Heidi Stephens’ Same Time Next Year is a heartwarming and emotionally resonant novel that explores the complexities of love, friendship, and the passage of time. With its engaging premise and relatable characters, it offers an insightful look at how relationships evolve and the moments that define our lives.

The story centers on Emma and Oliver, two people who meet by chance during a holiday retreat and share an unforgettable weekend together. Though they live separate lives, they agree to meet once a year at the same location to relive their connection, no strings attached. What starts as a fleeting affair quickly turns into an annual tradition, with each encounter providing a snapshot of their lives and growth over the years. As they reunite year after year, their bond deepens, and they both must confront the changes that come with aging, love, and the choices they’ve made.

Stephens does an excellent job of capturing the nuances of human relationships, exploring both the joyful and painful aspects of love. The passage of time is beautifully depicted, with the years between each meeting offering readers glimpses of Emma and Oliver’s evolving lives, struggles, and triumphs. The alternating timelines keep the story fresh and engaging, allowing readers to see how much the characters have changed while maintaining the connection that ties them together.

While the romance is central to the narrative, the novel also delves into themes of self-discovery, identity, and the importance of cherishing the fleeting moments in life. The characters are well-developed, and their growth throughout the book is believable and relatable. Emma and Oliver’s story is a reminder that love doesn’t always follow a traditional path, and sometimes the most meaningful relationships are those that evolve slowly over time.

My only critique is that at times, the story feels a little too focused on the annual meetings and could have benefited from more exploration of their lives in between. However, the concept is fresh and compelling, and the emotional payoff is worth the journey.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and Headline for this ARC of ‘Same Time Next Year’ by Heidi Stephens. I apologize for the late review, I have been extremely unwell these past few months.

Now onto my review, I’ll keep it short and sweet. Such a great pick me up that was well needed after a few dark books. Read it in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you for my earc of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t finish this book, I just didn’t care enough about the characters

I’ve read every single one of Heidi’s books and they are all excellent. But this might have been my favourite so far as the characters felt like real people with real flaws.

This was really good. To be honest, if I’d gotten it from the library or something, I probably would’ve DNFed early on, because I found the main character pretty annoying and kind of an asshole at first. And then I almost DNFed a second time when it pulled a certain trope I hate, but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. Bel has shit she’s been through and seeing her character growth made me emotional. Her and Nick’s relationship was really sweet, stuff about sisters always gets to me, and the ending definitely made me cry, so I’m glad I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline Books for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Oh my. It took really, really long to read this book, simply because I didn't feel the need to get back to it when I put it down. I couldn't engage with it. I couldn't engage with the characters. I didn't understand them, the way they were, why they were like this. It was only when the Trade Nomads, or whatever was their name, appeared on the scenes, that the story started to feel a bit interesting. Nick brought life and light and humour, the banter between him and Bel was brilliant, and actually, from then on, the story started to feel lighter, easier and just more lively, without so much shadows in the corners. Yes, there was still the background story of Bell that she couldn't let go of, yes, there was still the thing of this complicated relationship between Bel and Marie, and I still often couldn't understand Bel, but the book just started to live its life and it was brilliant to follow it and the characters. There were still moments that I wanted to bang Bel's head on the wall, but less and less, and it was a real joy to read the story from then on. So really, from meh - read, it exploded into a brilliant, engaging and also emotional read that, in the end, I simply loved.
The book is filled with many characters, but they are all great, all of them with their own pasts and background stories, adding so much to the story.

Altogether, before I lose myself completely in gushing and gushing and gushing, it was an emotional roller - coaster about family bonds, about complicated relationships, about second chances, about letting go of the past and trusting again. In the end, it left me feel warm, it was like a hug and a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows. Never thought that a book could so change my mind about it - but it did. It just worm its way into my heart and the characters grew on me - a great read in the end.

Bel and Marie are sisters. But they are absolutely nothing alike. They have spent very little time in each other's lives. But unforseen circumstances will force them together. I will admit I actually wasn't a huge fan of Bel to begin with. I didn't connect with her. She would anny me. Yet by the end of the book I absolutely loved her. The journey both sisters go through is very emotional. This is my second book by this author. Honestly I wish I found her sooner.

#SameTimeNextYear #NetGalley #HeidiStephens


Charming heartwarming story about sisters

Bel and Marie are sisters but not close. They are quite different.

When their mother dies they inherit an old house on the coast but they can't just get it and sell it immediately.
There is a stipulation they must follow.

Marie invited some friends to visit and help with the renovations while Bel bakes.

I loved how the sisters changed over time in a good way.
I liked how they were able to get cheaper things they needed.

I liked the found family aspect and how everyone was likeable.

This was my first but not last book by this author. I am going to read her earlier books.

Definitely spelling this one

Thanks to net galley the author and publisher for this great read.

4 1\2 stars
Very highly recommended

This was an absolutely heartfelt story about sisters, love, loss, and grief.

The story is told in Bel's POV & surrounds her(Bluebell) and her estranged sister, Marie (Marigold). Their mother recently passed away and left them a house they were unaware of. But there is a catch, the two of them have to live together for a year before they are able to sell the house. Will they be able to last the year together? Will this end up being the best thing for them???

I loved how every character in this book was flawed, but somewhat willing to grow. Their flaws made them more relatable to me.

This was my first read by Heidi Stephens & I definitely will be back for more.

I loved my time reading this. Stephens has written a compelling, immersive story that I enjoyed being a part of. We follow two sisters, Bel and Marie as they are thrust together living in a house for a year following their mother's death. The sisters have never got on and the year is a chance to see if they can build a relationship together. Along the way we meet many people who come in and out of their lives as well.
Bel and Marie really made this book for me, I loved them individually and I enjoyed reading about their relationship and in particular, how it changes over the year. They were easy to relate to and understand and I relished reading about them.
The plot is wonderful and Stephens has packed in so many different threads, I never got bored but I never thought things were rushed either. Everything happened at the perfect pace. There was a bit in this for everyone from love, loss and hope to sea swimming and decorating. I loved everything about this book and am sure you will too.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for an advance copy.

I love beach books so thought this would be a fun read. It just fell short for me. I couldn’t seem to get into it nor did I connect with anyone to keep wanting to read.

Unfortunately this book sounded better than I thought it was. Slow moving. Too long. I ended up skimming and didn’t finish.

This book had me in my feels the entire time. I don’t have a sister, but the relationship between these two siblings brought tears to my little green eyes. Books about found family always hit me so hard, and this was no exception. Bel was such a fun character to go on this journey with, thanks to her pessimistic outlook on life and dark sense of humor. Nick was an absolute dream. I’d read this again and again.

Marie and Bel are sisters who have been estranged for years.
They reunite at their mother’s funeral.
They have inherited the rundown family home on the Norfolk coastline, the only condition is they have to live together for a year before it’s legally theirs.
What follows is a journey of how they slowly rebuild their relationship with the help of a community providing a wonderful network support.
Marie and Bel were wonderful as main characters, they were completely different and it was lovely to observe them learn to accept themselves and their differences in order to live together for a year in the house by the sea.
I aLeo loved the back stories of the additional characters of Aunt Mag, Dan - the lawyer, as well as handsome Nick, the nomadic tradesman, they really added to the novel.
A feel good novel, full of love and self discovery - all about family and acceptance
Thanks @heidistephens @accentpressbooks & @netgalley for the feel good read

I think this is an absolutely beautiful read. I really enjoyed it and found it so easy to read. If your looking for a heart warming story this is it. Sure to say I am definitely becoming a fan of this author, they know how to read a fabulous book. Will definitely read more from this author in fact I am very excited too!

This was a warm hug of a book which left me feeling uplifted and full of happiness and positivity.

Two sisters, Marie and Bel, have been estranged for years and are only brought back together at their mother's funeral. Their mother was a free spirit who lived on a canal boat her whole life, so they are both surprised to find out that they have inherited her rundown family home in on the coast of Norfolk. It comes with one condition - they have to live there together for a year before it is legally theirs.

The sisters baulk at the idea of living together but agree to do so in the absence of any other options. When they move to the house, they discover an aunt that they never knew about as well as a host of friendly neighbours, all keen to support the sisters and make them part of the community.

They are very short of money so find creative ways of funding their house renovation project including calling in a bunch of nomadic tradespeople, who travel the country carrying out renovation jobs in exchange for bed and board. Amongst them is the handsome and enigmatic Nick; he sets Bel's pulse racing but is unwilling to take up her offer of no strings fun, only able to offer friendship instead.

I enjoyed discovering how both Bel and Marie developed and changed over the period of the book, slowly rebuilding their relationship after years of neglect, as well as accepting parts of themselves that they had been trying to push away. The community around them provided a wonderful network of support and assistance. The side characters including Aunt Mag and lawyer Dan were fabulous characters with their own lives and back stories that fed well into the story of the sisters' year in their house.

I’ve read a couple of other Heidi Stephens books and usually find them to be fun, warm-hearted romance stories. This was too and I definitely flew through the pages! Thank you so much to the lovely people at Headline for allowing me to be on the blog tour for it.

Bel and Marie are sisters but they barely know each other, as they lead such different lives. When their mother Lily dies and leaves them a house in Norfolk that they knew nothing about, the sisters are confused. Lily’s will states that in order to inherit the house, they must live in it together for a whole year. But how can they possibly stand each other or the challenges that the upcoming year will throw their way?

I was really invested in this trope of two very different sisters reconnecting as adults because their mother wanted them to. It was such an interesting premise that left space for so much tension and humour. It worked in some places!

Bel is reserved and serious with some very obvious mental and emotional scars that she hasn’t dealt with. Marie is sociable, bubbly and quirky, making her much more likeable. To be honest, I wanted a lot more Marie and a lot less Bel.

What follows is a series of instances where Bel really irritated me. At the beginning of the book, she has nothing but negative judgement for her sister when actually Marie just has her own, unique style. I completely get that Bel had been through some serious trauma but I didn’t really see that as an excuse to be so mean to her sister, who had nothing to do with it.

She is also horrendously heterosexual, which of course is never normally a problem. However, when her sister comes out to her, she assumes that Marie was straight once and ‘turned gay’. I already didn’t like Bel but this comment definitely made me say 'um… that’s not OK?’.

Bel also teases her love interest Nick for having a National Trust membership, which really confused me. Why is that something to tease someone about? Especially someone who travels around as much as Nick does? So weird.

Same Time Next Year does have some lovely side characters and I really enjoyed getting glimpses of each of their situation. However, the fact that Bel ended up being the main character ruined it for me because I simply didn’t like her. Even when she went to therapy and worked through some of her stuff, it felt like it was too little too late. If it had been Marie at the centre of things, I really could have loved it! There is also a trope in this book that I don’t like, which I can’t reveal because it’s a spoiler for the second half. However, if you like stories with sisters and mismatched romance and you don’t mind a very spiky heroine, you might just enjoy it!

Absolutely blimmin’ brilliant.
The concept was fantastic and I loved Lily's last wishes! I enjoyed reading about different ways of life - barge life, seaside life, and nomad life.
Loved the writing as always. I love all Heidi Stephens books and this one didn’t disappoint

An enjoyable romance set in hawaii, that made me want to eat all the food!
Nikki moves to Maui to help her mum after the death of her father, they are scraping by with their food truck, but one day a new food truck parks next door and war begins between Nikki and English guy Callum.
I liked the enemies to lovers storyline and the way Nikki is helping her family and in a similar situation to Callum. The romance element was decent with some good spicy scenes.
The competition element went on a bit long, maybe, but overall, a solid read. Ideal for summer holidays at the beach.

This is a story, which takes place over the course of one year, about family bonds. Both the family you are born with, and the one you choose to form. Two sisters reunite when they inherit an old house in a tiny coastal town in the UK. The writing was lovely with graphic descriptions which really put the reader into the story, and the characters relatable. Highly recommend this one.