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readsinfrogpjs's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm not okay 😭
Maybe Once, Maybe Twice will hit you hard in the heart. A slow burn romance with all the angst and feelings. This novel has a little of everything: friends to lovers, second chance romance, love triangle. I fell in love with all the characters and can't decide if I'm Team Garrett or Team Asher, but I'm most definitely Team Maggie Vine. And everyone needs a friend like Summer. At 35 years old, Maggie's life isn't going as planned.. but shortly after her 35th birthday, new and old love interests make it known that they have come to fulfill promises previously made.
I stayed up way too late finishing this book. It made me laugh, made me cry, and most of all made me wish it didn't have to end. I was immersed in the story, from the nostalgia of 90's song lyrics to Monday nights at Trader Joe's. The chapters alternate from past to present, giving the reader flashbacks to young Maggie and how she got to the point at her 35th birthday. It all worked, the plot, the writing, the characters, the spice, the conflict, and the love. I did think the ending was a touch rushed, but that might have been just my desire to continue living in Maggie's world. There are some heavy topics touched upon in the story, such as suicide and sexual assault and infertility, so if you struggle with reading about those things, you may want to take caution. I can't recommend this novel enough, though, to everyone. If you couldn't tell, I give this novel 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy for my honest review.
Maybe Once, Maybe Twice will hit you hard in the heart. A slow burn romance with all the angst and feelings. This novel has a little of everything: friends to lovers, second chance romance, love triangle. I fell in love with all the characters and can't decide if I'm Team Garrett or Team Asher, but I'm most definitely Team Maggie Vine. And everyone needs a friend like Summer. At 35 years old, Maggie's life isn't going as planned.. but shortly after her 35th birthday, new and old love interests make it known that they have come to fulfill promises previously made.
I stayed up way too late finishing this book. It made me laugh, made me cry, and most of all made me wish it didn't have to end. I was immersed in the story, from the nostalgia of 90's song lyrics to Monday nights at Trader Joe's. The chapters alternate from past to present, giving the reader flashbacks to young Maggie and how she got to the point at her 35th birthday. It all worked, the plot, the writing, the characters, the spice, the conflict, and the love. I did think the ending was a touch rushed, but that might have been just my desire to continue living in Maggie's world. There are some heavy topics touched upon in the story, such as suicide and sexual assault and infertility, so if you struggle with reading about those things, you may want to take caution. I can't recommend this novel enough, though, to everyone. If you couldn't tell, I give this novel 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Infertility
Minor: Suicide
lololovesthings's review
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
4 stars!
I was enthralled with "Maybe Once, Maybe Twice" from start to finish. Alison Rose Greenberg's writing is incredible and evocative... she really made me feel every single emotion while reading this book. The characters go through so much here, and readers can feel the anguish, the pining, the rage, the connection, the heartbreak, the lust, the love, the nostalgia, the yearning deep within their bones... at least I could. Greenberg certainly broke my heart over and over and over again while reading this! I really liked Maggie Vine as the main character despite her baggage and drama. She is still trying to figure out her life and what she wants to do, even when she's 30 and 35. This felt so authentic and realistic to me. So many people my age have no freaking clue what they want to do... it's really an epidemic! I loved the musical element of this story. I loved her talent and her drive, her belief in herself even when she was panicky or nervous about an opportunity. One thing Maggie always is and won't apologize for is being herself through and through, the mess and the fantastic, the vulnerable and the strong, the good and the bad. I also adored Summer, Maggie's best friend since they were college roommates. I loved their friendship so, so much. My heart broke for Summer just as much as it broke for Maggie but for different reasons. In terms of love interests, I think I fell for both Garrett AND Asher a little bit, at different times, for different reasons, just like Maggie. The lightning-strike chemistry between Garrett and Maggie was much stronger than the deep, undying connection between her and Asher. My chief complaint is that the story seems to run out of steam in the last act. I am not sure about the ending... I think it will take me at least one more read to come to grips with it. I'm not *mad* about it, but I'm not *not* mad about it. It just felt a little contrived and thrown together at the last minute. I think a lot of readers will be thrown off by the rapid and frequent timeline changes... it did get to be a little bit grating after a while as I struggled to keep it all straight. Still, I loved this book quite a bit. I will definitely be buying it because it made me feel things few authors this year have made me feel. I also adored the voiceover narration by Katherine Littrell. She is such a fantastic voiceover artist!
Thank you to NetGalley, Alison Rose Greenberg, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
I was enthralled with "Maybe Once, Maybe Twice" from start to finish. Alison Rose Greenberg's writing is incredible and evocative... she really made me feel every single emotion while reading this book. The characters go through so much here, and readers can feel the anguish, the pining, the rage, the connection, the heartbreak, the lust, the love, the nostalgia, the yearning deep within their bones... at least I could. Greenberg certainly broke my heart over and over and over again while reading this! I really liked Maggie Vine as the main character despite her baggage and drama. She is still trying to figure out her life and what she wants to do, even when she's 30 and 35. This felt so authentic and realistic to me. So many people my age have no freaking clue what they want to do... it's really an epidemic! I loved the musical element of this story. I loved her talent and her drive, her belief in herself even when she was panicky or nervous about an opportunity. One thing Maggie always is and won't apologize for is being herself through and through, the mess and the fantastic, the vulnerable and the strong, the good and the bad. I also adored Summer, Maggie's best friend since they were college roommates. I loved their friendship so, so much. My heart broke for Summer just as much as it broke for Maggie but for different reasons. In terms of love interests, I think I fell for both Garrett AND Asher a little bit, at different times, for different reasons, just like Maggie. The lightning-strike chemistry between Garrett and Maggie was much stronger than the deep, undying connection between her and Asher. My chief complaint is that the story seems to run out of steam in the last act. I am not sure about the ending... I think it will take me at least one more read to come to grips with it. I'm not *mad* about it, but I'm not *not* mad about it. It just felt a little contrived and thrown together at the last minute. I think a lot of readers will be thrown off by the rapid and frequent timeline changes... it did get to be a little bit grating after a while as I struggled to keep it all straight. Still, I loved this book quite a bit. I will definitely be buying it because it made me feel things few authors this year have made me feel. I also adored the voiceover narration by Katherine Littrell. She is such a fantastic voiceover artist!
Thank you to NetGalley, Alison Rose Greenberg, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death, Sexual assault, and Infertility
emilylange26's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
** Received this ARC from Netgalley**
I didn't like the first 10% of this book. I thought the jumping between past and present was confusing and I was a bit overwhelmed at first. HOWEVER, then I met Asher. When Asher and Maggie reunited, I instantly felt their chemistry and I was hooked. One thing about Asher and Maggie is that they basically started where they left off 18 years or so later. This kind of made the book lack the tension that I long for in romance books but the chemistry and their emotional connection was still off the charts.
Don't get me wrong, this book had a lot going on. That being said, I think in some ways that was a good thing. This book was the opposite of predictable, which I loved. At one point my jaw was on the floor because I wasn't expecting such a late third act breakup. And although the ending felt a little rushed to me, I still enjoyed thoroughly it.
I think my favorite thing about this book was the theme of time. That might sound weird but everything in Maggie's life was somewhat related to time. It was never the right time for her and Garret to happen, which I think was a blessing in disguise. Maggie had to focus on time to heal, time to grow (especially in her music career), time to love (herself, her relationships and her friends), and time to become a mother. Plus, the jumping back and forth between past and present also fit into theme and once I got used to it, every time jump felt very intentional.
Maggie was so unapologetically herself. She knew what she deserved and she was not going to let anything come in the way of her goals. Becoming a mother was her number one aspiration from the very first chapter and I loved that we were able to see her accomplish that in time.
This book was unexpected for me because I didn't connect with it immediately but I absolutely loved it. I also loved all the nostalgic moments and music references. If you love music, I highly encourage you to read this!
I didn't like the first 10% of this book. I thought the jumping between past and present was confusing and I was a bit overwhelmed at first. HOWEVER, then I met Asher. When Asher and Maggie reunited, I instantly felt their chemistry and I was hooked. One thing about Asher and Maggie is that they basically started where they left off 18 years or so later. This kind of made the book lack the tension that I long for in romance books but the chemistry and their emotional connection was still off the charts.
Don't get me wrong, this book had a lot going on. That being said, I think in some ways that was a good thing. This book was the opposite of predictable, which I loved. At one point my jaw was on the floor because I wasn't expecting such a late third act breakup. And although the ending felt a little rushed to me, I still enjoyed thoroughly it.
I think my favorite thing about this book was the theme of time. That might sound weird but everything in Maggie's life was somewhat related to time. It was never the right time for her and Garret to happen, which I think was a blessing in disguise. Maggie had to focus on time to heal, time to grow (especially in her music career), time to love (herself, her relationships and her friends), and time to become a mother. Plus, the jumping back and forth between past and present also fit into theme and once I got used to it, every time jump felt very intentional.
Maggie was so unapologetically herself. She knew what she deserved and she was not going to let anything come in the way of her goals. Becoming a mother was her number one aspiration from the very first chapter and I loved that we were able to see her accomplish that in time.
This book was unexpected for me because I didn't connect with it immediately but I absolutely loved it. I also loved all the nostalgic moments and music references. If you love music, I highly encourage you to read this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Infertility
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