The Second Ending is a fascinating story about two incredibly talented pianists, each of who were each a child prodigy, and how their paths intertwine.

There was a lot in this debut by Michelle Hoffman that I enjoyed - starting with the premise. I really got invested in both Pruden and Alexei and their journeys. What made it hard to fully immerse myself in this book, though, was that it tried to do too much. I never cared much about the Audrey storyline - it felt like an unnecessary distraction. And that side plot really just dragged it all out.

I thought that the twist about Prudence and the first jig she wrote was clever, but the payoff at the end to me wasn't as fulfilling as I would have liked it to be.

Overall, this was good and enjoyable but it did leave me wanting a bit more.

3.5 stars. The concept of this book had me intrigued: a former child prodigy has a midlife crisis and suffers from imposter syndrome after her last child goes off to college and agrees to go on a reality TV show to prove her talent to herself and the public by facing off against a renowned, young pianist from Russia named Alexei.

What I didn’t expect from this story was the multiple POVs from so many characters. I assumed it would mostly be focused on Alexei and Prudence, but we had the leader of the HOA, the HOA chair person’s son, a retired piano teacher, etc etc. There were just so many POVs that i felt any time I was growing more invested in the characters of Prudence and Alexei and their personal arcs, I was jerked away to a minor character. It really affected the flow of the book and my emotional connection with the story. It felt like it wanted to be Backman-esque with how it followed multiple characters, but it missed the mark.

What was done incredibly well was how the author described the piano playing. Somehow even though it was all text descriptions you could feel and hear the music and the passion they had. The ending scene of the television show was truly remarkable and engrossing. It was so easy to imagine, and I’d love if this happened in real life.

The writing is great and makes for a quick read, but with the constantly changing POVs and a plot a bit all over the place with some “what the heck?!” Moments, it was just an ok read for me.

The Second Ending is a very emotion filled book that expresses dreams and desires, and the fight for these dreams and desires.

You get all the back story for the charters, and what shaped them into who they are.

I truly loved The Second Ending; I found it delightful, and beautiful, and very emotional to me personally. This book is so fruitful in story.

I would highly recommend giving this a read, even if you're not a music person. This story can be for everyone, a way to boost the soul with joy at second chance endings!

It's really so beautiful!!

FULL REVIEW IN https://aishasbookworld.wordpress.com/2023/05/28/review-the-second-ending-by-michelle-hoffmann/

This story takes us through the journey Prudence and Alexei have to face to have a fulfilling life. Throughout the plot, we can see how they discover emotions neither of them thought they had. From self doubt and fears to alienation from the real world, everything Alexei and Prudence felt in this book is displayed masterfully. Alexei lives in a controlled world that leaves no room for spontaneity. Prudence, after leaving her grandmother and music world, designed her life around her daughters. When they’re taken out of their comfort zone, both Alexei and Prudence struggles with the uncertainty the new changes in their environment.

I loved this book. It’s about chasing dreams, second chances and self discovery and worth. Ms. Hoffmann created a wonderful story about two different persons who do things their contrasting way, but with a lot in common and the same goal: to feel fulfilled as a person. And believing that second chances—or beginnings and endings—are possible.

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman is a highly recommended humorous and captivating debut novel about two pianists and a reality show competition.

Prudence Childs, 48, was once a household name as a child prodigy and star who played the piano for the famous and influential until she gave it all up to live an anonymous normal life and raise a family. Alexei Petrov is a current, young virtuoso who hosts a reality show competition with a large following. For reasons of her own, Prudence agrees to a competition facing Alexei on the dueling pianos TV show where the winner will take home a million dollars.

Adding to the drama is an ex-husband who hopes to extort money from Prudence, an HOA president who wants revenge, and a show producer with increasing demands. Both Prudence and Alexei have to win the competition for differing reasons but the two don't realize how much they have in common. The subject of controlling/stage parents is also readily present and the result of domineering actions is illustrated in the development of the characters.

The Second Ending is a compelling novel that will especially resonate with those who love music and play any instrument, but will certainly be enjoyed by any reader who loves well-written character based novels. The eccentric characters come to life in this novel that is packed with drama, humor and the love of music. Challenging and difficult issues are tackled with humor and passion. The narrative held my attention throughout and the ending was satisfying. This is a great debut novel!
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Random House via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

I mostly loved this book! I felt like Prudence was a little Bernadette-y (of Where'd You Go, Bernadette?) and the story, as a whole, had a similar but more light-hearted vibe to Fredrik Backman's Anxious People. The kind of story where you get really invested in the character arcs of the MCs -- in this case, I'm thinking of Prudence and Alexei -- and want to stand up and clap for them by the end. Alexei is a 22-year-old who has been too carefully controlled his whole life and now just wants to know how it feels to be young and experience life. How could you not root for him? I love that we got to experience becoming a "real 22-year-old" with him, it made me feel weirdly proud of him. Like, yes dude, eat those drunk late-night nachos! Like I said, weirdly proud. Prudence was just this lovable hot mess who just became more lovable and less of a hot mess as the book progressed. The whole book, and Prudence in particular, had a big theme of not giving up on yourself and on what makes you happy, and who doesn't need a little of that sometimes?

One bit of criticism I have is the ambiguity of the temporal setting. Prudence was apparently born in 1968. So she'd be 48 in 2016. As this is 2023, that would mean the events took place about 7 years ago. But the fact that everything in the book is happening 7 years ago isn't even alluded to, so I got kind of confused when I did the math. But, I just adjusted my thinking as I was reading to assume this was all a few years, but then Alexei is talking about what happened with him 2-3 years ago and TikTok is mentioned (TikTok in 2013?). And then I was back to being confused about when this book was supposed to be taking place. It was a little thing but it took me out of the book a bit, and that's the only reason for the 1-star knock-down. Still, I thought this was SUCH an impressive debut -- I give Prudence and Michelle Hoffman a standing O.

Quirky, endearing, and music-heavy. The middle got very slow, and the ending zipped by too quickly. Other than that, I quite enjoyed it!
A lot of the music talk went over my head, but I know a music lover would adore this book.

I fell in love with Prudence in the first chapter. Loved the way she spoke and thought. Enjoyed learning more about classical music. Great reveal at end.

This one fell short of the mark for me. I didn’t feel drawn or connected to the characters and they seemed to lack depth and authenticity. The beginning was slow, then the story picked up and became entertaining. I thought it was going to be more engaging, but then it slowed again. I ultimately ended up abandoning the ebook. It wasn’t engaging enough to hold my interest any longer.

Prudence Childs is a piano prodigy who toured extensively as a child and now writes pop jingles for a living. Alexi Petrov is the current host of tv's "Dueling Piano Wars" who is a technical genius. As they compete against one another, their lives, income, and more is at stake. Who has what it takes to take it all?

I went into THE SECOND ENDING completely blind. The premise seemed so cute and lighthearted with a lot of promise, and being a pianist myself I was intrigued at the musical element. Boy was I right. This was the perfect light summer-y read, but it had depth as each of our two main characters sought to figure out their worth and meaning. I was cheering on Prudence and Alexi as they made their programs, grew as musicians, and -- most importantly -- grew as human beings. There were some obstacles they each had to overcome, and sometimes they did it well while other times they failed. Their humanity was touching, and I loved them both. If you're looking for a light hearted read with a little depth, be sure to pick this one up!

THE SECOND ENDING by Michelle Hoffman is a definite delight of a read!

Prudence Childs is nearing 50 and is gifted her old piano from when she was a child prodigy. This isn't a pleasant memory for Prudence and she grapples with what to do when her ex-husband comes out of the woodwork with a compromising situation and begins the blackmail process. When the music calls to Prudence, she falls back into it fully and finds herself with an opportunity to solve her ex issue: winning a piano duel contest on TV! What she doesn't know, is that the host of this piano duel, Alexei Petrov has his own demons to conquer.

This is a strong story of second chances, or maybe even third or fourth. It has a light-hearted feel with clever, snarky humor that made me chuckle, while probing deeper issues of familial expectations and trauma. I thoroughly fell in love with Prudence and wish we could go out for drinks, though she could absolutely drink me under the table. I also fell in love with her husband (not the ex!), who seemed to understand and care for her in ways I haven't seen as much in novels lately. The "mid-life" protagonist is one I relate to in many ways, and I found this story to be a bit of a comfort read. Now, on with that bookclub...

Thank you to @netgalley & Ballantine Books @randomhouse for sharing @michelle.hoffman_ 's debut book & letting me share my thoughts! This title will be available on May 30th, so pre-order or head in to your bookstore then!

Y'all, this was just such a delight of a read, and it's one I cannot recommend to any human who reads books enough. The story was just so wonderful, and I found myself rooting for the main character so hard. The story focuses on Prudence. Prudence was a musical prodigy as a child, but has since moved on from music. In her late 40s, Prudence returns to music as part of a dueling pianos reality television show. As she prepares to this, an ex who's down on his luck returns to her life with a secret that could ruin her. He finds an unexpected partner in (literal) crime in his efforts, but also this partnership is rather complicated. This was a redemption story with a spin, and there were so many twists and turns that added so much depth to the story. I truly didn't know what was going to happen, and I kept reading because I was so drawn into not only Prudence's story, but that of the others around her. Everyone had something that made this one such a wonderful read. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this upcoming release!

This is a beautiful and often funny story. It is filled with some wonderful and quirky characters. Prudence is a child prodigy and a middle aged mother with an empty nest. Alexei is young twenty five year old superstar pianist. Each has their own conflicts and drive to prove themselves the best. The story is also romantic as it examines how strong Prudence’s marriage is. It also looks at family expectations through both characters lives and struggle. There is also many other fun surprises that await you through the pages of this book.

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman is a funny comedy about two pianists and their different paths to competing on dueling pianos tv-show.

Prudence was a child prodigy but stopped playing and Alexi is young sensation. This competition means different things to both of them but it's all about finding their love of the music and challenging themselves to think differently about themselves.

I enjoyed this book! It was funny, I kinda wish this show was a real thing!

4/5 stars!

This was definitely a different read than what I'm used to (fantasy + romance), but it was a refreshing change of pace! This is a story full of love, sadness, and hope and a wonderful musical journey exploring second chances. Prudence and Alexei show us we can write ourselves new endings.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House, + Michelle Hoffman for an ARC copy of The Second Ending. All thoughts are my own.

This feel good story is perfect to read in those sun-soaked summer days. Prudence Childs was a childhood piano prodigy who finds herself middle-aged and lacking the creative spark she once had. When her ex-husband blackmails her, Prudence’s fate in a dueling piano competition is jeopardized. The focus of rediscovering your identity in middle age and forging a new path despite familial expectations will resonate with many readers. This is a sweet one you won’t want to miss!

READ THIS IF:
You believe in new beginnings at any age
American Idol but make it competitive concert piano appeals to you
You appreciate a middle-aged protagonist

I featured The Second Ending in my summer reading guide, Kelly Hook's Summer Books. The guide launched 5/25 and has over 2k downloads.

An enjoyable, light-hearted comedy that also addresses some deeper issues. The two main characters, Prudence and Alexei have agreed to compete in a televised piano duel and discover that they have traumatic childhoods in common. Prudence, now an empty-nester is a former child prodigy who hasn’t played the piano in years. Alexei is already a star with his own show but is struggling to break free of his parents’ control over his life. Other characters add interest and humor making the story pure entertainment.
I found the storyline of this book to be engaging enough to keep my interest but there was no “wow factor” for me. The character development was good, not great but the additional quirky characters really added to the fun. I personally enjoyed the Phoenix setting as I also live in the area and the author’s descriptions were spot on.
This book is a refreshing read and provides a break from the mainstream “book club” selections.
#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishing-BallantineBooks

Someone recommended this book to me, so I requested it. I should have known that it was not for me, but I gave it a try. Two exploited children trying to get back their lives as adults. Unfortunately, there are no surprises. The plot was predictable. I kept waiting for something to happen and it really didn’t. The blurb made it seem there would be a little more…intrigue I guess. From the other reviews, I can see this book was for some people. I am just not it’s target audience. That being the case, it was OK.

This was such a quirky and unique book! It felt special to read something set in my (adopted) home of the Phoenix metro area and I loved all the references to real places, like Hotel Valley Ho and the Fountain Hills fountain. It took me a while to think of what this book reminded me of, and I ultimately came up with “Finley Donovan is Killing It.” It has a similar tone, where it’s both a little dry and dark, but still whimsical. There is nothing creepy or violent in this book like there is in Finley Donovan, though. I found this plot compelling, if a little far-fetched. The characters were endearing and there were lots of good life thoughts.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book!!! This book was about two prodigies that tell us their life story while preparing to duel each on reality television show. It was a very interesting read, however it was rushed at the end.