If you are in the mood for a low-key British friends-to-lovers romance, Bookshop of Second Chances just might fill the bill.
Thea flees to Scotland after her marriage falls apart and starts over at a lodge she has inherited from a great-uncle. While there, she meets Edward, a a grumpy bookshop owner with a lot of family baggage. The story follows them as they work together at the store and get involved with the other inhabitants of the town as well as each other. This is definitely a slow-burn and honestly, I found Edward to be a fairly unlikeable character for most of the book. But the setting and dialogue are very atmospheric and that helps a lot. On the whole, I found the book to be a decent story, but nothing amazing.

When a door closes, a window sometimes opens. When Thea loses both her husband and her job in one month she is devastated. But then she learns that she has inherited property from a distant relative in Scotland, she decides going to visit the home may be the change of scenery she needs. After all, "Crying all the time is so boring." Thea's new location and, soon, new job in a cozy antique bookstore offer a lot of appeal, especially for book lovers. The novel is uplifting with a bit of humor and a nice proportion of interesting characters, beautiful locale, and a bit of romance. .

The title and description both made the book sound warm, and my first opinions proved accurate. The Scottish setting was very cute, and I enjoyed how background characters were also given character arcs. I'm a sucker for stories set in a bookshop. This book was cute and an easy read, but ultimately forgettable.

The Bookshop of Second Chances
Jackie Fraser
May 4, 2021

It’s England and raining as usual - mid-February, just past Valentine’s. Althea Mottram sits crying again. Three weeks ago she was fired from her job. Then she was blessed with a message from Chris, her husband. It was an obscene photo taken of him and his mistress. Thea had no idea anything was going on let alone with her best friend Susana. It was time for her to move out of the house. She’d found a flat that was much cheaper. Chris could afford the mortgage, she could not. Xanthe, another bestie, was coming by with the van Thea rented. They were putting furniture and other most-wanted belongings into storage. She was pleased her Ex was not going to be home. They could pull off this task without a hassle over what’s taken. Chris arrives back in time to help or so he says. As they were leaving he gave Thea a letter that arrived while she had been staying with Xanthe. She opens the post and finds it is from a solicitor in Scotland. Great-Uncle Andrew has passed. He has left all his property to her. She hardly remembers him but at this incredibly low time in her life she feels it would be a good time to visit, stay for a bit and inquire about selling it. She asks Xanthe to come along on the 6 hour journey.
This is a new beginning for Thea. She feels an unfamiliar onset to life. She meets friends and family of Uncle Andrews. He has a home connected to a hotel used for holiday stays. We become acquainted with our protagonist, her life before and after the move to Scotland. It is such an incredible passage. The town of Baldochrie, Scotland is welcoming and warm. She discovers Edward who owns an antique bookstore. He is helping to sell some of the books from the estate. She talks her way into working for him. Even at minimum wage it will help her pass the time when not working on the house.
The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser is published by Ballantine Books of Random House. It will be available on May 4, 2021. I appreciate Ballantine allowing me to read and review this newest selection by Ms. Fraser. It is a delightful read. Looking for a pleasant, enjoyable book? This is a perfect choice. The storyline gives us a tremendous tale of Scotland and Thea’s life as she acclimatizes herself. Don’t let this one slip away, it is wonderful. Do enjoy!

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser drew me in with the first paragraph and made me chuckle. From there, I gradually fell in love. When ancestry updated, I found out I was actually 30% Scottish. I'm more Scottish than anything else! I didn't know this book took place in Scotland when I chose it to read. Can I just tell you how much I want to visit Scotland? Oh my.

I hope her characters were a good representation of the folks I might find during my visit. There were people with royal titles and the commoners. I like most of the folks I met on this journey. I kept thinking to myself that I would give anything to live in a home like Thea. A home that was once part of an estate. A nice garden and peace and quiet. Oh! There was even a library of valuable books. Yup. I could live there! I immersed myself in this book.

If you like a book that has a love story with complications, a chance to get to know another country, then The Bookshop of Second Chances might be a book for you to check out. This was Jackie Fraser's first novel. I predict she will go far. I know I will be anxiously waiting for her next book.

I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher and #Netgalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you!

I did not finish reading this book, so my feedback is based on how far I read before abandoning the book. I ordinarily love books about booksellers and bookish people. This one just wasn't for me.

4.0 stars

I received a copy of The Bookshop of Second Chances from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Simon Schuster UK., and Jackie Fraser for the opportunity to read this book.

During the time of COVID, I have read a lot of WWII books and this was NOT one of them. I am now reading enjoyable, spirit-lifting, and fun books - this was definitely that.

As I have recently found out, via DNA, that I am mainly the British Isles and primarily Scottish. This book was fun to read about a recently separated woman dealing with her emotions and her great-uncle's estate in rural Scotland while working at a bookshop. What really drew me in was the word BOOKSHOP - that is all that I needed.

Actually, I stayed up past 2:00 am this morning to finish this book, I am happy AND tired!! This book did NOT disappoint!

DEFINITE recommend!

Thea is feeling completely lost and unmoored after having just lost both her job and her husband of 20 years, who has left her for her best friend, when she finds out that a distant uncle in Scotland has died and left her his house and his huge antique book collection. She heads there with the intent of cleaning out and selling, gaining the means to have the fresh start she so desperately needs - not at all expecting to fall in love with the quaint little house, the village, and the quirky, inviting people in it. She eventually starts to form relationships with the people in town, who are mostly warm, except for the gruff secondhand bookshop owner, Edward, she is negotiating the sale of her uncle's collection with. His attitude and his longstanding feud with his brother drive her crazy, but as she decides she might take a leap and stay in Scotland she ends up getting a job in his shop and forming a bit of a love-to-hate relationship with him that makes her realize that the new life she's gotten into might just be as complicated as her old one - but might just be worth it... This one is billed for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, which I adored, and I can definitely see some resemblances, though I think this one is slightly slower paced (not in a bad way - just be prepared for that) and perhaps a bit less of the romance/banter at the forefront. With this book, I liked having protagonists who were a bit older, just a bit of a different perspective from a typical book of this variety, and I liked how while there is a romance at the background, it's a lot more about Thea creating the life she wants for herself. It's a fairly quiet read with some heartwarming feels - that doesn't mean it's totally tame or doesn't move along, but I think it lands in a sweet spot that's just as much about the Thea growing into a new life, and about the lives/relationships of the villagers around her, as it is about the romance, in the way that How to Find Love in a Bookshop charmed me so much. 3.5/5 stars

The Bookshop of Second Chances detailed a beautiful setting with intriguing characters. Thea is overcoming personal struggles connected to relationships and trust. While Edward demonstrates a general grumpiness towards life. Their lives intersect at a bookstore in Scotland and they will never be the same.

While there was a lot I enjoyed about this book, the middle lost me. I started to feel like the characters were slightly dull and I didn’t fully connect to Thea and her story. However, if you love romcoms to read on a rainy day, this one is for you!

The title of this book has so many meanings in the story. It’s about a woman who finds out her husband is cheating on her and is in the process of leaving him when she inherits a house. In the house is a collection of rare books. When she goes to the local bookstore to sell some she discovers the bookstore is looking for workers. Luckily she is looking for work and convinces the owner to hire her.

The used bookstore gives books a second chance and people inside a second chance at life. Highly recommend this book!

How could you not love a book about books... am I right?! I’m a sucker for a good romance and this one delivered on that big time without being too much

Before we get into it, I really enjoyed The Bookshop of Second Chances. It definitely made me want to visit small secondhand bookstores in Scotland!

This book centers around Thea, a woman who’s recently been sacked as well as having her husband leave her for her best friend. In books like this premise before, the main character can be whiny or frustrating. Thea was not that way at all and it was so refreshing. Though she isn’t faultless, she was a delight to read about.

This book had a pretty slow pace and normally I wouldn’t go for that either, but it was done really well. I found myself savoring it because it was such a methodical but well paced book.

Overall I’m rating it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the first pages, Thea is made redundant at her job, while simultaneously discovering her husband is cheating with a so-called friend. While licking her wounds and preparing to move out, she receives very unexpected news that her great-uncle has left her his home and all the contents, including a valuable book collection in Scotland, providing the perfect excuse to escape from her troubles at home for a couple weeks - or longer...

While not in my usual wheelhouse of late, this was a delightful read. Having read (and did enjoy) my fair amount of chick-lit in the Bridget Jones, Shopaholic, etc. vein - I was expecting more of the same, a charming scatterbrain adorably and knowingly making bad decisions. I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a mature, level-headed heroine whose internal monologue was realistic and relatable, working through issues and concerns not of her own manufacturing.

Early on, Thea decides it might be nice to stay in Scotland for a while, all while being self-conscious she may be running away from her problems - gets a job in the local bookstore with the curmudgeonly Edward. I don't think it's a spoiler to assume their matchup is inevitable, though a slow and realistic buildup than the typical romantic comedy formula. Some facets of Edward's history require some suspension of disbelief, and the predictable big conflict a bit over the top, ultimately the ending is a satisfying one for a reader who wants a low-stakes, happy ending palate-cleanser.

Thank you to the author, Random House publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One cannot help but root for Thea as she figures out how to start her life anew. When she discovers she has inherited from a great uncle, it comes right in time for the separation from her cheating husband. The escape to Scotland is too tempting, and she ends up staying and working at a bookshop owned by a gruff, yet handsome man wrapped up in family issues.

The two elements that I most enjoyed in this novel was the setting and relationship between Thea and Edward. This is a book lovers book. Set mostly in a bookstore surrounded by the glory of books, I loved the literary allusions, discussions of falling into a book, and the love of reading held by the two characters. Thea and Edward did not have the best first impression, or second...it was definitely not a love at first sight romance, which I really enjoyed. Their verbal sparring, blunt question/answer sessions, and growing attraction provided a terrific romance to follow and root for.

While the plot was nothing unique, it was well done and fun to follow. I greatly enjoyed the characters, but there were a few occasions where I was annoyed with their stupid choices and some elements of Edward’s character that didn’t come together completely, such as the childish vengeance he had towards his brother. This is a cute and spunky contemporary romance that I would recommend for a quick and easy read; 3.5 stars!

I liked the fresh start / second chance in Scotland idea.

Keep in mind that it helps to regroup from a cheating husband when a long-lost great uncle leaves you a fortune. So it's not like she really had to do much to get her life together. In fact, she's unemployed but still able to pay for a rental flat plus the mortgage on the house her soon-to-be ex and her former friend are living in for almost a year.

She does have to start over with new friends and a new town. But she seems surprised that even though she only socializes with 5 people that the whole town knows her story.

But it's light and breezy and a very quick read.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

What an unexpectedly delightful book! I went in thinking oh this will be another adequate take on a middle aged woman finding herself post divorce, but I that wasn’t the case at all. Thea is a quietly hilarious heroine with an inner monologue and conversation that regularly had me laughing for its forthrightness. She already very much knows who she is, so there’s no tedious self-discovery plot, but more a home discovery one. The life she makes in Scotland is charming as hell and it’s a treat to watch her build it. Edward was a wonderfully horrible hero who you can’t help but love. This is a perfect read for grey day spent curled on the couch with a cuppa!

"(first published November 17th 2020)"


I totally agree with another reviewer who yelled, " I NEED MORE BOOKS WITH MATURE WOMEN!" Thank you, Randy, for you yelling this out, so I didn't have to LOL!
But, it is true, the Millenials are now starting to reach early middle age, and they are soon going to want books that they can relate to, and this is one of them. The main characters are in their early forties.

You can plainly see by the synopsis that this book starts with a near cliche. A younger middle-aged woman loses her job and her husband of 20 years on about the same day. But she finds out quite soon that she has inherited property in the 'wilds' of Scotland by a Great Uncle she has no remembrance of.
Thea travels there, meets people, including someone who gives her a job, and the book takes off. The directions it takes off in are astounding; this book's writing has a calming effect on me. And right now, that is exactly what I need. There is angst, but not a huge amount, and none of it is overdramatized.

My last two book choices have been flops for me -this one was not, and I recommend this book to anyone who likes quirky characters, books, hunky men, and Scotland.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley. Thank-you.

I adored this! Our heroine is sassy and badass even though she has just gone through a break-up. Not sure what she is going to do next, she (of course) inherits money and home from an uncle she barely knew. So, off she goes to a rural village in Scotland where she meets the Maltravers brothers and a whole new cast of quaint village characters. I can't pin-point exactly what about this that I loved, so it must be everything! ;) I did especially enjoy the fact that our leads are older - mid to late 40's. What a nice change of pace to show that love and sex isn't dead after 30. Very well-written story by Jackie Fraser, I will be on the look-out for more.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

The Bookshop of Second Chances is a light women’s fiction novel. The title tells readers a lot; yes, there is a bookshop (and one that I wish I could visit) and yes, there are second chances. So, if this appeals to you, take a look at this book.

Readers learn early on that Thea has been dumped by her husband…and not just that, her (former) best friend is now living in her house. Luckily Thea has another good friend, Xanthe, who is there to help and to travel with Thea to Scotland. Why are they going there? Because Thea has inherited a relative’s house and, get this, it was left to her because her relative remembered her as a person who loved to read. Won’t that make book lovers hope for a surprise inheritance?

So, Thea begins a new life in Scotland. She makes some friends and begins to work in Edward’s bookshop. He is a somewhat crusty individual but the two slowly become friends. Will they become something more? Read the book to find out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

I expected to know exactly what was going to happen within "The Bookshop of Second Chances" before I even started reading, and I am delighted to say that I was wrong.

Thea is a recently divorced woman (her husband was cheating on her with her friend) who inherits a small lodge in the Scottish countryside, so she decides to escape her town and heal up there, while also fixing up the place. She meets new people, and begins working at the bookshop in town, owned by the town grump, Edward Maltravers.

I loved that Thea was early to mid-40's. It gives the entire story extra weight, since this is a woman who was married for almost two decades, and thought she had her life settled and figured out. She is one of the most wonderful protagonists I've read in recent history, and just by being honest, she manages to change the town for the better. It's all completely believable, as the author never rushes the storyline, or the emotional journey of her characters. It's a lovely contrast to the romantic escapades of women in their twenties; I enjoy those as well, but this book affected me in a much deeper way. Definitely recommending this to everyone!