This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

|Synopsis|

When Minnie meets Quinn at a NYE party, it’s clear that they’ve got nothing in common – except for the strange fact of their being born in the same place at the same time on New Year’s Eve. A crazy coincidence, but not a reason to pursue a friendship, and definitely not an excuse for Quinn to hope for something more.

He is a privileged party boy who believes the world is his for the taking. She is a hard-working realist, whose lack of confidence tends to hold her back.

Opposites don’t really attract…it’s not like this is a rom-com, right?

The clock strikes midnight, their moment passes, and another year begins. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each frustrating interaction somehow seems to push their lives in the right direction? Could it be that instead of clashing, their different outlooks might complement each other?

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|Review|

Minnie Cooper (insert car joke here) has been cursed with back luck in her birthday since the day she was born a minute after New Years and lost not only the prize money for not being the first baby born, but also her supposed lucky name. Since then every birthday she has a series of unfortunate events happen to her. The nemesis in her life, the real Quinn, has no idea she evens exists until she bumps into him on their thirtieth birthday. He comes off as a rich party boy leading the ultimate charmed life as Minnie’s is going up in flames. After meeting though they can’t seem to stop crossing paths and maybe fate has other plans from them beyond a one-off meeting.

This Time Next Year was a hilarious rom-com that had me laughing out loud at certain parts and commiserating with Minnie about life not going as planned. Minnie may be walking around with a bit of a chip on her shoulder due to her luck, but she was so funny and kind. She runs a pie business to feed those in need that isn’t exactly successful but something she loves and cares deeply about. We get to spend a year with her and a lot actually happens. We get to see all the highs and lows along with how she changes as a person. 

This book was full of so many great friendships, with the best being Minnie’s with her best friend Leila. They always lifted each other up and were there for each other, trying to make each other’s dreams come true. The rest of the pie crew was just downright hilarious, a group of rag-tag people with their own issues thrown together and making the best of the worst.

Okay so onto the best part, Quinn! Minnie meets him and thinks he is leading this perfect life with her stolen name. But nothing is as it seems and I loved diving into his life. We even get a few chapters from his perspective, some of his New Years birthdays. I don’t want to spoil too much but they’ve been just missing each other for years, from the moment they were born actually. Quinn has a lot on his plate and let’s just say it’s not just Minnie who needs a new perspective on life. I was invested in their relationship from the get go, but it was very much a case of right person wrong time. This book just goes to show though that what’s meant to be can be if you’re willing to put in the work. 

I highly recommend picking up This Time Next Year and having it be either your final read of 2020 or your kick off to 2021. It was such a well written romance with more than just fluff but a great storyline that kept me engaged from start to finish. It has everything the perfect romance needs; witty banter, a bit of bad luck and some New Year’s Eve kisses.