Thank you Raphaelle Giordano for writing this book. This is a charming, entertaining read that has many lessons to share. I enjoyed the journey that Camille embarks on and the clever twist at the conclusion. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I also tried reading this book multiple times. I read that first chapter at least three times, but I couldn't get into it. It just wasn't for me. That's why I waited so long to write a review. I hate to be negative. about someone's hard work.

I'm always up for a self-help book, and this one sounded like great timing to read it. I was approved to read it in 2018, but never did. Now I am going through a second life of sorts. I just recently left my job and career to focus on being a stay-at-home mom during these pandemic times. What a perfect time to read a book about starting my second life.

The book starts out great. We meet Camille and she is at her wits end. A job she's not happy in. A husband who never listens. A son who she has to nag to get his school work done. Every move she makes, she is not happy. Lo and behold, she happens to meet a routineologist after a car accident, who helps her see the rut she is stuck in and that he can help her change her whole life.

At first, the story reads as a great method of teaching the steps to take to begin your second life. Rather than a Step 1, Step 2 approach, we walk along the same path as Camille. As she does the steps, you can begin to do them as well. I'm here for it! Time to make my list of everything I want to change. Of everything I do well. Let's do this!

Then the book becomes...errr...I don't know how to say it. Boring? A bit of the same? But Camille also became needy. She couldn't make a move without consulting this guy. She was working on getting the spark back in marriage but needed to speak to her side piece before deciding what to do. She would run to him with every emotion. It felt a bit off. Like I can now see where her marriage troubles lie. Emotional affair, party of 1. Outside of that creepy factor, it was just more of the same stuff you've heard in any "get happy" article. I found myself skipping over sections to see if there were any pearls of wisdom to be found in the last half of the book. Ummmm....maybe it was lost in translation?

Part fiction, part self-help. This had a very interesting premise- a woman in a life rut runs into a "routinologist" who promises to help her- but fell flat. It was very repetitive and completely predictable. Claude (the routinologist) gives the woman tasks to retrain her to think happy thoughts, and she executes them. I was definitely wondering how one becomes a routinologist, and the ending answered that, so that was a saving grace for me. 2.5 Stars, rounded up to 3.

This book was a little difficult to get through. It sounded super relatable when I first requested it - a woman in Paris with a case of "routine-it is" in her life. She meets a mysterious stranger who tries to help her overcome this. I was fascinated because it felt like the perfect read at this time in my life, with me also dealing with "routine-it is." However, life others have stated, it seemed more self-help than an actual novel, and it was hard to enjoy reading. Others with interest in self-help books may find this read enjoyable.

Camille, who seems to have everything, tries to find her path to joy. This is her journey, full of surprises.

When I saw the book description I thought it would be a nice read and I wasn’t mistaken. But I haven’t actually read any reviews about the book, when I did I realized it has really good reviews. So I was more than happy for being able to read it.
All things about Paris are always welcome and in this case we also have a story about life and the complications if life itself. It’s a story about inner growth, about change and development. A story about a woman looking to change her life because she is not happy with it. But things won’t be easy for her.
The story it’s interesting and you can’t help but to think about your own life and to feel related to Camille’s struggles and worries. That was the thing I liked the most about the book, because it shows not only a sweet story about a thirty something woman, it also makes you think about life, about your goals and aspirations no matter how old you are. I really liked that.
I liked Camille, although I felt exasperated by her sometimes, but it was part of the characters personality and it was nice to see how she changed through the story. I really liked Claude and all his advice. And I admit I wasn’t expecting what happened at the end.
It was a very enjoyable, easy-to-read and captivating story that everybody should read. Now I really want to read more by the author!

I heard several references in magazines and online about this book. Therefore, I was eager to read it and find out what all the hype was about. While this is an easy and light book to read in a few days, it was not what I was expecting. The format is more of a self-improvement type writing that did not sit really well with me. I do have another friend who really enjoyed it so I don't want to leave a negative review but it was just different.

Though this book reads more like a self help book than a novel I still found myself enjoying it. The opening seemed like something out a PG 13 horror movie and automatically made you think something wasn’t really right. I was actually so convinced that “acute routinitis” was a real thing I googled it.

In this novel, Camille wants to cure her "routine-itis" and find fulfillment in life. It sounded like a book I'd very much enjoy, and there were definitely relatable elements to the story. There was something about the writing style and delivery that I just didn't connect with, though. As others have noted, it reads more like a self help book than a novel, and I just found it off-putting.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this title.

This book was sweet and funny, a really easy and enjoyable read. It made for the perfect summer "escapist" title and I look forward to reading more from this author.

YOUR SECOND LIFE BEGINS WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU ONLY HAVE ONE by Raphaelle Giordano shares the tale of Camille (30-something years old and Parisian) who is suffering from a case of acute routinitis, wherein she is "finding it hard to feel happy despite an abundance of material wealth, a feeling of disillusionment and lethargy, amongst other things." Claude, a therapist of sorts, offers suggestions like de-cluttering her house and trying new adventures. Camille resists, but eventually feels transformed and finds happiness in this light and sometimes superficial work which was a best seller in France. The cover conveys the charming, feel good content such as "instead of counting sheep before you fall asleep, tonight try to remember three nice or encouraging things that happened to you today." There is a helpful dictionary (inner dialogue, positive anchoring, etc.) at end, plenty of quotes throughout (such as Churchill's "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm") and the author herself stresses that "there is nothing more important than to live life to the limits of one's childhood dreams."

Those looking for a more positive attitude and self-image may find inspiration in Camille's story, but one is left wondering if offering these self-help suggestions as actions intertwined in a novel is ultimately more or less effective than creating a workbook with therapeutic exercises (like acting as if, be a cat), templates, and/or checklists. The author has expertise in personal development and in France has previously published non-fiction works on stress management and relationships.

This heartwarming novel was a great read full of characters that were well developed and easy to care about. Perfect read for a hot summer day on the beach, by the pool, or sitting on the porch!

I was drawn to this book by the title and the cover hoping that the story would live up to my expectations. While the book wasn’t quite what I expected, it did offer some good tips for how to take a good hard look at how you are living and see if you are just coasting along or actively participating in life. There were some good tips for how to navigate relationships and see if there are things that you could do better, or make changes that would make you happier.

This isn’t really good at just being a fiction book. I think it’s lacking that classification in so many ways. It‘s one of those light-on-the-actual-story, big-on-the-self-help-message kind of books. Every now and then someone comes out with one like this and it makes a huge splash.

If I had looked at a sneak peek of the first chapter, I probably would have quit there. There wasn’t anything about that it that struck me as anywhere near being realistic or interesting: Girl gets a flat tire outside of a house and asks to use the owner’s phone; he brings her a towel because she is wet from the rain and then his wife brings her tea before the phone; she calls her husband and he is snippity instead of concerned; she then spills her guts to a man she doesn’t know and THEN he just happens to have all these solutions to all of life’s problems. As we continue, he helps for free—she is welcome to pay whatever she feels she should later.

Overall, I think the advice is worthwhile—pick and use what you like from it.

The f word and other curse words have been unnecessarily added to the book. That’s not something you typically see in books with a message to improve your life.

While this book had an interesting concept, I had a hard time finishing it. My ARC from Net Galley on my kindle had a couple of inconsistencies that made it more difficult to follow. I wanted to identify with the main character, but the more I read, the more it felt like a self-help book with a simple plot line to make it more interesting. However, there was some good advice in there that readers could apply to their own lives.

Thank you to Penguin, Putnam, and NetGalley for an advanced read in exchange for this review.
Camille has everything in life to be happy, or so it seems. At 38, she is still looking for happiness and the path to joy. Claude, a routinologist, meets Camille and offers to help her.
I really wanted to like this book because it sounds like such a feel good story. However, I sadly could not get into it. I’m not sure if any of the story gets lost in translation or what, but I could not finish. If I try again, I will update this review!

This started out interesting but then it got boring really quick. At first, I could totally relate to Camille and Claude and the whole bit about routinitis, but then it became depressing. I like these type of books but this definitely wasn’t what I’d imagined it’d be.

While the conversations in this book were a little stilted and read like a self help book (I had to double check to make sure this wasn't marketed as a self help book!), they offered great advice peppered with humor. While I didn't connect with the main character Camille, I definitely understand her reasoning to utilizing Claude's services as a therapist of sorts. The message of the book is clear: you can lead a more positive life, and that message is one I think everyone needs to read.

I requested this book after my mom heard about it in a magazine. I wasn’t sold, as our book tastes don’t normally align, but I’m thrilled to have had the privilege to read this book. It give me the perfect pick me up after a very recent and very unexpected break up. Thank you Raphaelle Giordano!

This book read more as a self-help book than a novel. The conversations seemed unnatural and contrived to incorporate as many pieces of advice/self-help theories as possible. Not what I was looking for.