I loved the last novel by this author and this one was another hit for me! Just brilliant!!

Sam's life is on track, with a fabulous job and a fiance she is about to marry. But when they return to see her family at the Long Island beach house she grew up in, they run into Wyatt, her first love. The man who broke her heart.

As Sam starts to remember her old life, being back at the beach house, she begins to question the new life she has chosen and those memories of summer with Wyatt return.

This novel transported me to the beach and those summers. She hasn't seen Wyatt for fourteen years and has convinced herself he was just an obsession - their love wasn't real. As the story goes on we see pieces of the past revealed and go on a journey of discovery with Sam. There were serious moments but also humour and there was just something so special about the setting and the characters. The author's writing really does make you feel like you are at the beach and it was such a wonderful escape.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this gifted review copy.

4.75/5

I really enjoyed this one, and thanks to Netgalley I could read it just after I finished Annabel Monaghan's book - Nora Goes off Script!

Same Time Next Summer is a second chance romance, then/now story about Sam and Wyatt, who spent summers together in neighbouring houses on the beach while growing up. Now, Sam and her fiance Jack are returning to a family holiday at the same beach she hasn't been back to for years. And guess who's also there for the summer? - Wyatt.

I really enjoy Annabel's writing style! She writes fairly short books and her writing just seems to click with me and I have such a fun time reading her words. I also really liked the characters/family relationships in this one as well!

The format of STNT is well constructed - Sam narrates the present day timeline and there are also flashback chapters of Sam and Wyatt's past they both narrate which lets the reader understand their relationship from both perspectives while leaving Wyatt a bit mysterious in the present day story.
It's pretty clear from page one that Sam is unhappy with Jack and forcing herself to fit into a life that will keep her feeling safe but the journey of her working through her thoughts/her situation was worth it in the end.
The reveal of what went down in the past with Sam and Wyatt was different to what I've read in other books with this trope, so I was glad to see it taken in a different direction in this one! Definitely one of my favourite then/now stories - it didn't feel like I was being pulled out of the story at any point and I liked hearing all parts of the story.

Also, I always read acknowledgements and I loved the first three sentences of this one aha, a funny thing to point out I know 😂

An enjoyable and well written story, i would love to visit Long Island after reading this! The main characters were great as was the scene setting and description. Kept me reading all weekend and I’d happily read it again!

Nora Goes off Script was one of my favourite romcoms of last year so I was really excited to read this new book by Annabel Monaghan.
This book follows the second chance romance and summer romance trope and is fairly similar to several other romance books of this trope. However there is a reason this trope is so popular and this is definitely a fun, easy, summer romcom! The writing style, plot and humour are easy to follow and make a great read.

I loved Nora goes off script so I was very excited to read this! I enjoyed this quick read, especially the scenery but do wish the characters had been fleshed out a little more. Thank you NetGalley for the Arc

Same Time Next Summer follows Sam who returns to her childhood beach house with her new fiancé, but ends up running into her first love, Wyatt, who broke her heart years ago.

The story is told from the perspectives of both Sam and Wyatt and flits between present day and the past. I really enjoyed this book, the setting and the teenage flashbacks reminded me of The Summer I Turned Pretty series which I love.

This book transports you right there, into the beach house and you get so swept up into the story so quickly. I loved Sam and Wyatt as characters even if they were both infuriating at times!

Annabel Monoghan is a really great romance writer, I think she deserves the same hype that Emily Henry gets!

Sam's life is on track. She has the perfect doctor fiancé, Jack, a great job in Manhattan, and is about to tour a wedding venue near her family's Long Island beach house. Everything should go to plan, yet the minute she arrives, Sam senses something is off. Wyatt is here. Her Wyatt. But there's no reason for a thirty-year-old engaged woman to feel panicked around the guy who broke her heart when she was seventeen.

Right?

Of all the summer-themed romance novels I’ve read, this one is the absolute best. It’s a breezy beach read with a fantastic cast of characters and an addictive story of first love that’s utterly intoxicating from the very first page.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A fantastic romance which had me hooked - so much so that I read this in one weekend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange f0r a review.

Same Time Next Summer was one of my more anticipated books this year, after reading and loving Nora Goes Off Script last year. So, this is a little awkward! We went from a 4 star book to a 2 star one for me in next to no time.

This is, on the face of it, a second chance romance, seventeen years in the making, between childhood friends, Samantha and Wyatt. Samantha is now engaged to a perfectly detestable man (more on him later) and believes herself to be over the pain Wyatt caused her when they were kids. More fool her! Because Wyatt’s back in their summer holiday town at just the same time she is and she has to face facts now.

Done well, I think I would have loved this book. However, it was not done well. I think there are several reasons for this, chief among of which was the fact that Wyatt and Sam felt so bland. Even with the flashbacks, meant to show you just why Wyatt and Sam should be together, they didn’t give any sense of actual attraction or why I should even care about them. In fact, the flashbacks you might say made it worse instead. Something about them just made me irritated rather than interested. Maybe it was the way they were shoehorned into the story, all squeezed into the first half so that it was more flashback than present day narrative. Or perhaps that they alternated between Wyatt and Sam’s POVs, unlike the rest of the book (barring a single Wyatt POV at the end which was singularly pointless), and I couldn’t tell them apart. Their voices were not distinct in the slightest. The only good thing I have to say is thank God the flashbacks didn’t last for the entire book.

Then there was Jack. Now, I get that a pretty major point of this book involves her being with the wrong man. But could he not have been a little bit more sympathetic? I need to be able to see just what she saw in him to even start a relationship because this was just me wishing fervently for her to break up with him already for 270 pages. The fact that it took that long was an absolute nightmare. Like, Sam, have some self-respect please! He tramples all over what she wants, he basically tries to mould her into himself, including reading the same damn books (and also dictating what she’s not allowed to read), doing the same damn gym sessions at the same damn time. I am not at all conflicted about this break up, I am actively rooting for it. But then, this was a book that couldn’t even show me why I should root for the actual main couple with its flashbacks, of course it was never going to show me why Sam got together with Jack in the first place.

In conclusion, then, what I’m left with is something entirely unenjoyable. Maybe Nora was an anomaly, maybe if I reread it now I would like it less. But it’ll still be pretty hard to like it less than I liked this.

This book was okay.

I got the summer vibes it was going for and the overall conflict was believable.

However, it did feel a bit soulless, maybe because the story was so formulaic. Girl and boy fall in love as kids. Cue conflict that tears them apart. Years later the girl is engaged and sees the guy again. This makes her realise how wrong her life/her fiancee is for her. She breaks up, gets a new life and goes back to her true love.

This story feels and bit tired and there wasn't anything that made it stand out against the other stories of the same variety. The characters didn't pop out, the ending felt predictable but rushed, and the non-linear timeline wasn't super engaging. The adult perspective is from Sam's POV, while the past timelines cover both their sides of the story. Which was why it felt a little unnatural that there was one chapter at the till end of the adult story from Wyatt's perspective.

I also felt like the dialogues were a bit stilted, and the paragraphs weren't that well connected so reading one idea jump to the next was slightly jarring.

This was an easy summer read, but I don't think I'll remember it beyond that.

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down, it was addictive. It's the best kind of beach read, full of gossip and scandal but not written in a syrupy way. I liken it to a modern Jackie Collins... it was full of the best detail about the white WASPY set but there was also a great mystery and a fantastic twist at the end. I will recommend this to everyone I talk to, it was brilliant.

4.75 stars

This book was everything I expected it to be and more.
It made me feel happy and hopeful.
I love Annabel Monaghan writing because I get lost in the story and I get to relate to the characters so easily it makes me feel like I'm part of the story too.
Wyatt is definitely book boyfriend material (l love him!) He was sweet and supportive without being overbearing or possessive. He gave Sam time to think and to grow. I also love how he was upfront and apologized when he made mistakes.
Now our beautiful and amazing heroine, Sam. I love to see her grow and learn from her mistakes and be able to relate to her and cheer for her (because you feel you're now cheering for yourself too?) Ugh so good!
Again, I'm not going to give spoilers about what happens, but l'm asking you to
please read this book when it comes out in June because it's amazing. If you
want sweet and fun friends to lovers, second chance romance with tons of
swooney moments (and very little to no smut sorry! (Still, you should give it a
chance, tho)) This is definitely for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Didn't have some of the added components that made her debut a 5-star book for me, but definitely would recommend this one for your rom-com summer reading list as I found it very enjoyable and satisfying.

This is a great summer romance book. The structure shared similarities with Carley Fortune's Every Summer After, but I really enjoyed the more light hearted tone of this novel. As with Nora Goes Off Script, I love how Annabel Monaghan weaves humour into the pages, it's funny without having to try hard to be a romcom.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for ARC of this book.

I was so excited to receive an advanced copy of Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan. She is the author of Nora Goes Off Script, and this was definitely a favorite last year! When I saw that Annabel Monaghan’s new book was a summer-themed read, I couldn’t wait to read it!!

After finishing Annabel’s newest book, I know this will be the perfect read for summer! She includes wonderful descriptions of the beach views, surfing, and the sounds of the waves. I take annual trips to the beach, so the ocean is my happy place, which is why I enjoy reading any love stories set at the beach!

Same Time Next Summer is told with dual timelines, and depicts seventeen and thirty year old Sam. Stepping back in time, we see Sam with her first love, Wyatt. They enjoy many care-free summers, swimming, surfing, and being young and in love. They spend each summer with their families, who are neighbors with beach front homes in Long Island. Fast forward to today, and Sam and her fiancé, Jack, live a very structured and regimented life. They read the same books at the same time, they have a strict exercise schedule, and are planning the most traditional wedding (why does everything have to be white?!)

When Sam return to her family’s beach house for the first time in years, she is surprised to find Wyatt next door. Sam will be forced to choose which direction she wants her life to take.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC. It was gifted to me through NetGalley. The opinions noted above are my own. Thanks for this great opportunity!

Sam and Jack are due to get married in October and although conventional Jack would prefer to get married in Manhattan the pair head to Sam’s parents beachside holiday home on Long Island to look at an alternative wedding venue. However, Sam learns that Wyatt, her ex who broke her heart aged 17 is also there, next door, just as in their teens. Will this set the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons forcing Sam to confront the past and what’s more make comparisons to her present day situation? The story is told Then and Now which works well so we learn the back history of the teenage couple and it contrasts well with the here and now.

I really enjoy the nostalgia of this novel as you can’t relate to that wonderful feeling of first love? It evokes memories and lovely reminders of the flurries of excitement (!) and the intoxication which in my case doesn’t last but it’s fun while it did!! At times the story of Wyatt and Sam is heartbreaking and moving. As she recalls the relationship it enables her to focus on the addictive nature of first love to decide if the image she has in her head is real with her uncertainty both in the past and present feeling authentic. As her dilemma intensifies should she/will she stick with the safe of Jack and choose vanilla cake or grab a second chance and eat chocolate cake???!!!! The characterisation is very good, they’re all likeable and relatable and to be honest, I could fall in love with Wyatt myself! All this decision making is set against a backdrop of Long Island which definitely adds atmosphere and romance with the lure of the sea and long sunny days.

This is a fun, entertaining and above average romance novel with some drama and smiles and bringing some much needed feel good factor. It’s an obvious choice to take to whatever beach you’re heading to this summer for a light, breezy, sunny read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author Annabel Monaghan for the arc of this book. Firstly, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the writing style and storyline was so easy to follow as it just flowed. The characters had the right amount of backstory , although I would have liked to learn more about Sam. Lastly, this is most definitely going to be this summers beach read. 4.2/5

Nora Goes Off Script - the first book that I'd read by this author - was just okay (I gave it 3.5 stars).
Whereas I actually preferred this one a bit more.
This is definitely a great beach/holiday read and I would recommend waiting until the sunshine is out to get the most from this story.
I liked the beach house setting and the romance tropes were handled well.
It's a really sweet story and I especially liked all of the side characters.
It did give me YA vibes but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It is worth mentioning in case you go into this looking for more of an adult or steamy romance.
I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for what Annabel Monaghan does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Nora Goes Off Script, so I was excited to read Same Time Next Summer. I didn’t love it quite as much - I think maybe it was a bit more traditional romance than I usually like to read? But I did love it. Much like Nora, the characters and setting are wonderful. I fell a little bit in love with Wyatt, but more in love with the idea of summer at the beach. Oh and with Sam’s grandmother! Another smart, warm and witty read.

A lovely light hearted rom com that is perfect for those summer holidays relaxing in the sun with a good drink and a book in hand.