Member Reviews

I do enjoy family dramas, and especially sister-centered! This was a good storyline - kept me hooked and I'm pretty sure that my teenage daughter is the same person in this book!

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This is the first novel I've read by Nicole Meier. Now that I know what her writing style is like, I want to go back and read what I've missed of hers.

The Second Chance Supper Club is a sweet story about sisters who have been estranged for a while due to a family tragedy. I enjoyed getting to know both Julia and Ginny and learning what made them tick. They were very much relatable and I wanted things to work out for both of them in their career paths. I also enjoyed Olive's role and wish she had her own narrative, as she was interesting and complex. The food descriptions and scenery brought the story to life even more and I really enjoyed watching the story unfold.

I recommend this book to foodies and anyone who wants a really good story that is both heartwarming and honest.

Movie casting suggestions:
Julia: Ali Liebert
Ginny: Samantha Morton
Olive: Julia Nightingale
James: Luke Kirby
Shane: Ben Barnes
Roger: Keith Carradine

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this little book was deceiving. I didn't expect the emotional punch it had. Well written and absorbing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Nicole Meier for allowing me to read and review The Second Chance Supper Club. I really enjoyed this book!

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This is the story of estranged sisters who find their way back to one another after a scandal in New York sends the younger sister to the older sister's remote hideaway in Arizona. Complex characters have lots of baggage and all are on a quest for happiness. A solid story laced with food and love. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing an advance digital copy for review.

GoodRead review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3062868334

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“The Second Chance Supper Club” by Nicole Meier

Nicole Meier has written a great story about working through life’s obstacles and coming through them stronger than you were before. A book about trying even when it’s hard and making it work for the sake of family. Very well done!-Green Gables Book Reviews

Julia is living the life she’s dreamed of. She has an amazing fiance, the career she has dreamed of and she’s got all she’s ever wanted. Except it has cost her a price. When her parents died, she lost not only them but her best friend, her sister, Ginny.

Ginny left her career as a chef in New York and has had to start over. She’s resilient and is doing her best to make a living. Even more difficult, though, is her relationship with her daughter, Olive. Ginny is a single Mom and things haven’t been going well with Olive for a while now. It doesn’t help that Ginny and Olive work together at Ginny’s secret in-her-home supper club.

When Julia takes a huge risk live on the air at work, things do not turn out well for her and her career. The only person she wants to turn to is Ginny. Julia makes a big decision. Will Ginny accept Julia when she shows up at her door?

When Julia shows up, it is the worst possible time. Guests are waiting and Olive and Ginny have just had an argument and Olive left. Ginny, shocked, welcomes Julia in and puts her to work. There will be time to talk tomorrow.

When tomorrow comes, can they work through their differences and start to heal their relationship or are their wounds too deep to repair?

Thank you to NetGalley for this book to read and review.

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It has taken me a while to read this book and now I don't know why I put it off.
I enjoyed this book about finding your way back. Back home, back to family and back to yourself.
These sisters, Ginny and Julia, drifted apart after their parents death 3 years prior. One left her busy life in NYC behind to move back home to take care of everything while the other stayed and progressed in her career. Now 3 years later they are both struggling. Struggling in their career and financially.
When something happens to force Julia to take a look at her life, she decides to go back home to Arizona. Where her sister is struggling to keep her and her daughter afloat.
I really enjoyed how this change made not only Julia, but Ginny take a good look at their life and decide what truly matters. That even though they are in their late 30's, early 40's they can still make a change in their life. Grow. Focus. Change.
I received an advance reader copy for an honest review.

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This is my first book by Nicole Meier, but it won't be my last. I enjoyed the story and her writing style.

My stomach growled and my taste buds perked up reading about the delicious meals Ginny prepared. What a wonderful view of sister, mother-daughter, and romantic relationships. Each has its own difficulties, but watching each character grow and develop into a mature and responsible adult was rewarding.

This is a story of forgiveness, finding a sense of self, and accepting responsibility for each person's role in the problems created.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author!

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DNF p. 54

I was all over this premise about estranged sisters reconnecting and a secret supper club but I just cannot connect to either Ginny or Julia. I am mystified by their life choices and the way they treat other people and even though I'm sure their character arcs will bring about some redemption in these areas, I don't have it in me to hang around long enough to see it.

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I loved Second Chance Supper Club! I mean it is almost like it was written for me. A main character that's a chef. Beautiful descriptions of the Arizonan desert. And a story of sisters. That hits a ton of my favorite themes. Nicole Meier's writing was lush. From her descriptions of the desert to the dishes Ginny prepared. I was hungry through most of my reading of this book and felt long overdue for a trip to the desert, my birthplace.

In addition to that Ginny and Julia Frank were such well-formed and well-written characters. By the end of the book I felt as if I knew both of them. I loved seeing each of them face their struggles and how they wrestled with feelings of failure. And anyone who has had a sister can absolutely relate to their relationship.

The Second Chance Supper Club is a wonderful story of failing and getting back up again and restoring what was once broken. I highly recommend this book

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The Second Chance Supper Club was exactly what I’d hoped! Julia and Ginny had a close relationship that was disrupted by tragedy. The circumstances that brought them back together, to work on reconciliation, were both believeable and relatable. All of the food references and descriptions were a bonus! Pick this up if you are looking for a realistic, heartwarming story with a feel good ending.

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Julia is going home to the desert Julia is in Manhattan and gets an early phone call. Miller Warren is aware of her being late and can have her fired there has been a recent dip in ratings . She is on the morning show and all the drama starts when she overhears gossip and the mayor is on the morning show.

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A cute, feel-good book. Somewhat predictable, but an easy read if you want a family redemption novel centered around food with a little romance thrown in. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy.

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3.5 stars

This was an easy read about two sisters and their strained relationship. The writing was easy to follow and flowed well.
I had never heard of underground restaurants and I found the entire concept fascinating.

I did get annoyed with some of the choices and decisions that Julia and Ginny made. They felt superficial to me as the reader and I couldn’t connect.

This would be a book that I would consider a “beach” read.

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Second Chance Supper Club was an enjoyable read about family dynamics, relationships and food. I found the story to be well put together and although it was somewhat predictable, it kept my interest due to Ms. Meier’s writing style as well as her storytelling capabilities. Thank you, Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest opinion. #goodreads, #amazon, # Barnesandnoble

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I love books about sisters so much. The bond between sisters is truly stronger and more complex than many other relationships. Sisters can be the most loving but also the most combustible relationships. Sisters can be at odds and also fiercely loyal. I know this in my soul, I have a sister myself. And I bet we would both say no one can get to us like the other can, but we love each other no matter what.

The Second Chance Supper Club by Nicole Meier is a heart-warming story of two sisters who have not only lost touch with each other, but have lost their way a bit in life. When they come together in an unlikely circumstance, they find that together, they can heal and move forward in love.

About the Book

Two estranged sisters reunite in an emotional novel of family, forgiveness, lost hope, and new beginnings.

They had a forever bond, until a sudden tragedy thrust them apart. Now, each at a crossroad in her own life, two sisters’ paths are about to intersect.

Broadcast journalist Julia Frank has it all: a career, an ambitious fiancé, and the hard-won respect of her peers. Until a ruinous decision destroys her reputation, puts her job at risk, and sends her reeling toward the only soul left to turn to: her estranged sister, Ginny.

The owner of a clandestine supper club hidden in the Arizona desert, Ginny Frank has a lot on her plate. The last thing she wants is more drama—or the burden of nursing her younger sister’s wounded ego. But family is family. Besides, Ginny can use the help in more ways than one, and she’s going to make sure Julia pulls her weight.

As a tenuous reunion reopens old wounds, Julia and Ginny have no choice but to confront the pain and betrayals of the past. Will working to keep the secret supper club running be just what they need to find common ground and a path toward forgiveness, or will the increasing stress push them even further apart?
Reflection

One thing I really loved about the way Meier wrote this novel is that though it was narrated by both sisters, Julia and Ginny, it wasn’t split evenly in alternating chapters. The first several chapters in fact were told from Julia’s perspective and were so gripping, that I was glad they weren’t broken up for the sake of keeping it even in terms of the two stories. This is a risky move, because it could easily have been ineffective! But Meier nailed the structure of her book, and its one that clearly took quite a bit of thought.

When we open, Julia’s anxiety is palpable. She awakes late and is rushing to get to work. She immediately gets called into a meeting where she’s told she isn’t bringing in enough viewers, which is obviously media speak for “you’re too smart and leading with your brain instead of your boobs and we can find a younger, sexier co-star for a male lead who will dress the part.” I thought the tension in that entire scene leading up to the on-air incident was so expertly written. I could feel it!

As Julia’s life crumbles in what feels like a single moment, I was glued to the book, unsure of what I would do if I were her. When that leads her to her sister Ginny’s house in Arizona, I knew that this felt like rock bottom to Julia. To call Ginny and Julia estranged feels like an understatement! As the narrative switches to Ginny and we see where she has come after she left her highly successful career as a chef in New York to run an underground supper club in her house, I wanted to know what happened. What caused this? And Julia arriving mid-meal, with Ginny’s daughter Olive driving away…well awkward doesn’t begin to cover it!

Through their own need to rely on one another, I loved seeing the sisters work to heal their relationship. And it wasn’t easy! But it happened eventually the way it does with sisters. Each knowing they love each other, while not totally being over the hurt feelings and skepticism that it will last. I loved the moments with the food, where we really saw how different Ginny and Julia approach life. They are both hard workers and career-driven women, which I was really happy about. Not a weakling to be found in this family!

I think readers will love learning the story of these two women—these two sisters—as much as I did. I don’t want to say too much beyond the set up, because I found the whole concept of the supper club and what Ginny was doing to be fascinating. I was equally as interested in Julia’s career and life in New York, and I was so curious how it would all come out. And you do get a satisfying ending but of course I’m not going to tell you what it is! You’ll have to read it!

A book for women. A book for anyone with a sister or even a sister-like friend who knows what it is like to have a falling out and still fiercely love each other. A beautiful story of healing, sisterhood, food, careers, love, loss, and recovery.

Thank you to Suzy for my spot on the tour! And thank you to Suzy and Amazon Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

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This is a story of second chances. Two estranged sisters, Julia and Ginny Frank, are brought together after Julia makes a bold move to try and make herself relevant again in the highly competitive world of TV hosts. Her bold moves backfires, and she finds herself needing to get away. She can think of nowhere else to go, but home to Arizona where she grew up. There she will find her sister running a "secret supper club" out of her apartment and struggling to make ends meet.

This is a story of forgiveness, of family, of starting over, and following your dreams. Although I found the writing simply average, I did enjoy the premise of the story and was instantly rooting for the characters. This story shows that sometimes it's the little things in life that matter most, and we all too often forget that. While somewhat predictable, this book provided me with a light and easy read in a time when I really need one. If you're looking for a book about food and sisterhood, than this is the book for you.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. A special thank-you to NetGalley, and Lake Union Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Anything to do with good food interests me immensely! This book apart from the food aspect has another good combo Sisterly relationships.

Here Ginny and Julia's one is fraught with tension. One feels that she did it all when their parents died suddenly, uprooting herself and her family to deal with the aftermath of a sudden death. The other cut herself away from everyone, building up her career not thinking deeply of the consequences of her sister's life. When one of them is faced with a crisis, she runs away to the only place she knows she will surely not be turned away - her sister's home.

Coming home to Arizona was not the homecoming Julia expected. A home which is being run as a sort of illegal restaurant, catering for exclusive diners and a sister who seems to be living on the edge - facing financial disaster as well as a disaster of a relationship between her daughter and herself. Stepping into this minefield Julia feels out of place and she has to find a way to mend fences with both her sister Ginny and try to bridge the gap between her niece and herself.

The relationship part and how the story evolves from this was the best part of the book and the story is a commonplace one where miscommunicationn and no communication results in such a lot of misery and misplaced judgements. I enjoyed the story emotional though it was.

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The Second Chance Supper Club is a novel about finding yourself again. The story revolves around sisters, Ginny & Julia. Ginny is a former NYC chef who moved back to Arizona a few years earlier when her parents passed. Now she runs a secret weekend supper club out of her house with the somewhat reluctant assistance of her 21 year old daughter. One evening, mid-service, Julia shows up on her doorstep.

Julia is a morning news show anchor who might have just destroyed her career with a single question during a show. Now the only place she can think of going is to her estranged sister. Over the course of the coming weeks will they learn to forgive each other and rediscover their passions in life.

This is one of those enjoyable women's fiction novels that make you feel like even when you get to your late 30s to early 40s there is still hope that things can get better and you can change your life.

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This is definitely an easy-read chick-flick type book. If you’re looking for something that’s not too difficult to get out you out of a slump, look no further. Somewhat predictable but an overall sweet story.

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