Review #91

Title- This Time Next Year

Rating– 5/5

Genre- Contemporary romance

POV- Third person, past tense

Trope- cute baker/chef

Similar Books/Comps– One Day in December, the two Lives of Lydia Bird.

My emotions-  Calm, content, satisfied

Characters–

It’s hard to write a novel where the antagonist is the self, so Sophie Cousens did a great job showing each of their growth over time. I definitely related to the main character, Minnie, and her quest for self-empowerment without the need for a man/other to define her worth.

The best friend, Leila, was charming, witty and what everyone wants in a support partner.

Plot/Blurb-

Minnie Cooper knows two things with certainty: that her New Year’s birthday is unlucky, and that it’s all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she’s never met. Their mothers gave birth to them at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year’s Day, but Quinn was given the cash prize for being the first baby born in London in 1990–and the name Minnie was meant to have, as well. With luck like that, it’s no wonder each of her birthdays has been more of a disaster than the one before.

When Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year’s party on their mutual thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to favor him. The gorgeous, charming business owner truly seems to have it all–while Minnie’s on the brink of losing her pie-making company and her home. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each fraught encounter leaves them both wanting more?

Best part-

The mermaid scene was perfecto! I could imagine the whole thing as if I were there myself.

What I’d change-

Honestly can’t think of anything…

Quote-
“Life is change — if nothing’s changing, you aren’t living.”

“Minnie, you were like this light coming into my life – you dazzle me. But your light also made me see all these shadows in my own life, shadows I finally realized I had to deal with.”

Pacing-

Easy, sweet, light and quick read

Comments–

The more difficult concepts such as anxiety and global climate change were handled with poise and not too heavy so it still matched the vibe of the book.