This Time Next Year

Let me just tell you in short: I love this book. It made me dream away and forget about real life for a while. Minnie starts off as a shy and insecure girl and grows into a beautiful and confident woman. The character growth in this book is amazing.
However I think that some parts in this book were unbelievable. Minnie and Quinn crossing ways somehow nearly every new year's day seems quite unbelievable. But however, I really did love this book and could dream away with it!
(It also got me out of my reading slump, so thank you Sophie Cousens!)

This was one of my November 2020 Book of the Month selections, but I also purchased the audio version and listened while simultaneously reading from the hardcover. A love story was almost non-existent and we suffered the whole book through a very tortuous slow burn, which can usually be entertaining, but it somehow missed the point of satisfaction in the end. The female friendships were nice, humorous, and enjoyable to read. I must be honest, this book was not bad, but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be when I chose it.

This book is classic 90's feel good romcom. I honestly loved it. I didn't hate any of the characters. The main character Minnie was an honest portrayal of someone who is self-conscious instead of being a caricature with a bunch of annoying needy/desperate traits. I really liked the flashbacks where Minnie and Quinn had already met and hadn't realized it. This would have made a great movie. The mandatory millennial 90's nostalgia may have influenced my opinions.

How could I resist starting this book on New Year's Eve and finishing it on New Year's Day? It's the story of a woman, Minnie, born on New Year's Eve whose mom was determined to win a hefty prize to be awarded to the first baby born in 1990. Minnie's mom inadvertently goes head-to-head with another mom in the maternity ward, and ends up helping the anxious other mom but losing the contest to her. In addition, the other mom steals Minnie's planned name, Quinn, for her own son.

The story centers around Minnie's doomed relationship with New Year's Eve (she suffers a series of catastrophes every NYE, causing her to consider it an unlucky day for her) as well as the serendipitous meetings of Minnie and Quinn on NYE over the years. Those were the story elements I liked best.

A FEW POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW:
I didn't find Quinn's flaw believable, however, and I found the healing of Quinn's mom and Minnie's mom to be even less so. And, c'mon, a whole year of 2020 and no mention of the coronavirus. It seems unlikely a business centering on pies could begin during the pandemic. Although, to be fair, the author takes care of that problem in an afterward message.

I enjoy time travel, so this was great for me. I listened as I regular-traveled and gardened this weekend. I appreciate the encouragement to think about my parents as young people, and to contemplate the parent child bond. Of course, there is a fair amount of willing suspension of disbelief, but I enjoyed the story a lot.