Exactly what I was expecting from Tessa Bailey, sweet and spicy!

Britta is a waitress at the local dive bar looking for something more in her life. Sumner is an up-and-coming hockey player who is in danger of being deported back to his home country of Canada as his green card expires. When Britta is presented with the opportunity to marry Sumner for mutual benefits, the plan sounds great. They plan to stay married for one year and remain friends. But can they keep their feelings out of this during the year?

Obviously, I wanted more.
Some of the spice was just a little cringy but overall this was a great, quick read. I loved how Sumner's family dynamics helped to heal Britta's own views of love and families.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Amazonoriginalstories for an eARC of this book! All opinions are my own!

Same Time Next Year skillfully blends a few tropes that are particularly popular in romance right now - namely hockey players and fake relationship/marriage of convenience - and packs a lot into a fairly short book. The fact that I didn't like it more is, I think, more a reflection on my taste than on Tessa Bailey's writing ability (for starters, I can't stand the constant pushing of BIG RIPPED MUSCLEBOUND DUDE + delicate petite fragile woman! vibes), and anyone who's already a fan of her work will probably enjoy this novella.

When I saw that this book was available I snatched it up because I had been hearing amazing things about Tessa Bailey. I figured a novella was a great way to test the waters. I really enjoyed this read. It was cute and fast paced. I love the relationship between Britta and Sumner. They are relationship goals for sure. I would definitely recommend this novella to romance readers. I will be adding more books by Tessa Bailey to my TBR.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Britta meets many guys at her job. There is one that she likes. I liked the chemistry between them.

Bartender Britta spends her time serving drinks to the local minor league hockey team, but for some reason none of the players have ever hit on her. Turns out the team’s star, Sumner, had named her off limits when he first joined the team but has been too scared to ask her out. When Sumner’s visa is about to expire, he and Britta enter a marriage of convenience so he can stay, but the close proximity makes things heat up.

This is a wonderful, steamy Tessa Bailey novella. I am a huge sucker for books where they guy is already totally in love with the girl so this book was right up my alley. At about 150 pages this book can easily be read in one sitting. I really liked that the book was dual POVs and both Britta and Sumner were fully developed characters even within the short span of the story. I also liked that the book carefully used time jumps so it didn’t feel like an insta-love book. I honestly wish this had been a full length book instead of a novella.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was pretty much exactly what I was expecting - a typical spicy Tessa Bailey contemporary romance just compressed into a novella length. I did wish that there was more time to get to know these two characters, and there was a jump in the timeline that I wish could have been filled in, but I think the satisfaction of a very quick, vaguely holiday themed read with an HEA made up for anything that was missing.

Tessa….ma’am. We need to have a chat.

Same Time Next Year is a story following Sumner and Britta for an entire year of their marriage of convenience. In this novella by Tessa Bailey, we meet the pair on NYE 2023 and learn Sumner is a hockey player whose work visa is about to expire. His teammates half-sister, Britta, works at a popular bar she’d like to own or become a partner of. Britta and Sumner have insane attraction, but Britta is reluctant to admit it. When she learns that Sumner has to leave the following morning, she’s persuaded by his entire team to marry him. He can get his green card, or at least an extension. And she can get money to own the bar she works in. Perfect arrangement…. Right?

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this book. I read the ebook on the NetGalley shelf app

Britta is so kind. She’s incredibly guarded due to her family traumas. Britta is also crazy in denial. Sumner is head over heels in love with Britta. He has been since they met. Sumner comes from a loving family background who were always present for him. I enjoyed the dynamic of these two. They were constantly asking each other to be honest and communicate with each other. The hockey teammates were cute and rowdy, but had the best interest of both Sumner and Britta. Tessa is always so skilled at writing stories I can imagine easily.

This novella was a light-hearted read. It gave me a taste of Sumner and Britta’s story. I am BEGGING you Tessa….it’s just you and I here. PLEASE give me a series of this team or cast or something. Please.

P. S.
The spice was….battery drainingly good.

Cute and quick hockey romance read… he falls first, fairly predictable. It was fine but nothing to write home about.

This was so cute!! I love when he falls first and harder. It was so cute how their relationship evolved. Reminded me of the movie the proposal in a lot of ways. Enjoyed this one a lot, finished it in 2 hours

I read this as an ARC from netgalley.

Tessa Bailey is the queen of balancing a great story with the perfect amount of smut! I loved the character development in this story and how Britta broke down her barriers. Sumner was the perfect gentle giant and Britta was both a strong female and also endearingly vulnerable. Overall, a quick and enjoyable read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy! This was my first Tessa Bailey read. A quick and easy read about a fake marriage for Green card purposes. Parts may have been a little cringey but I still ate it up. Parts were also cute and swoon worthy. Hockey boyfriend. He falls first. Friends to lovers. I’d put it somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating.

Title: "A Sizzling Start: 'Same Time Next Year' by Tessa Bailey - A 3.75/5 Star Review"

Tessa Bailey's novella, "Same Time Next Year," is a whirlwind of passion, humor, and unexpected twists. Set against the backdrop of a wild New Year's Eve, this story follows the journey of Britta, an ambitious waitress with a strict no-dating policy for hockey players, and Sumner, a hockey player desperate to secure a green card.

Bailey weaves an engaging narrative, blending the sizzling chemistry between Britta and Sumner with moments of humor and hope. Britta's internal conflict between her principles and her undeniable attraction to Sumner adds depth to her character, making her relatable and endearing.

The portrayal of the Bridgeport Bandits' camaraderie and their antics adds a delightful layer to the story, creating a vibrant backdrop for the central romance. The urgency of Sumner's situation adds tension, driving the storyline forward and keeping the reader invested.

However, while the novella offers an enticing premise and steamy romance, some readers might find the quick pacing somewhat rushed, leaving room for further exploration of the characters' emotional depth and the complexities of their situation. Additionally, a deeper exploration of the consequences of their impulsive decision could have enhanced the overall impact of the narrative.

Overall, "Same Time Next Year" by Tessa Bailey is a delightful, steamy read with engaging characters and a captivating storyline. While it leaves some avenues for deeper exploration untapped, it delivers an enjoyable romantic escapade that fans of passionate, fast-paced love stories will relish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC of Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey.

I have been a HUGE Tessa fan since 2016, and I read everything she puts out. I am so glad to see her getting wider recognition and readers from It Happened One Summer and other recent books - but I love when she goes back to her roots and writes something spicy/heat focused just to have fun with it.

Weirdly, I actually was a high school journalism intern at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (now the Islanders) so this book was really cozy for me in terms of setting. It isn't an instalove story - it takes place over a year - but because it is a novella we are taken in and out of the character's lives so sometimes it feels like we're just touching down / things are compressed in a way that made me want more. I wish it had been a whole novel, I would happily read more about Britta and Sumner.

Tessa Bailey is always a hit for me. Who else can write a smutty little novella and bring a tear to your eye and hurt your feelings? Hockey forced marriage, the entire novella is a HOT. So good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tessa Bailey for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. (I would’ve paid real monies to get my hands on this gem anyway)

Love Tessa Bailey. Her books are so cute and this was no different. I live there character and was hooked the whole time. It made me laugh at some points

A short but sweet story. I hope she writes a couple more of these and puts them in a complete novel.


Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest option

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (3/5)
As someone who really likes Tessa Bailey's books this was sadly a let down for me. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't realize it was a novella going into it but everything felt super rushed, which I feel like shouldn't be an excuse since there are good novellas out there. Since there were so many time skips, it just seemed like nothing was happening to the characters in the overall world. Maybe if this book wasn't a novella, there would've been more time to get to know the backstory of each character. Also if the guy plays hockey, I would like more events where they actually play hockey...not just the claim that they're a hockey player.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book! I’ve only read one other book by Tessa, and that was It Happened One Summer. I think she’s going to become one of my automatic buy author’s now. I CRIED OVER BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP. Are you kidding me? This book was so sweet and sultry. Britta has had a hard life, she’s got commitment issues, and rightfully so. Sumner is a hokey god from Canada who’s about to be shipped back unless he finds a way to stay. Enters Britta, at first not on board but decides it could benefit her want to be a owner at the bar she works at, and decides to marry Sumner. We all know what happens next when it comes to fake dating/fake marriage. The relationship these two build is beautiful and all consuming. My heart is so dang happy!

Super cute read. Fun characters and interesting plot. You just keep rooting for them…I love it!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will always be a Tessa Bailey fan and when I heard that she was releasing a novella right in time for the new year? I was sold. This book was super sweet and packed a punch for a 100 page book. I felt that it was a little different then her other books and that really spoke to me. I always turn to Tessa's books when I need a laugh and this certainly delivered.