It’s Different this Time, was sadly not different this time. An enemies to friends then lovers, this was an incredibly slow burn. Now, I love a good slow burn, but this ironically made the story a not so different this time around. And that is what made the book a miss for me. It didn’t live up to the title. Maybe that is what the writer was going for, a bit tongue in cheek , but it certainly put me off of the story.

It's Different This Time is a beautifully written exploration of love, timing, and second chances. Joss Richard captures the emotional complexity of relationships with heart and honesty, creating characters that feel both flawed and deeply relatable. This story pulled me in from the start and left me thinking long after the final page. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Country Press and Reviews for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

People love an enemies-to-lovers trope, but for me, friends-to-lovers reigns supreme. 👑

June Wood hasn't been back to NYC in over 5 years—not since she had a falling out with her best friend, roommate, and situationship, Adam Harper. But after the two co-inherit the $6 million brownstone where they used to live, she's willing to give the city (and the man) a second chance. Now that she's in New York, though, not only is she sharing the same house with the same person, she's also forced to remember the first time this happened and the painful reasons she had to leave. But maybe this time it's different?

This book has a lot of the painful growing pains of a debut, but it grew on me over time. The setup felt entirely too convenient and there were a decent amount of cringey moments ("not like other girls" referenced😬), but there were also a lot of sweet and swoony moments. There is something really romantic about a relationship with your best friend of over a decade. When I found out what the falling out was, I wanted to shake our girl June, but otherwise, this was a sweet and emotional summer read. Recommended to fans of Emily Henry or Katherine Center.

"There's no way to preserve anything forever. Trust me, I know. You win, you lose... but you can't do either unless you take a chance."

"Maybe that's how life is--we do things because it's the best decision we can make in the moment, and there's no way of knowing if we made the right choice. There's no way to gauge if all of it's for nothing, or if it's so we can have everything."

4.5 STARS!

Love love loved this book! A fantastic debut from Joss Richard. A true love letter to New York.

June has been living in LA for the last five years after taking a chance on TV and movies only to be dramatically brought back to NYC with the news that her old landlord has passed away and left her a brownstone. BUT there's a small catch, it's been left to her AND her estranged best friend, Adam who she hasn't seen since she abruptly left for LA, and they have to wait four weeks before they officially own the property.

We spend chapters in the past recounting how Adam and June met and even became roommates, how their friendship developed, and it's ultimate demise in between sections of current day where they are relearning each other and reconnecting.

The tension and yearning between our main characters, and their story of hidden feelings was so beautifully written. I was ecstatic by the end watching June achieve a huge milestone (hello Broadway starring role!!) and seeing both Adam and June talk about what happened in the past, where there feelings are in the present, and if they might have a future together if they let themselves.

SO SO GOOD. I just love a perfect second chance romance. Definitely going to be in my top reads of the year. I can't wait to read what Joss Richard writes next!

It’s Different This Time is a second chance romance between roommates June and Adam. They have recently inherited the brownstone they lived in together for years. As we see them live there for a month in the present, we get flashbacks to their past and how their friendship started and ended.

I liked the premise of the book and the flashbacks to their early years as roommates. I really liked Adam but couldn’t connect with June. Her self-sabatoging feelings of not feeling good enough made sense with her upbringing but her slow growth and selfishness turned me off.

It’s Different This Time is perfect for second chance romance fans or fans of friends to lovers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine I was able to review an advanced copy of It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard.

Two one time roommates are forced to be together again after fate intervenes in this story about how love deserves a second chance. But can they overcome the events that lead to their estrangement?

Our two main characters are so relatable and human. There were many times where I teared up at the rawness of emotion that June and Adam shared. Watching them navigate the vulnerability of opening yourself to someone was heart wrenching.

With June, who has never known the true love and support of family, we see a woman desperate to be independent and not give in to the ever increasing feelings she has for Adam, her unexpected (and gorgeous) roommate. Adam, raised in a loving “nick at nite” style family, aches to find the kind of love his parents have and the two of them orbit each other like planets, struggling to find a way to coexist in the same home and not fall prey to each other.

I absolutely love a second chance romance and this book is no exception. Add in that it’s got theater kid vibes, a sexy chef, and dual timelines and it’s basically everything I could want in a book.

This is an amazing slow burn story told in third person and set predominantly in the beautiful backdrop of NYC in autumn. It’s Different This Time is a debut for author Joss Richard and I will definitely be on the lookout for more from her!

4.5/1.5 spice

"My gaze focuses on my reflection, and I push down the lump in my throat. It's not from sadness, but an overwhelming feeling of joy for the girl who used to stand in this spot, who fought and prayed so hard for all the things that are now within reach."

June Wood used to live with her best friend Adam at 74 Perry Street--a gorgeous brownstone in the West Village. She was a struggling to break into theater and he is an aspiring chef. They were literal strangers that shared a gorgeous space with reasonable rent. But, the two quickly became best friends, family, and the will thy/won't they energy is literally off the charts. We know Julie is now in LA still struggling to break into film/tv when she receives an email beckoning back to the brownstone under strange pretenses. Julie hasn't seen Adam in five years only to found out they now co-own the brownstone they used to live in! The dual time line shows their connection, closeness and begin to find out where their splinter occurred.

Whew. This debut. New York in the fall, an ode to Broadway fans, slow burn, second chance, friends to lovers. But, the chemistry of these two of the charts! I laughed out loud and teared up. 4.5 enthusiastic stars rounded up. June is an FMC with abandonment issues. Adam is the best MMC. Seriously, read this for the fall in NYC montage scenes alone!

Thank you to Dell and Netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my opinion. This was so fun. It's Different This Time comes out September 30, 2025!

o you know how it is going to end from page 1? Of course. But will you have fun along the way? Yes! If you like second chances, enemy to friends, or miscommunications/misunderstanding tropes and/or Broadway, NYC in fall or dream of a house in the West Village, this one is for you. I also really liked the female best friend character and just wish the male best friend character had been more developed. Enjoy!

5 Stars – I’m genuinely impressed by this debut novel! The story kicks off with the basics: June and Adam share a past, and Adam broke her heart. Right from the start, I found myself disliking the MMC (main male character). However, since the novel is told from June’s perspective, it quickly becomes clear that we, as readers, don’t yet have the full picture. As the story unfolds, we learn the truth—Adam loves June, and it’s ultimately she who made the missteps in their relationship.

That being said, I did find the initial breakup a bit dramatic. June’s decision to move across the country and block Adam after she rejected him and he moved on felt like an overreaction. But as we get to know June, it becomes apparent that she’s a complicated character with a complex backstory, which heavily influences her choices and emotions. All of the twists and turns in their relationship made sense, and Joss Richards did an excellent job of conveying the undeniable bond between these two—soulmates, without a doubt.

The setting of New York in the autumn, with their careers as a chef and Broadway performer, added a delightful layer to the story, making it even more engaging. Overall, I loved the book and would highly recommend it to anyone!

June and Adam meet as roommates. Many years later, fate places them back in the same house together and they rekindle their relationship. As the title makes clear, it's different this time. This is a fun take on a friends-to-lovers rom-com, because they seem to inhabit a space between these categories for much of the story.

I really enjoyed the characters and storytelling. I wanted to keep reading. I wanted them to stay together. Sure, it's slightly predictable, but it was the cozy romance I was looking for.

The "plot points" that created tension, especially the set up that brings them back into the same brownstone, are a bit silly and contrived. This is normal for the genre and it didn't bother me too much, but if you're looking for realistic, this isn't it.

I would read more by this author! Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this.

Such a cute story. Loved the characters and their bonds formed throughout the book. I couldn’t believe that this was her first book she’d ever written! It was so good! The story hooked me from the beginning. An emotional rollercoaster but I loved it. Well written, can’t wait to read her future books.

It’s Different This Time - Joss Richard - out on September 30, 2025

5 years ago June fled to LA from New York, leaving behind her best friend Adam and the brownstone they shared without telling him she had no plans to ever come back. When she gets a cryptic email enticing her back to New York, it coincides with the show she’s been doing being canceled. When she arrives, she finds herself face-to-face with Adam again where they find out the owner of the brownstone they rented for years together has died and left it to the two of them. All they need to do is wait a month to sign the paperwork and it will be theirs. Easy except when you factor in that they haven’t talked since the day June left and they know nothing about each other’s lives despite years of history.

As they’re forced together, they realize how much unfinished business is still between them and how much there’s still a longtime attraction there, one they both tried to pretend for years didn’t exist. June’s conflicted between returning to LA and her film/tv acting career or pursuing a show on Broadway, something she hasn’t done in years but really, she’s unsure how much of her heart she can give to Adam without being totally destroyed. Adam, for his part, knows June is the one who got away but he’s hesitant after the years apart.

I LOVED this second-chance romance, will probably end up in my top ten of the year easily! It’s a little slow burn at first but I was sucked into the story immediately and curious to find out what happened between these two. Adam is a dream of a character and June has her issues like all of us that she needs to work through as she learns to trust Adam and take a chance. I can’t wait to read more from this debut author in the future!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dell for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Joss Richard for an advance copy of quite possibly my favorite read of 2025 so far!!! Ok, I’m newer into diving into romance books and I think second chance romance might be my new favorite trope but honestly how can it not be with a story like Adam & Junes!!! Watching these two grow their friendship over the years while they both were oblivious to the fact that they are perfect together. I don’t want to give much away but you need to have this one on your radar if you love romance books that include friendship, love, delicious food, some stem, and dual timelines. I cannot wait to have a copy of this one on my shelves on September 30th and I cannot recommend it enough!!

Read this if your favorite romance tropes include second-chance romance, "it's always been you," forced proximity, and strangers-to-friends-to-strangers-to-lovers. I was a little annoyed by how long the reconciliation was dragged out, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Real rating: 3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All my thoughts and opinions are my own.

The more I uncovered about Adam and June’s past, the less I wanted them to be together in the present. In my humble opinion, they have no business being together romantically. June doesn’t deserve Adam, to be quite honest. He deserves better. But unfortunately, who Adam wants, who will make him happy (somehow), is June (for some reason).

I was genuinely floored by June’s behavior towards Adam from the very beginning. The story is told in alternating timelines between the present, at 31 and 33, and the past, starting from the day they met 11 years prior. And as their origin story is unraveled throughout the story, the more dumbfounded I became by (1) their relationship, and (2) June in her entirety.

The way June treats Adam from the moment they meet again in the present is incredibly juvenile for a woman in her 30s. I swear, it’s like she’s allergic to having a conversation. And considering the fact that the other half of this couple, Adam, wants nothing more than to have a proper conversation, like the 33 year old adult he is, I’m left suppressing the deep-seated urge to scream.

The more I think about it, the more irrational and, quite frankly, selfish June becomes to me. Not only as a person, but as a friend. She leads him on, past and present, because she wants to have her cake and eat it too. She’s the most indecisive character I’ve read about in a while. She knows what she wants, but never wants to actually /choose/ it, so she just…dips her hand in every pot imaginable and acts shocked when people tell her that’s not how it works.

This 400-something page novel could’ve just as easily been a novella if June was willing to actually talk to Adam. That’s my biggest gripe with this novel. I don’t believe June exhibited any real character development, which doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I want to remind the audience that the story spans almost 12 YEARS. She did the same things in the present that she did in the past. Everything that goes wrong between Adam and June is pretty much entirely of her own doing.

I think they’re great support systems for one another and are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. I think they’re great friends, but June could be a better one (especially to Chloe). There’s a lot of enjoyable moments in this book, but every time I remember why they stopped speaking, I get upset at June all over again.

I couldn’t have asked for a better read….New York in the fall. Friends to lovers. Chef and Theater Actress. It’s Different This Time was absolutely lovely and I couldn’t put it down. New York itself and a sweet brownstone became a character to be treasured. Thank you so much, Net Galley, for the early copy. I will be recommending this gem over and over!

What a pleasant surprise Joss Richard’s It’s Different This Time was! After her TV show is cancelled, June doesn’t know what’s next, until she gets an email to come back home to NYC—thanks to a clause in the former owner’s will, she and her old roommate Adam now own a multi-million dollar brownstone they haven’t lived in in six years. Or at least they will in four weeks, so for four week, she and Adam are back to being roommates, and the more time they spend, the more old sparks start flying. This is cozy. It feels like fall and it feels like a classic romance. Meg Ryan would have starred in this movie. It’s romantic, with yearning, tension, forced proximity and second chances. I loved the growth of June and the growth of how she and Adam communicate. There’s love, there’s passion, and it’s two people who take big chances for their dreams. It’s emotional, and it’s told in two timelines that add so much depth to this story. It’s elegant, it’s slow burn, it’s everything! Five huge stars.

This book screams "Fall" and falling in love in New York City in the Fall is exactly what I need in a romance. I will definitely be re-reading this book in the Fall with a cup of apple cider! I loved both our main characters and it was really fun to watch their story unfold as friends, roommates and then something more. Each dynamic added a layer of complexity and emotional depth to the story! This was such a wonderful debut and will definitely be reading more from this author.

I was pulled in right from the start.
I loved the flashbacks from past to present story line - it really built the connection between June and Adam. Slow burn perfection!!!

Loved it - five stars!! I will definitely recommend!!

I loved this debut from Joss Richard - a second chance romance set during fall in New York City. Adam, an aspiring chef, and June, an aspiring actress, were strangers that became roommates 11 years ago. Living together in a West Village brownstone over several years, they became best friends (and maybe more?) before their time together ends abruptly (and poorly.) It's now 5 years later, they haven't spoken since June moved to LA, and they learn that their former landlord has willed the brownstone to both of them, bringing Adam and June back together to revisit their past and figure out their future. Through flashbacks to their time as roommates, we get to learn the ins and outs of their friendship - the will they, won't they tension is strong, and really sets up the dynamics for their present day relationship. Their lives have changed so much, but perhaps their feelings for each other haven't. A sweet romance that's full of emotion, unconditional friendships, and family dynamics, I definitely recommend It's Different This Time. Big thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!