Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg tells the story of Maggie Vine, who is a 35-year-old singer songwriter who is still searching for her big break. The novel follows Maggie throughout various points in time in her past, which all have shaped who she is at 35 and the relationships that exist at that time. While this book is a romance, I think the best part is that on two occasions you see characters choose putting their priorities first instead of the wishes of a partner. If you like references to 90’s music and/or parts of a story that takes place in Trader Joe’s, this could be the book for you!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for reaching out with an offer to read on NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

TW: infertility, suicide (off-page), sexual assault.

I really enjoyed this story! I really felt the emotion of the characters and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to fans of contemporary romance. I thought that this romance felt very realistic and I quickly fell in love with main characters.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

good romance and trying to figure out life at 35. I loved that she had such a great friend in summer. I also loved that she was trying to figure out pining for garret or another chance with a childhood friend Asher. I loved that she wrote songs from her life and figured out what she wanted. I adore who she picked . The timelines were a bit confusing at first.

Despite having books on my tbr list that have been there longer, I remembered how much I adored Bad Luck Bridesmaid and, after receiving the invitation to read an early copy, I jumped right in to Maybe Once, Maybe Twice, no regrets.

Okay, first things first - I love a book that references a favorite song of mine - it’s a little thrill to my reader’s heart - but I will lose my heart to a book that references quite a few of my favorite songs (Gypsy, Crash into Me, Everlong (the acoustic version), fecking Silver Springs, and LC’s Hallelujah).

The comedy in this one made me laugh out loud in several places (see Dave Matthews Band concert in Central Park scene for example), the ache and hunger here is rendered beautifully, it’s nearly palpable - there’s so much about this one that works. There’s love and heartbreak, there’s heartache and lifelong friendship, and there’s slow burn galore. Silver Springs - the one that got away, you’re getting that same star-crossed longing here.

This is now two home runs from Ms. Greenberg, and I, for one, can’t wait to read what she writes next ❤️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I liked the plot of this book and the story kept me engaged. However, the book was way too long and I found the multiple, alternating timelines distracting and confusing. Additionally, the ending tied things up too quickly, especially compared to the very slow pace of the rest of the book. I appreciated the growth of the characters throughout the years of this story. Unfortunately, I wanted to like this book much more than I did.

I love love love the premise of this book! I love reading stories like this & this was a wonderful one. I really enjoyed reading this book. I'm super glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy romantic & romcom books. I mostly enjoyed the characters and overall enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!