This Time, Next Year

by Ruby Barrett

Nora hates two New Year’s Eve parties (too loud, too late) and her friend group frenemy, Finn (too tall, too argumentative). Then one New Year’s Eve, their friends enforce the “everyone has to kiss someone at midnight” rule and Nora and Finn begrudgingly lock lips. And something about that kiss makes Nora rethink that Finn’s mouth might be good for something other than pestering her.

Every New Year’s Eve over the next five years, Nora and Finn share a kiss. It starts out as an experiment, a test to see if those fireworks she felt the first time were real, but slowly turns into a need, a New Year’s Eve tradition.

But when Finn wants more than New Year’s Eve or nothing at all, Nora must decide if she’s willing to open herself up to a relationship she never saw coming, if changing everything she thought about New Year’s Eve and Finn is worth true love.

Genres: Romance, Novella, Holiday, Friends To Lovers, Christmas, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

134 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2025

Reviews

[decklededgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

petition to get finn’s pov. sign here

[b.andherbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

goodness gracious ruby barrett! damn!

i've been missing GOOD kissing in romances, and This Time, Next Year really really really hit the spot. These two are frenemies, tolerating each other since high school and being in the same friend group now that they are adults.

Nora, who's birthday is December 30th, really dislikes NYE because she always feels that people miss her birthday or try to combine it with the holiday. But, she dutifully attends every NYE party her pals throw. And Finn, he always seems to be the one friend that isn't paired off. And one NYE they finally kiss at midnight. AND BOOM.

Both Finn and Nora are shocked at their chemistry (that was a damn good kiss) and it was a good enough kiss that it keeps happening, but only on NYE. Until a few year later...more.

Watching this journey was so delicious. Talk about a slow-burn (appreciated the interstitial 'text threads' parts) with immediate burn pay off. There isn't wasted space here, and you are left PANTING for these two to 🦴

Anyway, highly recommend and I will read anything Ruby Barrett writes.

[Larareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of yearning in this 145 page novella... immediate 5 ⭐️

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stiff competition but this might be my new favorite New Year's Eve romance. It's super swoony and super horny. Nora and Finn are frenemies to lovers—at least, that's what she thinks. They're a part of the same friend group and Nora tolerates him being around. At least until their friends goad them to kiss at midnight on NYE and everything changes. But not all at once. The rest of the year Nora and Finn fall back into their regular antagonism...until the next NYE.

This has yearning, a bit of angst, and a slowly building relationship over the course of five years. We see how things develop the rest of the year through their text threads and then reemerge for New Year's Eve and Nora's fervent desire to kiss Finn again, while reassuring herself it means NOTHING. LOL. When Nora started texting his old Canadian number instead of his German number, it revealed so much about her emotional state and wish to avoid vulnerability with Finn. A fascinating choice that paid off in spades!

All this would have been good in and of itself but Barrett upped the ante for me. Nora doesn't orgasm easily, which is rare enough to find in romance and even more rare that the MMC doesn't magically solve things. Finn is dedicated to the pursuit of Nora's pleasure and sometimes one thing works and sometimes it doesn't. Finn doesn't see an orgasm as the ultimate goal, which takes the pressure off. I loved everything about this.

I'm looking forward to re-reading this in the years to come. I DNFed the only book I tried from Barrett a few years ago but this has reignited my interest in her work. I can't wait to see how the rest compare.


Characters: Nora is a white speech language pathologist. Finn is a white lawyer. They've known each other since they were 12 years old. This is set in Toronto and Blue Mountain, Ontario from 2021-2026.

Content notes: on page sex, alcohol, inebriation, drinking to get drunk, drinking games, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction

[Lysa Kingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just so perfect. It was happy and sappy and pine-y and spicy. Infinity stars.
I also love how real the FMC was with her orgasms. Like every romance novel has the FMC having like a million and right away, and Nora was honest about the effort required. We love to see it. And the spice was just PERFECTION.
I do NOT get why they didn’t talk for two days? I loved her texting his Toronto number. And then him running from his sisters.
I love that he talks about all his thoughts when he picks her up from the airport. That he just wants to smell her. In a sexy way sure but like he huffs her smell essentially. He is down BAD. And FOREVER.
I loved the details in how she describes him. His cuffed pants and hair in his eyes. I can really see them.
Perfection. But I hate that her friends forgot her birthday. My worst fear.
Perfect holiday novella. AND ON KU. How fun. Also love that Moonbar was in this.
5⭐️4🌶️ god, I love ya Ruby.

[Anika (Encyclopedia BritAnika) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book thinking it was about vampires. It is not. There is nothing paranormal. Which is ok! Just had to adjust expectations.

What it DOES have is a sweet story of frenemies to lovers told over the course of a series of New Year’s Eves. I enjoyed it a lot.

Available on kindle unlimited

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The absolute cutest little NYE novella with a frenemies to lovers trope. I adored these two and their friends group. Would have loved for it to be dual POV but even without that, it was pretty apparent that Finn was super into Nora. Adored the epistolary elements as well. Just a quick fun read!

[Anh Quynh · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book had no reason to be this friggin cute ok.
short, sweet and spicy. *chefs kiss*

[Allissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

we love a man who pines!!

devoured this.

[Trianna/Treereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Ruby Barrett's books so much!!

[Abby Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

I could yap endlessly about Ruby Barrett and her wonderful books (as evidenced by how often I talk about The Friendship Study LOL)! If you’re looking for a spicy, swoony, comforting, and all around perfect novella to end your 2025, this one is it!

Ruby’s characters always have a quality to them that makes them so raw and relatable. Finn and Nora had such great chemistry, and seeing their relationship slowly grow over the years literally had me giggling and kicking my feet. There was an intimacy to their relationship already established just from being in the same friend group and knowing each other for so long, but the depth that was built and the yearning that grew from each New Year’s Eve to the next was so beautiful to see play out.

If you read one more book before the year ends, please let it be this!

[Bookskee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this super quick fun NYE book🎉✨️
Lovely friend group and fun group chat threads.

One Midnight Kiss changes things for frenemies Finn and Nora.

💯Recommend !

[Victoria (Eve's Alexandria) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delicious and the perfect first read of 2026.

[Amy K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was incredibly delightful! 4.5.

[oitb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super cute and very sexy; I'm really enjoying Ruby Barrett's indie-released books.

[Mattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

short, sexy, fun! i’ll even overlook the toe sucking.

[jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i looooved this — the perfect NYE novella. i could have easily (and happily) read 200 more pages of nora & finn. a slow-burn friends (frenemies ?)-to-lovers romance full of angst, tension, and so much yearning (omg, the yearningggg).

[Serena Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

’Y besarte fue como besar a la persona que debía besar el resto de mi vida. Y sabía que podría llevar tiempo, pero he querido ser tu último beso de medianoche durante muchos años.’



•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers.
•Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen.



This Time, Next Year de Ruby Barrett

Argumento:

Nora odia dos cosas: las fiestas de Nochevieja (demasiado ruidosas, demasiado tarde) y su amigo-enemigo, Finn (demasiado alto, demasiado discutidor). Entonces, una Nochevieja, sus amigos imponen la regla de "todos tienen que besar a alguien a medianoche" y Nora y Finn se besan a regañadientes. Y algo en ese beso hace que Nora se replantee si la boca de Finn podría servir para algo más que molestarla.

Cada Nochevieja durante los siguientes cinco años, Nora y Finn se besan. Empieza como un experimento, una prueba para ver si esos fuegos artificiales que sintió la primera vez eran reales, pero poco a poco se convierte en algo más: una necesidad, una tradición de Nochevieja.

Pero cuando Finn quiere más que la Nochevieja o nada en absoluto, Nora debe decidir si está dispuesta a abrirse a una relación que nunca vio venir, si cambiar todo lo que pensaba sobre la Nochevieja y Finn vale el amor verdadero.


Mi humilde opinión:
Nora y Finn no se llevan bien pero se soportan porque están en el mismo grupo de amigos hasta que los empujan a besarse en año nuevo. De pronto se dan cuenta que hay una inesperada atracción física pero es extraño porque no deberían gustarse de esa manera, supuestamente son enemigos. Entonces ignoran lo que sienten pero cada año esperan encontrarse para otro beso y con cada beso se hace más difícil ignorar que quieren más que una amistad. Me gusto como la relación de los dos va cambiando cada vez que tienen un encuentro, se van abriendo mas y su enemistad pasa a una amistad. Había una cosa que me molestaba de Nora, ella era muy negadora y cuando creí que le iba a dar una oportunidad a Finn, sucede lo del trabajo a Berlín y prácticamente le dice que no renuncie al trabajo por ella. Creí que le había asegurado que no era así pero no entendí lo que sucedió cuando él deja de hablarle por dos días! Fue un momento confuso porque dos días después de radio silencio él le escribe diciendo que al final tomaba el trabajo y ella qué le va a decir? Le dijo que estaba bien!
Esperaba que alguno de los dos luchara por el otro pero solo siguieron fingiendo que todo estaba bien desde la distancia por un año como amigos? Sufriendo y callando lo que realmente sentían por el otro? era frustrante! Si no fuera por los mensajes que siguió enviando Nora al antiguo teléfono de Finn se hubiera ido a Alemania de nuevo!

A pesar de la angustia que siguió me pareció un romance lindo y sexy, tuvo unos momentos que me dejaron sonriendo y riendo, se sintió la calidez y las vibras festivas. No solo contaba una historia de amor sino una de amistad. Nora y Finn tenían un gran grupo de amigos, un grupo ruidoso y lleno de compañerismo. Todos se conocían desde la escuela, a pesar de que tenían sus propias vidas y trabajos, se encontraban todos los años para festejar juntos un año nuevo. Me gustaba lo divertidos que eran y su amistad incondicional, y mas que nada me gustaba su tradición de todos los años.

El final fue hermoso pero... qué era el tatuaje de Finn?

[Emmalita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve seen some discussions in the romance community that claim high heat/open door romances lack yearning. This is Puritan nonsense. I could point to hundreds of examples of books that have both. Ruby Barrett’s New Year’s Eve focused novella, This Time, Next Year is one. Nora and Finn belong to a friend group that celebrate NYE together every year. On one New Year’s Eve, Nora and Finn share a kiss. Every New Year’s Eve after, Nora is in a quandary, will she kiss Finn? Will she do more than kiss Finn?

Ruby Barrett has written a tight story that’s all show, don’t tell. Nora is an over-thinker. The novella is almost entirely her point of view and we get a close up view of her anxiety. Is Finn her frenemy? Friend? Once a year lover? More?

“I’m…difficult.”

Finn sighs. Sweet sigh. He tucks my hair behind my ear, and I do his.

“Nora.” He kisses my knee. “Baby.” My fingertip. “Respectfully.” [redacted]… “You’ve always been difficult.”

We only see them on New Year’s Eve, but we see texts that show their growing friendship over time. Even without Finn’s POV (until the epilogue), it’s clear he has feelings for Nora and is waiting until she’s ready. Barrett gives us yearning that is stated directly by Nora and implied through Finn’s actions.

Nora:

He squeezes my hip, a tender gesture at most, but my body is too primed. I’ve waited all year. I shaved for this.

Finn:

The kiss almost virtuous in its briefness, its dryness. It would be a disappointment, a three hundred and sixty-four–day anticlimax, if not for the way he presses his forehead to mine, his hair a cocoon around us for the briefest moment. His eyes closed, a groan that I feel against my own chest that makes this kiss a promise.

I swooned. There are layers of wanting and yearning here – yearning for physical contact and yearning for emotional connection. Showing the relationship through text exchanges pays off in the last chapter and I will say no more.

This is a great little novella with everything I have liked about Barrett’s writing and none of what has frustrated me. It’s out now if you want a quick New Year’s read.

[drea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I absolutely loved this novella!! I read most of it on New Year’s Eve and finished it up New Year’s Day, which honestly was so fitting to the story. Highly recommend trying that out next year, but also would recommend to read today as well cause it was just such a good novella.

The whole concept of this story is one of my favorite kinds of books to read about. It’s starts off with the very first New Year’s Eve where Nora and Finn share a kiss and then we get to see the each one after that for 5 years (I think, math isn’t my strong suit.) I thought the text messages in between each New Year’s Eve was such a clever way to show how their relationship was changing throughout the year and moving from frenemies territory to actual friends.

Their first New Year’s Eve was cute. But the second??? I was immediately sat for the change in their dynamic. I too would have folded for Finn the moment he called me baby. It was fun, hot, and oddly sweet. Each New Year’s Eve was better and better.

This was also one of the most realistic depictions of sex that I’ve ever read. Nora was so relatable in that regard and I liked how open she was when talking about it. Also, we love a man who is not only patient but enthusiastic when it comes to making sure his girl gets there. 10/10.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ rounded up

This Time, Next Year was such a delight, and I adored this story from start to finish. What begins as a “forced” midnight kiss (they are peer pressured by friends) between longtime frenemies turns into the slowest, most satisfying burn, and I was completely hooked. Nora and Finn’s dynamic is everything I want from a frenemy romance. Their banter is sharp, funny, and charged with tension, and every interaction had me smiling to myself.

I loved the structure of revisiting them each New Year’s Eve and watching their once-a-year kisses slowly evolve into something that clearly means more, even if neither of them wants to admit it. I spent the entire novella desperate for a Finn POV to confirm my theory, so getting that in the epilogue was very satisfying (and yes, I was right!).

For a novella, this packed in a surprising amount of longing, humor, and heart. And when the spice shows up, it is spicy. Overall, this was a fun, flirty, emotionally rewarding read that made excellent use of its shorter length.

[Georgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOW *THAT’S* HOW YOU WRITE A SHORT STORY !!

‘“That’s my girl,” he says, and I am a warm, sunlight-bursting-from-fingertips kind of incandescent at being his girl.’
*
“I like them. Your big feelings. Can I sit here with you?” he asks. “Or do you want to feel them alone?”
*
‘Part of me wants to reach for my phone to take a picture of this, but maybe it means more as just a memory.’
*
“You worked so hard to be there.” He squeezes my hands. “I’ve worked hard to be right here, too.”
*
‘“I love you, and I am never going to miss another midnight.” And when he kisses me, he makes up for every minute, every second of missed midnights. Not just this one, but the one last night, and the night before. And the night before that.’
*
It’s wild, how she can still be surprised that I’m totally gone for her.
*
“I’ve been serious about you since probably longer than you know.”
*
“And kissing you felt like kissing the person I was supposed to kiss for the rest of my life. And I knew it might take some time, but I’ve wanted to be your last midnight kiss for a lot of years. And I was hoping…”

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spicy spicy spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️. A new year’s novella that is filled with heat, longing, and lots of tension. I was so glad that we finally got Finn’s POV at the end and would’ve loved more of that, but really the lack of plot and backstory on Finn and Nora’s “frenemy” relationship is what kept me from rating this one any higher. I was also just absolutely cringing anytime that Finn called Nora “Nora baby” 🥴

[Lisa's Bookshelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

PERFECTION!!! My favorite romance novella ever!!! I CRIED!!! I'm obsessed with Finn and Nora, I want 50 more books just about them lol. I will most definitely try her longer novels now. Also, it's currently New Year's Eve Day and this book got me so excited about tonight but mostly about the possibilities of the Year to come. I'm so glad I picked up this book as my last of the year.

(Also, the cover is giving Mavis and Johnny from Hotel Transylvania in my mind, is it just me?)

[SLR · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much yearning! I felt it and loved it (and cried a few tears as well). The book was from Nora's (FMC) POV with the epilogue being in Finn's (MMC) POV. I felt this single POV, not knowing Finn's feelings and thoughts, really elevated the ache that Nora was going through.

As an aside, I loved that the book took place in Toronto (and nearby Blue Mountain). Where a book takes place isn't a big factor for me but with so many books being set in the US, it's a nice and refreshing change.

[Hend · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a quick read which was nice and it was slow burn with lots of anticipation 😁😁 but I enjoyed it a lot 😍😍 I was waiting each chapter to see what will happen next 🙈🙈😍😍
Nora and Finn are frenemies who happens to be single at the same time on the New year of 2021 , their friends asked them to kiss eachother so they are not left alone 😁😁😁 and each year they kept the tradition 🙈🙈 and more 😍😍😍

[Angela Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet, and sexy! I’m actually glad this was a novella bc the will they/ won’t they for five to ten years would have driven me nuts!! But this was the perfect length and Nora and Finn were both very endearing to me

[Brian Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is more or less perfect. Gripping, fun read. I've yet to read anything by that author that isn't completely immersive and lovingly, masterfully crafted. Deserves way more acclaim and recognition.

[Alex (Morttified) · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOOOOO CUTE! I read it on one sitting in the middle of the night and absolutely ate it up. Kicking my feet, obsessed w the perfect balance of spice and slow burn/ yearning! Such a cute concept for a book and super well done! 10/10 recommend

[Lyndsey thelittlereadingmermaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the cutest novellas I've ever read.
Finn and Nora forever. They were SO cute together, but Nora annoyed me sometimes.
I loved that this was told throughout the course of several years and several different New Years, and kept the same friend group! You don't see that much these days.
Very cute story, I loved how it ended.
The spice scenes were SPICY and written so, so well. The mirror scene? LITERAL CHILLS.