✨What a beautiful, lovely debut romance story ❤️✨
There were so many moments where I teared up, laughed my head off, and truly felt connected to the characters. The romance was ON POINT and did not feel forced at all. Adam and June are a fantastic example of friends to lovers done right. I honestly could read this story over and over and not get sick of it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the arc of this book in exchange for my review.

First of all, the cover is gorgeous and gives the best fall vibes; it would be the perfect book to read in the autumn season.

It’s Different This Time by Joss Richards is a beautifully written, deeply emotional second chance romance that completely swept me away. I devoured this book in a single day and went on a full rollercoaster of emotions; I laughed, I teared up, I fell head over heels. This story just got me.

The book is set in New York City, and is packed with all the autumn vibes I love. The city feels like a character in itself because it feels so alive, vibrant, and brimming with memory and meaning. The dual timeline format was so effective at unraveling June and Adam’s past while slowly rebuilding their present. Watching their connection shift from estranged best friends to something more again had me hooked.

June is a TV actress who has been feeling the sting of change and loss, and Adam is a chef with a steady, quiet kind of devotion that made my heart ache. Their unexpected inheritance of the brownstone they once shared forces them to confront everything they’ve left unsaid, which is years of heartbreak, longing, and unresolved feelings.

This book was such a rich blend of tension, tenderness, and hope. I especially loved the theme of returning, not just to a place, but to yourself, your passions, your people. The chemistry between June and Adam was perfection, and the pacing of their emotional journey felt so natural and real. Yes, there’s a third act breakup (which normally is not my favorite trope), but here, I felt like it worked well. To me, it feels earned, and the payoff is so worth it.

Read if you love:
🍂 Friends to lovers
🍂 Second chances that make your heart hurt (in the best way)
🍂 NYC in the fall
🍂 Banter, Broadway, and a cinnamon roll chef love interest

I’ll be picking up anything Joss Richards writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Joss Richard, and Ballantine/Dell for the eARC of this book.

Such a beautiful second chance romance with all the fall vibes! I absolutely devoured this book in one day and had a whole rollercoaster of emotions.

I delighted in this friends to lovers, second chance romance and will happily be gobbling up anything from Joss Richards moving forward.

June has made a life out in LA where she's a TV actor sharing an apartment with her friend and friend's boyfriend. Just as June's show is cancelled for another season, her life in New York City turns from past to present when the owner of the brownstone she formerly lived in with her estranged best friend, Adam, has passed and left the property to...both of them.

This story is a second chance in ways that extend beyond romance. It was encouraging to see June return to her loves (including New York City and Broadway) and I found it comforting to see that stepping away doesn't have to be for always when it comes to cities, careers, or relationships.

June and Adam's romance will delight fans of roommates to lovers and friends to lovers - the tension between wanting to avoid jeopardizing your most important friendship while often being in close proximity with the person you are in love with!! Delicious!

Those who long for love, who are also scared at the prospect and at the reality of it will find this story to be particularly heart wrenching and hopeful. I highly recommend this book and thank Dell, the publisher, for the ARC!

THIS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! What did I just read?! I loved every single page of this stunning romance. Every. Single. Page. It absolutely broke me but also healed me. The way I loved Adam and June.

The story begins with a brownstone. Adam and June have inherited a 6 million dollar brownstone in New York City. Which sounds like a dream right? But it's trickier than that. These two have not spoken to each other in years (since they lived in said brownstone together) after a very dramatic end to their relationship. They now have to come together and decide what to do with this property. But not only that, they must confront their past and all the ways things fell apart, all the feelings they've kept locked away, and how life has changed for both of them. Can they come back together and rebuild something? Or are they destined to repeat the past?

I had so much fun with this. I will never get over novels with NYC as a main character. I love when the city's spirit is captured so perfectly. I love when I can see everything so clearly in my head. And NYC in the fall?! I literally will always eat that up.

This story is a dual timeline. It starts in the present but we go back in time to build their relationship, and watch it fall apart. It was so heartbreaking to keep going back in time and see how special these two were to each other to not being in each other lives at all. I loved their friendship and how much they valued each other...while also screaming at them to finally see what everyone else is seeing in them. I was literally SCREAMING! They had such good chemistry and such good banter.

Chef meets broadway actress??? Make me their child! This was everything to me. Living in NYC in a brownstone, living with a chef, having the talent to be on broadway and having your bestie/crush love all your showtunes?! Stop it right now. That is the dream. June, you're living me dream.

I won't spoil anything, but this book was so good and you should absolutely read this...I'm already ready for a reread. This was such a dreamy second chance romance, friends to lovers romance. What a perfect debut novel. I will be reading all things Joss Richard writes. You will be kicking your feet and giddy over these two, and I'm so sorry, you will be sobbing. But it'll be worth it.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for this arc!

I thought this was a lovely debut for Joss Richard. It was cute and heartwarming. I loved how patient Adam was while June came to terms with certain things. I’m not the biggest fan of the third act breakup trope though. Overall it was a great book.

Oh my gosh, I just finished my ARC from It’s Different This Time and I am undone. 🥹 It was so good. It made me hate time…hate distance…hate that they wouldn’t ever talk about things they shouldn’t have had to talk about. I cried when Audrey was gone and finding out June told Sarah she was leaving…ugh😭😭😭😭

I hated the wait of it all. They deserved to be together the whole time…but ugh…being HOME was worth it. So worth it. 🥹

It was so beautiful and hard and wonderful and I loved it so much. I can’t wait to get a hard copy when it’s out because I’ll absolutely want to read it again and again. ❤️

I live in Georgia, but NYC is one of my favorites places. I was there last fall and the way you talk about the city literally made my heart ache from missing it.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

This book hit me right in the feels—in the best way possible. I absolutely cannot wait for its official release so I can grab a physical copy and proudly display it as a shelf trophy.

It took me a few chapters to really sink into the story, but once I was in, I was in. Each chapter pulled me deeper into June and Adam’s world, and I completely fell in love with them—and with their love. Despite the challenges they faced, their relationship was beautiful, honest, and had me rooting for them the entire time.

The found family element stole my heart. Watching June be welcomed into Adam’s family was so heartwarming and made their bond feel even richer. And that third act breakup? Absolutely shattered me. But the ending pieced me back together and left me with the most satisfied smile on my face.

This story made me want to book a fall trip to New York and experience the magic all over again. A heartfelt, emotionally satisfying read that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommend to any and all bookish theatre kids like myself 💛🎭🍂

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this e-book arc. This review was posted to my Goodreads (@MadyGrace) on May 13th, 2025.

This book is pure nostalgia in a bottle. You can’t help but feel a lump in your throat wondering what became of these two former roommates, who once happily shared a New York brownstone, and are now completely estranged. That is, until fate throws them back together when the brownstone, shockingly, is left to them in their late landlord’s will.
I’ll admit, a few elements of the premise stretched believability, like being gifted a $6 million brownstone after six years apart by a landlord you were simply kind to felt a bit far-fetched as well as some aspects of their falling-out. That said, if you’re a fan of second chance stories, this one is charming and heartfelt. A sweet, entertaining read and very impressive debut!

[ripping off shirt] ITS DIFFERENT THIS TIME BITCHES!!!!

no but on a serious note, as someone who is often overly critical of second chance romances and can only read them when written by Sarah Hogle, please clear a space for Joss Richard beside you on the list of sc romance authors I support, Ms. Hogle!

It’s always lovely to read an author’s debut and love it instantly because it really feels like “wow you got it right the first time!!” and though June and Adam did not in fact get in right the first time, I really loved their journey and friendship as well as their romance, something that is often missing from friends-to-lovers “second chance” tropes for me

I even enjoyed the time jumps in this, which is another aspect of these kinds of romances that I’m usually hesitant about because it can feel jarring but I felt like this was really concisely written in the best way, and as a sidenote, I personally loved Chloe as a side character a lot even when June was doing the thing I despise in contemporary romances where a fmc’s best friend has to convince her she finds someone (who WE know she finds attractive…) attractive, so extra point for not giving me the ick even despite that!

June was a lovely character and I really found myself routing for her even when I was frustrated with her actions & choices but I think there was a good basis of her self-talk to understand her (warped) thought process which is all I ever really ask for if my character is going to be slightly chaotic interpersonally! also, poor adam suffered more than jesus but he was also a bit flawed in a way that I enjoyed him owning so ultimately I was very satisfied by their HEA

I very much look forward to reading another book from this author in the future

thank you sm to netgalley and ballantine/dell for this arc to review!

It’s Different This Time is a beautiful debut, a love letter to New York and to pursuing your passions. It is filled with heart, with loss and confusion and questioning whether you’re good enough for the life you hope to live, and it spoke to me deeply. Joss Richard knocked it out of the park with her first novel and I am eager to read her future works, as well.

If you’re a fan of The Seven Year Slip, and either second-chance, friends-to-lovers, or forced-proximity tropes, this book is for you.

You ever want to strangle fictional characters, lock them in a room and tell them to stop being idiots? Well I definitely thought about it while reading this book.

I could not put this book down the minute I picked it up and because of that I instantly fell in love with Adam and June. They both had heartbreaking situations in their life that was just so messy and raw, which made them feel real to me. I really liked how the setting was in New York, it just made it feel so magical with going through all of the seasons there. This had dual POV and different timelines as well, which I loved because it shows you how they came together and their story. I also have to mention that Chloe was without a doubt a real MVP and a true best friend. Not only was she there for June, but she was there for Adam as weIl. I honestly could go on and on how much I loved this book, but if you love second chance romances, friends to lovers, forced proximity, and a little spice, and cozy fall reads, then this is the book for you.

You also may need some tissues, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

3.5 rounded up

this story was cute. I requested it because I loooove second chance. it had all the marks to make it a great story but I think the author has room to grow. there's definitely potential there. a few times I felt I got lost in the timeline and things were happening too sporadically. some scenes could have used more heart and time spent. it also felt a little too on the nose. very predictable. but tbh that's one of my favorite things about romance. I love knowing what to expect.

I did absolutely love the pining for each other. Adam was dreamy and June was pretty admirable because I felt like she had grown since the flashback scenes. she was a lot more mature and self assured.

all in all, this was a good debut and I look forward to what else she comes up with.

Wow. What an incredible debut. I genuinely loved this book so much. The book follows June, an actress in LA who comes into ownership of a New York brownstone that she lived in years ago with a man named Adam, who she hasn’t spoken with since she moved to LA. It had all the ingredients for a perfect romcom: second chance, dual timeline, and New York in the fall. I was invested from the very beginning, and I couldn’t put it down. I loved June’s inner monologue, and I thought that both she and Adam were really funny. I loved Adam; he was witty and sarcastic without being rude, and he was such a quintessential book boyfriend. Another thing I really liked was the relationship dynamics. The book explored June’s relationship with her family and her best friends (we love a found family trope) and I thought it was done in a very realistic and healthy way. I thought that June was a funny and realistic character. It was a little bit cringe at times, but in my opinion there’s nothing wrong with that. My main issue with the book was June and Adam’s utter lack of communication skills. I think that a lot of their problems could’ve been solved if they’d just sat down and had an adult conversation about it. Also, it was a lot spicier than I would’ve liked, but this is coming from someone who doesn’t read spice so take that with a grain of salt. Overall, I really loved this book! It was funny, sweet, and investing the whole way through. I think I'm going to settle on 4.5 stars. I’m so grateful to have been sent an arc, and I look forward to reading whatever Joss Richard writes next. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this!! It comes out on September 30th and I will be the first in line!

This book was an incredible debut from Joss Richards!

Two former roommates having to come back to their brownstone after 5 years apart and coming to terms with how they left that relationship. I loved getting the flashbacks, and learning what made them so distance from each other - but at the same time, what made them fall in love in the first place.

Adam Harper the man that you are!!!! He was so loving and patient with June. He is exactly what you would want in a partner. Every step of the way, he supported her. It was honestly all of the little details that made you realize how gone he was for her.

I often wanted to shake June because so much could have been resolved with better communication. But I also enjoyed how she had to come to terms with everything, and learn to be brave enough to fight for the things that she wanted.

I loved that it was also a love letter to New York. You got to experience June fall in love with it all over again, in the same way she was falling for Adam again. She realized that they were her home. I never thought I would mourn a house, but I think I love 74th Perry just as much.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the digital ARC.

It's Different this time by Joss Richard is a beautiful portrayal of realistic young friends to lovers who live in NYC. This was a great debut novel. I look forward to whatever else Joss Richard releases.

First, I’m incredibly grateful to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this before publication - thank you!

Second, wow oh WOW did I love this 🥹 Joss Richard has truly outdone herself in this debut novel & I can only hope she continues to share her gift of storytelling with us.

If you’re an Emily Henry lover like I am, do yourself a favor and pre-order this one NOW. Incredibly addicting, sweet and lovable characters June and Adam were exactly what my romance reader heart needed. Absolutely no notes. What I’d do to read their story for the first time again 🩷

Joss, if you’re reading this: Congratulations, my girl!!! I hope you’re so incredibly proud of this story & that everyone else who picks this up falls in love with it as much as I did. What an absolutely special story.

Add this to your TBR, pre-order, subscribe to Joss’s newsletter, and follow her on all socials, because this girl is going to be a forced to be reckoned with among the romance writers 🩷 Can’t wait for the release of this!!!

This contemporary romance novel was so adorable and addicting! I absolutely loved it! The cover of the book is so cute too! This story had balanced perspectives on the main characters, a clear thesis and was easy to follow. I feel like the minor characters stood out as well in this book. I really like that these characters felt real and were a little bit of a mess, to say the least. I also enjoyed the dual timelines, because it gave me insight into how they came together. This is for the broadway lovers that like to read about a second chance romance. One thing I found a little frustrating was the miscommunication trope between the main characters. I really liked the beautiful setting of the story. It is set in New York, during the fall season. That’s one of my favorite seasons! This book had effective visuals and I found it to be a cozy, medium paced read. It is also very emotional and uplifting!

“It's Different This Time” is a book that is about a woman named June and a guy named Adam. These two used to be roommates and friends, where things happened between them. However, it left them both with unresolved feelings for one another. This ultimately left their friendship not on good terms at all. June starts off living in LA, then ends up moving back to New York City brownstone. After five years of June and Adam not speaking together, they are now forced to. June and Adam end up with a multi million dollar property, thanks to the former owner’s will. While they have to wait a month to get all the paperwork done, they are forced to talk to one another. A bond between them starts resurfacing, the more they speak to each other. Will this end up being a happily ever after second chance romance or will this second chance romance ultimately come to an end? Be sure to check the content warnings. Overall. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Joss Richard and Ballantine | Dell for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is set to be published on September 30, 2025!

A genuinely emotionally affecting film with dual timelines. The lead character can be extraordinarily frustrating but in such a well written way that makes sense for her traumas. It’s exasperating but it’s a credit to this author that she’s not afraid to make her character unlikable at times to ensure that it stays true to her nature.

A lovely romance and as a Broadway fan some food geek out moments.

I could not put this book down. The connection between Adam and June was so strong. I found myself blushing and giggling at every little moment between them. I loved that the story alternated between the past and present, allowing us to see these characters grow together, part ways, and grow together again. Yeah, June and Adam could have communicated, but that would have left us without the tension and angst. Joss Richard did an amazing job at creating this little pocket of New York for them.

June’s character growth was incredible. I loved her messiness and her insecurities. She felt so real! Seeing her grow into herself and rediscover her dreams was fantastic.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance with LOTS of tension. 

Also, I will never forget Adam. What a man.