Aside from this book being really inspirational, its never too late to do that thing you either used to do or want to do. I loved the MC, she was funny as hell, a little too dramatic, but she is trying to find her way yet again after becoming an empty nester. There was a ton of comedy, this author did her thing. I recommend this book, mainly more for the readers who are into music, which is totally relatable.

A story about two piano players who each get a second chance at life. I just didn’t connect with this one. I think the writing style wasn’t my fave, but I can see a lot of other people liking this one!

This one was a slow one for me initially but I eventually got attached to the characters and really liked the ending.

Prudence is nearing 50, her youngest child has just moved out and she's questioning her life and what's next. As a child piano prodigy, Prudence decides to play again and ends up in a tv competition against a young pianist, Alexei. Overall Prudence really frustrated me -- she made some questionable choices and I just wanted to talk some sense in to her. But she showed some growth and by the end I was rooting for her as well.

Alexei was probably my favorite character -- I really felt for him and the tough position he was in with his parents. It was nice to see some growth from him and some of his parts made me laugh.

The side characters are all pretty unlikeable too -- both Bobby and Tamara felt like pretty terrible people.

Overall very impressive for a debut novel and I will definitely check out what Michelle Hoffman writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This was a fun, lighthearted read that also touched on more serious and deeper issues. Both were done flawlessly and effortlessly. You weaved in and out of the story, enjoying the characters, relating to their thoughts (even when I really couldn't) and overall just enjoying them. Both very different, yet also similar, their stories and relationships are done incredibly well. Overall a fun, easy summer read!

Prudence was a famous kindergartener for her unbelievable piano skills. As she got older, she began to realize that her grandmother was exploiting her, so she ran away and wrote commercial jingles, which continued to add to her fame and fortune. With her daughters now away at school, Prudence wants to reconnect with her music, and agrees to compete on a dueling pianos TV show. Her rival Alexei, is also a flawless pianist, but has no life outside of music. Both realize that the competition will give them the chance to take control of their lives and passion.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

This was interesting -- a bit like one of my favorites Where'd You Go, Bernadette but not quite as good. I enjoyed the piano talk but I kept hoping for something better, more magical to happen. I guess I wanted a bit of fantasy rather than such a stark reality. But it was still a very good read and I read it one sitting, which tells you I was captivated. Definitely add this one to your TBR pile!

The Second Ending comes out next week on May 30, 2023 and you can purchase HERE.

A child's world, Prudence had discovered when her girls were young, is only as large as what is around them. Her daughters never cared about their mother's storied childhood, how she'd played for two sitting presidents and had tea with Isaac Stern. They only cared that she could make mud pies and killer began tacos. Prudence gave her children everything she had been denied. She read them stories, taught them card games, and held them when they were sad. She nurtured them precisely so they could become independent adults. But the opposite had happened to Prudence along the way: She had grown dependent on them.

THE SECOND ENDING by Michelle Hoffman is the delightful and charming story of Prudence (named after the Beatles song) and Alexei, two high-profile musicians whose lives intersect on a music reality show. We follow Prudence and Alexei as they prep for their big reality show event and both musicians grapple with how they got where they are – do they really love music this much? Did they choose this life or was it chosen for them? Are they even good enough?

But I'm making it sound serious. There are serious and heartfelt moments, but mostly THE SECOND ENDING is witty and funny with a little side of quirky, because Prudence has got that child star/adult recluse quirkiness going on which I loved.

Musicians, you're going to really enjoy this one. It's a fun and light read with humor and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for a free review copy of this book!

Review on IG @fromsarahsbooknook to come on release day.

This book had a very flatline plot for me. Nothing was exciting, nothing was depressing, I felt like I took Benadryl reading this book because it was so lackluster.

Prudence and Alexei are two different versions of exploited youth. Both have their problems, both are annoying, neither is truly endearing. When I got to the actual competition, I wasn't even rooting for one over the other, I just wanted to see how it went.

There was one whole character and her story that just slowed the whole thing down. Nothing about her added anything to the story other than "why are you here?"

I had the same feelings I had reading Lessons in Chemistry, which I also didn't like, so if that's your speed, this book is for you.

What a delight! Prudence and Alexei are on a collision course toward one another as they both need to win a piano competition on the incredibly popular tv show he hosts. She was a child prodigy who broke away from the piano as a teen, married Bobby, had the marriage annulled, and rebuilt her life after graduating Julliard and then marrying Stuart and raising two daughters. But now she's 48, the girls are off to college, and she's having a crisis. And then Bobby shows up. Alexei's parents used his talent to get them out of Russia and now he's 22 and living a regimented life but the fact that he's got to play a rock or pop song in the competition changes everything- and he finds his heart. Know that Prudence can be annoying but just wait til you meet Tamara, who has been holding a grudge for many years! There are moments of great sweetness here, a little pathos (no spoilers), and it's got some good laughs. You will find yourself rooting for both Prudence and Alexei, for different reasons. I enjoyed this very much and it became a page turner as we barreled to the competition. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

I just couldn’t get into this story. I'm very character driven and I found these characters 'flat'. Sorry to say I gave up on this one.

The Second Ending was a fun, warmhearted, enjoyable read. If you are looking for something light with an uncommon plotline, you will love this book!

The book centers around two highly-skilled piano players who will be competing against each other in a dueling piano reality TV competition. Along the way, we meet different characters (both good and bad) from each of their lives, and both pianists learn about themselves and grow and change over the course of the book.

As someone that took piano lessons for eight years (and who has been yearning to start playing again as a middle-aged adult), I really enjoyed the concept and plot of this book. But I don't think it gets too deep into the details of playing piano, so even if you've never had an interest in learning and instrument, you can still totally enjoy this book.

The Second Ending is definitely entertaining and had me laughing at several points. It was just what I needed after some heavier reads. It was a quick and easy read, and I think it would be perfect for a vacation and/or the beach.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is about a pair of piano virtuosos competing a in reality show piano competition. Prudence Childs is a former child prodigy who gave up on her own talent long ago because it was never about her or her talent at all, but about her cruel grandmother pushing her and using her talent to exploit her. At first, the competition is about rediscovering her own talent, but then it becomes not only about proving that she really is as talented as she was once thought to be but about earning the prize money to thwart her blackmailing ex-husband. Prudence's rival, Alexi Petrov, is a young virtuoso who was pushed into music by his parents. They made sure that his music was his whole life whether he wanted it that way or not.

This is quite a captivating story that will quickly draw you in and keep you hooked throughout. Ms. Hoffman has a humorous quality to her writing that makes it really enjoyable. Her characters are very quirky but extremely likable. Prudence is a force to be reckoned with especially when it comes to protecting her family and the life she's made for herself, and Alexei is a young man who just wants to experience life and be loved for himself and not for his talent. You can't help rooting for both of them, and when all is said and done the ending couldn't be more perfect. It will definitely leave you both satisfied and happy.

This entertaining and humorous story about two people with the gift of playing the piano flawlessly and the chance to change the direction of their lives made for an enjoyable read. Circumstances brought about these two people to participate in a piano competition on a reality show. They both had their reasons for doing it and during the time of preparing for it and the people they've encountered along the way brought about some changes in their lives. This is a second chance and hopeful read. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I LOVED The Second Ending, a debut novel by Michelle Hoffman! Prudence, a child prodigy pianist, and Alexei, a famous pianist and reality tv host, find themselves engaged in a competition that they both desperately need to win. I liked the dual perspectives that that book was told in, and both of the main characters were flawed, but extremely likeable. The Second Ending had a lot of humor, and it was a fun book to read. I definitely look forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance reader copy of this fantastic book!

Two piano virtuosos are asked to compete in a music competition of dueling pianos, similar to American Idol. They will compete against each other and the winner will receive $1 million.

Prudence was a child prodigy, learning to play the piano when she was three years old. Prudence played for presidents and appeared on talk shows. However, in the process, she lost her childhood. At the first chance, she ran away and did not want anything to do with the piano again. Now 48 years old and an empty nester, Prudence is questioning what she has done with her life.

Alexei was born in Russia and has traveled the world playing the piano. Pushed by his parents to compete, at 22 Alexei is also pondering all he has missed out on because of the piano.

Both want to win the competition, hoping that it will change their lives for the better. This is a fun read. You will not be sure who you will be rooting for to win the competition. I received an ARC of The Second Ending in exchange for an honest review.

As a former piano player, I was very excited to check this book out. You meet two pianists that are struggling with their musical careers. I was not a prodigy by any means however I trained for 3-6 hours a day for over 10 years and essentially pushed by a piano teacher who used to hit my knuckles with sticks. It was a grueling time but I pushed through performance after performance, audition after audition. This book brought back both the good and bad memories from my piano playing days.

Even though the story centers around pianists and their struggle, both Prudence and Alexei work on believing in themselves, reinventing themselves and finding their way. Throw in some humor, some morally grey characters, and a dueling pianist Hollywood game show, you have yourself a fun read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightful novel about finding your dreams again after focusing on family and other obligations in life. It's about overcoming past trauma and finding your voice. On the other hand, with Alexei, it's about finding his independence from his parents. This one will make you laugh out loud and maybe cause you to think about your own dreams that you might have put on the backburner for whatever reason.

If you want more of a look about reality tv, it's not going to be here. It's about the journey for both Prudence and Alexei, not really about the show.

This book is... a lot. It has two main characters: Prudence, a former piano prodigy turned jingle writer turned full-time mother turned empty nester; and Alexei, a talented young pianist whose diligent training has led him from a world-renowned conservatory to a position hosting an American-Idol-like televised piano competition. It has about a dozen important secondary characters, parents and teachers and employers and rivals. It has dark pasts (Prudence is a survivor of child abuse) and mortal peril and enough coincidences and sly winks from the omniscient narrator to make both of those things seem not quite serious. It veers from meditation on the nature of art to rollicking adventure and back, pretty much every few pages.

... But I had a hard time getting into it. Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I started it, because I found the serious sections uncomfortably intense and the lighter sections annoyingly madcap. In its second half, the book evened out, plot threads began to pull together, and the ending was thoughtful and satisfying.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Remember Bernadette from Where'd You Go Bernadette? Imagine if she were a former child piano prodigy instead of a former celebrated architect. You'd have Prudence. Lots of talent, lots of baggage, and not the best at handling the curves life has suddenly started throwing at her. But oh my gosh does this make for a roller coaster of a ride fun time story! Add to it the weird world of supposedly reality tv in the form of a piano playing challenge and a charismatic host who is a world renowned piano player himself. Prudence and Alexei are pitted against each other and both need to win the piano duel for various reasons. While Alexie's story was interesting, I feel like his was only included to counterbalance Prudence's situation. The reader wants them both to win! The writing and the story feel campy and quirky the entire way through. This is a great beach, vacation, escapism romping kind of read that will put a smile on your face whether you are a music fan or not!

A book with a lighthearted tone that tackles meaty topics of self-confidence, childhood trauma and parental power … and a plot that speeds to a thunderous finish. This is a fast read and lots of fun, even if not incredibly realistic.

It took me a bit to get into this one but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. While all the characters were flawed and at times deeply unlikeable, they grew on me and I was eager to see how their stories would unfold. I found myself rooting for both Prudence and Alexei during the competition for different reasons. I always enjoy a quirky book and this one delivered!

I love that this was a light book but with excellent character development. This book has a great ending that was very satisfactory! I definitely recommend picking this one up.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.