4.5 stars. Liked it a lot. 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. I also liked that these characters were in their forties and very mature. Also it is a behind the door (just implied) sex scenes, no details, no smut, very tasteful which was refreshing for a change. My favorite thing about this story was the setting, Thea working for Edward at the Book shop was just perfect!
Definitely recommend this book!

A solid 3 stars, a decent debut that shows the author has a knack for dialogue and setting a scene. I'll be honest, the first part of this book took me forever to get through. I could see where it was going and I rolled my eyes a bit but... then it picked up and there was something refreshing about Theas non-wallowing and quite blunt behavior. I wasn't as thrilled with the behavior of some other characters but the book didn't skirt around it or excuse it, but I think Edward is an arse. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for THE ARC.

Scotland coastal town, take me away! A book about second chances with some romance thrown in for good measure.

Thea Mottram thought her life was pretty much over. Hubs left her for another; she lost her job; she has to move because hubs wants the house. Receiving a letter from the solicitor, she finds she has inherited a house on the coast of Scotland from a great uncle she barely knew. And there are some collectible books in the house.

Expecting a hovel, she is greatly impressed at the cottage and its contents. But she is not staying, not at all. Introduced to her neighbor, Lord somebody or other, he wines and dines her, all with an ulterior motive - he wants her property. She also meets the owner of the local bookshop, who happens to be the Lord's brother. This brother is a curmudgeon. The story then progresses to friendship and then to romance - sort of. They come to realize they can forgive those who have wronged them and get on with their lives, but the path is not smooth for either of them.

This was lovely and pleasant, but felt like a Jenny Colgan novel that lacked some of the heart and cheer and the strong female characters. It really irked me how the solution to all of Thea's problems was falling in love with another man.

The parts with Thea dealing with her separation and with her ex-husband, Chris, actually felt the most honest and compelling to me. These gritty sections where Thea was vulnerable and felt unlovable really resonated in contrast to other parts that just felt like something I've read many times before.

Nice, easy read, but not particularly captivating or memorable. Sad to say, since I do so love Scottish book store shops (that's a genre now, I suppose!)

DNF at 35%. The pacing of the book was far too slow for me and I did not like the main character. If you like a slow burn romance, maybe this is for you, but it’s not for me.

I found THE BOOKSHOP OF SECOND CHANCES unfortunately flat. The premise was delightful, so I had high hopes. But it was just a mediocre read for me.

• Thea and Edward both were very flat characters for me. I felt like Thea’s personality, especially, transformed to fit what was needed of her, and I never really got a good idea of who Edward was.
• It was perfectly obvious that Edward cared about her and that she liked him, but it took 70% of the book for them to admit that. And then boom, they’re together.
• The side plot with Edward and his brother was kind of wild, and I don’t feel like Thea ever convincingly accepted Edward’s past.

The concept of Thea and Edward was enough to keep me powering through, though, and I was happy to see them happy.

Also FWIW — for a book that is fairly profane (which I don’t mind) and talks about sex a lot, there were no actual sex scenes. I don’t need that or anything but I was surprised.

Thea has been dumped by her hubby of 15 years and he has taken up with her friend for the added insult. Feeling low as she is removing her possessions from the (former) marital home, she receives a letter informing her that she has inherited her great uncle's home in Scotland.. Perfect timing. for her so she goes off to visit the solicitor, see the home and decide what to do. Instead of selling, she gets hired at the local bookstore.
Her boss Edward is a grumpy man with a bad reputation in town. Her neighbor is his brother and arch enemy. I think you can tell by now where this is going. It just took forever to get there.
Edward needs an anger management class and some growing up. Both brothers have reason to hate each other. Other than that, there was little excitement, a lot of long descriptive pages that really didn't add anything to the story. It could have been said in far fewer words and pages, but wasn't a bad story, just predictable.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars
This book is predictable and disappointing. I had high hopes for this book but sadly it did not deliver.
i received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.

This story was warm, cozy and hopeful. The dynamics between Thea and Edward reminded me a little of Beach read. Their banter was clever, witty and completely amusing. I loved how Thea brought out Edward’s kind side, and how they much they complimented each other. While the story was slightly predictable, I loved every minute of it!⁣ Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for this ARC for my honest review.

This novel started out with some good possibilities, but quickly devolved into something totally humdrum and predictable.

I appreciate this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, in exchange for an honest review and I wish the author well. This was just not for me.

I received an advance copy of, The Bookshop of Second Chances by, Jackie Fraser. This book was okay. Starting over again after losing her job. The characters were a little annoying and nosy. It was an ok read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3586370554?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I really wanted to love this but just found the writing too long-winded to capture my attention. The premise and setting were great, and there were moments where I felt like the characters were able to shine. Unfortunately, it did feel muddied by extremely long passages where it's basically just Thea's stream of consciousness.

This story, for me, was very "Eat Pray Love" meets charming Europe. I enjoyed experiencing the protagonist's journey from bottom-of-the-barrel to flying high on love. The setting in and of itself (from the quaint towns to the specific bookshop) truly laid the foundation for Thea to make headway in her new life. The storyline provided a sense of optimism in the bleakest of times (which was very welcomed considering the current state of things in the "real" world). The only criticism I have about the story is simply its predictability. There was not enough originality or innovation in the story's plot, which is why this story will not remain a very memorable one, especially compared to other similar novels on my shelf.

Althea “Thea” Mottram is not having a good time of it. As the book begins, Thea is just turning 44. it is three weeks since she lost her job and ten days since her husband of fifteen years, Chris, left her for her (so-called) friend Susanna.

Things take a turn when she learns she has inherited the house of her Great Uncle Andrew, whom she met only a few times, but who had no other relatives. The house is in a small Scottish village near the coast, and is a lodge on the estate of Lord Hollinshaw, who lives about a mile up the road. The attorney for the estate tells Thea that Lord Hollinshaw, a.k.a. Charles Maltravers is interested in buying the lodge, so she would have money to live on if she sells it. Charles brother Edward, who renounced his title and has an antiquarian bookshop in town, would buy the books from the house, which are quite valuable and could also contribute to her support.

While Thea is deciding what to do, she applies for the job opening as a sales assistant in Edward’s shop. Edward made clear that if he weren’t desperate he would never hire a female, but takes her on because his current assistant is moving and he seems to have no other options.

Thea loves the work in the shop and makes friends in the town. She comes to love the lodge as well. She and Edward become friends in spite of his determination to be curmudgeonly, and she learns why Edward and Charles are not speaking.

Thea is struggling with the emotions roiling around in the aftermath of her breakup, and never conceives that anyone could find her attractive or desirable. She soon learns that isn’t so accurate an assessment either. But she is also afraid of happiness: didn’t she think she was happy before? And look how that turned out….

Evaluation: This lovely story is like a Hallmark Channel movie but with cursing and sex, making it a bit more realistic than Hallmark fare. I found myself rooting for all of the charming characters to find happiness, and of course, what can beat the setting?

I received The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser as an ARC from NetGalley. The Bookshop of Second Chances is a fun little romance set on the coast of Scotland. Life is not going well for Thea Mottram. She has been let go from her job and then discovers that her husband of 20 years has been cheating on her with someone that she thought was her friend. She then gets some good news when she learns that her uncle has left her a cottage on the Scottish coast. She decides that now is the perfect time to check out her new house and get away from everything in her current life. She originally plans to stay for 2 weeks but decides to stay longer and work on the house. She gets a job in a second hand bookstore and also makes renovations on the house in the hopes of eventually turning it into a vacation rental. She and her boss Edward start to develop feelings for each other. Edward has a horrible relationship background mostly involving sleeping with women that he doesn't care about. Thea is Edward's opposite in that respect. She believes in commitment instead of one night stands. The banter between the two of this is fun and Edward starts to realize what he has done with his life. This was a fun summer read.

What I liked: This book is introspective, charming and a great escape into the world of Thea Mottram. I found the setting lovely, the writing engaging and the love story fun (albeit almost Mr. Darcy-ish). Fun read!

What I didn't like: Strong language at times and sexual behavior used for revenge. Also the main man was seriously emotionally disturbed and somehow was magically better when Thea came into his life. He definitely needed therapy.

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

The Bookshop of Second Chances is a good book for when you want to turn off your brain and just have a chill romantic read. One of my favorite aspects of the book is that the main characters are in their forties so their life experiences have the possibility to provide different perspectives than many novels that feature those in younger age groups. It’s slightly reminiscent of the film Under the Tuscan Sun and there are a few bits that even make me laugh out loud. With that being said, this is a debut novel and for me it reads like one.

My negative thoughts...

The character development is lacking. For example, Edward is constantly described by people Thea speaks with as being grumpy or cruel; however, no one explains why. Does he cut everyone off in traffic? Insult people that buy books he doesn’t like? Murder puppies? I don’t know.

Even though the main characters are in their forties, some of their behaviors are incredibly juvenile. According to her past Thea would be a progressive woman, but she freaks out at the idea of platonically sharing a bed with a man. Later on, she rolls her eyes after admitting she wanted someone to kiss her. Edward won’t hire women to work in his shop because they’ll fall in love with him or he’ll fall in love with them. If he has a job opening he puts out a sign that essentially says no girls allowed. No matter their age people will always have juvenile moments, but I don’t buy two adults in their forties would so consistently behave in the ways described.

But I think my main issue with the book is that I don’t believe the relationship. The foundation is clearly laid, but I don’t feel it. For me, the writing style lacks a certain depth that enables me to connect with the characters, so I’m not invested in whether or not they will end up together.

Let’s finish up….

These are all just my personal opinions, and obviously the author has talent. To be honest I’d be interested in reading what she comes out with in the future because even though certain beats in this novel didn’t resonate with me, others did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing, Ballantine Books for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this cute book about a bookstore and second chances. It is a nice quick read for anyone living through this pandemic. It is a light and fun read and you can quickly escape to a book store and forget about reality for a bit!
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

I'm so crazy about this book. I loved it.
I'll post a longer/more detailed review on Goodreads closer to the pub date and I'll definitely be recommending it!

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser is a charming story that any bibliophile will surely love. After Thea's world comes crumbling down around her when she finds out her husband is cheating on her with a woman she thought was her friend. Oh, and she loses her job too. But, what's it going to be like starting over in her 40s? When she discovers she inherited a home and book collection in Scotland, leaving town to take care of that for a bit seems like the answer. What she doesn't expect to find is a pair of aristocratic brothers and a second chance at a lot of things - including love.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.