What do you think?
Rate this book
Same Time Next Week
Is it really ever too late to be happy? That’s what young attorney Alex Harris finds herself asking while married to her bartender wife, Beth. For several years, Alex has resigned herself to a mediocre relationship, feeling doomed by the marriage vows she’s already taken. But everything changes when she walks into a small café one afternoon and meets Michelle Masters. As their friendship flourishes, Alex’s marriage crumbles around her, and she’s forced to question the only life she’s ever known. Will those vows be enough to keep her, no matter the consequences? Or will she finally take a chance at happily ever after?
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2015
13 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Emily Smith
7 books38 followersEmily Smith was born and raised in a small town in New Hampshire, where she started writing at an early age. Her grandmother was a children’s author, and she comes from a family of English teachers. Searching For Forever is Emily’s first full-length novel and first venture into the publishing world. When she isn’t writing, which is rare, Emily works in the medical field. She has been an EMT for years and is currently in school to become a physician assistant. She lives in Boston with her partner, where they try to escape to Provincetown as much as possible.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 5, 2017
What can i say but do not make the cheater the victim please! This is where the author made many mistakes and kept on making them during different topics in the story plus all the push pull between them was not helping...then to have her questioning their marriage vows many times was not helping their relationship..This was still cheating and lying no matter what...the author just did not do a good enough job in writing 'Point of view' well...the only good about Alex in this book was her chemistry with Beth rather than with Michelle and this is saying a lot on my part..#truth
May 18, 2015
Alex and Beth have been married for three years and the thrill is gone in their relationship. The day Alex married her best friend Beth she vowed her womanizing days were behind her.
When she strikes up a conversation with the vivacious Michelle in a coffee shop she reminds herself of her promise to Beth. The problem is, Michelle is every dykes wet dream. She is gorgeous, cultured, knows how to prepare bok choy and loves to watch sports on TV. Beth doesn't stand a chance.
Infidelity. It is what it is. Whether the adultery is emotional or physical, somebody is cheating on their spouse. I struggled to find anything to like about Alex. She does feel guilty about her attraction to Michelle, but spends her time comparing her to her wife. Beth and their life together keeps coming up short.
That said, while I was disliking Alex, there were moments in her relationships with both women which were poignant and bittersweet. She does care deeply for Beth but it is apparent the marriage is in trouble. What's a reformed player going to do?
This story is well written and as much as I disliked Alex and the subject matter, I struggled to put the book down. I could see the relationship train wreck coming, I just needed to know who survived and if an HEA was possible.
3.5 stars as the words Mary Sue kept circling through my brain while I read this novel.
*ebook received from publisher via NetGalley for review*
When she strikes up a conversation with the vivacious Michelle in a coffee shop she reminds herself of her promise to Beth. The problem is, Michelle is every dykes wet dream. She is gorgeous, cultured, knows how to prepare bok choy and loves to watch sports on TV. Beth doesn't stand a chance.
Infidelity. It is what it is. Whether the adultery is emotional or physical, somebody is cheating on their spouse. I struggled to find anything to like about Alex. She does feel guilty about her attraction to Michelle, but spends her time comparing her to her wife. Beth and their life together keeps coming up short.
That said, while I was disliking Alex, there were moments in her relationships with both women which were poignant and bittersweet. She does care deeply for Beth but it is apparent the marriage is in trouble. What's a reformed player going to do?
This story is well written and as much as I disliked Alex and the subject matter, I struggled to put the book down. I could see the relationship train wreck coming, I just needed to know who survived and if an HEA was possible.
3.5 stars as the words Mary Sue kept circling through my brain while I read this novel.
*ebook received from publisher via NetGalley for review*
May 27, 2015
Narrated in the first person by lawyer Alex, who is unhappily married to bartender Beth, this novel focuses not on Alex & Beth, but on Alex and Michelle, the attractive nurse whom Alex meets in a local coffee shop. Alex was quite a player before her marriage, and her former ways have made Beth incredibly insecure, leading her to overcompensate by being a nag and by trying to keep Alex from socializing with other people. When Alex meets Michelle, then, she is primed for falling for another, especially another with whom she has far more in common than she has with impulsive, working-class Beth.
Throughout most of the novel, Alex and Michelle remain just friends, not engaging in a physically romantic relationship. But it is clear to readers, and to themselves, that they are having an affair of the heart, even if neither will admit it to the other. Told entirely through the first person by Alex, the story features hardly any scenes with Alex and Beth, and thus gives us little of the bittersweetness of falling out of love, or even much of an understanding of how Alex and Beth even ended up married. Instead, we get primarily tortured friendship and unmet longing/desire between Alex and Beth. Though such is typically the grist for the romance mill, with the heavy weight of Alex's guilt and frustrating hanging over it all, it is difficult for the reader to feel much of the thrill of falling in love. The book comes across, thus, as more of a women's fiction than a romance.
Throughout most of the novel, Alex and Michelle remain just friends, not engaging in a physically romantic relationship. But it is clear to readers, and to themselves, that they are having an affair of the heart, even if neither will admit it to the other. Told entirely through the first person by Alex, the story features hardly any scenes with Alex and Beth, and thus gives us little of the bittersweetness of falling out of love, or even much of an understanding of how Alex and Beth even ended up married. Instead, we get primarily tortured friendship and unmet longing/desire between Alex and Beth. Though such is typically the grist for the romance mill, with the heavy weight of Alex's guilt and frustrating hanging over it all, it is difficult for the reader to feel much of the thrill of falling in love. The book comes across, thus, as more of a women's fiction than a romance.
May 30, 2015
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Detailed score: 2.75 rounded up to 3.
The synopsis of the book really does sum up the only storyline of the book - and it's really not enough to engage the reader for the length of a novel. The angst (and there is a lot of it) is drawn out - unrealistically and one-dimensionally so.
Alex as our only POV is unhappy and tortured throughout most of the book and that makes her a very difficult and frustrating lens to view the word through. It taints what could have been a much sweeter friendship come romance with Michelle and I was screaming at my head at her for most of the novel as she clung to the crumbling remains of her marriage.
While the present day Alex and Michelle were well drawn, I needed more of their back story to truely understand their angst and motivations. I get that Alex used to be a player and that Beth still holds this over her (and Michelle is wary of it too) but what prompted her to change? And from Michelle's perspective, her Charlie angst seemed very one-dimensional.
Also. The ending is waaay too sudden. This happens a lot in lesrom but this one was particularly noticable
I must acknowledge that I usually actively avoid lesrom novels that have infidelity / relationship breakdown elements. If they're your cup of tea then maybe the characters' angst will draw you in / appeal much more than it did to me.
I will say, though, that the book is professionally edited and there are some well-drawn scenes. Despite the angst I found Alex and Michelle appealing enough leads and was happy enough to see the book through.
Overall - it was 'fine'. But there are a lot better books out there to spend your money on.
Detailed score: 2.75 rounded up to 3.
The synopsis of the book really does sum up the only storyline of the book - and it's really not enough to engage the reader for the length of a novel. The angst (and there is a lot of it) is drawn out - unrealistically and one-dimensionally so.
Alex as our only POV is unhappy and tortured throughout most of the book and that makes her a very difficult and frustrating lens to view the word through. It taints what could have been a much sweeter friendship come romance with Michelle and I was screaming at my head at her for most of the novel as she clung to the crumbling remains of her marriage.
While the present day Alex and Michelle were well drawn, I needed more of their back story to truely understand their angst and motivations. I get that Alex used to be a player and that Beth still holds this over her (and Michelle is wary of it too) but what prompted her to change? And from Michelle's perspective, her Charlie angst seemed very one-dimensional.
Also. The ending is waaay too sudden. This happens a lot in lesrom but this one was particularly noticable
I must acknowledge that I usually actively avoid lesrom novels that have infidelity / relationship breakdown elements. If they're your cup of tea then maybe the characters' angst will draw you in / appeal much more than it did to me.
I will say, though, that the book is professionally edited and there are some well-drawn scenes. Despite the angst I found Alex and Michelle appealing enough leads and was happy enough to see the book through.
Overall - it was 'fine'. But there are a lot better books out there to spend your money on.
June 28, 2023
I don't think it's possible for me to care less about this book.I've read books with the cheating trope blah blah,but this one was just done sooo wrong for some reasons. I couldn't stand anything the mc was doing, I seriously believe a frog would had better choices.Everything that happened in this book is based on their own consequences.And the love interest was bipolar
February 23, 2018
Just couldn’t identify or find a way to like the main character. Infidelity is a really tough thing to sell in a romance book.
December 9, 2020
I honestly found this so cringeworthy and unenjoyable. I don't know if its the fact that I'm recently married so the dishonesty and infidelity really hit home for me, or if I just hated all of the main characters. Either way, this really didn't work for me.
Although we were suppose to root for Alex, I just could not get past her dishonesty with Beth basically from the get-go. I'm wondering if this would've worked better in third person as we would've seen less of Alex's betrayal within her thoughts. I cringed at the amount of emotional infidelity within this. I really couldn't get past her behaviour towards her commitment to Beth, and I could not see her connection with Michelle as anything other than an 'out'.
Although we were suppose to root for Alex, I just could not get past her dishonesty with Beth basically from the get-go. I'm wondering if this would've worked better in third person as we would've seen less of Alex's betrayal within her thoughts. I cringed at the amount of emotional infidelity within this. I really couldn't get past her behaviour towards her commitment to Beth, and I could not see her connection with Michelle as anything other than an 'out'.
May 15, 2015
Check out my full review on Bookaholics Not-So-Anonymous.
Note: This ARC was provided by Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.
Same Time Next Week is an F/F contemporary romance by Emily Smith and is about Alex Harris, a married attorney, who meets Michelle Masters, a single ER nurse, at a café and both forge a friendship that they try to maintain by meeting twice a week for coffee. They're both attracted to one another but are constantly very much aware that Alex is married, albeit unhappily. Michelle knows what it's like to be in a relationship with someone who can't fully commit so even though she flirts with and invites Alex to outings, things remain platonic. Alex is torn between acting on her growing feelings for Michelle while staying faithful to her wife Beth, even though their marriage has become rather static and unfulfilling.
I've said it past reviews that I have no issues when it comes to cheating being part of a story that I'm reading because different situations call for different actions and reactions and the thing I'm always after when it comes to stories that do have cheating is the "why" of it all. In the case of Alex and Michelle, the former was already feeling stuck even before she met the latter, but the attraction and evolving feelings towards Michelle did have Alex questioning her marriage even more. Alex and Beth didn't have any children, so I didn't really understand why Alex would continue to stay with Beth if she was so unhappy. It's not as if she was being forced to do so and some would consider her falling for Michelle as cheating.
The story itself was good because you do wonder what you would do in the same situation. Would you stay on with your partner or would you follow your heart? There were times, though, that I felt the story was dragging and I would have wanted a bit more chemistry between Alex and Michelle. There was a lot of back and forth that I was tempted to shake my tablet and shout, "Make up your minds already!" Alex and Michelle were okay as lead characters but what may be construed as some as having integrity and loyalty came off as them being wishy-washy because of the whole hot and cold thing. Overall, I feel Same Time Next Week was pretty good but could have been paced much faster. I'm going to give this three stars. ♥
Note: This ARC was provided by Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.
Same Time Next Week is an F/F contemporary romance by Emily Smith and is about Alex Harris, a married attorney, who meets Michelle Masters, a single ER nurse, at a café and both forge a friendship that they try to maintain by meeting twice a week for coffee. They're both attracted to one another but are constantly very much aware that Alex is married, albeit unhappily. Michelle knows what it's like to be in a relationship with someone who can't fully commit so even though she flirts with and invites Alex to outings, things remain platonic. Alex is torn between acting on her growing feelings for Michelle while staying faithful to her wife Beth, even though their marriage has become rather static and unfulfilling.
I've said it past reviews that I have no issues when it comes to cheating being part of a story that I'm reading because different situations call for different actions and reactions and the thing I'm always after when it comes to stories that do have cheating is the "why" of it all. In the case of Alex and Michelle, the former was already feeling stuck even before she met the latter, but the attraction and evolving feelings towards Michelle did have Alex questioning her marriage even more. Alex and Beth didn't have any children, so I didn't really understand why Alex would continue to stay with Beth if she was so unhappy. It's not as if she was being forced to do so and some would consider her falling for Michelle as cheating.
The story itself was good because you do wonder what you would do in the same situation. Would you stay on with your partner or would you follow your heart? There were times, though, that I felt the story was dragging and I would have wanted a bit more chemistry between Alex and Michelle. There was a lot of back and forth that I was tempted to shake my tablet and shout, "Make up your minds already!" Alex and Michelle were okay as lead characters but what may be construed as some as having integrity and loyalty came off as them being wishy-washy because of the whole hot and cold thing. Overall, I feel Same Time Next Week was pretty good but could have been paced much faster. I'm going to give this three stars. ♥
June 1, 2015
I’m so confused with this book, I know I liked the overall story and I think I get the intention of the author and the message she wanted to communicate but I can’t say I’m happy about the development because it sometimes felt forced, that’s why I give it 3.5 stars.
This is the story of Alex and Michelle and what happens when you meet the person you’ve been dreaming about when it’s “too late”. Alex is a unhappily married woman, who settled with what she thought was the best she’d get in life when in a fateful day meets Michelle, who immediately catches her eye and then captivates her attention to the point of going to the coffee place weekly just to spend 5 minutes with her all the while her marriage feels more and more suffocating.
“I didn’t know what married life would look like. I knew I’d have a lot to learn. What I never imagined, though, was feeling so much like a couple kids playing house.”
I like the voice of dichotomy in Alex’s head but I thought a lot of it seemed forced, maybe is because I don’t think anyone should stay in a loveless relationship just because of social conventions and pressure from the outside, but since I’m not married I shouldn’t be so hard on Alex for taking so long in getting out of that relationship that seemed pretty toxic to me.
“What unsettled me through and through was the feeling that we’d both just stopped trying”
I enjoyed this book, it was a fun time because when it involved Alex and Michelle it was adorable and cute, it’s not a story about cheating but a story about love and making peace with your reality, and how to keep true to yourself even in ways you didn’t imagine you’d have to face.
I hope you enjoy it and let me know how you feel.
Favorite quote:
“The world teaches you that monogamy means never finding another human being attractive for as long as you live. I tried that for a while.I was sure even Beth looked at other women this way. Still, it didn’t stop the guilt that flowed from saying the words aloud”
This is the story of Alex and Michelle and what happens when you meet the person you’ve been dreaming about when it’s “too late”. Alex is a unhappily married woman, who settled with what she thought was the best she’d get in life when in a fateful day meets Michelle, who immediately catches her eye and then captivates her attention to the point of going to the coffee place weekly just to spend 5 minutes with her all the while her marriage feels more and more suffocating.
“I didn’t know what married life would look like. I knew I’d have a lot to learn. What I never imagined, though, was feeling so much like a couple kids playing house.”
I like the voice of dichotomy in Alex’s head but I thought a lot of it seemed forced, maybe is because I don’t think anyone should stay in a loveless relationship just because of social conventions and pressure from the outside, but since I’m not married I shouldn’t be so hard on Alex for taking so long in getting out of that relationship that seemed pretty toxic to me.
“What unsettled me through and through was the feeling that we’d both just stopped trying”
I enjoyed this book, it was a fun time because when it involved Alex and Michelle it was adorable and cute, it’s not a story about cheating but a story about love and making peace with your reality, and how to keep true to yourself even in ways you didn’t imagine you’d have to face.
I hope you enjoy it and let me know how you feel.
Favorite quote:
“The world teaches you that monogamy means never finding another human being attractive for as long as you live. I tried that for a while.I was sure even Beth looked at other women this way. Still, it didn’t stop the guilt that flowed from saying the words aloud”
April 29, 2015
*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I went back and forth on this book...loving it one minute, hating it the next. I think that's because I went through a situation similar to this, except I was the one Although despite that, I did identify with the main character and her feelings for this other woman. That was the reason I kept going. I really did feel like she was unhappy in her marriage and genuinely had strong loving feelings toward Michelle.
I'm glad I kept going with this one. I also did not allow my bitterness of my past life experience cloud my review of the book, thought that was really tough. Great book, I would recommend it to people.
I went back and forth on this book...loving it one minute, hating it the next. I think that's because I went through a situation similar to this, except I was the one Although despite that, I did identify with the main character and her feelings for this other woman. That was the reason I kept going. I really did feel like she was unhappy in her marriage and genuinely had strong loving feelings toward Michelle.
I'm glad I kept going with this one. I also did not allow my bitterness of my past life experience cloud my review of the book, thought that was really tough. Great book, I would recommend it to people.
June 1, 2015
It's an okay read. Fast paced. The main character has a lot of worry to cheat but cheat anyway. More detail review at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com
March 30, 2019
Everyone in this book is awful. The main character, Alex, acts like a victim but talks shit about her wife Beth and is incredibly elitist, talking down about how Beth doesn’t like art or have a degree or works at Applebee’s or prefers beer to wine. Beth is incredibly rude and misogynistic. Michelle, the woman Alex is interested in, laughs at a story about Alex having a panic attack. Lots of internal misogyny and cattiness. Skip this one.
August 25, 2024
I can't tell if it's the premise on the story that's more disappointing. The wife is an obvious villain to give the protagonist an excuse to look elsewhere for affection and reduce her guilt about cheating on her wife.
The ending was sudden and under developed.
The ending was sudden and under developed.
September 6, 2017
Few hours, it only took me few hours to read this book! I didn't expect it to be so good☺
Read
March 10, 2016Very well written book but I have problems with the story itself, the characters!? Doubts is written all over the main characters! And the more I read the book the weirder I felt. quote from the book: "The world teaches you that monogamy means never finding another human being attractive for as long as you live". I even am not sure how many stars this book can get. May be the doubt which lingered throughout the story was infectious!?
did-not-finish
August 19, 2018Put it down after first page ! So really, nothing to say.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews