It's time to read the most talked about Christmas romance of 2020. Although this is never my go to genre of choice, I find these types of books to be a refreshing and fun change to a lot of the more heavy-hitting contemporary, non-fiction and horror that I devote most of my reading time to. And besides, it's Christmas! Minnie and Quinn have never met, but have been lifelong rivals, both having been the first two children to be born on New Years Day. Quinn just edged it, and Minnie feels she has been cursed from birth by always landing in second place. Years later they meet at a New Years Eve party; although they come from opposing worlds, and have had very different degrees of luck bestowed upon them, why do they keep bumping into each other?
This Time Next Year gave me everything I was expecting from it. It was fun, fast paced, but entirely predictable. There were some great comedic moments in here; often rooted from the inadequacies of the main character. This was a fun touch, however I have grown to become more and more frustrated with the clichéd characteristics that are often shown in these types of books. Minnie is a hopeless 20-something living in London. She can't pay her rent on time, she started a baking business that is collapsing (why do they always bake?!) and is a younger, copied version of Bridget Jones. Yes, Bridget Jones is fantastic, but we don't need so many of them. Meanwhile, Quinn is incredibly wealthy, drives a bentley around London and swoops in to save a damsel in distress at any given moment. Rich men who drive bentleys in London don't tend to have these incredibly wonderful and endearing personality traits...or am I going mad? Overall, I was able to fly through this book and enjoy myself throughout the process. Unfortunately, I was definitely spending a good period of time rolling my eyes throughout. If you are looking for a fun, easy romantic comedy, look no further! This book is the definition of doing exactly what it says on the tin (or in this case, the blurb).
Initial Prediction: 3.5 stars
Final Rating: 3 stars
Publication Date: 1 August 2020 (my edition: 15 October 2020)
Publisher: Arrow
Genres: Romance, ChickLit
# of Pages: 416
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