This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens – 352 pages 

Book Blurb:

Minnie Cooper knows two things with certainty: that her New Year’s birthday is unlucky, and that it’s all because of Quinn Hamilton, a man she’s never met. Their mothers gave birth to them at the same hospital just after midnight on New Year’s Day, but Quinn was given the cash prize for being the first baby born in London in 1990–and the name Minnie was meant to have, as well. With luck like that, it’s no wonder each of her birthdays has been more of a disaster than the one before.
When Minnie unexpectedly runs into Quinn at a New Year’s party on their mutual thirtieth birthday, she sees only more evidence that fortune has continued to favor him. The gorgeous, charming business owner truly seems to have it all–while Minnie’s on the brink of losing her pie-making company and her home. But if Quinn and Minnie are from different worlds, why do they keep bumping into each other? And why is it that each fraught encounter leaves them both wanting more?

My Review: 4 stars

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This Time Next Year had me laughing, weeping and believing in the improbable force of fate. What seemingly starts with two mothers laboring in a London hospital that both want to win the cash prize for birthing the first baby of 1990, ends up being so much more. For Minnie, being the second baby born leaves her with years of bad luck on her New Year’s Day birthday, a stolen name and a bitter mother. 

The story is told from both Quinn and Minnie’s POV during different time-periods leading up to their thirtieth birthdays. I loved Minnie’s cooking references, her pie business and her odd but steady gaggle of co-workers. I loved Quinn’s steadfastness, honorability and relationship with his mother. But what really struck me, is how Cousens let these characters grow into better versions of themselves as the story went on. 

The book also made me think about names. How names have the power to change us and how others look at us. Even when naming my kids, my husband and I would try and think of any mean nicknames or just unappealing nicknames that could potentiate in later years. How your name looks on a resume gives a first impression. I don’t think that will ever change even though I’ve heard some outrageous names lately, as many A/B list celebrities use common nouns such as Sunshine, Apple, Ocean, Lake and North to their kids.  

Overall, this was a great, light read that will warm your heart and keep you entertained. 

Quotes I liked:

Life is change — if nothing’s changing, you aren’t living.” 

“I find places like this so packed with memories. Visiting them can be like opening a memory jar. You take off the lid and the smells and sounds of a place hit you, unlocking things folded away deep in your brain.”

“Be a good companion to yourself and you will never be lonely.”