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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s Different This Time - Joss Richard - out on September 30, 2025
5 years ago June fled to LA from New York, leaving behind her best friend Adam and the brownstone they shared without telling him she had no plans to ever come back. When she gets a cryptic email enticing her back to New York, it coincides with the show she’s been doing being canceled. When she arrives, she finds herself face-to-face with Adam again where they find out the owner of the brownstone they rented for years together has died and left it to the two of them. All they need to do is wait a month to sign the paperwork and it will be theirs. Easy except when you factor in that they haven’t talked since the day June left and they know nothing about each other’s lives despite years of history.
As they’re forced together, they realize how much unfinished business is still between them and how much there’s still a longtime attraction there, one they both tried to pretend for years didn’t exist. June’s conflicted between returning to LA and her film/tv acting career or pursuing a show on Broadway, something she hasn’t done in years but really, she’s unsure how much of her heart she can give to Adam without being totally destroyed. Adam, for his part, knows June is the one who got away but he’s hesitant after the years apart.
I LOVED this second-chance romance, will probably end up in my top ten of the year easily! It’s a little slow burn at first but I was sucked into the story immediately and curious to find out what happened between these two. Adam is a dream of a character and June has her issues like all of us that she needs to work through as she learns to trust Adam and take a chance. I can’t wait to read more from this debut author in the future!
Thanks to Netgalley and Dell for the ARC.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This debut novel by Joss Richard gives Emily Henry energy, and I mean that in the best way.
Two people come together over a need for a place to live in NYC. Their relationship ends up complicated, ending in a disconnect. Then, they reconnect, life giving them another opportunity to come together. There’s something so real about these characters. They are messy, stubborn, and lovable. I wanted to yell at them. I wanted to cry with them and hug them. Most of all, I needed to know what happened next.
Make this your next meet-cute romance. You won't be disappointed.
Two people come together over a need for a place to live in NYC. Their relationship ends up complicated, ending in a disconnect. Then, they reconnect, life giving them another opportunity to come together. There’s something so real about these characters. They are messy, stubborn, and lovable. I wanted to yell at them. I wanted to cry with them and hug them. Most of all, I needed to know what happened next.
Make this your next meet-cute romance. You won't be disappointed.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A wonderful heartwarming debut!!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cozy fall second chance romance book set in NYC. June is an actor who isn't finding success in LA but comes to find that it's because she left a part of her in NYC and she goes back to find out what's left there for her.
I found this slow at times and wanted more excitement to move the story forward. It was easy to pick up and read a few chapters, The story line wasn't complicated and had a lot of cozy fall vibes.
This would be a great read for someone into theater and musicals, as June talks about her love for Les Mis and has been in a few shows on Broadway.
I found this slow at times and wanted more excitement to move the story forward. It was easy to pick up and read a few chapters, The story line wasn't complicated and had a lot of cozy fall vibes.
This would be a great read for someone into theater and musicals, as June talks about her love for Les Mis and has been in a few shows on Broadway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
emotional
medium-paced
⭐️⭐️⭐️¾ (3.75 stars)
It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard is a nostalgic, emotional, second-chance romance with heart, chemistry, and just the right touch of angst. When June and Adam are unexpectedly thrown back together by a quirky inheritance clause, they’re forced to confront the past they left behind—and the feelings that never quite faded.
I enjoyed this story! I often get frustrated when characters avoid conversations that could solve everything, but in this case, that silence made sense. June and Adam needed time to grow on their own before they could come back together, and that growth made their reunion more meaningful. The pacing was solid, and I loved the way the dual timeline added emotional depth.
One note: this is not a closed-door romance—the chemistry is definitely there! Overall, a thoughtful and emotionally satisfying read with a strong second-chance arc.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
“Don’t you know by now that it’s you? It will always be you.”
5⭐️ 2🌶️
- second chance
- dual timeline
- friends to lovers
- forced proximity
- found family
- “Yes, chef”
- NYC in the Fall
This was so, so good, an absolutely amazing debut novel!!
A few years ago, June was trying to find a new apartment in the city, and happened to cross paths with, Adam, who also was looking for a new place to live. When they both end up at the same 2-bedroom showing, they decide to move in together to split housing costs. They live together for a few years, and then June leaves for a new acting job in California and never even says goodbye to Adam.
Fast forward a few years and June is now back in New York, and unbeknownst to her (or Adam), they are the new owners of their old apartment. Now that they’re back in New York together, will they pick up where they left off? Or are all of the emotions too much for them to be vulnerable with each other again?
THANK YOU to Joss, Dell & NetGalley for this arc. thoughts are my own!
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book is the Cornelia Street Norah Ephron crossover of my dreams. It is romance perfection. June and Adam are so lovable and so raw and so perfect for eachother. Their years long entanglement, the yearning, the heartbreak - broke my heart and put me back together. It is the perfect fall read.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am never going to stop talking about this book. I genuinely cannot believe this is a debut, this was incredible. This was the most perfect second chance romance. June and Adam's story is told in a single POV, with dual timeline.
First of all, the writing was beautiful. This story is filled with such deep yearning and tension, and every time June and Adam were on page together - in the current timeline or flashback - you just wanted to push them together and scream "KISS!". The connection that they share is so palpable and deep, you feel instantly gutted because while the timelines are alternating, you know that it's leading up to the unknown conflict. June has so much personal growth that she needs to work through and I loved getting to see that happen on page. Adam isn't a perfect character by any means, but these two genuinely were written so perfectly for each other.
Second, the setting!! This was such a love story to New York in the fall and I loved how descriptive Joss was. You really feel like you could be sitting in a window seat at a coffee shop just watching this story unfold. I loved everything about that.
All in all, this was an incredible debut and Joss will forever be an instant-buy author for me.
Thank you so much to Dell for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
First of all, the writing was beautiful. This story is filled with such deep yearning and tension, and every time June and Adam were on page together - in the current timeline or flashback - you just wanted to push them together and scream "KISS!". The connection that they share is so palpable and deep, you feel instantly gutted because while the timelines are alternating, you know that it's leading up to the unknown conflict. June has so much personal growth that she needs to work through and I loved getting to see that happen on page. Adam isn't a perfect character by any means, but these two genuinely were written so perfectly for each other.
Second, the setting!! This was such a love story to New York in the fall and I loved how descriptive Joss was. You really feel like you could be sitting in a window seat at a coffee shop just watching this story unfold. I loved everything about that.
All in all, this was an incredible debut and Joss will forever be an instant-buy author for me.
Thank you so much to Dell for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
a fantastic debut from Joss Richard! This was such a joy to read, a perfect romcom for the fall and winter. I’m a huge fan of MC couples who go through longggg yearning and pining stages, and this had plenty in TWO timelines! Sometimes the dual-timeline structure can feel jarring or forced, but Joss Richard flowed between the time periods seamlessly and truly made a cohesive, satisfying story. My favorite aspect of second-chance romances was also constant- the obvious love and care the MCs have for each other even when struggling or apart. I was rooting for them separately and together the whole time. Absolutely loved this story and am so excited to read more from this author