This isn't my first Tessa Bailey book, but the ones I have read have been few and far between. So I can't really remember if this is her typical style. Whoo, was it spicy though! Choosing to read this in a crowded hospital waiting room was not my best decision.

I know that things have to move really fast in romance novellas, so I appreciated the fact that the plot for this one spanned a full year and didn't come off as insta-lust. The premise was interesting, with the male MC being the more romantic and family oriented partner in the relationship. It starts off very sweet...loved the soup scene! Then the smut hits, and it brings to mind dark mafia romance. It felt very incongruous and didn't really work for me. And seriously, why with all the spitting?😖

Which brings me to my dilemna. Did I hate it? No. So, in the spirit of the holiday season, I'm going to round this one up to a 3⭐️.

Big fat thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for setting this novella up for immediate reading in the platform for ARC readers 💕

My rating: 4⭐
Read this if you like:
- Fake marriage
- Sports romance
- Slow burn🔥
- Steamy!!
- He falls first

My review:
Okay, so this novella was everything I was hoping for: Big ice hockey player with a filthy mouth is head over heels about the hyper-independent FMC needs her to marry him so he doesn't get deported.

Was it borderline ridiculous? Yes.
But was it fun, light and spicy enough for me to enjoy every word? Yup, yup, yup.

I totally recommend this one if you're looking for a spicy, quick paced palate cleanser.

If you ever were to read a novella, this is the one to get your hands on!

“Same Time Next Year” follows Sumner, a hockey player on the brink of breaking into the NHL. With Sumner’s work visa about to expire, his only chance to stay in America and achieve his dream of going pro is to get a green card. Enter Britta, an ambitious waitress looking to become a part owner of the bar she works at. In exchange for the money she needs, Britta reluctantly agrees to marry Sumner, but the closer they become in preparation for their green card interview, the harder it is for them to keep their relationship solely contractual.

Novellas can be challenging to write because they are shorter than novels, yet longer than short stories (typically being anywhere from 70 to 160 pages), but Tessa Bailey navigates the constraints beautifully. She tracks her characters’ fake marriage across the span of a year, cleverly homing in on specific moments in time that are sure to hold the attention of readers and further invest them in the development of Britta and Sumner’s relationship—like when Sumner insists on accompany Britta to a concert or when they went to their first family gathering as a “couple”. Bailey also perfectly balances steamier scenes with more wholesome moments.

By the time I got to the end, I wanted more, not because I was left unsatisfied (a feeling I often experience when reading novellas due to their brevity), but because I genuinely fell in love with the characters and their story. I thoroughly enjoyed this little taste of what is to come in Bailey’s sports series and cannot wait for them to hit shelves!

Believe me when I say that I absolutely don't want to say this, but I hated this. If it weren't for the fact that it's just a novella and not a second longer I would have totally DNF'd this. I just absolutely could not stand our male main character. Almost everything he said was just a massive ick to me. He grossed me out so much. I also wasn't really that sold on the romance. The female main character just kind of felt forced into it, to me. So yeah, this really wasn't my thing.

This was my first read by Tessa Bailey, and I really enjoyed it! I liked Sumner from the beginning! There were a few cringe moments that seemed cheesy to me, but I’m sure they won’t bother other readers! I love happily ever after books with a little spice, and this was perfect.

It's a cute short story with a little bit of spice. It's fast-paced and it's definitely a good book that I wished was longer. It's about a golden retriever boy who falls first and a girl who has a fear of relationships. A marriage of convenience. Overall, it's a good book, but I would've loved a backstory of the Britta's and Sumner's life before they met and how they met!

A cute romance that gives you the warm and fuzzy feeling. Loved the chemistry between the two main characters and the spicy scenes did what that needed to do. Any win for Tessa Bailey.

I've been a Tessa Bailey fan since "Fix Her Up", so it wasn't surprising at all that I got sucked in with her short novella about a marriage of convenience.

Britta was a very likable FMC. Despite her hang ups about romance and marriage, she almost immediately recognized Sumner, a.k.a. "Sum", to be a sweet, respectful, and overall wonderful human being.

Sumner was such a wholesome MMC. A firm believer in love that lasts, he wasn't about to let his "fake wife" deny what was stirring between them.

Despite being such a short story, this definitely packed a punch. I loved that we got to "meet" Sumner's family and get some insight into Britta's past. He grew up seeing unconditional love while Britta grew up seeing immeasurable loss. And as a result of this, somehow, they are exactly what the other needs.

Now, while all of this was incredibly positive, there were also some downsides to the story. A huge chunk of the "spice" felt forced and unnatural, and quite cringeworthy on several occasions. So many of Sum's lines seemed so repetitive and out of character for him. And unfortunately, they took away from the story during what should've been pivotal interactions or conversations. This was almost enough to make me DNF a few times. However, I wanted to see the story through, so I powered through those scenes and made my way to the end.

The ending was certainly sweet and rounded out the rough edges of the story. However, what would've made this story on par with the rest of Tessa's stories would've been more emotional intimacy infused into the storyline as well as stronger arcs for both characters.

3 ⭐️

If you like: novellas, dual POV, marriage of convenience, he fell first. Overall it’s a fun and lighthearted, quick romance. An easy palate cleanser to just shut your brain off and giggle along.

Sumner is about to be deported, and his hockey teammates try to convince Britta (her half brother is on the team) to marry him before midnight on NYE. His career trajectory has him being called up into the NHL soon, if he can stay in the country.

They strike a deal, with the caveat that they break up in one year exactly. Chapters are broken out by month, as we follow the progression of their scheme.

Sumner has been smitten since he first saw Britta, but she’s anti marriage. This premise keeps the story from being insta-lovey, even though it’s a novella. He wants more than just the appearance of a relationship.

When she slyly throws out his magazine from the mail pile? I died laughing. Plus, she’s thinking about about mail fraud while actively being in a sham wedding? So funny.

Sumner is her best MMC yet. I’m low key sad this is an Amazon Original because I want to own a physical copy!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital ebook!

5/5 stars! If Tessa Bailey writes it, I will read it. I thorough enjoyed reading it and couldn’t put it down. Thank you to Amazon Original Stories, Tessa Bailey and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this book.

Britta is a bartender at the bar that the local hockey team goes to. She's single and not looking to change that. Sumner is part of that team and only has eyes for her. Sumner's visa is up and he needs to move back to Canada.... unless he gets married. So begins the predictable love story.

This novella is predictable, but also spicy and actually kinda cute. I loved that Sumner was Canadian, a hockey player, falls in love first, and had such an amazing family. Britta is the total opposite. You know what they say... opposites attract.

Thank you to Netgalley, Tessa Bailey, and the publisher for this free ebook. This review is 100% my own and honest review.

Tessa Bailey’s New Years short story is more novella length, so we are able to see come character and relationship progression! This was my fear going in, I am a hard sell on short romances due to the lack of time to really develop the chemistry and relationship.

As is usual for Miss Bailey, some of the word choices and lines will make you pause and be like “really?” before moving on. Our hero is over the top obsessed with the heroine, but the heroine spends most of the book being a bit rude and icky towards him. She does come around and I felt it was believable enough as to why she was acting that way and how she was able to overcome her fears.

I have conflicting feelings, but this was easy to digest, binge-able, and good for a quick shot of spicy romance.

*ARC Review*

Very cute, quick, and fun read about a marriage of convenience. Because it is a novella we meet our main characters quickly and are immediately smitten with them. We see their chemistry right off the bat and follow it nicely. While a short story, Bailey does a nice job of giving us details that only add to the plot. Love the characters, the families, and the sports influence. Really enjoyed it!

This was a really quick read with some lovable characters and the classic but always good 'fake marriage' trope. I liked both main characters Sumner and Britta and their dynamic together. The shyness and overall way Sumner is was very sweet and not what you'd expect from a huge hockey player. It worked really well. This story gets super spicy, much spicier than I'm used to reading so I was a little shocked in parts, but overall liked the general story and characters.

3.5⭐️

A fast-past romance novella.

Britta doesn’t believe in love and sure doesn’t want to be married. After what her father did to her mother, she could care less to give her heart away. She is a waitress at a bar called Sluggers with hopes to one day be a part owner. Her mom worked there and it hold memories for her. Her half brother is on the local hockey team and it’s a cool place for all the guys to hangout. Therefore, she has a strict no dating policy.

Sumner is a hockey player on the brink of making it into the NHL. The only problem is, his work visa is about to expire. The only way to stay in the US is to get married and get his green card. Enter Britta. He makes her an offer she can’t refuse.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. There were some cringey moments (aka the smutt scenes) but the storyline was good. I would say this isn’t her best work but it wasn’t bad either. If you’re looking for a quick read, this would be it.

Thanks you to NetGalley for my advance reader copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Same Time Next Year is fast-paced novella that checks 3 boxes:

- Marriage of convenience
- Insta-love
- Lots of spice

2/5 ⭐️

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t really for me. I liked the marriage of convenience trope, but found it odd that the main characters basically spent the first year of their “expirationship” living entirely separate lives. There was also a LOT of spice with semi-cringey dialogue.

Overall, it was a very light, very fast read that got me out of a reading slump which was much-needed!

Thank you to NetGalley & Amazon Original Stories for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon for this advance copy in exchange for my review.

I really wish I could give this a glowing review, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

I enjoyed the marriage of convenience trope and the length but sadly that’s where the enjoyment ended for me.
Something about Sumner made me uncomfortable the entire novella. I do typically enjoy Tessa’s books, and I know her MMCs are usually very possessive but Sumner was next level.

The good news is, I think this is an outlier opinion and I know many people will absolutely love this short read.

A short sports novella with a few plot holes but, overall, a fun ride if you don’t think too much on the details.

A liked Sum, thinking he was a pretty calm, stand up guy…. Turns out, he’s a total dirty talker in the sheets. I wasn’t expecting that. Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong it but it felt unnatural to hear him dirty talk and put his hand on her throat. There’s also the little detail of them getting his green card in less than a year. Oh! And giving her $50k but not being able to buy her a ring?

I did enjoy following along as Britta discovers what’s been holding her back all of these years & seeing her move past it all. She had the worst example of a relationship growing up & had hardened herself to all relationships.

Again, a good ride with a few potholes but it’s an easy read that I’m glad I jumped on. Would I read it again? No… But I would recommend it for anyone looking for a quick, easy sports romance with some spice.

Tessa Bailey can write a novella! I loved how this didn't feel rushed or incomplete- even at 40k words. She did such a good job setting up the story/backgrounds at the beginning so we could jump right into the marriage of convenience.

I am unsure how I am obsessed with Sumnar after only 10 chapters but I need more of him. What a freaking cinnamon roll! We know I love a 6'5" sap and he delivered 10 fold. I really loved how he wouldn't back down from his emotions- he didn't act like he could or would tamper his feelings for Britta if/when the relationship became physical- and I loved it.

Britta was also pretty great, I think because this was a novella and there wasn't time for things to drag out, I wasn't bothered by her hang ups. Also, she battled her attraction to Sumner from the beginning so we know she really loved him.

Overall- 10/10 hockey novella. Will read again. SO GOOD.

I really wanted this to be a nice fluffy palate cleansing fast read, at just over 100 pages…but I really had a hard time with this one. I don’t know if I’m out of my hockey romance, new adult, or Tessa Bailey era…or maybe all of the above?! It really made me sad because one of my top favorite troupes is marriage or convenience and I immediately thought this would have been the perfect novella for me

⭐️OUT NOW⭐️

2.5⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the review copy!