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Member Reviews

I absolutely loved Nora Goes Off Script - I thought the storyline was really fresh and original and I STILL hope it will be a movie one day. I was thrilled to see this new one! I think anyone that's a fan of the genre will enjoy this sweet + romantic story. It's a great summer beach read - I loved Sam's family and their life on Long Island. The story itself felt a little too familiar and overdone, so it wasn't my favorite of hers. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

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Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and Net Galley for giving me the chance to read this. This is the second book I’ve read from this author, and she did not disappoint.

Sam and Wyatt were friends as teenagers, but then Wyatt sees Sam as something more. Sam also sees Wyatt as something more. It’s a cute and warming love. However something happened, and that changed everything between them.

Present day Sam is engaged to a new man, and is basically living a life that’s safe. A perfect safe life and a perfect safe fiancé. Sam is planning her wedding with her fiancé and her family throughout the text. The reader will also get flashbacks that tell Sam and Wyatt’s story when they were teens.

The book is a very feel good and a comfort read. It’s a perfect book to read by the beach or the pool. The scenery described in this makes me hate that I cannot swim in the ocean every morning.

On the other hand, I loved reading about these characters. There’s character growth and development. If you’re into women’s fiction with some summer romance, you’ll love this. There’s nothing I would change about it.

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The book of summer!!! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Sam & her fiancé are the definition of uptight. When Sam brings him to the laid back beach town she spent all of her summers growing up to look at wedding venues... and who do they run into you, Wyatt, her 1st love, I loved how this book went back between the past and now.

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An idyllic summer read. I loved the flashback chapters, watching Sam & Wyatt fall in love and then fall apart. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer. The ending felt rushed, with Sam's entire life falling apart and Wyatt just...showing up and it was a done deal. We never got to see them be in a relationship as adults.

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I will start my review of "Same Time Next Summer" by saying that 95% of what I read is mystery and thrillers. At my advanced age, I guess I'm not very romantic and prefer murder and mayhem. However, this is the second time that Annabel Monaghan has managed to charm me with her romantic storylines. She is the author of "Nora Goes Off Script" (very clever title if you know the plot!), which I enjoyed reading last year.

Sam has returned with her fiancée to her parents Long Island holiday home, where she spent summers growing up and they now live there. Her fiancé is a buttoned-up doctor, but even he succumbs to the charm of her parent's hometown. and they decide to plan their wedding there.

But then in walks Wyatt, Samantha's high school boyfriend who she thought would be her forever person, before an extremely awkward and unexpected incident drives them apart. Sam's heart was broken by Wyatt, and she is annoyed at how unsettled his presence makes her. We discover the backstory of how Sam and Wyatt fell in love fifteen years before, in chapters interspersed between the present=day storyline.

Monaghan writes characters easy to love. Even the "bad" guys have likeable characteristics. She also writes great dialogue that flows freely, is sometimes funny, and seems realistic. It did take me a little while to get involved in the story, as A) not a romance book lover, as stated, and B) the backstory of teenage love was a little more typical romance. But soon the characters themselves won me over and I was all in on their journey.

Lovers of romance novels, which would I assume be most people who pick up this book, will find a superior quality story here with great writing.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Annabelle Monaghan, and the publisher to allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: second chance romance, highschool sweethearts, then and now timeline, beach and surfing!, male lead who can write songs for you 😉, Long Island setting

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: June 6 (this coming Tuesday!)

“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚.”

I remember reading my first book by this author last year, Nora Goes Off Script and it just became an instant favorite. I just love mature love stories and I’ve always recommended that book to everyone I know. Obviously I got super excited when I was given a copy of her release this year and read it right away! Thank you @putnambooks!

So Sam has 3 simple beach rules:
1. Do take long walks on the sand
2. Do put an umbrella in every cocktail
3. Do NOT run into your first love

Easy, right? But when your first love is a family friend who lives next door, the third rule is a little bit hard to follow 😅 So anyway, Sam and her family always spend part of their summer in Long Island. This year, she brought her fiance with her to scout some wedding venues. Obviously, nothing should go wrong with this trip. Until she spots Wyatt - also known as the guy who broke her heart many years ago…

As we all know, I am very, very picky with second chance romance stories. Like the breakup and the getting back together should make sense to me. And if there’s a breakup reason, that my logical brain would accept is reasonable, THIS IS IT.

I love following the leads’ journey from the time they were kids to being adults. The contrast of her now perfect life to her more carefree life back when she was young. I love all the relationship complexities in this book - from the family, siblings, to the leads’ relationship.

I love the beach setting and all the nostalgic vibes that this book gives. Honestly I love everything about this, except for the love triangle part but I get it, human nature and all.

Highly recommend this if you love second chance romances! Honestly one of the best ones I’ve read for this trope

💭 Talking to exes, yes or no
☕️ I prefer not to. If the relationship ended well, being friends from a distance is enough for me.

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This was a sweet summer romance story perfect for a beach read! Sam is engaged to Jack, the doctor, an impressive guy that her mom 100% approves. They are invited to Sam’s parent’s Long Island beach house to visit and check out a wedding venue while there. Sam is reluctant to go, her parents are a little quirky with all of their ‘in progress’ art projects all over the house and she already knows that the wedding venue will be too gauche for Jack’s wealthy parents. Of course when they arrive, she discovers that her childhood friend who in later years became her first love, Wyatt, is in town and he’s staying next door at his mom’s house. Sam wrestles with all the memories haunting this magical place and the events leading to her devastating heartbreak. But in the end, is it better to marry the solid dependable guy? Can a girl ever recover from her first intense love? I really enjoyed this one and read it pretty quickly. It didn’t have as much funny awkwardness and was missing some unidentifiable magic that I loved in Nora Goes Off Script. But all in all, an enjoyable romance to soothe my mind during this busy graduation time of year! Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on June 13, 2023

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Second chance romance after a bad teenage breakup and having not seen or communicated with each other in 10+ years.

What I loved...

-the setting and the way it was presented. The author did a fantastic job of creating this place that seemed so tangible, the epitome of summer. Maybe it was the way that the place and characters complimented each other, but I could feel the sun and sand on my skin, smell the sea and picture this house and family.

-the way the reader falls in love with Sam and Wyatt right alongside them. This story of friendship that turns into love then heartbreak. Loved the journey.

I didn't dislike anything so much, just wished some things would have been done differently. It's clear that Sam has never gotten over Wyatt and that's slightly unfathomable considering the amount of time that has gone by. On top of that she continues to plan a wedding right under his nose and that had a slight ick factor. Her fiance, Jack, was kind of a caricature and I actually liked that and maybe that's supposed to make the reader feel slightly better about the fact that there is obviously a ton of unresolved feelings at play here. Sam was a MUCH stronger character than Wyatt and I understand why it was done that way, but I didn't form this emotional bond to Wyatt because so much about him was unknown (by design.) The ending was a bit rushed with that being said, but overall I enjoyed it, especially the vivid imagery and feelings of summer it portrayed.

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my bookclub did Nora Goes Off Script last year, so I was so excited to see that Annabel Monaghan had a new book coming out, and I absolutely loved it! It was the perfect summer read— second chances, childhood lovers, and it was set at the beach!

Sam takes her fiancé, Jack, to the beach she spent all of her childhood summers at to look at wedding venues. To her surprise, Wyatt, the boy who broke her heart when they were teenagers, is back visiting as well *gasp*

I adored Sam, and really enjoyed the past and present dual timelines— these are hit or miss for me, and I thought this book did it well. If you’re looking for a new summer read, I highly recommend this one! thank you to NetGalley and Putnam books for the ARC, This Time Next Summer is out now!

READ IF YOU LOVE:
✨ beach reads
✨ the childhood love that got away
✨ second chances
✨ dual timelines
✨ musician MMCs 🤩

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Great summer read about the power of first loves! The story begs the questions "how do our defense mold who we are" and "who do we become when we let those defenses go." I really enjoyed the fun, flirty way the author addresses these ideas as well as the idea of embracing ourselves for who we are.

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Cute but not what I wanted it to be. I loved Nora Goes Off Script so much and I wanted to feel that same magic again but Sam and Wyatt were such flat characters that I didn’t connect with them. It was difficult to root for their relationship because I didn’t feel I really got to know them. And Jack, the fiancé, was so cliched in his wrongness for her that they all seemed like caricatures. I wish I could have liked this more but the magic wasn’t there.

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Thank you to Putnam, PRH Audio and Netgalley for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

highly suggest this book for my friends who love and are looking for...

- second chance romance
- childhood friends to lovers
- dual timelines
- closed door romance
- beach setting

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. If I could sum this book up with a quote, it would be "If you love something, set it free and if it comes back, it's meant to be." This is a great summer/pool/beach read well, because it takes place mostly on Long Island where Sam and Wyatt spent their summers as kids. Now, they're grown adults seeing each other for the first time since they were teenagers. Mix together salt air, sand & long-lost loves and it will be a fun time!

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Same Time Next Summer ☀️

This writing felt so similar to Emily Henry. It felt so good to get lost in a book. Like that forget your reading, what time is it, not tracking the pages you read, type of reading. IYKYK.

I loved Sam & Wyatt. They were so young and in love and what happened was so unfair and heartbreaking. They are really messy, flawed and lacked self awareness at times. But they were also authentic, developed, accepting, loving and passionate.

I feel like this is one of those books that people will have qualms about (emotional cheating). But sometimes fluffy romances don’t cut it for me, bc it’s not messy and lacks self growth or self actualization to help the relationship.

So I really liked it and I don’t think everyone will, but I’m recommending it anyways!

Ty for the advanced readers copy,

4⭐️

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Beautiful love story. The narration was excellent and flowed well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy. I also purchased the audible book and enjoyed it.

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Annabel Monaghan has done it again - Same Time Next Summer is the perfect beach read that will make you smile and think about your own memories and experiences with falling in love and carefree summers. Sam and her straight laced, buttoned up fiancè are headed to the beach town that she grew up in to check out wedding venues when they run into her ex and first love Wyatt. Told in alternating timelines we get to see how Wyatt and Sam fell in love long ago and what happens now.

This is the perfect read for this summer! Do not miss it. Ideally read on your favorite beach.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC - Same Time Next Summer is out now!

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⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

• friends to lovers/second chance romance
• dual timelines
• summer nostalgia 🥹

This is just a perfect summer read! Getting to see the relationship then and now, relatable characters, beach setting... If you liked Every Summer After, you'll enjoy this one too!

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

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I loved this book. My favorite kind of story is one that is told from dual timelines and dual perspectives. The summer romance of Sam and Wyatt is one we feel like we all have had. That young love that grips you and rips you up but the one you can't forget.

I found Sam extremely relatable and her struggle to be honest with herself and what's she wants out of her life.

What I love Annabel Monaghan is her element of almost realistic fantasy. We all want the one that got away to be pining over us for years and writing songs about us.

This book made me smile.

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“𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤. 𝐒𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.“

This book! Instant new favorite and one I will definitely be coming back to time and again. Childhood friends to lovers just hits different and gets me all in my feels. I pretty much read this book in one sitting. It’s the perfect summer beach read!

I loved the roller coaster ride of emotions that Sam and Wyatt took me on. Getting to experience them growing up together each summer and falling in love made my heart burst! I couldn’t have imagined what would tear them apart and it broke my heart.

It was interesting to see how their breakup influenced the people they became especially Sam. I really enjoyed her growth as a character and how she slowly uncovered the uninhibited, carefree person she truly was at heart. Wyatt is the stuff book boyfriend dreams are made of. To me it was always clear that he was a goner for Sam! I highly recommend this super comforting, angsty read!

Thank you to Putnam for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

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VERDICT Monaghan (Nora Goes Off Script) crafts a satisfying beach romance with former childhood loves getting a second chance at happily ever after.

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