Jackie Fraser's book was the best I've read in months. This bittersweet novel about a middle aged woman who deals with an unfaithful husband and friend, discovery of family history transcends the usual Scottish village tale. Filled with humor, the idiosyncrasies of friendship and then love, set in a well described rare bookshop is the most satisfying read of this autumn.

Heart-warming book with enjoyable characters and predictable plot-line. A great quick, cozy read that meets your expectations and provides a satisfying ending.

One of my bucket-list items is to man a bookshop in Wigtown, so of course the setting of The Bookshop of Second Chances is what drew me to this novel. I knew I was going to enjoy it right then. And the characters and Thea and Edward's banter only enhanced the experience.
A beautiful love story of second chances not only at love but with family as well.
Want to be immersed in Scotland and rare books and bookish banter? Hurry up and read this book!

Thea's year is not going well (can't we all relate in 2020?) First, she loses her job, then finds out her husband of 20+ years is having an affair with one of her best friends. After coming home to a letter from a solicitor, Thea discovers that a long lost Uncle has left her a bookshop in Scotland. Thea packs her things, and heads over there with the intention of only staying for a few weeks, however, as time passes, she finds herself having no reason to go home and decides to stay in Scotland to start a new chapter of her life.

While I certainly had high hopes for the premise of the book, it left a lot to be desired for me. Specifically one of the characters, Edward. The reader, which I would assume will mostly female, is asked to not only read a story where one of the male characters is offensive to women, but also to like him. He's verbally abusive to Thea and women and also specifically states several times that he discriminates against women, and doesn't hire them. Yeah, no thanks. I'm not ok with reading a story like that, and also being asked to accept that men are just like that. Other than, that the story was sweet, but I had a hard time overlooking that aspect of the story.
Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my review and honest opinion.
This review will be available to view on Goodreads 10/29/2020

Thea’s having a bad month. She finds out her husband is cheating on her and leaving her! Her uncle has passed away, and he left her his house and book collection in Scotland. She heads there to start a new life. There she meets the Maltravers brothers who may change the course of her life as she knows it.
This book is really great. The writing makes you feel like you are there in the Scottish Village. I wanted to go visit and be a part of the story. As a book lover, Thea’s life is one of envy with the unlimited access to beautiful stories. This is such a creative book with amazing character depth. It’s a feel good story, and it’s a very sweet, light read! I highly recommend it!

Such a cute and fun read! Perfect distraction in life right now. Really enjoyable characters and story and hard to put down!

Completely charming and a refreshing change from the typical 20-something romance. A recommended purchase for collections where light WF and contemporary romances are popular.

This was enjoyable, although it has a lot of competition in the "bookshop romances set in Europe" genre that is VERY popular. Thea and Edward were good characters, fun tropes, good writing, but something about it fell a little flat to me.

Overall, good but not great.

a fun story of personal growth, expectations, and reality. A recent divorcee retreats to an inherited cottage in Scotland and takes a job at the local bookstore. Though she hadn't planned to stay, it seems the right thing to do. She makes new friends and finds new purpose.

The plot of the story was charming. A middle-aged woman finding out she inherited her great uncles house and the belongings inside.
U fortunately about a quarter ways in, I put the book down and did not finish it. The story didn’t capturer my attention and it seemed to drag on. I felt like I was waiting for the good part, the thrill, and it wasn’t happening.
Even though it wasn’t the book for me, I hope another reader finds it enjoyable

I have to admit that this book took me a while to get through. I wasn't able to fully immerse myself in the story because all the characters and even the plot seemed a bit bland the whole way through. There was a slow burn romance between the new woman in town and the local grump (in my opinion a really cute trope that I enjoy) but there was no big point of tension or conflict. The story just kind of happened. I appreciate what the author was going for here writing a second chance story for a 40 something rather than the usual 20/30 somethings in many contemporary works, but it lacked the "umpf" ya know?

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange of an honest review. Thea is having a bad month. She is let go from her job and finds that her husband is having an affair with one of her friends. She is left an inheritance by a great uncle that includes a home and a large collection of rare books in Scotland and she goes with her friend to see the property and to get away from everything at home.

I enjoyed that Thea is in her 40's and not a 20 something, she seems enthralled by the new, and discovering what is around her. Of course since she is not looking for love it comes to her and that seemed a little on the nose but right for the character and that the relationship wasn't perfect either.

It was a great read and I'm wanting to read something else by this author!

I didn't love this one as much as I thought I would. I seem to read a lot of bookshop romances set in Great Britain, especially Scotland, lately. Thea is likeable enough, and so is Edward; he starts out as just a stand-offish grump but you found out later he has a badboy rep and why. The drama from Edward's past and the reason for the feud he has with his brother is a little unbelievable. And the story also felt anti-climactic. I still enjoyed it quite a bit, just not 5-stars worthy this time.

*received a free digital ARC from netgalley

I was in the mood for a light, easy book to disappear into and this fitted the bill perfectly!
If you need to escape from the doldrums of life, grab this book and enjoy a few hours of simple pleasure. Thea is a wonderful main character, blunt, opinionated and not one to take any flack. Yet underneath she is a sensitive soul who has been hurt very badly by people who should know better. A wonderful windfall gives her space to rethink her life and she meets the wonderfully brooding Edward (Mr. Darcy/Rochester) and slowly they help heal each other and find happiness.
Nothing unexpected happens but that's OK, sometimes I want to read a book that is simple and gentle, full of witty people and beautiful scenery. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, this is my honest review.

I love that the author is a bit unknown and just the warm feeling I got while reading the book. I feel like this book is an amazing, fun read that really transported me to a tiny bookshop in a tiny town far away. Life is hard some days and looking forward to picking up this book at the end of a long day and getting lost between the pages in Scotland with a hot cup of tea was amazing. I think everyone can agree that life sometimes hands you lemons and what you choose to do with them is how you write your story. Thea had a pretty crappy thing happen to her, but instead of sitting around and feeling sad, she took a chance and went somewhere new and different. She made friends and connections that taught her life can be not what you expect but there are still plenty of good people to be with and adventures to be had. Of course, she has some bumps along the way, but don’t we all on the road to rebuilding and finding love. I enjoyed all the characters and really felt pulled into the location of the small town and beach as well.

This book was a little weird. I was with her until the part where the owner said he didn't hire women because he either falls in love with them or they with him. What?? I really couldn't take the book seriously after that at all.

Unique characters that you can really relate to help you connect to the storyline of starting over in middle age when life throws you an unexpected curve. The main character certainly accepts the change with more grace and calm than most women would, but then she did also just find out she has an inheritance that she was unaware of. It helps that she gets to start off her "new" normal in a new town. There were times that I felt the main character was a bit of a doormat, but she holds her own in a reserved way that makes you respect her more for it in the long run. Overall this is a good chic lit version of starting over and it was an entertaining read that made for an enjoyable afternoon.

I feel really bad because this book sounded right up my alley ,but I couldn't finish it. It was more me, then anything wrong with the story or the writing. I'd love to come back and try it again!

This was an enjoyable, escapism read to the Scottish Lowlands. I like the character, Thea, a mature woman who finds herself at a loss when her husband no longer wants to be married and has slept with her best friend. A second chance comes about when she learns a distant great-uncle left her a large collection of books and a house. She meets two brothers and some locals and she soon finds a job in a bookshop. The title of the book grabbed my attention, and I was soon engrossed in this book. I enjoyed immersing myself in Thea's new life while reading this entertaining story. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thea's husband of 20 years is caught in an affair with a woman she considered a friend around the same time she is made redundant at her job. Her losses leave her devastated and floundering.

Then, out of the blue, a letter from a solicitor arrives letting her know that she inherited a country estate from a great uncle. The timing is fortunate, and Thea leaves to settle the estate and take a break from her problems.

The break leads to unimagined second chances.

The novel is somewhat predictable, but the characters are fabulously flawed and real. I love the book,.