There's Always Next Year: A GMA Book Club Pick
by Leah Johnson, George M Johnson
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"A snow-kissed, warmhearted ode to new beginnings, second chances, and the real, enduring magic of love and community." --Becky Albertalli, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
From New York Times-bestselling author George M. Johnson and USA Today-bestselling author Leah Johnson comes a revolutionary new holiday romcom for fans of Lynn Painter, Alice Oseman, and Nicola Yoon.
Andy was supposed to shed her too-serious student journalist persona and reinvent herself on New Year's Eve. Instead, she puked on her crush, dropped her phone in a fish tank, and managed to get her car stolen. Now, she only has the first day of the year to stop the gentrification that's threatening her family's business, right her wrongs from the night before, and figure out why she feels so drawn to the electric new-girl-next-door. How can Andy find her voice when everything's being turned upside down?
Dominique is an influencer on the verge of securing a major brand deal that will ensure his future and family legacy. But when he runs into his former best friend, unresolved feelings emerge -- and in a small town, there's nowhere to hide. Not from his cousin, Andy, who has always seen him for his true self, not from his busybody manager, Kim, whose favorite color is money green, and certainly not from himself. When all the world's a stage, can Dominique rise to superstardom without leaving behind the ones he loves?
There's Always Next Year is a dual POV, double love story about what it means to nearly blow your life up, and race to put it back together before your time runs out. And if Andy and Dominique fail? Well, there's always next year.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780374391690
EAN:
9780374391690
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
320
Authors:
Leah Johnson , George M Johnson
Publisher:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
This YA romance (and accompanying audiobook) are both ABSOLUTELY perfect. I never thought I could get into holiday-themed romance but this one definitely pulled me in! This was a fun dual POV story about New Year's Day in a transitioning small town and how the lead characters and their community are dealing with it. The book takes place across the course of one day, and many secrets are revealed. It was such a fun, hopeful, and refreshing read. I loved the setting and related to it and the characters so much, and of course I loved the queer representation. This is such an awesome YA romance.
"When you're kids, you don't know how things will change. How what you want out of life will turn on its head.""Maybe the new year is telling me to cut the s*** and live in the truth."What an endearing and heartfelt YA story about community, dreams, love and growth! Cousins Andy and Dominique navigate disappointment and aspirations as their beloved small town experiences gentrification and they individually wrestle with “trusting their heart”. They spend a whirlwind day filled with humor, reflection, unexpected discoveries, old and new love and beloved community. The narration is stellar and the writing is hilarious, unapologetically Black and engaging!
ank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy. There’s Always Next Year is a warm-hearted YA rom-com that follows two queer cousins in small-town Indiana over the course of a high-stakes New Year’s Eve. Dom is leaning hard into his influencer status, hoping his platform is enough to save his family’s hardware store from the wrecking ball of gentrification. While the holiday setting felt more like a backdrop than a focal point, the novel’s exploration of community activism and the fight to preserve Black-owned businesses was compelling.However, the execution felt like a bit of a mixed bag for me. The story strayed quite far from what the blurb promised, and the overstuffed plot made it difficult to stay fully invested in the journey. For a story centered on a digital creator, the influencer elements felt a bit surface-level; I wanted more of that "behind-the-scenes" authenticity to make the stakes feel real. The narrative also hit some choppy water. Rather than a seamless dual POV, the two authorial voices felt like they were competing rather than blending. Some choices (like the fictional "BleepBlorp" social media branding and a few outdated pop culture references) pulled me completely out of the moment. Additionally, because the timeline is compressed into a single day, the romances felt rushed, and the bond between the cousins didn't get the breathing room it deserved. While the leads fell a bit flat for me, the supporting cast absolutely stole the show. They brought a spark and energy to the page that I wish had been carried by the main protagonists. 3/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐Themes: LGBTQ, influencer culture, gentrification, community, supporting Black owned businesses, classism, racism
3.5 ⭐️Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book! This was a cute read! I liked the various LGBTQ+ themes throughout the book, and I absolutely loved the drag queen representation, even though this book read very Gen Z-y/fan fiction/Wattpad than published novel. I did enjoy reading it, and felt like the story wrapped up nicely.
This book was nice, although I felt like it was missing something, though I’m not sure what. It had all the elements of what should have been a fantastic book, including two wonderful authors, but it just didn’t hit the spot for me.I enjoyed the premise a lot, and I thought the main characters were good. I liked that they were fighting to save their family’s store while still trying to find themselves. I also thought the love interests were cute.I thought the conflict between the love interests and the main characters was a bit rushed, but I did like the way things got resolved. I also liked how the main conflict was taken care of and how the characters found their HEAs.I feel like this book was just missing a spark for me, but I definitely think it was just a “it’s not you, it’s me” problem.
