Maybe Once, Maybe Twice
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Author: Alison Rose Greenberg

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: You know that old saying, “if we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married?” Well, Maggie Vine made that vow with two different people, at two very different stages of her life.

And they both showed up.

Maggie Vine’s life is going extra-medium. At 35 she’s pursuing her dreams of being a singer and being a mother—though neither is successfully panning out. So when Garrett Scholl—stifled hedge fund manager by day but electrifying aspiring rock singer by night—comes to her 35th birthday party with the intention to kiss Maggie senseless, it feels like one piece might click into place. Except he’s engaged to someone else, and Maggie knows she won’t fit into the cookie-cutter life he’s building for himself.

Enter Asher Reyes. Her first boyfriend from summer camp, turned into heartthrob actor, he’s lived a successful yet private life ever since he got famous. When a career-changing opportunity is presented to Maggie after her reconnection with Asher, it feels like everything—music, love, family—will fall into place. But her past won’t let her move on without a fight.

My Thoughts: This was a sweet, endearing read with a little spice. Maggie was headed to stardom at a young age and ran into difficult times with a big-name producer, so she hung up her microphone for awhile. Now 35, she is trying her hand again. When her best friend Garrett shows up at her 35th birthday with the expectation of being more than best friends, she is let down to learn he is engaged. Enter Asher, the first true love whom she hasn’t seen since they were young, he has lived a very successful, yet private life. Then Maggie is given a huge opportunity to reconnect to music. Everything feels like it is falling into place, well mostly. However, her past is not able to let her move on, just yet. This follows the tropes of second chance romance, friends to lovers, love triangle, and Hollywood romance.

This was more than a romance novel, it is about reaching for your dreams and never giving up, it is about failing and recovering, about loving, and losing, about friendship, about being rejected, and it is about trauma and how to heal from that trauma and move on. The story is narrated by Maggie in a dual timeline, past and present. While usually I will steer away from love triangles, the author does this in a honest and realistic way that I really enjoyed the story. Maggie is a very independent woman that has developed insecurities from a past trauma that she has not completely healed from. Maggie makes things happen in her life, controls the narrative, and connects to her relationships with no holds bar. I connected more with Asher than I did Garrett. The characters were well developed with depth, compassion, witty banter, chemistry, and were creatively woven throughout the story. The author’s writing style was complex, swoony, steamy, heartfelt, and just brilliant.

Trigger warnings of infertility, sexual assault, suicide, and mental health. While Maggie is the MC, there is a sub-storyline of Summer. I really love how the author approached this and normalizing this among women. This romance novel has spice, friendship, love, loss, grief, trauma, healing, and mental health. I really enjoyed this story and loved the ending Maggie received. This was a bit of a rollercoaster book for me, I laughed, I cried, I yelled, and even screamed at the characters. The real message of this story is a person can heal from the most traumatic experience with help and come to the other side stronger, and you should always stand in your truth. I would recommend this to other readers.

This started out pretty slow for me, even though I was super into the premise. While I liked the overall plot and storyline, it felt slow and had me just wanting to know how everything ended up. I'd still recommend for a unique romance plotline!

I know this book isn't going to be for everyone, but if you appreciate a messy love story with sizzling tension, all-consuming heartbreak, and loads of angst, this is a winner!

I really enjoy Alison Rose Greenberg's writing and the characters that she develops. I thought that the multiple timelines worked really well together and I found myself unsure of which male lead I was wanting to root for. I'm always happy when the main character puts herself first before her love interest- this makes Alison Rose Greenberg's books stand out from many of the others in this category.

🎤Book Review🎤
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Summary: You know that old saying, “if we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married?” Well, Maggie Vine made that vow with two different people, at two very different stages of her life.

And they both showed up.

Maggie Vine’s life is going extra-medium. At 35 she’s pursuing her dreams of being a singer and being a mother―though neither is successfully panning out. So when Garrett Scholl―stifled hedge fund manager by day but electrifying aspiring rock singer by night―comes to her 35th birthday party with the intention to kiss Maggie senseless, it feels like one piece might click into place. Except he’s engaged to someone else, and Maggie knows she won’t fit into the cookie-cutter life he’s building for himself.

Enter Asher Reyes. Her first boyfriend from summer camp, turned into heartthrob actor, he’s lived a successful yet private life ever since he got famous. When a career-changing opportunity is presented to Maggie after her reconnection with Asher, it feels like everything―music, love, family―will fall into place. But her past won’t let her move on without a fight.
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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My thoughts: oh how I loved this sweet romance ! 😍 Maggie was the most relatable main character and something so rarely seen in romance books! Normally I hate a love triangle trope but this one really worked for me. She was an absolute dream to follow, I loved the aspiring singer aesthetic of this book. Overall I found this one to be such a treat to read and the narration of this audiobook was great! This one released on October 3rd, I’m very behind on book reviews 🫠highly recommend it! Thank you @netgalley

Thanks a lot for the book hangover! I finished this two days ago and I'm still thinking about it!

Maggie Vine is a musician who can't quite seem to get a break, in life or love. She's madly in love with her best friend, Garrett, but their timing is always off. Then, a ghost from her past reenters the picture.

What I loved most about this book is that in the end, Maggie becomes strong enough to chart her own course, instead of waiting for someone else to be there for her.

Maybe Once, Maybe Twice broke my heart here and there. But, it got patched up in the end. Most of all, I'm so proud of Maggie and the choices she made when it counted.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this digital ARC in return for an honest reviw.

This book had a lot of promise, romance, love triangle, a little My Best Friends Wedding vibe... But it also feel flat and felt rushed at the end. The story was good, the tension palpable, but just not for me. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this opportunity

The premise of two marriage pacts both coming forward to make good on them made this book stand out to me and I expected a majority of the novel to be about that issue and ultimately deciding between the two people but there were multiple side plots— a failed and then burgeoning music career, sexual harassment, and a fertility/ticking clock. The structure of the book is also told in dual timeline as we explore both backstories of each relationship. I enjoyed the humor and the author can clearly write, I found the busy plots, especially the third act surprise and then time jump hard to stay connected to

This was so sweet but felt a little drawn out. I did enjoy the story line along with the fame aspect.

I really enjoyed this unique book! There was so much suspense to this romance, and I was dying to know how it would end.

I adore this author's writing. I couldn't put this one down. Maggie felt so relatable, and I loved her friendship with Summer. I think a lot of women may relate to Maggie's desire to have children and her biological clock, as well as to Summer's decision not to have kids when her partner wanted them.

In many cases the love triangle trope doesn't work for me, but I enjoyed the way the author handled this scenario. I liked both Asher and Garrett for different reasons, and I was happy with Maggie's choices in the end!

I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by Alison Rose Greenberg in the future.

Really loved it! At first the back and forth between ages was a little challenging, but once you got used to the flow of it it was easy to follow. Otherwise it was cute and super relatable story (not in making a marriage pact, but in thinking that growing older comes up really fast on you!)

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley, for my eARC. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I loved this premise, and I couldn't wait to dig into this second-chance rom-com. While it was a quick read and kept me entertained, I can't say it was my favorite.

It felt kind of repetitive and I didn't really like any of the characters. Normally I like dual timelines but this one just felt at times confusing.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

I wasn't the right fit for this one, but that doesn't mean it won't be for others! If you love music-themed, second-chance romance, this is for you!

I adored this book, it's definitely among my faves of the year ! I loved the now-and-then timelines and the how connected I felt to the main character, I was rooting for her from the very beginning. I started off expecting one outcome and then found myself hoping for another one, and I was satisfied with the ending ! This is a great one that has all the feels; angst, hope, lust, grief, finding your person and ultimately, following your passion. Highly recommend this one ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“If we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married?”

Maggie Vine made that vow with two different men at two different times of her life and both just happen to show up when she’s 35.

It’s an emotional and messy love story with a love triangle. I don’t typically enjoy the love triangle trope but the author handled this one with perfection. Maggie made the marriage pact with two different men – her first love teenage love, Asher, and her current best friend, Garret, who she thinks is her soul mate. The book is told via Maggie’s POV in varying time lines of her life at summer camp with Asher, her twenties with Garret and her struggling career of being a singer/songwriter. It’s a story filled with angst, a passion for music and heartbreak. Yes, there is romance, but I feel the real takeaway was a reflection of life and how one’s dreams, choices and regrets pave the way for the person you are today. It was such a beautifully written story and the characters were real and flawed. I highly recommend!

"You know that old saying, “if we are still single when we’re 35, we should get married?” Well, Maggie Vine made that vow with two different people, at two very different stages of her life. And they both showed up."

I LOVED this book so much! I think the characters were so well-written, especially Maggie. Everyone was complex (Maggie, Asher, Garrett, Summer) and had their own issues to work through. The chemistry between Maggie and Garrett and Asher was off the charts and I loved her friendship with Summer. I really enjoyed this book through the lens of Maggie's love of music and her own growth as the book went on. Overall, a FANTASTIC read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3.25 stars - Would have rated it higher but the last 15% of this book ruined it for me. The ending felt all over the place -- as if the author wasn't sure how she wanted to end it either.

Things I liked:
- Was able to get a copy of the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator
- Love a good love triangle and definitely felt torn at times who I wanted Maggie to end up with
- Would 100% read a spin-off from any of the other characters POVs (Summer, Garrett, Asher) to fill in the blanks and time jumps
- All the music references. Waiting for a playlist to be made!
- Appreciated the representation of a protagonist over 30 in a romcom read

Things I didn't:
- As mentioned (and without spoiling anything), the ending!
- Some drama was added in that the story could have gone without
- At times, the book felt long and repetitive
- The main character was frustrating and took too long to grow for me

Simply put, five stars. I loved the concept of this book, and I think it was perfectly executed. I'm excited to see what this author writes next!

Thank you NetGalley, for this advanced copy of Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg. This book is really cute and shows you how messy life can be while growing into adulthood. Learning who you are and who you wanna be, then making it happen.

4.5 stars!

This book gutted me! It was so well done, and I loved the main characters so much. Maggie was hilarious, and I absolutely recommend listening on audio because I loved the narration. I adored the sporadic Taylor Swift references and laughed out loud at some of Maggie's one-liners. Asher was a swoony boyfriend and Garret sounded irresistible as well. I was drawn into this story at once and loved the dual timelines, and even though they jumped around a ton, it all made sense.

The emotional parts of the story were so well written, that I was practically crying through each tough part. Yet the happy moments were so uplifting. This book was just perfect, minus a half star because the ending was tough to swallow! Read this gem of a book!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of Maybe Once, Maybe Twice in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Alison Rose Greenberg for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie Vine is a 35 year old singer songwriter trying to get her big break. Maggie Vine is also trying to navigate her love life and if she will have children. Maggie Vine has made two marriage pacts with two different men at two different times in her life, both promising to marry when they turn 35.

I loved the messy love story, the angst, heartbreak, and Maggie attempting to figure her life out. I felt this Alison did an amazing job hooking me from the start and I loved trying to figure out what Maggie was going to do next and who she would end up with in the end.