Thank you to the author and publishers for the advanced readers copy.

With this book being the authors debut novel its was really good. That being said I am still caught between where to rank it with stars 3.5 feels like to little and 4 feels like too much so lets just leave it at, yes you need to read this book, I highly recommend it. Though it is an emotion rollercoaster that has all the twist, turns, and dead ends as a corn maze. It was worth the read. There are points in this book were you're so happy and you think nothing can ruin this for me but then you get a swift kick in the shin and you're essentially balling your eyes out. I wasn't fully invested in the story until about 20% but again well worth it. The writing style was easy to read and the vibe was very cozy and fall vibes. I do think it is fair to mention a third act break up trope is with in the story line but as someone who usually hates that trope I promise you will get through it. I honestly look forward to what else Joss Richard's has to offer and cant wait to buy my own copy of, "It's Different This Time".

Thanks so much NetGalley and the author for the arc. I loved this soooo much, I can’t believe this is the authors debut it was soooo good. The main characters meet and end up roommates out of convenience so they decide to never cross the line of friends. So for years they stay friends but really love each other. Years later they are drawn back to each other over the house they were living in. I just loved these characters and story so much.

A second chance romance, with a cozy fall setting, in my hometown of New York City… it was a winner even before I cracked it open!

I’m so grateful to have received the ARC of It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard, though I’m secretly jealous I don’t get to devour it right at the peak of autumn. This book is the perfect autumnal rom-com, wrapped in the golden hues of falling leaves and the gentle ache of a friends-to-lovers journey.
We follow two friends navigating the line between comfort and risk, with witty banter, heart-melting chemistry, and just enough vulnerability to make you ache for them to figure it out.
Reading it feels like sipping a dirty chai latte while nibbling on warm banana bread, the kind of story that makes you want to stroll through Central Park with a scarf wrapped tight and a smile tugging at your lips.
Cozy, heartfelt, and brimming with charm, this is the kind of romance you’ll want to revisit whenever autumn rolls around.

I absolutely loved this book. I don't think I've ever liked to protagonists more than I liked Adam and June. The NYC fall vibes were incredible too. I've already promoted this book a couple of times on my instagram account and will post a full review when I finish. Thank you so much for the copy!

4.5 ⭐️

I had to read this book twice before I felt I could accurately review it. Let me be clear: this is a fantastic debut—I loved every bit of it. Yet I find it hard to separate my frustrations from my love of the novel. The writing is so authentic and emotionally resonant that when certain choices didn’t land for me, they stung harder than they might have in a less moving story.

The dual-timeline structure worked especially well here, shifting between June and Adam’s past—the years they spent living together and the mistakes that drove them apart—and their present, where they must face the consequences and confront unresolved feelings. This is second-chance romance done right, steeped in long-term pining, heartache, and lingering desire.

June is the heart of this story, driven and ambitious, but also sensitive and plagued by self-doubt. She’s a beautifully written and nuanced character, but there were times when her motivations felt unclear—particularly during pivotal moments, which made some of the central conflict harder to swallow. I also wish the author, just once, had highlighted the parallels between June and the characters she played on stage, Eponine and Mimi.

Adam is endlessly supportive and fiercely loyal, quietly showing June how he feels through his actions, but his hesitancy to put those feelings into words often leaves June uncertain. Their chemistry is undeniable, slowly unfolding, built on years of shared history and quiet familiarity. However, readers who are frustrated by communication-based tension might find themselves exasperated by Adam and June’s mutual reticence to express their true emotions.

Truly, I wouldn’t have nit-picked this book if I didn’t love it so much. I am a sucker for this combination of tropes: slow-burn, second-chance, friends-to-lovers stories with dual timelines. This was a fantastic debut novel that fell just short of true greatness, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This book has me itching to hop on a plane to New York and listen to showtunes the whole way there. Just in time for NY fall, too. This was such a satisfying read!

It’s got Broadway, hot chef, forced proximity, so much sexual tension, and all The Feels.

Also, this cover is stunning. I need it, You need it.

I’m a big fan of Joss Richard now. Can’t wait for the next book already!

Thank you so much for the ARC.

It's Different This Time is everything I need in a fall romance - NYC setting, then/now timeline, and the sweetest relationship between characters I can't stop thinking about! I can't wait to read more from Joss Richard - you've got a new fan in me!

Fans of friends to lovers and second chances won't want to miss this stand out debut by a new Canadian author. Set in New York City, this book delivers on all the cozy, Nora Ephron Fall vibes and spans a decade as we get to know actress June and chef Adam from their meet cute, to becoming roommates and friends and then after a falling out are reunited years later when they jointly inherit the brownstone where they originally lived together.

Full of emotional depth, longing and coming of age angst, I really enjoyed this and thought it was good on audio narrated by Ferdelle Capistrano. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Emily Henry, Ashley Poston or Cara Bastone. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

CW: death of a parent from cancer, secondary character who dies from Alzheimer's (off page)

Thank you to @netgalley and @ballentine/dellromance for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
This book! It has everything I love in a good Fall romance...set in NYC, Broadway, chefs, second chance romance, oh and a twist of fate that has you tearing up at all the right moments! I was sold based on the summary alone and the book totally delivered!

I felt so connected to June's character. She makes mistakes, and has so much growth as she finds her way back to herself. There was something about Adam was just sexy from the start. The pining! They had the cutest, most NY meet cute ever. You just felt the chemistry between them from the very start. The tension was sizzling. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the When Harry Met Sally vibes. Something about a friends to lovers, second chance romance in NYC during the 'ber months just does it for me! I can't recommend this one enough.

I really enjoyed reading It's Different This Time! It was such a wholesome, cute read! The characters were so fun to get to know and to see them come together at the end after the issues they had was great! I definitely recommend to everyone!

This book was a very cozy fall read with so much tension building up between the main characters. I felt the frustration alongside June and Adam as they struggled to articulate what they actually meant to each other. The main male character, Adam, was one of the most appealing male leads in a romance book that I have recently read. The city descriptions and the food descriptions were amazing and the beautiful brownstone that they lived in almost felt like another character in the story. I will definitely recommend this to library patrons who are looking for their next great romance read. This book contains open door scenes.

It’s been a bit since a book, especially a debut novel, made me feel so many feelings. This book made me smile, made me cry, broke my heart and put it back together. The way I was obsessed and rooting for Adam and June the whole book. I was immediately sucked in when June had to fly from LA to NYC to discuss 74 Perry, the beautiful brownstone she used to live in with Adam. Stanley, the owner of the brownstone, leaves it to the last residents of the home after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which are Adam and June.

I absolutely ate up the dual timeline in this book. Between being in the present with June back in NYC as an actress just trying to find a new job and this new situation involving 74 Perry, and the chapters in the past that led to where they are now and why things happened the way they did, I loved every word and every page. The setting of NYC in the fall and these two in a brownstone?! Say less. Seriously Joss Richard did an amazing job captivating me in this book and I couldn’t put it down. Reading this made me want to go to NYC during the fall and never return!

The yearning 😩 I loved it so much. You could feel the yearning and the tension on the pages. I also absolutely loved June’s background of having a Mom, but her Mom choosing to really not be apart of her life, because I find that happens a lot more often than not in real life, so I know there are some readers who can relate to this. The found family aspect with Adam’s family was just so heart warming, especially between June and his mom, Audrey.

I devoured every page and every word of this book. There is nothing I would change or want to be different. This is everything in a second chance romance I could ask for. I haven’t given very many books 5 stars this year, but this one gets all the stars from me. And for being a debut, this deserves all the hype!!

Thank you Joss Richard, Dell Romance and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love NYC in the fall so this was the perfect setting for me. The second chance romance between June and Adam I loved, but the miscommunication bothered me like it usually does in most books with that trope. I did enjoy this sweet story though and I think it’s a great cozy read for the fall. Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for this copy. I enjoyed it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Ballentine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A heartfelt second-chance romance with cozy NYC vibes and emotional depth.

I really enjoyed this story of two estranged roommates reunited by a twist of fate and a shared brownstone. June and Adam’s slow journey back to each other felt authentic, with just the right mix of tension and tenderness. The autumn setting added a lovely, nostalgic touch, and their late-night talks and shared meals made me feel like I was right there with them.

While I wished for a bit more clarity around their past fallout, the emotional payoff was worth it. A warm, reflective read about love, honesty, and the risks of starting over.

It’s different this time
By: Joss Richard
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: September 30th

This is such a beautiful second chance romance set in New York following June and Adam.

June is a performer and loves to be on broadway and in TV. Adam is a chef who owns his own restaurant. They were roommates in what feels like a past life but when they are left the brownstone they previously rented together their lives are turned upside down. They have to decide if they want to keep it or sell it but have to wait for the paperwork to be finalized. This leaves them living in the house together for a month and things spark back to life.

The timeline jumps from the past when they are roommates to the present day when they are living together again. They move through life together again and fall into a rhythm of friendship, true acceptance and peace.

This book is absolutely beautiful! It is amazing that this is Joss’s first book. I cannot wait to see what else she writes in the future. This book deserves all of the love and it is the perfect fall read.

NYC in fall ✅
Friends to strangers to lovers ✅
Forced proximity ✅
YEARS of pining and yearning ✅

The first half of this book was pretty slow and I had a hard time getting invested but I absolutely flew through the second half. I really liked the development of June and Adam’s relationship (in both the past and present timelines). I’m always a sucker for friends to lovers and they had such a solid friendship so I really enjoyed that.

This book was a lot of fun and a really great debut from Joss Richard. Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC!

I loved this second chance friends to lovers romance. I thought the premise of two people inheriting a brownstone was creative and new. They were both flawed characters who made sense together. I loved the interesting and fun side characters. The found family elements. It was a quick addicting read. I loved the food details, the theater details and how it read like a love letter to NYC. I did lose some interest toward the end. But I really really enjoyed this book and absolutely cannot believe it’s a debut novel. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

4.75/5

no one, and i mean no one, wants this to be a five star more than me...

there is something to be said about binge reading an anticipated release. even though i only hear of this book like three months ago, i have been over the moon with excitement waiting to read it. i saved the arc for close to release date because its the perfect fall book, i mean look at that cover, the foliage!! i read the first half in three hours last night and stayed up way to late, if i didn't have class this morning i would have stayed up and finished it and that would've made it a five stars... maybe.

something about this book felt like a warm hug, it genuinely was so fun to get into because i was hooked the second chapter one ended. adam and june had such good chemistry and you could feel the tension from the very beginning. i could feel their love for the house through the page and i just wanted to be there, in new york, experiencing the feeling of coming home with them. seeing their bond from the very start was lovely and the past chapters held so much angst and love, i was entranced by the writing. following adam and june in the present was just as rewarding. they are accomplishing so much, the restaurant and les mis, plus they're being the cutest couple there ever was.

truly nothing could have convinced me this wasn't going to be a five star when i went to bed last night. this book is still perfect, don't get it twisted. i just wasn't a huge fan of the miscommunication that we went through at the end, the one that separated them and their "third act breakup." i think adam's father said it best when he was being nosy, "you're going to lose it either way... you win, you lose, but you can't do either unless you take a chance."

joss richard should be incredibly proud of herself. she states at the end that this is the first book she's ever written an its spectacular!! the odds i look back at the end of the year and up this to a five are very high but it will be a favorite nonetheless!! i cannot recommend this enough for romance lovers everywhere!

*thank you netgalley and dell for the arc!*

4.75 🌟

₊˚⊹♡ I just want to start off by saying that I cannot believe this is Joss Richard’s debut novel! The writing was absolutely impeccable, so captivating, easy to follow, and filled with the kind of tension, pining, and yearning that keeps you hooked from start to finish. I was honestly shocked by how incredible this book turned out to be. 👏🏼

₊˚⊹♡ And listen, anytime a book is set in New York City, I’m already halfway sold. 🗽 NYC is my hometown, and Joss Richard described the city (and the Broadway/Musical theater world) in such a vivid, authentic way that it felt like I was right there walking the streets or sitting in the audience. The details were chef’s kiss. 💋

╰┈➤ Speaking of chef’s kiss???? Mr. Adam Harper!!!! Whewwwww chile. A man who shows love through acts of service? A compassionate, determined, absolute lover boy who also happens to be a chef? 👨🏻‍🍳 Yeahhhh… Adam Harper has officially been added to my book boyfriend list. 🤭

╰┈➤ June Wood. She’s the struggling actress doing her best to make it in NYC, and her character development was so beautiful to read, and I love her character so much ♥︎ She’s shy yet spunky, navigating a complicated relationship with her mother, and just felt so REAL. I found myself relating to her in so many ways, and give her a big hug.

╰┈➤ But together? Adam and June were pure magic. The yearning, the tension, the unresolved feelings, it all hit perfectly. The dual ownership of a house as the setup for their second chance romance? Genius. Forced proximity and nostalgia all rolled into one. Yes, there was some miscommunication between them, but it fit naturally into their journey and made sense for their story.

₊˚⊹♡ Overall, I’m beyond pleased and grateful I got to read this as an ARC. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the opportunity in exchange for my honest review. If you love second chance romances, dual timelines, and fall-in-NYC vibes, It’s Different This Time will sweep you off your feet. It’s cozy, romantic, emotional, and the perfect fall read.

╰┈➤ Tropes:

🍂 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
🍂 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐘𝐂
🍂 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐟 𝐱 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
🍂 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲
🍂 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
🍂 𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞
🍂 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲