Same Time Next Year | By Tessa Bailey
Book Review | Contemporary Romance
Narrative and Plot
Before we get into the review, I would like to confess that I don’t read a lot of novellas. Perhaps my criticisms come from the lack of knowledge about the same.
Now, Same Time Next Year had an interesting yet familiar premise. It’s a fake dating, marriage of convenience trope and the story starts from page one. Again, being a novella this doesn’t have the privilege of giving you a preamble. You just jump right into it. Perhaps that’s why the chemistry between the leads didn’t really shine through, for me.
The theme and the whole leads pining for each seemed like a rinse and repeat of the last few Tessa Bailey books that I’ve read. It could be that I am having a burn out with the author’s book. The point is it didn’t bring anything refreshing to the table. Also, if I have to read one more book about the female lead’s ovaries doing a tango, I am quitting the genre. It’s been done and dusted. Please leave the ovaries alone.
Characters and Conflict
Sumner and Britta had known each other for a while. However, the history or the intimacy felt forced and passive. The whole conflict was around their relationship and nothing more. It had its steamy moments, but emotionally it felt like a one track road.
It didn’t click for me from the beginning. Needless to say, everything felt flat. The characters needed to be fleshed out a bit more.
Conclusion
I got into a mini reading slump because I dragged myself to finish this one. All I can say is if you are new to Tessa Bailey and want to test the waters, give this one a try. If you have already read her books, you can skip this one.
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