A bit disappointing. I loved “Nora goes Off Script” and was super excited to get this ARC from @netgalley. It just did not hit the same mark as Nora.
I felt that this was the same trope we have seen before, someone is engaged has an old lover in the background and all of a sudden finds fault with the current love and conveniently is again face to face with the long ago love.
I expected more. It was just ok.

Annabel Monaghan's previous novel Nora Goes Off Script was such a gem, so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of her new book. This one is nowhere near as satisfying for me as Nora was, but I still enjoyed the read. I was worried about the premise, because it seemed awfully close to the premise of Carley Fortune's Every Summer After (and there's even a blurb from her on the cover). Many, many people loved the Fortune book, but I absolutely detested it. I worried that this book would suffer from the same uncomfortable juxtaposition of adult characters with their teenage selves. In the Fortune book, it was intensely awkward to read and there was entirely too much content about the younger versions. In Monaghan's book, that content was mostly in the first half of the book and was just enough to give us the background that created their current situation. I had a few minor issues with the book, but it was a fun, quick read. I recommend it for anyone who wants a light romance that doesn't have overly annoying protagonists (this is unfortunately hard to come by, especially if they are under 40).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

Overall a cute, beachy summer romance for mature women figuring out what they really want in life. What I loved most about this story is that the character's motivations are really so relatable. Parental issues affecting us later in life etc... and then figuring out what we want all lead us to real happiness if we're willing to fight for what we want!

A SHORT PREVIEW:
Sam and Wyatt spent every waking moment together in the summers until they were 17 and life split them apart. Now as Sam is on track with a successful career, a fiance every girl would dream of and a great apartment in the city. But what happens when a tightly laced gal from the city lets loose at the beach and reconnects with her roots... and the first boy she ever loved?

THOUGHTS:
- The main point of this story is that who we think we should be and who we really are aren't always the same person, and it takes a lot of work to get to who we're meant to be - but it's always worth it!

- A major part of this story revolves around past cheating but not between the main characters. When I read the situation - I quite literally gasped out loud!! That was a fun/terrible reveal because I absolutely didn't expect it, and then when I read it- everything else made sense.

- One thing I didn't love is that while Sam is engaged, she's thinking about, etc, another man. It's one thing to be dating and decide that you're really too attached to your ex etc... but as a fellow 30-year-old woman.. I find it kind of silly that Sam would allow herself to be so emotionally involved with someone who isn't her fiance.. without first breaking up with said fiance. She should have known that the stuff with the fiance wasn't right if tempted at all? Romance lover's everywhere talk about fighting for the people we love.. but loyalty matters, and Sam's character struggles with that so it was hard for me to like her.

- Other than not loving that part of the story.. I absolutely loved the resolution of Sam's life path choices. I think so many people are guilty of not living lives they love and they become bitter to people and the world around them. It takes massive courage to change your life and walk away from people who don't support you!
---- I'd also like to note that I don't think Sam's fiance was a bad guy! Just one who thrives in conditions that others might find stifling. When he says, 'Lots of people hate their jobs sometimes, Sam. I just had a full day of adult acne. I didn't quit." -- I FELT HIS PAIN. So many people give up on things the second they don't like something, and I can understand being a pragmatic person! Sometimes you have to do hard things... BUT Sam's situation was entirely different. And if we can't be ourselves with the people we love - then they aren't right for us.

NOTES:
- Love a bright and summery cover!
- Cheating thematically present (emotional cheating is really just as bad...) between main couple and other couples

**Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Lovedddd this one! Such a good summer read for readers of Every Summer After and Love and Other Words!

Same Time Next Summer follows Sam as she visits her family's beach house with her new fiancé, Jack, to look for potential wedding venues. Once she arrives, she finds Wyatt, her first love and next door neighbor, back after spending time in LA not responding to her calls. Sam struggles with her future and past as her family tries to support her in her new relationship.

I loved the alternating timelines in this one and was pulled in from the start. This one was a quick read and I am looking forward to reading more of Monaghan's books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam books for the ARC!

Thanks to Putnam for the copy of this book!

Same Time Next Summer is very much in the same vein as Every Summer After, Happy Place, and Meet Me by the Lake - second chance romance by a lake is hot right now!

How is this book different? Sam's life is perfectly on track and she is happily engaged to Jack when her past love Wyatt, comes back into her life, so we see her wrestle through her feelings as she's supposed to be planning her wedding. There's also a very special treehouse in this book and a really wise and supportive father - I loved their conversation toward the end of the book. I appreciated having dual POV and dual timelines in this one, and it worked really well on audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley and Dan Bittner.

Read this if you:
- are looking for a good summer/beach read
- enjoy second chance romance with a first love
- liked Every Summer After, Happy Place, or Meet Me by the Lake
- appreciate dual POV romance

I was a huge fan of Annabel Monagahn's debut novel, Nora Goes Off Script, and found myself enjoying her follow up: Same Time Next Summer.

Sam's life is just the way she wants it to be. She's getting married to Jack, her tennis player doctor fiancee, she's in a good HR job and is about to see if the family ;vacation home is the right venue for the wedding. What she doesn't expect is for Wyatt to appear. Wyatt, who she hasn't seen in YEARS. But when they reconnect, it feels like just yesterday that Wyatt and Sam were in the treehouse, Wyatt playing on his guitar. She's going to have to make a choice: Wyatt who broke her heart years ago or the perfect on paper Jack.

Same Time Next Summer has the short chapters and pacing that flows from the first page. While I felt that some sections were redundant and unnecessary, the story tied itself together in the end. I was definitely rooting for one suitor over the other from the beginning but didn't predict why one couple had spilt. I recommend Same Time Next Summer to those who enjoy contemporary fiction.

Really enjoyed this read! Fast paced read that keeps you captivated the entire time. Super sweet love story between the two main characters.

This is a perfect summer read. It makes me want to pack up, go to the nearest ocean and shove myself into the sand to listen to the waves. And also go back to childhood simplicities.
I love the message that the truest parts of you are not necessarily childish or unworthy of your time and, in support of that, people who don't listen to you and support you are unworthy of your time.

#arc
#netgalley
#sametimenextsummer

Nora Goes Off Script was my favorite read of 2022, so when I learned that Annabel Monaghan wrote another book, I knew I had to get my hands in it ASAP.

Same Time Next Summer is a beautiful story of friendship, love, growth, and second chances. The picturesque setting of Nantucket, dual timeline, and the incredible character development will keep you wanting more - quite literally, as I wish there were about 100+ more pages so I could see more of where the characters end up.

This will easily be one of the best beach reads of the year and I will be recommending it to all of my friends.
Thanks for the gifted book @PutnamBooks!

Do you remember your first love? I feel like summertime and first loves go hand in hand. I had my first love in the summer after HS graduation. There is a certain magic about it. Do you remember you first heartbreak? Nothing hurts worse than getting your heart broken by your first true love. Can a first love be your true love? In this book we meet Samantha (Sam) and Wyatt. They met when Sam was 5 and Wyatt 6. Their parents had summer homes next to each other. We see them grow up and fall madly in love. Everyone knew them as being joined at the hip. Then something happens that Wyatt came get past and he suddenly disappears. Sam has moved on and is engaged to be married to Jack. Jack is a doctor and has their lives planned out. But, when she visits the beach house to plan for the wedding, she comes face to face with Wyatt. This book is everything summer. I felt nostalgic for my days on the beach. There are boogie boards, soaking sun, ice cream shops, bike riding, and a really cool treehouse. . Of course there are all the feels this book offers. For anyone who has felt true love, lost that love, and wondered and hoped if we can ever really move on, this book is for you. This will be a top book for summer 2023, I know it. It is on my top 10 list. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this.

Same Time Next Summer, by Annabel Monaghan was the perfect book to get me into the summer mood. Do you love a good romance? A lost love that is found again, and the heartache of young love not fulfilled. This book is set against the backdrop of Manhattan where Sam has set up her structured life; perfect fiancé, perfect job. When they return to her families Long Island Beach, to begin preparations for her wedding, she is confronted with Wyatt, a guitar playing rugged good looking man who broke her heart 14 years ago. The meeting is unexpected. Monaghan deftly shows us the "Then," when Sam and Wyatt were children, falling in love, discovering each other and making plans for the future; together, in LA. Tragedy strikes and as expected things fall apart, and they go their separate ways.

Our story has two narratives; "Now" and "Then" and we switch perspectives and see both Sam's story, and Wyatt's. This moves the story along quickly and we get carried away. We are reminded of how young love can feel all consuming, as we bare witness to young love unfolding. I loved that most of the story takes place on the beach, in fact, it was so brilliantly written, so vivid, I was swept away with Sam and Wyatt as they surfed, I could hear the waves, smell the salty air, and feel the sand between my toes. I was transported. I love how the beach became its own character.

Although the story was predictable, it was the perfect book to take me away to the beach, and filled me with nostalgia for a time when you had no worries, just time laid out in front of you. We saw this happen for Sam, as she was faced with major life decisions, but ultimately its always about coming home, honoring who you are, and making hard choices.

Cute beachy summer read! I mostly really loved that it wasn't fully a romance book but it was a story about a girl trying to find herself again.

This book is the book of summer! It made me so nostalgic for first love and had me reminiscing on summers. I couldn't put it down and was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out how it all would end. If you're looking for a heartfelt book about rediscovering yourself and second chances, this book will not disappoint.

I absolutely adored the authors last book, Nora Goes Off Script so to say this was a highly anticipated read for me is putting it mildly. This was a mix between a second chance romance but also friends to lovers as Wyatt and Sam started dating as teens and were friends first. Sam is about to marry someone else and I don’t usually enjoy a love triangle but it was well done here so it didn’t even bother me a little bit. There was some serious nostalgia here as the author captured the magic of first love so perfectly and combine that will all the summery vibes and I was swooning. Overall this was such a well rounded romance with amazing characters you will connect with, a fun setting and a love story that will give you all of the feels.

Thanks so much for the arc!

I really enjoyed Nora Goes off Script so I was thrilled to be approved for Same Time Next Summer!

I foresee this being one of the summers top beach reads! The cover is so charming and Annabel Monaghan’s writing is a delight!

Sam has been hiding from her childhood beach home. But when her younger sister Gracie asks her to come out to Long Island she can’t turn her down. She brings her fiancé Jack with the promise to her parents that they’ll check out a wedding venue. Jack is a doctor which makes everyone so proud.

The reason Sam has had trouble revisiting this home is surprisingly there when she arrives. Wyatt. Her high school and first love. The next door neighbor. The musician. The childhood friend turned love. The breakup that destroyed her.

As we weave through Sam's past to learn more about her life with Wyatt we uncover so much about Sam. She is faced with her memories of Wyatt and all the feelings she went through- since she’s challenged with seeing him again. It makes you feel for her as many of us have a first love. You’re always left wondering was it young love or more.

The more the wedding plans progress the more the reader is left wondering if she’s made the right choice. Jack is practical and regimented. Wyatt is creative and kind. Who is right for Sam? I couldn’t put this down as I just had to know!

Such a great book! It had many elements- lighthearted youth mixed with heavy adult issues.

Oh lord, I swallowed this book in 9 hours. Could have been less but I cannot deal without sleep. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this before publication. I am truly obsessed.

Samantha is a woman in her thirties with apparently the perfect life: she lives in NYC, has a good job she's good at and she's about to marry the perfect man. Until one day she "screws up" at work and her job gets on the line, Samantha and her fiance decide to make a visit to her family at their summer residence in Long Island.

I fell in love with Samantha's parents. They are artists, very creative. Obviously not perfect people, but so supportive and loving. I would have loved to grow up with artsy people that would push me to chase my creativity.

Anyway, Samantha gets really nervous when she realizes that her teenage love fling is at the house next door. She hasn't seen Wyatt since she was 17, after a very painful breakup she never really got over, despite her efforts. The story jumps back and forth to now and then, giving context of how Samantha and Wyatt met and fell in love, which in my opinion was well executed and not confusing at all.

This book is about a love story, but it's also about how one loses and finds oneself again. How we know exactly who we are when we are younger and somewhere along the way we start making decisions on what we think we should do or be. Then we go back to our hometowns or childhood homes and we realize we don't know who we are anymore. I can really identify with this and that's why I could not stop reading. Short chapters helped too.

Bottom line: I laughed, I swooned, I cringed and fell in love with all the characters. This might be THE beach read of the year, but don't quote me on that. I will probably reread this soon and I don't ever reread. It's that good.

This is the PERFECT summer beach read. It’s a second chance romance set at a summer house, so a popular chick lit subgenre, but it hit harder than other similar titles released recently, such as Happy Place.

What Same Time Next Summer is able to do so successfully is make us care about the characters by showing us how they were when they were young and the connection they shared. These chapters are perfectly interspersed to keep the story moving but rope us into Sam and Wyatt’s past. I could have used some more Wyatt chapters in the present; we’re only treated to one, which makes sense because of the reveals that are kept secret until the end, but I would’ve loved to see the pining on his side.

The book leans women’s fiction. If you’re looking for spice, this isn’t for you; it is firmly closed-door and more about emotion than chemistry.

Annabel Monaghan is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! I recently read Nora Goes Off Script and read it in one sitting while on vacation with my girlfriends. I had a similar experience reading this book as I read the majority of it on a train ride. Her books are such quick, and enjoyable reads.

This book felt very similar to Every Summer After when I first started, but definitely stands on its own. What I love about her writing is that her characters seem so relatable and real. My only complaint is that I would have liked more pages devoted to her summers with Wyatt, and her love for creating as a kid. I think that would have tied up the book to make it a 5/5 for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC! This book will be out on June 6th and will be the perfect beach (or train) read.

I loved this book. It was a quick and easy read that felt like a perfect summer read, but with more emotional depth than I was expecting. Monaghan does a wonderful job of pulling at the reader's personal memories and making them experience the uncertainties of life's decisions all over again. I thought I had the book figured out right away and had steeled myself for the standard troupes and cliches, but was glad that Monaghan didn't take the easy way out and instead trusted her readers to enjoy the emotional complexities that exist in relationships at all ages.

Do you ever read a book and only realize at the end who the author is? That's what happened to me reading Same Time Next Summer. I had no clue Annabel Monaghan was the author of Nora Goes Off Script!... I know, duh! However, I loved Nora Goes Off Script so much and discovering Same Time Next Summer was also written by Monaghan as the book ended, only affirmed to me how much I liked this book.

A huge thank you to PRH Audio and G.P. Putnam's Sons for granting me access to the audiobook and e-book. I buddy read this with a group of bookstagrammers and was initially bummed I didn't have the book, but enjoyed following along with their reading of this title. All of them said they read it in a day and talked about their various feelings which only made me more excited for the book!

I fell in love with Sam and Wyatt. I loved their stories both together and apart. Told in alternating POV chapters with now and then timelines, I watched these two fall in love and fall apart. Love can do that to us. It can make us come completely undone, unraveling us to our core and make us uncertain of who we are.

Potential spoiler ahead: Sam described the games she would play with herself to convince herself she'd hear from Wyatt and gosh it broke my heart, but also made me feel so seen for feelings I have experienced in my lifetime.

I just finished reading Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez last night and was feeling a true book hangover and this book was the perfect follow up for me! My heart feels so full from these two reads, but boy did it ache along the way!