Member Reviews
Creative, heartfelt and great concept with enjoyable characters. I know so many readers will compare this book with Josie Silver’s One Day in December or David Nicholls’ One Day. Even though it carrier some similar vibes in this plot, its characterization makes it original, well-crafted because this is not a story about two people were born in the same day and as one of them has amazing life and our heroine: Minnie Cooper( should I blame literature parents or the author chose to name her similar with car brand?) suffers from so many twisty, unexpected things life throw at her (She truly got the worst hand the life dealt and she blames Quinn Hamilton illogically! Oh what a minute he stole her lottery money by being born a little earlier at the same hospital. Okay, she might be right!)
And for 30 years she keeps bumping into luck-robber Quinn who has great apartment, amazing job, gorgeous girlfriend. Now they’re stuck in the same place to celebrate their common birthdays. What if they have other chances to live alternated universes? What if they have chances to change their lives by choosing different paths?
This is feel-good, exhilarating, friendship, family, love , forgiveness book. It was well crafted, emotional and entertaining reading with its impeccably developed characters. I truly enjoyed it.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK/Cornerstone Digital for sharing this meaningful ARC in exchange my honest review.
Quinn and Minnie were born on the same day and their lives intersect again 30 years later. Minnie believes she's unlucky and Quinn is lucky. It's not as straightforward as that though. Over the course of a year they both learn a lot about themselves and each other.
It's a story about taking chances, about vulnerability and doing things that scare you. It's also about friends and family and the things that bond us together.
A nice, diverting read.
This Time Next Year was utterly refreshing and the perfect antidote to the current darkness that is the year of 2020 . It was funny, quirky, charming, and just an overall fun and entertaining read.
The premise of the story made for a very quick and easy read, as it was very addictive and hard to put the book down once you start reading it. It revolves around two people who were born a few minutes apart in the same hospital in the first few minutes of 1990. While one of those born seemed to get all the luck in life since then, the other one seemed to go the opposite way, and wasn’t so lucky, especially every New Year’s Day. Eventually their paths intertwine, and we get a heart warming, laugh out story as we watch their numerous encounters and the story unfold.
The characters themselves were a fun and colorful assortment. The main character, Minnie Cooper (I mean come on, Minnie Cooper? Haha get it? Minnie Cooper? Her name alone already tells you that’s she’s quite the character!) is such a quirky, unique, and just all around vivacious and entertaining character. I absolutely loved her and her generous spirit and personality and she made for an amazing main character. Her best friend, Leila, was the fun loving 1950’s fashion girl who is all confidence and swagger, and always there to give Minnie an extra boost of confidence when needed. Their co-workers, Bev, Alan, and Fleur, were all also unique and distinctive individuals who added flair to the storyline in all their own ways, and I loved each of them too. They were bubbly and animated and their personalities just jumped right off of the pages. Quinn Hamilton, ah Quinn. He was Minnie’s love interest, and I adored him. He was an absolute heart throb with his whit, charisma, humor, and awesome personality. Even Greg, Minnie’s ex-boyfriend who was mostly just irritating and I didn’t like much, could be a bit funny at times. (although he was mostly just annoying) And Minnie’s parents! They were were awesome! Especially Minnie’s dad, who made me laugh out at times.
This is one of those missed chance style stories that will have you smiling and laughing as you read. It’s cute, witty, romantic, funny, and filled with zany characters that will have you wishing you could befriend them in real life.
Highly recommend!
Love love loved this! It was witty and totally engaging and I just fell in love with the characters. I’ve read a lot of chick lit in my time and so I’m always keen for a new twist on boy meets girl there’s some drama and then a happy ending etc etc. I enjoyed the angle of them having the same birthday and dipping back into the past where their paths had crossed before. It was just really well written and I will definitely be reading more from this author. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Arrow for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Can fate bring two people together over the course of 30 years? It certainly seems like it might in this sweet and delightful story by Sophie Cousens.
“This Time Next Year” centers around Minnie and Quinn who wore born a minute apart on January 1st 1990 in London. For years Minnie has resented Quinn for stealing her name and being the blame for her bad luck that has followed her around her whole life. Everything changes when the two finally meet on their 30th birthday. Minnie and Quinn couldn’t be more different, both raised in different classes and have different outlooks on life but that doesn’t matter when the two keep being thrown into each other’s lives. What happens next is a year long journey as Minnie and Quinn continue to grow a close friendship while working on rediscovering themselves and what they truly want in life. Flashbacks through the past 30 years of Minnie and Quinn lives show missed opportunities kept them just out of arms reach from each other, or was it destiny?
I absolutely adored “This Time Next Year” and devoured in a day. Minnie’s lovable but yet insecure personality made me want to become her friend and Quinn’s charming ways made me keep reading dying to learn what would happen to these characters in the end. The witty banter and strong bonds between Minnie and Quinn’s friends and family made this book come together and feel fresh and light even when touching on tougher issues. I loved every second of being transported into Minnie and Quinn’s lives and their connection to each other. I didn’t want this book to end and want a sequel just so I can jump back into these amazing characters lives.
Thanks NetGalley and Cornerstone Digital for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.
I was looking for a quarantine read, and this did the trick. It was a quick, light read with quirky characters. Although, I did find the storyline with the flashbacks a bit confusing at times, it did not detract from the overall read.
I look forward to future books by the author.
Great read, I have really enjoyed reading this one. I cannot say anything negative about this one and cannot wait to read more by this author.
This is one of those missed chances style stories that can sometimes drive me a little bit mad, but happily this one was cute and I liked everyone in it.
They were born a few minutes apart in the same hospital in the first few minutes of 1990. As an aside, I can remember 'seeing in' 1990 (in a pub, I believe I was in fancy dress as Perky pig, don't ask) and to my shame it doesn't feel like it was that long ago. God I'm old and it did make me slightly, uncomfortably conscious that I'm much closer to their parents' ages than I am to this couple which added another layer to the story for me.
It was essentially a chic lit I suppose, but not one with zany characters doing crazy things; rather it was closely observed, snarky, witty and thought provoking, just how I love them. I really struggled to put this down,
My only reservation was Quinn. He was charismatic, hot, funny and cute but he also had commitment issues which were a bit too convincing perhaps. Minnie was so lovely, I wanted the best possible ending for her.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves a belly warming, romantic and witty read.
Thank you Net Galley for this ARC.
This is a great debut read from Sophie, very well written and I loved Minnie and Quinn such warming characters, perfect rom com book that I didn't want to end.
I received this book from Net Galley, in return I am writing an honest and fair review. This book is a rom-com with enough heft to it, that it leaves you feeling like you’ve listened to an important message about life. The dialogue flows, often humorously.. the characters are a little quirky, but all are like able. It kept my attention. I didn’t skim through it or put it aside for later as I sometimes do when reading a rom-com..I would rate this a 4 star book.
This book was a true delight to read - funny and heartwarming!
Minnie Cooper (insert car joke here) believes she was doomed from the start. On NYE 1989, her mother is trying to win the prize for first baby born in the 1990s. Not only does she lose the prize, but she also loses her choice baby name, Quinn, to her hospital roommate. Minnie is cursed with terrible luck each year her birthday rolls around...and then she meets the infamous Quinn Cooper. His life must be perfect, right? Well...not really, and so begins the story.
I loved Minnie from the start - she has a heart of gold, a great best friend Leila, and possibly the best bakery name of all time (No Hard Fillings). We're around the same age, and I really related to her struggle to find herself and her passion in life. We see her cross paths with Quinn throughout the years on their shared birthdays before their true meeting in 2020, and Cousens works a lot of humor into these scenarios.
The loose plot design of this book is similar to One Day and One Day in December, but as other reviewers have noted, the characters make this book special and worth a read. I laughed a lot and teared up a bit at the end - the signs of a good read.
Such a sweet romcom and something a little different in the storyline. I enjoyed the will they / won’t they. All the characters were true characters had such colourful stories you could really immerse yourself in to This Time Next Year. Unputdownable with a good reminder to be happy with you and not have your happiness be so reliant on others!
I loved this book. Straight away I liked Minnie she was such an easy going character. The book follows Minnie & Quinn born on the same day but their paths have gone in different directions. After a chance meeting they find their lives entwined. This was a very enjoyable read.
A fun read with likeable characters and interesting plot.
Would pick up future titles by Cousens.
4 stars.
A nice story with the ups and downs of relationships and friendships, a lot dependant on your self worth.
An easy read with a lovely story running throughout.
The first thing that comes to my mind when finding how to describe this book is CHEMISTRY! Minnie has always thought her life was doomed since birth, how she should have had a more thrilling life but it was all taken by a misunderstanding. I loved how original it was to connect both main characters. From early on, I noticed the easy banter between them, and how much chemistry was in the air when they would occasionally meet. Coming from different worlds does not help Minnie’s ease into even complentating the idea of a friendship with Quinn.
The storyline was so authentic to the real world, how maybe one half of the couple is ready to commit but the other one cannot meet halfway. It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, but it’s so worth to see the development of each of them as individual
I was given an early copy in exchange for an honest review. The tone and style of Minnie and Quinn's story is a very enjoyable read. Both of them were born on the same night, in the same hospital, their mother's acting as each other's birthing partners. After that, we see that their lives seem to be inexplicably entwined as they slowly move towards each other. I appreciated the amount of character development and growth that both Minnie and Quinn were able to overcome.
As stated previously, I did enjoy the tone and style of the story, however, I found the organization of the novel to be somewhat confusing. It's set up between present-day and past New Year's Eve of both Quinn and Minnie's past. We see how they've unknowingly been passing or interacting with each other in the past. But for some odd reason, the past years aren't chronological at all, and the connection between Minnie's experiences and Quinn's isn't made until several chapters later on more than one occasion. The other aspect that kind of felt disconnecting as a reader is that even though we're privy to all of the instances that Quinn and Minnie have experienced they are (with one exception revealed at the very end) completely ignorant about it, which makes their "fated love" seem more like it just appeared out of nowhere...but overall still a wonderful feel-good story with some good comedic moments. 3 out of 5 stars.
This book is exactly what I needed at the moment. Such a wonderful story that began when 2 babies were born on new years day. The story follows their separate lives that are also very different. Quinn is born to wealth, Minnie is from a working class family yet they have more in common than they actually realise. Such a heartwarming story that had me laughing out loud.
Still smiling after finishing reading it
I fell in love with the characters quickly and even though I expected the end, I liked the little twists on the way. The story is told from two points of view and with flashbacks. It was so emotional to read how they missed each other all these years!
I would have loved to read more about how the relationship between the mothers developed to this intense friendship. It came a bit out of nowhere, especially considering their past. I noticed some recurring figures of speech that could have been avoided, but all in all they weren't annoying.
This book is a light and easy read that I recommend to anyone who likes a cute romantic story with relatable characters. I could even imagine it adapted for television. Totally binge-worthy!
Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the plot and enjoyed the way the story was told but I just didn’t warm to the main character and her beau as much as I wished I had. Quinn was quite closed and did one too many things to make him feel irredeemable. But, ultimately I did enjoy the book and was glad they all got their happy ending. I would have loved more of Quinn and Minnie’s mums together. Loved the scene in the hospital, would have loved a few more chapters of them overcoming their decades long feud.