3.5 rounded up to 4

I wanted to love this one- Nora Goes Off Script was one of my favorite books in March- but Same Time Next Summer was just missing some of the spark Nora had. Don’t get me wrong- this book was a quick, easy read that, that for many, will be the perfect book to grab on the way to the pool or beach this summer. I think the major flaw for me here, though, is that this trope has been done before and has been done, IMO, better (think Every Summer After, Love and Other Words…)

Wyatt and Sam had sooo much potential, but their chemistry just wasn’t there. In general, I liked their story line- teen romance, torn apart by a big life event, reunited in the present, but she’s got a new man- see I told you, lots of potential. But I couldn’t quite figure out when the fell in love (in either timeline), and while there were glimmers of a connection between them, I just wasn’t feeling it, unfortunately.

There were definitely other things I enjoyed about this book! I loved the dual time line, dual POV, and the supporting characters. The way the author described Sam and Wyatt’s past summers at the beach made me nostalgic for my own childhood, reminding me of all the fun I had growing up in a beach town. When it comes down to it, I think I just needed more depth from the storylines- I wanted more chemistry between the main characters, and I think a few more pages may have helped to achieve that.

This one definitely sits solidly in the “liked, but just needed a little something” category for me, but still recommend it if you love second chance romance and are wanting a quick, easy read. You can be sure I’ll still be grabbing Annabel Monaghan’s books in the future!

I had been dying to get my hands on this book after I found out about it. I loved her first book that came out last year and was just waiting for the author to write another book! I will say that this felt a bit different writing wise and although the tropes weren’t a favorite I thought it was still a decent read.

The book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Sam and Wyatt. Wyatt’s are usually from the past and explain what happened between him and Sam and how their lives took them on different routes. They obviously have a lot of things left unsaid and you can tell that there relationship was never completely dead.

Friends-to-lovers and second-chance romances are not my favorite tropes. I tend to have a harder time with them when it comes to getting into the romance between the two characters. There are a lot of past chapters when it comes to their romance and I kind of wish there would have been more in the present. I didn’t feel their feelings for each other in the present and what was in the present was so short because Sam was dealing with other things like her upcoming wedding. For me, it just felt lacking in a way.

I did love Sam’s family though! They were a fun bunch and you could tell that they really cared about Sam and her choices when it came to big decisions. Her fiancé just wanted to her to be a carbon copy of himself and didn’t see the need for her to follow her passion of art.

Overall, this was a good book. I can see this being a popular pick for the beach because it has all the vibes!

Sam and her fiancé are visiting her family’s beach house for a few days, ostensibly looking at a wedding venue. While there, she’s forced to face her childhood sweetheart, Wyatt. The one who broke her heart into a million pieces. After years of therapy, she’s finally in a better place and with a dependable steady partner. But seeing Wyatt and hearing his music drifting across the sea air at night has her feeling things she knows she shouldn’t.

This is a truly beautiful coming of age, second chance love story. Annabel Monaghan’s description of Sam and Wyatt’s idyllic summers and reconnection will have you falling in love as you read. It’s the perfect summer beach novel. I absolutely loved her previous book, Nora Goes Off Script, and this story is just as good. Enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #SameTimeNextSummer #NetGalley

This is the first book I've read by Annabel Monaghan, and I will definitely read more. Same Time Next Summer is so much more than a romance. The book is about Sam, a girl who summers with her family at the beach on Long Island at the beach. It is about friendship, family ties, summer love, and what we are willing to sacrifice to protect one's self. The book is very readable and I didn't want to put it down. I definitely recommend Same Time Next Summer. Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. #SameTimeNextSummer #NetGalley

Sam and Wyatt are neighbors during the summer. Growing up together with the beach as the back drop. They fall in love and it’s the big one, the real deal. But it all comes crashing down. They can’t seem to recover. More than a decade goes by and they are thrown together again. Are they meant to be just friends now? Or is the spark still there?

This is the perfect summer romance. Go ahead and take a moment to add it to your summer TBR. It’s first love, coming of age, second chance romance, finding your happiest self, and more. All set in the glorious days of summer at the beach. My personal happy place. I was pining for the beach while reading this one.

I really enjoyed Annabel’s previous book, Nora Goes Off Script, and was so excited to get to read this one early. Thank you @netgalley and @ for the advanced copy.
You can grab your copy on June 5th or go put it on hold now at your local library.

Spice level: 🌶️/5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Loved this! I recently read this author's first novel, Nora Goes Off Script, and loved that one, so I was so excited to read this latest one. Wyatt and Sam are childhood sweethearts who used to see each other every summer. Most of the novel sets up their messy breakup. They then have to face each other when Sam brings home a fiance. One could argue that the ending is predictable but one could also argue that the ending is exactly what you want from a book like this! I enjoyed the characters, the setting, the writing. A perfect summer beach read.

3.5/4 and I’m so torn between the two!

This is the quintessential quick summer read and will definitely be a must for your beach bag. It’s quick, filled with some of the best romance tropes (I.e forced proximity as neighbors and second chance romances)

Wyatt and Sam grew up next door neighbors in a small town on Long Island. Wyatt, the music lover, and Sam, the swimmer met at the age of 9. They were next door neighbors and as they grew up found themselves seeking solace in each other rather than normal teen debauchery. One day, their friendship turns into more and they find themselves in love until a family secret blows up their relationship.

12 years later, Sam and Wyatt find themselves reunited at the beach as Sam begins to plan her wedding to Jack (a plain Jane’s dermatologist who doesn’t truly see Sam) As sam begins to spend more time with Wyatt, she begins to second guess her relationship with Jack.

I really did love this book. The only thing I found was that the ending was VERY rushed. It could have been 20-30 more pages and I would be extremely happy. Also, I wish I got more of a description of Wyatt’s looks, I had a hard time picturing him besides the long hair.

Thank you to GP Putnam and Sons for the ARC!

4+

This book confirmed me as a dedicated Annabel Monaghan fan. If she writes it, I will read it. She just has a way with words and characters and storytelling that is so lovely, and transcends a plot that on paper sounds like a Hallmark movie to a moving story of self-discovery (or rediscover in this case) and love. I feel like everyone going on vacation is going to pack this in their bag this summer.

The best way that I can describe this book is that it feels the adult version of a Sarah Dessen novel, but from the perspective of the protagonist after her teenage heart was broken. It has the atmospheric beach town and salty air and the intense first love and interesting family, but the meat of the book takes place over a decade later. I was rooting for the protagonist, and I was rooting for their relationship. I would have loved (SPOILER) more time with Wyatt and Sam getting to be together and be a couple at the end, but that's my only real quibble.

I also want to note that while this is a romance, the focus is largely the protagonist's relationship with herself, and that any smut in the book is very PG. An overall lovely summer read.

I LOVED Nora Goes Off Script by this author so I was thrilled to get this one early! Thank you Penguin for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is one of those great second chance romances where yes the story might be a little bit predictable but if done right it's still a great read. Annabel did it right! I loved Sam and her family and Wyatt! It really is something how any sort of trauma in your teen years can shape you. It was great seeing these characters work through all of it. Now I'm ready for a beach day or ten!

Every summer of childhood Sam and Wyatt spent at the beach in house's next door. They go from friends to something so much more until something changes. It has been over a decade since they spoke, Sam has spent the time constructing a life of structure where there are no surprises. Now she is back in the summer house to plan her wedding with her regimented fiancé and Wyatt is next door. Seeing Wyatt again has Sam questioning her life and what makes her happy. Is her carefully constructed safe life enough? A story of love and family and finding what truly makes you happy.

This was another hit from Annabel Monaghan and another 5 star read! After reading and loving Nora Goes Off Script I was excited and nervous to read her second book, but this book proves that Monaghan is not a one hit wonder. The story begins with Sam returning to her childhood beach home, engaged and successful, only to find out her teenage summer love Wyatt is once again living next door. The book tells the story of past and present, as we slowly find out what happened to end Sam and Wyatt's relationship 12 years prior, while watching them try to find resolution as adults. Once the story got going I could not wait to keep reading!

If you wanted to read a (slightly less angsty) third iteration of Love and Other Words/Every Summer After, this is that.

This follows Sam and Wyatt who grew up spending summers together at their families' vacation homes on Long Island. This is told in dual timelines, so in the "Then" timeline we're seeing Sam and Wyatt become each other's first loves, and ultimately first heartbreak. In the "Now" timeline, Sam is engaged to another man and returning to the summer house on Long Island to look at wedding venues. She's not expecting to see Wyatt, whom she hasn't spoken to in 12 years, and she definitely wasn't expecting to have to deal with their unresolved feelings for him.

Listen, I think most people who pick this one up kind of know the drill with this formula, so I actually want to talk about what makes this one different from the other two, and why I still think it's worth picking up. First, this one is actually dual POV. So we get insight into how both love interests are thinking and feeling. Wyatt only gets one present-day POV chapter (because we gotta maintain some element of mystery here), but all of the flashback chapters are split pretty evenly, and it's fun to see them both realize their feelings for each other over time.

Second, these two have an actual breakup in the past. There's not really the "one party is completely abandoned never really understanding what happened" element, which I appreciate. The original relationship ends for reasons that I think feel very solid and challenging for teenagers, and while one person is at fault, it just kind of feels understandable.

Finally, because of the above, this is overall less angsty and devastating than the other two books that I guess I'm just going to keep referencing. I do think there are times where it feels like the author is just skimming the surface in this one a bit, like we could have dug a in a little deeper on some of the emotions, but I think if you felt a bit wrung out by those other books, this one is going to give you Emotional Turmoil Lite.

Despite the fact that this is nothing new, I did still have a nice time and do still recommend this as a quick summer romance read.

**eARC provided by Netgalley and Putnam

This book was a breath of salty, beach air and has you longing for the beach🏖️
🌊 Dual perspective between Sam and Wyatt
🌊 Then and Now
🌊 Young love
🌊 Art themes by way of painting, music, drawing and more
🌊 Constant visuals of the beach

Do yourself a favor and grab yourself a copy of this easy, beach read in your summer preparations.

Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan is a beautiful, nostalgic, and romantic read that is perfect for the summer. The story follows the journey of Sam, a woman who comes face to face with her first love, Wyatt, after fourteen years. They spent every summer together from age five to seventeen until he broke her heart, and now she is engaged to a perfect doctor, Jack. The novel explores the questions that arise when Sam is back at her family's Long Island beach house, hearing notes from Wyatt's guitar floating across the night air, and the memories of their past come flooding back.

The characters in this book are well-developed and relatable, and the author does an excellent job of capturing the essence of a summer romance. The writing is vivid and descriptive, making it easy for readers to visualize the beach setting and the emotions of the characters. The pacing of the story is perfect, with just the right amount of tension and romance to keep the reader engaged.

What I appreciated most about Same Time Next Summer is the way it explores the themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. The story is not just about Sam and Wyatt's relationship; it's also about Sam's journey of self-discovery and her realization that she needs to make a choice. The book is a reminder that sometimes, we have to confront our past to move forward in the present and the future.

Overall, Same Time Next Summer is a delightful and heartwarming read that will make readers laugh, cry, and swoon. The author has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of a summer romance and the emotions that come with it. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, enjoyable read that will leave them feeling nostalgic and hopeful. This book deserves a solid 4.5/5 stars.

Dare I say it? Annabel Monaghan is the queen of the second-chance romance! This made me want to swim and surf and grill and be on the beach. Mainly, I wish it would stop raining in Boston! I am often frustrated by the 'your childhood boyfriend is the love of your life trope' and don't get me wrong -- it's annoying here too -- but I think it's handled deftly and given some good consideration here. The swapping of POV is never my favorite and was made slightly more annoying here by the utter imbalance. It just feels like we spend so much more time with Sam. Regardless, I finished with a full heart and misty eyes. Loved it a lot & can't wait to see what Monaghan does next. I can't wait to swim in the ocean.

I absolutely loved Nora Goes Off Script and was so excited to see a new release coming out from Annabel Monaghan. This book was an absolute delight. I loved how the story unfolded, although I was also incredibly impatient to get to the next layer. The characters were so enjoyable and the landscape was described in a way, I felt like I was on the beach. Of course I loved the ending and felt an overwhelming urge to hug my kindle after finishing it. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read this truly delightful story.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It is the ultimate beach/summer read!

If you enjoy a lighthearted summer Rom-Com, self-discovery book this is the one for you. We follow Sam as she visits her family's summer beach house with Mr. Perfect, her fiancé. The story unfolds as we dive further into her childhood crush turned boyfriend and now ex, Wyatt. The dual timelines of the past and present help to reveal a lost love and possible second chances.

I enjoyed that this book not only follows a romance but also Sam discovering herself and what is most important in her life and that maybe being picture perfect does not always lead to happiness!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Do you ever find yourself holding your breath as you read a book, knowing you’re reading something really important or profound, or just because the characters feel so real, that YOU feel what they’re feeling? That is the best possible feeling I can get when reading a book, where I’m literally standing on the precipice with the characters and am ready to tip over with them. This is the entire vibe of Same Time Next Summer. Sam has returned to her family’s beach house with her fiancé to check out wedding venues, but she doesn’t plan on running into her first love, Wyatt, the boy next door, who broke her heart years ago. Plot wise it’s unnecessary to know more because this book is all about feeling.
Feeling what it was like for your crush to touch you for the first time.
Feeling the change in yourself over time and not recognizing your life anymore.
Feeling the weight of the ocean as you swim for half a mile.
Feeling what it’s like to have your world fall apart your junior year of high school.
Memories from growing up and visiting a summer beach house are a big part of this book and two timelines play out, with “Then” featuring dual POVs from Sam and Wyatt, and the “Now” timeline being only Sam’s perspective. Annabel Monaghan captures the essence of what it feels like to fall in love obsessively in youth and explore how that can change as we age. Is it possible to go back to those feelings and is life worth upending to try again? This is the perfect second-chance romance of summer, and anyone who has ever fallen head first in love will be able to relate to Sam and Wyatt’s story. I could not put this book down and know that I will want to revisit it when I’m sitting beachside myself. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Summer at its best! A book that resonates with familiar locale. You can enjoy this debut under a beach umbrella with a cool drink in-hand.

This book is everything a summer read should be! I was a big fan of Nora Goes Off Script and loved this next novel by Annabel Monaghan. I enjoyed reading about Sam's growth and the love story between Sam and Wyatt transported me back to those intense feelings of young teenage love. I'm a fan of both dual timelines and multiple narrators and this book delivered. I loved it and would recommend to anyone wanting to read about a second chance romance set in an idyllic setting!