This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I loved This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens. This story has everything I like in a rom-com. It’s funny, witty, and entertaining throughout. I loved the characters, the setting, the humor, and the storyline itself. Clearly, this novel was an overall winner for me.

Minnie Cooper (that really is her name!) has had the worst luck on New Year’s Day (her birthday) since birth. She believes she’s jinxed … and it sure seems so. Not only did her family miss out on a cash prize on the day she was born, but every year her birthday is a disaster. As for her name, she would’ve been named Quinn Cooper, but she missed out on that too 😐.

Minnie and Quinn Hamilton are strangers who share the same birthday. They were born one minute apart at the same hospital in London, on New Year’s Day 1990. That was the day Minnie’s family missed out on the fifty thousand pounds cash prize, and she lost out on being named Quinn. Quinn was the first baby born on New Year’s Day in London, so his family won the first nineties baby prize money offered by The London News. Since the first 90’s baby was named Quinn, the Coopers named their baby Minnie instead 😏. What a great birthday for Minnie, right? Fast forward to 2019, and Minnie and Quinn meet again on their birthday.

I really liked Minnie and Quinn as the main characters in this rom-com. Both are clever and charming, and come from completely different backgrounds. They’re both likable, relatable, and the witty banter between them kept the story entertaining throughout.

The story spans an entire year (from NYE 2019 to NYE 2020), and we learn a lot about Minnie and Quinn through flashbacks to significant New Year’s Eve and New Year’s days throughout their lives. This, I think is what makes the characters and the story so well developed and engaging. The alternating timelines provided background about Minnie and Quinn’s lives, and the supporting characters (family and friends) added depth and charm to the story.

Overall, this is a fun rom-com with a great message. If you’re a seasonal reader like me, January is the perfect time to read this story. However, although the story begins and ends on NYE, I think it’d be a great read for any time of the year.

Have you read this story?