INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICKTheir lives began together, but their worlds couldn’t be more different. After thirty years of missed connections, they’re about to meet again…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 … 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?
A moving, joyful love story, This Time Next Year explores the way fate leads us to the people we least expect–no matter what the odds.
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I can’t say enough great things about this book. It’s the perfect New Year read.
I love this book so much. It has become a new favorite of mine, and I will probably be rereading it.
The only complain I have about this book is that on the back of it, it is marketed as “a moving, joyful love story” and it is only like….33% that, and that is a generous guess. This book is more about life moving on, and you can take it as it comes and figure it out (and try to do better), or you can sit around and stay stagnant and a little bitter. Sure, Minnie and Quinn “meeting” each other was the catalyst for a lot of their change, but this is not the traditional romance book. I would group this more into the category of women’s fiction.
“Life is change–if nothing is changing, you aren’t living.”
Listen, I think this is my new favorite book, so I could ramble on and on about it, but I won’t. It has moving back in with your parents, conscious uncoupling, screaming matches with your best friend, change encounters, therapy, depending on your family by blood and your found family, and adopting a a penguin!!
It’s just adorable and will make you cry. I did.
This was such a fun book to listen to!! It’s not a steamy book at all but listening to the relationship develop between the main characters kept me gripped the entire time. And boy did I laugh!
Minnie Cooper (yes that’s her name ) and Quinn Hamilton were both born a minute apart on New Years Day. Their mothers actually shared a hospital room.
Fast forward 30 years and the pair finally meet in person. But when Minnie realises who Quinn is, she’s not exactly over the moon, because all her life she’s believed that her ‘bad luck birthday curse’ is due to the fact that Quinn stole her name!!
This book bounces between the present and past but it’s really easy to follow. I absolutely loved hearing about the past because it really added to the depth of the characters’ personalities.
And the side characters were so well fleshed out too. Especially Leila, Minnie’s bestie. OMG she’s hilarious
Seriously, this is a book you need to read or listen to if you’re in the mood for a light hearted love story. If you’re a fan of Bridget Jones then this book should be at the top of your TBR list!!
It’s been a while since I read a book set in England and I really enjoyed it
I can’t wait to dive in to more from this author
Minnie Cooper (yes, like the car) and Quinn Hamilton were both born on the same day, January 1. They discover that too many times have their lives crossed before. When Quinn and Minnie were born, their mothers shared a hospital room and became instant besties 30 years before. When Minnie’s mother, Connie, tells Quinn’s mother Tara, that she planned on naming her daughter Quinn – Tara takes the name from her mere minutes before Connie is ready to give birth. Not only did Quinn steal her name, but also the cash prize for being the first baby born in London 1990. Luck was never on Minnie’s side. For all her life, every birthday was worse than the next making her to believe she was jinxed.
When Minnie runs into Quinn 30 years later at a NYE party and on their 30th birthdays, she quickly realizes that Quinn is the boy who stole her name, her cash prize, and gave her bad luck. When she runs into him, she only see’s more evidence that he has had a way more fortunate life than her. He’s handsome, charming, and owns his own company.
Quinn and Minnie come from different worlds but why does fate keep telling them otherwise?
This was such a cute read. At times, predictable. But it’s a typical RomCom love story. The second to last chapter had me upset because I didn’t want it to end that way but then the final chapter made up for it all! It had me going “awww”
I love the characters in this book and how different they are, but at the same time they have so much in common. Minnie and Quinn keep meeting, even before they know who each other are. They both have their issues and emotional baggage, and they share the same birthday. You have to read the book to find out how they get past the hang up with the birthday. The book jumps from past to present and is done really well.
I love the premise of this book—the idea of two people born at the same time, one’s whole life affected by the existence of the other and the other not even knowing the one existed; and then they meet. I love the Next Stop Wonderland-ness of it, too, with their almost meetings throughout their lives.
I appreciate that Minnie’s growth and change was slow. Time passed. That doesn’t often happen in books, and we just accept it. I know real life is no excuse for fiction, but it was still nice to see character growth happen the way it does here.
I also like that the story is complex enough that Minnie’s assumptions about Quinn, her “birthday twin,” are not as simple as she thinks, and it’s not just Minnie who has a change and growth arc. Many of the side characters are complex, rich characters who are clearly on their own journeys, and no one is a straight up villain.
I love the love story between Minnie and her best friend Leila, too. Leila isn’t just a cheerleader for Minnie, though she’s that, too.
One of my favorite characters is Clive, who is actually a very minor character, but is just great. Everyone needs a Clive in their lives.
One thing that kind of threw me out of the story a little was a scene near the end that felt very Rom-Com movie, but somehow didn’t quite work in a book. Maybe it was because so much of the book felt very realistic and this scene didn’t. I’m sure it will work fine in the movie adaptation, though.
I highly recommend this book to lovers of contemporary romance.
This Time Next Year is a cute and funny British chicklit read. It is also a romance, but I think a reader can enjoy the book more if they go in knowing that this is not a swoony, steamy, romance novel. The story follows Minnie and Quinn throughout their lives. The chapters jump from 2020 to 1990 and several dates in between. I liked the jump in the timeline because it kept the story interesting, seeing how other experiences tied in. I also liked that the main characters were Star Wars fans, although that’s a minor part of the story. There is a hilarious engagement scene (not the main characters) that was fun to visualize. Minnie’s and Quinn’s mothers are interesting characters and both shaped Minnie and Quinn into who they are in present day. It’s interesting to see how their changes affect Minnie and Quinn.
I think there was a missed opportunity to have the main characters reveal the connections of certain moments in a much more obvious way, maybe with an epilogue. That would have been nice to see it happen clearly on the page.
Something that I loved was when Minnie pictures herself walking in with Katy Perry’s ROAR playing in her head. I think I need to try this! Another funny line “What would Meg Ryan do?”
“You need to be a me before you can be a we.”
*I rated this book 4.5, rounding up to 5 stars.
I started this book thinking it was just a light little escape story. It was that…but so much more. It’s a clever storyline…and it’s very well written. The characters are unique and well drawn. I finished the book and realized I loved it. Really well done!
I loved how this book was at times funny, but also realistic in how both Minnie and Quinn viewed the world from their eyes. I also loved how Minnie was a strong, independent woman in her own right, not just a romantic. Great read.
I can say with complete confidence that this book is easily one of my favorite books of all time! I’m usually not into reading romance novels because their a bit too cheesy for me, but the humor in this book was so unexpected and quick, I was literally laughing out loud! All the witty humor and not wanting to go to a party on New Years Eve, I found Minnie super relatable! I hope there is a movie in production for this book!
From reading other reviews, I was looking forward to a nice fluffy book, hopefully with a bit of substance.
Quinn and Minnie were both born on New Year’s Eve, shortly after midnight and a few minutes apart. Their lives took different routes through life but unbeknownst to each other, they did cross paths a few times along the way. Then, they met on New Year’s Eve, just before their 30th birthday.
And, so began a non-relationship relationship. Minnie spent her life with a chip on her shoulder and Quinn had his problems. I liked the fact that both of their characters were flawed. But, at times I felt frustrated with them…..I wanted to yell, Just get on with it!
The one part of the book that I enjoyed very much was Minnie’s business, baking and delivering meat pies to those in need. The staff in her bakery were particularly endearing. They were quirky, funny and loyal to each other. And the recipients of the pies (even though we just met them very briefly) were sweet.
The aspect of the book that I did not enjoy so much was the fact that it seemed drawn out too much. It could have been condensed. Then, the last part of the book tied up all the loose ends too quickly. My mind was thinking, Wait, how we did get here?
The plot, with the proper screenwriter, could probably make a fun rom-com movie.
But, as a book, it fell a little short for me. It was just ok, a little disappointing. Not terrible, just disappointing.
This Time Next Year was an enjoyable, quick read that I binged in one sitting. I enjoyed it significantly more than One Day in December, which it’s often been compared to, likely because of this one’s quick comparative pacing.
I found the novel pleasant overall, though certain aspects could be improved. For example, there are numerous flashbacks throughout the book that are clearly labeled with dates, but they weren’t in chronological or reverse chronological order, best I could tell, giving them a strange feel of randomness. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I also felt like we didn’t get a conclusion regarding the flashbacks. I’m not normally one for unnecessary epilogues to wrap everything up in a bow, but I might have liked one here just to address that point. Just felt like the book was so short as is, this would have been easy enough to include!
Generally, this is a cute read, especially perfect for those looking for a New Year’s Eve themed read, and maybe a little bit of kismet/fate, and I enjoyed it.
4 stars – 7/10
Loved this original book! My favorite of 2021
Would I Recommend it?
Yes, if you’re in the mood for a cute romantic comedy.
Thoughts
Soooo… are we to categorize this book under Sci-Fi? Fantasy? In addition to RomCom? Being that an alternate and preferred 2020 exists in the pages of this book? 🙂 Cheers to writers who couldn’t predict our future and wrote a 2020 storyline we all wish we could’ve played a role in.
I loved the characters. I enjoyed the story. It was cute. Heartfelt. Real. Funny at times. Romantic at others – right down to the owls.
My husband greatly enjoyed the numerous dorky puns sprinkled throughout that I shared with him. (And yes, David, you should read this one. I think you’ll find a bit of our story within the pages of this book.)
“When I meet the right man, he will believe in romance; he will get that it’s important. Life can’t just be about coupling up like yoghurts in a multi-pack.”
Perhaps the most moving part of the book was in the acknowledgments. “Whatever the year ahead might bring for us all, let’s keep reading. Books free us from isolation. Stories unite us. We’ve all had to play in one-player mode for a while—but we’re all still in this game together.” -Sophie Cousens
This was a wonderful random book find for me via browsing the online sales pages of Barnes & Noble.
PS: British people apparently love jumpers… Sooooo many jumpers in this book. On women. On men. At weddings. While going for a swim. At job proposals. What is with the jumpers?
I’m not sure what I had expected based on this book’s overall rating and synopsis, but it was nothing like I anticipated and I really enjoyed it. This was more women’s fiction, but the romantic slow burn of near misses was woven through each of the protagonists separate and coinciding story lines. The author did a clever job of subtly noting those near misses without it affecting the forward progression and pacing. I really liked both Quinn and Minnie, but it was best friend Layla who often stole her scenes and had me actually laughing out loud. There were some other great secondary characters, as well. In the end, this was a fairly lighthearted story with good character growth and an enjoyable story arc. I would definitely read more stories from this author.
This Time Next Year is such a sweet, loving story that builds over 31 years. It’s told in a non-linear timeline, with all of the flashbacks taking the reader back to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day throughout the years. Why those days? Minnie Cooper (the woman, not the car) and Quinn Hamilton’s relationship (whether they knew it or not) started in labor and delivery on New Year’s Eve 1989/their birthday on New Year’s Day 1990.
Minnie was raised to be a fatalist, walking around with a chip on her shoulder and assuming the worst of most situations. She let her mother dictate her self-worth for years and that made her question everything about herself – her value, her actions, her luck, her success. Minnie’s character growth was really satisfying. She didn’t really have anywhere to go but up, but seeing her believe in herself throughout the story was really encouraging.
Quinn looks like a perfect guy with a perfect life, but things are rarely as perfect as they seem and Quinn personifies that. His backstory and flashback chapters are heartbreaking and gut-wrenching, truly showing why he’s as closed-off and hesitant toward letting people into his life.
Their relationship isn’t much of a relationship to begin with, it’s more of a curiosity from both sides. They’ve crossed paths many times over the years (unbeknownst to them) in many different ways, but never put two and two together. They’re friends first in varying degrees of closeness and that grows and changes over time. However, the thing I liked most was that they both took the time they needed to become the best versions of themselves separately so that they could find their way to each other and be happy without any reservations or hesitations. Their relationship was destined to be epic from the first time their mothers met and they continually found themselves brought together when they needed each other over their 31 years.
This is a story that you’ll totally get lost in – it will sweep you up in the quirky, cute, flawed characters and you won’t want to leave by the time it’s over. Not only is this a great rom-com, but it’s also a story about personal growth, family ties and the importance of friendship.
This Time Next Year is a lovely romance laced with a finding-yourself story. I was rooting for Minnie and Quinn all the way through and found their “opposites attract” thoroughly believable. And the recipes at the end were a nice surprise- I was just looking for a good fruitcake recipe!
Thank you @putnambooks for #gifting me a copy of this book.
3.5 Stars
I so rarely read the synopsis of a book because I like walking into a book with no preconceived notions. However, I stumbled upon this book before it published and I LOVED the synopsis and thought that this was a great idea it was for a romcom!! Minnie & Quinn were born on the same day, at the same hospital, only a minute or so apart. Not only did Quinn steal Minnie’s name, he also stole her birthday luck. They finally meet on their thirtieth birthday and then keep bumping into each other after that.
Unfortunately, this was more of chick lit novel with a hint of romance. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just wasn’t what I was in the mood for or expected. For the most part, book was set at a decent pace. I did feel like the romance was a bit rushed but as I mentioned before, this felt more like a chick lit genre than a romance. I really liked Quinn’s character, he was caring even while dealing with his own struggles. We also got to watch Minnie grow as a character throughout the year of this story, overcoming several obstacles. While I think a lot of this story was believable (even the pre-conceived notions that Minnie has concerning Quinn), there was one specific situation that felt so out there and completely unbelievable; I rolled my eyes at the complete absurdity of it.
This was a cute story, I just wish that I would have went into it either knowing nothing about it or knowing that it was chick lit and not a romance.
I loved the characters and the story in this book! There was lots of humor and a little romance, a great combination. And the story also was a look at our relationships with others, how we relate to them and understand them. An overall wonderful story!
This book is compared to One Day in December and I don’t necessarily agree with that. They’re both set in England and they both feature multiple “meet-cutes” between the MC and hero. Oh, and I enjoyed reading both. Instead of unrequited love, This Time Next Year is more of a enemies-to-friends-to-lovers.
Minnie grows up feeling like she’s unlucky. Her birth was minutes off from being the first baby born of the decade and those minutes obviously greatly mattered. Her life is one uphill battle after another. When she meets Quinn, the man that was the recipient of the title and her almost-name, she has to hate him on principle, right? Even if he’s kind and attractive.
I quite enjoyed this story. Minnie and Quinn have a somewhat turbulent relationship. I appreciated how they pushed each other to growth and success. I think Sophie did a great job and I am looking forward to reading more from her.