Thank you Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

This was a fine first novel, but I needed more—especially if it was going for a swoony, angsty vibe. It uses one of my least favorite tropes: old friends who lost touch because the big bad thing happened. That trope can work if the reveal lands, but in this case, once you find out what the big bad thing actually was… it’s kind of a letdown.

There were moments that worked, but I never fully bought the depth of the relationship, and the epilogue felt a little rushed. Still, I think there’s potential here. I’d be curious to see what the author does next.

Loved this book. Adam...I swooned! I love a man who loves hard, and a chef too! What a great debut book by Joss. Loved the friends to lovers and second chance romance tropes. Reminiscent of a Jessica Joyce, Abby Jimenez, or Hannah Bonham Young book. What a great MMC and really enjoyed the personal growth of the FMC too. Great details of NYC without feeling like you're reading a tourist guide. Loved all the Broadway mentions (Les Mis is my favorite, too). Can't wait to read more from this author!

I devoured this book in one evening! A highly enjoyable second chance of sorts romance with cute characters and lots of yummy food!

Have you ever wanted to shake fictional characters and tell them to just FIGURE IT OUT? That’s exactly how I felt with June and Adam, and I loved every second of it.

From the moment I started, I couldn’t put this book down. It’s Different This Time is a beautifully written, second-chance romance that dives deep into the complexities of love, friendship, and forgiveness. June and Adam were once inseparable, until life, and heartbreak, pulled them in opposite directions. But thanks to a surprising twist of fate (and a wild legal loophole), they find themselves under the same roof once again, and all the feelings they buried come rushing back to the surface.

The story unfolds through dual POV and alternating timelines, giving a rich and layered look at how they fell apart, and how they might come back together. Their chemistry is undeniable, their pain is palpable, and watching them navigate all the tension, misunderstandings, and emotional baggage made me fall head over heels for both of them.

The New York City setting, especially in the fall, added this cozy, almost cinematic charm that made everything feel extra special. And I cannot talk about this book without giving love to Chloe, absolute best friend goals. She was such a grounding presence for both June and Adam.

If you love slow-burn second chances, emotional tension, forced proximity, and stories that break your heart before they piece it back together, this book is for you. And yes, grab the tissues. You’re going to need them.

How is this her first book?!?!? How is that possible?! I felt all the things in the course of reading this book and I laughed and I cried and screamed in my head at June, mostly, and about the musical theatre and ohmygawd!!! This book is very special. Very sweet and sad and lovely and funny and NEW YORK! I was able to feel the city and breathe in the energy of the places and I really think I would have loved to live there at some point.
Still can’t believe it’s her first book. Just. Wow. 💜💜💜📚

This may be a debut novel, but Joss Richard deftly handles the friends to lovers trope, and the novel is fresh and totally addictive from the first page.

Aspiring actress, June, and newly graduated chef, Adam, are in their early twenties when they meet and move into a Manhattan brownstone as roommates. The depiction of striving for career success for them and their friends in that period of their lives is so very accurately portrayed. With NYC as a backdrop and food and theater also in the mix, the reader is in for a treat.

Their insecurities, especially those of June, get in the way of them achieving happiness in their twenties, but a second chance in the brownstone that they have inherited together allow them to try again five years after they last saw each other.

Sometimes, events that conspire against a couple in a romance seem contrived, but not in this book. June has to move forward from her toxic upbringing, and watching her grow and figure life out is part of the book’s charm.

June is an aspiring actress in New York City and was shown a brownstone and fell in love although it was out kf her price range. She met Adam at the bookstore where she works part-time in between acting gigs and told him about the place. Adam decides to see the place without June knowing and June sees him that same day and accused him of stealing the place she so coveted. They made a roommate arrangement and that's how their love story begins...

June and Adam is the epitome of second chances. Roommates in the beginning, then became friends and the line between friendship and relationship became a bit blurry. I loved their friendship - being there for each other when it really mattered, showing up for each other, and loving each other like there is no one else that matters.

Tropes: Friends to lovers, miscommunication, found family, dual timeline.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this one!! The way the author writes dual pov was so smooth. Sometimes it can feel choppy, but this was perfect. I loved the characters and setting so much. I can’t wait for more of her writing

This was so freaking cute. I fell in love with the setting and side characters but the romance fell a bit flat for me in certain parts.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 ½ rounded up

I loved this one and am honestly shocked that it’s a debut! It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard is a perfect blend of second chance romance and friends-to-lovers, with dual timelines that kept me hooked from start to finish.

June and Adam used to rent a brownstone on 74 Perry Street, and even though they haven’t lived there in five years, a strange legal loophole means they now co-own it. Forced to live together for a month, they have to confront the past and reckon with the consequences of their choices.

The dual timelines, the pining, and the slow burn were so well done. I was completely invested in both their lives and their relationship. The chemistry between June and Adam was palpable, and Adam was an absolute cutie. June did get in her own way a lot, which was a bit frustrating (there were instances in both timelines where I wanted to shake her), but aside from that, this was such a fantastic read.

Joss Richard’s writing is warm and insightful, and she’s done a phenomenal job on her first book. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

I was provided an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you're into second chance romance novels then this one is pretty great. June is a struggling actress in Los Angeles when she gets a mysterious email, turns out she co-owns a multi-million dollar brownstone with her former roomate back in New York City. The chapters jump back and forth through time (both progressing linearly, no sideways jumps and no multiverse) as we learn about our romantic leads. The supporting characters have depth without being too involved though check the tags, depending on how you feel about your family members.

I devoured this book in less than a day and would absolutely read anything else this author publishes! Here are my notes from reading, in alphabetical order to prevent spoilers:

before dinner?!, boner, cackled, chills, COWARD, CROSS THE THRESHOLD, dead I have ascended, fuck yes it does, good pacing and plausibility, jumping around in time is tough, but this is compelling, least favorite trope, mmmmm forced proximity, my heart the pacing is phenom, oblivious pining, omg, ouch bby why does this feel so real, relatable female main character, scandalous ankle touching, sobbing quietly to myself, spectacular banter, sweet home alabama vibes, swoon, ughhhhhh, WHAT

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I really don’t know what to say other than this is one of my favorite romance books I have read this year! I loved the plot, the characters, you name it, I was completely invested the entire time. Once I started this book I could barely put it down long enough to eat. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes and it was done so beautifully in this book.

I was shocked when I saw this was a debut novel! If I didn’t know any better I would have suspected it was from an author who has been writing forever.

Will definitely be picking up a physical copy for my bookshelf!

So good. Reminded me of Emily Henry and Carley fortune reads. I absolutely loved Adam and the backdrop of New York in the fall was a cozy dream. I wish there were more pages!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

This book had all the elements of a typical rom-com with the addition of some less than realistic elements. It is split between two timelines, the present and the past so there is an opportunity to explore June and Adam's relationship from two different eras of their lives. From the beginning, we learn that June doesn't want to see Adam - but has to anyways since they now own a crazy nice brownstone together. This becomes the main question that the chapters about the past are supposed to answer: what happened between the two of them to cause such a rift? And while this was a fascinating, albeit not unique, concept, I found myself disappointed with the answer when it finally came into fruition. Frankly, if they would have expanded more on June's motivation and internal struggles then it would have been far more satisfying and clarifying.
Now for the silly unrealistic things: 1. That brownstone should've been crazy expensive to rent and the property taxes to inherit it would be sky high 2. for someone with "no money" June sure did go shopping a lot when she moved back to NYC 3. they find wildly rare success in both their fields at a young age which realistically doesn't happen that easily in creative and freelance professions 4. the ending/glimpse into the future made no sense at all and went against everything the book had built (see end of review for clarification <SPOILER!>)

Overall, it was a cute romance book with well written spicy scenes and a decently paced plot. It brought some NYC magic and made me smile (no matter how unrealistic some of the parts got). The characters are relatable and a bit messy with the mvp definitely being June's agent.

<SPOILER/ elaboration on point 4>: The entire book is about how June is falling back in love with theater and New York City and how she discovers that LA and TV/film isn't really for her so why would she just give that up and move back to California? Also there is no way they would give up the brownstone either. It just doesn't match Adam and June's personality to do such a thing.

I don’t think a book could cater to my tastes any more than this did! You have a second-chance romance, a glorious setting of New York City in autumn, and a female main character who loves Broadway. It’s a match made in heaven for me.

It’s Different This Time centers around two friends in their early 30s, June and Adam, who lost contact five years ago for unknown reasons. June is a TV/Broadway actress down on her luck, finding out she and her ex-roommate/friend, Adam, are set to inherit an insanely valuable Brownstone in NYC. The only catch - they have to live in the house for 30 days while paperwork gets sorted, all while trying to move past whatever drove them apart five years ago.

If you didn’t tell me this was a debut novel, I would have absolutely no idea. The way the characters are fleshed out and how vividly the setting is conveyed rival well-established authors. I absolutely love dual-timeline stories, so getting to see how the timelines eventually intersect is a real treat. I loved June and Adam’s dynamic and how much love and respect they had for one another during their friendship <spoiler>and eventual romance.</spoiler>

<spoiler>Adam being June’s number one cheerleader is SO sweet, and his whole spirit warmed my heart. He truly is everything she deserves and fits her perfectly, especially after learning more about her troubling family dynamics. The found family aspect in this story also pulled my heartstrings so much. As someone with a similar dynamic with my mother as June does with hers, her being able to find such belonging with Adam’s family is beautiful. </spoiler>

I could write a whole separate novel on how much I loved this book, but I’ll leave it at knowing full well that Joss Richard will be an auto-buy for me from now on.

Thank you to Ballentine/Dell and NetGalley for the eARC!

I love a second chance romance and this did not disappoint! I liked the flow on the book, and the characters, but I did feel like the end was a lot more rushed than the first 75 percent of the book?

I was so charmed by this book! June and Adam, former roommates, have been estranged for years, but are thrown back together when they are surprised to discover that they've inherited the West Village brownstone they used to share. Through a dual timeline, we follow June and Adam's relationship, from burgeoning friendship to eventual separation. I loved that we got to spend so much time with these characters together -- from June's auditions and acting successes and failures, to Adam's years of culinary school and time in the kitchens of various restaurants -- that their relationship feels authentic and deep. There is so much attention paid to small, quotidien details of their life as roommates and friends that I felt like I could envision them in their charming brownstone, sharing meals, watching TV, or walking the paths of Central Park. (The years-of-friendship structure reminded me of Emily's Henry's "People We Meet on Vacation," which is high praise, as that's my favorite of EmHen's novels.)

The third act of the book did feel a bit rushed, and some of the motivations behind June and Adam's decisions were perhaps a bit underbaked, but because I cared so much about these characters, I didn't let that overcome my overall enjoyment of this delightful story. This is sure to be great for a cozy autumn-in-New York read.

Although the writing in this book was really well done, the adult content in this book was not for me. But I’m sure it would be great for a lot of other readers so I did not finish this book.

I loved this book! A second chance romance told in the past in present, it captures all my favorite things - friends to lovers, the magic of New York, and chosen family. Highly recommend this book to everyone!