Same Time Next Summer Paperback – June 6, 2023

Once I got a few chapters into this book, I couldn't put it down. I was hooked from the start, but the first few chapters totally confused me, going back and forth in years, until I figured it out. It is very well written, with a great storyline and a satisfying ending. I could have read more, but it ended complete.

I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time but kept putting it on the back burner. It was a really cute read. The plot was simple but very well written. The characters were likable and relatable. Personally, I felt a connection to Samantha (Sam). The struggle she went through with her feelings and not living the life she truly wanted just rang true. On top of that, two other things earned this book four stars from me. One, I want a beach house immediately. Two, Wyatt is now up there with my other book boyfriends. He joins the ranks with Rowan (Butcher and Blackbird) and Hutch (The Love Haters). Seriously, if you don’t love Wyatt then I need an explanation because he was beyond fabulous. This would be a great summer read for anyone in the market for one of those. I highly recommend.

3.5Book club pickThis is the first book I've read by this author so I was not sure what to expect going in, especially because it was a book club pick and not something I picked up on my own. I didn't read the synopsis before starting, but very quickly picked up that it would be a second chance trope. Pretty early on all I could think was that this gave me Sweet Home Alabama vibes and I was so okay with that. I love a story that is told in past and present duel POV's so I was excited for that. I loved the summer house setting, and loved seeing how Wyatt and Sam became what they were to each other. For a good part of the story you do question why the MC's split up, and once it is reveled I will say that while I wasn't expecting it, and I could see why it caused problems especially to a 17 and 18 year olds. I did enjoy seeing them reconnect as adults, and was a tad concerned that we would stumble into the cheating trope or a love triangle, but we did not. I enjoyed (most) of the side characters, and really enjoyed seeing the growth of Sam, not only in a relationship, but with herself. While this one did end in a happy for now, there was no epilogue and for me I would have loved to see the couple together more as adults. I would recommend this one to lovers of a beachy settings, young love/heartbreak and anyone who is looking for a quick closed door romance. I will pick up more from this author in the future.

Sweet story with a sweet ending. Now I want to live in a tree house on the beach, painting to my hearts delight without a care in the world.

Review Contains Spoilers: This book was a light romance with great characters and Sam was likable but she also came across as immature cutting off contact with Wyatt for 12 years even after he explained and apologized then the minute he’s back in the picture she’s fawning over him and wanting to spend a lot of time together even though she’s engaged. The back and forth between time periods was good because it laid out their history so it was easy to understand what happened between them and the ending’s predictable but good.

I absolutely love this author! Her writing is beautiful and her stories take you on a wonderful journey. The only problem is that I read her books too fast because I can’t put them down! Highly recommend this story about summers by the beach, love, losing yourself and finding her again.

This book was a great way to start off summer. The way Annabel Monaghan writes and describes the setting pulls you in. I felt at times like I was physically on the beach or in the ocean the way she would describe the details. I could have easily sat and read this jn one or two sittings.This book felt similar to The Summer I Turned Pretty, Every Summer After and a little bit of The Summer of Broken Rules. There was second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers and a dual timeline and POV.The heartbreak that occurred in the book between Sam and Wyatt was done so well it was almost hard to get through because it felt so real and raw. Both Sam and Wyatt you could really sympathize with so easily. They were the type of characters you were rooting for the whole time.The only qualms I had was my distaste for any kind of emotion cheating, but that being said the way it was handled in the end I had no problems with. It did not have too much emotional drama which I liked. I also liked the talk Sam had with her dad about her situation (which I won’t spoil by going into things about her dad’s past you’ll have to read to find out!).It is a fairly clean romance with only a couple closed door scenes with a little bit of implied intimacy but nothing too explicit.Again it is similar to The Summer I Turned Pretty and Every Summer After with a childhood friends to lovers trope and a dual timeline. It also has a similar beach town feeling and family reunion as The Summer of Broken Rules. So if you enjoyed any of those books this is a great one to pick up this summer. If you’re like me and you liked Nora Goes Off Script but it wasn’t your favorite, I think you’ll enjoy this one a lot more. This will definitely be on my summer recommendations list-it has all the beachy feels!