What I LOVED ❤️
- The NYC/Long Island setting - if you saw my ‘books based in NYC’ post you know I LOVE books based in my city
- SUMMER SETTING - this is a perfect summer book - summers at the beach, dinners outside, bonfires, swimming - it all screams summer

Where I Struggled 💔
- SECOND CHANCE (AFTER YEARS?!?!) ROMANCE - I’ve tried a few books now with this plot line and I just can’t get into not only second-chance romances but ones that take place after YEARS?
- MORE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT - I wanted more from Sam and Wyatt - their characters fell flat at times and I just wished for more from them

Quick + bingeable (in the best way), this is a second chance romance that feels like summer. Definitely read if you also like friends-to-lovers romances.

"Same Time Next Summer" left me feeling somewhat indifferent. While I thoroughly enjoyed the author's debut work, this second book didn't quite live up to my expectations. It felt like a missed opportunity to recapture the magic of their first novel. The characters and plot lacked the depth and charm I had come to expect, and the storyline felt somewhat formulaic. While it wasn't a terrible read, it certainly didn't resonate with me the way the author's initial work did, leaving me hoping for more in their future endeavors.

Very underwhelming. I started this 3 times and then eventually DNF. It dragged for me from the very beginning. Not a fast read at all.

I love this friends to lovers, second chance romance. The book slowly meanders at the beginning, but the characters grab you and don't let go.

Every summer while they were growing up, Sam and Wyatt were next doors neighbors in their respective beach houses on the Long Island beach. They became fearless best friends and then lovers, until after a betrayal by their parents, Wyatt disappeared. Sam was devastated and by the time Wyatt reached out to her, she wanted nothing more to do with him. Fourteen years later, she is working in well paid career in human resources and engaged to Jack, a dermatologist, having forgotten the joy of living that she had at the beach and allowed Jack to consume her spirit. While planning the wedding she comes back to the beach and rediscovers her joy and Wyatt. Who will she chose? Who really sees her?

I read an ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.com. It I say unbiased and voluntary review.

I enjoyed this story but it wasn't my favorite. Second chance romance isn't my favorite, but this was cute and I liked it.

Ugh, I love all of Annabel Monaghan books and this was no exception! A quick but delightful read that is perfect for a palate cleanser and to warm your heart

This was a quick summer read! Kind of predictable but it was a cute upbeat book about long-time friends turned second chance loves. This book is great but since it is a predictable set-up and storyline it's just kind of your typical friends to lovers trope.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was definitely a cute, easy, fun book to get through! Perfect to pick up for the summer months. It is a childhood friends turned second chance romance! It is really cute, but not super unique for the genre, and seems to be very similar to other books that have the same tropes. Overall if you need a cute beachy read, this is a great choice, but might not be my first choice.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this story so much!! Friends to lovers is such a good summer trope and this fit it perfectly. It reminded me a lot of The Summer I Turned Pretty!

This brought me back to a place of longing. A young romance, new butterflies. I really enjoyed reading this book. I was so happy to get an ARC because her first book quickly became a favorite of mine.

If you’re looking for the perfect summer beach read, I highly recommend checking this book out. I loved it so much more than I expected to! The book starts off a little slow, but once it gets going, you won’t be able to put it down. The book is told in dual POV and has great character development. If you’re looking for a summer read, or you miss summer, this is the perfect book for you!

This was a charming yet predictable love story that I really enjoyed. Read if you like beach settings, dual POV, dual timelines, friends to lovers, second chance love, lovable side characters, and soul searching.

Sam is about to get married to Jack. So she goes back to where she used to spend her summers in Long Island where she had her first love. She thought she wouldn't see him again until she realizes he's also there.

What a bummer. I loved Nora Goes Off Script, so I was really excited for this one. But I hated Wyatt so much and Sam was just a punching bag who accepted everything that he threw at her. How come is this 30-year-old woman still hung up on Wyatt after 13 years and after everything he put her through?? She was going through the exact same thing that he was and he saw her just as a punching bag. And differently from Nora Goes Off Script this book relies solely on the romance.

So, if I hated him, didn't care about her, and hated their story, there is nothing for me to like.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I was a huge fan of Nora Goes Off Script, so I was very excited to be approved for Same Time Next Summer. This book gave me major Every Summer After and Love & Other Words vibes, which unfortunately are 2 popular romances that I did not enjoy. I love Annabel's writing style and will continue to read whatever she writes, but overall I just did not love the story and didn't find it memorable. It has been a few weeks and I can't remember the character names. What I do remember is being very frustrated by the father of the FMC and also the therapist she treats with. I understood his hurt and resentment and I was happy to get a chapter from his POV. Although I do think they belong together, I do think there was the beginning of emotional cheating to me even though her fiance was unlikable, I still did not enjoy that. I did like that before she pursued a future with the MMC, she did kind of get her life together a little bit. I have heard the audio is good and I love Brittany Pressley as a narrator, so I may give it a second chance because I do like Annabel Monaghan and did have some quality issues in my ARC copy.

Overall, this is a good pick for fans of love triangles and second chance romances/ it has always been you. I will continue to read whatever Annabel writes because her stories are always hard to put down.

I enjoyed my time reading Same Time Next Summer by Anabel Monaghan. I thought it was perfect to read at the beach because the book’s setting. I thought the main character, Sam, was very relatable. Her struggles with her job and stepping into her authentic self are very realistic to experiences many people, including myself, have. I also loved the love interest, Wyatt. I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book where we saw Wyatt and Sam’s relationship unfold for the first time. While, overall, I did enjoy this book, I found that I got frustrated with Sam which made me like the book a little less. I would still recommend this book especially to someone who wants a quick easy read for the summer.

Second chance romance/first love. Sam and Wyatt were teenage lovers, sure they were forever, until tragedy pushes them apart. Now 30 years old, they reconnect at the family beach homes, and both of them must reconcile what they thought they wanted out of their lives with the still-alive attraction and relationship between them. Nostalgic and sweet.

(3.5⭐️) Many thanks to my friends at @putnambooks and @prhaudio for the #gifted copies of this book..

Long walks in the sand. ✅
Cocktails and acoustic music ✅
Second chance at romance ✅

There’s a deep sense of nostalgia in returning to the places of youth, especially when they involve first love.

Sam returns to her family’s Long Island beach cottage in search of the perfect wedding venue. But before she can embrace the future, she must grapple with the past… and the intoxicating sound coming from the guitar next door.

Monaghan perfectly captures the essence of young love and that first heartbreak. But what drew me in most was the seaside setting and memories of summers at the beach.

Oh Wyatt! Quite possibly the perfect cinnamon roll hero. (I have a thing for guys with guitars.). And yet, there was something that held me back from being fully sold on this romance.

Monaghan’s last book, Nora Goes Off Script, is one of my all-time favorite romances. It’s about a middle-aged heroine finding love amongst the mundane parts of life (around dinner tables and on grocery store runs).

And so I think: Maybe this book didn’t resonate to the same degree because it felt more YA, and I’m in my “mature” adult era. (It’s me. I’m the problem. It’s me.)

Still, I finished this in no time. It really is perfect for the pool bag.

But I’d love to see Monaghan circle back to a middle-aged woman navigating life and kids…

🎧 As I listened to this one, I found myself seeking out extra tasks that allowed me more listening time. Brittany Pressley is a favorite narrator, and she was partnered up with Dan Bitter. Together they created a perfectly angsty narration that I didn’t want to pause.

The stirrings of Sams first love is causing a dilema. This was an entertaining beach read and kept me turning the pages to see how she worked it out.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A fun light beach read! This was a quick read. It was cute and romantic - a second chance with a first love. Two people meeting again and for the first time. It's a great escape.