On New Year’s Eve 1989, two women experience labor together in a London hospital. One will give birth to a son and steal the name the other had planned to give her child, along with the large cash prize for being the first baby born in the 1990s. This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens tells the story of Minnie Cooper (yes, her parents actually named her that) and her string of bad luck resulting from the moment Quinn Hamilton took her name and her parents’ prize. 

The storyline changes points of view, as well as timelines, so the year is consistently mentioned at the start of each chapter. The story begins at a New Year’s Eve party 30 years later. As a result, the book, which was released in December 2020, gives readers an alternate history of the year that will always be remembered by those who experienced it. Obviously written before the COVID-19 pandemic, it is just another year in this cute novel, which is a romance but much more. Turning 30 leads Minnie to make some major life choices as she struggles to blame the so-called bad luck curse she’s under versus the fall out from her own choices. 

With humorous situations and touching moments,including a storyline about mental illness, This Time Next Year feels like a book I could enjoy over and over. I listened to the audiobook, which had fabulous narration. I look forward to enjoying more books by this author.

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