I requested to read and review this book from Ballantine Books. The setting of this book is Scotland. The main characters are Thea, Edward, Charles and Canter. There are other characters as well that you will get to know along the way. This book has drama, romance, mystery. A story of when life gives you lemons make lemonade from them. Sometimes things are bad but for most life can turn itself around. Believe in yourself and know not everyone is crappy. Family is family. This book is for any type of reader.

Thea has just lost her job AND her husband, but with an unexpected inheritance in Scottland, she embarks on a new life. Nice story with great description of the town and Thea’s new property, but overall the book reads fairly slow. I enjoyed reading it, and it wasn’t a total loss, but not my favorite.

NOTE: Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.
I love books about bookshops and for some reason I just really loved the main character in this story. She is close to my age, witty, and broken over her husband's extramarital affair with one of her friends. This story is her putting herself back together in a new place and daring to dream of a new future.

"The Bookshop of Second Chances," by Jackie Fraser, has a somewhat familiar premise: Thea, a middle-aged and newly divorced woman, is looking for some excitement when she inherits a house in Scotland from a relative she barely knew. Upon moving to a new place and going through everything that her great-uncle left behind, Thea makes some new friends and even has a new love interest. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get invested in this story and the characters didn't really interest me. I ended up just skimming the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I liked the descriptions of the land and buildings. I loved the description of the bookshop and the books. I also liked some of the minor characters. I did not like any of the characters or their language. I don’t believe forty somethings speak that way where every other word seems to be a curse. Also I’m not sure that at that age people are that unsure of themselves. Maybe I’m too old for this book.

Thea has been having a hard time lately. On top of recently losing her job she discovers that her husband of 20+ years has been having an affair with one of her friends (discovered in an extremely unpleasant way). While deciding what she is going to do next, she is delivered a chance for a new start in the form of a letter from a deceased great uncle who has left her his home and the marvelous book collection within. After escaping to her new property, she meets the owner of the local bookshop and discovers the potential for a second chance at happiness.

The beginning of this story had a lot of potential. I loved Thea’s character from the start: she was witty, sarcastic and pretty strong in the face of so many challenges. I also liked Edward’s character when we first met him. Yes, he is sort of a recluse, yes he was kind of rude to everyone he met, but that was part of the allure. However, as their relationship started to develop, I found Edward’s character to be too much. He’s offensive and immature in a lot of different ways, specifically towards women. Additionally, as the story progresses, his obsession with Thea borderlines on creepy. I did love that the main characters were in their 40s, I think that set this book apart from some of the other Women’s Fiction / Romance novels I have read recently. All in all it was a quick enjoyable read for me.

Thank you Netgalley, Jackie Fraser and Ballantine Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

There were a couple things I liked about this book. Love the bookshop in a small town in Scotland setting. Love that the main characters were 40-something year old adults. I liked the female character Thea and thought she had some moments with great dialog (or even thoughts in the stream of conscious narration, loved the description of the comfy pajamas). But on balance, found more that I didn’t love. I didn’t love the main male character, he was by definition grumpy but I never found him appealing and he had a horrendous history of women, relationships, and using people for revenge. And even though Thea was so recently devastated by her husband’s infidelity she fell for this guy who obviously has a high chance of hurting her. And it just seems to build on the myth that the love of a woman, can change a man – in this case very quickly. I also didn’t care for the couple scenes with casual drug use by adults who seem way too old and too smart for that. I requested and received this advanced copy to read and review from the publisher Random House Ballentine and NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

A cute story of starting over, finding love, and finding yourself along the way. It was a little slow for me, but overall a fun read.

Thea's life has crashed and burned. Her husband of almost 20 years is found to be cheating on her and her world takes a nose dive. Now what? When an unexpected chance to move to Scotland comes up, she decides it's her chance to clear her head and find a new purpose in her life. To pass the time, she is able to find wok at a bookshop in town, run by a grumpy Scotsman. Her anonymity is refreshing and the people are loving and welcome. Soon her anonymity fades as she makes close friends and comes to love this sleepy town. The decision to sell or stay weighs heavy on her. Such a cute story. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and wouldn't mind re-visiting them or some similar in the future. Makes me want to visit this pretend little town!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had a lot of promise. I was hooked from the get-go, in love with a woman starting over in a Scottish country lodge surrounded by old books.

And then... romance.

With a grouchy bookshop owner who'd passed up the chance to be a Lord and made a habit of sleeping with his brother's lady friends. I wish the story hadn't needed Thea to end up with Edward... because Edward ended up verging Creepy Stalker before, and after, he and Thea ended up an item.

It was... a bit unsettling, unfortunately. And I'd have rather just read about Thea.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest and original review.)

This is a lovely book that felt right for a time that is stressful and full of uncertainty, the perfect comfort read. Recommended!

I requested this book because I adored Evvie Drake Starts Over, and the blurb specifically mentioned The Bookshop of Second Chances is “perfect” for fans of Evvie Drake.

This novel did not deliver on its promise.

The prose was dry and detached. The characters are flat. The middle is soggier than an abandoned bowl of cereal. I slogged my way through the entire novel, hoping that it would improve. However, even when I reached the inevitable Happily Ever After, I still felt ambivalent about Thea, Edward, and Charles.

The book begins with the tired cliché of an unfaithful husband who gets caught. The wounded wife calmly agrees to an uncomplicated divorce after 20+ years of marriage and gracefully bows out to let the new mistress (of course, a once dear friend) MOVE INTO HER HOME. Now, she has absolutely no place to live.

Thea crashes on her politically-correct obligatory POC friend’s couch and barely dares to return to her own home to pick up her items. Conveniently, on the dinner table lies an arbitrary letter from a long-long uncle’s estate conveniently sharing that Thea has inherited a fabulous cottage in Scotland with a lord as a next-door neighbor, whose brother is a gorgeous local bookshop owner.

As an avid Romance and Women’s Fiction reader, many passages in this book were insulting. Edward, the bookshop owner, initially refuses to hire “girls” because either he or they can’t help themselves from falling in love. I can’t roll my eyes enough.
Many of Thea’s character choices were made only to advance the plot as quickly as possible. The characters aren’t developed enough to make the reader think about them beyond reading the last word of the novel.

In contrast, Evvie Drake was written with finesse. It presented characters who were 3-dimensional, raw, sloppy, flawed, and relatable. The Bookshop of Second Chances lacks in these areas and ultimately falls flat. Other than the mature characters, there’s no real comparison to the two novels. I felt misled by the blurb.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Really enjoyed reading this book.. You know those books where the main characters are unbelievably beautiful, even if they are enemies, they can't keep their hands off each other and there is not a strong storyline besides the relationship. This book was NOT that! The real romance did not even start until the second half of the book. This book is full of humor, relatable, flawed characters and a build up to the relationship. The one thing that I think could have been done better is the ending. I felt it was very abrupt. I had to look twice to make sure that I had actually reached the end of the book and not inadvertently missed something. Still worth the read!

I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked how the main characters are not in their twenties. I need more books where the main characters are "older". I will definitely read more by this author

The Bookshop of Second chances landed on my TBR list at just the perfect time. After reading a horrid, dark book, I needed something light, upbeat and fun to read. It certainly delivered on those things, plus added in a bit romance and a bookshop, which are always bonuses for me! I enjoyed traveling through Scotland with Thea as she rediscovered herself. And, really grew to like despicable, “grumpy” Ed. One thing I would have preferred was less profanity. It was used so casually, and often used the Lord’s name in vain, which is offensive to me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a sweet romance that gives you all the feels and hope for the future. Thea has just moved to our inherited house after separating from her husband of 20 years and finds that love it still possible. Super fun and flirty read.

What a cute story. I've read several books about women starting over in life, usually after a breakup, but they're almost all in their twenties. It was great to read about a grown woman in her forties who has to start over. Thankfully, she's given a house in Scotland, so she goes up there to get it ready to sell and provide some money for her new life. Since she's low on cash, she gets a part time job in a local bookstore. I loved reading about the small town and how everyone in interconnected. If you're looking for a cute, feel good story, this is the one for you.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.
This was cute! I don’t know that I would reread and it’s not on my top recommendations list but Thea and Edward were charming. I love the setting of a Scottish bookstore. I’d love to fall in love in a bookshop. It was just the right amount of slow burn and action. I enjoyed this.

This is a quick read that is character driven. I read an early. copy ffor Netgalley for review. The title
Intrigued me, but it was less than hoped for. I finished the book, but I would have liked more about the bookstore and setting. This is something to read on a chilly afternoon while cuddled under an Afghan.