If you love NYC in the fall, enjoy a plot that takes place in the past as well as the present, and a beautiful second-chance romance, then this is for you! Joss Richard has created a wonderful debut novel where Adam and June have been left a brownstone filled with so many memories which forces them to revisit their complicated history.

Thank you to Dell | Ballantine and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this book!

I read this book in 1 day because I just could not put it down. There are OLYMPIC levels of yearning on both sides, and a beautiful friends-to-lovers, second chance romance. I too am in love with Adam Harper. This was just fantastic. I am looking forward to rereading this via audiobook whenever it comes out.

Second-chance romance? Check! Friends to enemies to lovers? Check!
Cannot believe this was a a debut novel. Will definitely be reading mor from this author!

This whole story was very believable and I fell right into it and felt like I was living it in the past and the current. June and Adam's chemistry was so cute.
Loved the dual-timeline and it helped to tie together the entire story. The secondary characters were fun and hilarious and definitely added to the story to keep it more light at times.

Wish I would have waited until the fall to read this as it definitely sets the scene for autumn in New York.

“You don’t think men and women can be just friends?”

Hit me straight in the When Harry Met Sally Vibes with that one!🥹

This book gave me all of the cozy fall in NYC vibes and now I really feel like I need to plan a trip. You want that dose of quintessential autumn perfection? This is the book for you.

When I read, time jumping/dual timelines is always very hit or miss for me and in this book, it was definitely a hit. I often find myself wanting to skim through chapters when we jump back in time so I can get back to the present, but with this story, I was just as voracious for the past chapters as I was for the present. I just wanted to fill in those gaps and find out what happened!!

Such an epic love story. I love June and Adam (and truly all of the side characters too) and if we could all find someone who understands and loves us the way they understand and love each other!! 😮‍💨

Thank you to Dell Romance for the early copy! This one should absolutely be on your fall TBR!

IT WILL ALWAYS BE YOU!!!!!!! and the final line being the book title, 6 year epilogue. this book gets all the flowers. i absolutely adored june and adam, separately and together, especially together. from the present and all the years in between from them meeting, slowly falling in love with each other, and june leaving it was done perfectly to ME!!!! i love a good second chance romance, a good best friend to lovers slow burn, this checked a lot of boxes. it was such a good read i could’ve read another 200 pages.

Super cute rom com. Very well done for a debut novel. So much angst and questions about what happened in the relationship. Lots of sexual tension but like many rom coms it all comes down to communication! Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!

Thank you to Ballantine / Dell and Netgalley for the eARC! I always appreciate the opportunity to read and review early.

DNF'd - I was really excited for this book, seeing so many of my mutuals and authors I love hyping and posting glowing reviews. This is likely a "me problem" rather than a book problem - the writing style and voice was solid. I just wasn't clicking with the FMC, and I wasn't really enjoying the dual timeline (which I usually do!).

I rated this 2.5 rounded up to 3 since the writing itself wasn't bad, just wasn't clicking for me. I love stories focused on NYC as someone that lives here, as well as second chance as a trope - so I am open to giving it another try sometime in the future.

it’s been months since I devoured a book in two days!! and two days only because I needed to sleep—otherwise, it would’ve been one.

thank you, netgalley and ballantine, for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!

i loved this book so much and i cannot believe this is joss richards’ debut novel. i just can’t!!!
the story was so captivating and had me hooked from the very first chapter.
june is an actress and adam is a chef, and they could not be more perfect for each other!! this book reminded me a bit of the seven-year slip by ashley poston—in the best way. i can’t wait to read more from this author!!

read if you enjoy:
- roommates
- forced proximity
- dual timelines
- second chance romance
- friends to lovers
- new york city–based, fall vibes

"It's Different This Time" delivers a genuinely heartwarming second-chance romance. Richard crafts a believable rekindling of an estranged friendship into something more, set against a charming New York autumn. While the premise shines, the pacing occasionally feels a bit too deliberate. A sweet and satisfying read.

🍦 🍓 The Ripped Bodice's 9th Annual Summer Romance Bingo 🕶️ 🏄🏼

/ Fall (The Season Or The Action)

For someone that complains a lot about second chance romance, I sure am reading (and enjoying) a lot of it. But is this really second chance? Or just friends to lovers with a lot of pining?

June is a biracial Filipina Canadian trying to make it on the New York stage. Adam is in culinary school. One day, she discovers the most amazing brownstone that she can't afford to rent on her own. They end up renting it together after meeting. Just go with it.

Obviously, they find each other attractive. Obviously, this cannot be. Or can it? Not yet. But there is pining. They date others. Adam sleeps around. I'm not slut shaming. Get it.

But in this dual timeline, in present day, June is an actress in Los Angeles working in TV. Her latest show has been canceled. She gets a cryptic meeting to come back to New York. Her old landlord has died and left both her and Adam the brownstone. Wild. Again, just go with it. (I would love for someone to leave me a brownstone. Do I know any rich old men?)

It's a little awkward. It's a little hot. June and Adam decide to stay in the brownstone for a month as the meeting to decide their ownership doesn't occur right away. Once again, go with it. I'm running on vibes. And the vibes are sexual. Binged a lot of this on a flight last night. It was glorious. Hope my neighbor didn't see how hot and bothered I was. I mean, I don't care.

The best part about romance is that you know the ending, but it's enjoyable how authors take you there via different routes. So our duo end up happy. I'd be happy in a $6m brownstone, too. And a 6' man I could climb like a tree. But mostly the townhome.

Read this for fall vibes. Read this for friends to lovers feels. Read this as a love letter to New York. Just read it.

Book pairing: THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Dell

What a stunningly charming debut book! This one was so good! I can not believe this was a debut. The writing reminded me of Cara Stone and Sophie cousens. The storyline was so good and I adored the second chance romance trope and the way it all came together. So beautiful

Joss Richards has done a beautiful job with this book. I was hooked from the first page. It was very easy to relate to the characters and have them feel as though they were real people you know. The characters were uniquely written with depth and flaws just like anyone else. I love a good love story and this one hit it out of the park. June and Adam coming together again after being apart for years. Not only a reunion at stake but also the chance to own their old brownstone they once shared. With so much up in the air, what is there to lose but to give it a shot? Being apart for so long to chase their own dreams only to come face to face again, isn't as easy as they thought. Could feelings still be there after all this time gone by?
This story will just pull at your heart strings and will become your new favorite! Highly recommend.

Tender, nostalgic, and full of heart. This second-chance romance captures the magic of fall in NYC, the ache of unresolved love, and the hope that maybe, just maybe, timing isn’t everything.

June and Adam used to be roommates. With a lot of unfinished business.
✅Sexual tension
✅Free 6.4 Mil brownstone if they can live together for a month
✅Unresolved feelings

I enjoyed this debut a lot. I’m kind of mad that June didn’t realize how Adam felt before they moved out the first time because it was pretty clear. But I guess I wouldn’t have this adorable boom if she had so I’m okay with that.

This book is great. If you enjoy forced proximity, slow burn romances this is for you. It would be a great read to cozy up on the couch with as the leaves fall outside and pumpkins sit on your porch. It’s well written, the characters are likable, the situations are mostly plausible and the end is satisfying.

I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Ballantine | Dell, NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read a digital arc for review. All opinions are my own.

Its amazing how a book can make you fall in love with a season and a city. That is exactly what Joss Richard did with It's Different this Time. This Friends-to-almost lovers-to-ghosting/enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story was such a fun ride.
June and Adam are the perfect "OMG THE TENSION IS PERFECT JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY" Couple you look for. Seeing how the two meet and instantly click, how their youth and insecurities are what essentially push them apart and how a gorgeous brownstone brings them back together. (also being adults and working through things helps as well).
A third character in this book is the city of New York and through June, you discover (rediscover for her) what is so amazing and wonderful about the city—the coffee shops, the sights, the beauty that is the city. This has the recipe for a perfect fall read and I am so grateful to have received an eARC (thank you NetGalley and Dell Romance).

What an absolutely phenomenal debut from Joss Richard—5 stars!
Second-chance romances can be tricky to get right, but this one nailed it. The story felt authentic and emotionally grounded, with character growth that was both believable and deeply satisfying. I especially loved how the FMC’s personal journey—overcoming her own insecurities—was portrayed with such care and insight. Every character had a purpose, and their contributions added depth to the narrative.
I’m now desperate to visit New York in the fall.
I truly can’t wait to see what Joss Richard writes next. She’s absolutely one to watch!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Rounding this up to 5 stars because I loved it! I love June and Adam’s story. I love the side characters and the fact this is the author’s first novel has me already excited for her next release.

June and Adam’s connection runs so deep and I loved the alternating time lines as you see them come together and fall apart through time. Their story was beautifully crafted and I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a good love story (but want to note that while it was a romance, the author did an incredible job of letting both characters have lives, rather than solely focusing on their love).

Thank you so much NetGalley for this arc!

Expect 👉🏼 NYC, Second Chance, Friends to Lovers, Forced Proximity/Roommates, Dual Timelines, Soulmates

June left 5 years ago and hasn’t spoken to Adam since. But now, back in NYC with Adam, things are both different and exactly the same. It takes no time at all to fall back into their friendship with sparks flying in every direction. The story slowly unfolds with past and present while unveiling old secrets and hurts.

I texted my friend at 10pm last night to tell her how stressed I was over this book. Like… eyes wide, eyebrows raised, deep breaths—stressed—over what we were reading 😆

Adam and June have the classic angst of having a perfect friendship, but they’re both scared to reach for more.

June had some serious insecurity to work through from childhood trauma. But I love how easy her friendship with Adam always was and how he was there for her no matter what. I do think that they should have flexed that friendship a little more and communicated their feelings. But that’s okay. I enjoyed the heck out of their stubborn selves anyway 😆

Thank you Dell for the gifted arc!

4.5/5

This was so cute! Loved the premise and if you love a good cozy romance you'll eat this up. All the fall vibes!

📖 ARC Review 📖
Summary:
Finding a great apartment in New York City is nearly impossible. So when June hears about a place on Perry Street, she doesn’t hesitate to check it out. Not only is it a beautiful brownstone, it’s everything she’s been looking for. The only catch? It’s just out of her budget.

She gives herself one night to think things through, but just as she’s walking up to submit her application, a stranger signs the lease right in front of her! Desperate not to lose her shot, June makes an impulsive offer:
What if they become roommates? The only rule? They can never get together.

What follows is six years of laughter, late nights, shared dreams, and something deeper, something neither of them dares to name. Told in a dual timeline, we watch their bond grow, deepen, and ultimately fracture. They go their separate ways, and the brownstone, and each other, become part of the past.

When fate brings them back to where it all began, they’re forced to confront what really happened between them and whether it’s too late to try again.

My overall thoughts:
Scoot over Emily Henry, we’ve got a new romance author on the block, and she’s going to be BIG! Knowing this is a debut? 🤯 I have no notes. None. It’s beautiful, emotional, a true love letter to New York, to found family, to food, to Broadway, and to chasing your dreams, even when years have passed. It’s contemporary romance perfection. Does it have major miscommunication? Yes. Did I forgive it all by the end? Absolutely. Because I loved these characters that much. It releases September 30th and I think it’s going to be THE romance of the fall season. 5 STARS!

What I Loved:
🗽 The Setting and Atmosphere! She delivered exactly what I was hoping for after seeing that dreamy front cover! The story is packed with strolls through Central Park under golden leaves, hot cocoa at Rockefeller Center, Michelin starred dinners, and charming hidden gems. It felt like a love letter to autumn, to NYC, and to everything warm and cozy.

🗽 The Premise! Forced together by fate and New York’s wild housing market? Yes, please. The brownstone was the perfect setup and a strong emotional anchor throughout the book. I loved how it tied everything together, past and present. It felt so New York, so grounded, and so right for this story.

🗽 The Slow Burnnnnn! This was the slowest of slow burns in the absolute best way. The tension was delicious, and I was so hooked I stayed up way too late reading. Couldn’t. Put. It. Down. The spice? 🔥 And Adam? Let’s just say I was over here saying, “Yes, sir.” 🤣

What I Didn’t Love:
🗽 June’s Behavior. Whew. I went through all the emotions with this one. At one point, I was so fired up I wanted to throw my book. Thankfully, I was reading on my phone and refrained. That said, the author managed to win me back. By the end, I was left thinking . . . what a beautiful journey.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! I absolutely LOVED this book!