Actual rating: 7.5 out of 10

I actually really enjoyed my time reading The Bookshop of Second Chances. The main character Thea was very likeable and understanding of all the people around her, even when her friends are still hanging out with her adulterous ex-husband. I even found that I didn't dislike Edward, who I could see people easily disliking. The writing just clicked for me and entertained me enough that I easily devoured this book.

It does have some faults but most books do. There was some repetitive phrases that the characters said that might put some people of. A conflict between Edward and Charles is a bit ridiculous but I imagine stuff like that actually happens. I do think people in general will probably like Charles more as a person than Edward, but I liked them both. The book was a bit long based on the subject matter but that didn't bother me either.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

The Bookshop of Second Chances was the slowdown read I needed in my life. Thea and her adventures in Baldochrie, Scotland are charming. She finds herself divorced, the owner of an old lodge and a collection of new books, and the center of the small town's gossip mill. Intent on finding herself and a path for her future, Thea takes on a summer in the lodge, filling her time with a job in the local bookshop owned by the surly Edward. Only, he's far kinder to her than she heard he might be and alongside him she discovers she has room for so much more in her life.

Reading Jackie Fraser's novel is like taking a stroll down a scenic path. It's full of descriptive writing, fantastic Scottish dialect, and a romance that is just the right amount of slow. Thea discovering herself at forty-ish and after 20 years of marriage is so authentic, I loved her rediscovery of her own personal joys, hobbies, and friendships. Plus, it helps that Ed, for all his grumpiness, truly is a charmer. Their interactions are funny, flirtatious, and downright adorable. I know, funny word for romance, but this isn't the in your face angsty, heart pounding you're used to, this just feels almost normal. I loved the naturalness of it all, the pacing is just perfect, and while there are some small plot holes, they're forgettable, allowing me to just relax and read.

The Bookshop of Second Chances is the kind of book you can loll about with by the pool, bake in the sun with on the beach, or snuggle up into a warm blanket with as it rains outside. It's a lazy read that delivers on its promise of second chances and following your heart.

Thea's had a rough go of things. She just found out her husband of 20 years is leaving her for her friend and she was let go from her job- all around Valentine's Day (to add insult to injury). But then Thea learns that her great uncle has left her his house in remote Scotland, and she decides to escape from her "real life" for a few days to see what shape the property is in and finish up dealing with all of his belongings and estate. Among the estate is a collection of rare books, which leads Thea to the town's bookstore, and it's unique, and fairly grumpy, owner Edward. When Thea decides to stay in Scotland for awhile and takes a job working for Edward at the bookstore.. well, you'll just have to read to find out what happens next. 😉😉

I just really, really enjoyed this one. I thought that the emotions Thea works through were real and raw for someone whose life has seemingly fallen apart, but they weren't so overwhelming or depressing that they derailed the story. The town of Baldochrie was charming, as were the locals who befriend Thea almost immediately (small-towns love a newcomer to gossip about), and I loved reading about the local color and relationships Thea forms there. I also adored Edward and his cantankerous ways and would 100% support the Thea-life for anyone who just needs to get away and decompress for a bit (inheriting a large sum of money and a free house definitely enables you to just pick-up your life and getaway for a bit, for sure). But honestly, my favorite part of this book was just the character of Thea herself. She was hilarious, real, relatable and just my new book-bff. Thea and Edward were older than the leads in many romance novels, so that maybe a refreshing change for some folks.

Overall, I give this one ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a mild steam rating.

I’ve never read a book before where the driving plot line was serial marital infidelity. I love books about bookstores but wondered if I had made a mistake this time with something that sounded dreadfully predictable and I expected it to get tiresome and I was wrong. The characters were great fun and my favorite part of the book.

Althea, our protagonist, has a keen sense of humor which had chuckling many times, like when planning a road trip with her best friend Xanthe, she quips, “It’s always fun to go on a road trip with a girlfriend. As long as no one gets shot and you don’t have to drive off a cliff, it’s all win, right?”

She moves from Sussex to Scotland when she inherits a property from a elderly uncle whom she only met a couple of times. This after losing her job and husband was a good excuse to get out of Dodge, at least for a while. The bookshop job is temporary, just until she can sell the house, There are some hiccups and humor in the plans. This is the book you wish you’d had when you spent the weekend at the beach.

This book had a good premise and the idea of the story was interesting but it was too long and there were a lot of random pieces that didn’t seem to fit together. I also didn’t find the love story very believable. Edward seemed like a completely different person by the end of the book. It was a cute story overall but it could have used some more editing.

I loved the way in which this story developed. Such a great story and place to escape to! I loved getting to know these characters and will think of them in the future for sure.

All I needed to hear was Scotland and I was ready to read this one! Thea Mottram has one bad thing happen to her after another. First, she is “let go” from her job then, she finds out her husband is cheating on her with one of their friends and is leaving her for the other woman. How much can a girl take!?

As luck would have it, as she is packing up and leaving their home, she gets a letter from her great uncle's solicitor. Her uncle has recently passed and he left his house in Scotland to her. This couldn’t come at a better time and turns out to be just the move she needs to really find herself!

Thea is so real and relatable. I loved all the characters in this small Scottish town, including the grumpy Edward. The friendship they form though from their love of books is spectacular. Not going to lie I definitely got some second-hand embarrassment at times. It was so great to read about a story about starting over and the fears that may arise. I know I can not be the only one that has thought about starting fresh someplace new (especially after this crazy school year).

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House publishing group, and Ballantine Books for the ARC. The Bookshop of Second Chances is out now!

I would give this novel 3.5 stars. I loved Thea but had misgivings about Edward. Thea’s 20 years of marriage are over after she learns her husband is having an affair with Thea’s friend. Broken-heartened and confused, Thea is able to escape to Scotland to take over the home her late great uncle has left to her. With the intention of selling and then buying a new place in Sussex, Thea soon becomes friends others in town and decides to take a job at the local bookstore, which is owned by a grumpy, rude man who could have been a Lord but turned it down. Thea is funny person with huge personality and maybe she really is the best person to deal with someone like Edward. But Edward is a womanizer and his reason is lame. That he falls in love with Thea so quickly because she is different from all the other women he’s been with is both weird and sweet. At least I don’t have to put up with him. Thea does question his ability to remain faithful but in the end decides to take things a day at a time.

I liked the writing and look forward to reading other books by this author. I just vacillated between liking the man and thinking he’s not good enough for Thea.

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC.

The Bookshop of Second Chances

Rating: 3/5🌟

Thea Mottram’s life is falling apart. Her husband’s had an affair with their mutual friend and she’s lost her job - on Valentine’s Day no less. When her great uncle leaves her his home in Scotland, she retreats to the countryside to repair her heart and her pride.

Enter Edward. Foul and cranky, he runs a bookshop in town and is generally unliked and unimpressed. When Thea finds herself in her bookshop, with a job no less, everyone is surprised and most certainly shocked.

As Thea finds herself getting to know Edward she finds herself drawn to him. Is there more to their relationship than they realize?

This was a cute British chick lit read. A bit verbose and over written, but a fun story and interesting older characters to follow. Fraser does a great job of developing the main characters and doing them justice! A great read on a weekend getaway.

I picked this book out because it had the word bookshop in it as well as the cute cover! I went into it completely blind besides the cute cover.

This was harder for me to get into, but once I was 30% into the book, I couldn’t put it down! I love how this was a romance story with older characters (40s). I was rooting for Edward the entire time.

Thanks Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and NetGalley for the digital galley!

If this was a first time book for this author, then we have lots to look forward to in future books. It was fun, covered a lot of ground but lightly and the characters were a hoot. I could have done without so many f bombs being dropped in conversation, but I get it. The characters that said it were mouthy and popping off at each other constantly.. Only a couple of times did the story slow down and about lost me but then immediately gained speed and moved forward. Read the cover for story details. It is a fun book, you find some characters right on, others being juvenile and with stunted emotions and carrying baggage, but .. so is life. An epilog would have been nice as it ended well, but almost abruptly. Read and enjoy!
I was provided an advanced reader copy at my request but was under no obligation to write a reveiw. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

“I’m not like you, you know. I don’t have sex with people for weird convoluted reasons.”

The Gist: After her husband of 20 years is caught cheating and her late great-uncle leaves her his cottage and rare book collection, Thea moves away to a small Scottish town to sort out her life.

My Thoughts: The premise of this book is literally my dream. Who doesn’t want to just pack everything away and move to a small Scottish town full of quirky characters and work in a bookstore owned by a handsome gent?

There was a lot to like here: I loved Thea, who was funny and self-deprecating yet knew her own worth. Her thoughts were a joy to read. I enjoyed the cast of characters and the cozy setting. I also enjoyed reading about characters in their 40s, as it makes a nice change.

However, there were a few things that irked me. Some of the dialogue was a bit disjointed. The author writes every little “um” and “Jesus” in her conversations. Which, um, yeah, might be how people talk IRL, but it makes for awkward reading.

The romance was a bit off for me too. I liked Edward - his grumpiness was charming and his past indiscretions were pretty funny if not immature. And I could tell he liked Thea from the get-go. But there isn’t any steam, and while I don’t HATE a fade-to-black scenario, there was a lack of chemistry. They had great convos but the kissing scenes didn’t really do it for me. Idk, it’s hard to describe.

All in all though, if you go into this book less for the romance and more for the story of a woman rediscovering who she is after a devastating circumstance, I think you’ll enjoy this.

Recommended for fans of: Virgin River, Much Ado About You, really any story where a woman moves to a quirky small town

Well with a name like The Bookshop of Second Chances, how could this book be about anything but second chances? Recently losing her husband to a good friend and her job, Thea was at loose ends until finding out she had inherited her great Uncle’s lodge home in Scotland. Thea ventures there to check things out and having nothing to hurry home to Sussex for, she ends up staying. Needing a job to keep herself occupied, she worries her way into one at the local bookshop, even though the proprietor, Edward, doesn’t hire girls. Edward is very much a curmudgeon and he and his brother have a life long feud. Neither will give in to the other and both are interested in Thea for very different reasons. As Thea’s short stay extends longer and longer one of them eventually wins her heart. This was a slow burn of a romance set in a storybook setting with some delightfully quirky characters, although I found that the language took away from the overall story and was completely unnecessary.

This ticks boxes I never thought I had! It is (mostly) set in Scotland, the protagonist inherits an estate with a library, she works at a bookstore, and (like myself) she falls in love with the curmudgeon who runs it. Yes, the book has its flaws and yes you have to suspend disbelief a few of times , but I did not care. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This book was simply a delight! Thea is a wonderfully realistic protagonist (someone you would definitely want to have over for dinner) and I really enjoyed Fraser's ability to create believable (and funny) dialogue). As an American, I found it fascinating to see how the class system in the UK still exists and how it influences how people think about themselves and other. And I really enjoyed all the sly literary references. Loved it!

Thea's shocked to learn about her husband and her friend Susanna. She's equally shocked to learn that her great uncle- a man she only saw four times- left her a house in a small village in Scotland. A trip north to settle his estate turns into a new life when Thea discovers that not only is the village a lovely place, there's a bookstore. ..Edward Maltravers gave up his title to his brother Charles but that didn't help their relationship one bit. They hate one another with passion. Edward hires Thea to work for him, she improves the shop and well, you know what's going to happen. Yes it's trope-y but I really enjoyed it for the village scenes, the bookshop (the books!) and the lovely dialogue between Edward and Thea. It's also nice to read one of these with more mature characters, who I found quite relatable. You know where this is going but there are some surprises along the way. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A fun read perfect for when you need a warm hearted smartly written romance.

You could easily lose hours reading this sweet novel set in a charming Scottish village. Thea is in a bad place in life and very much in need of a second chance at happiness. The Byronic Edward Maltravers is that second chance.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the novel for review.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I had high hopes based on the cover and blurb. Somehow despite this being an easy read, it was not as light and fluffy as you would expect.

What I did love was the setting: Scotland & a bookshop.

Thea was great- she's in her 40's and was a hoot and realistic. But Edward was a total JERK and kind of juvenile. Not only that I didn't feel like there was any chemistry between them. And in the end I thought Thea deserved better.

3.5 Stars. This was a really sweet second chance romance and general finding yourself type of book. The setting in Scotland and the bookshop were just so dreamy and vividly described. I could feel myself there. I do not know if i felt there was enough character building, as I found myself feeling a bit disconnected from Thea and couldn't really understand her thoughts most of the time. I loved Edward, though his backstory was a bit much at times. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

A book set in a bookshop in Scotland (2 of my absolute favorite locations) and love of course :) is one that will always pique my interest.

I always appreciate when an older heroine especially when written well. They always bring something extra. Thea, our female lead had to do something when she discovered her husband was cheating. Cue a big move and her life changes forever. As a character, Thea was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed watching her navigate her friendships and slow burn romance with Edward.

I will like to note however that this read more like "women's fiction"(a term I am not crazy about tbh) than a pure romance. Overall, still an enjoyable read.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC