"A woman desperate to turn a new page heads to the Scottish coast and finds herself locked in a battle of wills with an infuriatingly aloof bookseller in this utterly heartwarming debut, perfect for readers of Evvie Drake Starts Over.

Thea Mottram is having a bad month. She’s been let go from her office job with no notice - and to make matters even worse, her husband of nearly twenty years has decided to leave her for one of her friends. Bewildered and completely lost, Thea doesn’t know what to do. But when she learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, she decides to leave Sussex for a few weeks. Escaping to a small coastal town where no one knows her seems to be exactly what she needs.

Almost instantly, Thea becomes enamored with the quaint cottage, comforted by its cozy rooms and lovely but neglected garden. The locals in nearby Baldochrie are just as warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person she can’t seem to win over is bookshop owner Edward Maltravers, to whom she hopes to sell her uncle’s book collection. His gruff attitude - fueled by an infamous, long-standing feud with his brother, a local lord - tests Thea’s patience. But bickering with Edward proves oddly refreshing and exciting, leading Thea to develop feelings she hasn’t experienced in a long time. As she follows a thrilling yet terrifying impulse to stay in Scotland indefinitely, Thea realizes that her new life may quickly become just as complicated as the one she was running from."

I'm not bitter or anything, but why can't someone die and leave me a house with an antique book collection?

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Brilliant book! Wonderfully written and handled with such grace about being a woman in your 40s.It's relatable and honest. The romance between Thea and Edward isn't twee or overwrought, it's just realistic. I will be posting a longer review on my blog (https://oncetwicebookreviews.blog/the-bookshop-of-second-chances) in May after the book is released. I'm already recommending this book to other librarians to get for their libraries.

This book was really cute, for what it was.

I liked that the story was whimsical and it was an easy read in-between some heavier stories. Ultimately, I don't seeing this leaving a lasting impression for me, though.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thea's life has imploded, but a convenient piece of mail arrives and an inheritance could possibly turn things around for her. A predictable story line, yes, but half the fun was seeing how the "will they/won't they" formula played out.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing (Ballantine Books) for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I love books about starting over, especially when they are about women older than 20. Since I am now in an older demographic, I find the allure and dream of inheriting a house/property and starting a new life in a new location enticing.
I loved watching Thea's new life unfold for her, the little cottage, the old bookshop with the very Heathcliff like owner.
This was a satisfying read for me and I now want to look for more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Love the premise of this book! Separated woman inherits a free lodge and ends up working in the small town bookstore. That all sounds great, but the book did not live up to my expectations.

It is considered a romantic book, but I did not believe the chemistry between the characters. It felt very forced, and there wasn’t anything that happened to really tie them together.

The male lead, Edward, is not a desirable dude. I understand the trope of the quiet brooding guy who has never found love and pushes people away. This is a common trope, but Edward is not a likable version. He literally won’t speak to anyone in his family and slept with every single one of his brother’s exs, girlfriends, and wives! Hated him as a love interested, and my feelings for Thea weren’t that much better.

The start of the book was there and they idea was great, just felt lackluster and underwhelming.

It may be slightly morbid of me, but I love when a book begins at a character's rock bottom and the reader follows along as they pull themselves from despair. Does that sound weird? Probably. But there is just something so hopeful about a redemption story. Add a bookstore to the setting? Perfection. Thea Mottram has been let go from her job and her husband left her for one of her friends (basically the definition of rock bottom, is it not?). She decides to escape to small coastal town after her uncle in Scotland passes away and leaves her his home. Enter the bookshop owner, Edward, to whom Thea wants to sell her uncle's book collection. Thea's early interactions with Edward were somewhat cringeworthy, and I would have preferred if their banter included a little bit of flirtation *wink* but it just felt a little flat. The highlights of this story were Thea, the coastal town setting (adored it), and the character development. I do wish the romance had more substance and depth, and I could have done without a sexist love interest (Edward, no thank you). Overall, this was a fun, unique read that left a little bit to be desired.

It was a fun read with likable characters and funny moments. I would say it was a slow burn but once they get there it was believable and they were good together.
The real romance did not even start until the second half of the book. This book is full of humor, relatable, flawed characters.

Thea has had it with crying. She lost her job and her husband Chris left her for her good friend so when she learns she has inherited a house, she decides it will be a welcomed change from her sad life. She is looking forward to Scotland and a chance for new beginnings. She wrangles a job at a secondhand bookstore even though Edward is grouchy and makes it a practice of not hiring women. She loves the job and the people she meets. She refuses to put up with her grumpy boss and it is not long before he realizes what a fine person she is. I loved this book. The setting is well done. I felt like I was sitting in the bookstore enjoying the books, lounging at the Shed and the beach, and sitting in the various pubs and restaurants soaking in the atmosphere. It is fun to see Edward and Thea’s relationship evolve and to see Thea get over her life with Chris. Great story, great characters.

I can see a lot of patrons enjoying this book. One thing that I really liked was that the main couple gets together earlier in the book and there is no associated drama of an impending breakup or misunderstanding. Instead, you see them adjust to their new life as a couple. I found that unique and much preferred over stories that get couples together at the very end or get them together only to rip them apart and then join them together again at the very end. I felt that the middle of the story dragged a little bit. We were too much inside the head of the main protagonist and things got repetitive.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Let me start with the things I liked about this book. I really enjoyed the heroine being in her 40s. It was refreshing. I absolutely loved the Scottish setting. The secondary characters were great as well. The main characters, Thea and Edward, weren't bad but they were really bland. In fact, so much of this book was pretty bland. Most of the time I felt sad reading this book. Everything seemed so depressing. Even after the big romantic reveal I felt a bit confused because of how the main character seemed not sure she was really even into this guy. I don't know, something about it just didn't work for me.

"Charming" and "cozy" are two words that immediately come to mind for this novel set on the Scottish coast. Throw in some "posh" men, a bookstore, and a cottage and you get why. This is a quick, feel-good romance that is perfect to snuggle up with...which I recommend you do! Thanks NetGalley and publishers for providing an advance copy for review.

Overall, this was a fun, enjoyable read. I liked Thea, but I wasn't as fond of Edward. There wasn't as much character development as I'd expected. I enjoyed the humor throughout. There was more swearing than I expected, based on the description. I liked the bookshop angle.

She's lost her job. Her husband is sleeping with her friends. And, yesterday was Valentine's Day. Thea Hamilton Mottram's year is off to a shaky start. Then, she gets a letter. It seems her great-uncle has left her a house near the Scottish coast. She doesn't have a job, so what else does she have better to do than to head there and check it out? Off she heads to Baldochrie, a (fictional) town near Dumfries. There, she finds out that not only has her uncle left her his home, but also his collection of rare books. Thankfully, there's a bookseller in town, but he's quite the grump. Also, the local laird has his eye on her house, as it was once part of his estate. And, of course, the bookseller and the laird are good-looking and estranged brothers. The bookseller happens to need a clerk, but he doesn't hire girls. Oh well, he never did before.

This was a fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only downfall is that as an American, some of the descriptive language was unfamiliar to me. While I'm relatively well-versed in English-English (as opposed to American English), there were some phrases that eluded me. Googling them took me out of the story for a bit. Not a big deal, because I was very invested in it. Thea is a strong character who does not let her husband's betrayal define her. At times, she might have been a little too nice to him. However, sometimes it's better to just get out of a bad situation than to wallow in it. I really enjoyed Edward's evolution and the positive effect Thea had on the people she met in her new home village.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

The Bookshop of Second Chances sounded like everything I like in a book: a quaint, quiet village in Scotland, a middle aged woman down in luck/love, a budding romance, and a new lease on life. While it had all of the elements that make up a wonderful read, in my opinion, it completely fell flat for me. Thea just wasn't the most charismatic character to me. She was uninteresting and bland to me. And Edward was so unlikable to me, as a reader, and most of the supporting characters in the book didn't like him either! The premise had promise, but then it took so long to get to the point, that I lost interest before I could really get into it.

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but in the end...I just didn't.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley, I was chosen to be an early reviewer!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ When Thea’s life is upended due to her husband leaving her for her friend and being made redundant at her job, a letter arrives, which brings the most needed changes to her life. She has been informed that she is inheriting her Great Uncle Andrew’s house and inheritance in Scotland. Will this be the change she needs with moving forward with her life? This heartfelt book will have you turning the pages to find out. Jackie Fraser will sweep you away to Scotland to live vicariously though Thea. This book explores love, loss, friendships,and second chances. Great topics for book club discussions! Be sure to add it to your TBR list!

Jakie Fraser has done an amazing job with her debut novel!! This was a cute, charming unputdownable novel and readers who loved Evie Drake Starts Over would totally enjoy this one! The story is set in around countryside Scotland coast with lords and big mansions and dreamy neighborhood!!

Thea is starting over after being separated from her husband who has been cheating on her with her friend. She inherits a Scottish countryside lodge from her estranged uncle and visits the place in hope of selling it. She encounters a handsome but arrogant bookseller named Edward, who is also a posh lord. She takes up a temporary job at his bookshop and their slow burn romance is adorable!!

This was a 5 star read for me and I would highly recommend this debut book to a romcom fan or anyone who is looking for a cute charming read set in beautiful Scotland!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for the gifted galley in exchange of my honest review!

Starting over when it’s all your idea is one thing, but quite another when you find out your husband of 18 years has been having an affair. While life isn’t turning out quite like Thea planned, an inheritance from a long lost relative is about to change everything. I love the idea of starting over in a small countryside town with a bookstore. This story doesn’t disappoint. It has lovely side characters and main characters you root for. I would definitely give Jackie Fraser’s next book a chance!

I absolutely loved this book. I found the characters to be fun and relatable, and I thought the storyline was the perfect blend of sweet and endearing. I thought the plot was well-paced and easy to follow, but I also felt like there were some surprises thrown in to keep this from being a generic fiction book. As a reader, I could really identify with the characters in the story, and I loved that I could see myself making the same decisions as they did at times. I think this is a great story that will speak to a lot of readers!