
✨deep topics (check TW)
✨AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

Thank you so much @netgalley @stmartinspress for the review copy 💕 I can’t wait to check out more from Alison 🫶🏻

This was such a cute and unique story! I loved the author's sense of humor and the overall pacing of this book was gerat. I enjoyed the past and present timelines as it provided the full story of how events played out. I needed to keep reading to see how it all played out! I enjoyed the last book by Alison Rose Greenberg and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

3.5 stars

this was a rollercoaster from start to finish! i don’t always love books with multiple timelines, but i understand why alison did it. it helped us understand maggie more. the book just felt a little too long

i thought maggie was a good fmc! she had her struggles and grew a lot from them. i also really enjoyed her friendship with summer. that was definitely my favorite relationship in the book!

i cried while reading it, and if a book makes me cry, it’s a win to me! i would recommend it!

Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @dreamscape_media for a free download of the audiobook.

Maggie makes a marriage pact…with two separate people, and they both show up when she turns 35. The men could not be any more different, and Maggie must choose between Garrett and Asher.

This was an enjoyable story that I would consider more romance than rom com.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #dreamscapemedia #ltbreaderteam #maybeoncemaybetwice #alisonrosegreenberg #smpinfluencers

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg is a charming story that revolves around Maggie Vine, a musician. It discusses her current life in addition to her past to help explain how she came to be in certain situations. The Trader Joe's scenes are my favorite!

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

\\\\\ DNF at 20% \\\\

I tried to read this book and took a break because I really had trouble going on. I got back to it after weeks and well... it's not going any better, so that's enough trying for me.

For one, I REALLY hate time jumps, especially if they are not consistent. I can manage a book with time jumps between two specific moments, or little flashbacks once in a while, but in this one it goes to any time and switches every chapter... It is the most confusing thing ever. I have a really bad memory so it just isn't for me, I get lost in the story and I cannot focus on anything.

Secondly, after 20% I had no attachment whatsoever to any character. That doesn't go well for me. Every character still felt like a stranger to me, I need more than that to stick to a book.

Third thing, I have no idea how this book ends, and honestly, at this point I don't really care, but I did not like how that first part went. 12 years lost because you couldn't manage to talk to each other and for what? Kissing each other when one of you is engaged... This type of story gets me really mad, last time I tried one like that it didn't end well.. so I prefer calling it off this time.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I felt like this book could have been great but ended up meh… but there were multiple points of the book that were so well written and I related to, I just wanted to love it but couldn’t. I enjoyed parts of it greatly but was disappointed in the outcome and thought Maggie deserved better. Some excellent writing and relatable female life content though.

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pacing of Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is medium.

POV: Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is told in 1st person POV (through Maggie’s eyes).

Trigger/Content Warning: Maybe Once, Maybe Twice has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Sexual Assualt (graphic, on and off page)
Death (moderate, off page)
Infertility (moderate, on and off page)
Attempted Rape (graphic, on page)
Toxic Relationship (graphic, on and off page)
Grief (graphic, on page)
Toxic Friendship (graphic, on and off page)
Infidelity (moderate, on page)
Suicide (moderate, off page)
Anxiety & Anxiety Attacks (minor, on and off page)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (moderate, on and off page)
Sexual Content: Maybe Once, Maybe Twice has moderate to graphic sexual content—ranging from simple kissing scenes to intercourse.

Language: There is moderate swearing in Maybe Once, Maybe Twice.

Setting: Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is set in a few places—New York City, Boston, San Diego, and Atlanta.

Age Range: I recommend Maybe Once, Maybe Twice to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

At 34, Maggie Vine was floating through life. Her hopes and dreams of a successful music career are just out of reach. Her best friend/unrequited love interest is getting married, and her other best friend is starting a family with her wife. She is also hearing her biological clock ticking. But things began to change on the night of Maggie’s 35th birthday party. A promise of “If we aren’t married by 35, we should get married” is remembered by her male best friend. He shows up at the party to kiss her senseless. But, years earlier, Maggie made the same promise to her summer camp crush/teenage boyfriend, who became a famous actor. He also has the connections that Maggie needs to make it in the music business finally. But, as the summer goes on, Maggie realizes she must choose who she wants. Is it the friend who has always been there for her? Or will it be the actor who can boost her career? Or will it be neither, and she will choose herself?

Main Characters

Maggie Vine: When the book started, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Maggie’s. I felt, for thirty-five, that she was immature and couldn’t reach her goals (not from a lack of trying). She felt floaty (if that was a description). But, as the book went on and I got to know Maggie better, that initial impression was thrown out. Maggie’s character growth was tremendous. Her character growth figured into her decisions during the last half of the book.

Summer Grove: I liked Summer. She was direct and wasn’t afraid to push Maggie. Her storyline was sad, but I was happy she stuck by how she felt instead of doing what her wife wanted. She deserves her own book!!

Garrett Scholl: Garrett was a problematic character for me to like. On one hand, I liked that he was such a good friend to Maggie and supported her in whatever she did. But on the other hand, I wanted to strangle him. He wanted Maggie but was too chicken to go all in. Instead, he attempted to cheat on his fiancee with her numerous times. It drove me up the wall to read those scenes.

Asher Reyes: Asher was a complex character to get to know. Mainly because, until about the halfway mark, he was only viewed as a hormone-driven teenager. But I liked the adult Asher. He worshipped Maggie and was willing to do anything to help her with her music career. But I also liked that he set boundaries with her (unlike Garrett). Some things were a hard no for him, and he had no issues letting her know. By the end of the book, I was Team Asher all the way.

My review:

I started reading Maybe Once, Maybe Twice and didn’t like it. Maggie rubbed me the wrong way, and I couldn’t understand her choices. But this book is an excellent example of good things coming to those who wait. The second half of the book was phenomenal.

I wasn’t a big fan of how the chapters were set up. They were assigned by age and bounced around. One chapter could be Maggie at 24, and the next be Maggie at 15. But, because the POV is only Maggie, the chapters worked. But, if the author had thrown in another POV, then it would have been a freaking mess.

The main storyline centers around Maggie and her choices at various times. The storyline was well written and, after the middle of the book, well fleshed out. Maggie’s choices were sometimes painful and other times amusing, but they all resonated with me.

As I mentioned above, I enjoyed Summer’s storyline. I liked that she was truthful with her wife about how she felt and dealt with the aftermath. I also loved that she was like an avenging angel for Maggie at the end of the book. It was her contacts that got the ball rolling in taking down that person.

Garrett’s storyline was intriguing and complex. The history he shared with Maggie as lovers and as friends was deep. But Garrett had issues with boundaries and, if I am going to be completely honest, self-control. He also couldn’t stand up to his father and was miserable. I did feel bad for him, but he should have left Maggie alone. The debacle of his engagement party was proof of that.

Asher’s storyline was the opposite of Garrett’s. His was pretty straightforward, and how he reconnected with Maggie was interesting. What I liked the most about him is that you got what you saw. The author didn’t focus on his fame; instead, she used it as a backdrop to highlight their relationship (intimate and working).

The romance angle of Maybe Once, Maybe Twice was interesting. Instead of building a romance, the author showed Maggie in various relationships at different points in her life. But it always came down to Garrett and Asher. The author did build up the sexual tension between Maggie and her men. So, when they did have sex, it was explosive.

I wasn’t surprised by the end of Maybe Once, Maybe Twice. I had a feeling that what happened would happen. It was just a matter of who and when. I liked that Maggie got her HEA and ran with it.

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.

Sometimes, timing is everything, but in Maybe Once, Maybe Twice timing is heartbreaking. The story follows the joys and sorrows of a woman who has three great loves in her life. Her dream to become a singer/songwriter, and two relationships which somehow keep falling to pieces. The story is told by jumping in time backward in age to now explaining how all these second chances have come to fruition and the risks involved in each decision she makes.

Maggie finds herself at a pivotal point in her life. She discovers on her 35th birthday that she may not be able to get pregnant, something she really wants although there is no man in her life, and she certainly can’t afford any help in that area. Oh, and her music career is in the dumps. Her only salvation is she and her best friend Garrett have always said if they were not married by the age of thirty-five, they would marry. Which for Maggie is very pleasurable as she has secretly loved her him since they first met. Yes, they have had their ups and downs over the years and yes, they have not seen each other in a while but she knows he’s coming to her party, and she knows she can make everything all right.

So, when they finally meet up, Maggie is devastated to learn Garrett is engaged to be married to someone else. Especially after he gave her an amazing kiss at the party! Heartbroken she begins to look back at their relationship as well as her first love, Asher whom she met at summer camp who was also the first person to break her heart.

But when Garrett invites her to his engagement party, which turns into a nightmare with them confronting each other, she realizes she can’t continue like this. So, she decides to look up Asher, an actor and is surprised at what she finds.

As they reconnect, and with his help realizes she is on the edge of fame, Garrett makes an unexpected announcement. So does Asher. And someone from her past she hates has come back to haunt her. Overwhelmed by all of this, she must decide what she wants knowing she will hurt them both.

Is there a true love of your life? Can there be two? How do you break someone’s heart knowing this could be the end of the relationship. How do you decide to finally, for once worry about yourself instead of all the others. How does she finally find the happiness and peace she needs.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice is a funny, emotional rollercoaster of falling in love, memories and learning to let go. It’s about being strong for yourself and others, not ever realizing you can be able and still be in control of your own life as you reach the top of the mountain.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sGriffin # AlisonRoseGreenberg #MaybeOnce,MaybeTwice for the advanced copy.