I really enjoyed Nora Off Script last year so I knew I needed to read Same Time Next Summer. While I think it was decent, Nora was definitely better overall.

A perfect read for the beach if you enjoy second chance romances and don’t mind a few eye rolling moments.

I didn’t vibe with this writing style at all. It’s a dual timeline (which I’m already not a fan of) but the “now” chapters were in first person and the “then” chapters were in third person? but also rotated perspectives? It just felt very fragmented and awkward and didn’t flow at all. Aside from that, the rest of plot was pretty good but I wasn’t really rooting for the second chance romance. The breakup was so awful when they were teenagers I just don’t think he really deserved a second chance hahaha obviously, it had been many years and people change, but I just wasn’t a fan of him.

I very much Annabel Monaghan's first novel. I was less enamored by this sophomore novel. As a heroine, Sam read as immature and clueless. I was unsold on her still being so hung up on her high school summer love. Given her hang up, I found it implausible that she was unaware that he was a famous songwriter and that a song called Sam I Am about a youthful summer love was about her. It was eye-rollingly convenient.

"Same Time Next Summer by Annabelle Monaghan is an absolute gem. The captivating storytelling, alternating timelines, and strong character development had me hooked from the very beginning. It's a must-read for anyone who loves a heartfelt and nostalgic love story."
This is an easy read and an amazing beach/summer book that will capture you from beginning to end.

I discovered Annabel Monaghan on NetGalley last year with her adult debut, Nora Goes Off Script. When I saw this title come up this summer, I jumped at the chance to read an early ARC. Then life showed up and my reading life was decimated. When I came up for air, this was the first title I jumped into and it was the greatest gift. It is everything I look for in a novel: a great story, characters I’m rooting for, phenomenal writing, and that special something that makes me never want to stop reading. This book had all of that in spades, and more. This book truly made me feel on a visceral level. On a side note, I can’t imagine for a moment the pressure of the second novel after a debut like NGOS, but Ms. Monaghan exceeded any and all expectations. Highly recommend.

A great sophomore book for Monaghan. I loved the characters, the location, the witty dialogue. Have been recommending it to patrons!

I really enjoyed Sam's story in this book.

It's a great summer, second chance romance, set in Long Island.

Sam and Wyatt have a rocky past that Sam hasn't gotten over yet, even though she's tried to convince herself she has because she's planning her wedding to the man she THINKS she's supposed to be with.

This story touched on going back to your roots and loving your family just the way they are, craziness and all.

The lessons learned by Sam are simple, never lose sight of who you truly are, and don't try to make yourself into someone you aren't just to fit someone else's ideals.

Very cute read. Perfectly fitting ending. A bit of a frustrating FMC but I believe that it was the intention.

I absolutely loved this summer book ! I loved this book so much that I want to re read it again . I have recommended to many friends and colleagues who have bought it and read it as well. The character development and the love story was fantastic .

I was in the mood for a summer romance, so I snagged #SameTimeNextSummer from @librofm educator picks. I liked but didn't love Monaghan's last book, but it was a compulsive listen. Same Time Next Summer is the story of high school loves Sam and Wyatt, who are now adults and haven't talked since their breakup. They grew up with summer houses next door to each other on Long Island. Sam lived in NYC and Wyatt in Florida. Sam comes to the summer house with her fiance and (surprise!) Wyatt is there. Initially told in two timelines (their childhood friendship turned love) and the present, we get mostly Sam's narration (Brittany Presley is a delight, as always), but some Wyatt in the past. I think one's enjoyment of this novel hinges on how you view the big reveal(s). I didn't buy them. At all. So this novel mostly flopped for me. It was still an enjoyable listen, but for a summer romance it was mostly sad.

A soul searching love story with wonderful characters that had me glued to the pages. This may have been my favorite romance so far, this year!

“You’re the cake that looks normal until people dig in and find out it’s spectacular. You’re the chocolate fucking cake, Sam, and you won’t even choose it.”

“You’re the most important person that’s ever been in my life, and you’re not even the most important person in your own.”

I absolutely loved this second chance romance. So much so I devoured it in less than 24 hours. Sam is back home, planning her wedding to Jack. What she didn’t plan for is Wyatt, her first love. The one that got away. This is a story about young love, heartbreaks, family drama, growing up, growing apart, and ultimately finding out what’s worth fighting for.

I didn’t expect to love this one as much as I did!

This was a truly sweet pool read that delivered on the nostalgia of first loves while keeping up enough originality to not feel overdone. I've read two books by this author and they've both maintained a kind of sepia toned cinematic quality that will have me reaching for a third.

Loved this sweeping second chance romance about young love and the road not taken. Fans of Nora Goes Off Script will not be disappointed!

I liked this story but it felt more like a YA book. Sam and Wyatt went through things when they were teenagers and basically can't let go of the past. I thought Wyatt was a jerk who never properly apologized to Sam.

This was a perfect beach read with little substance and a cute romance. I loved the teenage flashbacks and what we got from Wyatt during those times. I wish we had more of that. Sam could get really frustrating but FMC in light romances normally do. A solid summer, beach read.

I am a friends to lovers fan so I did enjoy this book. I liked the chapters indicating how they met and the build up of their love story. I also enjoyed the music aspect of the book, that is always fun! I had a harder time with feeling like she was still pinning after him. It just didn’t seem like she still loved him after all these years. I also hated the fact that she was now re-in love with Wyatt but still planning her wedding. Made me dislike her character a little more. And how did she not google him after all this time? Didn’t seem believable to me.

Good read! I think it's always a challenge for whatever books come after a rockstar read, and Nora Goes Off Script was so good. It's hard not to compare this one to its predecessor, but it held its own. This trope is (in my opinion) one of the hardest to nail, but this book did a great job!

This is the second book by Annabel Monaghan that I've read and this one just missed the mark for me. I felt like the relationship between the two main characters was more developed in the past storyline than it was in the present. I also felt like the pacing was off. I liked Sam and Wyatt as characters and I thought the mental health representation was done well. I also think the author did a good job of showing that Sam and Wyatt had matured. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I probably won't reread it.

Thank you Putnam Books and Netgalley for this arc. This is also a Bad on Paper book of the month (July 2023) book. Sam has her life set; she is engaged to a doctor and her life is safe and she knows what to expect. When she was young she fell in love with a neighbor, Wyatt, in their summer house on Long Island, but they broke up and she was so hurt she went for the safe choices and life with Jack. Sam and Jack go to the Long Island house for a long weekend and Wyatt ends up being there. Sam and Wyatt haven't seen each other or talked in over 10 years. If you liked Every Summer After by Carly Fortune and/or past lovers reconnecting, you will love this book.