Cute and quick hockey romance read… he falls first, fairly predictable. It was fine but nothing to write home about.

This was so cute!! I love when he falls first and harder. It was so cute how their relationship evolved. Reminded me of the movie the proposal in a lot of ways. Enjoyed this one a lot, finished it in 2 hours

I read this as an ARC from netgalley.

Tessa Bailey is the queen of balancing a great story with the perfect amount of smut! I loved the character development in this story and how Britta broke down her barriers. Sumner was the perfect gentle giant and Britta was both a strong female and also endearingly vulnerable. Overall, a quick and enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy! This was my first Tessa Bailey read. A quick and easy read about a fake marriage for Green card purposes. Parts may have been a little cringey but I still ate it up. Parts were also cute and swoon worthy. Hockey boyfriend. He falls first. Friends to lovers. I’d put it somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating.

Title: "A Sizzling Start: 'Same Time Next Year' by Tessa Bailey - A 3.75/5 Star Review"

Tessa Bailey's novella, "Same Time Next Year," is a whirlwind of passion, humor, and unexpected twists. Set against the backdrop of a wild New Year's Eve, this story follows the journey of Britta, an ambitious waitress with a strict no-dating policy for hockey players, and Sumner, a hockey player desperate to secure a green card.

Bailey weaves an engaging narrative, blending the sizzling chemistry between Britta and Sumner with moments of humor and hope. Britta's internal conflict between her principles and her undeniable attraction to Sumner adds depth to her character, making her relatable and endearing.

The portrayal of the Bridgeport Bandits' camaraderie and their antics adds a delightful layer to the story, creating a vibrant backdrop for the central romance. The urgency of Sumner's situation adds tension, driving the storyline forward and keeping the reader invested.

However, while the novella offers an enticing premise and steamy romance, some readers might find the quick pacing somewhat rushed, leaving room for further exploration of the characters' emotional depth and the complexities of their situation. Additionally, a deeper exploration of the consequences of their impulsive decision could have enhanced the overall impact of the narrative.

Overall, "Same Time Next Year" by Tessa Bailey is a delightful, steamy read with engaging characters and a captivating storyline. While it leaves some avenues for deeper exploration untapped, it delivers an enjoyable romantic escapade that fans of passionate, fast-paced love stories will relish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC of Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey.

I have been a HUGE Tessa fan since 2016, and I read everything she puts out. I am so glad to see her getting wider recognition and readers from It Happened One Summer and other recent books - but I love when she goes back to her roots and writes something spicy/heat focused just to have fun with it.

Weirdly, I actually was a high school journalism intern at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (now the Islanders) so this book was really cozy for me in terms of setting. It isn't an instalove story - it takes place over a year - but because it is a novella we are taken in and out of the character's lives so sometimes it feels like we're just touching down / things are compressed in a way that made me want more. I wish it had been a whole novel, I would happily read more about Britta and Sumner.

Tessa Bailey is always a hit for me. Who else can write a smutty little novella and bring a tear to your eye and hurt your feelings? Hockey forced marriage, the entire novella is a HOT. So good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. (I would’ve paid real monies to get my hands on this gem anyway)

Love Tessa Bailey. Her books are so cute and this was no different. I live there character and was hooked the whole time. It made me laugh at some points

A short but sweet story. I hope she writes a couple more of these and puts them in a complete novel.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest option

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (3/5)
As someone who really likes Tessa Bailey's books this was sadly a let down for me. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't realize it was a novella going into it but everything felt super rushed, which I feel like shouldn't be an excuse since there are good novellas out there. Since there were so many time skips, it just seemed like nothing was happening to the characters in the overall world. Maybe if this book wasn't a novella, there would've been more time to get to know the backstory of each character. Also if the guy plays hockey, I would like more events where they actually play hockey...not just the claim that they're a hockey player.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book! I’ve only read one other book by Tessa, and that was It Happened One Summer. I think she’s going to become one of my automatic buy author’s now. I CRIED OVER BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP. Are you kidding me? This book was so sweet and sultry. Britta has had a hard life, she’s got commitment issues, and rightfully so. Sumner is a hokey god from Canada who’s about to be shipped back unless he finds a way to stay. Enters Britta, at first not on board but decides it could benefit her want to be a owner at the bar she works at, and decides to marry Sumner. We all know what happens next when it comes to fake dating/fake marriage. The relationship these two build is beautiful and all consuming. My heart is so dang happy!

Super cute read. Fun characters and interesting plot. You just keep rooting for them…I love it!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will always be a Tessa Bailey fan and when I heard that she was releasing a novella right in time for the new year? I was sold. This book was super sweet and packed a punch for a 100 page book. I felt that it was a little different then her other books and that really spoke to me. I always turn to Tessa's books when I need a laugh and this certainly delivered.

For what this was, it was okay. Due to the length, we didn’t really get to know the wide characters, nor did we get a lot on our main characters - just enough to make us care, but not much extra. My real beef comes with the green card marriage/immigration/timing of the story. If you know how US immigration works, you know there are a TON of plot holes in this story based on that - which really diminished my enjoyment.

𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 • 𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊 • ⁣𝙷𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚢/𝚂𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚜 • 𝙳𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝙿𝙾𝚅⁣
𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 • 𝙷𝚎 𝙵𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 • 𝙶𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚁𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: 1 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 2023 - Out Now!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

First of all, I thought this was going to be a holiday read and it really was not - as least by my definition. If there was festiveness in the background, I must have blown right past it. This book was cute in a vanilla-y kinda way and very much smutty. Due to its short length, the percentage of the smut in the book is quite high.

However, the book is not devoid of plot: Sumner is expecting to get signed on by an NHL team and gets Britta to agree to marry him so he can legally stay in the US while waiting for his hockey deal to come through. He also happens to have had a massive crush on her...since forever. And while she feels safe with him, she fears a committed relationship with anyone. Their chemistry is steamy. I think romance readers will love this one.

Sports romances are definitely not my normal genre but having said that, this was still very bingeable. You will need to be willing to suspend disbelief around the green card process, just gloss by that and you'll be fine. This was my first Tessa Bailey, and I'd definitely be willing to read another.

1.5/5 stars

literally just a very cringy smutty novella but there were one or two cute scenes i guess

thank you to netgalley for providing this arc!

#sametimenextyear:

“It’s just that lately I feel a little left behind. Like everyone is checking off the boxes of life, and my pencil is broken. Or I didn’t bring one to class at all.”

Thank you @amazonpublishing for my gifted copy!

Sumner is a dirty dirty man. I actually wrote “Sumner’s a freak”, but forgot it wasn’t 2007 anymore, so… One thing you gotta do is suspend reality. Now, it’s not a fantasy, but the process of immigration and green cards, it’s for the plot and not how it would go down in 2024 if you had this proposition in the US. I just laughed it off and said “that’s not this works, that’s not how any of this works” (queue the esurence commercial)

Regardless, it was a short but fun novella. Because it’s short, you get almost an instalove feel even though we know Britta & Sumner have always had feelings. A steamy, fun, found family to get you in the holiday spirit.

So if you’re into:
🏒 hockey romances
🏒 marriage of convenience
🏒 dirty talk
🏒 touch her and cry vibes

This was an Amazon first read for November month, so if you haven’t picked it up, here’s your shot!

Thank you Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of Same Time Next Year! All opinions in this review are my own.

Same Time Next Year is easily my favorite Tessa Bailey book! I loved the marriage of convenience trope mixed with a hockey romance. My only complaint is that I didn't get enough time with Sumner and Britta! I loved these characters and I hope that Bailey's sports romance series will have a cameo of them!

Same Time Next Year gave me fluffy feelings, it also was such great spice. It was so unexpected. I thought it was going to just be a cutesy holiday romance and then suddenly explicit sex/thoughts. It was very well written and hot as hell.

Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey is such a great fluffy/spicy romance that bookends New Years Eve to New Years Eve. If you’re looking to read something quick but hot, definitely pick this up!

I really wanted to like this. Prior to picking it up, I hadn’t, after all, read anything by Tessa Bailey before, and I’ve been wanting to check out her work for awhile.

However, the only thing I found myself thankful for in ‘Same Time Next Year’, is that it was just a novella - meaning, it was nice and short.

What’s it about? A waitress named Britta, a hockey player named Sumner, and their very spontaneous agreement to commit to be fake married to each other one New Year’s Eve, so Sumner doesn’t get deported when his visa expires.

Why are they doing this? Britta feels bad. Sumner is so close to being picked up by the pro league, and letting him leave would mean watching him lose his dream, and as her half brother is on the same team, she knows how hard he’s been working for this moment.

I’ll leave the synopsis there so I don’t give away any spoilers, but long story short - for me, this was a very underwhelming plot.

I know there’s only so much that can be shared in 144 pages, but the storyline was so rushed, that it felt even more far fetched than expected, and even with some well written spicy scenes, I’m sorry, but I just didn’t enjoy it.

Thank you still, to the author, publisher, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this prior to its release in exchange for an honest review.