DNF @ 55%

I have never dnf’d an EARC before especially when I requested and was graciously accepted for it. I just can’t read a book that has to do with cheating. The main character is married and is emotionally cheating as well as is on the verge of cheating throughout the first half of this book. I just know if I would have continued something ultimately would have happened. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy but this just isn’t for me

I just could not get into this book. Maddie is a 40 year old woman with a struggling marriage and a pseudo empty nest with her son away on a gap year. When Maddie runs into Greg, the one who got away, at a class reunion, this presents a new opportunity.

I wanted to really like this book. I love a second chance romance but I think as a 20-something, this book was just too mature for me. I don't think I was the right audience for it (even though I did love Evie Drake Starts Over and I thought this would be like that...)

Thank you to NetGalley, Aria, and Kendra Smith for my eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a smashing read! It made me laugh, it brought tears to my eyes but more than anything I nodded my head and smiled!

Maddie Brown is a wife and mother; her son means more to her than anything. Her husband runs his own wine business and is regularly away from home. Now that her son is heading to university and is currently enjoying a gap year abroad, Maddie is lonely. Which is probably why she allows herself to be talked into going to her own uni reunion, where she again meets Greg - the love of her life. But Maddie has kept secrets Greg doesn't even suspect . . .

A well-spun tale of an empty-nester, it was a delight to witness Maggie's story. I think every woman could identify with - and be entertained by - this novel. I found myself cheering her on at every turn! This is the third book I've read by this author and each one has been light-hearted but with a ring of truth running through. This is an author who really knows her characters and writes beautifully. I guessed Maddie's secret before it was revealed but that doesn't take away from what an excellent read this is. Very enjoyable and definitely worth 4.5 stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley and to Vicky Joss for my spot on this tour; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I picked this one up hoping for a light, fluffy read. The synopsis and the cover made me think that's what I was getting. But it was so much more than that. It was more of a life drama. I loved Maddie, though I found the men in her life to be a tad irritating. I also enjoyed Olive. I almost had to put the book down though as Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep, was highly unexpected and an incredibly emotional poem for me. I did not expect to be sobbing during this book.

I would have liked to see more of Tim's story. And maybe their backstory. I almost felt that he was solely a villain. And I feel like a man raising another man's child wouldnt be just a villain.

3.5 rounded to 4

This is another book that just didn't pull me in like I'd hoped it would...which is okay because I do not think I am the intended audience. This also explains why I couldn't connect with Maddie. Nothing wrong with the writing or anything, just didn't personally work for me.

This book was very middle of the road for me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special. I feel like it was marketed as a second chance lovers trope, when it's really more about Maddie rediscovering herself once she becomes an empty nester.

While I could relate to some of Maddie's thoughts on losing herself to motherhood, it seems a bit far fetched that it would have taken her 18 years to realize she had 0 personality or interests on her own.

And Greg was just...Meh. Seemed pretty boring after they introduced Johnny first. I guess he was sweet, but there wasn't a lot of passion between the MCs.

Like I said, it's not an outright bad book. But it also isn't really one I would recommend to a friend.

I guess this was not a book for me.
I couldn't connect with the characters at all.
The only reason I finished it is cause I'm stubborn and I hate to DNF.

Maddie's a woman in her forties. She's also newly an empty nester and her relationship with her husband Tim is shaky. Seeing Greg, the love of her university years, opens up her mind and her desire to spread her wings. This isn't a second chance romance and Maddie doesn't escape some of the challenges that face us (there's a dementia patient in the family). She does, however, rethink and redo how she lives. There aren't really any surprises here but Maddie's a good relatable character. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

I read less than half of this book before I abandoned it. The characters and plot are not interesting. The writing is not very complex.

This is the first book I have read by author Kendra Smith, but it won't be the last!
I fell in love with the characters and the little coastal town and of course, Taffie...Tim however is a tool.

I was needing something light to read and this hit the mark. I will say that I guessed the ending by the second chapter, but it was still an enjoyable read.

Unfortunately this story just wasn't for me. I just couldn't relate to the characters and found the main character to be quite annoying.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t what I was looking for at the moment. Maddie was a bit two dimensional. The dialogue didn’t always connect and I think there was too much inner dialogue when things should’ve been vocalized. I will purchase a copy and reread at a later date to see if it was just the timing that made me not enjoy it thoroughly. Thank you.

As I’m fast approaching the same age as our heroine, I’m really wondering if women are really thinking and acting like Maddie . It’s difficult to find oneself in nowadays times, especially when your child is taking his life in his hands and the husband that you thought you love is not there at all times as you would expect.
It was an interesting read but unfortunately not a memorable one for me.

Thanks for my review copy to the publisher and author

3.75 stars- This book is categorized as a romance and it does have elements of that, but I would call it more a "woman who finds herself" book. If you liked Evvie Drakes Starts Over or The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, then this book is for you. The story line was interesting and not completely predictable, although the book was a bit too long.
Maddie is in her early forties and is at a cross roads in her life. Her 19 year old son, who has been her sole focus for so long, is grown and gone and she and her secretive husband have a frayed relationship. Starting with a class reunion, Maddie goes on a series of steps to redefine herself.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free, advance copy.

Love this book, it’s been a great escape read! I haven’t been able to put it down. This is a great read by a great author.

This was very mediocre. And WAY too long. With her son away on gap year before University, Maddie starts to notice that her life is not what she dreamed of—a mid-life crisis if you will. She then sees an opportunity with her former flame Greg, I usually love second-chance romances but this was just blah.

I thought this contemporary romance was just ok. This is a second chance romance. Our main characters have each kept a secret for an extended period of time. This book follows the fallout after the truth has come out. We see how each person is impacted by the truth and how it looks to shape their furtures. Easy and sweet read, but very forgettable.

this book ripped my heart out & chewed on it before placing it back in my chest. a story of love & forgiveness & family & second chances & making our way back to one another after everything just seems so ... lost. i felt like maddie & greg’s story was important in seeing that life isn’t stuck where we think it is. & maybe, just maybe there’s something in our life we’re needed to change as well

Take a Look at Me Now by Kendra Smith don’t know if I would give it a second look three star read. I had high hopes for this one, and it could just be me on a negative read at the moment but this one just felt overly wordy, it felt like the author had a word count they had to hit, but only remembered about it half the time, so described some things in such crazy detail and then other things that I would have enjoyed getting more details on just felt glossed over. I did like Maddie most of the time and felt for her as a fellow woman of a certain age, but I was also left wondering about her in others. I would say that if you like this type of story and the blurb appeals give it a go as this is just my opinion and honestly right now its kinda negative so try it if you fancy it.

I wasn’t a big fan of this book to be honest. The writing style was not one I enjoyed, I’m not a fan of objects and places being excessively described. I find myself skim reading to get past it.
I really wanted to connect with Maddie, being a 40 something myself, I was hoping for a story of reclaiming herself and empowerment. Unfortunately I don’t feel this was achieved.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book 📚