For fans of Every Summer After & Love and Other Words, Same Time Next Summer did not disappoint! I loved the then and now timeline and the childhood friends to lovers story. The plot twist was a fun surprise that was executed flawlessly. A must read for the summer!

Nora Goes Off Script was one of my favorite reads last year so to say my anticipation level was high for this one would be an understatement. BUT Annabel Monaghan came through and delivered THE swooniest summer read that had me shopping for a beach house.

Sam and Wyatt have next door beach houses and formed a deep friendship then young love as kids/teens. When an action tears them apart, they breakup and lose touch for years. Sam comes back to the beach house as an engaged adult and, of course, Wyatt happens to be visiting at the same time. These two must find some closure to their situation, but the pull of young love is strong.

This premise is nothing new. I can name 3-4 books off the top of my head who basically do the same thing. The thing that makes this one stand out is the emotional pull of this writing and these characters. Annabel Monaghan knows how to create characters that you can see yourself in. The hurt, love, and hope is tangible. Sam longs for the carefree girl she used to be, but is comfortable with the safe bubble that she's put herself in. We don't get as much from Wyatt, since it's mostly from Sam's point of view, but the tension between them is wonderful. If anything, I wish we would have lost the fiance a bit sooner, but I'm also happy with the journey that Sam took.

The book is incredibly page turning. It has short, binge-able chapters and you never get stuck in a timeline for too long. It's literally made for summer reading! Now I'm off to wait 12 months for Monaghan's next summer gem.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the e-book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this nostalgic story of Sam and her first love Wyatt then and now. I liked the change in POV between Sam and Wyatt and the different timelines. It was a story that resonated with me as I search for a new career path. I understand how Sam felt not living her authentic life and instead living this life that was safe that she built. It was a great storyline and really showed her growth by the end. If you liked Every Last Summer I think you will enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam for my digital ARC of this book which releases 6/6.

Wyatt and Sam (Samantha) grew up spending summers on long island as neighbors, friends and when they were 17, so much more. An event takes place that tears them apart. They both move on eventually and build their own lives. They have returned to Long Island this summer, Sam with a fiance in tow. Sam and Wyatt rekindle a friendship and maybe more.

What I loved:
- I loved these characters! Sam and Wyatt's love story is classic young love and it is very sweet!
- The side characters are great. I loved Sam's parents and her brother and his boyfriend
- This beach setting was so perfect for a summer/beach read. That's just what I want to read in the summer.
- The short, fast chapters made the pages go by very quickly.
- This plot was a romance story, yes but it had a little bit more and hit on some heavier topics as well.

What I didn't like:
- Nothing!

4.5 stars rounded up

This book delivered in spades! I loved Monaghans first book and this one certainly lived up. The setting was rich, the characters were real and I fell in love with this story. I honestly can't wait to reread it. Highly recommend for your spring and summer reading.

Review will be posted on 6/2/23
Sam has it all figured out. She is engaged to Jack, a doctor, and they live in an organized apartment in Manhattan filled with muted grays and minimalist decor. It's in major contrast to her life at her family's beach house in Long Island, which is filled with artwork, driftwood, shell collections, and bright colors. Sam plans to take her buttoned-up fiance to Long Island to look at a possible wedding venue. Returning here is difficult for Sam as not only is it the polar opposite of her life in New York, but it's also a side of herself that she hasn't shown Jack. It's the messy, carefree, sand between her toes side. It's also the spot of most major heartbreak- her childhood sweetheart Wyatt broke her heart at 17 and she hasn't seen him since. Wyatt and Sam were very close since childhood as he lived next door to her beach house, so this was more than your average breakup. She needed some major therapy just to get over him, so the thought of being near Wyatt this weekend is testing her quite a bit. Wyatt is in town for a music festival, as he is a singer/songwriter and surprisingly, her family is still very social with him. Cue the awkwardness! The more time Sam spends at the beach, the more she starts questioning her relationship with Jack, what she wants out of life, and how she lives her life in New York. Also, could she still have feelings for Wyatt this many years later? Annabel Monaghan's Same Time Next Summer is beach read perfection. Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed Sam from the start of Same Time Next Summer and I adored her carefree life at the beach house. Monaghan nails the then/now narrative technique and shares with us what life was like as a teen at the beach house and the evolution of her relationship with Wyatt. I thought she did this brilliantly! I could see where the story was taking us, but Monaghan did the second-chance romance trope very well. She made it work seamlessly and it felt authentic. I was smitten!

Which leads me to Wyatt. I really adored him in Same Time Next Summer. He is a complex character and I appreciated his backstory. I would have liked more of him, but the chapters we do get from his point of view were well done. His struggles felt very real and his difficulty to find his niche also felt very relatable. I was rooting for him and don't even get me started with his Florida surfer boy guitar-playing vibe. Swoon!

Monaghan depicts life at a family beach house so well in Same Time Next Summer. I felt like I was there at the beach with Sam, swimming in the ocean, feeling the breeze, climbing up to the treehouse, running through the dunes, and eating dinner on the patio. I adored it! Same Time Next Summer has absolutely everything I love in a beach read and it is going down as one of my favorite books of the year. A grand slam of a summer book and one that should be in everyone's beach bag this summer! Fans of Every Summer After will want to pick up a copy of this book immediately!

Are you a fan of Annabel Monaghan? Will you read Same Time Next Summer when it comes out next week? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

4.5/5⭐️s! Monaghan's ability to transport her readers into the setting of her books is unmatched. Nora Goes Off Script made me want to live among magnolias with a tea house in my backyard and Same Time Next Summer reminded me of my days living at the beach.

Sam heads to the beach with her doctor-fiance, Jack, to look at a wedding venue. While there she runs into her first love, Wyatt, who broke her heart when she was 17. With a cast of fun characters and a relationship told through time jumps and different POVs, it reminded me of The Notebook (without the tears at the end).

I thought the pace of the book was nice, although some parts felt a little slow/dragged out for me, but I think that's just because I was eager to get back to Wyatt and Sam's story.

Pub Date is June 6, 2023 and I highly recommend adding to your TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/ G. P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts!

Review- Same Time Next Summer

This was the PERFECT summer read. Same Time Next Summer had me yearning to be at the beach and swimming in the ocean. Sam and Wyatt are such incredible characters. Their childhood summers had me feeling nostalgic and remembering memorable vacations. This is a second chance romance that will hook you from the very first page. I was having quite the book hangover before I started this one, but was quickly cured after diving in and immediately loving this story. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Same Time Next Summer will hit shelves June 6th!

A fantastic summer romance that reminds you of your first teenage love and all the awkwardness and beauty that comes with it. I really appreciated the focus on learning to love your full self and the people who love that self too.

The impetus for the teenage breakup was a little overdrawn for me and I thought the therapy mentions were a little rushed and not quite helpful but overall a fun read with light steam that will tap into your creative side.

Sam spent years at the beach with her first love, Wyatt. They break up due to some drama between others. Years later, Sam is engaged to Jack and they spend a week at the beach and Sam sees Wyatt for the first time since they broke up.

First love for Sam and Wyatt is a strong bond, and I truly appreciate the internal dilemma of Sam. We get peeks at others, but stay in Sam’s world. The ending was *chefs kiss.*

Look no further for a perfect beach read. In this latest book by Annabel Monaghan, author of last year's hit "Nora Goes Off Script", this story is one of second chances and childhood love. Samantha (aka Sam I Am) returns to her parents beach house on Long Island with Jack, her city fiancé in tow. Jack has never been, although they've been together for 4 years. He's very precise, rigid, and monochrome in his life as well as obsessed with tennis. Sam works for a human resource company and helps clients retain or dismiss employees based on data. It's been a long time since Sam has been to see her parents at their beach house where It's very beachy, whimsical , artsy, relaxing, and happy. Except Jack can't feel it. Also home for the summer is the boy next door, Wyatt, who broke Sam's heart when he left to go to California to find his dream as a singer / song writer. Sam had fallen apart but felt she moved on...until she sees Wyatt once again and the past resurfaces of all the special moments they shared. The attraction is strong and he knows her well. Sam is a different person with Wyatt, more free which she is struggling with. It turns out that Wyatt never stopped loving Sam which showed in the music he wrote which I can only imagine were great tunes.I loved all the descriptions of the ocean and the sand which made me feel as if I was there. See? Perfect beach read. I enjoyed reading this book and did so quickly. Was it as good as Nora Goes Off Script? No, sad to say. It's all romance (not smutty) and could be classified as chick lit, no humor here. But it was a wonderful distraction for the day and worthy to be on your summer reading list. I would recommend it.
Many thanks to #netgalley #annabelmonaghan #putnampress #sametimenextyear for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I've never really spent a summer at a beach, but somehow this book still filled me with nostalgia. Annabel Monaghan has mastered the act of telling a story that's filled with setting, story, and character in what will never feel like enough pages. You can feel the aching angst, the frustration, the connection. This story does make you wait for it- it's a slow burn but doesn't feel slowly paced.

If I'm really pressed, I loved this SLIGHTLY less than Nora Goes Off Script, but it's a slim margin, and I'm already hoping for another book from this author.

Thank you to net galley, and Putnam a branch of Penguin publishing for allowing me to read this arc. This book was the lite summer beachy read that I needed to enjoy. The story was cute and easy to read Sam and Wyatt spent their summers growing up as teenagers but, then life got in the way. Sam is about to get married she arrives at the beach with her Jack her soon to be husband. This story you will enjoy. I cant wait for her to write her next book.

This is a deeply heartfelt novel, more women's fiction than romance. The pace is a little slow for me. DNF ~34%.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This one was really cute and I really enjoyed reading it! It’s the perfect, cute, and sweet romance for the summer!

I absolutely LOVED this book! It had so many elements that I love: childhood friends to lovers, a story told over a series of summers, then and now storylines, second-chance romance, and it takes place in New York! For so much of the time I was reading this, I was literally craving the beach! When I think of summer reads, I don't typically think of Long Island, but the summer vibes in this book were immaculate! Sam and Wyatt grew up spending their summers together at the beach; it was only a matter of time before they got together. Their relationship was so cute! One summer though, Wyatt discovers something that threatens to tear his family apart, and it also ends up tearing him away from Sam. Now over 10 years later, Sam is engaged to Jack, and decides to spend some time with him and her family back on Long Island. She wasn't planning on Wyatt also being there...
This book reminded me of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Every Summer After, and One True Loves! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

"Same Time Next Summer" is a captivating and emotionally charged novel that delves deep into the complexities of love, loss, and the power of nostalgia.

In this story, Annabel Monaghan takes readers on a poignant journey alongside Sam, a woman who finds herself confronted with her first love after fourteen long years apart. Set against the backdrop of a picturesque Long Island beach house, the novel immerses readers in a world of summer memories and bittersweet nostalgia.

Monaghan skillfully weaves together the past and present, allowing Sam's recollections of her time with Wyatt to unfold gradually, building suspense and emotional resonance. Sam's internal struggle is vividly portrayed as she questions her current life choices and grapples with the feelings stirred up by Wyatt's unexpected reappearance.

The nostalgia-infused atmosphere of the beach house and the evocative descriptions transport readers to a time when Sam and Wyatt's love story began. The author expertly captures the emotions and complexities of first love, the pain of heartbreak, and the lasting impact it can have on one's life.

As Sam navigates her present relationship with her fiancé, Jack, and rekindles her connection with Wyatt, readers are taken on an emotional rollercoaster filled with tension, longing, and self-discovery. The choices Sam must make are thought-provoking, and the narrative keeps readers engaged until the very end.

"Same Time Next Summer" is a beautifully written novel that explores the power of memories, the resilience of the human heart, and the transformative nature of second chances. It will resonate with readers who enjoy immersive stories of love, self-discovery, and the enduring bonds of the past.

Genuinely the perfect start to my summer was reading this book. Not only is the page count to die for (under 300 🙏🏼), but the story is so full of warmth and growth. This book is for people who loved Love & Other Words and Happy Place. I’d honestly go as far to say that I actually loved this more than Happy Place 🫣

I loved Sam so much. She was so human with real flaws and quirks that endeared me to her. She was in a life that she specifically curated but you could tell that a spark was missing. I loved how she eventually stood up for herself and chased her dreams. Wyatt was so sweet. I loved how humble he was at every turn and how he was willing to grow from his mistakes.

This book felt like watching your best friends and just getting to soak up the nostalgia of growing up. The dual POV throughout the “Then” chapters was such a nice touch because we got to see how much Sam and Wyatt meant to each other. The extended cast was great as well.

I’m a sucker for a well-done second chance romance and this perfectly fit the bill for me. I’d be surprised if this doesn’t become the big book of the summer!! I didn’t think it would be possible for me to love this book more than Nora Goes Off Script, but Annabel Monaghan supremely outdid herself with this one.

Same Time Next Summer releases on June 6 so make sure it is on your TBR list! Thank you again to @putnambooks for the early finished copy of a book that has taken a special place in my heart. 🩵💛

Sam and Wyatt met when she was six years old and spent summers next door to each other on Long Island. In their teenage years, they admit to their feelings for each other and fall head over heels in love. Wyatt dreams of being a musician, and he plans to move out to LA when he graduates, with Sam following a year behind. When a startling discovery in their small orbit threatens to tear apart both of their families, Wyatt withdraws from Sam and she spirals. When Sam returns to the beach 12 years later with her fiance Jack in tow, Wyatt's presence next door threatens to topple the shaky foundation she's rebuilt without him.

Another gem from Annabel Monaghan! This was the perfect beach read, filled with young love, self-discovery, and reflection on what matters most in life and following your heart. This book is so relatable to anyone who has felt the ups and downs of young love. The writing was gripping and I was hooked from the first page! I loved watching Sam wake back up to herself and get back in touch with the free-spirit she nurtured all those summers at the beach. The side characters - specifically Sam's family - were so fun, funny, and heartwarming.

TW: Cheating, depression

Thank you Penguin Putnam Group for the review copy of Same Time Next Summer via NetGalley. I really enjoyed Annabel Monaghan's debut last summer (Nora Goes Off Script) and this was a strong follow up, I think I actually liked this one more! I loved the feelings evoked, a cheering on for the couple kind of romance while also appreciating that each character had their own identity, story, and were well written (they aren't superficial trope filled stereotypes). There was a sense of nostalgia evoked for me, perhaps the feeling of the ocean vibes and the idea that first loves matter... the enduring sense of continuity in self and experiences and feelings even as we grow up and find ourselves again and again.

This was a big win for me. I think it will be a hit for fans of the author and readers who enjoy Linda Holmes' books and other similar reads. A great choice too for romance fans who prefer a little less steam but still want a satisfying, engaging beach read.