This was really cute! I loved the plot, super unique and a great second chance romance! This book is a perfect lounge day read, can definitely be done in a day!!

Joss Richards’ debut novel, “It’s Different This Time,” is a heartwarming tale of love and second chances. June and Adam meet by chance and become roommates in a New York townhouse. Their delightful on-and-off friendship is impressive for a debut novel. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good love story.

*It’s Different This Time* was such a refreshing read! love second chance romances. The characters were relatable and I love how their story unfolds. Alo love the NYC fall vibes. I would definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley & Gallery Books for the ARC

I absolutely loved this book!! It was so addicting and I felt that this book balanced both main characters perfectly and it was also easy to follow!!

I’m shook. Gobsmacked. Flabbergasted. Currently adding this book to my folder of select few stories that are my favorite reads ever.

I just have to say, part of my brain refuses to believe this is debut novel. I don’t personally know Joss Richard, but, genuinely, this was an incredible debut novel and she should be so proud of this book.

This is a second chance romance with a dual timeline and I’m so glad the reader gets to experience June and Adam falling in love and where it all went wrong. June is a complex FMC and I really enjoyed her character arc even though she absolutely frustrated me with some of her decisions! With June’s past, found family is a huge theme in this story and I freaking adored Adam’s family as well as her relationship with Chloe. I also loved how the 74 Perry Street brownstone is almost a character in itself. So much of the book takes place in their shared home and I really think it added to the magic of this book. The tension of June and Adam’s friendship was so well done and when they finally find their way back each other?? SCREAMING. This story was so beautiful and special and I can’t wait for the world to read it.

What to expect from It’s Different This Time:

🍁 Autumn in NYC
🍂 Broadway actress x chef
🍁 Second chance romance
🍂 Dual timeline
🍁 Found family
🌶️🌶️ (chapters: 18, 23, 25, 28)

I want to thank NetGalley, Dell, and Ballantine Publishing for the ARC of *It’s Different This Time* by Joss Richard. This story resonated deeply with me due to my experience with a certain friend who became my best friend and is now my husband. June and Adam are two souls meant for each other, and their world brings them back together after a fallout that is explored in a past and present timeline. I loved their banter, and their chemistry was both tender and sweet. I found it relatable how June listened to her intrusive thoughts, though I wished she would have followed her heart instead. There’s a lot to unpack in this story, but overall, I really enjoyed reading it and felt sad when it came to an end. I look forward to more books by Richard in the future!

Everyone make sure you read this book. This gives you all the nyc fall vibes that I love. This is a second chance romance between June and Adam. This goes back to the past where we see them meet and become roommates and very quickly develop a bond like no other. They consider each other their best friend but to the outside everyone thinks they are dating. Fast forward 5 years, neither of them have seen or spoken to the other. They are all the sudden the owners of the house that they lived in together. Now they must confront their past and see if they can move forward together. This is perfect for anyone who loves a book that embodies fall, romance, and the true essence of New York.

*It’s Different This Time* by Joss Richard was such a sweet, refreshing read! It felt like a big warm hug — full of heart, hope, and second chances. I loved the relatable characters and the gentle way the story unfolded. It’s one of those books that leaves you smiling and feeling a little lighter. Just an absolute joy to read!

Second chance romance, best friends, careers that can change in the blink of an eye. June and Adam stand to inherit a brownstone in NY. After discovering each other again, their story unfolds. While some parts were predictable, it was a fun summer read. Thanks NetGalley for an arc.

Holy moly, this was so good!! How in the world is this a debut?! Please give us more books, Joss!!

There was so much to love about this one. I love a friends to lovers story because you get to see so much depth to a relationship, and we get that with Adam and June. The happenstance of their second chance is so sweet with an old man who truly believes in their love and gifts them the house where they first fell in love. I enjoyed the dual timelines where we got to see that happen, as well as the present-day reconciliation. Both characters also show a lot of growth throughout. Their relationship has tons of substance and tons of spark! I personally tend to steer clear of descriptive bedroom scenes and this book does have two of those, but skipping over those pages didn’t take away from the overall story for me at all! I also enjoyed the supporting characters, a great group of friends and a found family, as well as the look at their careers over the years (as a chef and as a stage actress). The story flowed really well with well-developed characters and storyline, none of the plot holes or character development issues that can be found in some debut novels. I would highly recommend this one, and I look forward to seeing what else Joss Richard comes out with!

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

This felt like a modern day revival of When Harry Met Sally as readers are met with the everlasting question of whether single men and women can be just friends. This book shifts from modern day to a journey through the previous decade to tell the story of June and Adam.

“Reeling from the cancellation of her hit TV show, June Wood has nothing left to lose when a mysterious email lures her back to the New York City brownstone she once called home before she moved to Los Angeles. Thanks to a clause in the former owner’s will, she and her old roommate, Adam Harper, now own the multimillion-dollar property—or at least they will in a month, once all the paperwork is signed.

Four weeks, then June can return to her life in LA and forget about New York City and everything she left behind. Sure, the fact that June and Adam are estranged and haven’t even spoken in five years, and that their friendship didn’t exactly end on good terms might complicate matters, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

As the autumn leaves fall around them, through shared meals and late-night conversations, old wounds and long-buried sparks resurface, and it becomes strikingly clear: June and Adam have unfinished business. Confronted with the consequences of their choices years before, they must now navigate the minefield of their past the best way they know how: together. Second chances are always a risk, but maybe, if they get it right and are finally honest with each other and with themselves, it could be different this time.”

**What I enjoyed about this book:
I loved this second chance romance story with a twist of fate bringing two people together! I also really enjoyed the dual POVs provided by Adam and June as well!

(4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5/5 stars)

June and Adam and Perry Street. The amount of history these three integeral parts of the story have absolutely shines bright.

I often don’t pick up second chance romances simply because they hurt and sting. This one? Hurt and stung. BUT what is so different about June & Adam is their stubbornness FOR each other. June is searching for the perfect life, she leaves because she’s scared of failure and not being enough. Adam on the other hand knows exactly what and who he wants. Though that’s the case, he offers June time and space to figure out her life before rekindling their spark. It’s only when Perry Street enters the conversation that June must reflect and determine what is best for her/what she truly wants from life. I truly don’t think I’ve ever read a second chance romance and loved it as much as I have this one.

All in all, this is such a perfect debut from Joss Richards and I hope to see more from her in the future. If this is where she’s starting? She is only going to rise and get better and better with each story- but June and Adam will always be the start, and for that I am excited and happy and feeling allll the things.

Thank you Joss Richards, NetGalley, and Ballantine for the opportunity to read the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was a wonderful debut by Joss Richard. It’s Different This Time felt inspired by Nora Ephron while still feeling fresh. I loved the dual timeline and slow burn, and of course it’s hard to beat an autumn in New York romance.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was invested in June and Adam’s story from the start. The dual timeline helped a lot with building interest. I’m also just nosey and wanted to know what went down between June and Adam the first time around. Their friends to lovers story was a sweet, gentle, and quiet happening. They became best friends who did everything together and slowly became each other’s world. Their falling out and second chance romance isn’t what I expected but I was pleasantly surprised. While some of the miscommunication along the way was productive to move the story along, there were a couple of times where I got so frustrated with June. Girl, he can’t read your mind!! Sigh. But her moment of growth and realization at the end was much needed. Such an authentic and sweet story overall. Experiencing a friends to lovers story set in a brownstone in NY just did something to me. I’ll be thinking of this one for a while.

It’s Different This Time was such an enjoyable second-chance romance. I loved the cozy fall vibes! It was like a hallmark movie in a book.

Okay guys… I genuinely LOVED this book. I wasn’t sure how I was going to like it, but I loved every minute. Think… best friends to lovers to strangers to lovers WITH flashbacks. Do I think June was stupid at times… yes. Did I get second hand embarrassment… also yes. But I love a good cringey book! And I love a second chance romance and a best friends to lovers!!! Snaps for Joss!
Thank you Joss Richard, NetGalley, and Ballantine for this ARC!!!! 🫶🏼

⭐️: 5.0
📖: Kindle

4.25 ⭐️

This was a beautiful debut novel, and I absolutely loved reading about June and Adam's love story. Second-chance romance has always been one of my favorite tropes, and I knew this story would deliver the moment I realized it included flashbacks to their past relationship. Those flashbacks were beautifully placed, aligning so naturally with the present that it made their emotional journey feel all the more real. I especially loved the premise of them reconnecting through the apartment—it felt intimate and meaningful, the kind of setup that makes you believe love can find its way back when the timing is right. The emotional tension and the final turning point in their relationship truly pulled at my heartstrings. Yes, there’s miscommunication, but in this case, it made sense. It felt necessary for a female main character who had been shaped by a difficult and painful childhood. Her journey toward trust and vulnerability added so much depth, and watching her open up made the romance feel even more earned and powerful.

On a side note, the male main character reminded me of Iwan from The Seven Year Slip—make of that what you will. And no, it definitely was not just because I read this book directly after, and Adam also happens to be a chef (or maybe it is?).

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

t’s Different This Time is a heartfelt, emotionally layered friends-to-lovers romance that tugs at all the right heartstrings. June and Adam’s story unfolds through a beautiful dual timeline that blends nostalgia, longing, and second chances in a way that feels deeply real.

The writing is warm and intimate, with just enough angst to keep you turning pages. I loved the autumn-in-New-York atmosphere and the found-family vibes. Some moments could’ve used a bit more buildup, but the emotional payoff more than delivers. A cozy, satisfying read for anyone who loves second-chance romance with heart.