I will read anything Sally Thorne writes, and I will love every single page of every book – she’s just that good! “Second First Impressions” was no exception. I devoured it in a few hours, and loved every second. Thorne’s writing is so witty - within the first 10 pages, I had already laughed out loud at least 5 times.

The story follows Ruthie, a quirky woman who works the front desk of retirement villa, and Teddy, a seemingly apathetic rich boy who moves in next to her, in an opposites-attract romance that was sizzling with sexual tension from start to finish. The central plot following Ruthie’s attempt to save the retirement home from a developer kept the pace of the story flowing, but the real fun lay in all of the interactions between Ruthie and Teddy – not to mention Teddy himself being one of the sweetest book boyfriends I’ve ever beheld. Thorne shines the most when writing banter (see, Lucy and Josh from “The Hating Game”) – here, lackadaisical Teddy versus “everything-needs-to-be-in-its-place” Ruthie made for a super fun and banter-filled book.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you are looking for a romcom deliciously rife with sexual tension. Thank you, Sally Thorne, for another book to add to my favorites pile!

Can Sally Thorne do any wrong? The answer - NO. This was so cute and fun and the perfect contemporary romance. With her trademark wit and charm, Sally Thorne knocked this out of the park

This is such a wonderful comeback for Sally Thorne. After the disaster that was 99 Percent Mine, I was wary starting this one. It didn’t start out great, to be honest. There’s a lot in this book that makes me question whether or not Sally Thorne has ever met an actual human being in her life.

However, after a strange start, it became such an incredibly sweet and fun story. The romance is believable because Ruthie and Teddy are believable as friends. There is a depth here that I didn’t anticipate. There are wonderful side characters. An incredible plot twist. All in all, an A+ quarantine book. I’m so glad Sally is back on her game.

Second First Impressions is a totally sweet and fun little romantic comedy. A quirky cast of characters, unique setting, and a charming opposites attract romance make this book a lovely cozy read.

Ruthie works at a retirement village and has let herself dress and act as old as the clients that live there. Teddy is a ne'er do well who's family recently purchased the retirement village and have plans to tear it down. Teddy needs a job and a place to live. His father offers him a place to live in the village as long as he helps out and hopefully grows up! Teddy moves into the villa adjacent to Ruthie's and proceeds to invade her calm, uneventful life. He is also hired as an assistant for 2 of the more eccentric residents at the village. What follows is a fun and hilarious rom com that will warm your heart! Ruthie and Teddy are both such likeable characters you root for them through out the book. Don't pass this one up!

This book was alright, I found it to be much more entertaining than 99 percent mine that's for sure.

This book was so incredibly cute! Read this over a weekend and I miss it already. I loved being transported into another story by Sally Thorne. It was so nice to be in a cute, cozy, and raw world with a cheese plates, bubblebaths, silly characters, and tortoises. I absolutely fell in love with Ruthie and Theodore. They were such an incredibly cute pair that didn't seem ideal, but challenged each other in all the right ways. This book and the relationships within it made me "aww" and laugh out loud throughout the entire read. My only "critique" would be that I thought the ending of the book wrapped up very quickly and fell a little bit flat for me. I wasn't disappointed in the outcome, but it was just moved very quickly and I had to pause and be like....wait....it's over already? Other than that, super cute! Definitely will pick up again if I ever need to be transported back to a heartwarming and cute place.

This was very cozy, breezy, and lovely, which is one of my favorite kinds of romances. I thought Ruthie was such a great protagonist, such a wonderful person, and I loved, loved, loved reading her journey in this, and would have loved to read even more. Her and Teddy are very sweet and supportive and genuinely comfortable with each other, which is so obvious in the dialogue. The last 10% is very badly paced, in my opinion, as if Sally Thorne just remembered she had loose ends to tie up and didn't want to extend it even more, but it would've benefitted from doing so because there was a lot to deal with. It does take the shine out of the book, but Ruthie Maree Midona saves it.

In 2018 I read Sally Thorne's 'The Hating Game' and absolutely loved it. I was very excited to get an opportunity to read 'Second First Impressions.'

'Second First Impressions' is not 'The Hating Game,' once you understand this you can appreciate it for what it is; a fantastic character driven, slow-burn romance.

Our protagonists, Ruthie, 25-year-old retirement villa manager and Teddy, 27, the tattoo artist son of the new owners of said retirement villa could not be more different, but are they really that different?

After an awkward first meet they both form preconceived notions about each other. They allow their first impressions to dictate the way they see each other.

Ruthie and Teddy are both dealing with issues stemming from their childhood that keep them from reaching their full potential and both are determined to prove everyone wrong. They are very into each other, but believe that getting involved would only hinder their plans, but obviously, they are wrong.

Sally Thorne created a wonderful world and I loved everything about 'Second First Impressions' - Ruthie, Teddy, all of the supporting characters: Mel, Aggie, Renata, the tortoises, and that Epilogue. Sigh.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC copy. I absolutely adored Second First Impressions – to the point of finishing this book in one day. Please don’t make the mistake of comparing this book to The Hating Game or 99%. This slow-build romance set in a retirement village was refreshing and kept me entertained throughout. We get the same humor and witty banter Sally Thorne does so well. I love the character build-up of not only the mains, Ruthie and Teddy, but also Melanie and the Parloni Sisters. Ruthie and Teddy are complete opposites, yet they bring out the best in each other. You can feel their chemistry and attraction for each other seeping through the pages. I would have loved to see more of the Parloni sisters as they truly had me laughing out loud. My only other criticism, one that I have with a lot of romance novels, is that the story wrapped up rather quickly for me and I would have loved to see more of Ruth and Teddy as a couple. I give Second First Impressions 4.5 stars.

I enjoyed this story of the prim and proper Ruthie who comes out of her shell when the "bad boy" Teddy comes to work at the retirement village she is managing.

I fell in love with Sally Thorne with The Hating Game. Though I hadn't felt nearly as excited with 99% Mine, Second First Impressions was a return to what makes Thorne novels so great: humor, a heroine with a heart of gold and big dreams, and a hero that just wants the best for the heroine. From almost the very beginning I was in love with Teddy and Ruthie and loved watching as they slowly let each other in, got to know each other, and supported each other's dreams. BUT the ending was so rushed! In less than 15 minutes in book time, all the major plot conflicts were resolved. All of them! I feel a little cheated out of 10% of a story - that's how rushed the ending was. There's something to be said about not trying to tie up everything in a bow. Leave room for the characters to work on some things in the future. I think that would have been a richer ending.

All that said, this is still a 4 star read for me! That's how good the development of Teddy and Ruthie's relationship was over the course of the book. The supporting characters were also so good - Melanie, Aggie, and Renata really fleshed out the world and made the story much more rounded. And it's impossible not to love a book that's 80% women and shows how rich a woman's life is with other women in it.

I felt that this was another original, funny, and heart-warming title from a queen of contemporary romance.

This book was nice but not as unputdownable as The Hating Game. I feel like Sally Thorne is still trying to catch that magic. It was much better than 99% though.

I enjoyed both of the author's previous work's and her latest, "Second First Impressions" is no exception. A delightful tale of romance set in a Retirement Villa? YES PLEASE! I really enjoyed the two main characters, Ruthie & Teddy and found them quite endearing with their various family issues to deal with as their romance heats up. The secondary characters, Aggie & Renata, are a hoot! Highly recommend! My thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

I enjoyed the story but I was left wanting more. I wanted more story about Ruthie's new adventure and her life outside of Providence. Teddy was sweet and doting but I wanted more growth and risks from Ruthie. The romance was definitely filled with angst but I kept hoping it would have happened sooner in the book. The side characters were enjoyable and made me laugh. Melanie and the Parloni sisters were a joy. I LOVED The Hating Game and was hoping for some similar heat, but this one definitely fell short of that.

Oh man, I was so lucky to get the ARC from NetGalley. Sally Thorne is a favorite and does some things exceptionally - building relationships, having strong writing and strong characters, accurately describing things we're thinking but never really say, and a way of describing someone imaginatively (how they smell, look, FEEL). A good addition to her collection, but different than her first, and second. In this book, we follow Ruthie (preacher's daughter, workaholic, OCD, agoraphobic) as she decides she wants to try online dating, while supervising the entire retirement community in her boss's absence, while undergoing a buyout. She tries not to be derailed by the new owner's son, which proves difficult once she sees his beautiful hair - and personality of course. There's a lot of warmth and humor in this book, and I cheered for Ruthie every step of the way. It's not at the level of her first book, but readers will enjoy the chemistry. More, please!

I am one of the many who loved The Hating Game. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. Although Ruthie was a fun character I just didn't like the male lead. There was nothing about Teddy that interested me. I am giving the 3 stars because of Ruthie and her assistant.

I first heard about this book on Christina Lauren’s Instagram page. I am so glad that I requested it and was approved!! I loved reading this book. Ruthie and Teddy’s story was hard to put down. I am so glad I took a chance on this title. I look forward to reading more from Sally Thorne.

4.5 glorious stars!

The Hating Game is one of my top favorite books of all time. 99 Percent Mine was a crushing disappointment. I picked up the pieces of my book-loving heart. With faith that Sally Thorne could pull herself together, I went into this book with trepidation and hope. My dear readers, SALLY. IS. BACK!!!!! I loved the characters, the setting, the banter, the lovable quirkiness that is so this author's niche. My heart did little flippity-flips in my chest because the slow burn romance was delightful! Like a book psycho, I demanded that my old roommate read this in one sitting tonight, so we'll see what the consensus is by tomorrow! The best takeaway from this review, my friends, is that you need not fear that you will be 99 Percent-ed again! Read this with all the trusting glee and joy that your rom-com heart has to offer! It will not disappoint!

*ARC provided for an honest review

3.5! A sweet, slow build of a romance that does not lose the intensity of feeling and chemistry present in Sally Thorne's previous novels. This novel is more of a slow burn and more physically reserved, which I felt fit the progression of Ruthie and Teddy's burgeoning relationship (though I wouldn't have minded a little more steaminess!). The relationship between Ruthie and Teddy was really cute and although it did get mired down at times by the many side-plots, the love they had for each other felt believable.

I really adored all the characters, but I would have liked to have seen some more character development for the supporting characters, especially Melanie (this is also my opportunity to say that I would love a sequel about Melanie!!). There were a lot of side-plots that I felt unfocused the novel at times as certain big issues or moments that had affected Ruthie and Teddy's progression were suddenly resolved very quickly at the end. It also affected the pacing, as the slower middle of the novel lost me a bit interest wise.

Overall, I did enjoy this one by the end. An opposites-attract, disastrous meet-cute romance I will recommend.