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Minnie Cooper (yes, she definitely knows all the jokes about what her name sounds like) grew up hearing from her mother about Quinn Hamilton, who was born just a few minutes before she was right after midnight on January 1 in the same hospital. Her mother helped his mother through labor even as she labored herself, and then not only did Quinn’s mom steal the name Minnie’s mom had picked out for her child, she won the big cash prize given to the first ’90s baby. Minnie has had bad luck right around New Year’s ever since.
Then they meet on their 30th birthdays at a fancy party, and Minnie, a baker who’s just barely keeping her business bringing savory pies to the elderly afloat, sees just how well Quinn is doing in life. He’s clearly been blessed with good luck all the time she’s had bad. But they keep bumping into each other — and those interactions make Minnie feel something other than just frustration.
Throughout one year, they get to know each other better and get closer to each other, but various things keep them apart despite their mutual attraction and interest. And as the book goes along, readers find out how their paths crossed earlier in their lives, despite them realizing it. It’s fun to see those little things pop up in the story.
This Time Next Year features two people from different backgrounds who have challenges to work through and ways they can grow, and they influence each other particularly in the course of one year to start working through those difficulties. Attraction and interest turns into something deeper. It’s a sweet story. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Cousens’ second romance book, Just Haven’t Met You Yet, where I think the author has improved a bit in her writing.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 16 uses of strong language, 20 instances of moderate profanity, less than 10 uses of mild language, and about 20 instances of the name of Deity in vain. There are also about 8 instances of British profanity (bl-). Sexual content is moderate; there are some kissing scenes, one which progresses to characters taking off some clothes, one that refers to a young man’s physical reaction, and references to sex. There are some vulgar jokes and asides.
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