Same Time Next Summer - Annabel Monaghan

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Sam is months away from sealing the deal on the life of her dreams. Her HR consulting career is rock-solid and no nonsense. Her fiancé, Jack, is an even more rock-solid, no nonsense doctor, and their upcoming wedding is slated to be the ultimate elegant affair at Sam's family's beach haven in Long Island. As the summer opens, there's nothing that could throw Sam's carefully-orchestrated plans out of orbit.

With the exception, however, of her first summer love. Wyatt.

When Sam and Jack return to Long Beach to iron out the final details of their wedding, Wyatt's unexpected and seemingly untouched-by-time presence on the shore is enough to throw Sam headfirst into a reverie of untapped, painful memories from their teenage summers together, and the time Wyatt broke her heart for good.

An ode to first loves set against the sweet backdrop of summertime on Long Island, "Same Time Next Summer" is an easy, breezy read to kick of the season. While I loved Monaghan's descriptive writing and the all-too-familiar rom-com feel of the story, both Sam and (especially) Wyatt felt far too unformed as characters for me to connect with them. 

In a world oversaturated by a sea of summertime love stories, "Same Time Next Summer" needed a less been-there-done-that plot to hold promise with me, or at the very least, a more emotional punch-packing cast of characters. I breezed through the story in 24 hours but can't say it left an impression on me. Cute but almost too much so for it's own good, this is a fine summer romance but one I predict will be overshadowed by those with more substance and originality.

Rating: 3 Stars
Publication Details: Out 6/6/2023, Penguin Group Putnam 

*Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy of this title*


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