Audiobook narrated by Brittany Pressley and Dan Bittner.

In SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER, author Anabel Monaghan brings us to Long Island, and main character Sam’s beach house. When Sam and her fiance Jack, visit her family to make some choices about their wedding, she has only one goal: to leave. But fate has other plans. The beach house holds some bad memories for Sam, and when those bad memories show up in the form of her first love, Wyatt, her carefully orchestrated life is thrown into a tailspin. And Sam finally realizes that she’s been spending so much time being who she thinks other people want her to be that she’s forgotten how to be herself.

This story tells the past and present of their relationship from both Sam and Wyatt's points of view, but this is really Sam’s story. After spending most of their lives as friends and then a summer as lovers, a young Sam is devastated when Wyatt starts to pull away from her after a traumatic event. She seeks therapy to get over Wyatt, and finally, years later, she’s convinced she has.

I really enjoyed SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER. I think the devastation Sam felt was well done and authentic to that age and the amount of history she and Wyatt already had. I also liked the tough-love approach from her therapist. The families in this book felt real, and because they were all so unique, the characters never blended together. Sam and Jack’s relationship did feel strained from the start, and it was clear to the reader that Sam was trying to fit the mold he’d made for her and their relationship. I loved her dynamic with her parents and sister, and I really can’t stress enough how these families felt so genuine with real issues. I had a huge soft spot for Wyatt and his past, and was rooting for him to get what he wanted. I also loved the surprises that kept popping up about his life.

Because NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT was one of my favorite reads of last year, Annabel Monaghan really had her work cut out for her when I picked this book up. While the tone was very different, SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER does have all the charm, and it’s sure to be one of my favorite reads of the summer. I am so excited to read what’s next!

Audiobook Narration: Brittany Pressley and Dan Bittner narrated SAME TIME NEXT SUMMER. I was, as always, impressed with Brittany Pressley’s narration. She has great intonation and always seems to get the character. Dan Bittner’s presentation was mediocre for me. It felt a bit lackluster with the emotion, and he just never felt like Wyatt. Maybe I’d reread this with a listen, but I think I’d be more apt to pick up the book.