Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication Date: June 6, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Fiction
Book Review
Sam’s life seems perfect with her ideal fiancé, Jack, and a successful job in Manhattan. However, as she visits her family’s beach house on Long Island to tour a wedding venue, she senses something amiss. The reason becomes clear when she discovers Wyatt, her former love interest from her teenage years. The memories rush back, from their romantic moments to the painful breakup. Surrounded by the familiar beach atmosphere and the sound of Wyatt’s guitar, Sam is reminded of her past self. The undeniable connection between Sam and Wyatt resurfaces, forcing her to confront her emotions and make a difficult decision.
Same Time Next Summer is perfect for fans of Every Summer After! The story is told with a dual timeline from Sam’s first-person point of view. In the past, Sam is falling in love with Wyatt and experiencing childhood summers on Long Island. In the present, Sam is planning her wedding and re-evaluating her rigid life in the present.
One of my favorite things about this book was how it focused on Sam re-evaluating her entire life piece by piece. Some of it is in the context of her romantic relationships, but it also explores her relationship with her family, her career, and her relationship with herself.
If you enjoy childhood friends to lovers, and second chance romance like Every Summer After, I recommend Same Time Next Summer! However, I should warn you that this is not just a straightforward romance. The story heavily focuses on Sam’s character progression and less so overall on her romantic relationships.
Thank you to Putnam Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own!
Synopsis from Goodreads
Sam’s life is on track. She has the perfect doctor fiancé, Jack (his strict routines are a good thing, really), a great job in Manhattan (unless they fire her), 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?
Yet being back at this beach, hearing notes from Wyatt’s guitar float across the night air from next door as if no time has passed—Sam’s memories come flooding back: the feel of Wyatt’s skin on hers, their nights in the treehouse, and the truth behind their split. Sam remembers who she used to be, and as Wyatt reenters her life their connection is as undeniable as it always was. She will have to make a choice.
About the Author
Annabel Monaghan writes for TheWeek.com, The Huffington Post, and The Rye Record. Her first book for adults, Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big? is a collection of humorous essays for moms (Fischer Press 2016). She is the author of two novels for young adults, A Girl Named Digit and Double Digit (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2010 and 2012), and she is the co-author of Click! The Girls Guide to Knowing What You Want and Making it Happen (Simon and Schuster 2007). Annabel teaches novel writing at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College and lives in Rye, New York with her husband and three sons.
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Erin Evelyn Reads 