✨ 3.5 STARS ✨

yes this book is rushed and completely unrealistic, but as a short seasonal novella, what else would it be composed of? the vibes were there which is what carries the rating. i would have loved to get more details and background on the characters if it was a full book but it did what had to be done and stands on its own.

on new year’s eve, britta’s half brother asks her to marry his hockey teammate in order for him to get a green card and stay in the country. their terms: its super platonic and they will expire at the SAME TIME NEXT YEAR!!

- hockey player
- brothers bestie
- fake dating
- he falls first and harder
- touch her and i’ll kill you
- spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- short seasonal novella

This was a novella about a marriage of convenience between a girl and her brother's hockey teammate. Britta and Sumner are friends though they secretly and not so secretly have feelings for each other. Throughout the novella we see how Sumner gets Britta to actually make their relationship the real deal. Britta has her reasons so it was interesting to see how Sumner breaks down her walls. This was a short quick read.

Tessa Bailey is Tessa Bailey. What else can I say to that? I loved that we got a hockey romance out of her!! As always I’m so excited for what’s to come

Thank you Amazon and Netgalley for the ARC! I sure do love Tessa Bailey and all of her silly humor and fun spicy times. She always nails the banter and chemistry while making things just FUN for the characters and the reader. If you need a good time, TB is your girl!

📚 Dive into the sizzling world of "Same Time Next Year" by Tessa Bailey, a steamy novella that combines hope and humor in a fake marriage journey that unfolds over the course of a year. Set against the backdrop of a beloved bar, Sluggers, and the local hockey scene, Britta, an ambitious waitress, finds herself entangled in a marriage of convenience with Sumner Mayfield, a formidable defenseman on the brink of an NHL breakthrough.

💕 Adored by all, Britta's strict no-dating policy for hockey boys takes an unexpected turn when the team urges her to marry Sumner on New Year's Eve to secure his stay in Bridgeport. Initially hesitant, Britta's resolve wavers when faced with Sumner's soulful brown eyes and undeniable charm. The stage is set for a tale of unexpected love, commitment-phobia, and the challenges of a relationship born out of necessity.

🔥 The chemistry between Britta and Sumner evolves from a slow burn to a passionate inferno, making "Same Time Next Year" a captivating Marriage-Of-Convenience narrative. However, some readers might find the sudden intensity of their connection surprising, as it transforms from non-existent to scorching hot. The story, spanning a year, features significant time jumps that propel the plot forward, keeping readers engaged with the couple's evolving dynamics.

🌟 Despite the unexpected steaminess that takes center stage, the characters of Britta and Sumner shine through, making their relationship relatable and endearing. Britta's commitment-phobia and Sumner's desperate love create a compelling dynamic, drawing readers into their journey. While the steam level may feel inconsistent with the characters, the overall narrative and the exploration of their relationship make "Same Time Next Year" a worthwhile and enjoyable read.

📖 In this novella, Tessa Bailey skillfully weaves a story of love, humor, and personal growth, offering readers a delightful escape into the world of fake marriages and unexpected romance. Whether you're a fan of holiday romances or enjoy a generous dose of steam in your stories, "Same Time Next Year" delivers a satisfying blend of passion and heart.

A cute, quick novella that I read in one sitting! Tessa Bailey books always make me laugh and this was no exception. Her writing is so enjoyable, her characters are so sweet, and her plots are entertaining. I loved Britta and thought she was a great main character.

My favourite part was that it was short. Tessa Bailey can be a hit-or-miss for me, and this was a definite miss. Not only does the comical size difference do nothing for me - he is introduced as some kind of hulking Frankenstein's monster rather than an attractive human man, and she seems to be practically Barbie-doll-sized - authors need to stop romanticising weird possessiveness and anger issues. Rage is scary, not cute, and framing it as otherwise is hugely discomforting and problematic. Hoping this trend in romance dies out really soon.

I enjoyed the Bellinger sisters series, but after suffering through this thankfully short novella I'm not tempted to check out the rest from TB.

Cute novella that got to the story instead of a lot of fluff around it, which I liked. Funny but with some reality mixed in. Quick read with some spice and humor.

I've enjoyed all the Tessa Bailey books I've read to date, and this spicy little novella was no exception! I adored Sumner and could have used 200 more pages of him and his family, and would have also loved getting to know the other hockey players more. Britta was pretty bland but I think a longer story would have fixed that/made her more likeable. Would recommend but wanted more! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This novella follows Britta, who works at a bar and often deals with a rowdy hockey team who frequent it. One of the team members is her brother who she is rather close with. Another teammate is Sumner, a tall, dark, and handsome hockey player who is surprisingly sweet and unsurprisingly into Britta - it’s a little obvious that he’s nursing a crush. When Britta’s brother informs her that Sumner is at risk of losing his green card and being shipped back up to Canada before he gets called up to the NHL to play professionally, the entire team not so casually suggests that she marry him to get him to stay.
That’s ALL I’m going to tell you, because you should really just read this and find out what happens for yourself!

I loved this! It was such an enjoyable and fast read! I am really sad that this wasn’t a full length novel, not because I thought the story was incomplete in any way, but because I loved the characters and wanted more time with them. This was a delight and I just always love Tessa Bailey, so it doesn’t surprise me in the least that I love this just as much as all of her other books.

Britta and Sumner had such amazing off-the-charts chemistry and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their feelings for one another. Tessa really made sure that the reader felt the emotions of the characters.

I adored Sumner and how he was not only a big and strong hockey player, he was also a cinnamon roll. He would do anything for Britta and I was obsessed with how protective he was of her. I also appreciate how Tessa conveyed how exactly he fell first and how dedicated to her he is. This makes Sumner a book boyfriend contender for sure!

Their relationship progression was also very well done and even though it was a novella, I thought it was depicted in a complete way. I didn’t feel like we were missing out on any relationship building at all. I really appreciated how thoughtfully Tessa crafted the story and made everything feel so whole.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly! If you are a fan of adult romance books (and Tessa Bailey books in general), don’t miss out on this! It’s the same Tessa Bailey writing style packaged in a much smaller format. It was a real treat!

Thanks so much to Amazon Original Stories and Netgalley for this eARC! I truly appreciate it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon for the eARC.

Tessa Bailey's books are always steamy. But this one just didn't connect with me. She fell so fast and he was so lackadaisical. Not my favorite.

Same Time Next Year is a novella by American author, Tessa Bailey. Britta: waitress at Sluggers bar, of which she’d like to be part-owner, and a favourite venue for the Bridgeport Bandits hockey team. Sumner Mayfield: big, hunky Canadian import on the team, whose work visa is running out the next day. The team begs Britta to marry him so they don’t lose their star player, but even though she finds him attractive, and she knows he’s besotted with her, Britta has a very good reason for avoiding marriage.

Marry, they do, but it’s strictly a business arrangement: he pays for her share in the bar and they agree to publicly act married at least until after he scores a green card. They don’t live together or even date, just have study sessions to know enough about each other for the green card interview, and Sum quietly bears his frustration for the first NINE months of their marriage.

For Sumner, it’s love and lust at first sight, and his inner monologue consists mostly of the effects that the sight of Britta, what she says and does, have on his nether regions, and describes in graphic detail what he would do with her body, if only he had her permission. A dozen consecutive pages of this, and then a further seven, when he finally does get permission quickly becomes boring.

This is a very predictable marriage-of-convenience tale; apparently there are quite a lot of inaccuracies re hockey leagues and green cards; while there are some sweet moments, “sexy” in the blurb means very explicit; if you like romance with plenty of steamy sex, both imagined and real, you may want to don your disbelief suspenders for other aspects of the story and go along for the ride.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an hones5 review.

Tessa Bailey delivers once again. A quick, concise novella to get your juices flowing. I loved it. Especially since a Canadian was featured.

All the spice and electric chemistry you’d expect from Tessa Bailey in a bite-sized novella form! This hockey flavored, marriage of convenience story was hard to put down!

Same Time Next Year is a spicy little novella that hits the spot. If one were to complain, it would have to be about the length, I wish it was longer! But I knew what I was getting into. So do our two protagonists, when they decide to get married in name only so he can get his green card. These things have a way of working out. Having a huge hockey-loving family helps.

As a long time fan of Tessa's and taking in to account that she is one of my very few autobuy authors I have to say, I was extremely disappointed in this one.

Same Time Next Year is Bailey's jump into hockey romance but it felt a bit flopsy. There were a few things that didn't even scream realistic enough for a simple and quick read and unfortunately, I found myself losing interest so much that it took over 10 days to read the 140 odd pages.

The pros;
- it was short.
- I actually really liked Sumner. Who doesn't love a golden retriever style love interest?

... and that's unfortunately it.

I have generously given this three stars - but don't be fooled. This one was definitely not it.

Thanks to Amazon Original Stories and Net Galley for an advanced copy for an honest review. This one is available now.

This book is a cute contemporary romance novella. For how short it is, I thought we got a good insight into the characters and their personalities. I didn’t think the MMC was super likable, but overall the novella was enjoyable.

The premise is that the main character, Britta, is asked to marry the MMC, Sumner, on New Years Eve because he is going to be deported back to Canada unless he gets married. Sumner has been in love with Britta from afar because she has past trauma around relationships. I didn’t think the representation of the green card marriage process was very accurate but it didn’t play a huge part in the story anyway.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

Britta is a bartender at Sluggers, a local bar frequented by the hockey team, the Bridgeport Bandits. She has a no dating regulars policy, but has eyes for Sumner Mayfield. His work visa is about to expire and needs to marry an American or he has to go back to Canada. Of course Britta agrees, but no physical or emotional attachments. Like that’s gonna work lol.

Fake marriage and miscommunication tropes if you’re into that stuff. The spicy scenes were cringey and laughable, in my opinion.

Thanks to Net Galley and Amazon for the ARC! Pub date 12/1/23

What a cute quick read by Tessa. Im a def autoread anything by her. Great plots, relatable characters. Would def recommend

Thank you Tessa Bailey and Amazon original stories for this ARC of Same Time Next Year in exchange for an honest review.
Same Time Next Year follows Britta and Sumner. Britta is a bar owner and half sister of Bryce who plays for the Bridgeport Bandits hockey team with Sumner. Sumner is in quite a predicament because his visa is about to expire and he will be sent back to Canada on the cusp of getting signed for a professional team. Sumner’s hockey team begs Britta to marry Sumner so that he can stay in America and so their love story begins.
I really enjoyed this quick and fun novella. It was light hearted, funny, and easy to read. Sumner and Britta’s love story was a little too instalove for me, I would have liked more of a build up to them liking each other, but I did love the tension and build up of them actually going beyond friends. There were some steamy parts in this one!!! But there was actually a plot too which I appreciated and I loved the characters!! I highly recommend!