After all the rave reviews I tried this because it was supposed not to be a typical rom-com: turns out, though, it is. Rich boy meets poor, right-on girl with her own business and no sense of self (how did she ever get her own business up and running when she's so negative and believes in her bad luck?) This kind of predictable plot can work if the writing is light and witty but I found the prose bland and the banter flat. Just not for me, I'm afraid - sorry!

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This Time Next Year is a charming, fun, and heartwarming story that I could not put down once I started reading it. Minnie’s life would have been different if it weren’t for Quinn Hamilton, the boy that stole her name.

If it weren’t for him, she would have had another name. Quinn Cooper was the name her mother planned to give her when she was born. But that never happened because Tara, the woman her mother was sharing a hospital room with and *became* friends with during that short period of time, named her son Quinn. Because of this, her dad decided to name her Minnie... And so, Minnie Cooper’s luck went away from that very first day.

Minnie’s birthday is on January 1st and she doesn’t like to go to parties on New Years’s eve to celebrate because of her bad luck. There’s always something that happens to Minnie on that day no matter what.

Okay, I would really love to see this book be made into a movie, and I would totally watch it fangirl a lot. This Time Next Year surprised me in a way I didn’t expect. The characters are amazing. Minnie’s best friend, Leila, is amazing and super creative. She was super supportive of Minnie and she was there for her when she needed her the most.

They had this amazing business of Pies and had an amazing team of employees: Bev, Fleur & Alan. They are all incredible and I seriously can’t wait for you all to meet them. They made me laugh A LOT.

And now, Quinn & Minnie... They are incredible characters that will make you swoon and laugh when you least expect it, and they are perfect for each other, okay?! I loved their banter, and how it was so right for them to be with each other! One of my favorite things about this book is how some of the chapters were about Minnie’s & Quinn’s pasts. They were in each other’s lives long before they officially met, and that definitely made the story feel even more special; I just absolutely loved that.

Their mothers’ friendship was one of my favorite friendships in the book... and while I would love to talk more about this, I don’t want to give any spoilers away. But trust me, this book is amazing.

Overall, This Time Next Year is a book you won’t want to miss. Be ready for lots of banter, bad luck, dimples, and swoons. It’s an amazing story from beginning to end and I honestly can’t fangirl about it enough.

I requested this on Netgalley back in April but recently got invited onto the blog tour and I’m glad I didn’t say no as I really enjoyed this book and the story between Minnie and Quinn.
I’m sure people will be comparing this to Our Stop, but I found this a lot more interesting and less infuriating when you realise they’ve between intwined all fo their lives. Literally -n they was born ad the same hospital on the same time, just Quinn is a few minutes older and managed to steal the title of being the first baby borned in anew year in London which meant they received a lot of money and different money opportunities.
Where as Minnie was born Minnie Cooper - yes you can imagine the jokes she must of got all through her life! Her mum always said you would of been luckier and better off in life if you was Quinn Cooper (poor Minnnie!)
The book goes through different years of both of their lives and shows how they have know each other all their lives(without knowing - some bits are super cute: especially when they was at the club on NYE.
The chapters I also enjoyed when both Minnie and Quinn was when they was at the ponds on Sundays and having bacon rolls, it was just a sweet wa they was getting on with over showing themselves.
I also loved Lelia - Minnie’s best friend who is also her business partner in Delivery pies for the vulnerable and the elderly. They’ve had some great adventures - the chapters when they was in India was hilarious!
I also enjoyed reading about the two girls working for the pie business: Fleur and Beverly. Fleur is someone who is always making up outrageous stories about friends and past lovers but are they actually true? - Read it to find out!
I also found Beverly a lovely character who is elderly but is worried about her impact on the world and the environment - so much so getting a reusable shampoo bottle!
Overall, I think you should go and buy this book as it;s so interesting and doesn’t just focus on the love relationship
Also there are some triggers in this book: miscarriage, cheating and depression

Loved it! Such a cute story. Especially the flow from the present to the past, and the connection of characters through items and incidents, through the years.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion!

This book was not what I expected at all. It tells the story of Quinn and Minnie, both born on the 1st of January 1990. But not only was Quinn born 1 minute before Minnie, winning the prize money for being the firstborn baby in 1990, but he also stole her name! Because Minnie was supposed to be named Quinn and now she is stuck being called Minnie Cooper.
We follow both of them starting in the evening before their 30th birthday, where they first meet with a few flashbacks to previous new years eve's.
It tells a wonderful story about friendship, hardships, relationships, and also mental health. It is intriguing how 1 minute influenced their lives so dramatically.
This is definitely not a typical romance book and it not really steamy but I didn't mind at all.
The only thing that bothered me were the flashbacks. But the rest, the writing, the story overall I really enjoyed!

I found this book to be delightful and was engaged throughout my reading. I loved how Minnie and Quinn came to be part of each other's lives (the story of their births was great) and how they seemed to constantly be in a loop around each other growing up. Though I gave this 5 stars, I have to say that I think that there was a missed opportunity to explore Quinn more. I think the book focused mainly on Minnie. I wish towards the end that Cousens had shown us Quinn's POV so we could see how he was handling things on his end. His storyline was tragic in so many ways and I felt for the character a lot.

"This Time Next Year" follows Minnie Cooper (yes that is her name) and Quinn Hamilton. Both are born on the same day (New Year's Day) but have had different life trajectories. Minnie is trying to run a successful pie business with her best friend. She knows though that the business is barely hanging on and doesn't know what she will do if she fails at one more thing. Going out to celebrate New Year's Eve with her boyfriend causes Minnie's "birthday curse" to strike again and she finds herself locked in a bathroom all night. The next morning she is let out by Quinn Hamilton who she realizes is the guy that according to her mother stole her name. The book jumps back and forth between the present with Minnie getting to know Quinn and also we get to see past New Year's Eve/Days with the two of them throughout the years.

I did like Minnie and felt for her. This book realistically looks at how hard it is to set up a business. We get to see though how Minnie has not done well in the past which definitely sets up why she seems to walk around with a chip on her shoulder. Quinn though rich also has his own share of problems too. You initially think he's just a spoiled rich guy until Cousens gives you more of his backstory. I do like the fact that the two characters in essence circle each other and then start to become something more. I also get why Quinn is hesistant.

The secondary characters were great in this one. The two mothers definitely shaped up the story a lot and you get to see why Quinn's mother still thinks about Minnie's mother. Minne's best friend was great though and I thought that Cousens did a very good job of handling the evolving friendship and changes that they both needed to make.

The writing was really good. I had a handle on who was "speaking" and the time periods. The flow worked too. It was a bit clunky at first, but once you get going in the book everything makes sense and the different chapters and POVs flow into each other.

The book takes place in the UK, India, and I forget where else over the course of about 30 plus years. We get to see Tara and Quinn's birth and the different things that have happened to them as children, pre-teens, teens, and then adults.

As I already said, I wish that Cousens had showed us more of Quinn towards the end. The ending was lovely though and I would love to read another book by Cousens in the future.

Minnie and Quinn are the first babies born in a new decade - born minutes apart, Quinn's mum won a substantial amount of cash for being the first baby of the 1990's , beating Minnie's mum by minutes and also stealing the name Quinn that Minnie's mum had planned for her.

Their lives went on totally separate trajectories. Quinn, handsome and successful, lives a life of privilege in Primrose Hill, however, he lives under the cloud of responsibility of caring for his mum who suffers with anxiety and depression. Minnie is a working class girl who suffers from a lack of confidence in herself and her abilities. Minnie's mum has also long held on to the resentment of what happened in the hospital ward all those years ago, and so Minnie has grown up believing her birthday to be jinxed and that bad luck follows her around.

Quinn and Minnie bump into each other at a party one New Year's Eve and sparks fly. They meet many times over the following twelve months and the will they/won't they storyline sizzles. Technically this book is a romance but it also deals with heavier topics such as mental health, family relationships, the making and breaking of friendships, and the effects of all of these things on an individual in daily life.

Minnie is a wonderfully endearing character, someone you would love to have as a friend. Quinn, for all his privilege, is also dealing with his own traumas and it's hard not to feel sympathy for and empathy towards him. There are laugh out loud moments in this book and I admit I did shed a tear or two at one point. The supporting characters are a motley crew of family and friends with Fleur as the standout character for me - she totally deserves a book of her own!

Can Minnie and Quinn overcome everything to get it together in time for their next New Year's Eve birthday?

Loved it 5*

Overall this was a good read about love and friendship, a bit of a slow starter for me but well written with good, interesting characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of "This Time Next Year" #ThisTimeNextYear by Sophie Cousens. This cute and romantic book is about Minnie and her birthday "twin" Quinn. Since they were born, their lives have intersected many times - even if they weren't aware of it. This is the story of how their paths have crossed and how they eventually find each other. This book was a fast read and I enjoyed every minute of it. From the flashbacks to the present, the book had me laughing out loud. All of the characters throughout the story definitely had their unique personalities and they all the made the book come together so well. I definitely recommend "This Time Next Year" to anyone looking for a wonderful lighthearted romance!

*3.75*

I was super hyped for this book, the plot seemed like something that could really be my cup of tea, and so I immediately requested it on NetGalley.
This was a cute read, following a boy and a girl who were born on the same day (on the 1st of January 1990) and how their lives interconnect.
I really liked the premise of the story and how it was developed, but I had some problems with the pacing of this book. The beginning was really slow, and I would have liked to see more of the romance and a little bit less of the flashbacks. Don't get me wrong, they were very interesting and they give you an insight of Quinn's and Minnie's lives, but sometimes they interrupted the pacing of the story.
I also had some problems with Minnie's mom. I didn't really like her character arc, I thought she was way too cold to Minnie without a real reason, but I was glad to see that things turned out for the better.

Minnie and Quinn were two very interesting character, I believed in their love, even if at the beginning I was not the biggest Quinn fan. He was quite alright, and I understand his struggles and that he did not have a very easy life, but sometimes he just said things to hurt Minnie that I could not condone.

I really really enjoyed the anxiety and mental health representation, I found it to be very well described and conveyed. It is important to talk about these things without sugar-coating the pill and I very much appreciated to see the reality of what anxiety can do to a person. And how the author really demonstrated that there's a way out with a lot of love and the help of the people you care about.

The ending was the cutest, I was a bit afraid of how things were going to wrap up, but I enjoyed it a lot. Classic rom-com finale. I would love to see this book as a mini series or a Christmas Netflix movie, I think it would be great.
So yeah, overall I quite enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to what this author will have in store.

I want to say thank you to the publisher giving me this ARC copy I absolutely enjoyed it.
Quinn and Minnie were both in a relationship when this book started. It didn’t start with each of them searching for love. Minnie has some self-esteem issues and Quinn was a bit jaded. I loved how Quinn coming into his life made him want to do something about how he was. You could see both characters growth in this book. It was so interesting to read. I loved the secondary characters in this book especially Leila she was the bomb. She is the best friend anyone would want in their life. It was such a fun and sweet read. Kudos to the author. I recommend this book to all my friends and everyone who loves romance.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens is a warm hug of a novel. Our protagonist is Minnie, a young woman whose birthday falls on New Year’s Day, an event which is historically bad luck for her. Her perfect way to spend the day is ensconced at home with her cat, watching movies and avoiding the world. When her boyfriend asks her to go to a swanky New Year’s Eve party with him she doesn’t really want to go, but he convinces her and it is there that she meets Quinn.

Quinn’s birthday is also the 1st January. In fact, he and Minnie were born minutes apart in the same hospital as the 1980s gave way to the 1990s. Minnie’s mother’s favourite name in the world was Quinn and that is what she was going to call her unborn baby. Except she mentioned it to the frightened and nervous woman in the next bed and when her baby boy was the first baby to be born in the 1990s she stole the name. The resulting publicity around the birth meant that the baby girl born minutes later was instead named Minnie.

Their meeting all these years later is almost serendipitous. They were fated to meet, right? It’s a simple case of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl and all is well in the world, isn’t it? Well, not quite. Sophie Cousens weaves a multi-timeline novel, where we meet Minnie and Quinn at various times in their lives. Throw in two cracking protagonists, some deceptively dark waters and sparkling prose and you have a winner of a rom-com.

I (as somebody who has never written a book before) think it must be really difficult to write a rom-com without the funny bits seeming contrived or falling completely flat. Mhairi McFarlane writes brilliant books in this genre, and for me, This Time Next Year was up there with one of her novels. Minnie is one of the most endearing characters you’ll meet. Kind, compassionate, brave, suffers a bit with self confidence and just the right side of kooky; I fell completely in love with her. And Quinn? Well, it’s kind of the law that you have to have a big old stonking crush on the male protagonist, isn’t it?

The thing is with Quinn is, yes he is gorgeous, and thoughtful, and obviously doing quite well for himself thankyou very much, but he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. There are some things in Quinn’s family life which are incredibly difficult and very sad and Sophie Cousens writes it with an incredibly sympathetic and tender touch. It adds some gravitas to the book and lets us know just how high the stakes are for Quinn. It also makes you really root for him and my heart broke on more than one occasions

So, yes, it is a romance book, but it’s also a book about family and friendship. I love a book which portrays female friendship accurately. Ones where they shore each other up, tell them when they are being ridiculous, support them and occasionally fall out with them. Things aren’t always harmonious and the storyline of Minnie and her best friend running parallel to that of Minnie and Quinn’s reflects that female friendship is like falling in love. That it isn’t always smooth sailing and like any relationship needs work.

It’s such a lovely book and is a perfect summer read. Fun, heartwarming and endearing, it’s one I highly recommend.

This was a really beautiful book to read! I absolutely loved it. Everything from the characters (what awesome names - Minnie Cooper?!) to the settings, the back story and the future plans was so well written. It's not a typical romance, but more of a contemporary domestic drama - a genre all of its own really. There's a perfect amount of humour woven throughout the book which is welcomed alongside the more serious subjects and emotions that the author explores. Books about missed chances and opportunities are becoming more and more frequent yet this one still managed to stand apart from the others. Fantastic!

Beautifully written and captivating. This is a gem of a story about love and friendship and family.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Minnie and Quinn were born on the same day, in the same hospital, minutes apart, however their life's were far from the same and 30 years later, during their 30th birthday, they were going to find out once and for all if that was really the case and if grudges could be let go of.

The premise of this book had me absolutely hooked from the very beginning, I couldn't wait for Minnie and Quinn to keep finding their way back to one another throughout the new year and every meeting did not disappoint. The author also provided us with NYE./NYD flashbacks throughout the year that magically weaved the story together - I was in complete awe!

I also loved the way the author addressed anxiety and depression, the impact it has on the person dealing with it and effects it has on the people surrounding them. It was dealt with in a brilliant way and had my heart feeling extra extra warm.

This was a stunning romance from start to finish, with an array of wonderful characters who brought so much happiness between Minnie and Quinn's story, I just never wanted it to end. I would highly recommend this book and also be prepared to read it all in one sitting!

When Minnie Cooper celebrates her 30th birthday on New Year's day with her boyfriend, her most hated day of the year, she meets her birthday twin. The man who was born one minute before her, at the same hospital and who stole her name.
Minnie runs a pie making company, with her best friend, feeding the elderly and less fortunate and which is not making any money! In the early chapters we read about her losing her home and moving back home. Quinn, the name- stealer is a successful business man and has a beautiful girlfriend. However as the book unfolds both give up their partners as their lives come together. Through the book the author gives us flashbacks to New Year's Eves past where unknown to Quinn and Minnie their lives have crossed.
We follow the will they, wont they storyline throughout the book, willing the characters to get together. We also follow the story of the friendship that blossoms between their mums.
I loved this book and read it almost in one sitting. I highly recommend this book!

This Time Next Year is the story of Minne and Quinn who were born on the same day, in the same hospital just minutes apart. Their paths cross again years later on their 30th birthdays.

I found the premise of the book to be intriguing and it initially captured my attention. However, the pace of the book is very slow and somewhere along the way I found myself less interested.

Interspersed throughout the book the reader is given glimpses of past connections between Minnie and Quinn. I wish the author would have explored their previous connections more in the present story line. While it's evident to the reader, it's never addressed between the characters until the very end, and by that point it kind of seemed like an afterthought to me.

I think I have just found my new favourite author. I just loved this book, couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. It has been a long time since I've enjoyed a book this much.
The story flowed wonderfully, I loved the unknown connections that Quinn and Minnie had with each other throughout their whole lives.
There were some serious laugh out loud moments-the main one for me being the part in the airport in India. Greg's puns made me both laugh and cringe. I also appreciated the reference to Jon Bon Jovi.
The ending and the chapters about Quinn's childhood actually had me tearing up.
I would recommend this to anybody who likes a good chick lit and I will definitely be reading more from Sophie Cousens in the future.

A really cute read! Somewhat disjointed at points, but overall enjoyable. Pretty predictable, but that's often the beauty of a light beach read. Enjoyed Minnie's mother's character development, despite her friendship with Tara coming out of left field.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Minnie Cooper is jinxed, has been since the day she was born. When she meets Quinn Hamilton at a New Year’s Eve party, the two could not be more different except for the fact they were born one minute apart on New Year’s Eve. If anything Minnie is bitter because Quinn’s mom stole her name after their mothers bonded while in labor. After their meeting, the two keep running into each other, is it fate or just coincidence? But if the two of them are from completely different worlds, there’s no way there could be any chemistry there...right?
I loved this book so much! The parallels between Quinn and Minnie were amazing, I loved that they had constantly been in each other’s lives without ever realizing it. Another one of my favorite parts was the growth of character on both ends. The two didn’t jump into a relationship until they were both happy by themselves. I loved the main character’s relationships with outside characters. Minnie’s best friend Leila and her boyfriend Ian were some of my favorite people in the book. The book manages to introduce you to every character but still remains true to its romance novel roots. I would say a book like this, with it’s plot, characters, and message, is exactly what I dream of in a romance novel.