A Season for Second Chances felt like a more adult version of a feel good holiday movie. Anne, 40 something renowned chef and mother of adult twins, finds herself at a crossroads in her life. She walks away from everything in her life and takes a caretaker job at a quaint, eccentric seaside village for a short term lease. What she finds along the way is a new purpose, new friends, new love and a new home.

Her new book club fiends are one of the highlights of the book. What a hilarious group of take no shit women who made me laugh several times.

I love a book about fellow readers. I love a book about a woman in her 40s living her very best life. It was a sweet story and would make an excellent Christmas read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Annie Sharpe has her 26-year marriage unravel when she stumbles upon her husband in flagrante delicto with a 21-year-old waitress at their jointly owned restaurant. She considers putting cat food in his oxfords, pine floor cleaner in his cologne, or plunging a desert fork into his forehead but decides her best bet is to re-invent herself. She finds an unpaid custodial position at a historical home in an English seaside village. The Saltwater Nook is in disrepair, but our can-do 44-year-old loves a challenge and sets out to re-open it as a thriving coffee shop. This homespun tale is ultra-cozy complete with tall, rugged men, quirky but loyal villagers and even a smuggler’s cave connected to the café. Annie pays it forward by organizing Halloween and Christmas celebrations but dreams of living happily ever after. That may happen, but first the village has to deal with a once-in-a-generation life-threatening storm. Put the kettle on and enjoy this romantic tale with a dash of suspense.

A Season for Second Chances is basically a PG-13 Hallmark movie. I didn't particularly like it. For a romance, the love interest didn't show up until 40% into the book and there were way too many scenes with Max, Annie's soon to be ex. I got irritated every time he showed up and his existence pretty much ruined this for me. Once or twice, fine, but his constant efforts to win Annie back after what he did just really put me off this book. I also didn't like the overuse of exclamation points, especially in the beginning of this book. It made the dialogue feel weird. Overall, I just wasn't into the characters in this or the storyline. I'm sure others will enjoy this more than I did, as there was nothing really wrong with it. It just was not my cup of tea. 2.5 stars.

Annie, at age 44 is a very successful restaurant owner with grown twin sons, and a philandering husband. Until now she has put up with Max's affairs, however, she decides she has had enough when she walks into their restaurant and catches him having sex with a young waitress.. While looking for a new place to live to reevaluate her life, Annie sees an add for a "winter guardian" of a secluded beach apartment with a small closed business attached. It is called Saltwater Nook in the village of Willow Bay. It is owned by a lovely elderly woman Mari, who is finding the winters a little hard to endure. Annie discovers when she is accepted by Mari that Mari's nephew wants to sell the property and put his aunt in care. There are misunderstandings, Max wants her back, but the villagers are welcoming and Annie reopens the kiosk and tea shop that Mari had closed and it begins to thrive as does Annie. The villagers are interesting characters, especially the book club ladies and there is humor throughout. The coastline and the ocean are characters themselves and had me walking along the shore with the people of Willow Bay. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked, but didn't love, this book. It took me a while to really get into it. All of the characters felt relatable and warm, and it left this Florida girl pining for England and fall. Even though I didn't love this book, I would read more from this author, and I'd love to learn more about some of the other residents of Willow Bay!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved everything about this book!!! This is a perfect example of why I read romantic comedy, this book had everything I want in this type of story. The setting is picturesque and quaint, the characters are relatable and quirky, and the overall story was fun and engaging. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jenny Bayliss gives us more tales about the lovely characters of Willow Bay!

This is one of those authors that is just plain good. I love the characters and the romance and setting. This author is added to my must read list. Slow start, big payoff.

A wonderful seaside comfort read with a strong female lead and a cozy winter setting. I look forward to sharing this with readers who enjoy a gentle romance, mature characters, and a storybook atmosphere.

This is quintessential Jenny Bayliss. Beautiful English small town, quirky characters, hurting people, a chance for love and redemption. Her stories make me feel so good and I loved reading about John, Annie, Mari, and the residents of Willow Bay.

This author's descriptions of the scenery and the ocean were excellent-I could really picture myself there. This story was well written and encouraging-the main character's husband is unfaithful to her, but she finds a new life for herself and works hard to make new friends and build up a new business.

Wow! Was this a fantastic book! I wish I had read it on a cozy chair in the depth of winter, but it is sadly summer. I digress. This book was so great. Our main character discovers her husband cheating on her and so goes to live in a house on a beautiful beach. She opens a cafe and meets the wonderful villagers. There is a book club, wonderful friends, and found family. This book felt like a warm hug and was so happy. I loved it. What a wonderful book. Buy it now and thank me later!

This one is definitely slow to get into. There are also a lot of characters to keep up with. I liked the romance and how mature it was. Cute holiday book, but not for everyone.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

A sweet and somewhat sentimental read that will be a sure hit come the holiday season. I loved the main characters and can’t wait to see more from this author!

this took me AGES to get into. i wanted to quit quite a few times...a slow start for sure (in defense of the author, there was a LOT to set up). but i ain’t no quitter, so i stuck with it! after john made his first appearance, i barely put it down. his and annie’s relationship was very mature, something i found extremely refreshing. one problem i had was keeping all of the characters straight (there’s a lot!), but they helped to instill in me willow bay’s sense of community. bonus points for the wicker man reference!

#netgalley