his was a solid debut novel! fall in New York is one of my favorite things so I adored the setting. I loved seeing Adam and June’s friendship and how it evolved over the years. This was such a cozy fall romance
I enjoyed my time reading it but overall it fell a little flat for me.

I wasn’t in the biggest romance mood while reading so it was difficulty for me to fully connect to the characters. This was a fun ready, but probably not one that I’ll think about after finishing. But so many people loved this book and I would still recommend it for anyone looking for a fall read this season.

it’s different this time comes out Tuesday September 30, so make sure to grab your copy!

big thank you to Dell Romance and NetGalley for sending me this eARC!

LOVED

Adam Carlsen - Chef Variant!!!

It’s actually unreal that this is a debut. So much heart, yearning, tension. <3

I’m not usually someone that loves a second chance romance (bc I want things to work out the first time, dammit!!!) but I absolutely loved it

A perfect autumn in NY setting

Things to know:
- strangers to roommates to lovers
- 2nd chance romance
- past x present time jumps (easy to follow)
- past (both in 20s) x present (both in 30s)
- a man down bad

After finishing this book I’m so relieved not to be in my 20s anymore bc every decision in my 20s felt so big & dramatic & hard - and my 30s has been realizing that things aren’t as big of a deal as I thought. & that things always work out - just maybe not in the way I thought they would.

If you’re craving a second-chance romance with a side of emotional excavation and a dash of New York real estate fantasy, It’s Different This Time delivers. Joss Richard crafts a slow-burn story that’s equal parts nostalgic and tender, with just enough bite to keep things interesting.

June and Adam’s reunion at their old West Village brownstone—thanks to a wild legal loophole—sets the stage for a month-long forced proximity that’s ripe with unresolved tension. The setup is deliciously rom-com, but the execution leans more Emily Henry than Hallmark: layered, introspective, and emotionally messy.

What works:
- 💔 The emotional depth. Richard doesn’t shy away from grief, resentment, and the ache of missed chances.
- 🏠 The setting. Perry Street is practically a character, and the NYC vibes are strong—even if the fall aesthetic is more pumpkin pie cameo than full-on cozy.
- 🔥 The chemistry. June and Adam’s dynamic simmers, and when it finally boils over, it’s worth the wait.

What holds it back:
- 🐌 The pacing. The past/present structure drags at times, especially when the Big Fallout is teased but not revealed until late.
- 🧠 June’s emotional arc could’ve used more clarity—her attachment issues are compelling but underexplored.

Overall, It’s Different This Time is a heartfelt, slow-burn romance that rewards patient readers with a satisfying payoff. Not quite the cozy fall read the cover promises, but a rich, character-driven story that earns its second chance.

It’s Different This Time By Joss Richards
4.25⭐️

I was looking for the perfect book to kick off that cozy Fall/Autumn energy, and this one delivered beautifully. 🍂

This second-chance romance is heartfelt and told in a dual timeline—which can be hit or miss, but it worked so well here.

Adam and June completely stole my heart (even if a few miscommunication moments had me wanting to throw the book across the room 🙄).

Overall, such an enjoyable read that left me wishing for more time with these characters.

4.5/5 - Swoon! A cozy, engaging read. I loveeeee an NYC romance, and this really delivered. June and Adam meet randomly in NYC and end up being roommates in the apartment of their dreams. June is an aspiring broadway actor, Adam is an aspiring chef. But when we first are introduced to them, it’s 10 years after their initial meet cute and they aren’t speaking, but unforeseen circumstances dictate that they must. What happened to these picture perfect pals? Were they ever more than friends?

This dynamite debut is a friends to lovers, forced proximity, miscommunication, dual timeline dream. I loved it! My only issue was with June, as I found her incredibly frustrating at times, but her hang ups and insecurities are certainly well founded.

Thank you to @netgalley and Dell for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! Can’t wait for more from Joss Richard!

Tender, twisty, and full of second-chance ache. When June and Adam inherit their old NYC brownstone, they’re forced to live together for four weeks after five years of silence and one very messy fallout.

I loved this book so very much. I could feel each setting, smell every delicious dish, hear every song - this is one of those books that just wraps you up and carries you away.

This isn’t a light romantic comedy - it’s deeper than that. There’s so much history between Adam and June, the main characters, and it unfolds one layer at a time throughout the book, rather than all at once, after six years apart. I think I’ve seen some references to this being a second-chance romance, but I don’t know that I really agree with that. It’s something different, that I don’t quite have words for. Something that at times infuriated me and other times felt warm and fuzzy - not unlike real life. The actions of the characters definitely bugged me at times, but Joss Richard’s writing was so masterful that I was in it, 100%, regardless of what poor choices sometimes the characters made. I think Joss could be a long-lost relative of B.K Borrison, her writing reminded me of her in the best way.

I especially loved that this story was written in first person, with June as the narrator. Her voice was so real and relatable throughout.

You’ll find in these pages:
Friends to Lovers
Dual Timeline
Slow Burn
Forced Proximity
Found Family
New York City

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest, unfiltered review.

This was a really cute and sweet fall romance! June and Adam are former roommates, June had moved away from New York to LA to be on TV. They inherit the house they used to live in and both end up staying there while figuring out their lives and relationship. Adam’s family was so wonderful and I loved how they loved June. The middle/end got a little long and slow for me, but overall this was a great story!

If you are not ready for fall, this book will get you there! It has all the cozy charm that makes you want to curl up with a blanket and fireplace and a novel all weekend as the air gets chilly. Even better if it is in a house you suddenly co-own with a very intriguing other person!

This book reads like an experienced author and not a debut novel, Joss Richard creates characters that feel real on their own which only makes their relationship that much more exciting to watch grow.

I will definitely read more by this author!

The best review I can give this book is that it's the first one in months that I lost sleep over because I had to stay up to finish it. 

As a Broadway enthusiast who lives in NYC, I had high expectations and high standards for this one. And when I found out the prominence that both Rent AND Les Mis had in it (arguably two of the best musicals ever made imo)? Even more so. And it lived up to every single one. 

June and Adam have not seen each other in years- not since they lived together in Brownstone in NYC and something happened to cause them to stop speaking. As fate would have it, they inherit that house once the owner dies, and they must come together to decide what to do with it. Living there together again, even temporarily, brings back a flood of emotions and unresolved feelings. 

June was really frustrating at times but where other authors fail at veering too much into unlikable territory, with June, I got it. Even though I didn't like some of the choices that she made, I understood why she made them, particularly that she's so used to people leaving her that she chose to leave first. It's a really frustrating choice, but I found myself relating to it. 

Adam is the perfect leading man. Climbed way up there in top book boyfriends for me. Since the book is told solely from June's POV, it would have been easy for him to be delegated to just love interest status, but he had full character development, a rich backstory, and a family full of their own character traits outside of just being "Adam's family". This is also, weirdly, the 4th ARC book IN A ROW that I've read where the male lead is a chef- I guess chefs are having their moment in romance novels right now!

I could not believe that this was the author's debut novel. I've found myself saying that quite a bit this year with all the new books I'm reading, but this one even more so. Joss Richard is clearly born to do this and I'm really honored to have gotten an ARC before the rest of the world gets to read it! I can not WAIT to read every single thing she puts out. Whatever the next thing is- I'll be there!

Wow. Just WOW. I love this book so so much & Joss’s brain is unbelievable! For this being a debut novel, i would not change a thing about it. June and Adam’s story is heartbreaking at times and beautiful. I found myself really rooting for them since the beginning and I felt every emotion they were feeling too. I loved the side characters and fell in love with this story since the very beginning.

I cannot wait to see what Joss does next!

What an AMAZING debut from Joss Richards! This was the perfect, cutesy romance I've been needing. I loved that June was a performer. I feel like it was written not as a trope, but an actual choice for the character.
Adam was TO DIE FOR. I saw somewhere that he was inspired by or fancasted as David Corenswet and YES. I pictured him the whole time.
All of these characters felt like whole humans with real lives outside of the story we read.
Love love loved this one.

You guys, this book was SO GOOD. It’s a delightful chocolate pretzel of a book - simultaneously lighthearted and emotional and sad and sweet. This is the kind of love story that grabs hold of you and never lets go. Books like this are the reason I love romance novels! The deep connection, the longing, the hopeful glances - it was all top notch. I started getting those telltale romance novel butterflies approximately 5 seconds after the meet cute. I truly loved every moment of this book!

It’s Different This Time is the fall romance I’ve been waiting for - everything about it screams quintessential autumn in New York, from the seasonal lattes to the farmers market to the Brooklyn brownstone porches overflowing with pumpkins. It had everything I love about Nora Ephron romcoms - the classic New York setting, the longing and tension, the rock solid friendships. I’m in awe of how @joss.richard managed to capture all the elements present in my favorite New York romcoms, but in a way that felt fresh. This book reads like a love letter to autumn in New York in the best way!

Everything about this book was so well done. There were no silly miscommunications or immature main characters. Just two people with different upbringings that shaped their approaches to love. This is the kind of friends to lovers/ second chance romance I’m SO here for. The kind where they take their time apart to figure out who they are and what they need to find happiness. And it wasn’t just the romance that shined in this book! The setting was perfection, the friendships were everything, and the vivid food descriptions were the cherry on top.

At the end of the day, this book is story about a home, but not the kind you’re thinking of. Because sometimes home isn’t a place, it’s a person - and what is life about if not finding that one person who feels like home? Needless to say - I feel I must insist that you add this to your fall TBR!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own. Huge thanks to Ballantine | Dell for the arc!

This feels like a Nora Ephron movie, with the vibes somewhere between When Harry Met Sally and You've Got Mail (not plot similarities, just vibes).

🍁dual timeline
🍁single POV
🍁friends to lovers
🍁they don't realize until it's too late

June and Adam (side note: is this an Adam Driver inspired mmc? because the vibes are there) move in together when they find a perfect apartment neither of them can afford. They become best friends, until June abruptly leaves for LA. After five years apart, they inherit the house they lived in.

Their animosity doesn't last long, thankfully--I hate those drawn out scenes of hatred and pranks--and settle back into their old friendship until it slowly drifts into something more.

I LOVED this. I loved both of the characters and their friends. It really did feel like watching an Ephron movie. This is going on my favorites list for the year!

4.5/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½ — A stunning debut full of heart, heartbreak, and second chances

It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard took me a minute to sink into. The beginning felt a little slow as the groundwork was being laid but once the story found its rhythm, I was gone. The emotional depth, the nuance, and the way the tension built between June and Adam… I couldn’t put it down. By the halfway mark, it had me by the throat in the best way.

I’m not usually a fan of dual timelines, but here, it completely worked. The shifts between past and present didn’t just serve the story; they shaped it. They gave weight to how June and Adam came together, fell apart, and somehow still found their way back to one another. It built intensity in a way that felt lived-in and honest, layer by layer.

Both main characters feel real -not idealized, not romanticized -just human. June, especially, is messy and raw. She gets in her own way sometimes (don’t we all?), but that’s what makes her journey resonate. Adam, though… Adam is one of the most reliable men I’ve ever read. I ached for him as the truth of their past slowly unraveled. There’s a quiet steadiness to him that makes every revelation hit that much harder.

Even though this is a single POV, I never felt like anything was missing. In fact, Richard does such a skillful job writing June’s perspective that Adam’s presence is palpable in every scene; not as something she’s telling us, but as someone we feel. It’s a rare feat in a second-chance romance, where dual POVs often make or break the emotional balance, and Richard nails it.

The setting-New York in the fall, a brownstone apartment that feels like a living, breathing part of their love story -adds so much texture. Adam’s a chef, June’s an actress, and the way those careers feed into their identities makes the story feel even more layered. You can almost taste the city in every scene.

There’s a line from Les Misérables that kept echoing in my head as I read:

“To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further.”
It captures the heart of this story — love that endures, changes, breaks, and rebuilds.

For a debut, It’s Different This Time is an emotional gut punch. Beautifully written, deeply felt, and full of the kind of imperfect love that lingers long after the last page.

It's Different This Time is a strong debut from Joss Richard about June and Adam, former roommates whose friendship ended on bad terms. They are forced back together again when the former owner of the property they shared has willed the property to the two of them. While the property is in pending sale for one month, they are living (and talking to each other) again. They have a second chance at their friendship (and romance) and have to decide whether to keep the property or sell it together.

Perfect for fans of:
Forced Proximity
Fall in New York setting
Second chance romance
Friends to lovers
Dual POV & Timelines
Self-discovery

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Dell for the advanced copy. It's Different This Time hits shelves on September 30, 2025.

Well, I started this book Friday night after a very long week, in an attempt to unplug.

Fast forward to last night when I am up WAY TOOOOOO late, giggling and with a big ol smile on my face finishing.

It's the story of June and Adam, two former roommates who unexpectedly inherit the brownstone they once shared years after they moved out. June, a former theatre actress who moved to LA and has had limited success in film and TV, and is generally struggling. Adam, a chef from Long Island who is grinding his way through the New York restaurant scene.

We follow June and Adam present day, when they are brought back together after years without contact. Through flashbacks we learn how close they once were, and ultimately what led to their estrangement.

Second chance romances are hard for me because I often struggle to find them authentic - yet I was drawn in immediately with June and Adam, curious about their history and how we got here. The best characters, imo, are the ones that you can both root for and get mad at - because you're just that invested. And author Joss Richard nailed that with June and Adam.

Big thanks to Dell and NetGalley for the sneak peek of this one! It's Different This Time is out in the world TUESDAY!

All the stars! This was a debut?? Friends to lovers. Dual timelines. Second chance. Cozy fall vibes! My only issue is Adam was perfect and June was a bit insufferable at times. One of my favorite reads this year for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine, for letting me read an eARC of this book! This book comes out on September 30, 2025.

In this book we’re following our main character June Wood who is an aspiring actress. She’s living in LA pursuing her career when she gets an email compelling her to come back to NYC. When she arrives, she finds herself in a meeting with her old roommate, and her old best friend, Adam Harper. This meeting essentially kicks off the plot of this book, and we follow both June and Adam as they try to navigate life and seeing each other again after 5 years of no contact.

This book was such an emotional, yet fun fall read! The vibes for fall were there as we follow June and Adam during an NYC autumn, slowly putting the pieces of their relationship back together. They did a bunch of fun fall activities and it felt like such a cozy fall read. Not to mention how emotionally invested I was!

This story is told in the present day and we also get flashbacks to their relationship when they were living together. We got to see how they got closer and closer the longer they lived together, and then we saw how distant they were at the start of this book after 5 years of not seeing each other. It was quite an emotional read seeing them repair that bond that they had, and learning what exactly happened between them all those years ago.

This book was beautifully crafted, and told such an amazing story of friendship, love and loss. (Not necessarily in that order lol) I adored this book and can’t wait to see what Joss Richard writes next!!

This is such a great debut! If you are looking for a cozy romance to curl up with this fall, you need to add this one to your TBR. This is a dual timeline, close proximity, second-chance romance. If you are a fan of NYC, you will love how this story transports you there. A good part of the story takes place in a brownstone 😍 and the FMC is a broadway actress. The MMC is a chef and all of the food descriptions had my mouth watering,

The chemistry between the MMCs was on point and I really enjoyed seeing how their relationship developed over the years.

Just a heads up that the miscommunication trope is a big part of this story. I don’t love this trope but the believable characters and cozy setting absolutely won me over.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for inviting me to read this and to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.