(4.5 stars, rounded up to 5)

"No Second Chances" by Rio Youers is a heart-pounding thriller that will leave readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Youers masterfully weaves together multiple plot threads, creating a narrative that is as gripping as it is unpredictable. The characters are richly drawn and deeply compelling, with complex motivations that keep readers guessing until the very end. Youers' prose is sharp and evocative, immersing readers in the dark and dangerous world of the story. What sets "No Second Chances" apart is its exploration of themes such as redemption, forgiveness, and the nature of fate, adding layers of depth to the pulse-pounding action. While some readers may find the pacing to be relentless, those who enjoy a fast-paced thrill ride will find much to love in this electrifying novel. Overall, "No Second Chances" is a must-read for fans of the genre, cementing Youers' place as a master storyteller in the world of suspense fiction.

I found parts of this heist thriller very entertaining. No Second Chances was high suspens, especially in the second half of the book. However, the story has a lot of backstory so it was slow to develop. It was a while before I really got engaged in the story.

LIKES:
1) this was one of the best “heist”’thrillers I had read in a while. It reminded me so much of Blacktop Wasteland, but I felt it moved along quicker.
2) Kitty was such a great character, I thoroughly enjoyed her story arch and was happy at her development.
3) Luke had me back and forth with if I liked him or not and I think that was the point. Definitely liked his relationship with Kitty.
4) the villains are so bad! You hate them and you are supposed to. And I loved that!!!!
5) I’m not usually into stories that heavily lean on drugs, but I really enjoyed what Youers did with the Canary storyline!

DISLIKES:
🚫

No Second Chances is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out No Second Chances asap.

Great action packed thriller. Full of twists and turns. Held my attention throughout.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

This thriller, set in Hollywood involves Luke Kingsley, an actor who lost his career after his wife mysteriously disappeared ad he was blamed. He is a neighbor of Kitty Rae who has come from Kentucky to become an actress, but is currently making drug drops for Johan Fry, drug dealer to the wealthy. When he discovers she has been skimming profits he seeks vengeance and Like tries to help Kitty escape. In the process he discovers a clue about his wife’s location. The novel culminates in gruesome, violent action. Theses fights are unbelievable and too violent for me, but I did like the Hollywood setting and the interactions of Luke and Kitty.

I read the first 5 chapters and was bored. I had zero interest in the characters or their problems. I was hoping it would be exciting but it was slow. I couldn't progress through the book. I had high hopes but it wasn't for me. If you like slow burn type stories or stories about Hollywood drug dealers maybe you will like this.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. The opinions are my own.

Thanks to Rio Youers, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the wish granted and the early access to “No Second Chances” In bookstores and wherever books are sold! Rio almost always gets a blurb from the big dog himself, Stephen King, and as we all know, we read whatever Steve tells us to, and it never disappoints! I really dug Lola on Fire last year, whew, action horror at its finest. Well “No Second Chances” is not freakin slouch! Kinda reminds me of True Romance, but more intense! If you are saying whoa! Then this book and this author is for you. Cool characters, but not cookie cut outs. I cared what was going to happen, and freaked out when shit got real! Plenty of fun along with the intensity! Check it out, Steve said so! Thanks for reading!

An excellent thrilling read. I loved how the narrator really took you on the winding road of a story. An excellent read especially for a long beach day! Truly enjoyable.

2022 Book #11: No Second Chances by Rio Youers. Kitty Rae leaves Kentucky for Hollywood to pursue her dreams of becoming a star, but instead finds herself involved with some very dangerous people. Can her neighbor Luke, a washed up actor accused of murdering his missing wife, help Kitty get out of this situation alive? This is not a book I would normally pick up but I ended up liking the fast paced plot quite a bit. It was a little gory at times but the constant action kept things moving. If you like action movies you may want to give this one a try.

Thank you William Morrow and Scene of the Crime for my advanced copy!

This is another great book by Rio Youers. It’s intricately plotted and will keep you turning pages, wanting to know what will happen next. It’s filled with excellent but very different kinds of characters. They’re flawed and believable, from varying backgrounds. It reminded me a little of the whole OJ case, and it does get gruesome at times.

This book will draw you in and hold you tight, eager to see what happens next. I did notice a similarity to how it unfolds with Lola on Fire, with it being rather formulaic. Still, it’s worth reading to learn about the characters and see how things develop, to follow the psychological elements of it..

I enjoyed this book, despite the periodic violence. If you enjoy mystery-thrillers, this is a wonderful book to read.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

I received this book from NetGalley as an advanced reader copy.

Oh wow!!!! What a wild ride!! I loved this book, it really pulled me in and did not let go.

Luke's wife has disappeared without a trace. Everyone thinks that he murdered her. He ends up being pulled back to his life by his neighbor who wants to become an actress.

Kitty ends up working for a drug dealer, and when he finds out she has been skimming some of the drugs he is out to get her.

Luke steps up to help Kitty and they also end up finding a clue that Lukes wife may still be alive somewhere. It is a race to the end that keeps you going!

Dark, suspenseful and bloody violent with characters you can't help root for.
Kitty came to Hollywood dreaming of stardom. To keep afloat in the meantime, she becomes a courrier, going from one bad drug dealer to a meaner one.
Luke was a budding actor on the brink of stardom when he is found with his missing wife's blood on him and no recollection of what happened. At the end of his rope after losing everything and a PI who is convinced he killed his wife hot on his heels, he attempts suicide only to be saved by Kitty.
When Kitty is caught skimming product Johan the Viking, her boss, is determined to make her pay. After witnessing the lengths he'd go to to erase those who betray him and barely escaping with her life she turns to the only person she can think of to help, Luke. After devising a plan to get Johan and his enforcers off her trail, Luke is shown a picture of a man he's been looking for who might know what happened to his wife. Is this person connected to those looking for Kitty? And if so, how?
From here the action is fast and furious and had me flying thru the pages. The characters are well drawn and the details and scenes are cinematic in scope. There is A LOT of graphic violence but that only heightens the fear factor for Kitty and Luke.
If you enjoy high-octane, fast paced rollercoaster rides, I can't recommend this one highly enough.

This was my first book by Rio Youers. I thought he did such a great job at writing this book. You could fully understand the characters and what was going on. There was such good details in the characters background you felt like you knew them. The scenes were perfectly explained. I really liked Kitty and Luke. You couldn't help but feel bad for the mess Luke was in.

While I did enjoy the writing, the book wasn't for me. It didn't fully hook me in. I will be reading more from Rio Youers, that's for sure! Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this book!

Thank you to William Morrow for an advanced copy of No Second Changes.

This is the second book I have read by Youers. Lola on Fire was an explosive book and I expected the same from No Second Changes. I was not disappointed! It was the same style where the story lead into a huge, explosive ending packed with lots of action and thrills! I definitely recommend giving this one a read.

Kitty Rae came to Hollywood to make a name for herself. Instead, she supports herself as a drug courier for Sly Boy, a club owner and minor supplier. On one of her runs she is followed by Johan Fly, a media influencer and dealer for the stars. Johan is impressed with Kitty and wants her to work or him. Things go wrong when Johan discovers that someone has been duplicating Canary, his exclusive designer drug. The drug could o not have been provided by Kitty or Sly Boy. When Kitty witnesses the murder of Sly Boy she knows that Johan can not let her live.

Luke Kingsley was an actor with celebrity status until his wife disappeared. He was found with her blood on his shirt but there was no body to be found. He always claimed that someone else was present, a man with a bat shaped face. His acting jobs dried up and he now lives in a small house across from Kitty. With his best friend approaching death he feels there is nothing left to live for and he attempts suicide. Kitty intervenes and the two became friends. Kitty runs to Luke after Sly Boy’s murder. In an effort to throw Johan off her trail, Luke sets up a scene right out of Hollywood and in the process he stumbles on a clue to his wife’s fate.

Kitty is like so many others who arrive in Hollywood hoping find success and change their lives while Luke has experienced the success but discovered how fleeting fame can be. Jonah grew up with wealth and has influence that enables him to hide who he really is. While he is welcomed by his A list clients, Kitty has experienced his more terrifying side. He is known as the Viking and wields a Viking axe against anyone who goes against him. Since his wife’s disappearance Luke has been harassed by Tera Montecino, the officer on the case who has now become a private detective. She is still trying to prove that Luke is a murderer. A race through the Nevada desert could help Luke find closure but it also spells danger for Luke and Kitty with Johan and Montecino on their trail. Rio Youers knows how to keep the suspense high and No Second Chance is a must read for thriller fans. I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow/Custom House Publishers for providing this book for my review.

Kitty Rae left her life in Kentucky behind to come to Los Angeles and be a star. So far it's not working out quite like she planned. She spends most of her time as a courier, running "product" (aka drugs). She meets her next door neighbor, once beloved actor Luke Kingsley, when she fears he's about to commit suicide. Luke's career has tanked as he's under suspicion for killing his wife, Lisa, who disappeared three years ago--and Luke showed up drunk, disheveled, and with her blood all over his shirt. But Luke and Kitty form a bond and he's the only one she can trust when she gets in trouble with Johan Fly--the "Viking"--a social media influencer and drug dealer to the Hollywood elite. Johan's out for blood, but as Luke and Kitty try to escape his clutches, they stumble into a dark web of violence, drugs, and deception.

"It was all coming together. Life was good. And then, in a blink, it wasn't."

I didn't love CHANCES quite as much as LOLA ON FIRE, but like LOLA, it's powerful, intense, and packed with jaw-dropping violence. You have to just go with the idea that this book will be filled with punches, literal and emotional, and see it almost as a film. Youers writes in such a mesmerizing fashion that it's nearly impossible not to be caught up in the brutality and story of the novel. It's a fast, shocking read, but there's a surprising emotion underneath, especially with Kitty and Luke's surprising friendship.

I flew through this one, as it's dramatic, ferocious, and fascinating.

No Second Chances by Rio Youers is a thriller set in the world of Hollywood. Unfortunately it just moved too slow for my liking. The story took along time to develop and there was a lot of backstory buildup, which I just struggled to stay engaged with. The second half of the book picked up and there started to be some action but even that was so detailed, I found myself just wanting to get to the end.

This is my first book by this author which I look forward to seeing what is next by this author. This is a suspenseful story about a man and a wife that disappears only be to accused of murdering her. Than to be pulled into a web of violence and corruption that may lead to clues about his wife. This is a well written story that has twists and turns that left me sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what was lurking around the corner. I enjoyed being pulled into the story by the creative characters. I found them to be relateable and made the story easy and entertaining to read. The author's use of details gave the story a realistic feel. This is a fast paced, action filled story that was hard to put down. I enjoyed the growth of the characters as well as the plot throughout the story. This is a great suspenseful story that I truly enjoyed. I highly recommend this book.

Get ready for an action packed thriller once you begin reading No Second Chances.

What happens when you cross a loser actor who murdered his wife and a young drug runner with big dreams of hitting Hollywood? You get an incredible plot that will leave you in awe every time you flip a page, that's what.

This is a story filled with life lessons, heart break and struggles. You will see these two wildly dramatic characters come in to themselves. You will see the journey from start to finish and be left with an ending you will be unable to forget.

Due out 2/22/22 !! (What a cool date for a release!) You do not want to miss this one!

Happy Reading !