Title: There’s Always Next Year
Author: George M. Johnson & Leah Johnson
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
Publication date: December 2, 2025
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Summary
Andy was ready to reinvent herself on New Year’s Eve. Instead, she puked on her crush, dropped her phone in a fish tank, and lost her car. Now, she just has one day to stop the company that’s going to close her family’s business, all the while maybe crushing on the girl next door.
Dominique is an influencer going back home for the first time in a while. He’s about to secure a deal that will set his family up for life, but things start to unravel when he runs into his former best friend in town. Will he be able to still make a deal if his feelings get in the way?
Review: There’s Always Next Year
Thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for an advanced copy of There’s Always Next Year by George M. Johnson and Leah Johnson to review! I was excited for this one because I love both of the authors. It was sure to be an enjoyable read!
There aren’t a lot of YA books that are set during New Year’s. It’s fun to get to read one that features that holiday. I also enjoyed having the two different points of view, but they aren’t the main romance; they both have their own romances going on. Having them be cousins made the story go in a different direction.
This book is being billed as a romance, and while there are romance aspects to the plot, it’s not as romance heavy as I was expecting. There’s a lot of exploration of gentrification, family, and future expectations. Both Dominique and Andy are trying to figure out what their future might look like, which is something a lot of teens will relate to.
This is a fairly quick read. Because it’s on the shorter side, I don’t think we quite get the character depth we might have in a longer book. Especially with the changing narrators. However, this will make a fun end of the year read. It would also be a great book to add if you’re trying to hit those reading goals by the end of the year.
4/5 stars